The Inside Passage (Ted Higuera Series Book 1)

by Pendelton Wallace

  “Who are those . . .” God damn. Chasson corrected himself. “Who were those men? The victims. Do we know anything about them?”

  “We can’t see their faces, obviously. Forensics will do what they can.” Jean continued to stare at her clip board as she talked. She never met Chasson’s eyes. “We’ve already alerted the RCMP for any reports of missing men. They look to be fairly young, maybe in their mid to late twenties. They’re dressed like workers or maybe fishermen. We’ve asked the Coast Guard to report any missing boats.”

  “Don’t we know anything?” Chasson’s impatience level went through the roof.

  “Not yet, sir.” She dropped her clipboard onto the table.

  “Johnson what’s JTF2 doing?” Chasson glared at the man on his right.

  Johnson, wearing a blue dress uniform, got up and re-filled his china cup from the urn on a side table. He always stalls for time when he doesn’t know the answer.

  “We’ve put three strike teams on alert, sir.” Johnson stirred sugar into his coffee. “As soon as we gather some more intelligence, we’ll know which team to move. Wherever the bad guys are, we can get to them in a matter of hours.”

  The meeting went on another half hour. Chasson’s couldn’t believe it. Didn’t anybody know anything?

  What good was commanding one of the world’s elite anti-terrorism units if they couldn’t find the bastards? They had plans to handle this kind of emergency. He just needed to know where the targets were to pull the trigger.

  “I want reports back every hour,” Chasson snapped at his subordinates. “I want these people found. NOW!”

  He got up and stormed out of the room.

  “Ah, sir?” A tall, blond man in a white uniform followed him down the hall.

  “Olson. What is it?”

  “I don’t know if it means anything or not. . .” Olson hesitated. “I didn’t want to say anything in front of the rest of the group, but I thought you should know.”

  “Know what?” Damn it, Chasson thought, spit it out!

  “We had a report, sir. A couple of days ago. It was from some kids. We wrote it off as unreliable.”

  “A report of what?” Did he have to drag it out of the man!

  “These kids, Americans I think, said they ran into a group of Arab terrorists. It didn’t make any sense. They were way up in BC. Some island up there.”

  “What!” How much more incompetence did he have to deal with? “And you didn’t act on it?” How in the hell could anyone not respond to a terrorist report?

  “We had a resource problem, sir. . . That was the same day of the BC Ferry grounding. We had people, civilians, in the water. They were our top priority.”

  “Find those kids!” Chasson thought the top of his fucking head was going to blow off. “See what they know. Find me those terrorists!”

  ****

  William and Mary Island, Canada

  The bright red Bell 212 twin-jet helicopter, similar to the Hueys Rick had flown in ‘Nam, thundered along at over one hundred knots. The flight from Vancouver to William and Mary Island took less than three hours. Rick hoped his boss would forgive him for taking his bird on this maverick trip. He told him he was having instrument problems and needed to calibrate the GPS.

  Once off the ground, he switched his two-way radio off of his boss’ frequency. When he returned late from his “test flight” he would tell him he was having radio problems as well. He knew for a few beers, his buddies in the maintenance department would back up his story. No one liked their little prick of a manager.

  The morning mist lifted and William and Mary Island came into view. It looked just like his airman’s chart, a round island about two miles in diameter with a single, long bay cut into its southwest side. Like the thousands of other islands along the Inside Passage, trees covered it from shoreline to peak.

  He flew in, level with the island’s peak, about six-hundred and fifty feet above sea level. Rick circled the island, looking for anything out of the ordinary.

  He reached for the satellite phone on the seat next to him, inserted the id chip in the phone and dialed. “Jack, are you there?”

  “Sure enough, lad.” Jack’s thick Scottish accent came across the air waves. “Go on.”

  “I’m over the island now. There’s a big fishing boat anchored in Prince William Bay. There’s something funny about it. I’m going down for a closer look.”

  The Bell slowed and descended to towards the bay.

  “Be careful m’ boy. Yer not exactly camouflaged in that red bird.”

  “It’s not like the VC is waiting for me down there, Jack.” Rick held a pair of binoculars to his eyes.

  “Dinna get sloppy on me now, son. These are dangerous people.”

  “Don’t worry about me old man. This is the most action I’ve seen in thirty years.” Rick grinned beneath his baseball cap and aviator sun glasses. “Okay, I can get a good look at it now.” Rick moved the cyclical lever to dead center and the Bell hovered. “There’s a big steel box on her after deck. There’s no net, no roller. I wonder what that box is for.”

  “Unless I miss m’ guess,” Jack’s electronic voice came through the phone, “that’s the launch system for an Exocet missile.”

  “Holy shit. You’re serious about this, aren’t you?”

  The helicopter rose even with the crest of the island. Rick swung around and flew towards a clearing near the top of the island.

  “I’m over an old logging camp.” Rick saw an old truck, a couple of run-down buildings and some tents below him. “There’s smoke coming from a cook tent. . . I see some people scrambling around.” He was slightly amused at the concern his sudden appearance caused. “They’re looking up at me. They don’t look too happy.”

  “Be careful lad. Get out of there before y’ get hurt.”

  “Are you kidding? I’ve been shot at by experts. I’m going to get a closer look, see what these bastards are up to. . .”

  A trail of white smoke shot up from the clearing.

  “Oh shit! They’ve fired on me. Taking evasive action”

  Chapter 55

  Double Bay, Canada

  The Defiant motored out of Port McNeil and down the Broughton Straits to Double Bay. It was too late and they were too tired to sail. After the episode in the fog, navigating the few miles in darkness presented no problem.

  Chris threaded his way into the bay by GPS while Ted took up his post on the bow, watching for rocks. After working through the narrow entrance, they were completely surrounded by land.

  Steep, wooded hillsides dropped dramatically into the black water of the long, narrow bay. Here and there patches of rock poked above the surface, reflecting the weak moonlight. The cove itself seemed all but deserted. Except for the luxurious fishing resort with a private dock, Ted saw no signs of human habitation.

  “Let go the anchor,” Chris yelled forward. Meagan, with Oscar cradled in her arms, sat on the forward hatch, supervising.

  “How much rope should I let out?” Ted shouted back.

  “Rode, dufus, rode,” Meagan’s voice sounded tired. “How many times do we have to tell you, there’s no rope on a boat?”

  “What’s the big deal, chica?” Ted pulled the pin on the shackle that held the anchor. “As far as Teddy’s concerned, a rope is a rope is a rope.”

  “Ninety feet should do it,” Chris shouted up to the bow.

  The chain rattled out of the anchor locker, followed by the golden nylon line.

  “Okay, back her down,” Ted called back. He was getting good at this anchoring stuff.

  Chris completed the anchoring and shut down the engine. A tomb-like silence hung over the cove. Ripples gently slapped against the sloop’s hull, the only movement in the world.

  “I guess everyone in that fishing lodge goes to bed early.” Ted felt like he had to keep his voice down as he returned to the cockpit followed by Meagan and Oscar.

  “They have to get up early to go fishing.” Chris coiled down t
he jib sheets and hung them on the cockpit winches. “They probably turn in early. We should hit the sack too.”

  Chris and Ted tidied the deck without another word while Meagan and Oscar went below.

  “Chris,” Meagan popped her head through the companionway with Chris’ Blackberry in her hand. “It’s Jack. On your cell phone. He sounds upset.”

  Chris grabbed the phone. “Hello?”

  Ted could hear Jack’s voice, but couldn’t make out the words.

  “Yes,” Chris answered. “We’re right where you told us to go. . . Jack, we had another incident.”

  He paused while Jack spoke.

  “Yeah, someone cut the Defiant loose. They set her adrift to run up on the reef. We just barely saved her.”

  Ted made out a few choice cuss words, in Jack’s strong brogue.

  “What should we do now?” Chris had a puzzled look on his face.

  Ted heard more mumbled words.

  “Okay. What kind of package?” Chris took the phone away from his ear. “He hung up.” Chris stared down at his cell phone.

  “What did he say?” Meagan asked. “What’s going on?”

  “He sounded worried.” Chris brushed his unruly blond hair out of his eyes. “He said someone didn’t want us snooping around.”

  “Well?” Meagan bounced on her toes when she was impatient. “What does he want us to do?”

  “He wouldn’t say. He said the cell phone wasn’t secure.” Chris turned off his phone and stowed it on the shelf above the chart table. “He didn’t even want me to say the name of the anchorage. He said he’d have a package flown in to us in the morning.”

  “A package?” Ted descended the ladder and closed the companionway hatch above him. “What kind of package? And where do we go to pick it up? There’s no airport around here.”

  “It’s all airport around here.” Meagan waved her hand in an all-encompassing gesture. “Up here, they use sea planes. They can land on water anywhere.”

  ***

  Ted lay in his bunk in the after cabin, listening to the gymnastics in the forepeak. Don’t those guys ever get tired of that? You’d think they’d worn each other out by now. He thought of the girl at McCarthy’s bar, her long brown hair, her puppy dog eyes. Should he have ditched his friends for her?

  He dropped off to a fitful sleep, only to be awakened by yet another round of moans from the forward cabin.

  These damn walls are so thin. Don’t they care that I can hear everything?

  He tossed and turned, listening to the rustling of sheets and groans from the forward cabin. Fully awake, his mind churned at top speed. Who set the Defiant loose? Was that Yves guy really mixed up with the terrorists? How long did they have? The Star of the Northwest was due any day now. Was it tomorrow?

  The sounds from the forepeak were too much for him to bear. “Can’t you guys knock it off in there?” He beat his fist against the bulkhead. He heard Meagan’s giggle in reply.

  Climbing out of the quarter berth, he pulled on his sweats, grabbed his pillow and a blanket, and climbed the companionway ladder.

  He emerged on deck to a spectacular sky. The moon and stars gave a ghostly glow to the landscape. Man, we don’t have stars like this in LA. That’s funny. I didn’t think we anchored this close to those rocks.

  “Shit! Chris, Meagan, get out here! Right now!”

  ***

  William and Mary Island, Canada

  “Everything is ready?” Yasim entered Ahmad’s workshop.

  “All the work is done.” Ahmad looked up from his work bench. “I’ve learned to always expect problems though. I need more time for testing. I’m not positive everything’ll work.”

  “If Allah wills it, it will work.” Yasim turned abruptly to leave the shop.

  From somewhere outside, Qayyum shouted to the camp.

  “What’s he saying?” Ahmad followed Yasim out of the shed.

  “He says is time.” Yasim replied. “We must begin loading for mission.”

  “But I’m not ready. The testing . . .”

  “We have no more time.” Yasim snapped at him. “Cursed helicopter moved up time schedule.”

  Mohammed spoke to Qayyum in Arabic. Qayyum answered.

  “I asked him when the target will be there.” Mohammed translated. “He says he received a communication from one of our brothers in Seattle. The target will be in position by nine o’clock tomorrow morning. He says we must make haste. Pack only what you need for the mission. Everything else can be left here.”

  Ahmad exchanged glances with Kalil. Butterflies churned in his stomach. So, this is it. Allah be with us. “Won’t that give the infidels some clues?” Ahmad asked. “Let them know who we are?”

  Mohammed translated the question. “He says that’s the whole idea. He wants them to know who has attacked them. He says that he wants them to fear the Right Hand of God.”

  “But why? That’ll help them catch us.”

  Mohammed and Qayyum exchanged words.

  “He says he can assure us they won’t catch us. It’s not in Allah’s plan. We’ll accomplish our mission. He says there is no chance they’ll catch any of us.”

  Ahmad felt a queasiness in the pit of his stomach. “How’re we going to get away? He hasn’t told us the whole plan yet.”

  “We must maintain secrecy,” Yasim interrupted. “You know only what you need to know to carry out your part of mission. Leave jobs of others to others. Qayyum has provided for us. When we have completed mission, I will take care of the rest.”

  ****

  Double Bay, Canada

  “Jesus Christ!” Ted stubbed his toe on a deck fitting as he dashed forward in the dark.

  “What is it?” Chris yelled as he and Meagan came running. “What’s wrong?”

  Ted hardly noticed that they were both buck naked.

  “Our anchor line.” Ted hopped around on one foot. “Dude, someone’s cut our anchor line.”

  “God damn.” Chris looked at the neatly cut line in Ted’s hand. “I’ll get the engine started. Meg, help Ted rig the spare anchor.”

  Chris ran back to the cockpit and started the engine, easing the Defiant away from the rocks. Ted didn’t have time to respond to his friends’ nudity. He jumped into the chain locker and handed up a rusty old Danforth anchor to Meagan. Meagan fastened a short length of chain to it.

  “We don’t have much spare chain. I think this is only about ten feet or so. I hope it’s enough.”

  Ted watched her bolt the chain to the anchor, then attach the remaining nylon line to the free end of the chain. “It’s a good thing you’re a Boy Scout,” he said as Meagan’s fingers flew. “I could never tie a knot like that.”

  “Boy Scout, no. Sailor, yes. My dad made me learn all the knots when I was nine.”

  “Yeah, you’re right. I can see you’re no Boy Scout. You’re Girl Scout all the way.”

  Meagan’s hands froze for an instant. Ted smiled.

  “Oh, what the hell,” she said after an instant’s hesitation. “We have to save the boat.” She finished her work with the anchor.

  “Okay, Chris,” She yelled back. “We’re ready.”

  Chris brought the boat to a halt. Ted dropped the spare anchor over the bow. In a few moments, the Defiant was once again secure.

  “Hey, it’s been really nice working with you, chica,” Ted said. “Now I know you’re a true blond.”

  “Fuck off and die.” Meagan smiled as she gave Ted the bird and turned back to the cockpit.

  In the dark, her tiny white bottom reminded him of a white-tailed deer. “Nice ass,” he called after her. It was all Ted could do to keep from laughing at his friend’s discomfort.

  “You better get some clothes on, sweets.” Chris said as Meagan jumped down into the cockpit.

  “What about you, big boy?” Meagan asked. “You’re not exactly dressed for the prom.”

  Chris looked down at himself. “It’s different for me. Who’s gonna see me anyway? Ted?”
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  “Double standard.” She turned and dropped down the companionway ladder.

  ****

  That was a close one. Ted plopped down on the port settee. These guys are gettin’ serious.

  “I think we need to post an anchor watch,” Chris said as the three, now fully clothed, sat around the mess table in the light of a propane lantern. “I’ll go first. We can’t afford to let that happen again.”

  Oscar hopped down from the pilot berth and climbed into Meagan’s lap.

  “Who cut our anchor line?” Meagan scratched between Oscar’s ears. “Do you think it was the Arabs?”

  “Probably,” Chris said. “Or it might have been Yves’ goons.”

  “It had to be Yves.” Ted got up and retrieved three bottles of water from the ice chest. “It’s just too much of a coincidence. First the boat is cast loose, then the anchor line is cut. How did they know where we were?”

  “Maybe they followed us?” Meagan broke the seal on her bottle and took a sip. Oscar batted at the bottle. “If they could cast us adrift in Port McNeil, they could follow us here.”

  “I didn’t see any other boats out there tonight.” Ted looked over his shoulder as if he could peer through the fiberglass hull to the strait beyond the bay.

  “They could’ve been running without lights,” Chris said. “They could’ve used a fast little inflatable. They could’ve used a float plane or a helicopter. Who knows, maybe they could drive along the road and see us out here?”

  “We didn’t hear any boat motors.” Meagan clung to the tabby like a teddy bear. “We usually hear the propellers in the water.”

  “That Captain Evans dude!” Ted’s remembered something Yves had told them. “Yves said he was an ex-Navy seal. He could have swum in under water.”

  “However they did it.” Meagan let Oscar twist free. “They know we’re here. They want us to go away.”

  “Yeah,” Ted said. “Permanently.”

  “I’ll keep an anchor watch for the rest of the night.” Chris got up and retrieved his parka from the hanging locker. “You guys get some sleep. We’ll see what Jack is sending us in the morning.”