Sea of Shadows eBook - Navy Thriller.com

238 JEFF EDWARDS
Gitana spent a lot of time in the gym, and everybody knew that Harris’s
most developed muscle was his mouth.
Carpenter looked around suddenly, as he felt the hot oil flow over his
fingers. Damn. He had overfilled the bottle. He shut the valve quickly
and tried to get the lid on the sample bottle without spilling any more than
he had to. As soon as the lid was on tight, he pulled a rag from his back
pocket and wiped the bottle down. He slid the bottle into his hip pocket
and surveyed the mess. He hadn’t spilled much. Just a few ounces.
Nothing major.
He flipped down the locking arm and pinned the sample valve in the
locked position. That done, he knelt down and used his rag to mop up the
tiny puddle of oil in the bilge. There. No harm done.
He looked up at Harris. “All right, I’m done. We have to make a quick
stop by the lab, and I have to tell the Engineer of the Watch that I’m taking
a quick smoke break.”
“Stop dragging ass,” Harris said. “My lungs are overdosing on
oxygen.”
Carpenter bumped into Harris on purpose as he walked toward the
ladder. “Sorry. Excuse me. Pardon me. Coming through.”
Harris followed him. “Shithead!” A few seconds later, the watertight
door closed behind him with a bang.
Down in the bilge beneath the line shaft bearing, a fresh spot of oil
appeared on the steel deck. After a second or two, it was joined by another
one. And then another. The sample valve on the bottom of the oil sump
was locked in its current position. It was nearly closed, but the disk was
not completely sealed against the seat. The drip became a trickle.