Covert Crossings

by Frank Lazorishak

  He stops; he comes back down. “I am sorry that we have disrupted your lives. We all do what we must.”

  An apology? He turns and disappears up the companionway stairs.

  I just stand there a minute. I look at Kate. I close the owner’s cabin French doors. “Let’s watch a Tenth Kingdom.”

  CHAPTER 10

  I’m awakened by a light knock on the door. I look up at the overhead hatch. It’s full light outside. And raining. And windy. I get out of bed and crack open the door. Saif is standing in the galley. “Give me a couple of minutes.” I look over at the Keurig on the galley counter. “And turn on the coffee maker. Blue button on top.”

  I close the door and go into the head. Daisy moves up to my pillow. I’m normally a slow starter in the morning. It takes at least one cup of coffee, and preferably two, to get me going. Not this morning. The events of last night force me wide awake. I pee, splash some water in my face, brush my hair, and quietly step through the cabin and out into the galley. I close the cabin door behind me. Kate is still asleep. Daisy is still watching the door.

  Saif and Qasim are standing in the galley. I say nothing. I move to the Keurig. “Coffee?”

  They both nod. I get out three mugs and three pods. I start the first cup. As soon as it’s done, I take a sip. Captain first…

  When the second cup finishes, I slide it to Saif and point. “Sugar in the cabinet. Milk in the ‘fridge.” I start the third one. “I’m going up to the salon.”

  Qasim looks startled. “No.”

  I ignore him, and go up the four stairs and sit in the helm seat. It is my helm seat; it is still my boat.

  Saif follows me up and sits at the salon table. Saif pulls the curtains over the port side windows. He points to the curtains on the starboard side. I pretend I don’t see his gesture. In a few minutes, he gets up and closes them.

  Qasim comes up with his coffee, and his usual scowl.

  The forward windshield and aft cockpit sliding doors have no curtains, so my two passengers are still pretty exposed. My guess is that they won’t stay here long.

  * * *

  It’s raining steadily. The wind is blowing about twenty knots out of the northeast. I turn on the radar and the computer at the helm station. Saif and Qasim watch silently. I log onto www.nws.noaa.gov, read the offshore forecast, and then switch to www.weather.com. Marine radar is great for navigation, but not so good at weather. Weather.com shows the squalls moving through.

  “It looks like this will be gone by noon. I suggest we wait. It’s what the Dockmaster would expect us to do.”

  Saif looks at Qasim, says something in what I think is Arabic, then looks at me. “Contact the Dockmaster and make that happen.”

  I nod and turn to the VHF Radio. I switch to channel 68; it’s the channel Canadian marinas monitor. “Leamington Marina, this is the motor yacht Morning Star.”

  A female answers. “Morning Star, this this is Leamington Marina. Go ahead.”

  “Leamington Marina, the weather is a little iffy. With your permission, we’d like to stay where we are on D Dock until these squalls pass through. I anticipate leaving about noon or one.”

  “No problem, Morning Star. Nobody is due in this morning, and given the weather, I doubt that anybody is going to show up unannounced.”

  “Roger that. And thank you. I’ll let you know if our plans change. This is Morning Star switching back to channel 16.” I switch.

  I look at Saif. “Now we wait?”

  “Yes. We have brought food. We will heat it in your microwave.”

  “Okay.”

  He opens the crew quarters hatch and says a few quick words. I hear a couple of grunts in response. My guess is that the conversation went something like: “Breakfast is coming soon.” “It’s about time.”

  We go below. Qasim goes forward and comes back to the galley carrying plastic containers of something brown. I go into the owner’s cabin and close the door behind me. Kate stirs. “I’ll get you some coffee, honey.” She smiles wanly and goes into the head.

  I go out to the galley and make coffee for her and a fresh one for me. I get back into the owner’s cabin just as she immerges from the head. “Mornin’, Cutie. They’re heating their breakfast. We’re stuck here until these squalls pass through about noon. We can get something to eat when you’re ready.”

  * * *

  In a little while, Kate and I are sitting in the salon with orange juice, muffins, and more coffee. We say little. I think that neither of us know what to say. We watch another couple in foul weather gear pass by us on the dock. They wave. We wave. I go to the aft sliding door. They scurry on to the marina building. It’s raining just enough that nobody wants to be social. Probably a good thing.

  CHAPTER 11

  By twelve-thirty, the rain has stopped and the sun is coming out. The wind is down. “Kate, I’m going to go below and tell them I want to give it another hour to let the lake lay down. I’ll tell them I plan to leave about one-thirty.”

  “Okay. I’ll be here.”

  I go below. Saif is sitting on the bottom step. He gets up to let me pass. Qasim and Ahmed see me and come out of the forward cabin. I repeat what I just told Kate. Saif nods. Ahmed nods. Qasim scowls. “I’m going to walk ashore and tell the Dockmaster our plans.”

  Kate has been listening at the top of the stairs. “I’m going, too.”

  Qasim looks at her sharply. “No. She stays.”

  I turn to Saif. “Look. If you want us to seem normal, you have to let Kate and Daisy come with me. It’s what everyone would expect.”

  He nods. Qasim scowls. “Don’t do anything foolish. If you jeopardize our mission, your family will suffer.” I don’t answer. I pick up Daisy, and turn and go up the stairs. “Let’s go, Kate.”

  I get our foul weather jackets out of the locker below the salon TV, and we slip them on. I put Daisy’s life jacket and leash on her. We climb out of the cockpit onto the dock. It’s still wet and a little slippery. I put my arm around Kate’s shoulders as we walk up to the office. “God. I’m glad to get out of there. Even for a few minutes.”

  It’s pretty obvious that Daisy feels the same way. She leads the way toward shore. Every once in a while, she looks over her shoulder. Her look says, “C’mon guys; I want out of here.”

  * * *

  We go into the office. A young lady is behind the counter. Her nametag identifies her as Heather. “Hi Heather. We’re from Morning Star.”

  She smiles. “We talked on the radio earlier. What can I do for you?”

  Wow. What do I say?

  I know what I want to say. “Help!”

  I know what I have to say. “Actually, nothing. We just wanted to stretch our legs before the ride home. We’re going to wait a little longer to allow the lake to lay down. We’ll be out of your hair within the hour.”

  She smiles. “There is no hurry about leaving, Captain. I hope you slept okay what with the storm and all. Help yourselves to coffee and pastries; they’re in the lounge.”

  Kate smiles back. “Thank you for your hospitality, Heather. Leamington is our favorite Canadian destination. You guys always make us feel welcome.”

  “Glad to hear that. We try. Call me on the VHF when you’re leaving, please.”

  “Will do.”

  * * *

  We pass on the pastries, and head back to the boat. It’s only a five-minute walk, but it’s five minutes of freedom.

  We linger on the dock. I love the smell after a squall passes through. I climb into the cockpit. Saif looks out of the companionway. I open the slider. “There are people around. I assume that you don’t want to be seen. We’re going to check to make sure everything is secure for our departure.” He goes below. Kate is still on the dock. “Kate, pull the plug on the shore power. I’ll pull the power cord in.”

  “Roger, Cap’n.”

  “And take a look at the lines. There’s still enough wind that we’ll need a line to hold us against the dock until we’re rea
dy to depart. We’ll do the usual drill when we’re ready to leave.” I pull the shore power cord aboard and stow it in the aft locker. I double check the dingy. All is secure. Kate comes aboard, and brings Daisy. “The lines are ready when you are.” We go below. Saif is sitting in his usual spot. He gets up. “We leave in a half hour.”

  “I will inform the men up front. Will you inform the men in the back cabin? They all speak English. And tell them that they may come out once we are away from shore.”

  “I will.” And I do.

  * * *

  Kate and I are sitting in the salon. Daisy is on her settee. At one thirty, I get up. “Let’s do this.” I turn on all of the electronics. I start the engines and let them warm up. After five minutes, we’re ready. I go to the companionway. “We’re ready to depart.” Saif says nothing, but he does smile a little.

  I turn to Kate. “Let’s do the spring line first.” We go aft. She climbs up onto the dock. She unties the spring line, takes a single turn around the cleat and tosses me the bitter end of the line. I make the line fast on the mid-ship cleat. Kate unties the bow line and tosses it onto the foredeck. She does the same with the stern line. She comes aboard and stows both lines.

  I switch to channel 68 and call Heather. “Leamington Marina, this is the motor yacht Morning Star.”

  Heather answers. “Morning Star, this this is Leamington Marina. Go ahead.”

  “We’re departing now. We’ll see you again, soon.”

  “Roger, that. I hope you enjoyed your stay.”

  “Yeah. Right. This is Morning Star leaving Leamington Marina bound for Vermilion, Ohio, and switching back to channel 16.”

  Kate is standing on deck by the mid-ship cleat. I slide open the salon window. “Okay, Kate. Release the spring line. We’re out of here.”

  She does. We are.

  * * *

  I put the engines in gear and move the joystick to starboard. The boat slides sideways. I love pod drives. I reposition the joystick to center and bump the throttles. We move forward at a couple of knots. In five minutes, we’re out of the harbor and up on plane. Saif comes up to the top of the companionway. I look at him somewhat harshly. I don’t want to be his friend. “It’s clear. There are no boats nearby.”

  He comes up to the helm station. “May I tell my compatriots that they may come out, Captain?”

  Captain? “It’s your call, Saif.”

  CHAPTER 12

  In a few minutes, the cockpit is full of… Well, full of terrorists. Saif looks to be in his early thirties. Ahmed and Qasim are late twenties; the others are early to mid-twenties. All are dressed like typical Canadian blue-collar workers. But none of them look Canadian. They all look like -- I don’t know how else to say it -- they look like stereotypical middle eastern terrorists.

  They also look like tourists (terrorists?) who are happy to be out in the fresh air. All but Qasim. He is scowling, as usual. And he looks ill at ease on the boat. The others look happy to be out of their cabins.

  * * *

  Kate and I ferry our happy terrorists along the shore just west of Pelee National Park. The lake is flat. When we clear Pelee Point, conditions change. There are still rollers left over from the squalls. I watch my passengers. Some appear quite happy in the cockpit. Saif and a couple of the others come into the salon and sit.

  Qasim looks unhappier than usual. I look at him closely. I know seasick when I see it. Qasim is getting seasick. He comes through the salon, and heads for the companionway to go below. “Qasim, you will feel worse if you go below. Much worse.” He stops at the companionway.

  Saif comes forward to the helm station. He looks at Qasim. He says something in Arabic. Then he turns to me. “Do you have medicine for seasickness?”

  “I do, but it’s too late. You have to take it a couple of hours ahead of time.” I turn to Qasim. “Your best bet is the sit aft and watch the horizon behind us.” I point to the aft settee. “And drink water, if you can.” He grumbles something unintelligible. Then he goes aft and sits.

  I turn back to Saif. “It’ll get calmer as we go on. We will be in Vermilion within the hour. He’ll survive.”

  * * *

  As the afternoon progresses, the left-over breeze dies and the lake lays down even more. The weather is near perfect. About halfway through our trip, my radar indicates that we have crossed into American waters. “Saif, we have crossed into American waters. I need to call Customs on the VHF and check in.” As usual, Saif looks in control, and Qasim looks alarmed – and still a little green. “No, you must not call Customs.”

  I ignore Qasim. “Saif, Canadian Customs will have notified U.S. Customs of our departure. If I don’t check in, the Coast Guard will come looking for us. You don’t want that.”

  Qasim scowls; Saif shrugs. “Do what you must.”

  I do. As I expect, Customs tells me that it is not necessary for me to appear at an inspection station. That I may return to my home port of Vermilion. Saif obviously has done his homework concerning the I-68 Card.

  * * *

  After roughly an hour under way, I see the Ohio shoreline. By the time I see the Vermilion light, the after-work fishermen are hitting the lake. We start to see boats. Lots of boats. “Saif, what is your plan?”

  “We will go below now. And stay below until your marina quiets for the night. I will then call our transport. We will be gone within an hour from the time I make the call. For now, you and Kate should go to your dock and act normally.”

  “Yeah. Right.”

  * * *

  The Vermilion River. I bring Morning Star down off of plane, and go around the breakwater and into the river. Everybody -- except Kate and Daisy and me -- is below. We go past a couple of riverfront homes, past the entrance to Erie Lagoon, and then past the Vermilion Yacht Club clubhouse. I turn to port into Ontario Lagoon, pass the fuel dock, and see our dock waiting for us.

  CHAPTER 13

  We occupy the west side of the second finger dock. Bella Fortuna occupies the east side. Its owners, Barron and Katya are sitting in their cockpit. When they see us coming in, they come up onto the dock to help us in. There is little for them to do, but it’s nice to have their help – just in case.

  We exchange the usual “How was the trip?” “Just fine.” greetings. Kate is on the bow. As I back in, she picks up the starboard bow line from the piling and drops the loop over the cleat. Katya hands her the port bow line. She drops it over its cleat, and goes aft.

  Barron is there with both stern lines. When we’re secure, I shut down both engines.

  We chat for a minute – them on the dock, us in our cockpit. I thank them for their help. Then I tell them that I’ve got a little cleaning up to do below. Barron says bye and they head back to their boat.

  * * *

  I go below and tell Saif that we’re secure at our dock. I add that normally we would now walk up to the clubhouse to say hello and chat for a little while. He says, “Do what you would normally do. Do not do anything out of the ordinary.” Qasim adds, “Remember the pictures on Saif’s phone.” I say nothing. I go up the companion way stairs and back to the cockpit. Kate is sitting on the aft settee with Daisy. “Let’s go ashore.”

  She looks at me questioningly. I sit close to her and check my shoelace. “Saif says to do what we would normally do.”

  We go ashore and walk along the wharf to the clubhouse. Daisy is happy to be home. And away from our passengers, I think. Since it’s Monday night, the club is quiet. There is nobody in the clubhouse. We take a quick look around; nothing new. I go to the Dockmaster’s office; Norman is out somewhere. “Kate, let’s go sit on the porch for a minute.” The porch overlooks the river. We sit in adjoining Adirondack chairs. Kate starts to cry. “What are we going to do?”

  “I think we have to let this play out. We can’t do anything that would endanger the kids. You know my past; I know these people; the kids are in danger. We have to do as they say. It’ll be over in a couple of hours.”

  �
�God, I hope so.” She sobs a little.

  “They want to be gone as much as we want them gone. The club is quiet. As soon as it’s dark, they should leave. It’ll be done.”

  “Do you think they’ll be back? Will they do this again?”

  “I don’t think so. They should know that if we start making an unusual number of crossings, we’ll cause red flags to go up all over the place. They need to use other victims.”

  She smiles a little. I continue. “After this is all over, we should talk to Mike. He’ll know people who will want to know about this.”

  “I don’t know. Then we’ll have to worry about them, too.”

  “We won’t do anything for a while. Let’s just get through tonight.”

  “Okay. Let’s head back. I don’t want to, but we have to, I think.”

  “Yeah. I agree.” We stand; we hug. Hard. Kate shudders. Then she stands up straight. I can see the resolve in her. God, but I love her. We head back to our boat. Daisy follows – reluctantly.

  CHAPTER 14

  When we get back to the boat, I head for the companionway. Kate plops down on the aft settee. “Daisy and I are staying here. We are not going below.”

  “Okay, Cutie.” I go below. Saif and Qasim are waiting. “Well?”

  “Well, what? The club is quiet. It usually is on Monday night. There are only half a dozen people here. My guess is that they’ll all be gone by dark.”

  Saif looks relieved. “That is good.”

  “I’m going aft with Kate. Knock once on the hull if you need anything.”

  * * *

  Kate is still sitting on the aft settee with Daisy. I join them. “Sitting here is inviting people to stop and B. S. Let’s go into the salon and act like we’re doing something. Maybe people well leave us alone.” We sit. We wait. We watch club members pack up and leave. Pretty soon there are only four cars: our Camaro, Barron’s BMW, Rick’s Corvette, and a car I don’t recognize down by the end of the lagoon.