Red Paint

by Valerie Van Clieaf

  “It can’t be satellite,” said Kumari.

  “But it has to be satellite,” said Stuart.

  There was silence. Then it dawned on them both.

  “Low earth orbit,” said Stuart. She nodded.

  Alex looked from one to the other. “Explain?”

  “There’s a UK company that put a bunch of their own satellites into low earth orbit,” said Stuart. “Their claim is they can supply internet to everyone, no matter where they are on the planet.”

  “We’ll have to wait and see how that pans out,” said Kumari. We’re talking about a lot of satellites.

  “Anyway, they beta tested a system of information sharing between sender and receiver that never touched earth. It worked; they got the go-ahead from UK telecommunications to put more satellites up.

  “Everyone wants it, of course, and all the major players want a piece of the action,” said Kumari, “but it’s not on the market yet. With this system, information being sent or received is secure because there’s no point where it can be intercepted; at least that’s the theory. And with almost no latency, it’s a lot faster. And they claim that their system won’t go down in bad weather because their satellites are so much closer to earth. Looks like we have proof of that right here.”

  “It’s not on the market but Kirigin got his hands on the technology,” said Alex. “How he did that would be an interesting line of inquiry.”

  “Wouldn’t it though,” said Stuart.

  “Maybe he hacked their system?” Kumari suggested.

  “Or he’s one of their beta testers,” Stuart teased.

  “Why not,” said Alex. “He has great credentials. He’s under contract with the Canadian government.” Alex pointed to an icon. “Check out this window.”

  Kumari clicked and a map of Canada filled the screen. Her eyes went wide. “Whoa!”

  One icon flickered on the Manitoba–Ontario border.

  “Highlight that one,” said Alex. A box popped with the 2:06 pm update and an address in Scarborough.

  “I think we found the women who are being taken to the Toronto clinic,” said Alex.

  “Holy shit,” said Stuart. “This is all Kirigin?”

  Alex nodded. They watched as Alex pulled out his cell, but just as quickly stuffed it back in his pocket.

  “We’re okay sir,” said Stuart. “There’s lots of time for us to act.”

  “You’re right. They’re still twenty-four hours away from Toronto. Hover over that icon near Thunder Bay,” said Alex. halifax–minsk evergreen appeared in a box.

  “That vehicle is on its way to a ship,” said Stuart.

  “There’s a port close by,” said Alex. “What about that truck?” Kumari highlighted it, this one near the Ontario–Quebec border.” An address in New York State appeared in a box.

  “Two more icons,” said Kumari, hovering over one near Montreal. halifax–minsk evergreen appeared in a box. She checked the last icon in the south part of Nova Scotia. halifax–minsk evergreen popped up a third time. She checked the open screens at the bottom; found what she was looking for.

  “He’s using shiptracker.live.” She counted eleven ships icons. “Eleven.”

  “Twelve, including Harvest,” said Alex.

  “Did the computer turn on immediately after you opened it?” Stuart asked.

  “It did.”

  “So perpetually on,” said Stuart. “No password. Unless he shuts it down. We certainly won’t be doing that!”

  “Kirigin sure is a risk taker,” said Kumari.

  “Or sure he’d never get caught,” said Stuart.

  “He must be sweating now,” said Kumari.

  Alex thought of the fear in Kirigin’s voice and Severall’s face when he looked in on him. He closed his eyes briefly, but now it was Levon’s face suddenly there. How he looked when his heart stopped; how peaceful he looked. Alex took a deep breath.

  What had wikem stumbled on? He thought about the other signatories to the Palindrome partnership. Twelve ships; this operation wasn’t just about trafficking people.

  “Click there,” said Alex, pointing to a small drop-down menu in the upper left corner of the screen. She clicked on US and a map of the US filled the screen. Four vehicle icons. A ship was in the Atlantic Ocean off the Jersey coast. Another was south of California.

  “Holy shit!” said Stuart. “Is this all human trafficking?”

  “I don’t think so,” said Alex. “It’s anyone’s guess what else this bunch is up to.”

  “We’ll take pictures of each location and make notes,” said Kumari.

  Stuart pulled out his cell and turned on his camera. Kumari grabbed her laptop.

  Alex showed them the window with the local map. “Ignore this window.” said Alex. “That’s the Harvest operation; Kirigin’s note says its AIS is still down; two trucks are shown there as well. We’ve got that under control. Start with Canada; then deal with the US; time code everything so we can prioritize. Then we’ll move the circle out.”

  Alex left them to it and went out to the reception area.

  “Good news,” said Carole. The ground temperature is expected to rise above zero tonight. The ice will start melting.”

  Alex decided he needed more coffee, but first, he left the building to get some fresh air. It was a mix of rain and sleet now, still coming down hard, but the wind had died down somewhat. He stood for a few minutes under the portico and enjoyed the cool air on his face. A van approached; it was Hunt. He parked near the entrance, exited the vehicle, and approached quickly, stopping in front of him.

  Alex felt a surge of anger, felt his chest tighten. He took a deep breath.

  “Anything?”

  “They’re still operating. What do you want me to do now?”

  “Your report on the shooting incident, Corporal. The inspector will want it.”

  “Shouldn’t we discuss what happened first?”

  “Is that how you do things in this town?”

  “That’s not what I meant.”

  “We won’t be discussing what happened, Corporal.”

  Alex watched Hunt’s face; watched his fear turn to hard resolve. Alex followed him into the building and past reception to the bull pen. Hunt took a seat at a desk in the corner. Alex grabbed his mug and headed to the staff room. The pot was nearly empty; he emptied the dregs into his cup and put on another; they were going to need it. He headed out front and rejoined Kumari and Stuart.

  The map of Canada was still on the screen. Brandeis came in behind him.

  “Where are they?”

  “Severall’s in interrogation; Kirigin is in the cells. But first, we have good news. Take my seat.”

  Brandeis sat down. “I don’t want them talking to each other.”

  “Inspector,” said Kumari. “Have the women been rescued?”

  “Yes. All of them. Both boats are moored at shore, but it’s going to take a while to get everyone safely off the lifeboats and to their accommodations.”

  “I’m so happy to hear that.”

  “That is very good news,” said Stuart.

  “It is,” said Brandeis, with a deep sigh.

  “There were two women on one of the trucks,” said Alex.

  “The driver gave them up.”

  “And one got away, according to Kirigin’s note. Let’s hope she’s okay?” Even as he spoke, it occurred to Alex that Robbie might know something. “What about Harvest?”

  “They lost the ship on radar just before I left to come here. Captain Meighan thinks they took refuge in the channel between Smith and De Horsey Islands, at the mouth of the Skeena. He thinks they may be taking shelter in a bay on Smith Island. It’s a good spot. It would put them out of the range of the big radar station on Grenville Island. And the captain will be waiting for the return of his crewmen and the lifeboats. As soon as the women are taken care of, Kwan will head out to apprehend Harvest.”

  �
��Do you think the captain will make a run for it?” Stuart asked.

  “He has no idea he’s in jeopardy,” said Brandeis.

  “The machine guns on the Tanu’s bow should convince the captain that’s not a good idea,” said Kumari.

  “He should know that resistance is futile,” joked Stuart.

  Kumari rolled her eyes.

  “His AIS is still down,” said Alex. “There’s a note on screen. Kirigin didn’t plan on returning control until tomorrow.

  “That makes our job easier,” said Brandeis, with a grin.

  Kumari and Hunt had completed a list of Kirigin’s vehicles and ships in Canada and the US, complete with shots taken off the screen of each note. They were getting it ready to print.

  Brandeis turned to him. “Fill me in regarding the arrests.”

  Alex gave him a recap, including the presence of Robbie and Levon Starr at the cabin and Hunt’s shooting Levon. He glanced over at Hunt, who had his back to them, working at his computer.

  “Do you think the brothers have any involvement in the ring?”

  “No. They were in the wrong place at the wrong time. Robbie Starr, he’s the brother of the man that was shot, told me they brought an elder into town that needed a ride. They dropped him off at a reserve further south and were on their way to Rupert to get some breakfast when the storm blew over them. Starr saw the sign to the Skeena plant, and he chose to pull over. When he saw that the locked gate was open, rather than block the entrance, he kept moving. He chose a side road close by to park and wait for the storm to pass. Kirigin must have spotted them when they pulled in at the gate via satellite image. He had his goons pick them up. That’s why they were at the cabin.”

  “Where’s Robbie Starr?”

  “I left him at the hospital; I assume he’s waiting for his brother to come out of surgery.”

  “If the man was unarmed, why was he shot?” Kumari and Stuart had stopped what they were doing to listen.

  “Unarmed Indigenous man,” Alex corrected. “You’ll have to ask Hunt. I didn’t witness the actual shooting.” He looked over at Hunt, whose neck and ears were a deep crimson.

  Brandeis followed his gaze. He turned back to Alex.

  “Is the wounded man going to make it?”

  “I don’t know. He’s badly hurt, and he lost a lot of blood. His heart stopped twice before we reached the hospital. His brother and I kept him alive with CPR. Emergency staff managed to bring him back with paddles, then they took him into surgery. That was more than an hour ago.”

  “This will go to the civilian oversight panel for review. You know that, Alex.”

  His face an unreadable mask, Alex looked at him, then Hunt, but said nothing. He knew in his gut that justice would probably not be served here. He hadn’t witnessed the shooting, just the aftermath and he could swear to nothing except that a frightened, unarmed man lay bleeding to death for not responding quickly enough—a man that Hunt shot to kill.

  The printer in the corner started up. Alex sensed that Brandeis was relieved at the interruption. Stuart got up to fetch copies for James and Alex.

  Brandeis looked at his two pages. “We know who to contact in Canada, but we’ll need the US jurisdictions these vehicles are operating in as well: State police and FBI. Isn’t there a way we can just copy this information from the laptop?”

  “We advise against that sir,” said Kumari. “We have to assume Kirigin’s got a failsafe, whether he does or not. If he does, we don’t have the time right now to figure out how it works. We don’t have any diagnostics here. There are other maps. We want to get whatever we can first.”

  “There are other maps?”

  “Yes sir,” said Kumari. “A few others. And other ships; nine other ships we didn’t yet know about.”

  “Nine ships!” said Brandeis. “Jesus Christ!”

  “This is our chance to get ahead of the bastards,” Stuart added. “We don’t want to jeopardize that. A few more hours and we’ll have a good overview of their operation.”

  “Can you copy his emails and documents to a thumb drive or print them?”

  “We’ll print them. There’s lots of emails, but not many documents,” said Kumari.

  Alex got up and moved to an empty desk nearby with a terminal and logged in with the password the clerk had given him. Brandeis pulled up a chair beside him. He was checking a list of all local and federal law enforcement agencies in Canada and the US that would have to be notified.

  “We still need to get the word out,” said Brandeis. “He looked at the list. Some of these are more time sensitive than others.

  “We have a few options: we can use a SAT phone, or message via the Coast Guard or if we’re desperate, send out notifications via Terrace or Smithers.”

  Brandeis left Alex abruptly and walked across the room to where Hunt was working.

  “Corporal Hunt?”

  “Yes sir.”

  “I assume you’re working on the arrest report and the shooting of the unarmed civilian?”

  Hunt hesitated before speaking. “Just the arrest report.”

  “Do you intend to do a report of the shooting?”

  Hunt looked over at Alex before answering. “No. It’s my legal right not to.”

  “Do you know the name of the man you shot?”

  He didn’t. Hunt looked at a sheet of paper on his desk: “Levon Starr,” he read.

  “Is he a resident of Prince Rupert?”

  “No. His ID has him living in Prince George.” Brandeis glanced back at Alex who was watching, stone faced, then back at Hunt.

  “When does your shift end?”

  “I’m off at six pm.” Brandeis looked at the wall clock.

  “I will be interviewing you regarding the shooting before you go. You’ll give me a verbal account; it will be taped.”

  “Won’t my commanding officer be interviewing me first?”

  “No, Corporal. I’ll be interviewing you first.”

  Hunt said nothing, his expression, defiant.

  Brandeis rejoined Alex.

  “We need to get ahead of this,” he said quietly. “Did you discuss the shooting with Hunt?”

  “He wanted to. I declined.”

  “Looks like he discussed it with someone. Whatever you can add would be helpful when I interview him. Soon as you can get it to me.”

  “I’ll complete my report as soon as I finish this list.”

  Brandeis returned to Kumari and Stuart.

  His list done, Alex sent it to the printer, distributed it, then started his report on the arrest and what he’d witnessed of the shooting.

  An hour later, Alex was done. He sent his report to the printer and walked over to get it. Brandeis was already there; he handed Alex a sheaf of papers.

  “Kumari just printed this for us. There’s two years’ worth of email correspondence to sift through; it’s extensive. What you’ve got there is everything dating back to last September only. I’m waiting for a printout of any other documents; there isn’t much. I’m thinking he used an online account for.”

  “Sullivan said most of the business transactions are online, which is surprising. Paper is more secure, especially these days. I guess we won’t be able to access the cloud account.”

  “They already have, at least one of them.”

  Alex was surprised. “How’d they manage that?”

  “Kirigin has two-step verification set up through his SAT phone.”

  “How convenient for us. I suggest we interview Severall first. He’s the boss and Kirigin is his talented underling. In any event, Kirigin may prove to be impossible to interview—unless sedated.”

  Brandeis chuckled, rare for him. He looked at the wall clock. “I’m going to interview Hunt now.”

  Alex nodded and handed him his report. He returned to his desk and started reading through Kirigin’s correspondence, creating detailed notes for Severall’s interview. Shortly afte
r, Brandeis and Hunt went to an empty office down the hall. It was just after five pm.

  Alex wanted to be the one to interview Robbie Starr. He got his wish twenty minutes later when Levon’s dazed and exhausted brother came through the front door of the detachment. Alex went out to reception to greet him.

  “How’s your brother?”

  “He came through the operation, then they took him up to ICU and I came here.”

  “It’s a relief to hear that. Have a seat for a minute.” Robbie dropped into a chair. Alex went and knocked on Brandeis’ door, waited a beat, then poked his head in.

  “Robbie Starr just arrived. His brother’s in the ICU. I’ll get a statement from him.”

  “Good.”

  Alex brought Robbie to another office that wasn’t in use, got him seated, then brought him a coffee, water, and a snack bar he found in one of the cupboards.

  “That’s all I could find.”

  “I’m not hungry. Coffee is good, though.”

  “Before we start, I want you to know that the women have been rescued.”

  “All of them?”

  “All of them. Including two women that weren’t on the lifeboats. One woman got away, apparently.”

  “She’s safe.”

  “Okay. Glad I asked. Before we start, I have a couple of questions. When I opened the tablet, there were two words on the home screen: AERIE and REDZ. Do you know what the acronyms stand for?”

  Robbie shook his head and sipped his coffee.

  “Will someone respond if I leave a message via the protonmail account?”

  “The women have been rescued. Our work with you is done.”

  “Our?”

  Robbie ignored the question and continued sipping on his coffee.

  “What about the next time?”

  “I doubt there’ll be a next time. We don’t as a rule work with police. Is the asshole that shot my brother here?”

  “Inspector Brandeis is interviewing him about the shooting.”

  “You want my take on what will happen to him?”

  Alex nodded.

  “He’ll get time off with pay while they investigate what happened. After some time has passed, they’ll put him back to work; maybe give him a desk job for a while. And then, when they think everyone has forgotten what happened, he’ll be back out policing.”