45

“The fault lay with a distorted gasket in the fuel system,” explained Amir, his face bright on the screen of Connor’s laptop.

“Well, that makes me rest easier at night!” replied Ling, who sat on the bed with Connor for the morning’s video briefing with Alpha team. “I have literally no idea what you’re talking about.”

“A gasket is a mechanical seal that prevents leakage while under compression—”

“Thanks, Amir, but such detail isn’t required,” Charley cut in, appearing on the screen beside him. “The important point is that the Seychelles coast guard discovered the cause of the Jet Ski explosion.”

“We saw the pictures,” said Richie, his grinning face butting in front of Amir’s. “That Jet Ski was totaled! Luckily it wasn’t one of the sisters riding it. That could have been disastrous—”

“Hang on: I was on it!” exclaimed Ling, her expression indignant.

“Yeah, I know, but you’re tough enough,” replied Richie.

He was suddenly yanked out of the frame and Jason’s bulk appeared. “Ignore that Irish idiot. How are you doing, Ling?”

“Fine,” she replied, clearly pleased to see him. “To be honest, my Principal’s more of a pain than the burn.”

Jason laughed. “I’m afraid that goes with the territory of being a guardian. On my last assignment, I could’ve throttled my Principal!”

“Sorry to break up the happy reunion,” said Charley, “but we need to focus on this Jet Ski situation.”

Jason nodded. “Stay cool, Ling,” he said, giving her a wink before slipping out of view.

“Joking aside, Ling, you were extremely lucky to have survived the explosion,” continued Charley. “Without your protective clothing, you could have been seriously injured or even killed.”

Ling nonchalantly lay back on one of the pillows. “All part of the job, isn’t it?”

“No, it isn’t,” said Charley firmly, shifting in her wheelchair. “Or at least with the right security in place, it shouldn’t be.”

Connor sensed Charley’s own experience in that statement, but this wasn’t the time or place to delve into her past. “So the explosion was just an accident?” he asked.

Charley pensively bit her lower lip. “That’s one way of looking at it. Brad’s report, however, said that the Orchid’s engineer had checked the other Jet Ski and discovered a similar issue with its fuel-filler inlet. It too could have very easily exploded.”

Connor and Ling exchanged uneasy glances. Connor turned back to the laptop’s webcam. “Are you suggesting sabotage?”

“We can’t rule that possibility out. It may just be a manufacturing defect. It does happen. But on both Jet Skis? That’s why we must assume this was an attempt on the lives of the Sterling family, designed to look like an accident.”

“So, who might have done it?” asked Ling.

“Your guess is as good as ours at this time. The last person known to have touched the Jet Skis was the engineer, but Brad questioned him and vouches for his integrity. So it remains to be seen . . .” Charley looked offscreen. “Hang on, Colonel Black’s here.”

Charley and Amir moved aside so the colonel could sit in front of the webcam. His jaw was set, and his gray eyes were hard as flint.

“I’ve just been speaking with Mr. Sterling. Ling, you’re being pulled off Operation Gemini, effective immediately.”