by Gary Striker
Aliens in the Allagash
Chapter 7
New Beginnings
United Airlines Flight 1131 from Philadelphia to Bangor was on time. The cabin announcement had the aircraft on the ground in fifteen minutes, close to 3PM. The current weather in Bangor was thirty nine degrees, light sleet and snow, ten mile visibility, overcast at two thousand feet, and winds out of the north at fifteen mph. This was not unusual for late September.
Steve sat comfortably with his shoulder up against the first class cabin wall gazing out the window as the aircraft broke out of the clouds. White patches of snow adorned the area around Bangor and the traffic on Route 95 was quite visible, being the end of business day as it was. The final seat belt warning had occurred as the flight attendant collected his glass. Steve grabbed his notes as he raised the tray for landing.
“I wonder why they make you raise your tray and give up your drink right before landing”, Steve asked himself? “This is the time of the flight when you need a drink the most”!
The Captain maneuvered the aircraft to the final approach course for Runway 33, which put the wind just to the right of the nose, a nice combination for a safe and easy landing. Various USAF mobility wings share the airfield with over thirty-five hundred military operations per year. KBGR, as the field is commissioned, is the most northerly major commercial airport on the east coast of the United States. It is the gateway to a wilderness and times gone by in most other parts of the U.S.
The normal sounds of pre-landing procedures echoed throughout the cabin, including landing gear deployment and hydraulic systems that direct the flight control surfaces. The buildings were now quite large as the runway threshold slipped past the underbelly of the aircraft. Touchdown was normal and the reverse engine thrusters could be heard above other sounds. A short taxi procedure and the aircraft came to a halt outside the commercial gates of Bangor International Airport.
Steve grabbed his briefcase from the overhead bin and retrieved his claim check for a single suitcase. As the cabin doors opened, a drastic change in temperature was evident.
“I’m going to freeze my ass up here”, he complained cynically to himself, “I have to do something about my wardrobe, pronto”!
Steve made his way to the rental car desk, only a short distance from the gate.
“Shit, I’d be walking for miles back in L.A.”, as he compared the airport landscapes.
“May I see your reservation, sir”, was the polite request from the rental car agent as Steve handed over his ticket.
“Welcome to Bangor, Mr. Slattery. I hope you enjoy your stay. You have come at the peak of the foliage season, so it should be quite exciting for you.”
“Well, thank you. It’s my first time this far north. I left Los Angeles early this morning in eighty degree temperatures”.
The rental clerk looked condescending. “Mr. Slattery, if you need to buy some warm clothes, may I suggest that you head over to The Ski Rack. It’s a wonderful outfitter with good prices on nice things to keep you warm. It’s only a couple miles north of here. Just exit left on to Hogan Road. You’ll see it on your right before you get to the end of the road. Tell them we sent you.
Steve was mesmerized. “In L.A. I would have been told to make way for the next customer. She did everything but invite me to her house”.
“Let me help you with your bag, sir”, an airport agent offered as Steve grabbed the car keys and thanked the clerk for her warm hospitality. “Let’s see your rental ticket, oh yes, slot 33. Let me take you to your car, this way”.
“In L.A. I would be lucky to find a car in my spot after a ten minute bus ride”.
The agent smiled, “Around here we do things a little differently. I grew up in San Jose. That’s not my cup of tea”.
They compared notes as the agent set the bag down next to a luxury size rental car.
Steve grumbled to himself. “A few days ago I was riding around in Lucy’s Limo”.
“Pardon me sir”, as the agent requested Steve to repeat his comment?
“Aw nothing. I need to get to the Ski Rack. The rental agent gave me instructions, but things look different out here.”
The customer service agent turned Steve around and pointed him to the highway a short distance ahead.
“Very easy! Go out the main gate and head north on the highway. Exit onto Hogan Road and turn left. It’ll be on your right at the top of the hill”.
Steve thanked the agent for his hospitality as he set his bags in the car. The agent turned about and proceeded to help an arriving customer, then disappeared
“Goddamn, I’m never going to get used to this Mr. Nice Guy routine around here”, he said to himself.
The rental car was very plush and something that Cruz had arranged for Steve. It didn’t take long for the heater to function and Steve settled back as he turned north onto the highway. His cell phone rang.
“Hello Cruz. I just got in to Bangor and picked up the rental car. Nice wheels, thanks”.
“You may want to spend the night in Bangor”, Cruz cautioned, “I just checked with the Weather Service in Caribou. You could see some heavy snow just north of you”.
“I’ll take that under advisement, sir. I’d like to try to make it into Fort Kent tonight. Jim Gagnon returned a message to confirm a meeting for tomorrow morning, weather permitting. I made a reservation at the Northern Door Inn, whatever that is? There wasn’t too many choices”.
Cruz appeared satisfied with the events and progress for the day.
“You call it. Whatever you need to do, do it”!
“I’m heading over to an outfitter here in Bangor right now. Clothes is what I need to do. It’s thirty-seven degrees and my butt is freezing.”
“Ok Steve, get whatever you need. Marie said that it was very desolate once you get north of Bangor a few miles. If you get stuck, make sure you have warm clothes and maybe a sleeping bag.”
Cruz was a survivor, no matter the circumstances. He was always thinking ahead. Right now, his stake was in locating his sister.
“Sir, I’m going to find out what happened to Marie. If the local town folks cooperate, that will make my job easier. If they don’t, I’ll find out anyway. I’ll do what I have to the easy way, or if they prefer, the Slattery way.
Cruz appeared very confident that his decision to bring on the former L.A.P.D. Investigator was the right one. There was more of an attachment, however, in keeping his promise to his mother. That was sacred.
“Steve, I’m not going to interfere with your business. This is your show, win or lose”. Cruz leveled the playing field. “The odds aren’t with us, but at least we’ll both know that we gave it maximum effort. Call me day or night. Enjoy yourself up there. Let’s hope for the best”.
Cruz had a unique way of defusing the pressure cooker. It helps the thinking processes and focuses on the job at hand, not the repercussions. In reality, Cruz knew that there was little chance of finding out what happened to Marie.
“Ahhh, here we go, The Ski Rack”, Steve said as he talked to himself and pulled into the parking lot. “What a neat place”!
A miniature gondola was hanging from the road sign and various chalet appointments were dispersed about the grounds. Pre-season skiers were milling about with sacks in hand.
“Let’s see what these folks can do for old Clarence”, he said to himself with a wry smile as he held the door for two pretty coeds with skis in hand.
“Thank you”, one of the girls acknowledged with a magnetic smile.
“Goddamn, Slattery, you must be the genuine article”, he smiled to himself as the girls looked back. “This could turn out to be an interesting trip”!
The Ski Rack was being transitioned from bicycles and kayaks to skis and winter sports gear. The racks and shelves were loaded with every kind of seasonal enticement that one could imagine. Christmas lights were being strung.
“Why didn’t somebody hang some mistletoe in the doorway? A traditional kiss would hav
e been a good start”, Steve resolved to himself after reviewing a visual of the two girls.
“That old Christmas tradition could be very helpful”!
“May I help you, sir?” Steve put things into perspective while gazing at all the merchandise, and then focused on one of Santa’s prettiest elves.
“She could have walked out of a Dickens novel”, he fantasized to himself with a smile, “Let’s see, thirty-five, gorgeous, brunette, single, shopping, interested, available, starving, and desperate. That ought to cover it, she’s mine”! And with that, reality beckoned.
“Yes, you may”, he answered, “I don’t know what I’m looking for, other than needing some winter clothes to keep my butt from getting frost-bit. A gal at the airport told me to come here.”
A big bright white smile confirmed that she had considerable experience with tourists heading into snow country for their winter vacations.
“She told you right, Mr…?”
“Slattery, call me Steve, please. And you’re Jane, unless you’re wearing somebody else’s badge”?
“I’m Jane, and I’m going to get you outfitted for your stay”, she said with an even bigger smile. “How long will you be with us”?
“Not sure, but I’ll be needing to dress myself for at least a week or two”.
“Come with me, Steve. Let’s get you outfitted in style”!
“That was about the best offer I had all day”, Steve thought as we headed for the racks of outer wear. In about fifteen minutes, we assembled a pile of clothes, including two ski jackets, coveralls, hand-made sweaters, gloves, and sustainables in case of emergency, along with a sleeping bag designed just for that circumstance.
“Jane, you’ve been more than helpful. I want you to pick out something for yourself, I insist”, as I pulled a beautiful sweater off the top of a rack, “how about something like this”?
“Oh, no, Steve, that sweater is two hundred dollars. No way. Thanks, but it’s out of the question. I enjoyed helping you”.
“The sweater is yours. If you don’t want it, I’ll just leave it behind for whoever might want to take it home. Let me speak to your manager, please”.
A brief conversation with the manager, Rick, and the sweater was put into the deal with the rest of the clothes and finalized with a credit card payment.
Rick confronted the two of us, “Jane, this man has just purchased this sweater for you along with the rest of his clothes. He’s leaving here without it. If you don’t want it, it’s going home to my daughter. Mr. Slattery is a former cop and I feel that his intentions are above board. Take it or leave it”!
Jane looked shocked at the generosity of a complete stranger, notwithstanding her immediate attraction. “What’s the catch”, she mesmerized?
“Thank you, Steve. It’s ok Rick. I’m just surprised. Merry Early Christmas to me”, she said with a broad smile as Rick attended to other customers and was obviously satisfied with her sales performance.
“Jane, this sweater’s gonna cost ya’”, Steve said with a serious Slattery glare!
Jane looked shocked!
“I need directions, and we both know that reliable information is not cheap”.
“You almost gave me a heart attack, you goof! Where are you going?”
“Fort Kent. Have you ever heard of the place”?
“Oh my God, are you kidding me? Talk about Karma. I live in Eagle Lake, just a few miles south of Fort Kent. I come down here every other weekend to check on my mom. Rick lets me work to help pay for the travel expenses. I teach at the Eagle Lake Elementary School. I’m going to be driving up there in a few minutes. We close here at five on Sundays”.
“Would you care to convoy? I hear it’s pretty desolate up that way”, Steve asked with a voice of self-concern.
“I might regret this”, Jane said with a look of surrender, “but I may prefer to car pool. I have my mother’s car. Mine was in the shop a couple of weeks ago up in Eagle Lake. My neighbor brought me down and I haven’t been able to hitch a ride back up that way”. Jane said as she looked compromised.
“Where’s your mom live”, Steve asked?
“About a mile from here behind the mall. She likes to walk over there and I don’t want her driving in the winter”.
“Let’s drop her car off and get on the road. Don’t forget your sweater”, Steve reminded her with a grin.
Mom was impressed with Steve. It was an insight that apparently didn’t do well with Jane’s other introductions. Jane put her belongings into the Slattery luxury vehicle, made a freshen-up stop, and returned wearing her new handmade Austrian wool sweater. It was nicer than the elf suit. To Steve’s advantage, Mom was even more impressed. We said our goodbyes and climbed into our classy set of wheels.
“Well, any second thoughts”, I asked while staring into Jane’s eyes? In the detective business, the eyes make and break cases. Jane took a deep breath and said, “Let’s do it”!
We stopped to pick up some fast junk food at the King of Burgers near the highway and settled back for the ride. The drive to Sherman Mills was about ninety minutes or so, and we would be able to do that in daylight with a few options, should the weather turn on us. The second hundred miles of the trip was the trick. This was the most famous two-lane back country road on the map. Everyone had stories of encounters with moose and other big game animals, overloaded logging trucks, and the weather. There was no place to pull in or get help. With only a few places to get fuel in daylight hours, there were little or no options at night. Cell phone coverage was spotty at best. Traffic was scarce, and getting someone to stop after dark was highly unlikely.
Within a few miles north of Bangor, the traffic thinned out considerably. Once past the Old Town exit, the highway was theirs.
“What are you looking at”, Steve asked as Jane was obviously focused on something off to the side of the road?
“There he is, do you see that big boy”, Jane asked?
Just beyond the wood line standing in a ponding area was my first sighting of a moose. He was about the same size as a bus with massive antlers.
“Holy shit, I never laid eyes on one of them varmints before”, Steve said with amazement!
“They could be anywhere. When you spend enough time up here, your eyes get trained. Moose get very curious about oncoming lights and will walk out into the road to check it out”.
“You tell your friends that I want no part of them”.
Jane appreciated the humor and settled back.
“You want a burger”, Steve asked? “I’m starved. There was nothing to eat but peanuts from Philadelphia”.
“That shouldn’t be a problem for you. Isn’t that the standard diet at the zoo”?
Jane chalked one up for the feminist movement with a big smile.
“I could get to like you, if I overlook your disposition. Let me have one of those burgers”.
“Oh, would I love to let you have one of these burgers’, she returned.
Jane spread out some napkins and put the cups in the center console. “You shouldn’t drink and drive”, she smiled, “You might spill some on that new jacket”.
The drive to Sherman Mills was uneventful. The numerous uninhabited lakes and the sight of Mount Katahdin in the distance were breath taking. The chit-chat of new friends helped to pass the time. Some light snow and freezing rain presented no problems with the roadway. Steve was impressed with the expanse of wilderness and absence of human incursion. Jane had his curiosity meter pegged.
“What do you do up here”, Steve asked, “Do you have anybody to play with”?
“We’ll discuss that later. Look, there’s the turnoff at Sherman Mills”.
Jane directed Steve to a convenience store and gas station just north of the highway. It was nice to get out and stretch.
“You better filler’ up”, Jane directed, “We have a hundred miles in front of us without a gas pump”.
“Yes ma’am! Shit, it is cold up here”!
“Meet
me inside. May I suggest, as your wardrobe consultant, that you get rid of that stupid looking trench coat and dress the part”! Jane pointed to a stack of new winter apparel in the back seat.
“Talk about destructive criticism! I could be sensitive, you know”?
“Yeah, like a brick. I’ll see you inside”.
A few customers milled about trying to stay warm. Steve had all he could do to take in the scene. “Just like L.A.’, he said to myself, “No traffic, friendly people, no hassles, how could I possibly live like this”?
He leaned back to see the first mile of the infamous two lane roadway that they were about to embark on as it disappeared over a hill. “Are you kidding me”, was all that came to mind, as the gas pump shut off.
Inside the local Irving convenience store, a few people were collecting food and beverages. It was warm! Jane waved him over to the coffee dispensers.
“Here mister, take these coffee cups and put some lids on them. You’re going to need this after the day you had”.
Steve’s day started at three A.M. In Jane’s company, he forgot about being tired. It was 7:30 and getting dark fast.
“Do you want me to drive, big boy”, Jane asked with her sarcastic humor wrapped around a wide smile?
“I liked you better when you were one of Santa’s elves”.
