I move aft into our salon, and look out over the dinghy. I can’t see into Bella Fortuna’s solon, but I can see Katya and Barron up on their flying bridge. I don’t think that they can see me. I start to call Barron. But all of a sudden, Barron jumps up. There is a shot. Katya screams. “No!”
Two more shots. Katya screams again. Then silence. I can’t see anybody.
I open the slider, and start to go into our cockpit. Kate yells at me. “No!”
“But…”
“No. Stay here. We’re safe here.”
I come back to the helm. She grabs me. And hangs on.
* * *
While all of this was going on here, I think I heard tires screeching behind the Fuel Dock. But it’s quiet now. And it’s quiet here.
We sit. Four more guys in camo jump off of Adventurer. Two stand at our stern; two move to Bella Fortuna’s stern. They all carry M4s. They all stop, rifles held across their chests. Nobody is getting on or off of either boat.
I slide open the door next to my helm seat. One of the guys at my stern moves forward. “Stay aboard your boat, sir.”
“There are no more bad guys aboard. Just my wife and I.”
“Stay aboard your boat, sir. Nobody is to move until all threats are neutralized.”
* * *
I stay put. Across the dock, Wendy and Mark are standing by their stern. Mark is talking on a walkie talkie. Wendy waves – rather sheepishly.
Two of the guys guarding Yasin lift him to his feet, and march him toward shore. One is holding his fingers to his ear. Probably talking on his radio.
As Yasin’s captors walk him toward shore, I see two guys in civvies walking rapidly out the dock toward us. Even from this distance, I recognize one as Frank Simmons. The other guy looks familiar.
Frank boards Bella Fortuna. The other guy is heading toward us. I can see him clearly now. I don’t remember his name, but I know we met on Rattlesnake Island. I think he’s an ICE agent. He talks briefly to the guy on the dock outside of my helm door. I can’t hear what he says. He turns and starts to walk toward my stern. “I’m coming aboard.”
CHAPTER 86
He comes aboard, and moves through the salon to where Kate and I are still sitting. He looks grim. “I’m Dave Jenkins, ICE. We met on Rattlesnake Island.”
“I remember. What’s happening? I heard shots. On Bella Fortuna, and on shore.”
“First, are you okay?”
Kate stands. “We’re okay. What about our friends? Did Barron get shot?”
“I don’t know yet. Are you sure there is no one hiding below?”
My turn to stand. “We’re okay. There is no one below. Please find out about Barron and Katya.”
“As soon as I can.”
He steps behind me and leans out of the helm door. “Edwards, you stay put. Stroney, come aboard aft, and do a quick sweep. Both cabins. Don’t disturb any evidence.”
The guy aft, Stroney, I guess, moves forward and hands his M4 to Edwards. Then he goes back aft and steps into the aft cockpit.
He immediately goes to the Crew Quarters door. He draws his pistol. He carefully opens the door, staying out of any potential line of fire. He peers in, and then disappears into the cabin.
Jenkins has been listening on his headset. He puts his hand to his ear. “Collins, can you give us an update on Bella Fortuna?”
He listens intently for several minutes. Stroney comes out of the aft cabin and joins us. Jenkins takes his fingers from his ear. Stroney seizes the opportunity. “Nothing aft, sir. Not even any trash.”
Jenkins sits on the port settee to let him pass. “Check forward then.”
Stroney peers below, then starts down the companionway stairs, pistol drawn.
Jenkins turns to us. “Barron has been shot. It’s not life threatening, but an ambulance is on its way. His wife – Kate? – Katie? – Kata? – is uninjured.”
“Katya. Can I go to her?”
“Not yet, ma’am. One terrorist is dead, the other captured and immobilized. I’ll let you know when it’s safe to go to her.”
My turn, again. “What happened on shore?”
“I don’t have all the details yet. I don’t know what precipitated the gunfire. There are at least two individuals down.”
I sigh and sit back down.
“I need to verify the number of bad actors you brought in.”
“There were seven on this boat, and eight on Bella Fortuna.”
“Fifteen. Are you sure?”
“Positive. One fell overboard and drowned.”
“Are you sure?”
“That he drowned? Yes. He had no life jacket on. I watched him go down. We left him.”
Just then, Stroney returns from below. “It’s clear forward, sir. They left one backpack and one duffel. I didn’t open it, but my guess is that the duffel contains a weapon. Probably a semiautomatic rifle.”
“Very good, Stroney.”
“Those would belong to Yasin, the leader. He ran out of here when the shooting started. You captured him as soon as he hit the dock.”
Jenkins nods. “Got it.”
Then he cocks his head, listens for a minute, then puts his fingers to his ear. “Very good, thank you.”
“They’re removing the surviving terrorist from the other boat. Give us two minutes. Then you can go to Katya, ma’am.”
Kate jumps up. “Are you coming, Cap’n”
Before I can say anything, Jenkins interrupts. “I need him to stay here ma’am.”
“Quit calling me ‘ma’am.’ My name is Kate.”
“Sorry ma’am – Kate. Force of habit. You can go now.”
Kate smiles, gives me a quick kiss, steps behind me, and goes out the helm door. She steps over the lifeline, jumps out onto the dock, and is gone.
I look at Jenkins. “And that, sir, is my First Mate.”
“You’re lucky, Captain.”
“I am.”
CHAPTER 87
While all of this has been going on, two ambulances have pulled into the parking lot at the end of the X Dock. There are also several military vehicles, and several police cars complete with flashing lights. And lots of people milling about.
I hear other ambulances out on Whiskey Island Drive behind the Fuel Dock. There are lots of flashing red and blue lights there, too.
The X Dock is sort of the main entry to the C and D Docks, and there are probably well over a hundred boats out on those docks. At least some of them are occupied. I can see them from where I sit at the helm.
The guy who tackled Yasin has moved to the junction of the X Dock and the C and D Docks. He’s standing there with his M4 across his chest. A few boaters have been coming off of C and D to find out what’s going on. Most see him blocking the X Dock, make a U-turn, and return to their boats. Very few stop to chat. Of course, there are always some…
* * *
Jenkins has been listening on his headset. “Captain, I’ve got a preliminary on what went down behind the Fuel Dock.”
“Tell me.”
“The terrorists cut the fence. They had two vans there to transport them inland. We were surveilling their operation from the bikeway up on the hill.”
“What started the shooting?”
“A Security Guard from the Olde River Yacht Club was getting off duty. He drove by and saw people coming through the fence. He stopped to investigate. One of the terrorists saw his uniform and panicked. He drew his pistol. So did the guard. We’ll probably never know who shot first. They’re both dead.”
“Shit.”
“Yeah. Wrong place, wrong time.”
“Shit, shit, shit.”
“They all piled into their vans, and took off. They left the two bodies.”
“Did you stop them?”
“We let them go until they got to their safe house in Ohio City. We arrested them and six others without incident.”
“‘Great.”
“Does the name Saif mean anything to you?”
“You know it does.”
“We arrested Saif at the safe house.”
* * *
I watch as two bodies are removed from Bella Fortuna.
The first body is Barron. From here, he looks alive and responsive. He’s talking and moving around. They have him strapped to a stretcher. They man-handle him down to the dock and put the stretcher on some kind of gadget with wheels. Katya is beside him. They push him toward shore and the ambulances.
The next body is in a body bag. He gets the same treatment.
* * *
Kate and Frank get off of Bella Fortuna and walk toward us. Kate is leading; Frank is following; I think he has his hand on his gun.
They come aboard, and up to the helm. Kate sits in her seat. She looks a little pissed – and a lot tired. Frank sits on the port settee. He exhales dramatically. “Everything is secure.”
“Now what?”
“We arrest you…”
“What?”
“He’s not kidding. He already told me. They’re going to arrest us – for bringing illegals into the country! For aiding and abetting terrorists! I don’t even know what ‘abetting’ is!”
“Frank?”
“We’ve got to. If we don’t, it’ll look like you were working with us. We do not want that.”
“But arrested? Still? After all of this?”
“Hear me out. It’s a workable plan. We discussed it in Mitiwanga.”
“Yeah, but…”
The plan will still work. In the end, it will exonerate you. More importantly, it will make your future use look very undesirable to the terrorists. And it will probably make Leamington look undesirable, too.”
“Leamington?”
“The Canadians have already arrested close to a dozen bad actors there. They waited until the shit hit the fan here, then moved in on two places there. They have Qasim.”
“Good. Back to us getting arrested...”
“We arrest you two now, and take you to FBI Headquarters. Katya will be allowed to stay with Barron until he is released from the hospital, probably in the morning. Then they will be arrested.”
“Oh swell. He gets shot, then arrested. How bad is he hurt, by the way?”
“He’s not hurt badly. Flesh wound to the upper arm.
“At least that part is good.”
“Anyway, there are already all kinds of press people and onlookers outside the Yacht Club gate, and back on Whiskey Island Drive. They will see you get busted.”
“What does that accomplish?”
“It makes everyone think that we think that you are working with the terrorists. We wouldn’t arrest you if you were working with us.”
“And we go to jail?”
“No, there will be a closed-door hearing in the morning. All of the bad actors will be held without bail. You four will be released on bail. No explanation why.”
“And?”
“The press will be all over you. You tell them you can’t talk. If you do, your bail will be revoked. You go back to Vermilion Yacht Club.”
“And?
“And in a few days, we hold a press conference and announce that you four are innocent. That you were coerced with threats to your children and grandchildren. All charges will be dropped. You will be congratulated as survivors of a horrific plot to use innocent boaters to sneak terrorists across our northern border.”
“That’s it?”
“That’s it. There is never to be any mention of your two previous crossings, or of other crossings. We will continue to work with the Canadians.”
“And that’s it.”
* * *
We just sit for a while, and let this all sink in.
I have to ask. “Kate, what do you think?”
She pauses. Then, nods. “I hate it. But I have to admit that it makes sense. All of it.”
“I agree.”
I turn to Frank. “So, arrest us.”
CHAPTER 88
Frank informs us that we’re about to be arrested. “We need to do this right to make you look complicit. For now. I’ll have to call in some additional people.”
Stroney is hanging out in the aft cockpit. Frank goes aft and talks for about two minutes.
He comes back. “It’ll be a few minutes. Here’s what’s going to happen. We’ll cuff you and walk…”
Kate loses it. “You’ll cuff us? Handcuffs? Behind our backs? How about leg irons? And orange jumpsuits?”
“Easy honey. They’ve got to make it look real.”
Frank smiles a little. Kate glares a little. “No jumpsuits. And no leg irons. And not behind your backs. We have kind of an unwritten rule that the press understands. Behind your back means dangerous and definite bad guy. In front means not so dangerous. In front and covered with a towel means not dangerous, maybe cooperating, and maybe not even guilty. You will be cuffed in front and covered.”
“Do I get to pick the towel? I want it to coordinate with my outfit.”
At that, Frank can’t help but snort. Kate is not amused. She glares. And she has a great glare.
“We’ll walk you up to a couple of our Suburbans on shore. There are tons of people around up there. Civilians and press. The press will take pictures, record videos, stick mikes in our faces, be generally obnoxious. You will say nothing.”
“Where are you taking us?”
“FBI Headquarters over on Lakeside. You’ll be processed in, and wait for the judge to come in. We have some rooms where you can rest. And get something to eat if you want. We’ll take good care of you, I promise. You will not be treated like criminals. We just have to make it look good.”
“Okay. Let’s get this done.”
“We have to wait for help.”
* * *
Stroney and Edwards are joined by two others in camo. They all come aboard. I’m curious. “Who are these guys?”
“SWAT. Borrowed from Cleveland PD.”
As the SWAT Team moves into the cockpit, Frank goes back to meet them. “Gentlemen, please understand that Kate and the Captain are not bad actors. They have been through hell at the hands of the real bad guys. They have been working with us for months to make this takedown happen. Treat them – respectfully.”
Stroney looks at us, then Frank. “Got it, sir.”
“This is a deception to make the real bad guys think that they are suspects. We’re going to cuff then in front, cover the cuffs, and walk them up to the command cars.”
“Yes, sir.”
“We’ve got to cuff them here. I guarantee that there are cameras watching”
* * *
In a few minutes, we’re cuffed and manhandled down onto the dock. One SWAT team member stands on each side of each of us. Frank takes the lead, and we do our “perp walk.”
They put Kate in one Suburban, and me in another. Off to jail we go.
AFTERMATH
CHAPTER 89
It’s been a week since we got “arrested” by the FBI. An absolutely crazy week. I reflect on what has got to be the craziest week of my life. And I’ve had a few.
* * *
I’m not sure why they allowed so many press people into Edgewater Yacht Club, but they did. Our “perp walk” took us right through their midst. Cleveland Uniforms kept them back a little, but they were close enough to point cameras and mikes at us. And yell questions. The one I remember is, “Why did you help the terrorists?”
There was another crowd when we got to FBI Headquarters. I didn’t even know that there was an FBI Headquarters in Cleveland. I do now.
We got to do another “perp walk” up the stairs and into the building. I’m sure we were all over the news. I can see it now: “Past Commodore Arrested for Aiding and Abetting Terrorists!”
Barron probably got his own headline: “VYC Rear Commodore Arrested for Smuggling Terrorists into U.S.!”
The “rooms” to rest in that Frank promised us were really cells. No bars, but one hard cot, one little table, two steel chairs. Everything was bo
lted to the floor. And there was no door knob inside. We had to knock to get let out and escorted to the head. And Kate and I each had our own private “room.”
The good news is that we were only held for a few hours. Barron was released from the hospital – I still haven’t found out where they took him – and he and Katya were brought to FBI Headquarters.
We went before Judge Flo at nine. Honest to God; she really was Judge Flo – Judge Florence Bonino. Anyway, she released us on $100 bail each. She told us not to say anything to anyone about anything concerning this incident. She warned that if we did, she could revoke bail. It was very obvious that this was not an empty threat.
The bad guys went before Judge Flo at ten. There were the thirteen survivors that we “imported,” the two van drivers, three people from the safe house in Ohio City, and one other – Saif. They were all held without bail.
We found out later that the one who shot it out with the Security Guard from the Olde River Yacht Club was Raham, the leader from Barron’s boat.
Both hearings were closed to the public and the press. That just made the story more sensational.
* * *
After our hearing before Judge Flo, Frank and his people took us back to Edgewater Yacht Club. Frank suggested that we stay there, and get some rest.
Barron, who’s gunshot left him with his left arm bandaged and in a sling, answered for all of us. “I’ve had enough of this place. The lake has laid down; I can drive; I am taking us and our boat to VYC. Then we are going home. And I’m going to sleep for a week.”
I offered to take them back to VYC. “You can come get your boat later.”
He looked a me. Then he repeated himself. “I’ve had enough of this place. The lake has laid down; I can drive; I am taking us and our boat to VYC. Then we are going home. And I’m going to sleep for a week.”
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