Climate Killers: Book 3. Bernadette Callahan Detective Series

by Lyle Nicholson

  “It’s not working,” Sigurdsson said.

  “I will get them to do an aft propeller wash. This will push the rig off us.” Sergey typed in the instructions.

  The submarine moved overhead. A single small light from the mini submarine could barely make out its bulk as it moved. Bernadette thought this might be what being dated by a whale would look like.

  There was silence again.

  A torrent of water washed over them. The submarine was in front of them with propellers fully revved. The rig moved slowly scraping over the bubble and falling off them.

  “There. We are free,” Sergey said. He pressed the controls for the motors. There was no response. “Ah, the rig must have damaged the electrical system.”

  Bernadette was amazed at Sergey’s composure. It must be the requirement for a submariner. “What do we do now?”

  Sergey hit a switch. “We float slowly to the surface. All submarines have a failsafe switch to head for the surface when their propulsion systems fail. We will be on the surface shortly.”

  The mini-submarine started to float upward. There was a sense of relief. Bernadette sat back in her soft leather chair and began to look above her for the first time with hope that she would be in open sky again.

  She felt her feet getting wet. “Sergey. I feel water on my feet, are we breached?”

  “Yes, a bit of sea water has seeped in. Don’t worry. This often happens when submarines are in stress. We will be fine.”

  Bernadette switched on the interior cabin lights. The light confirmed what her feet were telling her. The water was rising.

  “Sergey. The water is higher,” Bernadette said. She hoped her information and the small amount of stress in her voice might get his attention.

  “Yes. A seal in the bubble is cracked,” Sergey said, his face serene. He watched the depth gauge. It showed they were at 500 metres—half way to the surface.

  “Can we raise up any faster?” Sigurdsson asked, placing his hand on Sergey’s shoulder as if this might get his point across.

  Sergey shook his head. “These submarines are not designed for quick ascents. In my attack submarine, I could be on the surface by now.”

  Bernadette looked at the depth gauge. They had risen to 200 metres. The water was up to the base of their chairs—it was rising faster. At 100 metres the water was up to their shoulders. They removed their chair harnesses and were floating inside the bubble. Sergey had his cell phone over his head and the ridiculous smile on his face.

  Bernadette could no longer see the controls on the console. Light from the surface appeared above them. The water kept rising.

  The water lapped at Bernadette’s chin as they broke through the surface. They bobbed on the surface in a sea of plastic garbage. Bernadette felt like a goldfish, swimming inside the bubble. Sergey dove to the controls but the hatch wouldn’t open.

  A zodiac with four Russian sailors and the captain appeared. They climbed onto the mini-sub and opened the bubble. They poured out of it as it rose up.

  Bernadette looked at the sky and breathed in deeply. Something about the sky looked odd. There were clouds—lots of clouds.

  She stood up in the zodiac to see a column of water gushing into the atmosphere. “Did we create that?”

  “Yes, you did,” Captain Yelchin said. “The geyser is creating clouds. And it is starting to rain.”

  Sigurdsson started to dance around in the zodiac. “It’s from the River of Thule. You see, I knew I was right. The river is underneath the molten magma. When it was pierced, it created a chute up the magma as the lava cooled. I knew this would work!”

  Sergey flashed his gold teeth. “You see, Russian ingenuity has won the day.”

  “That and a little stone from a beach in Canada’s Arctic,” Bernadette said. She turned to the Captain Yelchin, “Well, what now? Can we get a lift back to America on your ship?”

  “We have repaired your yacht. Your crew is aboard and the Russian Mafia crew is now our guests. We will be taking them back to Russia for trial,” Captain Yelchin said.

  Bernadette sat back in the zodiac as they motored through the sea of plastic to the yacht. Loud music was coming from the ship. They climbed aboard to find McAllen and the rest of the crew dancing to Reggae music and drinking beer.

  They broke into cheers and hugged, handing them ice cold Corona beers. There was backslapping, kisses and kudos to everyone for the opening of The River of Thule.

  A fighter jet came low overhead, followed by two more. Everyone hit the deck.

  56

  “Those are American F35 fighter jets,” Captain Yelchin said, his voice almost drowned out by the roar. “My ship could not detect them. They have stealth capabilities.”

  Bernadette was lying on the deck. Captain Yelchin was standing, watching the fighter jets swooping low and turning to make another pass. He looked like a kid admiring an air show.

  Yelchin looked down at Bernadette. “Are they not beautiful to see?”

  Bernadette stood up, shielding her eyes from the sun. “Yes, they are wonderful. You’re not concerned they’ll attack your ships?”

  “Hah,” Yelchin scoffed. “If my ships detect a lock on of their missiles we’ll throw out counter measures to destroy the missiles and blow them out of the sky. We would show them many surprises. Even the F35s are not superior to our Russian ships.”

  “This is going to get silly rather quickly,” Bernadette said. She turned to Sergey. “I need your satellite cell phone.”

  Bernadette dialed Anton. He answered on the second ring. “Anton, I need your help—now.”

  “Bernadette, where are you? I’ve just noticed some strange climate changes in the Pacific Ocean. Is that your doing?” Anton asked.

  Bernadette blew out a breath. “Well, sure, me and a whole bunch of ancient legends colliding. Look, not a lot of time here. Remember that back up I asked for?”

  “Yeah, did the Americans arrive?”

  “Sure did, can you get them to back off?”

  “Problem?” Anton asked.

  “Oh, yeah. We’ve got some friendly Russians and need the flyboys and whoever else is coming to back off. Can you do that?”

  “You’re sure you’re all safe?” Anton asked.

  “Totally. Thanks for caring, Anton.” Bernadette ended the call and handed the phone back to Sergey. She turned to Captain Yelchin. “Captain, please have your ships weapons stand down. This is a misunderstanding.”

  A few minutes later the jet fighter waggled their wings and flew off toward the coast of America. A small American ship did the same. It blew its horn and turned towards home. The Russians ships and submarine blew two farewell blasts.

  They were left with the sound of reggae music. Bob Marley was singing, coming in from the cold.

  Off in the distance, a geyser of water was erupting into the atmosphere. The underwater river was shooting into the sky, creating clouds. The clouds were dropping rain. It was a glorious sight. Bernadette turned her face to the heaven. She felt cool rain. She hadn’t felt that in a long time. It felt wonderful.

  57

  The return trip back to America was like a pleasure cruise for the crew. Grace delved deep into the stores of the ship’s galley and found frozen lobster and several cases of filet mignon. Theo found a case of fine French Champagne.

  They ate and drank until the wee hours of the morning to celebrate their success. On the day they approached the coast, Bernadette went up to the bridge carrying two coffees to look for McAllen. He was standing at the wheel of the bridge, staring at the coast, his soft blue eyes taking in a homeland that no longer welcomed him. He looked up and smiled at Bernadette when he saw her.

  “You here to put me under arrest now that this adventure is over?”

  Bernadette handed McAllen a coffee and sipped on her own. “No, I actually have been in touch with both the Canadian and American authorities. They have come up with a deal for you.”

  “Will I like it?”

&nbs
p; Bernadette arched an eyebrow. “They will give all of you amnesty if you agree to never use your science to go after North American Industry. Do you think you could do that?”

  McAllen sipped his coffee and looked from Bernadette to the coastline. “That would give all those industrial goons a free ride, wouldn’t it? They could keep polluting, making things that hurt the earth, and be sure that if they had enough government hacks in their back pocket they’re free to make as much money as they want.”

  “Okay, hell of a speech, Professor, but the industrial goons as you call them are tax paying citizens who are regulated by environmental controls,” Bernadette said.

  “Yeah, we can see how well that’s worked.” He stared straight ahead at the coastline, his eyes fixing on a beach.

  “I kind of need an answer,” Bernadette said.

  “Give me an hour,” McAllen replied.

  Bernadette went back to her cabin and took a long shower. When she came out of the cabin she felt the ship had stopped. She went up the stairs to the bridge to see Winston standing there with her hands over her head. Sebastian was standing there with a gun pointed at her.

  “Sorry, ladies,” Sebastian said. “Captain’s orders. You two are being put ashore.”

  “What the hell are you talking about?” Bernadette asked.

  McAllen walked up behind her. “You wanted an answer, you got it. There’s no way I can live my life with the knowledge I can never act on my own conscience. Tell your authorities, I’ll do whatever I want. And if that means you come after me again, well that’s the way it is. I’m not going to sit idle and watch bad things happen on this Earth—you got that?”

  Bernadette tilted her head to one side and smiled. “You know, I expected you to turn them down. I hope you and your merry band head for somewhere safe. Are you taking Sigurdsson and his family with you?”

  “No, Barney wanted to hang out with us, but Samantha put her foot down, I think it’s more for Becky’s sake,” McAllen said. “And Barney’s already had offers flowing in to help reduce the Earth’s core with other underwater rivers. Seems he’s some kind of Icelandic hero now.”

  “They will sing songs about me back in Reykjavik,” Barney said with a smile.

  “We’ll drop them off down in San Diego,” McAllen said.

  “And how do you think you’ll get around in this stolen super yacht?” Winston asked. She was looking at Sebastian with eyes that said he’d betrayed her and he’d best keep the gun pointed at her.

  “We have our ways,” Sebastian said. He got the message from Winston; he backed off from her slightly.

  Winston and Bernadette stepped off a ladder and into a zodiac, started the motor and headed for the shore. There was a beach some 500 metres away that Bernadette pointed the boat towards.

  When they reached the shore, she hopped off the boat and beached it with Winston. They watched the yacht turn and head down south. As it disappeared in the distance, it changed its appearance. Sebastian had turned on the holographic program to hide the boat. It became a tuna boat—a very fast moving one.

  58

  The next several weeks were a wonder of climate correction for North

  America. The clouds were filled with moisture and they rained. Not a deluge, but a rain that put out the fires and brought the temperatures down. People returned from Latin America and Mexico to the American Midwest where the temperatures were now becoming reasonable. Winter was returning and a cool snow fell.

  Bernadette Callahan had made her report. It was long, detailed and listed all the people who had helped along the way. She had the word of Anton De Luca that no one would be punished for whatever assistance they had given. She did not mention that Winston and her had been put off McAllen’s ship at gunpoint, merely that they had gone their separate ways. She hoped the North American authorities would give McAllen and his friends a break.

  They had after all, saved North America from drought and raging fires. The oceans would take some time to recede. It was already getting much colder in the Arctic and the Antarctic.

  The billionaires from Hong Kong, the Philippines and Willa Flowers who was hiding in Panama were tracked down and extradited to the International Court in The Hague in Holland. Willa was finally going home, but not to the reception she’d hoped for.

  The Russians were prosecuting the Mafia. Bernadette hoped there were enough non-corrupt judges to convict them. The world’s media was being cautiously optimistic.

  Bernadette had a phone call from Danny in Iqaluit. He’d wanted to say thank you for returning the stone to its origin. Everyone in the high Arctic knew about the story. He said it would be told for generations to come. She was now part of the legends of the north.

  “Do you have your ice back?” Bernadette had asked.

  “Yes, we do. I saw my first Polar Bear stalking some seals yesterday on the ice. It was a beautiful sight,” Danny said.

  “What about the cruise ships that can no longer sail up there to visit the Arctic. Won’t your people miss the added tourist income?” Bernadette asked.

  “No, we thought it was getting too busy with them up here. The Arctic is a place of peace and quiet. If the tourists want to come, they can visit in smaller groups and come onto the land. We’ll be happy to take them,” Danny said.

  Danny sent Bernadette a case of tinned walrus meat. She’d opened a tin of it and offered it to her dog, Sprocket. He’d laid his ears back and with his tail between his legs and slunk off to the furthest place in the house away from the meat and the smell.

  Bernadette shook her head. “There’s obviously no wolf blood in you, Sprocket.”

  She was still waiting for a phone call from Chris. They’d spoken in the past several weeks. Chris had decided to finish his contract on December 31st and Bernadette was going to fly to Paris to meet him.

  There was one more trip with his client he needed to take. Chris had sounded anxious about it, but said he wanted to go to make sure the others in his group were safe. Then his calls stopped.

  Calls to his cell said his voice mailbox was full. Bernadette tried not to let panic or anxiety set in. There had been many times in their relationship when they couldn’t reach each other. Why should this be any different?

  On the 30th of December, her cell phone rang. She recognized the number as being from overseas. Her heartbeat so hard she could hardly breathe. “Hey baby, is that you?”

  “Is this the phone number of Detective Bernadette Callahan?” an official voice asked.

  “Yes, it is. Who is this?”

  “I’m Vincent Caprinski. I worked with your fiancée. I have to tell that he is missing.”

  “What do you mean? How long since he didn’t report back from his mission?” Bernadette asked.

  “It’s been three days,” Caprinski said.

  “Didn’t his people call in every day? Why would you wait three days? Are they injured somewhere. Have their vehicles broken down? Where were they travelling to?”

  “I’m not at liberty to say.”

  “What are you at liberty to say?”

  “That your fiancée is missing. We have registered this with the Canadian Embassy and the military in Kandahar. That’s all we can say for now.”

  “That’s not good enough. I’ll need to speak to someone in charge,” Bernadette said.

  “I’m the one in charge. And this is all I can tell you.”

  Bernadette ran her hand through her hair. “Where are you located?”

  “I operate out of our company base in Kandahar. Why do you ask?”

  “Because I’m coming over there,” Bernadette said.

  She put down the phone and sent a note to her boss. He’d been telling her she needed some time off. She was taking it now.

  Dear Reader,

  Word of mouth is crucial to any author to succeed and reviews are like gold to us. If you enjoyed this book, please consider leaving a review wherever you purchased the book from or on Goodreads. Even if it’s only a line or t
wo, it would make a difference and would be very appreciated.

  Dear Reader

  I hope you enjoyed Climate Killers. I wrote this book after the summer of floods and fires we had where I live in the interior of British Columbia, Canada.

  It was called a one in a hundred year flood, but it was the third one we’d had in ten years. The fires were the same. I decided to send Bernadette off to save the world. I hope you didn’t mind my bending of reality. I enjoyed it immensely.

  If you care to leave a review, which is much appreciated, click this link, Climate Killers to do so.

  The next book, I promise is more realistic. I’ve sent Bernadette off to find Chris, who has been taken prisoner by the Taliban in Caught in the Crossfire.

  Just click this link, Caught in the Crossfire for your next Bernadette Callahan adventure.

  Acknowledgments

  I want to thank my lovely wife for her hours of help on this book; she is always my first reader and sounding board. My joy is to see her smile in the antics of my characters.

  I couldn’t have done this book without the expert input from Doctor Murray Allen who let me know how soon divers stop bleeding under water. Also to Greg Reese who offered his diving knowledge and to Rhonda Alderson for her guidance in some details. We writers sometimes get so involved in the story that we forget those small things.

  I also wanted thank my beta readers, Greg and Marlene Quiring, Stan Shaw and Cam Stokes. Thanks for your input and suggestions.

  Other Books By Lyle Nicholson

  The Bernadette Callahan Series

  Book 1 Polar Bear Dawn

  Book 2 Pipeline Killers

  Book 3 Climate Killers