Jim turned and headed back.
As soon as there was radio silence, Alex spoke to Brandeis. “We’ve covered the coastline to Mowitch Point. Nothing. We’re heading back now.”
“We’re still a few minutes from there. No luck here either.” The radio fell silent. Alex glanced at his watch and tried to keep a lid on his mounting frustration. The lifeboats had been in the water over half an hour.
“This is a fool’s errand,” said McGee.
Alex ignored him. The coastline was out his window now. Alex looked at the cockpit. Wind was a steady sixty miles an hour coming right at them and the copter whined with the effort, but Jim held them steady.
“Going to be eight to ten minutes slower going back.”
“Understood,” said Alex.
“We might as well return to the base,” said McGee.
Alex lost it. “Shut up, officer, and do as you’ve been instructed!”
“We just passed a small dock,” said Jim. “Looks like a fishing boat is tied up.
“I saw it too,” said Alex. “Take us back over it.” Jim turned on a dime and headed back.
“Here’s the dock. Jim hovered above it for a few seconds, made an abrupt ninety degree turn and headed out to sea.
“Someone was on that fishing boat,” said Alex. “Cabin light is on. Now where are the lifeboats?”
“Looks like one coming up now,” said Jim. Moments later, a bright orange boat hove into view below them.
“Desocarras here,” Alex shouted into the shortwave. “Inspector we’ve spotted one of the lifeboats close to shore. There’s a small wooden dock close by. I’m guessing it’s headed there. There is a small fishing vessel moored at the dock already. A light is on in the boat so possibly one or more perps on board.” Alex gave him the coordinates.
“Exactly how far from shore is the lifeboat?”
“I’d say less than a minute or two out.”
“I’ll send the ERT teams to that location now. Do you see the other lifeboat?”
“No, but it must be close. We’ll keep looking.”
“Copy that,” said Brandeis.
“I’ll take us out in a straight line from the first boat,” said Jim. “It’s probably just a little behind.”
Alex looked at the radar screen. “There’s a small boat a short way out.”
“Could be our second lifeboat,” said Jim. “We should be over it soon.”
They all spotted it at once: a mid size fishing vessel directly under the copter heading out to sea, the round drum for reeling in nets visible on its aft end.
Alex trained his binoculars on the boat. A man appeared beside the drum, cradling an AK47.
“Take us up! Now!” Alex yelled. The copter immediately rose amid a volley of fire.
Brandeis’ voice crackled over the short wave: “Desocarras! What the hell’s happening?”
“We’re taking fire from a gunman on a fishing boat less than half a mile from the coordinates I gave you.”
“Any damage?”
“It was close,” yelled the pilot. He put the copter on hover while he checked out the instruments. “Just a few hits that I can see,” he said. “A couple of shots blew out the front end of one of the skids and I’ve got a cracked windshield, but it looks like it’s gonna hold.” Alex could see that the skid on his side was half gone.
“Will you be able to land?” asked Brandeis.
“I’ll figure something out,” said the pilot.
“You okay back there, McGee?” When there was no answer, Alex turned in his seat. McGee was dazed, his face ashen, eyes unfocused. He opened his mouth to speak but nothing came out.
“McGee,” said Alex. “Look at me.”
He turned his head slowly toward Alex but didn’t respond. Alex could see no sign of blood or a wound of any kind.
“Were you hit by fire?”
McGee slumped back against his seat, unconscious. Moments later, he started to shiver violently.
“Where’s your first aid kit?” Alex yelled as he unbuckled.
“In a cubbyhole at the back of the cabin, your side. You’ll find thermal blankets there too.” Alex fetched the kit and a blanket. It didn’t take long to find the reason for the shock: a pool of blood was quickly spreading under McGee’s right thigh.
“What’s going on?” said Sergeant Billings. “Was my officer hit?”
“McGee took a bullet in his right femoral artery. It’s pumping out fast.” Alex quickly pulled him to the floor, cut his pant leg open and secured a doughnut to McGee’s upper thigh with two tight bandages. The bleeding immediately slowed. He then tied a tourniquet tightly above the wound. He tucked a thermal blanket tightly around him.
“I managed to stop the bleeding,” he said, “but he’s gone into shock. We need to get him to the hospital. Is there a copter landing at the Rupert Hospital?”
“There is,” said Jim He turned on a dime and headed north to Prince Rupert.
“Avoid the dock area,” said Alex.
“Desocarras, how many perps did you see on the boat that opened fire?”
“I only spotted one aft, just before he fired on us. Someone would be up front, piloting.”
“What about the boat moored at the dock?”
“No one was visible.”
“The fishing boat that fired on us appeared to be headed straight out from here. The second lifeboat must be hung up somewhere. Are there shoals in this area?”
“I’m checking now,” said Brandeis. “We’ve got it from here, Alex.”
“Just get my officer to the hospital,” said Billings.
“We’re on our way,” said Jim. “Wind’s against us, but I’ve got us at full throttle. With any luck, we’ll be at the hospital in ten minutes.”
“Sergeant Billings,” said Alex. “I’ll need a few men and a car.”
“The detachment office is about four blocks north of the hospital. Someone at the hospital can give you a ride.”
“Copy that. Inspector, is the link with the communications team still down?
“It is. Check in with Kumari and Stuart as soon as you can. They might have a lead on where Kirigin and Severall are. And Alex, don’t chase him on your own. Take a couple of officers from the detachment with you.”
“Copy that.”
“Ask for Sergeant Walker,” said Billings. “He’s in charge. He’ll put together a team.”
“Copy that.”
Alex hunkered down beside McGee; his pulse was thready and weak, his skin a sickly gray and sweat trickled down his face.
The storm was blowing bad and the copter was flying against it. Wind and sleet pounded them relentlessly. Alex watched as beads of water started to form on the inside of the front windscreen, along the recent fracture. The icy torrent just outside the window was looking for a way in. Jim didn’t hide the fact that he was keeping an eye on that development as well.
“How’s the corporal?”
“He’s still with us,” said Alex from the back of the copter. I’m moving him to a stretcher now.”
“He’s a big boy. Watch your back.”
“Part of the training,” said Alex.
Chapter 26
Alex admitted to a certain relief at the sight of the hospital roof directly below.
“Best you buckle up for the landing,” said Jim. “There’s a good chance it will go completely sideways.”
Alex moved to the seat beside McGee and buckled up.
“This is gonna be tricky,” Jim muttered. He started the drop to the landing pad, about four meters below them. The windshield was nearly over with ice. Alex had noticed a change in the sound of the rotors a few minutes back which he guessed was due to the ice load they were taking on. Jim, normally boyish with unbridled enthusiasm had lapsed into silence about the same time. Alex hadn’t missed that either. He didn’t relish the thought of dropping from the sky. Jim apparently, was also a mind reader.
“Not to worry, Sergeant. I’ve landed in worse conditions. Ice will have formed on the heliport landing pad. It’s a cement pad and that makes an upgrade with de-icing equipment difficult. I’m going to land so that when we slide, our momentum forward takes us toward the entrance. He hovered less than a meter above the landing pad, then turned the copter ninety degrees to the left. Alex was sitting behind the pilot and couldn’t see the hospital entrance, the outer limits of the pad or if there were any retaining walls up here. Retaining walls would have been reassuring.
“Hang on,” said Jim. “Touching down now.”
The rotors both quit moments before the skids touched down on the pad. With the loss of the tail rotor and the uneven distribution of weight due to the skid half gone, the suddenly silent copter took a crazy bow to the right and went into a slide. McGee’s stretcher was wedged against the outside wall of the copter’s cabin. Alex had a tight hold on one of the stretcher straps. He quickly swung a leg over McGee to keep it from flipping. Jim had made the right call. The nose of the copter slid into a retaining wall to the right of the hospital entrance and they came to a stop, thankfully upright.
“Nicely done,” said Alex.
“Close to the entrance at least,” said Jim. “It’s that way through the alcove to your left. You’ll see the intercom. Links directly to the Emergency department.”
McGee’s stretcher blocked the left exit door. Alex exited via the right door, slipping, and sliding as he made his way around the copter and to the alcove intercom. He quickly explained the situation and within minutes, a porter and two Emergency Staff were at the entrance with a gurney, IV and blood bags. All three staff had thrown on warm jackets and they had a weather covering for the patient, but they were all in shoes. No one was ready to deal with the rooftop ice. Alex was the only one wearing boots and traction for him was minimal. It took all five of them to get the corporal out of the copter, onto the gurney and through the entrance into the hospital. Jim stayed behind to do what he could to secure the copter and tarp over the leaking windshield. Alex joined the staff in the run to the elevator with the patient. On the ride down to Emerg, he filled them in on the severity of the wound. The bullet from an AK causes a lot of collateral damage inside the body.
“We need an OR now!” yelled one of the nurses as they rushed out of the elevator, past the counter and through the door to Emergency. “Page Dr. Lefler!” was the last thing Alex heard as the door swung shut. He headed to the desk and flashed his badge.
“How close is the RCMP detachment office? I’ll need a ride.”
“It isn’t far,” said the clerk. “Jake’s here. He’s the taxi driver. I saw him a minute ago. You’ll find him outside to the right of the entrance.
Alex left the building and located the taxi stand. He knocked on Jake’s window.
“You’d be Jake,” said Alex, flashing his badge again. “I need to get to the detachment office ASAP.”
“Hop in.”
Alex got in and buckled up. “How are the streets.”
“Getting icy out there, but the detachment’s only a couple of blocks from here,” he said as he pulled out and crawled toward the exit. I’ll get you there faster than you can walk.”
Corporal Walker came out to the reception area as soon as he was called. Alex flashed his badge.
“Detective Sergeant Alex Desocarras.”
“Corporal Walker.”
“I’m up here with Inspector Brandeis. We’re working the trafficking case. Sergeant Billings is accompanying him. Corporal McGee was with me in my copter. We took fire and McGee was hit.” The news that one of his had taken a bullet changed everything.
“Jesus! Is he alive?”
“When I left the hospital a few minutes ago he was. But his wound is serious. Femoral artery. I managed to slow the bleeding enough to keep him with us. When we got to the hospital, staff took him directly to the OR.”
“You think he’ll be okay?”
“I don’t know officer. I hope so.”
Walker nodded but said nothing.
“Billings told me to ask for you. I’ll need a few officers and transportation.”
“We’ve got a bad storm raging right now.”
“Understood, but I need to check in with our technical support staff. We still don’t have eyes on the leaders of the trafficking ring, but I suspect with the storm that they’re still in the area. I’m hoping our tech staff has something for me.”
“Won’t we be needed to assist with the rescue of the women?”
“No. We aren’t needed there. The women are being brought ashore in two covered lifeboats. Inspector Brandeis is on site with two ERT teams. Two more are moving into position with the Coast Guard. How close is the Thunderbird Motel?”
“Not far. Over the bridge in Port Edward.”
“Let’s go,” said Alex.
Walker turned to the clerk. “Page Hunt and Forester.”
“Yes sir.”
He turned to Alex. “Give us a couple of minutes to grab our gear.”
“I suggest cleats if you have them. Speaking of cleats, have you got a set you can spare?”
They did. Alex put them on. Glanced at his watch: Just after one pm. They headed out to the Thunderbird.
“The ice is starting to build up,” said Corporal Hunt, who was driving. Alex got in the back with Constable Forester. Walker slid into the front passenger seat. Hunt pulled onto the street now slick with ice.
“The studs are doing the trick,” said Hunt. “You don’t see a storm like this very often. But if the ground temperature holds below zero the ice is gonna pile up real fast and then we’re gonna be in trouble.”
Walker nodded.
Alex was thinking about Kirigin and Severall. They wouldn’t be on site where the women were being unloaded. Someone else would be handling that. Did they know about the shots fired on the copter? One of their hires was trigger happy. It brought unwanted attention. Soon as they heard about that, they’d be gone. The ice storm would slow them down though. All flights would be grounded. The only upside to this weather.
Hunt turned into the Thunderbird parking lot and pulled up to the front entrance. Everyone piled out and followed Alex inside, down a long hall and through a door near the end. Kumari and Stuart looked up in surprise.
“Sergeant Desocarras! Thank goodness you’re here,” said Kumari.
“What have you got for me.”
“First. Kirigin thinks everything is going according to plan in Vancouver.”
Alex nodded.
Kumari looked at the two men and a woman who’d crowded into the room behind him. “The inspector sent Kirigin a text, that was a while ago, saying the hit was successful and you and your wife Gwen are dead.” All eyes went to Alex.
“Excellent, Kumari,” said Alex. “What else?”
“We haven’t been able to ID the men in the photo at the Skeena Plant.”
Alex motioned to the Rupert staff. “Why don’t you have a look.”
Kumari laid the photos out and everyone gathered around.
“Who took these photos?” Walker asked.
“We don’t know,” said Kumari.
Alex watched the officers closely. Walker was the only one to react.
“Him. I know him.” Walker pointed to a profile shot of one of the men. “His name’s Cartwright. John. Or Jonas. He used to work at the Detachment.”
“An officer?” asked Alex.
“No! A civilian employee. It’s been a couple of years since he worked for us.”
“Do you know where he lives?”
“No.”
“The internet’s been down for a while,” said Kumari. “We can’t do a search for his address.”
“Maybe the front desk has an old phone directory,” said Stuart.
“A what?” said Kumari, but he was already out the door.
“Radio your dispatch and see if they can get an ad
dress for Cartwright,” said Alex.
“It’ll be a few years old,” said Walker.
“There may not be a phone directory here. And if there is one, it won’t give us a newer address. And maybe he hasn’t moved,” said Alex pointedly. Walker sent Hunt out to the cruiser. A few minutes later, Stuart was back, clutching a telephone directory with the cover missing. Hunt was back too, right on his heels.
“No address for Cartwright in our system,” said Hunt.
“But I got this,” said a gleeful Stuart. “Desk clerk found it under a stack of magazines in a back cupboard. Said they must have forgotten to throw it out.” He opened the well-thumbed directory to C.
“So, Cartwright, usual spelling?”
“I think so,” said Walker.
“There’s two listings for Cartwright with the initial J.” One in Rupert on 3rd Avenue and one here in Port Edward. 600 Forest Road.”
“Have we got an extra car here, Kumari?”
“Yes sir,” said Kumari. “She handed over the keys.”
“We’ll split up and cover both addresses,” said Alex. “Listen up everyone. This is a chance to get Kirigin and Severall. We want them alive. It’s complete luck that we’re on to them at all. We still don’t know how far this extends but for starters, they suspect they’re in partnership with others, possible international links. We do know that they’ve had unlimited access to police databases. Right across the country.”
“Jesus,” said Walker.
“Hunt, you’re with me,” said Alex. “We’ll cover the address here in Port Edward. Walker, you take the Rupert address.”
Stuart had pulled out photos of the two men from the restaurant. He handed a set to each of the Rupert staff.
“We think Kirigin is the tech mastermind, but Severall’s been identified as the boss.” Everyone had a close look at the photos.
“Which one thinks you’re dead?” Hunt asked.
Alex pointed to Kirigin. “This guy. It’s possible he was wearing a wig in this photo. His hair colour is white blond. Remember, no heroics. Enter and detain if you think you can. Call for backup if you think it’s needed.”
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