by James Brown
As he drove up to the church and parked his car, he saw a tall, well-built man come out of the church gate, dressed in a white flowing robe. The years had been kind to him and he oozed a certain calmness and kindness.
“I’m looking for one Father Paul who stays in the church. Can you direct me to him?” Quinn asked the man.
“I am Paul. How may I help you, son?”
“Oh, how very convenient. I am Quinn, from the Herald, Toronto office. I am investigating the accident of the ferry and also checking on the earlier accident of the miss who went missing from the boat. I wanted to ask you a few questions. Can we go sit somewhere more comfortable?”
“Sure, why don’t you join me in my office?”
They both walked to Father Paul’s office. Quinn immediately lowered his heavy frame on to a chair in front of the father.
“Okay, now shoot,” said Father Paul.
“Let’s start from you, Father. How come you reached this decrepit town? A person like you, you could have settled anywhere, why this town?” He startled Father Paul with his very first question.
Father Paul sensed that Quinn was a very dangerous customer. He had to be very careful in handling him. He could also see evil in his eyes. His expressions were that of a very evil man who was a medium of the Devil himself. He moved slightly from his chair and Quinn suddenly flinched. Father Paul was quick to notice Quinn’s discomfort. Quinn was facing the big cross that hung behind the Father’s chair. Paul knew that with His blessings, he would be safe.
“I was in NYC working as an apprentice in a hotel earlier in my career. I happened to come here once on some errand and found the place charming, laid-back and homely. Hence, I decided to stay. I never married, so I had no strings attached. I decide my own fate as guided by the Holy Spirit. The town gave me all that I needed. I will eternally be indebted to the community for imposing its faith in me, making me a priest, and then granting me an abode in the church. Now, I serve the Almighty and all those who need his help,” Father Paul said slowly, observing Quinn all the time. As he took the name of the Almighty, did he see a flicker of fear or hatred run through those dead eyes? He was sure he had seen a twitch. This was a sure sign. This man was possessed. He needed help. But for that he had to have that extra ounce of will power to start believing in God and his powers.
“I know who you are, I know everything. I will soon end this all for you. I have been waiting for this moment for a long time, Nathan,” Quinn said in a loud hollow voice and then slumped into the chair.
Father Paul froze in his chair. It was a long, long time since anybody had addressed him as Nathan. Also, he couldn’t forget that voice. It had echoed in his mind for years. It was the voice of little Sandy.
Chapter 16
Quinn could hardly remember what had happened at the church. He vaguely remembered that he had passed out, and then someone had sprinkled freezing water on his face. He had woken up and come back to his hotel somehow and had fallen asleep. In his sleep, the entire life of Father Paul flashed before his eyes. Now, he knew everything about Father Paul. Also, in his sleep, he had seen another character. It was little Sandy. Quinn had referred to him as ‘master’. Quinn could now understand that he was acting on his command. He also remembered the voice that had come from inside him and that it had referred to Paul as Nathan. He understood everything very clearly. He knew what he had to do.
Rob reached the church at 8 p.m. sharp to find Father Paul waiting along with Nick. They all shook hands with each other and then they drove down to Hill Drive, up the dirt path to the meeting point. Again, Achooka was waiting for them. They reached the bonfire spot and sat down.
Rob was amazed to see how they all understood each other. Sometimes, with just a wink of the eyebrow, they communicated a lot between them. It was almost as though their thoughts were wired on the same lines. Nick showed them the report from the ship-building company that stated that the repairs were almost over. Rob couldn’t believe it.
“It is not humanly possible for the damage to be repaired in such a short time. It’s impossible,” said Rob. “Nothing is impossible with the help of God, or the Devil for that matter,” retorted Achooka. “This is no man’s work. This is the work of the Devil. He will do everything in his power to bring the boat back to Rochester.”
Father Paul addressed everybody. “We have to hurry. At this pace, the boat will be here in no time. Let’s all go to Toronto and see how best we can stop the boat. Rob, we will send you there officially for inspection. Nick will issue the orders. I can go on some other pretext and Nick can go for discussions with the insurance company.”
Achooka said, “Seems a good idea but beware the enemy is strong and all-knowing. This place is sacred and I have sanitized it through various ceremonies and ancient traditional offerings and prayers. He cannot see or hear us here. But other than this place, the Devil can read our minds anywhere else. I am sure he would have already guessed our intentions. All of us have to be very careful. Make it a point to always have someone with you. Never be alone at any time. Especially at night, as the force is the most powerful then.”
Achooka excused himself and disappeared inside his hut for a brief period of time. When he emerged, he had with him three necklaces with some beads and bones and a central cross made of something that looked like ivory. He handed one to each of them and muttered. “Always wear them around your neck, and the Devil will not be able to gauge your thoughts. This will protect your thoughts from the Devil, effectively protecting you from the influence of the devilish spirit. May God be with you.”
They all took the necklaces and then left the place.
Nick reached his office next day and convened a meeting of the committee members and the councilors. He gave them the good news that the ferry was now almost ready. He showed them the letter from the repairs company. He proposed that they send an engineer for the final inspection of the ferry and once he had inspected the boat, they could bring it back and restart the commercial operations. Nobody had any objection to this.
Nick prepared an official letter instructing engineer Rob Jennings to leave for Toronto at the earliest for the official inspection of the ferry. His air tickets were booked for the next day.
Father Paul spread the news around that he wanted to visit the famous St Mary Magdalene Church in Toronto to pray for the well-being of the town and that he was leaving for Toronto immediately. He also booked tickets on the same flight as Rob.
Nick declared that he had to attend an old friends’ reunion and got tickets on the same flight.
They all landed in Toronto and checked into the same hotel on the docks, near the yard of the Great Lake Ship-builders Company. They decided to rest for the night as the next day was going to be a very hectic one.
Quinn had tracked their movement from Rochester to the hotel through his various contacts and informants. He sat in his car outside the hotel and waited for them to check in. After giving them about an hour, he got out of the car and walked up to the reception.
“Hi there. Three of my friends have come in by the 7.30 flight from NYC. Just wanted to check if they have arrived safely. I had to meet them at 8 but I got delayed. I don’t want to disturb them now. But can I have their room numbers? The names are Nick Carter, Father Paul and Rob Jennings.”
The front desk manager checked and quickly gave him the room numbers of the guests.
Quinn thanked him and walked out of the front door, towards his parked car.
Early next morning Quinn reached the shipyard of the Great Lake Ship-builders Company. He saw the silhouette of the ship. It looked a like a ghost ship and appeared as though it was beckoning him, standing a bit off the jetty, in a deep water trough which was especially designed to hold the deep hull of the vessel in its buoyant arms. The trough had been carved out of the ocean floor itself, whereby the ship could come inland to a point where the walls were plastered. Underwater lights were fitted all along the sides, lighting up the ship’s walls, all
owing the technicians to work on it day and night. There were windows along the side walls from where the workers could be observed and guided and the progress of the repair works monitored.
After showing his ID to the guard, Quinn went inside a small room. Inside, there were two sets of ladders, one going up and one going down.
The ladders going up terminated at the roof of the building, from where a steel bridge connected directly to the upper deck of the ferry. The ladder going down led to a gallery that ran along the length of the wall, from where one could see the side walls of the ship through the underwater windows.
Quinn took the stairs leading to the roof, crossed the bridge, and boarded the vessel. He went into the engine room and chose a dark corner where he crouched and waited for the enemy to come. He was well hidden in the darkness, behind the large metallic outcrops of the powerful engines.
Rob had checked out the various options before coming to Toronto. He had outlined his plan carefully. He had made a list of items, including components, parts, a toolkit, a bundle of rope, dynamite sticks and gun powder, besides electronic switching devices with remote controls and some helium-lithium batteries. He had been scanning the stores early morning and had managed to gather everything by 10.30 a.m. He reached the shipyard at 11 a.m. Father Paul and Nick also reached the place around the same time. They strode into the office of the Great Lake Ship-builders together.
The supervisor was baffled to see so many people together. Nick quickly explained that since it was a community matter, he had felt that it was his duty to come along with the engineer as the committee-in-charge to do the final inspection of the vessel before taking possession of it. He told the supervisor that if the vessel was ready, he could call the helmsman and take him along for a trial run of the boat. The supervisor agreed. He got the requisite forms and documentation prepared. The sailing time was set for 4 p.m.
“Do you mind if we stay on the ship deck and while away our time?” Rob asked the supervisor.
“Go right ahead, it’s your baby,” he replied.
So all three of them boarded the ferry and sat around a table on the deck. As they were discussing their future plans, there was a splashing noise. Then a head appeared on top of the front stairs of the ship, as if growing right out of the sea. It was Achooka, who had been waiting all along for them to come. The three men greeted him. Achooka joined them at the table awkwardly.
“We do not have much time. Let’s start as per our plans,” said Achooka.
“How much time do you need, Rob?” asked Father Paul.
“A couple of hours, at the most,” Rob replied.
“Okay then, lets first have lunch and then we all start working,” suggested Nick.
Nick fished out three pouches of burgers from his bag which he had picked up on the way from McDonald’s and put them on the table. They finished their meal quickly and started on their respective tasks.
Achooka had assigned tasks for each of them. Rob was to wire up the explosives and Father Paul would assist him as he also had a fair knowledge of explosives. Nick was to act like a watchman, alerting them in case someone came in. Achooka wanted to scout the ship and look for any telltale signs or indications that may spoil their plans.
Rob and Father Paul went under and rushed to the chiller plant. This was the room next to the engine room. Huge chillers cooled down the water, which would flow back to the engines, thus keeping them cool. It was the most critical operation in a ship. If the chilling plant stopped functioning due to any reason, the temperatures would rise and the engines would seize. It may also cause explosions in the chillers and engines due to the intense heat. Rob wanted to plant the explosives on the chillers, so that once detonated, it would appear that the chillers had exploded due to a malfunction, leading to engine seizure and failure.
Quinn heard them coming down the stairs, walk across the engine room, and enter the chiller room. He could not understand what they were doing. He could hear them talking but could not make out anything through the thick metal and wooden walls, which had been designed to shield the sound emanating from the room. He had no other option but to wait for them to leave and then check what they had done. Suddenly, he remembered Steve. He had instructed him to keep track of the movements of all the three men starting that morning. Maybe he could give him some hint as to what they were up to. He dialed his number. Steve picked up the call on the first ring.
“Hi, Steve, did you put a trail on all the three, as instructed? Anything to report?” Quinn asked.
“Nick and Father Paul went to the dockyard. They stopped over at McDonald’s on Arthur Street. It seemed pretty harmless, but it shows they have plans to remain on the boat till after lunchtime,” said Steve.
“But here comes the interesting part. Rob went on a shopping spree buying gunpowder, dynamite sticks, fuses and remote triggers. He bought a whole arsenal of explosives. He went straight to the docks and had a rendezvous with the other two. Then they all went into the office of the shipbuilders and later boarded the ship. Seems like they are waiting for someone there,” reporter Steve.
Then the truth dawned on Quinn. They had planned to blow the ship. They are here to wire up the explosives and are probably doing just that. He had to stop them from doing so. His inner voice told him so. He had to obey the master at any cost.
Chapter 17
Rob was wiring up the explosives so that nothing would be visible from the outside. He had taken care to buy the same colored wires as used in the original fittings, so that nobody would discover anything untoward even later, although he was pretty sure the explosions would burn most of the things beyond recognition. Father Paul was his assistant, passing him the tools and parts from rucksack. Suddenly, his phone started to vibrate. He saw it was Nick.
“Father, can you come up on the deck? Seems like the supervisor needs you to sign some forms.” Nick requested.
“Okay, I’ll be right up,” Father Paul replied.
He didn’t like the idea of leaving Rob alone but he had no choice. He left for the upper deck reluctantly asking Rob to be cautious.
Rob was working behind the chillers. He was bent over, when he heard the faint sound of someone entering the room. As he straightened up, the person was right on top of him in a flash. The intruder gripped his shoulders and pushed him forward, smashing his face against the metal body.
Quinn was a big man but Rob was more agile of the two. He turned around and came at him strongly from the side. Both men fell down in a big heap with arms and legs thrashing each other in the cramped space.
On the ground, Quinn‘s weight proved to be his advantage and soon he pinned down Rob. He was riding him on his chest and hitting him on his face. It was then that Quinn felt a vice-like grip on his neck.
His new adversary had too much strength. As he tried to wriggle free of the grip, it only tightened. Rob quickly freed himself from under his weight. Quinn struggled to free himself. Rob saw his savior’s face. It was Achooka.
Both men quickly overpowered Quinn and bound and gagged him. They dumped him in a corner of the room. Rob finished the wiring and they both left, leaving Quinn behind.
As they were leaving, Achooka suddenly turned around and went up to Quinn. He sat down on his knees with outstretched hands, as though praying. He then brought his hands down quickly. Rob had not seen it earlier. Achooka had some white powdery substance in his hands. He released, causing the effect of smoke all around Quinn. As the powder settled, it formed a circle of white residue around him.
“Now, the evil spirit will not be able to help him,” said Achooka.
As they were going up the stairs, they met Father Paul coming down hurriedly. The paperwork had taken a lot of time and he was worried about Rob. When he saw both of them, he was quite relieved.
“Quinn crawled up from behind me, like a ghost. How come nobody saw him coming?” Rob asked.
“He was probably on the boat before we came, waiting for us. Anyway, he will be inactiv
e for some time now. Let us all keep the helmsman busy when he comes on board. We will think about what to do with Quinn later,” said Achooka.
They all hurried on to the upper deck. It was already 3 p.m.
They all decided that it would be best if Rob and Father Paul changed into the costume of the crew member, as their clothes were in tatters. They both went to the changing areas, where neat rows of outfits were stacked in the cupboards. They quickly chose their sizes, cleaned up as far as possible, and rushed onto the upper deck to join the others.
They were all set by 4 p.m. They had decided that they would blow up the ferry during the trial run itself as it would be too dangerous to do so after that.
Rob, Nick and Achooka had discussed the nitty-gritty and fine-tuned the entire operation, but Father Paul had been silent. His mind was still reluctant to accept the idea of blowing up the boat.
But for now, he was helpless. There seemed no way to protect both the people of Rochester and their hard-earned money.
Steve was a worried man. Quinn had instructed him specifically about their plans. He had explained to him that he was getting on the boat. As a precaution, he had told him to call him every hour and in case he didn’t respond, Steve should come on board the ferry and raise an alarm.
The last call he had made at 3 p.m. had not been answered. Now it was 3.30 p.m. and still there was no answer. Worse, the phone was switched off.
Steve finally made up his mind and started to walk towards the yard of the Great Lake Ship-builders.
He reached there at 3.45 p.m. He quickly went up the stairs and boarded the ship. He heard people talking on the upper deck. He ducked behind a pillar and tried to listen to them.
Then he saw a strangely dressed Red Indian coming up the stairs. They were all referring to someone. It seemed the Red Indian had gone below to check on someone. He understood immediately. They had imprisoned Quinn and he was downstairs somewhere. Steve quickly made a detour and rushed down the stairs.
