“Believe it or not, Director Pratt gave this to me to go over with you. I think you may finally get some of the answers you’ve been searching for.”
Deidre took the envelope from him and began to open the seal.
“You can look this over right now if you’d like, but I don’t think we should discuss it here. This is such sensitive information that I wouldn’t want anyone to get even a piece of it. Why don’t you browse through while we wait for our food, and then maybe we can return to your office? I’ll try to answer any questions you might have. I think after you’ve read the pages, you’ll agree that we must begin to move our assets into place.”
Just then the waiter came to their table. Suddenly Deidre had lost her appetite, but she ordered a cold tuna-macaroni salad. John ordered a hamburger, well done, and fries. The waiter left with their order and Deidre began to read:
CONFIDENTIAL MESSAGE: Sheriff Deidre Johnson
From Enos Pratt, Director of Duluth Offices
Federal Bureau of Investigation
August 23, 2011
For the past several months our department has been aware of a terrorist cell inhabiting an abandoned building some twenty miles north of Two Harbors, Minnesota. Based on credible information from an involved informant, there is sufficient cause to believe that the ore docks in Two Harbors will be subject to an attack in the very near future.
If this action is successful the terrorists will accomplish at least three objectives: (1) They will effectively shut down a significant link in the flow of raw materials from the Iron Range to the eastern steel mills. (2) They will demonstrate to our citizenry that not only are our largest cities vulnerable, but also our rural, out-of-the way villages, striking uncertainty into people across the country. (3) If successful, they will be emboldened to carry out more attacks of this nature.
For these reasons, it is necessary that they be thwarted in their efforts. Therefore, I am appointing Special Agent John Erickson as liaison between our office and the sheriff’s office of Lake County.
Sheriff Johnson will designate however many of her personnel as necessary to provide around-the-clock surveillance of the ore docks and to report any suspicious activity to Agent Erickson. He will be housed, anonymously, in one of the local motels.
Sheriff Johnson will continue to keep David Craine under surveillance, reporting to Agent Erickson any unusual contact he has with persons recognized as being unfamiliar in the area.
Under no circumstances is Sheriff Johnson to attempt to apprehend the suspects or anyone directly connected to this case. All matters will remain under the jurisdiction of the FBI.
Agent Erickson is authorized to share information as it relates to this case and as he deems necessary for Sheriff Johnson to carry out her mandate.
Signed Enos Pratt, Director
By the time Deidre had finished reading the report, or as she thought, directive, she could hardly touch her food when it was placed before her. John had eaten all of his burger and was in the process of mopping up ketchup with his last French fries. He finished his iced tea.
“Well, what do you think?” he asked.
“I think I should get back to my office,” and she pushed her untouched food away and stood up, the manila folder in her hand.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
David wanted to get his life back on track, to live peacefully on his boat, to have the freedom to travel the Great Lakes as he had in past years. As he arrived back at his apartment after being on the lake with Jimmy, David wondered when that day would arrive, if ever.
One laborious step at a time, he climbed the back stairs leading to the second floor. He couldn’t remember feeling this tired ever before, and he chocked it up to all that had been going on in his life of late. First, it was the business of Herminio contacting him and talking him into make a decision the he regretted. Then it was Herminio’s phone call and his subsequent murder.
As David climbed the stairs, he stopped, not because he was out of breath, but because he was so deep in thought that his feet didn’t receive the message from his brain to move. He thought about the flash drive found on his boat after ferrying the Latinos north, and with that thought, drops of perspiration formed on his forehead. He wiped them away with his shirt sleeve.
The grinding image of his boat being run aground on the reef off Castle Danger caused his stomach to knot. That moment of inattentiveness could have ended much worse than it did, and David knew how lucky he was to have escaped with only significant damage to his Crusader, Too. She could have been totally wrecked. Worse yet, he could have been killed.
Then two days ago, the sighting in the harbor of one of the six illegals he had taken to Canada was more than he could fathom, especially in light of what he knew was on the flash drive. David realized something was going to have to be done, and soon.
He forced himself to continue to the top of the stairs, and he turned down the hall to the left, to his door. The ancient wood flooring creaked underfoot, and he reached out for the door knob. He was brought to an abrupt halt. The door to his apartment was open a crack, only a fraction of an inch, but he could tell it was not latched. His mind spun as he tried to remember if he had locked it on his way out. He couldn’t remember if he had or hadn’t.
With his heart in his throat, David thrust the door open and stepped back, ready to run—from what he was not sure. No one burst out at him. The room was well lit by the bright sun from outside, and he could see that it was empty. Nevertheless, he almost tiptoed inside.
After carefully looking around, he concluded that nothing was missing and that he had forgotten to close the door completely when he left. To David, this was another sign that the pressure of his situation was finally wearing him down. He picked up his cell phone and dialed Jimmy at the marina.
“Hey, Jimmy,” he said into the speaker, glad to hear his friend’s voice. “Any chance you can have my boat fueled and ready to go early tomorrow, say about 7:00? I’d like to move her up to the Silver Bay Marina.”
“Better yet, Dave, you could help me out. There’s a boat up there that needs some major engine work. The owners have asked me to take a look at it. It’ll probably have to be towed down here to Knife River, but they want an estimate of what it’s going to cost them before we start the job.
“How about I run your boat up to Silver Bay for you today? It’s still early. You can drive up, meet me at the marina, and then give me a lift back home.”
At that point any reason to get away from his apartment was good news to David.
“Sounds good to me, Jim. What time should I be there? I don’t want to sit around the marina office too long. I don’t feel like chitchatting with strangers today.”
“Let’s see. It’s 2:00 now. Give me a half hour to get things cleared up here, and to be on the conservative side, give me another two hours to make it to Silver Bay by boat. Say I’ll meet you at the marina at 4:30. On the way back we can stop at one of the restaurants along the shore for dinner.”
David thought the idea a good one. The one thing he hated about being alone was meal time, and it would be good to have someone to visit with. “Great,” he answered. “See you then.”
But before he could hang up, Jimmy threw a friendly jab. “Don’t worry. Davy Boy, I’ll steer clear of Castle Danger.” He guffawed and hung up before David could answer.
David grabbed his tattered Minnesota Twins hat from where it hung on the back of one of his kitchen chairs and jammed it on his head. When he left his apartment, he made sure to close the door and double checked that it was locked.
At 3:50 in the afternoon, David got in his car, buckled his seat belt and turned the ignition key. The car started, but David wondered how much longer the old wreck would continue to run. He never had been much of a car guy and hadn’t always serviced it on time. He shrugged and pulled out of his parking space, left Two Harbors, and headed up Highway 61 to Silver Bay.
David couldn’t help but notice the natural be
auty, the rugged shore line of Lake Superior’s north shore, the rocky crags split by deep fissures, the streams at the bottoms of deep cuts, all of them making for a wonderful but formidable landscape.
David was lost in his thoughts as he wound along the curvy and sometimes treacherous two-lane road until he reached the bridge at the Gooseberry River. The entrance to a state park was just before that bridge, and that time of year there were always pedestrians wandering around, usually not being attentive to approaching traffic. David slowed a bit. He had experienced enough traumas in his life lately without running some tourist down.
From the Gooseberry River it was only a few minutes to the marina in Silver Bay. When he arrived he was grateful to see Jimmy standing by the office, a can of Coke in his hand and a smile on his face. Nearby, Crusader, Too rocked in her berth.
Jimmy ambled over to David’s car and climbed in without an invitation.
“Hi ya, Davy Boy,” he said with a grin. “I made good time, didn’t even get hung up at Castle Danger,” and he snorted out loud.
“That’s a good thing,” David shot back. “Otherwise the next repair bill would have been on you,” and the men chuckled as David wheeled out of the parking lot and onto the highway.
“I made sure that Crusader, Too was gassed up full after I docked. She’s all set for you to take off tomorrow. You’re pretty low on food and wine though. I thought I’d have a glass or two on the way up here, but couldn’t find a drop. Next time, think of me will you?” Jimmy chortled again. Of course Jimmy laughed at almost anything.
David glanced over at Jimmy and saw the mirth in his eyes. “What say we stop at Beaver Bay. There’s a new restaurant there. We can have a decent meal, and you can have all the wine or whatever you want. I’m driving and paying so you don’t have to worry.”
“Can’t argue with that.”
David pulled over at Beaver Bay, and the two men walked into a nearly deserted room. The sign said “Please Wait to Be Seated,” but there was no hostess to be seen. They seated themselves, and in a minute or two she emerged from the kitchen.
“Sorry about that, guys,” the young lady apologized. “I’m wearing about three hats today. Word isn’t out yet that we’re open, and it’s kind of slow.” She smiled at them and said, “My name’s Mary. I’ll be your hostess, your waitress, and your bartender today,” and she giggled a little, her eyes meeting Jimmy’s.
Mary asked if they would like anything to drink. David ordered a glass of water with a lemon slice in it. Jimmy ordered a double vodka tonic. She left two menus before she walked away.
Jimmy shrugged. “Well, you offered,” and he laughed.
“Look at these prices. They must be trying to get people in the habit of coming, and then in a few weeks they’ll jack them up. Might as well take advantage while we can,” he added.
He was right. David hadn’t seen that kind of food offered for those kinds of prices in a long time.
“What do you think, Jimmy? The steak and shrimp looks awfully good to me.”
“Naw, I like the looks of the walleye dinner. Haven’t had that for ages, and maybe another tonic or two before we leave.”
Mary emerged from the kitchen.
“Say, you aren’t the chef, too?” Jimmy asked.
“No,” Mary answered, again seeming to find humor in what Jimmy said. “We do have an excellent chef though. He worked for a big corporate chain before getting sick of the rush and expectations. He’s from New York, came here looking for a slower paced life, and found it. Once his reputation gets out, we expect business to boom. Well, what’ll you boys have?”
David thought Mary was going to have to class up her act a little if she expected to draw the well-heeled from up and down the Shore.
“I’ll have the steak and shrimp, medium rare on the steak, baked potato with sour cream, and salad—balsamic vinaigrette dressing, please.”
Mary turned to Jimmy. “Walleye, fried onion rings, cream of wild rice soup, and add a salad, too—both French and bleu cheese dressing, lots of it. Thanks,” he said.
David wrinkled his nose. “Why don’t you just drive a stake into your heart? There’s enough cholesterol there to plug up the water works in Two Harbors.” He chastised Jimmy.
Jimmy snorted. “I don’t worry about tomorrow, only when my next meal will come. Look at me, skinny as a rail. I can’t put on weight even if I want to, just lucky, I guess.”
The two men bantered for the next twenty minutes, Jimmy doing a good job of downing his drink and David sipping his water. He signaled Mary over and ordered a large iced tea with lemon and reclined in the booth.
“This is the first time in ages I’ve felt relaxed and happy. I’ve had a lot on my mind lately.”
“Oh?” Jimmy asked. “What’s getting you down? I haven’t noticed you uptight or anything?”
Before David could answer, Mary came from the kitchen, her arms laden with platters of food which she began to dole out at their table.
“Here it is, boys, a meal fit for a king. Dig in.”
David sampled one of the shrimp and was struck by how delicious it was. “Mary’s right. This chef’s great. I don’t know what he put on this, but I’ve never tasted anything like it before. How’s your walleye?”
“Absolutely great. Word gets out about this food, and they’ll have plenty of business.”
The two men ate in silence for a minute or two, and then Jimmy remembered something he was going to tell David.
“I almost forgot. Yesterday five guys came in and rented an eighteen-foot fishing boat from the marina. I’ll tell you, they were the worst greenhorns I’ve had in for a long time. Said they wanted to go trout fishing up around Two Harbors breakwater, but they didn’t know which way was up as far as fishing. They had a handful of ultra light rods you and I would use for pan fish and a few floating lures. I offered some advice, but they brushed me off. Naturally, when they came back, they hadn’t caught anything, but this time I could tell they were in a different mood, in a hurry and not saying much at all, even to each other.
Then, this morning one of them came back right after we dropped your boat in the water and you’d left. His whole attitude had changed. He wanted to charter a boat to go fishing and singled out Crusader, Too. I told him you didn’t do charters, but he asked a few more questions about you. I told him where you live, but that you’d probably not be interested. Thought I’d give you a heads up incase he decides to try to talk you into it.”
David had a mouthful of steak halfway to his mouth and stopped mid-movement. A knot instantaneously formed in his gut and he could feel sweat form and run down his back.
“What did this guy look like,” he demanded of Jimmy.
Jimmy’s eyes widened as he instantly picked up on the change in his friend demeanor.
“I don’t know. He was just a guy, tall, black hair. I suppose kind of darker skin than most around here.”
“Did he have an accent?”
“Yeah, he did speak a little differently, but I don’t usually notice those things. We get all kinds of people coming and going at the marina. I just don’t pay much attention.”
“What was his attitude like when he came back, nervous, agitated?” David pressed on.
By this time, Jimmy knew something wasn’t right with his dinner partner. “That’s what was strange. The day before this guy didn’t want anything to do with me. In fact, I’d say he was just plain rude. He seemed to be the leader, giving orders, and trying to hurry the others. Now, today, he comes back all full of charm and smiles. I don’t know if he was on something or what, but he was sure a lot calmer and smoother this morning than yesterday.”
There was a moment of total silence. Jimmy spoke again. “Come on, Davey. What the heck’s happening? I can tell something’s eating at you. What is it?”
David shoved the bite of steak in his mouth. “Nothing. Nothing’s going on. Just forget it, and let’s finish our meal.”
The two men ate in silence,
David’s food suddenly having lost its taste.
Returning to her office after having met with John, Deidre was more confused than ever, confused over the letter from Enos Pratt, the FBI director in Duluth, but almost more confused over her feelings about John having been moved to a hotel in Two Harbors and the directive stating she was to work closely with him.
Somehow, that directive provided instant comfort to her, and she was a little perturbed at herself for feeling that way. It was as though her independence and self-assurance were being eroded one small piece at a time. She didn’t like that.
Deidre opened the envelope from Director Pratt, slowly read it one more time, and tried to find any kind of clue she had missed in her first reading.
She could understand the bit about the terrorist threat to the docks. Ever since 9/11 her department had been on a higher alert concerning those towering steel structures that were vital not only to her community, but also to the nation’s steel producing capabilities. It didn’t come as a surprise to her that terrorists would see them as a potential target. However, she couldn’t understand why the Department of Homeland Security hadn’t stepped in to arrest those men holed up in a hunting shack north of the town. It seemed to her that would end the threat in its tracks. Of course there was the argument that data was being gathered from them as long as they kept communicating over the cell phone towers.
She wished she knew more about the logistics of the situation. How had the FBI learned about the impending attack? How had they acquired enough information to be certain this was happening, and how did they know the action was going to be imminent?
These questions weighed heavily on Deidre’s mind, but not nearly as heavily as the order to keep David Craine under constant surveillance. What had he done to warrant such close observation, she wondered.
Deidre’s memory took a trip back to that day when Mr. Craine had summoned her to his office and had intervened in the hellish life she was enduring. She remembered sharing with him what her home life was like, the threats from her stepfather, the abuse her mother had endured, and finally, the drunken rage that had led to her mother taking them to the women’s shelter in Two Harbors.
Convergence at Two Harbors Page 16
