Miguel walked towards the door, but before leaving, he left Isaac with a simple choice.
"I have done what I can to clean up the sea of any evidence...but some may remain. If the woman returns with ideas of anything other than leaving Fortaleza for good, then you will dissuade her. If she persists, then call me. Do you understand?"
"Yes."
"Good. Your future here in Fortaleza depends on it. In fact...so does your life."
CHAPTER SIX
Dan hadn't been sick on their trip out to sea, but Heather almost was. It wasn't due to the weather or the gentle rocking of the boat that had caused it either. It was what had confronted them after several long hours of searching that had turned her, and the fact that not one single thing could be done about it.
When they'd reached the area Heather had thought to be about right, nothing could be seen. The water was dark and a light breeze caused the surface to ripple, reflecting the sun into their eyes. The rib, although fast and manoeuvrable, sat low in the water, and the combination drastically restricted their vision.
It was the noise that had first alerted Dan. A faint splash now and then in the distance that was at odds with the rhythmic lapping of water against the side of their boat. Heather agreed to investigate out of sheer frustration.
They'd been standing together, with Heather at the wheel, circling the vast openness for hours when Dan had cut the engine and demanded she take a break. They'd been lying back resting their eyes when Dan had recognised the noise as something out of the ordinary. Heather was up like a shot, the binoculars fixed to her eyes before she even stood.
"Over there! I can see something. Bring us alongside."
Heather let go of the controls and leaned over the edge of the boat. Dan reached over and steered the small craft as close as he could manage to the lumbering mass of rope that had caught his attention.
It was a sorry sight to behold. A whale rode the waves, semi-submerged and on its side. It weakly flapped its heavily entangled tail, barely lifting it enough under the weight of rope to make a difference. But gamely, it tried to right itself and fight against the weighted criss-cross of strong nylon rope threatening to sink it deep beneath the surface. One sorrowful eye looked up at the clear blue sky and the two tiny humans in their puny little boat who thought to rescue it.
All along one exposed side were cuts and lacerations that oozed blood. They were inconsistent with the rope or anything else attached to the animal. Neither were they bite marks caused by the teeth of sharks.
Dan had seen many wounds inflicted by knives before, and the random and frenzied way in which they had been placed on the exposed flesh could lead him to only one conclusion.
It was clear to Dan that nothing could be done to save the whale, but Heather thought otherwise.
"Help me cut the rope, Dan."
"It won't survive, Heather. Look at the cuts to its side. It's only a matter of time now, even without the rope."
She turned on him them. Tears already streaming down her face, unnoticed by Dan up until this point, baring her teeth and spitting in defiance.
"Bloody well cut the rope, Harpur! I won't let this animal suffer one moment longer! If it is to die then it will die free at the very least..."
Dan searched in a container stored beneath the wheel and found a small filleting knife in a box along with various other random fishing accessories. The wooden handle of the knife was damp and blood stained the blade. He thought this odd considering the time of morning, but said nothing as he switched off the engine and knelt down next to Heather to saw at the rope that had wound itself tight against the smooth skin of the whale. The knife was wholly inadequate, but he continued to hack and cut as best he could as Heather approached the head of the creature and stroked it gently beneath a large black eye that stared up at her.
"It's only a baby. The bastards who did this would have known that."
Dan paused from his work for a moment to take a closer look at the puncture marks on the whale's body. He ran a finger over a small thin slit that bit deep and trickled watery drops of blood onto his hand as he touched it. He thought it a small wound, and a strange weapon that must have been used on such a huge creature.
Recognition dawned on him as he looked again at the knife in his hand.
Heather was oblivious to his finding. She had taken out her mobile phone and was busy capturing pictures and video of the whale as life slowly left it.
Over the following minutes its tail beat the water less frequently and with less fervour, until eventually, Dan was certain the creature was dead. He'd been nowhere near to freeing it, he slowly stood up and stepped back to allow Heather a full picture of the scene.
When she'd finished and placed the phone back into her pocket, she slumped down onto a seat on the prow. Dan took a seat himself for a moment, giving her space to grieve before disclosing his theory and moving back over to the whale to prove it.
With his back to her to hide his actions, in case he was wrong, Dan found the nearest and cleanest of wounds. He slowly inserted the tip of the knife into it, using no more force than was necessary and allowing the blade to slip back into the wound it had created.
The fit was perfect and the knife only found resistance as the top of the small handle came to rest next to the skin. Dan wiggled it a bit to ensure he wasn't wrong, but the knife sat firmly in place, comfortable where it was seated.
"What are you doing?! Leave it be! What kind of sicko are you?!
Heather jumped up from her seat and shoved him out of the way, then stood staring at the knife sticking out from the body.
"It's a perfect fit, Heather. The whale is dead and gone. It can't feel it. What's left is just flesh and bone. It's in pain no longer. Try it yourself. That blade, or one very similar, was used to make those injuries."
Heather looked at him quizzically at first but slowly she knelt down and raised a shaking hand to grip the handle, pulling it slowly out. She stopped with the knife poised over the body, uncertain of what to do next. Then she looked to Dan for help.
"Chose a small one, where the blade will have had a clean entry and exit."
He moved over next to her and gently laid a hand over hers, directing the point of the knife towards a different area.
"Some of these wounds are larger and ragged where the blade has been used to slice and not stab. Here, this one will do."
As he angled the knife in her hands to mimic a stabbing action he could feel resistance from her, but she allowed him to continue as her eyes flicked between him and the whale in horror. When the point of the knife hovered over the wound she stiffened up, not allowing it to go any further.
Dan pressed on with his theory in an effort to convince her.
"When I removed that knife from the box the handle was wet and blood stained the blade. Is this boat used for fishing trips?"
Heather's brow furrowed and she lowered the knife to rest on her lap as she thought.
"Possibly. This is mostly a scouting boat though, used by Isaac to search for whales. We used it last night to reach the ships. It didn't leave the harbour yesterday as far as I know. I suppose it could be used for fishing sometimes, but not in the last twenty four hours."
She stared down at the blade and then back to Dan.
"Are you sure?"
"As sure as I can be. See for yourself."
Dan watched her as she gritted her teeth and raised the knife back up towards the whale. Hesitantly, she slowly pushed the blade into the wound, paused for a second in thought, and then quickly removed it again. Then she tossed the blade onto the floor of the boat and removed her phone to take a picture of it.
"Miguel was sent out here this morning by Isaac, to search like we did. I was told he found nothing. That bastard did this!"
"We don't know that for sure, Heather. It's only a theory."
Dan looked over to the body once more and absently ran a hand over the smooth skin and across the scarred tissue.
"A
lthough, these wounds are fresh and were still bleeding. If this had happened last night the whale would have been dead already. Why would anyone use such a small weapon on such a large creature?"
Heather stepped over to the wheel and started the engine.
"Because there was nothing else to hand. Because he is evil. He wasn't expecting to find anything alive out here, or anything so big that he could do nothing with it. He was probably hoping it would die and sink to the bottom with everything else."
"We'll never know for sure without a post mortem."
"And that's never going to happen. We'll never get the body ashore with this boat and it will be gone by the time we gather the resources we need. I knew there was something strange about Miguel. And Isaac must be in on it! But why?"
Without waiting for an answer, Heather shoved the throttle forward, knocking Dan back into his seat, as they raced back towards the harbour.
# # #
Like a fish out of water. That was how Lucas Machado felt every time he entered inner city Fortaleza.
As he walked, he gazed up at skyscrapers that jostled for space, each one growing taller than the next, seemingly blocking out all light from falling on the tiny people below, who scurried to and fro in their shadows, urgently rushing from one place to the next.
The skyscrapers reached right up to the sandy beaches. So close was he, that Lucas could still taste the salty tang of the sea, and every so often, as he rounded a corner, a fresh wind would carry the scent of the ocean towards him, reminding him of its closeness and calling him back like a sultry mistress.
Lucas yearned for the open sea. The feel of a swaying deck beneath his feet and the fortunes of a sturdy ship at his command. Although, he wondered if the destiny of La Mujer Codiciosa was really in his control anymore?
He'd bought a stake in her with his life savings not long ago, along with a healthy investment from a local "businessman". Lucas should have known better, but the thrill of a ship of his own and the chance to make his fortune was irresistible. More likely his destiny lay firmly in the hands of the "businessman" he was about to meet.
Antonio Correia sat at the head of the Tercerio Commandos in Fortaleza. He was the godfather of crime in the city and there wasn't a hook or scam in operation, or in the making, that he didn't know about.
The thick wad of cash Lucas carried seemed to bulge out of his pocket. It weighed heavy upon him, and he couldn't wait to get rid of it and return to the coast; to his family and his home. He knew, however, that Correia would have questions needing answered. Questions posed by that snake from the fish market, who'd set Erico on the woman and turned his most trusted sailor against him with promises of money and a ship of his own. Lucas' ship, truth be told. And Lucas didn't like that one bit. In fact he was seething.
He stopped at the base of a plain nondescript building that sat a short distance from the bustling city centre. Nothing made it stand out from similar structures either side of it, and a cracked glass door with a small silver buzzer mounted on the wall next to it was the building's only entrance.
Through that door millions of dollars flowed.
Lucas carried a tiny fraction of that money in his pocket right now. Money that would line the pockets of gangsters and hoodlums. Men who had never worked a day in their lives, who'd never been to sea in a storm, who'd never felt the pain in their backs from hauling net after net full of fish. Men who would cut your throat for the change in your pocket rather than earn it themselves.
Lucas sighed as he put a finger to the buzzer and pressed it. Was he any better than those men? At one time maybe. But not now.
CHAPTER SEVEN
"Isaac, you must help! Tell me the truth. Please!"
Heather reached into her pocket and retrieved her phone, then thrust it towards Isaac, forcing him to watch the video.
As he did so, Dan studied the dishevelled looking man sat behind the desk.
Their eyes met from time to time as he nervously watched the footage, glancing up now and then to check on Heather or himself. He was like a broken man, caught between a rock and a hard place. Dan knew how that felt, but still he sensed that Isaac was holding something back, and for all of Heather's pleading he wasn't opening up.
When the video stopped, Dan got up from his chair in the corner of the room and strolled across to the window. It held a spectacular view across the harbour and was the focal point in an otherwise dull and dreary office space.
Heather continued with her bombardment.
"Well?"
"It proves nothing."
"Proves nothing? Isaac, am I actually hearing this? We found that calf smothered in fishing net and covered with stab wounds from a knife that we found in your boat! A boat that Miguel was in this morning, in an area where the pirate fishing ships worked last night! Are you serious?"
"This is not England, or the USA. Things like this are more complicated here. Have you shown that footage to anyone else?"
"Why? What does that matter?"
Heather moved over to face Isaac, and planted both hands firmly on the desk in front of him. She was leaning closer and closer to the man, who seemed to visibly shrink under her intense scrutiny. It was time for Dan to step in.
"That's enough, Heather. Give him some space. Let's just calm down for a second."
Isaac looked Dan up and down.
"And who are you?"
"Just a friend. I'm here to help."
Isaac raised his eyebrows in exaggerated horror and pushed back from the desk.
"I need the bathroom. Give me a moment please."
When he'd gone, Heather turned her anger onto Dan.
"He was about to talk then! I know he's hiding something."
"He's never going to talk if you don't give him some space. Just take it easy. I think he wants to tell us, but there's something holding him back. If he's in some kind of situation then we need to give him a reason to confide in us. Let's give him a chance and coax it out him."
"That's rich coming from you. I'm surprised you haven't killed him yet."
Dan gave an innocent shrug and Heather took a seat where he'd been sitting and released a long slow breath.
"OK. When he comes back, it's over to you. Daniel Harpur the negotiator. This should be interesting."
A few minutes later, Isaac returned and took his seat behind the desk. He'd obviously had time to compose himself. His shirt was straightened and he'd combed his hair. As he walked, his back was a little straighter, but his face couldn't hide the fear that lay beneath. Fear from what?
Dan needed to make it a fear of him, and more than whatever else was playing on his mind.
"I think we should wait. The..."
Dan reached out and grabbed the back of Isaac's head, pushing it with enough force to smash his face hard off the top of the desk.
With a groan, Isaac slumped from his chair onto the floor. Heather jumped to her feet and ran to help him.
Dan reached down, gripped Isaac under the arms and hauled him back into the chair.
"Let's start again. You were about to tell us what we need to know. Carry on."
Isaac looked from Dan to Heather a few times before laying his head back on the chair and tenderly touching around the large black bruise forming on his forehead.
"They'll put me out of business - probably kill me. You don't understand these people."
"Oh, I think you'll find I know them well enough. Try me."
Isaac got up and stood at the window with his back to Dan and Heather. It took a long moment before he spoke again, during which Heather shot Dan an incredulous look for smacking him, pointing at the desk and mouthing something unintelligible.
"I came here for the wildlife. It is beautiful, untouched. The Brazilian government is encouraging outside investment in this region and I took the chance to come down here and settle. I spent every penny I have on this business. When I started, it was amazing. The whales breed here you know. They rest, and mate, after a long journey north
. It was an ideal place to set up beside the reserve, and a dream business for me."
He turned with a sad look upon his face and sat once more behind his desk, shuffling the papers into neat piles before he continued.
"Then they came. Just a protection racket at first, a few heavies muscling me for money each month - sort of expected it if I'm honest. But when the dead whales started showing up, along with everything else, I panicked and made some calls to conservation groups. That's when you arrived."
He turned to Heather and showed her a weak smile.
"You were exactly what I wanted - a keen and proactive investigator. Unfortunately you are exactly what the Tercerio Commandos did not want. When they found out it was me who brought you here, they sent Miguel to keep an eye on you. He bribed me with a cut from their fishing racket inside the reserve. I was, still am, to get rid of you by claiming I was wrong about the whales, or whatever, but you wouldn't listen. Now...."
Heather was livid and she paced the floor in front of his desk like a caged tiger.
"You bastard! I knew you were up to something!"
"I had no choice! They were squeezing me each month for more and more money. Then when they offered me a cut from the fishing racket to keep quiet and get rid of you...well...it was that or lose everything. I'm sorry."
"Well, I don't need you any more, Isaac, and I'm not going anywhere! I'll bring this footage to the police, and when the SASC get a copy, they'll put pressure on the government. You'll be finished either way!"
"So no-one else knows about the footage yet?"
"No. Why are you so interested in whom I've shown the footage to?"
Isaac dropped his head to rest on his hands at the edge of the desk. He undid his neck tie and the buttons at the top of his shirt. Eventually, he rested back in the chair with his eyes closed.
"You must leave here now. Go quickly. I will stall them."
"Who?"
"Miguel and his Tercerio Commando friends. I was to call them the minute you returned. When you showed me the video I panicked. He's on his way. They will kill you, Heather. You and him. They are like the mafia of Brazil. You cannot win."
The Dead Sea Page 4