  We report the recovery of a spectroscopic event in eta Carinae in 1997/98
after a prediction by Damineli (1996). A true periodicity with P = 2020+-5 days
(0.2% uncertainty) is obtained. The line intensities and the radial-velocity
curve display a phase-locked behavior implying that the energy and dynamics of
the event repeat from cycle to cycle. This rules out S Doradus oscillation or
multiple shell ejection by an unstable star as the explanation of the
spectroscopic events. A colliding-wind binary scenario is supported by our
spectroscopic data and by X-ray observations. Although deviations from a simple
case exist around periastron, intensive monitoring during the next event (mid
2003) will be crucial to the understanding of the system.
