cussler.blueandgold-第34章

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　NUMA　afloat？〃
　
　〃As　a　matter　of　fact　I'm　in　town　on　NUMA　business　and　wondered　if　you　could　give　me　a　hand。〃　
　〃Always　ready　to　do　what　I　can　for　an　old　college　pal。〃
　
　〃I　appreciate　that；　Randy。　I　need　some　information　on　a　California…based　pany。　Have　you　ever　heard　of　the　Gogstad　Corporation？〃
　
　The　other　end　of　the　line　went　silent。　Then　Cohen　said；　〃You　did　say　Gogstad？'
　
　〃That's　right。〃　Joe　spelled　the　name　so　there　would　be　no　mistake。　〃Does　it　ring　a　bell？〃
　
　〃Call　me　back　at　this　number；〃　Cohen　said；　and　abruptly　clicked　off。　Zavala　did　as　he　was　told。　Cohen　answered。　〃Sorry　to　cut　you　off。　We're　talking　on　my　cell　phone。　Where　are　you？〃
　
　Zavala　described　his　location。　Cohen　was　familiar　with　the　neighborhood　and　gave　him　directions　to　a　nearby　coffee　bar。　Zavala　was　sipping　on　his　second　espresso　when　Cohen　walked　in。　The　reporter　saw　Zavala　sitting　at　the　counter　and　gave　him　a　big　grin。　He　strode　over　and　pumped　his　hand。
　
　〃God；　you　look　great；　Joe。　Haven't　changed　a　bit。〃
　
　〃Neither　have　you。〃　Zavala　was　telling　the　truth。　The　re　porter　looked　much　the　same　as　when　they　had　worked　together　on　their　college　newspaper。　Cohen　had　put　a　few　pounds　on　his　lean　frame；　and　his　black　beard　was　tinged　with　flecks　of　gray；　but　he　still　walked　like　a　giant　crane；　and　the　blue　eyes　blinking　from　behind　horn…rimmed　glasses　were　as　intense　as　ever。
　
　Cohen　ordered　a　double　latte　and　herded　Joe　to　a　table　re　moved　from　the　others。　He　took　a　sip；　pronounced　the　coffee　a　ten；　then　leaned　forward　and　said　in　a　low　voice；　〃So　tell　me；　old　friend；　what's　NUMA's　interest　in　Gogstad？〃
　
　〃You　probably　heard　about　the　pod　of　gray　whales　that　was　found　dead　off　San　Diego。〃　Cohen　nodded。　〃We've　tracked　the　possible　cause　of　death　to　an　operation　on　the　Baja　peninsula。　There　was　a　link　to　the　Mulholland　Group。　Gogstad　is　the　parent　pany。〃
　
　Cohen's　eyes　narrowed。　〃What　kind　of　operation？〃
　
　〃Don't　laugh。　It's　a　tortilla　plant。〃
　
　〃I　don't　laugh　at　anything　having　to　do　with　this　outfit。〃
　
　〃Then　you　know　it。〃　
　
　〃Intimately。　That's　why　I　was　stunned　when　you　called。　I've　been　on　an　investigative　team　digging　into　Gogstad　for　almost　a　year。　We're　going　to　call　the　story　series　'The　Water　Pirates。'　〃
　
　〃I　thought　piracy　went　out　with　Captain　Kidd。〃
　
　〃This　is　bigger　than　Kidd　could　ever　have　imagined。〃
　
　〃What　turned　you　on　to　the　story？〃
　
　〃Dumb　luck。　We　were　looking　into　corporate　mergers；　the　quiet　ones　that　don't　always　make　the　headlines　but　have　just　as　much　impact　on　the　average　citizen。　We　started　crisscrossing　the　same　faint　trail。　It　was　like　a　hunter　ing　across　snow…blown　tracks　in　the　woods　again　and　again。〃
　
　〃The　tracks　were　Gogstad's。〃
　
　Cohen　nodded。　〃It　took　us　months　to　pin　it　down；　and　we　still　only　have　a　partial　picture。　Gogstad　is　enormous！　With　holdings　in　the　hundreds　of　billions；　it　may　be　the　biggest　world　wide　conglomerate　in　history。〃
　
　〃I'll　admit　I　don't　read　the　Wall　Street　Journal　every　day；　but　I'm　surprised　I　never　heard　of　this　outfit　if　it's　as　big　as　you　say。〃
　
　〃Don't　feel　bad。　They've　spent　millions　to　keep　their　dealings　a　secret。　They　use　back…room　deals；　straw　and　dummy　corporations；　every　trick　in　the　book。　Thank　God　for　puters！　We　fed　the　stuff　through　a　Geographic　Information　System。　The　GIS　connects　the　info　in　the　database　to　points　on　a　map。　The　cops　use　the　same　system　to　keep　tabs　on　gang　connections。　We've　got　some　great　graphs　that　show　Gogstad's　holdings　around　the　world。〃
　
　〃Who's　behind　this　super…corp？〃
　
　〃We're　pretty　sure　the　reins　of　power　are　held　by　one　person。　Her　name　is　Brynhild　Sigurd。〃
　
　Zavala　had　a　deserved　reputation　as　a　ladies'　man；　so　his　ears　perked　up　at　the　mention　of　a　woman。　〃Tell　me　about　Ms。　Sigurd。〃
　
　〃There　isn't　much　I　can　tell。　She's　never　made　the　Fortune　magazine　list　of　most　powerful　women；　although　she　deserves　to　be　at　the　top。　We　do　know　she　was　born　in　the　U。S。　of　Scandinavian　parents；　that　she　went　to　school　in　Europe　and
　later　started　an　engineering　pany　called　the　Mulholland　Group。〃　〃I　was　just　there。　I　should　have　asked　to　see　the　lady。〃
　
　〃It　wouldn't　do　you　any　good。　She's　still　listed　as　pany　president；　but　nobody　sees　her。〃
　
　〃I'm　not　clear　on　the　pany　name。　The　office　isn't　on　Mulholland　Drive。〃
　
　Cohen　smiled　indulgently。　〃Have　you　ever　heard　of　the　Owens　Valley　scandal？〃
　
　〃It　had　to　do　with　the　Los　Angeles　water　system；　I　believe。〃
　
　〃That's　right。　It's　hard　to　believe　today；　but　L。A。　was　just　a　small　desert　town　back　in　the　1920s。　The　city　needed　water　to　grow。　The　nearest　major　source　of　fresh　water　was　sleepy　little　Owens　Valley　two　hundred　miles　to　the　north。　L。A。　quietly　sent　guys　to　the　valley　to　buy　out　the　water　rights　to　the　river。　By　the　time　the　valley　people　figured　out　what　was　going　on　it　was　too　late　to　do　anything。　Their　water　was　on　its　way　to　Los　Angeles。〃
　
　〃What　happened　to　the　Owens　Valley？〃
　
　〃Drained　dry。〃　He　chuckled　evilly。　〃Most　of　the　water　the　taxpayers　paid　for　went　to　the　San　Fernando　Valley；　not　the　city。　A　bunch　of　local　businessmen　bought　land　cheap　there。　Prices　skyrocketed　when　water　came　in　and　made　the　speculators　mil　lions。　The　man　who　engineered　the　coup　was　William　Mulholland。〃
　
　〃Interesting。　How　does　the　Mulholland　Group　fit　in　with　Gogstad？〃
　
　〃Mulholland　was　the　seed　pany　for　Gogstad。　Now　it's　a　subsidiary　that　provides　engineering　services　for　the　parent　corporation。〃
　
　〃What　exactly　does　Gogstad　do？〃
　
　'At　first　they　acquired　interests　in　pipeline；　energy；　and　construction　panies。　Since　then　they　have　branched　out　into　financial　institutions；　insurance；　media。　For　the　last　several　years　they've　concentrated　on　one　product：　blue　gold。〃
　
　〃I'm　only　familiar　with　the　fourteen…karat　stuff。〃
　
　Cohen　lifted　the　tumbler　in　front　of　him。　
　〃Blue　gold　is　water？〃
　
　〃Yep。〃　Cohen　held　the　glass　to　the　light　like　a　fine　wine；　then　took　a　hearty　gulp。　〃Water　is　no　longer　a　natural　right；　it's　a　modity　that　can　fetch　a　higher　price　than　refined　gas。　Gogstad　is　the　dominant　player　in　the　world　water　business。　It　has　the　controlling　interest　in　water　panies　in　one　hundred　and　fifty　countries　on　six　continents　and　distributes　water　to　more　than　two　hundred　million　people。　Their　biggest　coup　was　engineering　passage　of　the　Colorado　River　privatization　bill。〃
　
　〃I've　read　something　about　that。　Fill　me　in。〃
　
　〃The　Colorado　River　is　the　main　source　of　water　for　the　western　and　southwestern　states。　The　system　has　always　been　operated　by　the　feds；　the　people　who　brought　you　the　big　dams　and　reservoirs；　working　with　the　states　and　cities。　The　bill　took　control　away　from　the　government　and　placed　it　in　the　hands　of　private　panies。〃
　
　〃Privatization　is　pretty　mon　these　days。　You've　got　private　panies　running　prisons。　Why　not　water　systems？〃
　
　〃Exactly　the　argument　advanced　for　the　bill。　The　states　have　been　fighting　over　water　rights　for　years。　Tons　of　money　have　been　spent　on　lawsuits。　The　proponents　said　privatization　would　end　this。　Water　would　be　distributed　more　efficiently。　The　investors　would　shoulder　the　costs　of　big　capital　improvements。　What　pushed　it　into　the　win　column　was　the　drought。　Cities　are　running　out　of　water；　and　people　are　scared。〃
　
　〃Where　does　Gogstad　fit　in？〃
　
　〃The　way　it　was　set　up；　the　Colorado　River　system　would　be　run　by　a　bunch　of　separate　panies　working　together。〃
　
　〃Spreading　the　wealth？〃
　
　〃That　was　the　idea。　Only　problem　is；　every　one　of　these　panies　is　secretly　owned　by　Gogstad。〃
　
　〃So　Gogstad　has　control　of　the　Colorado　River？〃
　
　He　nodded。　〃They've　been　doing　the　same　thing　on　a　smaller　scale　all　over　the　country。　They've　got　contracts　to　extract　glacier　water　in　Alaska。　They've　expanded　their　reach　into　Canada；　which　has　the　major　sources　of　water　in　North　America。　They've　nailed
　down　control　of　most　of　British　Columbia's　water。　Before　long　the　Great　Lakes　will　bee　Gogstad　reservoirs。〃
　
　Zavala　let　out　a　low　whistle。　〃That's　scary；　but　it　fits　right　in　with　globalization；　the　concentration　of　economic　power　in　fewer　hands。〃
　
　〃Sure。　Taking　ownership　of　a　country's　most　precious　re　source　is　entirely　legal　whether　we　like　it　or　not。　But　Gogstad　doesn't　play　by　the　rules；　and　that's　even　scarier。〃
　
　〃What　do　you　mean？〃
　
　〃I'll　give　you　one　example。　Congressman　Jeremy　Kinkaid　fought　the　Colorado　River　bill　tooth　and　nail　and　was　threatening　congressional　hearings　to　rescind　the　legislation。　He　died　in　an　accident。〃
　
　〃Lots　of　people　die　in　accidents。〃
　
　The　reporter　extracted　a　map　of　the　world　from　his　pocket　and　unfolded　it　on　the　table。　Speaking　almost　in　a　whisper；　he　said；　〃See　these　red　squares？　Don't　bother　counting　them。　There　are　dozens。〃
　
　〃Gogstad　acquisitions？〃
　
　〃In　a　manner　of　speaking。　As　Gogstad　expanded　it　ran　into　established　players；　the　panies　and　municipalities　that　con　trolled　the　water　in　other　countries。　In　many　cases　a　rival　resisted　Gogstad's　overtures。〃　He　tapped　the　map。　〃We　correlated　the　data　on　the　acquisitions　with　information　on　pany　personnel。　Every　place　where　you　see　a　red　square　the　acquisition　coincided　with　fatal　'accidents'　among　the　corporate　hierarchy。　Sometimes　top　executives　simply　disappeared。〃
　
　〃Either　Gogstad　is　using　street　gang　methods　or　it　is　very　lucky。〃
　
　〃You　figure　it　out。　In　the　past　ten　years　it　has　assimilated　transnational　water　panies　in　France；　Italy；　Britain；　and　South　America。　It's　like　the　Borg；　that　alien　race　in　Star　Trek　that　grows　in　power　by　absorbing　other　species　into　its　collective。　It's　acquired　water　concessions　in　Asia　and　South　Africa…〃　Cohen　stopped　his　breathless　recitation。　His　eyes　darted　to　the　door。　He　relaxed　when　a　woman　and　a　child　walked　in。　
　Zavala　raised　a　brow；　but　he　said　nothing。
　
　〃Sorry；〃　Cohen　said。　〃This　whole　thing　has　me　as　paranoid　as　hell。〃
　
　〃A　little　paranoia　can　be　a　healthy　thing；　my　friend。〃
　
　Cohen　dropped　his　voice　to　a　whisper　again。　〃We　may　have　a　mole　in　the　news　department。　That's　why　I　had　you　call　on　my　cell　phone。〃　He　fidgeted　nervously　with　his　spoon。　〃A　lot　of　weird　stuff　has　been　happening　at　the　paper。〃
　
　〃What　kind　of　stuff？〃
　
　〃Nothing　I　can　put　my　finger　on。　Files　out　of　the　order　you　put　them　in。　Strangers　in　the　building。　Odd　glances。〃
　
　〃Are　you　sure　it's　not　your　imagination？〃
　
　　〃Others　on　the　team　have　noticed　the　funny　stuff；　too。　Hell。　Are　my　jitters　that　obvious？〃
　
　　〃You're　even　making　me　nervous。〃
　
　〃Good；　I　want　you　to　be　nervous。　I　don't　think　Gogstad　would　think　twice　about　getting　rid　of　anyone　standing　in　the　way　of　its　goal。〃
　
　〃Which　is？〃
　
　〃It's　clear　to　me　that　they　want　to　control　the　world's　fresh　water　supply。〃
　
　Zavala　pondered　the　pronouncement。　〃That's　a　tall　order。　What　they've　done　in　North　America　and　Europe　is　pretty　impressive；　but　can　any　one　pany　corner　the　world's　fresh　water？〃
　
　〃It's　not　as　hard　as　you　might　think。　Fresh　water　is　less　than　one　half　of　one　percent　of　the　world's　total　water　stock。　What　remains　is　seawater；　or　it's　locked　up　in　ice　caps　or　in　the　ground。　A　lot　o