Cinch Knot

by Ron Walden

  It was after midnight when Zimmer got the call from Fairbanks. The initial interrogation was completed, and the pilot confirmed his unit was under the command of General Kisishkin. He swore live ammunition wasn’t part of their plan and that Major Iniskin was just as surprised as he was when live bullets exploded from his guns. The pilots had been told in briefing that this was to be a training mission only. It should have been a routine flight, but something happened, something mechanical, Popov thought, that allowed the MIGs’ guns to fire. There was no intention of aggression and that is why Lieutenant Popov neither pursued the Falcon, which shot down his flight leader, nor attempted an escape back to Russian airspace.

  At 0200 hours Lou Zimmer presented a short verbal report to the National Security Advisor. The advisor awoke the President, excused and thanked Lou for his quick attention to this situation, then dismissed him.

  Lou left the White House immediately and drove through the hot Washington night to the home of Federal Judge Rudolph Carstairs. The federal prosecutor assigned to Lou’s office had prepared a warrant for the judge’s signature. The judge was sipping a cup of hot chocolate when Lou rang the bell at three AM. “C’mon in Lou. At this hour everything is important.”

  There is an 8-hour time differential between Washington, D.C. and Moscow, Russia. Direct telephone satellite link between the White House and the office of the Russian President came alive at 1024 hours Moscow time. There had been many calls on this line during the current economic crisis. The Russian President was doing everything within his power to aid the United States and the European powers in stabilization.

  “Mr. President, what can I do for you this morning?”

  “Mr. President, we have a new problem. Four of your MIG-25 Foxbats flew into U.S. airspace in Alaska and two of them attacked the Trans Alaska Pipeline. One of your fighters was destroyed and another has surrendered to our Air Force. Can you tell me about this new situation?”

  “Mr. President! Please accept the apologies of my country and of myself. I have no knowledge of this attack.”

  “Other than the loss of your plane and pilot, we suffered no damage. The pilot’s remains will be returned as soon as possible. There was slight damage to one of our F-16s when the Foxbat fired on him, but the pilot is unhurt and the plane suffered only minor damage. They were intercepted before they could do any damage to the pipeline or other ground facilities.”

  “This sounds like the work of General Lianid Kisishkin. We have been trying to locate and arrest him. He has commandeered a great deal of military equipment and forces, and maintained their loyalty by telling them he is sanctioned by the Russian government, which, I assure you, he is not. We think he is in Tarjikhstan. I promise we will give this our highest priority. I will inform you of our progress by 1600 hours Moscow time.”

  “Thank you. I will be expecting to hear from you this afternoon,” The President hung up the phone.

  “I’m going to try to get a couple of hours more sleep. Wake me if there are any changes. I think this is going to be a very long day.” The President left the room and headed toward his bedroom.

  Roger and Gwen were sipping coffee and munching whole wheat toast when Lou Zimmer arrived at the airport. He dropped his tired body into a nearby chair and let out a weary sigh. He placed a large plastic folder on the table and opened it to withdraw a typewritten list. “I’m getting too old for these all nighters,” he commented.

  “Did you get all the warrants?” Roger asked.

  “Yup, they’re all in here. Search Warrants, Arrest Warrants, both for Bergstrom and his key people. There are Search Warrants for the ranch and for the offices downtown. Here’s a list of everything in the packet. If you need anything else, give me a call; the White House has given us a green light. Use whatever assets you need. We have authorization to use drug war funds for this one.” Lou asked the waitress to bring him a Danish roll and coffee.

  “Can it really be true?” Gwen asked. “Will we actually stop Bergstrom and his cutthroats today?”

  “I hope so,” Roger said. “John, Dan, and I have been trying to stop this guy for almost 20 years. Bergstrom has been a personal nemeses for the three of us. I, for one, will be happy when he’s put away.”

  “It’s almost plane time, so I’ll say goodbye and good luck to both of you. Gwen, it has been a real pleasure meeting you. Roger is a damned fool if he lets you get away.” Lou shook hands.

  “Well, thank you. I hope to see you again some day.”

  It seemed like hours to Roger before they called for boarding. He’d passed the time by checking the contents of the folder to ascertain everything was there. It was almost impossible for him to imagine an end to Nels Bergstrom.

  CHAPTER TWENTY ONE

  Tokyo is a giant city of ancient but modern; a city taking pride in its thousands of years of visible history. Ancient temples and palaces, with gates of wood and hinges of bronze, nestle among modern high rise office buildings with doors of glass and brass. Super highways, eight lanes wide, cut through and over neighborhoods to speed business traffic from the airport to the inner city and business area. Under the super streets are narrow streets and homes.

  Farmers come into Tokyo to peddle produce at restaurants in which they cannot afford to eat. The farmers dress in traditional garb and wear sandals. The people who eat at the restaurants are usually seen dressed in Hart-Shaftner and Marx suits and Italian shoes.

  The United States is made up of peoples from all over the world. Immigrants, fleeing oppression in their own countries, enter the United States for its freedoms. Once here, they attempt to preserve the culture from which they escaped. This multi-cultural system derives its strength from its pool of blended knowledge.

  Unlike the U.S., Japan has few foreign born citizens. Its cultural strengths come from centuries of practiced tradition. The same values and traditions practiced behind the giant wood and bronze gates are practiced in the glass, brass and plastic world of the high rise office. Japanese people have built one of the greatest modern, industrial and financially strongest nations of the world using techniques taught by an ancient traditional culture. The ancient culture has survived by adapting to this modern world.

  Inspectors Oni Mastana and Ito Hisony had been investigating the business world of the great Mr. Yamamata for over 2 years. Powerful and wealthy, he insulated himself from the daily workings of the criminal nature of his business. One of his companies, Norita Nuclear Kinetics or NNK, is involved in a conspiracy of international terrorism. Oni and his partner were convinced that Yamamata was using his tankers to transport drugs and other contraband. Customs never found anything on his ships, but conceded the impossibility of searching every hiding place on a supertanker.

  The two detectives received the statement of one of the technicians arrested in Valdez, Alaska. In his statement he related how he was working late one night at the NNK office complex, on the grounds of the company research facility. He stated he had overheard two of the company executives talking about how the regular technicians would be replaced by the ones selected from NNK personnel. He learned that the six regular TMC technicians would be murdered and their bodies put into the hold of a supertanker now in dry-dock for engine overhaul. Once at sea, the body bags would be retrieved, wrapped in chain for weight and dumped into the Pacific Ocean.

  It had taken the two detectives several days and late nights, working with computer lists, to locate the Athenian Pride. It had simply disappeared from the waterways. It was in a dry-dock for repairs and out of normal governmental channels. Yesterday, however, it was floated again and was due to leave port for engine trials.

  It was 6 AM in Tokyo when Ito picked up his partner from his home on the west side of town. They stopped for breakfast and then drive the 35 kilometers to the Yokohama harbor. Traffic was slow, and it took more than an hour to reach their destination. It was nearly 9 AM when they stopped in front of the Harbor Master office.

  Inside, the two men were directed to
a desk in the front part of the large office. Inspector Mastana presented his identification and asked the elderly clerk if he knew the whereabouts of a supertanker carrying the name the Athenian Pride.

  “The Athenian Pride, is 265,000 deadweight tons, double hull, built in Yokohama but registered in Panama, is owned by the Maruma Corporation, a division of Yamamata Enterprises Limited. It is a fine ship. It has just been refitted with new engines and has returned to sea.”

  “What do you mean, ‘returned to sea?’” Hisony asked, urgently.

  The small, elderly clerk was intimidated by the authority of the two detectives and appeared shaken when confronted by Ito Hisony’s brusque attitude. “The Athenian Pride was escorted from port this morning at 5 AM. It will be at sea for engine trials for the next 3 days. It will then return to pick up the regular crew and drop off the testing crew. It will be in port for only 24 hours at that time.”

  “Someone here must have a chart of the proposed course for the engine trials. Would you be kind enough to get these for us? And, may we use a private telephone to call our office?” Mastana asked. “You have been a great help. We didn’t intend to upset you, but we must reach that ship as quickly as possible.”

  The small man relaxed a little. “The Harbor Master, there, in that office, has a boat. But it is, also, possible that the Harbor Master can obtain the use of the Port Authority helicopter. Come, I will introduce you.”

  The clerk led the two detectives to the office of the Harbor Master, introduced them—then departed. Commander Ichiba was 46 years old, rather tall for a Japanese, nearly 6 feet, and had been at this job for over 10 years. He bowed in polite traditional greeting—then sat. “It is unusual for Tokyo police to come this far out of their jurisdiction; it must be important. What can I do to help?”

  “We are here under authority of the Ministry of Justice, Commander. This means our jurisdiction extends anywhere in Japan and this includes offshore Japanese waters. We would like to have your cooperation. If all goes well, we should be out of your hair by noon. We can go to the Maritime Commission for assistance. I’m sure they will be interested to know how you contributed to our investigation.” Hisony didn’t know exactly how much weight he carried with the Maritime Commission, but he did know the ship was getting farther away each second, and he didn’t have time for posturing; it was time to bluff. It worked.

  The Commander only paused a moment—then picked up a pencil and asked, “All right, what is it you need?”

  Oni explained. “We believe a ship, the Athenian Pride, is carrying evidence of a heinous crime. We need to get to that ship without announcement and to inspect it for evidence. Can you help us do that?”

  Ichiba had written a couple of notes—then picked up the phone. He spoke only briefly and hung up. He made a couple of entries on his note pad before looking up at the two officers.

  “I have arranged for you to use my helicopter. The pilot will meet you at the heliport. I will also send my motor launch to follow the ship in case you need it. The tanker is only a few miles from the entrance of the port so it will take only a few minutes to get to her. Is there anything else you need?”

  “Not right now, thank you,” Ito said as he stood to leave.

  “My secretary will give you a printed map of the port which will tell you how to get to the heliport.”

  It was only a short drive to where the helicopter was parked. The pilot completed his preflight check in preparation for departure when the detectives arrived. He motioned for them to get in the aircraft. He provided each man with a headset and flipped the switch to intercom.

  “Can you hear me?” he asked.

  “Yes,” Oni said into the mike. “Did the Commander explain where we need to go?”

  “Yes, he did. I understand you don’t want me to contact the tanker until we are ready to land, is that correct?”

  “That’s correct. We are here to gather some evidence, and we don’t want to give them an opportunity to dispose of it.”

  Ito used the cellular phone in the rear of the helicopter to report to his office. He wanted someone to know where they were in case anything went wrong. The pilot was pointing out the Athenian Pride when he hung up the phone. Ito saw a postage stamp size area on the rear deck of the ship with a large red “H” painted on it. This was the landing pad. “I don’t think I like this,” he thought.

  The pilot gently dropped the shiny red and white helicopter onto the small landing pad. Two men, one in uniform and the other in dungarees, stepped onto the platform as the rotors slowed to a stop. It was warm and surprisingly quiet as the two policemen hopped from the helicopter.

  They were met immediately by the uniformed officer.

  “Who are you and what is your business? You are trespassing on this ship.” Each detective presented his identification to the officer.

  “We are here under authority of the Ministry of Justice. We have information there is evidence of a crime stored on this ship, and we want your cooperation in locating it. Can we count on you for your cooperation?”

  “Is this a serious crime?”

  “Yes, sir. A very serious crime,” Hisony commented.

  “I will have my crew cooperate with you then. I must report this intrusion to my home office in Tokyo though,” the Captain said.

  “We’d appreciate it if you’d not do that just yet, sir. We believe people in your office may be involved. We have a specific location we’d like to investigate. If there is nothing there, then we’ll leave and you are free to do as you wish. I would like your assistance in locating the right area. Would you accompany us?” Mastana asked with the hint of authority in his order.

  The Captain turned to a sailor, “Come with us seaman, we may need you.”

  “Thank you, Captain. Here is the location we wish to inspect.” The Captain read the piece of paper and ordered the seaman: “Open Hold number three, compartment one.”

  “Aye, Sir,” the seaman said nervously. Two other men in dungarees came into view, leaning on the steel pipe rail of the deck above. The seaman looked at the two sailors with fearful eyes and shrugged his shoulders as he made his way toward the manway hatch on Hold number three.

  Compartment one was a small room containing tools and fire fighting equipment. There wasn’t much room to enter and the light was dim, but the black vinyl body bags were visible behind the turnout gear and boots. Mastana pushed the coats aside, so he could reach the zipper of an available bag. He looked at his partner with anxious eyes, took a deep breath, then lowered the zipper about 16 inches to allow a look inside.

  A bloated face appeared in the opening, followed by the stench of putrefied flesh. Mastana zipped the zipper shut as quickly as possible, but the smell had sent the captain and the sailor scrambling back to the open deck and fresh air. Hisony followed them, but Oni stopped to count the bags, to confirm their number was six, before making his way to daylight and fresh air. All four men had their faces pointed into the wind for a long while before Ito Hisony finally turned to the Captain and spoke.

  “Captain, we would like to use your radiotelephone to contact our office. Of course, we must ask you to return to port. If there is no berth available at the pier, you’ll make a boat available for us to get our forensics team here to recover the bodies and begin an inspection. We will need the hold secured until our crime team complete their work. We’d like to interview your crew one at a time on the way back into port if that is possible. Will you arrange this for us?”

  “Of course. I will take you to the galley. There is a telephone there. I will have the Mate bring you a copy of the crew manifest and assign an officer to help you in locating the men. If there is anything else I can do, please feel free to ask.” The Captain was shaken. “How soon may I contact my Maruma corporate headquarters? My superiors must be advised as soon as possible.”

  “How many of these radiotelephones are available to the crew of the ship?” Ito asked the Captain.

  “There are several o
n each deck and in the engine room. We do not restrict the use of these telephones while we are close to port. It is good for morale to have the men in contact with their families and friends while in port.”

  “That being the case, I would guess word has already been sent to the people responsible for this crime. You may as well contact your company and explain what has happened. We want you to know that this act has far reaching ramifications, and we don’t want word of our discovery spread about.”

  “Of course. Now if you will come with me, I’ll show you where you can interview the crew. I have many things to attend to in order to take my ship back to Yokohama.”

  In the galley, the first officer was introduced and assigned to help the policemen. The Captain returned to the bridge to take command and turn the ship. The list of crew was placed on the table and Oni Mastana began the interviews while Ito called his Tokyo headquarters to arrange for a crime investigation team and officers to guard the scene on the ship. It was very late at night when the two officers left the ship and returned to Tokyo. After midnight, the two men finished and left the office for the day.

  The secure phone rang in Nels Bergstrom’s office late in the afternoon. The rotund man had just finished a sandwich and chocolate cake and was tipping a large glass of milk when the call came. “Hello. Hello.”

  “Lianid. How did it go today. I have been waiting for word.”

  “Not vell, my friend. Ve were intercepted, and one of my planes was destroyed before ve could disable the pump station. Sorry, but ve failed our mission.”

  “You told me you could get this job done. I thought you were a man I could count on. I may have misjudged your abilities, Kisishkin.”

  “How vital do you think this is to our overall plan? Do you think we can apply enough pressure on the world markets without disabling the Alaska pipeline?”

  “We must disable the Alaska pipeline in order for our plan to succeed. Our project is in jeopardy as long as congress knows Alaska oil is available to supplement the reserves. They have begun rationing, which will not set well with the public, but the public usually bands together when a crisis arises.”