Convergence at Two Harbors

by Dennis Herschbach

  Ben turned off his radio and crept around to the backside of the engine, then climbed to the ground. He slowly depressed his vehicle’s latch, and using both hands on the door to muffle as much sound as possible, he pried it open just enough to slip in. He repeated the same muffling action to close the door, but did not fully engage the latch. He felt more than heard the latch catch halfway. Once inside he turned on his radio again.

  “Deidre, can you see them coming across the lot?” Ben questioned. “Let me know when I should move out. I can’t see a thing from back here.”

  He heard a click, faint because he had the volume turned down so low, then Deidre’s voice. “Hang tight for just a few more seconds. The two guys moving across the lot have stopped by the shrubs where the lot entrance divides. They are about halfway across. Now they’re moving again. They’re up to something, that’s for sure. Give us to the count of ten and then come around the engine with your squad. You can block the path of the SUV. Ram him if you must to keep him from leaving.”

  Imad slipped the gearshift into drive and eased his foot off the brake pedal. The SUV crept slowly forward, its wheels hardly turning. It seemed to be moving as cautiously as was Zaim.

  “No, wait. Abort that plan. He’s beginning to move the SUV. Start your engine, but don’t move until you hear from me,” Deidre whispered into the radio.

  After coming down the stairs, David reached the bottom landing. He pushed the entrance door open, hoping his departure at such an early hour would not disturb anyone who might be sleeping in the other upstairs apartment. He paused for a second and inhaled the fresh air blowing in off the lake. In the east, the sky had yet to turn pink, but there was a definite separation of the shades of gray above and below the horizon. By the time he made it to Silver Bay, the sun would be barely visible above the edge of the earth, and he would be able to see without a flashlight.

  He didn’t think he would need to bring anything with him. Crusader, Too was waiting in her berth at the marina. She was stocked with enough groceries for a few days, and she had plenty of gasoline in her tanks. Anyway, David knew it would only take him an hour or two to reach Cornucopia, maybe a little more. With any luck, he planned to be tied up at the wharf in the Wisconsin harbor and having breakfast at a familiar mom-and-pop cafe near the water’s edge by 8:30 a.m. After that, he might just sack out for a few hours, taking advantage of the peace.

  David smiled to himself when he remembered being irritated because his usual parking spot had been taken last night. All he would have to do this morning was take two steps across the sidewalk and jump in the rusty old Subaru. He turned the key and heard the engine rattle to life, put the car in drive and drove away without looking back, unaware that Zaim was only thirty yards from him, or that Murad and Jibril were already making their first move to intercept him. He was gone almost before they realized what had happened.

  David made a rolling stop at the intersection, hardly slowing down and certain no one else would be driving down the street at that hour. He was a block up the street before the sheriff and her deputies could react.

  He turned on his radio to a local golden oldies station and cranked up the volume. Jerry Lee Lewis was playing “Whole Lotta Shaken’ Goin’ On.”

  Chapter Forty-Nine

  Zaim and Afu left the shadows of the shrubbery growing in the island where the entrance and exit to the parking lot split. They planned to cover the last bit of ground to Captain Craine’s apartment building in a few steps, but just as they exited the shadows, David pushed the door open, crossed the few feet of sidewalk, and climbed into his own car. He drove away before Zaim and Afu could react.

  Imad had driven up behind Zaim, who ran around to the passenger side and jumped in. Afu quickly got in the back.

  “Quickly! Pull up to Murad and Jibril.”

  Zaim rolled down his window and shouted at the two, “Get in! We have to follow him,” and the two men dove into the SUV.

  They followed after David, being careful not to get too close.

  “Stay a block behind him. It is evident he isn’t trying to speed away. We’ll follow him and find an opportune time to finish what we came to do tonight.”

  Deidre looked up from the dash of her sheriff’s vehicle in time to see David’s car cross the intersection. The sight of his car so startled her that she was speechless for a second. The black SUV crossed seconds later, and it was evident the driver was following the Subaru.

  “John, did you see what I saw?” she blurted out, recovering from her surprise. “That was David’s vehicle with the men from Brimson following him.”

  John didn’t have time to respond before Deidre was on the radio. “Ben, they’re getting away. Go on South Avenue to Burlington, and see if they come by on Highway 61 heading east. No sirens or warning lights but make time getting there.

  “Jeff, go to the stoplights on Seventh and Seventh. Radio if they head that direction. Don’t use sirens or flashers.”

  She turned to John and with no hesitation took charge. “We’ll follow behind a few blocks. I think we have time. They haven’t broken any law yet, so we have no reason to stop them. As far as I know, it’s not illegal to drive around at four o’clock in the morning, so we have no reason.”

  John looked at her, his jaw set and his face blank. He nodded.

  Deidre’s radio crackled as Ben signed on. “I was too late to intercept them. They were already a quarter mile past the intersection when I got there. I saw them disappear over the hill on Highway 61. Should I chase them?”

  “No!” Deidre nearly shouted into the receiver. “Follow, but do not give chase. Stay far enough back so that they have a hard time spotting you, but maintain contact. I’ll have Eric go to the Silver Bay marina. I’m guessing that is where David’s heading.”

  She reached Jeff on the radio. “They are proceeding up 61 toward Silver Bay. John and I are on 61 now, Ben is ahead of us. Go up Highway 2, and cut across the Gun Club Road to Highway 3. Head down the West Castle Danger Road, and make sure they don’t leave 61 without us knowing. That’s quite a ways, so you’d better go with sirens and lights. If they stay on 61, you won’t beat them to the intersection. If you don’t see them coming up the West Castle Danger Road, follow 61 toward Silver Bay. Somewhere we are going to find them on that route.”

  A rather unusual parade formed heading up Highway 61. In the lead was David. He still had his car radio cranked up. By that time, Little Richard was belting out the words to “Good Golly Miss Molly,” and David was wailing along with him. Away from Two Harbors and heading for the marina, he already felt a lightening of his spirit.

  Following him by several hundred yards was the black SUV, but he was oblivious to its presence. The sun was about to rise above the lake, the road ahead was clear, and he was eagerly anticipating Crusader, Too leaving the harbor with him onboard.

  The occupants of the SUV were fixated on the blue Subaru ahead of them, unaware that Ben was the same distance behind them or that Deidre and John would soon be joining them on the highway.

  “There is a place ahead where the road narrows in a rock cut. Imad, be ready to speed up alongside him there, and we’ll force him into the rock wall. Murad and Jibril, as soon as he is made to stop, rush out and pull him from his car. If we time it correctly, he will be too dazed to resist. There are a series of S curves just beyond Gooseberry Park. When he clears the park entrance we will move.”

  Chapter Fifty

  David rolled down his window, allowing the crisp dawn air to fill his car. Just then he felt it jerk as though it hiccoughed. That was followed by another jerk and a couple of coughs from the engine.

  “No,” David groaned, and he turned off the radio so he could gauge the engine sounds better. The Subaru was making strange noises, and it was evident to him that it was about to die.

  David turned where the sign read “Gooseberry Park,” barely slowing down. His car sounded as though it was on its last gasp.

  I might make it to t
he lot by the Visitor Center if I’m lucky, he thought, but the Subaru sputtered a time or two and the engine stopped completely. He steered to the side of the road.

  David turned the ignition key off and then on again. He was rewarded only by the sound of the starter engine turning over, but not any sign of life from his car, not even a backfire. The sign by the side of the road read, “Park Open from 8:30 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.” His watch said 4:30.

  Zaim watched David abruptly pull into the park’s entrance. “Hurry, Imad. He’s seen us and is attempting to escape. I know a little of this park, and this is the only road in or out. We have him trapped unless he escapes on foot, but that is unlikely.

  “The river gorge blocks his way to the north, and the lake is to the east. His only hope is to circle around to the highway, and we can block the walkway leading to it.”

  Imad floored the accelerator, and in seconds they were at the park. He wildly swung in behind David, stirring up a spray of gravel on the shoulder of the road. The commotion startled David, and he turned in time to see the five men he recognized spill out of the SUV.

  David knew the park well. He and Alicia had spent more days than he could count hiking its trails, wading in the river, and picnicking in its secluded spots. He hadn’t been back much since her fatal accident, but not much had been changed over the years.

  A shot of adrenaline surged through his veins when he saw Zaim and his crew careen down the narrow road in their SUV. David ran along an obscure trail leading to the river, hoping to cross the walkway under the bridge where he could make his way back up to the highway.

  “Murad!” Zaim shouted. “Hurry down to the river. Take the right fork in the trail. There is a footbridge across the river. I want you to cross it and hide in the willow bushes. If Captain Craine tries to get away along that route, capture him. Shoot him if you have to.”

  “Afu!” Zaim barked, turning to the other three men. “Run up the trail to the left. Hurry past the visitor center and follow the paved path to where it meets the walkway under the highway bridge. Cross to the other side and hide behind the evergreens. If Captain Craine tries to cross there, stop him. Jibril and Imad, come with me. We will chase him down, because with the bridges secured, he will have no way to cross the river. We have him trapped.”

  As he raced down the footpath leading to the river, David could see Murad circling around to his right. Murad, years younger than David, traversed the terrain much faster than the older man. David figured by the direction he was heading that Murad was trying to get to the footbridge nearer the lake. That didn’t much concern him, because Murad’s direction was taking him away from where David wanted to go.

  David raced down a lesser used trail, and he stubbed his foot on a loose rock, then tripped over an exposed tree root. He rolled a few yards down the trail and regained his footing, bruised but with no broken bones. Behind him he heard crashing and what seemed to him to be cursing, although he didn’t understand the language.

  He was thankful that he was nearing the bridge he intended to cross. David knew that once he reached the other side, it was only a few yards to the highway. He could hear the morning traffic beginning to move by, and he was quite sure he would be able to flag down help if he reached the road.

  He heard the heavy thud of feet. Someone was running to his left and a little ahead of him. Through the brush David caught glimpses of Afu and calculated that it was too late to make it to the bridge ahead of him.

  This left David one last option. Straight ahead and at the foot of a steep bank was the entrance to a shallow cave. Over the years, during periods of high water in the spring, the water level would rise enough to form a large whirlpool that gouged at the rocky bank. At that particular spot, the substrate was softer than the rest of the rock, and centuries of the bank being pummeled by boulders carried by raging water had carved a hidden niche. A large fractured boulder had fallen in front of the cave’s entrance, leaving an opening barely large enough to crawl through. From the river, it looked to fill the entire opening. When the river receded in late summer, the cave was high and dry.

  David slid down the solid rock bank, lost his footing and crashed to the abrasive surface below. He felt his shin being abraded as it scraped on the rough surface, and his ankle turned beneath his weight, sending a searing pain up his right leg.

  For a moment, David was dazed by the fall, and then he breathed a sigh of relief to discover he had remembered the spot. The cave was only a half-dozen steps to his right. He squeezed into the opening before Zaim knew he had disappeared.

  The cave was large enough that David could stretch out in a half reclining, half sitting position. It took a few seconds for his eyes to adapt to the dimness, but there was enough light coming through the entrance to allow him to ascertain how much damage he had done to himself.

  His left elbow was scraped, and enough blood serum had oozed through the wound to begin crusting over. His right ankle was throbbing, but David was relieved to discover that he had full range of motion with less pain than he expected. Other than a few more minor scrapes and bumps he figured he came through the chase relatively unscathed.

  David didn’t know how long he could remain in this den without being discovered, but he planned to move as soon as he could. If he were to be located here, there would be no escape.

  Zaim was beyond exasperation. One minute they were close to nabbing the Captain, the next he was gone, disappeared as if into thin air. He wondered if David Craine had fallen over the bank and was lying on the rocks below. Perhaps their problem had taken care of itself.

  Chapter Fifty-One

  “Can you see what’s happening up ahead, Ben?” Deidre spoke clearly and calmly into the radio. She was driving as fast as the curvy North Shore road would allow. John glanced over at her, impressed at her concentration and collectiveness.

  “I’m not sure what’s going on. I’m on the straight stretch of road where the passing lane begins. I thought I saw David drive his Subaru through the park entrance, but I can’t imagine why he’d do that. Certainly he knows that’s the only way in or out and that he’ll be trapped.

  “That must have been him. The SUV followed, and I’m close enough to be sure they have gone into the park. Advise, please.”

  “Get there as fast as you can, Ben. No sirens yet, though. Surprise is still on our side, so stick with them and don’t let anything happen to David.”

  Ben’s answer was short. “I’m on it.” Deidre heard the whine of his squad’s engine rev to a higher frequency, and she could picture the vehicle jumping ahead as its accelerator was stomped to the floorboards.

  By that time she was at the start of the straight passing lane on the two lane highway, and she floored the gas pedal. She and John felt the pressure of their headrests as the vehicle responded to her urging. In seconds the speedometer registered ninety miles per hour.

  She saw Ben turn into the park’s entry, and when she and John reached that spot, Deidre followed the route the others had taken. Only a few hundred yards into the park was a line up of cars. She pulled in behind Ben.

  He was already out of his car, rushing to David’s Subaru which sat nearly in the ditch off to the side of the road. The driver’s side door was open.

  Behind his car sat the black SUV, all four of its doors open as well. There was no mistaking that the occupants abandoned the two vehicles in a hurry.

  Deidre and John jumped out of her SUV and sprinted up to where Ben was standing next to David’s sedan. All three had their weapons drawn, not knowing what to expect. There was no one to be seen.

  “We have got to find David before they do,” Deidre said, stating the obvious. “My guess is that he would head to the walkway under the highway bridge. That’s the only way he can get back to the highway from here.

  “I don’t think he’d head deeper into the woods or toward the lake. Either way would take him farther away from people and would only make it easier for those chasing him to kill him with no i
nterference.”

  The three officers wheeled around when they heard another vehicle turn into the park. It was Jeff who had come down the West Castle Danger Road. Deidre relaxed a little.

  “This makes four of us, five counting David, although I don’t think he will be of much help against the others.” She assessed the situation.

  “Jeff, drive farther into the park, down to the station where they sell permits. There’s a trail leading to the river from there. It intersects another trail running along the top of the river bank. Take up a position where you can look down at the footbridge crossing the Gooseberry. Make sure you have your rifle with. If David should go that way, you may have to use it to protect him. Be sure to take your field glasses with you. You’ll have a good view of the river with them.”

  Jeff was already running for his squad by the time Deidre turned to Ben.

  “I want you to go back to the highway. Station yourself on the stone wall overlooking the path leading to the base of the highway bridge. From there you’ll have a clear view of the pedestrian walkway that goes under the bridge to the other side. I suspect that is the route David will try.

  “Take your glasses and your rifle. Just be sure that whatever you do, you don’t injure an innocent hiker, although I doubt if anyone else will be moving around in the park at this hour.”

  It took Ben nearly five minutes to get to his post, and by the time he did, Afu had run across the bridge’s walkway and hidden in the dense stand of fir trees on the other side. Everything around him was quiet, although he strained to hear barely perceptible sounds far to his right and somewhat down the steep, brush-covered slope.

  The deputy was most concerned about the bridge. Suspended beneath the road bed, about seventy-five feet above the raging Gooseberry River, a walkway provided a way for tourists to stand above the river and marvel at the magnificent falls. It connected the hiking trails on the east and west sides of the river and also provided access to the highway above.