Phantom Prospect - Alex Archer [97]
Annja frowned. “He’s not necessary. You’ve got me, Henderson. Leave him behind.”
“I need someone to drive the submarine while I keep you under guard,” Henderson said. “Besides, two is better than just one for insurance, anyway, don’t you think?”
“Depends,” Annja said. “But it’s your boat, so tell me what you want us to do.”
“You’re going on board first, followed by Tom. When I come down, I want you both back against the far side of the bridge. Any trouble and I’ll shoot you.”
“You’re going to kill us, anyway,” Annja said.
“If I get to my destination intact with the bomb, then you might just live. No guarantees, of course.”
Annja frowned. “Fine.” She climbed up the conning tower and down onto the bridge of the submarine. Tom followed a few seconds later and stood with her while Henderson clambered down.
He kept the gun on them the entire time. As he entered the bridge, he shifted position and then pointed at Tom. “Lock the hatch.”
Tom went up the conning tower and secured the hatch. Then he dropped back down and Henderson nodded. “Get us out of here.”
Annja frowned. Something was wrong. What was going on?
Tom took his seat at the controls and started punching buttons. Instantly, the motors kicked in. After a second, he looked at Henderson. “Ready.”
Henderson smiled. “Excellent. Get us under way.”
Annja felt the submarine shift and pull away from the dock. Tom guided it.
Henderson noticed the look on Annja’s face. “I think Annja is a bit confused.”
Tom glanced up. “She hasn’t figured it out.”
Henderson laughed. “May as well tell her.”
Tom shrugged. “I work for Henderson.”
Annja shook her head. “That’s impossible. How would you even have known that we’d end up in Nova Scotia?”
Henderson laughed. “Haven’t you learned that I’m a man who likes to cover my bets? We’ve had our spies looking after Hunter for a while now. And that meant we needed someone positioned with Cole, as well. Tom here was the perfect candidate for keeping an eye on him, in case Hunter fulfilled his potential.”
Annja shook her head. “I’m still not getting this.”
Henderson sighed. “Perhaps I gave you too much credit for being an intelligent woman.”
“Go to hell.”
Tom steered the submarine around and throttled up the motors. “Two minutes until we clear the tunnel and the cavern.”
Henderson nodded. “Excellent.” He looked back at Annja. “Hunter’s treasure quest for the Fantome has been well known by us for several years.”
“I didn’t think he even knew about it until recently.”
“Not true,” Henderson said. “He’s actually been quite vocal about his belief that the Fantome held a good supply of booty from the War of 1812.”
“I thought you didn’t care about the treasure,” Annja said.
“Well, I don’t really. The material goods mean little to me. However, when we discovered the vein of oil located here, we needed a convenient patsy to use as cover while we moved our teams of workers in.”
“But I thought you wanted Hunter scared off the wreck—hence, the mechanical shark.”
Henderson nodded. “We wanted him scared enough to stay out of the water but not so terrified that he left. That would mean someone else might wander into our area and we’d have to deal with them.”
Annja frowned. “It’s too sloppy. You’re not telling me something.”
Henderson smiled. “Well, there’s one little thing we’re leaving out.”
“What?”
Henderson looked at Tom. “Did you get it?”
Tom nodded and reached around his neck, removing a chain.
Annja caught her breath. “The crucifix.”
“Tom here’s been diving each night while the rest of you slept. My mechanical sharks ensured that he was left unmolested while he searched the wreckage for this.”
Annja shook her head. “Cole trusted you, Tom.”
He shrugged. “So what?”
Annja looked at Henderson. “That’s why you didn’t care about the death and destruction. You’ve got the crucifix.”
“And now I’m immortal,” Henderson said.
“That’s just a legend,” Annja said.
“Like your sword?” Henderson asked. “We’ll soon find out, anyway.”
“How?”
Henderson pointed at Tom. “Put the crucifix back on.”
Tom put