Foreign Threat

by Mitchell Goldstein

  own life, but this morning just opened a new can of worms.

  He wondered if Sweetpea knew this when she warned him. He wondered if she knew that two different groups of agents were chasing him down. But why? Why so many men, and why didn’t they all arrive together? As he watched this second group, he considered if there was a good group and a bad group, perhaps imposters. If so, why would both groups want Steve? Did they all want him dead? Were both looking for the same thing?

  Steve continued to watch their each and every move. It was obvious that they knew he wasn’t there, but they weren’t leaving. They continued to talk to strangers in the streets and went from house to house and shop to shop, presumably asking questions.

  Never did any of them ever look toward the bluffs, so Steve remained comfortable as he watched all the action and tried to piece it together. What he really wanted to do was talk to Sweetpea to see if she had any answers, but he knew that was just too risky. Instead, he had to start planning his next move because he couldn’t make the bluffs his home forever. His hungry stomach was a dominant reminder.

  At this point, he knew both groups were looking for him, but he was not sure if they all wanted him dead. He wondered if one of the groups were good guys and trying to protect him.

  Still, it was certain that somebody wanted him dead. He

  didn’t have anything except a lot of money, but they had killed A.J. and the nurses without anything – but did they know? Maybe they wanted him dead like the others because of what he saw or knew from that surgery on that foreign guy. If Sweetpea said it wasn’t just about drugs, then maybe there

  was something else that came out with that mass. What???

  It really didn’t matter what was in that mass because who-

  ever wanted A.J., the nurses, and Jake dead would also want Steve dead. This was the fact that Steve knew for sure. So the next step was to protect himself. In order to do this, he had to kill them before they killed him. Oh, shit, he thought. Now I am going to be a murderer too.

  He didn’t have to kill anyone. He just had to capture them or detain them until the right authorities came to incarcerate them. Steve started to think about how to do this. It would have to be perfect and go without any hitches, or they would kill him first. This would have to be a very well thought out plot.

  Steve’s stomach gurgles fell silent to his ears as his mind worked. He had to come up with the perfect plan to save his life. He lay back on the grass and stared into the sky, trying to come up with a strategy.

  An hour later, he sat up and smiled. He had gone through several scenarios and plots, but many were too Hollywood. If there were any mistakes, he wouldn’t get a second take with a director shouting, “Cut!”

  He smiled. I need to use my brains with something I am comfortable and know inside and out, he thought. So why not head up to the Boundary Waters in the wilderness and use my skills up there to capture my enemies?

  Steve had loved nature since he was a little kid. His dad

  would take him up north several times a year to backpack, canoe, and camp. He knew how to protect himself from nature’s wildlife, and now he could protect himself from the city’s wildlife. He found some paper in the car and made a list of everything he was going to need. After all, money was not going to be an issue.

  Chapter 43

  Steve spent the better part of an hour plotting and organizing his thoughts. After writing a list of all he was going to need, he decided it was definitely time for a bite to eat. The only problem was that the present town was not a safe option. He packed up the car and left town.

  He needed to head up north toward the Boundary Waters and Canada. He stopped at the first gas station he saw to go the bathroom and fill his stomach with food. He grabbed several bags of junk food and hit the interstate.

  While driving, he realized that with all the things he was going to get, including a kayak, he was going to need a larger vehicle like a pickup truck or a big SUV. He still didn’t want to attract too much attention by buying a car or truck with cash. It would be nice to use the car he had for a trade-in, but since it was only a day old, that would also attract attention. He decided to look for another used vehicle.

  He exited at the first town he came to along the interstate. He drove until he saw a car dealership and then parked on the street to buy yet another car.

  Thirty minutes later, he drove off the lot with a nice used Yukon, perfect for all that needed to get done. He stopped by his day old car to pick up most of his supplies. He left the blankets and the car keys behind for some other lucky thief.

  The next step was to eat a real meal and to get supplies to shave. Everything on his head and most of his facial hair had to go. He planned to leave only enough to grow a goatee.

  He visited a local diner for a real meal and then stopped at the Super America, which was conveniently busy. No one noticed him around the bathroom: in with a full head of hair

  and out with nearly nothing.

  Next was Ely, Minnesota. This was a town right on the edge of the Boundary Waters. He could shop there safely. He needed supplies to survive outside in the wilderness for a week or so, not to mention a few extra things to protect himself from the urban wilderness and agents.

  It had been a while since he was in these parts of the woods. Driving up north brought back many memories about his childhood and camping in the great woods. He remembered a time when he, his father, and his brothers were hunted for nearly a day by a mother bear trying to protect her cubs. His brother got too close one day to those cute little bears, and mama bear was not happy. She chased Steve and his family hours, but they got smart and left that part of the woods.

  Steve forced himself to focus on the animals that were chasing him now. He was going to have to cut down his hunters one by one. Was it going to be just four hunters or a group of several men? What a difference that could make in how he approached his own chase.

  Finally, he decided that the large group of men that showed up in Taylors Falls seemed much more professional. They went about their business systematically. The first four men just wanted Steve. They didn’t wait around to discover any leads to direct them toward their target. They just showed up and left. If he had to put his money on one or the other, he would have to guess that the four guys were the imposters or bad guys, and they would be the ones hunting him down. Both groups might be after him, but the four men were more likely to have killed the others and to want Steve dead now.

  If his hunch was correct, Steve needed to lure four men in and detain them in some way until real authorities could apprehend them. Then, and only then, could Steve move on with his life. He had to devise a way to attract only the four men instead of the whole cavalry. Both sides had showed up at Taylors Falls. He needed to figure out a way to entice only those four men and not the others.

  His brain was working overtime trying to sort things out and plan during the drive. Consequently, he failed to realize how close to Ely he was getting. Signs on both sides of the interstate advertised local businesses. The sign that caught Steve’s attention was a wilderness store. Steve remembered going there in the past. It had most everything a Boundary Waters camper could ever dream of. The sign said it would be another twenty miles, so Steve returned to plotting what he would need.

  Suddenly, his answer clicked: the bank account. The enemies probably had the account closely monitored so that they could trace Steve’s computer if he entered the numbers online. The other men or FBI agents probably didn’t even know that account existed. That was the perfect solution to attract one team without the other.

  As far as capturing them after that, Steve had a good idea of what he wanted to do. He had already spent a great deal of time thinking about it. He was going to show these men some quality time up in the great north. The important point of this unique camping experience was that everything had to be perfect, without any loose ends, or those friendly city slickers would be after Steve with a vengeance.

/>   Steve pulled up at the wilderness store for a shopping spree. The first thing that caught his attention was the kayak collection. He was going to need a whitewater kayak to get him around quickly in the Boundary Waters. If he needed to get away from his hunters in a hurry, this would allow him to escape safely on the water through tough river currents. Setting up traps for them near the river access would be wise so that Steve could make a clean get away and leave them on shore. He was certain they would not come comparably prepared to deal with the elements.

  He knew exactly what he wanted from years of paddling experience. There were many options, but the Mamba would be perfect. This little boat would get him in and out of trouble quickly, have enough room for storage, and have the ability to handle any whitewater and rapids that he would encounter.

  To play it safe, Steve planned to buy all the essentials and then set up camp himself before summoning the bad boys. There was no need to be in a rush. He was in control now.

  After selecting the kayak and supplies necessary for a good whitewater experience, he was off to purchase camping equipment. Steve just wanted the essentials. He had spent enough time in the wilderness growing up that he had the knowledge to make it through up there with the bare minimum. This was important with such limited storage space in the kayak.

  Steve enjoyed that money was not an issue but rather space on the kayak was. He acknowledged he would have to make at least two trips into the Boundary Waters even with the bare essentials. He could set up camp somewhere within the Boundary Waters and paddle back to his car to make a second trip.

  He spent about two hours at the store stocking up for a wonderful camping and paddling experience. They had great-prepackaged food specially made for camping. It didn’t take up too much space, it was easy to prepare, and it wasn’t too bad for the palate. All in all, the shopping spree was wonderful. It was some of the most fun Steve had in a long time.

  As he was checking out at the register, he grabbed a small newspaper for this little town of Ely. After packing everything up in his car and finding a safe place for his kayak, he searched through the wanted ads. It took a little while, but he found some of the extra things he needed, like a bear trap – but not in case he encountered another overprotective mama bear.

  He started to reach for his phone to call the number listed for the trap, but he realized he wasn’t ready to attract the troops up. He went back into the store and asked to use the company phone. The man he called said he would be there for another fifteen minutes, so Steve got directions and hurried on his way.

  The man was pleasant and eagerly showed Steve the traps that he had for sale. Steve inspected them carefully and decided to buy two. As he was waiting for the guy to get everything ready to go, Steve noticed the news on TV. There was a story about the mess Steve was in. It discussed the weird situation and informed that authorities were looking for one more person involved with the murders: “Steve Carmichael. If you see him, please use caution as he is armed and dangerous. Please call the authorities if you spot this man.”

  Dangerous! thought Steve. There was no way in the world he was dangerous, armed, or a murderer. It was a good thing that he had shaved his head and grown out his goatee, quite different from the picture they were showing on the national news.

  Sweetpea was right. They were really looking hard for him!

  The man with the traps asked if there was anything else he could do to help. Steve looked around the room as if it were a store, but his mind was caught up in the news story about him as a wanted criminal. He had a glazed look in his eyes and responded with a slow drawn out no.

  Steve left with his traps and a criminal record. He figured that he would need a few days in the Boundary Waters to set everything before he would alert the authorities of his whereabouts. His car was packed with his gear, food, and kayak, so he drove to the entrance of the Boundary Waters. There were a few places people could enter this huge park that covered territory in both the United States and Canada, but Steve was most familiar with the Ely entrance.

  Steve got the air bags blown up, his wetsuit on, and took as much gear as would fit on the first kayak run out to his campsite. He would come back in a week to tell people in town what islands, lakes, and rivers he was planning to camp on so that his hunters would have an easier time finding him. First, however, he needed to get his traps set. He stuffed rope, the traps, a foldable shovel, and the tent into the storage compartment of his Mamba kayak. Then off he went.

  Steve paddled to the first lake and found a nice camping ground on the opposite side. He had never camped so close to the entrance, but he knew he had to make at least one more trip out. The trip out took about ninety minutes, but he was in no hurry. No one knew where he was, so he enjoyed himself. If any of this failed, he would be a dead man anyway.

  Steve fit everything else in his second trip with the kayak, so he took off into the great Boundary Waters. It was a great day with the sun shining and cool air beating down on his face. He had all the things he needed to set these guys up for the chase. He set up at camp with a small fire and his tent. As the fire blazed, Steve took out the map of the area and started to plot and plan. There could be no mistakes: any error in the details could mean his life.

  Chapter 44

  Steve was hoping it would take only a few days to set everything in order, but there was so much more to do than he had planned. For one, the ground was cold, so it took longer to dig the pit. Nonetheless, six days later, Steve paddled back to the Ely entrance to the Boundary Waters.

  He had put everything in place just how he planned it. Once everything felt perfect, he would go through it over again from a different viewpoint, second-guessing himself and playing the devil’s advocate from each angle. He had to make absolutely certain that everything was in place now and would still be when he returned with the CIA hunters.

  Steve brought his sleeping bag back with him to camp near the entrance to the waters but still close enough to the town of Ely so that he could track the CIA agents coming to town. He was sure they were going to come without equipment, so he wanted to see what they bought to town for the waters. The spot he was going to set up camp was a place he had known for years. He and his brothers would sit atop a hill about five minutes from the entrance. With the aid of binoculars, he could see all activities in and around the town.

  First, he needed to leave a trail toward his whereabouts. He was going to spend a day in town asking questions about the Boundary Waters, certain lakes and rivers, and where the best whitewater was located this time of year. He would only ask about the areas in which he wanted to be chased.

  He paddled the kayak up to the entrance and placed it in his car. After taking off the wetsuit, he hurried up the hill. As he found the perfect spying spot, he reminisced about how he and his brother would sit there for hours, watching the town. Now it was the offseason, and Ely was quiet. The advantage was that his pursuers would stick out like a sore thumb as some of the only ‘tourists’ around town.

  Steve sat for a long time, reflecting on his childhood, medical school, this horrific experience, and much more. Eventually he decided it was time to mingle with the locals and yak his head off. The locals needed to be able to rattle it off perfectly to the CIA agents when they arrived in town asking about Steve’s movements.

  He gathered his thoughts and made his way to the Ely coffee shop for a bite to eat. A number of people were there as he ordered something to drink and some food. While waiting, an older gentleman greeted Steve. “I haven’t seen you in town before. What’s your business?”

  That didn’t take long. Steve smiled. “I thought I would catch one more trip before winter sets in and ice covers these gorgeous lakes. Besides, it’s so nice to head up here when no else is around. It is so peaceful and quiet without all those tourists.”

  The older man nodded his head in agreement. “You sure got that right. It’s great to get rid of all those pseudo campers and have our town back. So where are you p
lanning to go?”

  Steve could not have planned this any better. He told the man every detail of his alleged trip. He explained where he planned to be and how long he was going to be in each spot. It was a perfect conversation.

  After a short two hours, Steve managed to tell a varied group of locals about his plans of camping and river running and where he planned to hike and set up camp. He even shared thoughts about where to store food during the nights. Several locals had gathered and listened to his conversation with the older man and then added their own opinions. This could not

  have worked out any better.

  Steve had been thinking of visiting town again tonight and having a beer at the bar down Main Street, but that would no longer be necessary. He had a perfect crowd, so he had no reason to repeat the same conversation with another group of strangers. He finished his meal and sat around with the group for a short while longer before asking where to find a public library. He paid his bill and shook hands with everyone in the group. It was a sweet goodbye.

  Steve grinned as he walked out the door. Not only did he share everything he wanted with the group, but also over two hours, not one person asked for his name. Phase one had been completed without any difficulty.

  Now on to phase two. He walked outside and paused for a moment. He stretched his arms and looked toward the sky. He wondered if he was ready for the fireworks. Everything was set up in the Boundary Waters. He was ready to be done with this terrifying nightmare and move on with his life.

  He followed the easy directions that the man had given him to the library. Steve was daydreaming about the possible outcomes of his plan and almost walked right past his destination. He knew once he logged on to the foreign account he would have about twenty-four hours before the crowd would arrive.