Some giant ship was about to ram his forty-two-foot sailing boat in the middle of the Bahamas, and there was no possible way to avoid the collision. He did everything he could think of to get away from the huge freighter rushing toward his fragile craft, but he couldn’t, and the ringing came again and again and again. Murdock jolted upright in his bed. Not the Bahamas. Coronado, California. The phone had provided the ringing sound effects for his dream. Thoroughly awake by this time, Blake reached for the phone. His voice wasn’t up to speed, however. He garbled out a hello and listened. “You sleep all day out there in Lotus Land, Lieutenant Murdock? Hell, it’s almost noon in Washington. The birds are out, the sun is shining, and it’s going to be one fine day. This is Don Stroh.” “Figures,” Murdock mumbled. “You been listening to the news? It’s all over CNN. I don’t know how those newshounds get their stuff so fast. We’ve only had it since nine last night ourselves.
