Climate Killers: Book 3. Bernadette Callahan Detective Series

by Lyle Nicholson

  Bernadette checked her air—only ten minutes left. The excitement and fight had used up her air much quicker than the one-hour tank. She’d have to start back up in eight minutes.

  The door to the lab started to open. The remaining diver turned to look as a spear shot out the door, lodging itself in the diver’s throat. The diver clutched at his throat as blood and bubbles shot from the wound.

  McAllen motioned for Bernadette to follow him towards the door. She hung back. After seeing the spear in the diver’s throat, she didn’t like the welcome committee from the lab.

  McAllen went to the side of the door and tapped on the hull of the cylinder with his knife. He did a series of taps that seemed to Bernadette like Morse code. A few minutes later, a hand came from a porthole motioning them to come inside.

  They swam into a chamber. The door closed beside them and the water started to drop slowly. Bernadette had already gone through her main tank, and then had switched to her spare air. That had only two minutes left.

  The air inside Bernadette’s regulator was becoming thin. Then non-existent. She had nothing. No oxygen. She held her breath waiting for the water to recede. When it dropped below her face she ripped out her regulator and gasped in air, feeling lucky to be alive.

  The water receded out of the chamber. The inner door opened. A young woman in a wetsuit had a spear gun pointed at them.

  8

  “Becky. It’ me—Uncle Mac.” McAllen pulled off his mask and his regulator.

  Bernadette’s shifted her eyes from the spear gun to McAllen.

  Becky dropped the spear gun and rushed towards McAllen to help him unclip his diving tank. “Oh my god, Uncle Mac. I had no idea it was you outside. I just hoped you weren’t more hostiles.” They hugged each other tight.

  McAllen smoothed the hair out of her eyes. She was a pretty girl, dark hair with brown eyes. “What happened here?”

  “We heard a boat overhead on our sonar. We thought it might be our supply boat,” Becky said. “Our radio’s been out since yesterday. Carl and Tanya went to meet them. The next thing I knew those divers attacked them…” She buried her head in McAllen’s shoulder and sobbed.

  “Sorry,” McAllen said. “Those guys were looking for your grandfather—this is all my fault. I told the FBI that Barney was here.”

  Becky looked at McAllen. “He hasn’t been back since June. He was helping with the degradation study of the reef, and then all of a sudden he said he had to leave. I haven’t heard from him since.”

  “Did he say where he was going?” McAllen asked.

  Becky sniffed, found a tissue and blew her nose. “He said he was going to hook up with grandma.”

  “Which one?”

  “Grandma Sam,” Becky said.

  “Is she doing the THV study?” McAllen asked.

  “Yes, I saw a text from her last week when I was back on land.”

  McAllen turned to Bernadette. “We best get back to the dive boat. I don’t know if these guys have back up. You got more tanks here?”

  “I have three left. The supply boat was supposed to refill our tanks. But we don’t leave here without taking the bodies of Eric and Tanya to the surface. I’m not leaving them for the sharks,” Becky said.

  “Understood.” McAllen turned to Bernadette, “Unhook your tank and get a refilled one from Becky. You have any more spear guns handy?” he asked Becky.

  “This is my only one. I have a couple of long poles. We use them to poke around in the reef to capture small plants,” Becky said as she removed Bernadette’s tank and replaced it with a full one.

  “It will have to do. Those sharks are agitated out there with all the blood in the water. We’ll have to stick close together as we rise to the surface,” McAllen said.

  They put on their tanks and tested the regulators. Becky pulled the inner door shut to the lab and sealed it. She turned the valve to flood the compartment. Bernadette felt a slight wave of panic as the water level rose inside the room. When the water filled the room, they would open the outer door and swim outside.

  A large shark swam by the porthole. She tried to calm herself, taking slow breaths. The bodies of the two divers were twenty metres away. They needed to retrieve them and rise with them to the surface. The process was going to be slow. Hopefully the sharks would content themselves with the dead bad guys and leave them alone.

  They swam out of the door and took a moment to survey the area. The two divers they’d killed lay on the sea floor near the entry to the lab. A shark had torn into one diver’s body; the other was missing an arm. It lay exposed and shredded as small fish pecked at the flesh. They waved at the swarm of sharks to move them away. They did but hovered in a swarm above them.

  McAllen motioned for them to move forward. They came upon the bodies of Becky’s dead friends. Their wounds had sealed, making them less of attraction to the sharks. Becky gathered the small girl, into her arms and Bernadette took up the male. He was light, a red head, maybe twenty-five years old. His mask was gone, his mouth open as if he wanted to say hello. Bernadette unhooked his diving tank and turned him around. She hooked both her arms under his armpits and nodded to McAllen and Becky. Becky did the same with the body of Tanya.

  Bernadette and Becky held out their poles. McAllen waved the spear gun at the sharks. They looked like a phalanx of warriors bristling with weapons as they rose. The sharks circled. McAllen stayed away from the group to ward off the sharks when they came too close. The reef sharks darted towards them, then shot away. They were smaller, the group of divers looked massive to them. Size wins in the ocean.

  They rose slowly. The ascent was going well in a macabre kind of way when a large form appeared out of the shadows. A shark three times as big as any of the reef sharks made its way towards them. It wasn’t afraid. It smelled blood. A full-sized Bull Shark. Bernadette recognized the features she’d read about sharks you never want to meet when there’s blood around and she was holding onto a dead body trailing blood. Bernadette waved her pole at it. The shark wagged its head side to side. It didn’t faze him. His beady eyes were fixed on the body. He’d found a large meal. Bernadette’s pole was a mere hindrance.

  McAllen came alongside Bernadette, raised his spear gun and the Bull Shark got the message. He turned away—slowly. His large bulk showed scars on the side. He was a fighter and had won most of his battles. Bernadette saw long rows of razor sharp teeth. She felt the wave of water from its body. It scared the hell out of her.

  Light appeared. They broke through to the surface. The boat was twenty metres away. McAllen pulled out his regulator. “Swim for the boat. I’ll stay behind to ward off our big friend.”

  Becky and Bernadette turned on their backs and pulled the two bodies under their chins. The sharks were everywhere around them. Fins darted then turned. The one big fin of the Bull Shark hadn’t appeared.

  Bernadette feared it would charge up from the depths. She pulled on the corpse of Eric and swam backwards as fast as she could propel herself towards the boat and safety. McAllen stuck his head underwater. He did a jackknife dive and was gone, a swirl of water being all that remained. Bernadette heard a loud hiss and thump from just below her.

  McAllen surfaced with a smile. “I put a spear in our big friend’s snout as he was heading for Becky. It didn’t kill him but he’ll have something else to worry about for now.”

  Bernadette could hear the waves crashing against the boat. She was exhausted by the time she reached the stern. The exertion of carrying the body to the surface with the sharks had worn her to her last raw nerve. She was relieved when three sets of hands reached down and pulled the body of Eric and then her onto the boat. Becky and McAllen came up behind her. They laid the bodies on the deck. Captain Darius found two tarps and covered them. They stared into the sea watching the fins swirl around before they disappeared.

  “The sharks are going to go down and clean up the bodies of the two divers that attacked your friends,” Bernadette said.

 
; “I hope they don’t choke on those bastards,” Becky sneered. Her eyes flashed with anger.

  Bernadette turned to Sebastian. “One of the divers that attacked the lab was coming to the surface after McAllen put a spear in his leg—you see him?”

  Sebastian pointed behind him. A man in a wetsuit was tied to a pole near the bow. A tourniquet was on his leg; his chin was resting on his chest. He didn’t look happy.

  “He came to the surface. The sharks were all around him. I told him he could either get in our boat all peaceful like, or I’d leave him for shark meat,” Sebastian said. “Who says all criminals are stupid?” he snorted.

  McAllen, Winston and Bernadette stood around the man.

  “Who wants to start our little conversation?” McAllen asked.

  Winston looked down at the man in disgust. “Let me give it a go.” She nudged the man with her foot. He looked up at her. He had dark hair, eyes and skin. He had a sharp angular nose with a scar that edged the right side of his face. Winston thought this guy could have been cast as the villain in any pirate movie.

  “You want to tell us who you’re working for?”

  “I am saying nothing.” He spit at Winston. His voice had a heavy accent. To Bernadette it sounded like Eastern Europe.

  “Such a bad attitude,” Bernadette said. “He probably doesn’t want to tell us his name either.”

  “You got it, bitch. Give me to the authorities and l get lawyer. Your country is famous for this. I be out on bail and free in no time.” The man smiled up at Winston and Bernadette. “Maybe you two like a date when I get out?”

  “I don’t know about you, but I’m about finished with this suspect? What about you, Winston?” Bernadette asked.

  “I’ve only begun asking him questions,” Winston said.

  “No, I think we’re done.” Bernadette looked at McAllen. “How about we help this gentleman up, let him stretch his legs and then see if he wants to go for a swim?”

  McAllen smiled. “That’s a great idea. I’ll bet he needs to move around a bit. I think we’ll take this tourniquet off. The salt water will be good for the wound.”

  “You cannot do this. The other guy told me two of you were law enforcement types. Like FBI and some Canadian police or something. You can’t do it—I know my rights,” the man said.

  McAllen and Bernadette hauled the man up. Bernadette took off his ropes and they walked him towards the stern of the boat.

  “Here’s the thing,” Bernadette told him. “We found out that someone in the FBI is trying to kill us. We’re not taking it well. We don’t have time to dick around with you and your rights.”

  “You either tell us what we want to know or we throw you back into the water. Those reef sharks will be nipping on you until a few more Bull sharks come and finish you off. You can think about your rights as you watch our boat disappear into the distance,” McAllen said.

  They moved him closer to the stern. The waves were getting higher. Shark fins appeared and sliced through the water. The man’s eyes grew wide. “No, you would not do this. You’re bullshitting me.”

  Bernadette looked at McAllen. “I hate someone saying I’m full of shit. How about you?”

  “Yeah, especially bullshit.” McAllen said. They moved towards the stern and leaned him over the water. The only thing between the man and the sharks were their hands.

  “Mister, you got ten seconds to start talking. Because this boat is heading for shore with or without you—you decide,” Bernadette said.

  “Okay, okay, I talk.”

  They pulled him back and threw him onto deck. He sat there clutching his stomach as if he wanted to throw up.

  “Start talking,” Bernadette said.

  “We were hired by a guy named Sokolov. He said all we had to do was go to this underwater lab and get this Sigurdsson guy out of there. We were supposed to drop him off at a hanger in Miami. That’s all I know.”

  “What hanger?” Winston asked.

  “I don’t know—some hanger with private jets,” the man said.

  “Listen,” Winston said. “I’ll throw your sorry ass over the side if you don’t tell us about the hanger.”

  The man looked up at them. “Sokolov will have me killed when he finds out I gave you this information.”

  “Sharks or Sokolov. You have shitty choices. But that’s what you got. What’s it going to be?” Winston asked.

  The man sighed and hung his head then looked up. “It’s Executive First Charters. The hanger was number 10. We were ordered to capture Sigurdsson, put him on a private plane we had waiting in Key West then fly him to Miami. We were supposed to get our cash there when we handed him over.”

  “Do you know where they were taking him?” McAllen asked.

  The man stared up at them. “Of course not. I was to get my cash and head home.”

  “And home is?” Bernadette said.

  “Kazakhstan.” The man looked down at the deck.

  “Are you here legally?” Winston asked.

  He shook his head.

  “This Sokolov must have smuggled him in,” Bernadette said. “That way he wouldn’t have raised the alarm of Homeland Security.”

  They fastened a rope around his wrists and tied him back to a pole on the deck, then went forward to have a conference.

  “Who do we give this guy to?” Winston said.

  “Yeah, I know what you mean. We drop him off to the Florida State Troopers, they call in the FBI, which means whoever in the FBI wanted to kill us off gets alerted,” Bernadette acknowledged.

  “And we’re all in the United States under fake passports,” McAllen added. “Both Sebastian and I are wanted in this country. I’m not looking for attention.”

  “What do you suggest?” Bernadette asked.

  “We take this Kazak guy with us and we put the bodies on ice,” McAllen said.

  “Whoa,” Winston said. “Now you’re pushing so many violations of the law that I may want to have the FBI kill me. I’d be locked up for so many years from what you suggest that my life wouldn’t be worth living.”

  “Hey, it’s just until we find this Sokolov and who’s behind trying to kidnap Sigurdsson and trying to kill us,” McAllen told her. “We’d be in Miami inside of a day and have this guy and the bodies back with the authorities inside twenty-four hours.”

  Winston shook her head. “Yeah famous last words.” She looked at Bernadette. “I hate to say it but I don’t see any other choice. This investigation leads to Miami.” She looked back at McAllen. “Any idea how we’re going to get there?”

  “Yeah,” McAllen said. “Sebastian was on the phone to a Helicopter company out of Miami. They got a Bell 525 on its way to us. They claim they can beat the Hurricane if we make to the airport in the next 45 minutes.”

  “It’s got lots of room,” Sebastian chimed in. “We could even take the stiffs if you like.”

  Winston and Bernadette looked at Sebastian and shook their heads. They looked over at Becky to see if she’d heard the comment. She hadn’t.

  “I’m going below to change,” Bernadette said. “I’m also going to call my contact with CSIS and see what they know of this Sokolov.”

  She went down the narrow stairway of the boat to a small changing room. She peeled off the wetsuit and found a towel to dry herself. Grabbing her phone she saw she had a text from Chris. It said he’d landed in Kandahar, Afghanistan. The place was dusty, he couldn’t find a good beer and he’d call soon.

  She smiled and dialed Anton de Luca. He picked up after several rings. “Where the hell are you?” he asked.

  “We’ve gone off mission—a bit.” Bernadette admitted.

  “Off. Holy Christ, I’ve been fielding calls all day from Morgan in the FBI. He wants to know what you’re up to? What is it about not causing an international incident you didn’t get?”

  “What do you know about, Morgan?” Bernadette said, ignoring Anton’s tirade.

  “That he asked for you to be sent on the investiga
tion.”

  “Did you think it was odd?”

  “Ah, yeah I did,” Anton, said after a pause.

  Bernadette could hear in his voice how he’d felt about sending her to Nicaragua. “You get the command from on high?”

  “Yeah, all the way from Ottawa. I couldn’t object to it. They agreed with Morgan you were the only one who could get close to McAllen and find Sigurdsson.”

  Bernadette bit her lip. “You ever hear of a guy name Sokolov?”

  “If he’s Matlev Sokolov he’s ex Russian KGB turned into muscle for the Russian Mafia. One of the worst guys we’ve ever dealt with. You run into him down there?”

  “No, just met an acquaintance. I have a favour to ask, Anton.”

  “What is it?”

  “We’ve never spoken. You still haven’t heard from me. Can you do that?”

  Anton sighed. “I should never promise you a favour, Bernadette. How long do you need?”

  “No more than forty-eight hours. After that I’ll call in and make a full report. Is that okay?”

  “I guess so. Is that why you’re using a burner phone?”

  “Yeah, if you’d send me a picture of Sokolov on this phone, then we have to go off the grid for a bit.” She shut off her phone and went onto the deck. She climbed the stairs up to the wheelhouse. The captain was holding on tight as the waves bounced the boat in the high waves.

  “How are we doing?” Bernadette asked, looking at McAllen.

  “Darius said we’ll be in Key West inside of an hour,” McAllen said. “But there’s one little problem.”

  “And that is?” Bernadette asked.

  “The hurricane has changed course. It’s coming inland. That means a higher storm surge. Key West Airport is underwater.”

  “And we board the helicopter how?” Bernadette asked.

  “From the airport roof.” Captain Darius looked over his shoulder with a grim smile.

  9

  Anton DeLuca went from his office to see Mellissa Ackerman. She was good at keeping any confidence he shared with her. She was also one of the few women in the office who didn’t come on to him, dropping hints of dinner dates and after work meetings. He enjoyed his conversations with her. He found her funny, and always relaxed.