Payback by Keith Douglass

he’dtalked with Stroh. At twelve minutes he turned on the set, heard the beep again, and pushed the send button on the handset.
    â€œDon Stroh in D.C. Murdock calling.”
    He waited a moment, and then a voice came back that wasn’t Don Stroh.
    â€œYes, Don Stroh’s office here. We’re just set up and working. Here’s Mr. Stroh.”
    â€œDon, record this, you’ll want to refer to it. Have your recorder ready?”
    â€œYes, go ahead. What in hell do you have?”
    Murdock sketched in his long day in Santa Barbara, including his fight with the three divers. He told about finding the structure on the channel floor.
    â€œSomebody with a lot of resources is doing something off that oil platform besides drilling. Figured you’d want to know. I’m telling my boss here as soon as he gets on board. You didn’t hear this from me. Let’s see what happens going up the chain of command.”
    â€œSounds ominous. They killed two men who tried to check on the underwater, including one ex-SEAL?”
    â€œRight. That’s why I went to take a look. It’s in your hands now. I want to write up a report for Masciareli. You’ve got it on your end.”
    â€œGood enough. We’ll get something on it, then contact the chain and see where we go. I’m out of here.”
    Murdock signed off and made the coffee. He ate two bear claws he’d picked up on the way to the base. Then he tackled the report. He had it on the screen within a half hour. Then he went back over it and rewrote it until he had it the way he wanted it. He spell-checked it on the computer, thanked the grammar unit for catching a small goof, and then printed out four copies. He gave it a file name and left it on his hard disk. Then all he had to do was wait for SEAL Team Seven’s commander to get into his office.
    Murdock tried to do some paperwork he was behind on, but couldn’t get with it. He kept thinking about that domelike structure he had seen fifty yards from the oil rig. What the hell was it and who had put it there?
    At 0700 Master Chief Petty Officer Gordon MacKenzie phoned.
    â€œCommander, lad, you’re up early this morning, it being a Friday and all.”
    â€œMaster Chief, remember I told you I was going to Santa Barbara? I did. Want to read something interesting before I show it to the commander?”
    â€œIndeed I do. I have some fresh-brewed and a few donuts if you would care to honor me with your selfness.”
    Murdock grinned. “Be right there, Master Chief.”
    The old Scotsman frowned as he read the two-page report.
    â€œTwo men dead including Irwin. I remember him well. You even think they have some kind of sonar protection around the tower and this building?”
    â€œThe way it looks, Master Chief. I’d like to know what’s inside that building down there on the bottom of the channel.”
    â€œOf course, Don Stroh hasn’t seen this report,” MacKenzie said.
    â€œAbsolutely not. I just wrote it. No time for him to see it.”
    â€œAnd you didn’t call him this morning at 0613 on your regular phone?”
    Murdock laughed. “Can’t get ahead of you, Master Chief, can I? That call will be our little secret. I figured that the CIA should get on this and get cracking in case the chain of command upward didn’t work well.”
    MacKenzie’s green eyes sparkled. “Aye, laddie, and a good move it was. I know nothing. The good commander said he would be in his office this morning to make some early morning calls, but I haven’t seen him yet. When he comes in . . .” The chief stopped. “His Lincoln just pulled into the parking lot, lad. You’re in luck. You can deliver your missive yourself.”
    Ten minutes later Commander Dean Masciareli frowned at the two sheets of paper and then looked up at Murdock.
    â€œSomebody up there killed these two men including an ex-SEAL, and