“Someone’s going up there Robbie.”
“We’ll double back and make sure they aren’t going to the plant.”
“What if there are other trucks?” They watched the blue semi disappear in the rear view.
“I have to take the exit now,” said Robbie. “Keep an eye on the cut-off.” Levon didn’t have to wait long.
“Another truck just took the exit,” he said.
“We’ll wait a bit, make sure the coast is clear, then return and do a drive by. We’ll know if someone is there.”
“What if they see us?”
“We’ll be careful, buddy. And you’re going to text Bill and Dave right now and let them know what’s up and what we’re up to.”
“They might want us to wait for them,” said Levon. Robbie could tell he was nervous.
“If they want us to, then we will.”
“Maybe I should let Sergeant Desocarras know.”
“No use dragging him here if there’s nothing to it,” said Robbie. Instead of circling around and getting back on Watson Highway, Robbie headed south, through Port Edward. “Just in case we were spotted,” he said.
Levon had his phone out, messaging Dave. After a few minutes, Robbie pulled into a gas station. After filling the tank and paying, he parked near the entrance.
“We’ll wait here a few minutes,” said Robbie.
Levon’s phone buzzed. “It’s Dave. He wants to know if we can talk.” Levon dialled the number and handed the phone to Robbie. “You talk to him.” Dave picked up immediately and Robbie put him on speaker.
“You first,” said Robbie.
“We’re not sure the girl they found is part of the bigger picture,” said Dave.
“Why not?” asked Robbie.
“Her uncle brought her here. They’re from one of the reserves in Northern Alberta. Her uncle told her he was bringing her and two other women to BC for a holiday. He bought her a new outfit for the trip. But when they arrived, he brought the girls to the cabin. A man was waiting for them. He gave her uncle an envelope, then the uncle left, saying he would return later, but he didn’t. As soon as he was gone, the man forced the three girls into a bedroom and locked them in. That was late yesterday. Later that night, they heard a car drive away and figured they’d been left alone. They managed to break a small window in the bedroom. The other two didn’t want to leave the cabin without coats. She didn’t care. They helped her climb out the window and she made a run for it. She told them she’d get help.
“There’s two girls still at the cabin?”
“That’s right,” said Dave. “From what the girl remembers about the cabin, I think I can get us there. She said it was at the end of a lane and there was one other cabin close by, but she didn’t see any lights on. When she got to the closest road, she remembered her uncle had turned right onto the lane and so she headed left, hoping it would lead to the main road they came in on. She didn’t pass any other houses on the way to River Road. At one point, she saw a car’s headlights coming toward her in the distance and had to hide in the bushes until it passed. After that, she walked in the bush beside the road until she made it to River Road. The same car passed her quite a few times, going both ways. She knew it was the guy who’d locked them in looking for her. He was driving a blue Honda Civic. Once on River Road, she stayed hidden until a car was coming, then she would try to hail it. Several passed her by until Nikki and her brother stopped.”
“I think we should pass this on to the cops,” said Bill.
Levon spoke for the first time. “Sergeant Desocarras and his superior are not working with the local police. I think because some police have been involved with the trafficking ring, they don’t know who they can trust.”
“The girl said the guy at the cabin doesn’t have a gun,” said Dave. At least she didn’t see one. Nikki’s brother Norm has a couple of hunting rifles. We’ll take those. I think it’s safe enough for a bunch of us to go there and free those girls. Anyway, I don’t see how the uncle could be connected to international traffickers. I think this is something different. His niece says he’s a good guy and has never done anything like this before.”
“Not that she knows about,” said Robbie. “First time or tenth time. It’s not okay to sell your family to traffickers!”
“Just a minute.” There was a brief discussion at Dave’s end. He came back on the line. “When Rosie and her guys get here, we’re gonna go get those girls. Your turn now. What’s this about trucks?”
“We went to the Skeena plant, but the entrance was locked. It didn’t look like anyone had been there for a long time. We headed south toward Port Edward. Just before we took the exit, two semis took the entrance ramp onto the road and passed us. They could have been heading somewhere else, but we want to check and make sure they’re not going to the plant.”
“It is an alternate route to Prince Rupert,” said Dave.
“We want to go back to the plant to make sure the trucks aren’t there. It’s about ten minutes from where we are.”
“If it looks suspicious, probably a good idea to let the cops know,” said Bill.
“We’re thinking that.”
“And get the hell out before the cops arrive!” said Dave.
“Understood,” said Robbie with a chuckle. “I’ll be back in touch as soon as we clear Skeena.”
“I’ll let you know how we make out,” said Dave.
“Let’s go buddy,” said Robbie. He started the car up, left the station and headed back the way they’d come. A few minutes later they were back on the road to Watson Island and the Skeena plant. A thick, dark blanket of cloud was visible in the distance; it hung low and threatening as far as the eye could see. Robbie noticed that the wind was picking up, gusting hard enough to buffet the car a little but he kept that to himself. All the better if Levon didn’t notice. He was never the happiest of passengers.
“There’s the sign for the plant,” said Levon.
“I think it’s safe for us to do a drive-by,” said Robbie. He noticed Levon pull out his tablet and check something.
“Messages?”
“Just checking to see if there’s anything from Sergeant Desocarras.”
“Is there?”
“No.”
“Bill said this plant’s been closed for ten years.”
“That’s right,” said Levon.
They rounded a slight bend in the road and were coming up on the gate to Skeena Cellulose. The gate was open. Robbie pulled over in front of the driveway to try to get a better look. There was no sign of the two semis. He continued past the gate about a hundred metres and turned off at the first access road. It was deeply rutted, and he was forced to slow to a crawl, travelling only far enough to get the car out of sight. He did a U-turn and shut off the engine.
“What now?”
“Levon had his tablet out and was tapping furiously. Before long he had a shoreline view of the Skeena plant on the screen. Robbie leaned over.
“Wow!”
“We can thank Sáhkku. And her friend in Helsinki.”
“I’d like to meet her.”
“Me too,” said Levon, very softly.
Robbie looked at him in surprise. That was a first.
“There’s the trucks,” said Levon, pointing at two semis on his screen. They were parked in front of what looked like a loading dock.
“I don’t see the ship,” said Robbie.
“Robbie look! There’s men coming out of that building.”
“Can you zoom in?”
Levon did. As soon as the men halted at the trucks, he took screenshots of them. “Their faces aren’t visible.”
“Try to get a picture of the truck plates.”
“I can only get a picture of the front truck. Got it.”
“Better than nothing,” said Robbie.
“I need to let the sergeant know about the plant.” Robbie watched as Levon accessed the protonmai
l account, uploaded the pictures and left a message.
“How will you know when he gets this?”
“I asked him to let me know when he reads it. If I don’t get a message back quickly, I’ll have to message his work cell and tell him to check the account.”
“That’s risky. He might figure out who you are.” Levon looked at Robbie quizzically and shook his head patiently.
“That isn’t possible, Robbie. But Kirigin, he’ll know when I call. He has Alex’s cell number. He’s probably monitoring it.”
“You have no other way to contact him?”
“You know I don’t,” Levon pointed out patiently.
“Look at the sky. Cloud cover has moved in.”
“I know. We could lose the video feed any time now.” Levon was suddenly scared. “What if Kirigin has also got eyes in the sky. What if he saw us at the gate?”
“We gotta get outta here! Now!” Robbie started up the car and they bumped along slowly back to the main road. “We’ll turn right at the road, so we don’t have to pass the plant entrance.”
“Fast as you can, Robbie,” said Levon. His voice betrayed that he was just as scared as his brother.
Chapter 14
It was eight thirty am when Dave and Bill arrived at Seaside. Nikki’s brother Norm was waiting for them at the entrance to the reserve. He hopped in the back and directed them to the beachfront home he shared with his wife.
“Nice place,” said Bill. “Can fish right out your back door.”
“We like it,” said Norm.
They piled out and entered the house via a screened in porch that opened onto the living room. A teenage girl sat on one end of a big overstuffed couch; Nikki sat beside her. They both looked up when the three men entered. The young woman’s eyes found Bill. She watched closely as he walked over to her and pulled up a chair.
“My name’s Bill. What’s your name?”
She stared at him but didn’t speak.
“I know you’re scared girl,” said Bill softly. “And you’re worried about your friends.”
She blinked in answer and bowed her head; a single tear rolled down her cheek.
“My friends told me your name’s Tracy.”
A small nod.
“How old are you Tracy?”
No answer.
“I know it must be hard to talk about what’s happened. Especially with strangers. We’re all here to help you in any way we can. Not get you or your uncle in any trouble.”
“Uncle’s not a bad person,” she whispered, head still down.
“I’m sure he isn’t.”
“He didn’t know that the man would lock us up. Lock us in a room and not let us out.”
“Two girls are still at the cabin?”
Tracy nodded. “My friends. They were afraid to leave with me. It was night. And cold. He took our jackets. There was no way to get them.” Nikki put a protective arm around the girl as tears slid down her cheeks.
“You must have been scared,” said Bill softly.
Tracy managed a small nod as the tears continued to fall.
“You were very brave to run away from him like you did,” said Norm. One blanket covered arm wiped at her wet cheeks. She reached for the mug of tea in front of her and took a sip.
“We’d like to go to the cabin where your friends are being held and try to rescue them.”
“They’re gonna take them away.”
“Do anyone say where they were taking them?”
She shook her head.
“I have a pretty good idea where the girls are being held,” said Dave. “Tracy told us how she escaped. We’ll reverse the path she took before she flagged down Nikki and her brother.”
“We can find that cabin,” agreed Nikki.
“Did the man who was holding you at the cabin have a gun, or a rifle?”
“I don’t know,” she whispered.
Nikki gave her a reassuring squeeze.
“Guy might not be armed,” said Bill.
“I’ve got two hunting rifles,” said Norm. “We could bring them. Just in case.”
“Rosie says to wait for her and her crew,” said Dave. “They’ll be here in a few minutes.”
The redz found a cabin without much difficulty. An older, blue Honda Civic was parked out front. They drove past the driveway to the cabin. Once they were out of sight, Dave pulled over, Rosie right behind him. She jumped out of her van and ran to Dave’s window.
“I couldn’t see the plate but that’s the car: blue Honda Civic. Remember! Wikem told us at the diner. The cops are watching this guy’s place.” Rosie could barely contain her excitement. “Let’s go.”
Bill leaned around Dave. “Hold on girl. We can’t just barge in there. We need a plan.”
Rosie bristled with indignation. Respect for an elder fought it out with being called a girl. It was with some difficulty that she held her tongue.
“We’ve got two rifles,” said Bill.
“I’ll take a rifle and cover the front door,” said Norm.
“I’ll take the other and go around back,” said Dave.
“I’ll go with you, Norm,” said Bill. Norm looked concerned.
“Don’t worry,” said Bill. “I’ll stay well back.”
“We’ll block the driveway in case he tries to get away,” said Rosie.
“That could be dangerous,” said Bill. “If he’s armed and gets away from us, you don’t want to be blocking his exit. I want you all to stay well back.”
“You won’t be armed,” she protested.
“But the guy who’ll be standing in front of me will be. Please,” Bill begged. “I don’t want to see you get hurt. Stay here and wait. We’ll give you a signal when it’s safe.”
A reluctant and very pissed off Rosie stomped back to her van and climbed in.
The rain had started, but the cabin was surrounded by tall, old-growth pine which softened its blow considerably. Rosie pulled her van around Dave’s car and headed up the road a little to turn around. Dave, Norm, and Bill waited till she was parked, then took off through the trees and approached the cabin from the side. Dave headed to the back of the cabin. Norm and Bill waited till he was in position, then moved around to the front. They stepped quietly onto the front porch. Norm approached the door from the side and listened. The only sound was rain thrumming on the tin roof. He opened the door carefully and peeked in. Seeing no one, he motioned to Bill that he was going in and stepped inside. Bill moved closer to the door, remaining out of sight.
Norm, shotgun at the ready, started across the room. There were two doors off the main room, one slightly ajar, one shut. He headed towards the open door first but stopped quickly at the sound of a toilet flushing. Moments later, a heavyset guy stepped back into the main room.
“What the fuck!”
“Don’t move!” Norm moved in quickly, gun barrel trained on his chest, crowding him back against the nearest wall. “Turn around and put your hands on the wall.”
The guy turned slowly. Norm noticed as he did that, he glanced at a jacket hanging on a chair across the room.
“Who the fuck are you?” Bill had entered the room and moved to Norm’s side.
“Check his jacket,” said Norm. Bill crossed the room and checked the pockets. He found a sheathed knife and a handgun and pocketed them both.
“Where are the girls?” Norm demanded.
“What the hell is this? No one here but me.”
“I’ll check the rest of the cabin and get Dave.” Bill took off.
“At least let me sit down!”
“Shut up Mr. Smythe,” said Norm very quietly.
Smythe’s head swung around, the surprise on his face quickly replaced by cold calculation. “The old guy won’t find anyone. I’m alone.”
Bill returned to the front room, followed by Dave. “There’s no one here.”
Norm pointed his rifle at the guys chest. “Where�
�d you take the two young girls?”
“What? You a relative or something? Girls came here of their own free will. You got a problem with that, I’m not the one to take it up with.”
Without a word, Bill and Dave moved in on Smythe. Bill pushed him hard, pinning him to the wall. He pulled one arm behind and jerked it up while Dave covered him from the side.
“Tell us where the girls are!”
“You’re gonna break my arm!”
Bill pulled tighter and the guy howled in pain. “Tell us now.”
“You’re too late. I already dropped them off.”
“Dropped them off where?”
“At the old Skeena plant. They’re long gone.”
“Where are they taking them?”
“Couple of places. To the hydro camp up north; some to Alberta, and back east.”
“You are fucking bastards!” Norm spat.
Bill wheeled Smythe around and punched him hard; he dropped to the floor.
“We need something to tie this bastard up.”
“Go find something,” said Dave. “I got him covered.”
Before long, they returned with a half roll of duct tape and proceeded to bind the guys arms and legs. When he started to protest, Bill offered to cover his mouth with tape. He quickly fell silent.
Once they were ready to go, Dave signaled Rosie the all clear. She pulled into the driveway and came into the cabin with one of her cohorts.
“Where are the girls?”
“He took them to the Skeena plant. We’re going there now.”
“Damn right we are!” But it was mostly bravado.
Bill could see that Rosie was devastated that the girls were gone and how hard she had to fight to keep the tears from coming. He guessed this was very personal for her. And he was right.
A close friend of hers was still missing. There had been no word from her for almost two years. She’d arranged a ride from Terrace to Rupert to spend the weekend with school friends. Her family found out, much later, that her ride had fallen through and at the last minute she’d decided to hitchhike. Highway 16. Only an hour and a half to Rupert. So close.
Red Paint Page 14
