Free The Ark: A Novel by Boyd Morrison

clarify. She wasn't lying, that much he was sure of. Which left him with what? That either she was the victim of a bizarre set of coincidences or that he was somehow connected to some vast conspiracy bent on killing this lone woman. Neither option seemed likely, so he withheld his opinion.
    The cheeseburgers arrived still steaming hot from the mess grill. Dilara and Locke interrupted their discussion to dig into them.
    "This is amazing," Dilara said after one bite. "Am I delusional from the cold, or is this the best burger I've ever had?"
    "Gotta keep the workers out here happy, so the ingredients are top-notch. They're out here three weeks at a time. The company would have a riot on their hands if they served crummy food."
    Dilara chewed in silence. The food and coffee brought a brightness back to her eyes.
    "You didn't take the bait about me being delusional," she said. "You think I am, don't you?"
    "Honestly, I don't know what to think" Locke said. "You don't seem delusional to me, but then again, I haven't known you that long."
    "Are you going to help me?"
    "I'm not sure what you're asking me to do."
    "I'm not either, but I know people are trying to kill me and that the secret to this whole thing will be revealed if we can find Noah's Ark. You're involved somehow. Sam was sure of it."
    Locke put up his right hand. "I swear I don't know where Noah's Ark is. Scout's honor." He couldn't help but be slightly sarcastic. Or maybe excessively sarcastic. He wasn't a good judge of his own level of sarcasm.
    "Believe me, I get that. But whoever tried to kill me doesn't want me to talk to you. There must be a reason."
    Locke sighed. She wouldn't give up until he gave her something. "I'll have my guys look into Coleman Consulting, but I have a job to finish here, and then I have to be in Europe in two days for another job."
    "You have to cancel it."
    "Listen, I'd like to help you..."
    "What about the helicopter? You said yourself that the crash seemed odd."
    Locke shrugged. "It could have been some kind of explosive device, but it also could have been a fractured turbine blade or some other mechanical problem. The water here is over 1000 feet deep. It'll take weeks, if not months, to recover the helicopter."
    "We don't have that kind of time! It's already Saturday night. Whatever is going to kill billions will be set in motion this coming Friday."
    "Look, you're welcome to stay on board as long as you need. I've already okayed it with the rig manager. But if there's no connection with Coleman, there's nothing else I can do. You'll have to take it up with the police."
    For this first time, discouragement crept into Dilara's voice. "I already tried that in LA. They said Sam died of a heart attack, and they said the SUV that slammed into me was probably just a drunk driver."
    "Maybe he was."
    It was her turn to be sarcastic. About medium level. "So I see a man die in front of me, I get into a car accident that could have killed me, and then I barely escape a helicopter crash with my life, all in the span of three days? Come on. I can see you don't believe that."
    Locke had to admit: this woman was tenacious. "I've never been a fan of coincidences, but I've seen them before. Still, that's a nasty run of bad luck."
    "I'm not planning to play blackjack any time soon. I just need some help."
    Locke popped the last bite of his burger into his mouth and waited to speak until he finished it.
    "Okay, I'll check it out myself, but I can't promise anything," he said. "I'll talk to John Coleman myself tomorrow. Maybe he knows something about this."
    "Thank you," Dilara said, obviously relieved to have someone else on her side. Locke was interested to hear what Coleman had to say, but he didn't expect much. His guess was that Sam Watson had been wrong about Locke. Perhaps it was John Coleman that was involved in all of this.
    Dilara finished her burger, and the fatigue finally overtook her. Locke escorted her back to her cabin and told her he'd let