Covert Crossings

by Frank Lazorishak

  As I pick up the phone it rings. The Old Phone ringtone. “Hello?”

  “Where have you been? What did you not take this phone with you? You must have it on your person at all times.”

  “Easy, Saif. Calm down. We went out to dinner over toward Huron. Met some friends. And I forgot my phone; I often do. What’s the big deal?”

  “Storms are predicted for Saturday and Sunday. You must go to Leamington tomorrow afternoon.”

  “I can’t do that. It’s too soon. Our reservations are for Friday. I think Barron is out of town. I…”

  “You can. You must. We have changed your reservation. Barron is not out of town. He was seen in Canton early this evening. Do what you must to prepare. Inform Barron. Do it.”

  “But…”

  “Tell your wives that if you are not both in Leamington tomorrow evening, you children will get caught in the storm.”

  He hangs up. Kate was in our master bathroom when my phone rang. She knows what the Old Phone ringtone means. She came in to the bedroom and stood next to me. She heard the whole conversation. She is shaking. I’m not sure if it’s fear – or rage. I put my arm around her. “I’ve got to call Mike and/or Frank. And then Barron.”

  * * *

  We sit in the living room with my collection of phones. First, the G phone. Mike answers on the second ring. “Hey, Dad. We heard. I’m in the Operations Van with Frank and company. They are monitoring all the phones.”

  “Shit. This is like something out of a James Bond movie.”

  “No. James bond was an old-fashioned spy. This is more like Jack Ryan. High tech spy craft.”

  “Okay, high tech spy movie. What’s the next scene?”

  “Frank says you’ve got to go. He wants you to call Barron, and tell him about Saif’s call. If he has to take off work, tell him we can make up a story.”

  “He won’t need you to do that. He pretty much does what he wants, when he wants.,”

  “Good.”

  “And that’s it? ‘Go.’ Just go?”

  “Well, there is more. First of all, Barron now has a secure phone. But -- you need to call him on his regular phone and tell him about the change in plans. He got a call from a blocked number. It sounded like Saif. He said, ‘Expect a call from Peter.’”

  “That’s all?”

  “That’s all. The call was too short to do anything with.”

  “What do I tell him?”

  “Tell him about the change in plans. Convince him to do it. If Saif’s people are monitoring your calls, they’ll be waiting for that call.”

  “Sounds like there’s more.”

  “Yes. Then call Barron, secure phone to secure phone, and tell him we know all about this change, and we can deal with it.”

  “Can you?”

  “Yes, Dad, we can.”

  “Okay. What’s the number for his secure phone?”

  “Same as yours, but it ends in three instead of two.”

  “That’s it?”

  “Almost. There is one other thing. Frank wants you to call Saif back and see if you can get him to give you a destination. Make up some BS story about needing to know where you’re going so you can be sure you both have enough fuel, or something.”

  “I doubt that’ll work. But I’ll try.”

  “We’ll be listening. Call Barron. Good luck, Dad.”

  * * *

  I take a break. Kate makes us two Keurig coffees. God bless Mr. Keurig. I love a good French Roast – black.

  I make my first call to Barron. On my regular iPhone. He curses, complains, refuses, curses some more. Just what I expected. I tell him what Saif said about our kids getting caught in the storm. He settles down. Says Katya’s out of town, but not far away. He says that it’ll be tight, but they can do it. We agree to shoot for a four o’clock departure and say good bye.

  I make my second call to Barron. On my G iPhone. I think he was expecting this call, because he answers on the first ring. We talk about the things we couldn’t talk about on our regular phones. I tell him about the call I’m going to make to Saif. He asks that I call him back if I find out anything. I agree. I caution him about being careful about what he says on which phone. I tell him about my three phones. His response is very predictable. “Jesus.”

  * * *

  I make my call to Saif. On my B iPhone. I tell him that Barron is unhappy, but that he will do it. Then I ask about our destination. At first, he balks. Then he relents. “I’m not supposed to tell you this, Captain, but tentatively, our destination will be Vermilion. My people like the crowds at Put-in-Bay. It is easy for us to assimilate. But Vermilion is closer to our final destination.”

  “I understand. Thank you. We’ll be in Leamington tomorrow.”

  Assimilate? Yeah. Right. Like me assimilating in Peking. Yeah, I know; it’s Beijing now. But you get the idea.

  * * *

  I call Barron back. On my G iPhone. “Just thought you’d like to know. Looks like we’re doing Leamington back to Vermilion.”

  “That won’t be bad, if the lake doesn’t get nasty.”

  “I hope not.”

  CHAPTER 57

  The four of us get to VYC at almost exactly the same time. We have an hour to do what we need to if we’re going to leave at four. “Barron, let’s go up and file our float plans. We’ll put down two nights in Leamington, and two nights in Put-in-Bay.”

  “You’ve done this before. I’ll follow your lead.”

  I detect more than a little snarky-ness. “Easy, Barron. We’ve got to work together on this.”

  “Sorry. This is just so damned unbelievable. I’m really having trouble believing that it’s real.”

  “It is. Did you bring your secure phone?”

  “Yes.”

  “Hide it on board somewhere safe but accessible. I keep mine in a niche I found under the sink in the owner’s cabin.”

  “Okay?”

  “When we get back to our boats, I’m going to test my bugs. I have four audio bugs in various places; and they are monitoring the cameras on two laptops.”

  “Unbelievable. How are you going to ‘test’ them?”

  “I’ll stand in the salon and say, ‘I’m testing my bugs. If you can hear me, call me on my secure iPhone.’”

  “They’re that sensitive?”

  “We’ll find out. Did they bug your boat?”

  “They were supposed to. I don’t know if they did.”

  * * *

  As we get to the clubhouse, Norman is parking his Jeep. He hops out. “Gentlemen.”

  “Hello, Norman. We’re doing a short cruise. We came up to file our float plans.”

  “Barron, some guy from Great Lakes Marine was here the other day. I recognized the truck, but not him. He said he was just helping George out. I was going to call you when George called me and said the guy was legit, and that he’d be in and out in a flash.”

  Barron looks suitably embarrassed. “I’m sorry I forgot to call you and tell you he was coming. Work has been crazy and it just slipped my mind.”

  “Normally I won’t let people board boats without prior authorization. I’m not sure why I made an exception for him. I guess he looked honest.”

  “Thanks for letting him do his thing. Again, I’m sorry for not telling you.”

  “His thing took two hours.”

  “Really? I’ll have to talk to George.”

  “Are you guys going to need fuel before you go?”

  We both say no, we’re okay.

  “Where are you off to?”

  I answer. “Just Leamington and Put-in-Bay.”

  “You’ve been going there a lot.”

  “I’m still trying to get used to being a power boat driver. And those are two of our favorite destinations.”

  “You know there’s bad weather moving in?”

  “Yeah. I figure that it’s time to see how Morning Star handles in bad weather. Barron is coming along to keep me out of trouble.”

  “Well, hav
e fun.”

  CHAPTER 58

  We leave VYC at almost exactly four; right on schedule.

  It’s a straight run of about forty nautical miles to Leamington; we should get in well before six.

  * * *

  We’re about halfway there, and the wind is building out of the east-northeast; we have a two-foot following sea off the starboard quarter. I decide to call Barron on VHF. “Bella Fortuna, this is Morning Star. Bella Fortuna, this is Morning Star. Bella Fortuna, this is Morning Star.”

  “Morning Star, this is Bella Fortuna. Switch and answer on channel 72.”

  I do. “Hi Barron. It’s getting a little lumpy out here. What do you think?”

  “How about we run west to Pelee Island, and then go north up the west side of the island?”

  “My thoughts, exactly. Let’s do it.”

  “Should we tell Saif? It will make us a little late getting into Leamington.”

  “Yeah, I guess. I’ll call him. And in future, no names.”

  “Roger. This is Bella Fortuna, back to channel 16.”

  “This is Morning Star back to channel 16.”

  We turn and run almost dues west. It makes for a much smoother ride.

  I ask Kate to take the helm. I get out my bad guys iPhone. It has Saif as speed dial 1. As always, he answers immediately. “Saif, I just wanted to tell you that it’s getting a little rough out here. We’re going to go west of Pelee Island, and then go up the lee side. It might make us a half hour late.”

  “Is that necessary? I don’t like changing plans.”

  “Yes, it is. It’s my boat and I’m the captain. My call.”

  “As you wish, then. Please call after you dock in Leamington.”

  “Okay. Bye.”

  I hope this doesn’t get worse. It might make crossing back to the U.S. tomorrow a problem.

  CHAPTER 59

  Scooting west of Pelee Island makes the ride a lot easier. North of Pelee Island, there’s a little open water, but then Pelee Point provides cover from east winds. And we still arrive at the entrance to Leamington Marina a little before six.

  I call the Dockmaster on channel 16. Like all good sailors, Barron will be monitoring channel 16, so when the Dockmaster tells me to switch and answer on channel 68, I know that Barron will switch, too. “Leamington Marina, this is Morning Star calling in for me and Bella Fortuna. I believe that you have reservations for us.”

  “I do, Captain. We’ve put you in your usual spot on the D dock. There is room for both of you there.”

  “Bella Fortuna, you go ahead and dock first. If you moor bow toward the lake, I’ll tuck in behind you.”

  “Roger that, Morning Star.”

  We both switch off, and busy ourselves with docking. Even though Morning Star is a little bigger than Bella Fortuna, my pod drives make me more maneuverable. After a little back and forth, Barron is secure. I make my U-turn, and use the pod joystick to nudge Morning Star up against the dock. Kate and the dock boy – who is a girl – a new one, I think -- handle the lines and secure us.

  I shut down the engines, and climb out onto the dock so Kate can hand me the shore power cord. Baron and Katya are going through the same procedure.

  When Barron finishes, he walks down to my power pedestal. “Now what?”

  “We go check in, then call customs, and then – wait. We wait for someone to contact us. I haven’t called Saif yet, but I’m sure they know we’re here.”

  “That’s a little scary. Let me go tell Katya what we’re doing.”

  “Yes, it is. Give me three minutes to tell Kate, and to call Saif.”

  * * *

  I use my B iPhone. “Saif, we are here. Now what?”

  “Someone may contact you this evening. Keep this phone with you at all times.”

  “We need to go have dinner.”

  “That is not a problem. Just be sure to take this phone.”

  “I will. And if no one calls?”

  “Qasim will deliver your passengers at midnight.”

  “Okay. We have to go check in and report to Customs.”

  “Good bye, then”

  * * *

  As I return to the dock, I see Barron approaching. “Did you call S… Him?”

  “Yeah. He said we can go eat if we want. Our passengers will be here at midnight.”

  “I sure hope the wind dies down tomorrow.”

  “Me, too.”

  We walk on in silence.

  * * *

  We go to the clubhouse payphone to check in with Canadian customs. There is a poster next to the payphone with instructions for checking in by us visiting Americans. The Canadians do make it easy. I call the toll-free number on the poster. “Hello, this is Mark with the Canadian Border Services Agency. May I please have your boat registration number?”

  “Hello, Mark. My boat is documented; she has no registration number. She is the motor vessel Morning Star out of Vermilion, Ohio.”

  Mark is silent for twenty seconds. Then he continues. “Welcome to Canada, Captain Bradovich. Please hold.”

  The speed of the Canadian systems always amazes me. Mark had found my boat in his database, and knew my name in twenty seconds. The ‘Please hold’ is new, though. I hold. In a minute, a new voice comes on. “Hello Captain Bradovich, this is Abby Watson. We met on Rattlesnake Island.”

  “I remember. This is a surprise.”

  “I’m in Leamington. We saw you arrive. Have you been contacted yet?”

  “No, but I don’t think this is a good time or place to chat. Too many people about.”

  “I agree. Would you like pizza for dinner tonight?”

  “I beg your pardon?”

  “If you order pizza from Rina’s, I’ll deliver it. It’ll give me a chance to meet Katya and Barron face to face. Alternatively, if you want to go to Paula’s Fish House, I will replace Paula’s father as your driver.”

  “Hang on one.”

  I turn to Barron. “I can’t explain why, but we need to make a dinner choice – right now. Pizza on board, or Paula’s?”

  “Definitely Paula’s. But why…”

  “I’ll tell you later.”

  “I heard his response, Captain. I’ll pick you up at six thirty; is that okay?”

  “Yeah, that works. Now about customs check in. Can you connect me with the appropriate person?”

  “Both Morning Star and Bella Fortuna, and their crews are checked in. All you need to do is relax until six thirty.”

  “Okay. Yeah. We can do that, I guess. Thanks.”

  I hang up, and turn to Barron. “We’re both all checked in. Let’s go back to our boats.”

  He looks puzzled, but he follows me as I head out the door.

  As we pass Morning Star, I call out to Kate. “Can you join us aboard Bella Fortuna for a couple of minutes? We need to make dinner plans.”

  “No problem, Cap’n. Be there in a minute. I’m just finishing up making myself beautiful.”

  “You already are.”

  We keep walking.

  * * *

  In a few minutes we’re all sitting in Barron’s salon. I fill everyone in on the details of my call. Especially my talk with Abby.

  “Abby wants to meet you guys. She’s Canadian Border Services Agency. They explained it as similar to our Customs and Border Protection, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement combined.”

  Katya raises her hand. I smile. “Do you have a question, young lady?”

  “Is that safe? Won’t the bad guys be watching?”

  “They seem to think it’s safe. We have a seven o’clock reservation. She’s going to replace Paula’s father, and pick us up at six thirty.”

  The conversation continues for a little while, then dies out. I think we’re all just tired of the whole thing. “Kate, let’s go back to Morning Star, and hang out till dinner time. See you guys a little before six thirty.”

  * * *

  I’m awakened by a knock on my hull. We both fell asleep. I get up and c
limb the companionway steps. Barron and Katya are standing on the dock. “We both fell asleep. We need a couple of minutes. To get our heads together. Go up and look out for Paula’s taxi. We’ll be there as soon as we can.”

  Barron chuckles. “Roger that.”

  CHAPTER 60

  By the time we get to the street by the clubhouse, Abby and Barron and Katya are sitting in the taxi chatting amicably. Katya waves. “It’s about time. Nice nap?”

  Kate enjoys a semi-sarcastic relationship with Katya. “It wasn’t a nap; it was a Beauty Rest. Does it show?”

  “Well…”

  Abby picks up on what’s going on. “I think so. Especially on the Captain!”

  She pulls out and heads east along the lakeshore. “We have almost a half hour, so there is no hurry. I’ve already briefed Katya and Barron on our part in this. Quick recap: We’re listening -- to both boats. We’re watching -- from land and water and air. We will be following -- just out of sight. We will do nothing until you are out of harm’s way in the U.S. Then we’ll arrest all of the players here. And there are many more than you know of. This is major. Thank you for doing your part.”

  Just then, my B iPhone rings. I hold a finger up to my lips. “Hello?” I turn the phone away from my ear in the hope that the others can hear.

  “We saw you leave. Where are you going?”

  “We’re going to Paula’s Fish House. We’re in Paula’s taxi.”

  “Who is the woman driving?”

  “Paula’s cousin, I think. She said she’s giving her uncle a break.”

  “We will be watching for your return,”

  And he hangs up.

  * * *

  “You heard?”

  Katya has a hard look on her face. A look I’ve never seen. In some ways, she’s very liberal, but in others quite conservative. “How long has this been going on Abby?”

  “Illicit border crossing by boat? Forever. It peaked during your prohibition era. And again, during the Vietnam war. Now, as your southern border security has gotten tighter, the bad guys are using our common border more and more.”

  I can see the fire. “Wow. Excuse my language, but that just pisses me off.”