The Inside Passage (Ted Higuera Series Book 1)

by Pendelton Wallace

  ****

  Seattle

  Ted took a deep breath and swung his legs into the lazarette. He dreaded climbing down into the confined space.

  The lazarette was a large locker on the starboard side of the cockpit that went all the way down to the bilge and provided access to the back of the engine, under the cockpit.

  Ted checked the engine oil and coolant. He fought down a rising feeling of panic. The air was heavy down here; a flashlight provided his only light. The smells of the oil and the bilge weren’t so bad, but he felt like he was buried alive.

  “Are you guys getting hungry yet?” Candace poked her scarf-covered head out of the companionway hatch.

  “Yeah, I’m starving.” Ted popped up like a jack-in-the-box and gulped a breath of fresh air.

  “How about I run over to Gordo’s and get us some burgers?” With long, trim legs, Candace easily climbed over the exposed engine to reach the deck.

  “Sounds good to me.” Ted wiped his hands as he climbed out of the lazarette.

  “Chris, how about you?” Candace turned to Chris. “You hungry?”

  “Yeah, sure.” Chris mumbled from the cabin roof where he was replacing some kind of broken fitting.

  “I’ll take a bacon cheeseburger and fries,” Ted said.

  “What would you like, Chris?”

  “Whatever.”

  “Cokes okay for you guys?” Candace removed her scarf, took the scrunchie from her pony-tail and shook her long, lustrous black hair free.

  She looks like a shampoo commercial, Ted thought. “Yeah, Cokes are good.” He brushed back his unruly hair. All the time, his eyes never left Candace.

  Ted admired the view as Candace walked down the dock. Her tight jeans and T-shirt showed off her model’s body. “Man, that’s one fine looking woman. Even in her grubbies, she looks like a million bucks.”

  “Don’t go getting any ideas, bro.” Chris interrupted his fantasy. “You’d be like a Chihuahua sniffing after a Great Dane bitch.”

  Ted pictured Candace at the graduation party. She stood at least a full inch taller than him but in heels she towered over him. “I’m just sayin’ . . . Man, did she look hot at the party in her little red dress.”

  “Speaking of the party, I’ve been meaning to tell you . . .” Chris climbed down from the cabin roof and sat in the cockpit.

  “Yeah?”

  “I invited Meg to go with us.”

  “You what?” Ted’s head swiveled around.

  “Well actually, she sort of invited herself. She asked if she could come along. I told her it was OK.”

  “Dude, there’s no room for a woman on this boat.”

  “Sure there is. My mom and sister always went with us on our summer cruises. When Dad raced the boat, Mom manned the galley.”

  “No, you don’t understand.” Ted shook his head. “I’m saying she’s not the type. She’s more Nordstroms than REI.”

  “REI?”

  “Yeah, the outdoors type.” Ted settled into the cockpit across from Chris. He can’t really be serious. “I don’t see her getting her nails dirty pulling up the anchor.”

  “Maybe not, but at least she can take care of the cabin. It’ll be nice to have a good cook for a change. I’m getting tired of your cooking.” Chris grinned.

  “Well, where is she then?” Ted made a show of looking down into the cabin. “If she’s going to be part of this crew shouldn’t she be here helping get the boat ready?”

  “She had some interviews at Nordstrom today. She couldn’t make it.”

  “Dude, if she’s going to go with us, she should help get ready. Your future step-mom’s putting more effort into our trip than she is.”

  “She’s already invited.”

  “Un-invite her!”

  “Deal with it.” Chris picked up his wrench and screw driver and descended the companionway stairs.

  Híjole, this is gonna be one long summer. Ted sat opened-mouthed as Chris stormed below. He’s letting that little bitch drag him around by the ring in his nose. But, when Chris’ mind was made up, it was made up. I guess Princess Meagan is going with us. Chris was one stubborn son of a bitch.

  Chapter 7

  Seattle

  The Pike Place Market was only a few blocks from Nordstrom’s headquarters at Fifth and Pine. Meagan’s interview at Nordstrom had gone well. They’d call back with an offer, she just knew it. She could go on the trip with Chris, then return home to a new job.

  She soaked in the sun and watched the crowds of cheerful people throng through the Market. The sound of her three-inch stilettos tapped out a rhythm in her brain as they clicked on the pavement. The swish of her skirt as she walked kept time with the beat. She couldn’t be happier.

  There was something mysterious and glamorous about the Market. East meets west? Wall Street meets Marin County? Whatever it was, the Market was quintessentially Seattle.

  She stopped at a jewelry stall and eyed their wares, handling almost every earring and necklace. How they feel is as important as how they look. The next stall exploded with color. In late June all of the flowers were in bloom.

  I wonder how the boys are doing. Chris ought to have the boat ready by now.

  She hoped they were having fun getting the boat fixed up. Girls weren’t very good at that sort of thing. Besides, it’s guy’s work. They liked dinking around with mechanical things and painting and scraping and stuff. They’d have a few beers, do some belching and scratching and have a grand time. When they were done, she’d provide a woman’s touch with fresh cut flowers, dainty hand towels and music.

  How would she deal with living with Chris and Ted for the whole summer?

  Chris shouldn’t be any problem. She could handle him. He was a pussy cat. Ted was another matter. She could feel his seething resentment under the surface. She didn’t know why he didn’t like her, but he was a threat.

  She didn’t look forward to spending two months cooped up in a boat with Ted, but it would be worth it to get the time with Chris. This would be different from the hellish family vacations she’d spent on her father’s pathetic little sail boat.

  Meagan hated living on a small boat for a week or two at a time with her bratty little brother. She had no privacy, no place to go to get away from Frankenparents. The porta-potty, “the head” as her father insisted she call it, was under her parent’s bed. There was only a flimsy curtain to separate it from the main cabin.

  Her father insisted that she learn the names of every rope on the boat. “Lines,” he used to tell her, “There is no rope on a boat.” He’d tell her to do something, then when she didn’t understand him, he’d yell at her. She begrudged every minute he spent tutoring her. Like she would ever need to know that crap.

  Chris’ boat was different. It was nearly twice the size of her Dad’s. It had a separate forward cabin with a real wooden door and an enclosed bathroom with a shower. Instead of being encased in cheap fiberglass, the cabin was paneled in rich teak; there was a furnace to keep them warm and plenty of room to move around. Besides, she’d have Chris to take care of her.

  Chris was her ticket out. She loved him, of course, but he was going to be somebody. He didn’t know it yet, but he would go to law school, she’d see to that. He’d join his father’s firm, something else he didn’t know yet, and they’d live happily ever after. She’d have to gently nudge him to overcome his disdain for money, but she could change him. She’d nurture a sense of ambition in him. Who knows? Maybe he’d become a judge or a senator or governor someday.

  He hadn’t asked her yet, but if she played her cards right, by the end of the summer they’d be engaged.

  Her mind drifted off to their wedding. After seeing Chris’ graduation party, she thought she could name her own ticket for a wedding. How about Hawaii? She’d always dreamed of a wedding in Hawaii, maybe in that little church on the beach at Wailuku on Maui.

  At the corner of Pine Street she noticed a street performer. A delicate looking young man dr
essed in a red and white striped T-shirt and a red and white striped Cat in the Hat top hat had set up a wooden stand on the sidewalk. At chest level there was a shelf with a red velvet pillow on which sat the largest cat she’d ever seen.

  Oh, a kitty. No one loved cats more than Meagan, as attested to by Oscar, the Burmese who ruled her apartment with an iron paw. She strolled over to watch the performer.

  The sign above the stand said “The Cat Whisperer.” For a modest donation, the cat was telling the tourist their fortunes. They’d pet the cat, who purred and rubbed against them, then the young man translated the cat’s predictions for his customers.

  “I don’t have any skills to see into the future,” the young man said solemnly. “I was only blessed with the ability to talk to cats. Ichi, Ichiro, is the descendent of the mystical cats of Egypt. He can see the future and he tells me what he sees.”

  “What would you like to ask about?” the young man asked one of the trio of Asian girls crowding around Ichi.

  “Will my boyfriend ask me to marry him?” she asked.

  “Wait,” the young man said as he bent over and dug in a duffle bag at his feet. He produced a little tuxedo coat and top hat in which he dressed the cat. The girl giggled and petted the cat again. The cat meowed at her.

  “Ichi says ‘yes’. He says you have to be patient, but what you want will come,” the young man said in a serious voice.

  An older couple tried.

  “Will our son come home from Iraq safely?” the woman asked.

  The young man changed Ichi’s outfit from tuxedo to desert camouflage. The lady stroked Ichi’s head and he let out a long, satisfied meow.

  “You have nothing to worry about,” the young man interpreted for the couple.

  The cat man doffed his top hat as the couple handed him a five-dollar bill and went on their way.

  “I’m going on a trip with my boyfriend,” Meagan handed him a fiver. “Will it turn out okay? Will we have a good time?”

  She reached to pet Ichi. He arched his back and hissed. His tail swelled up like a bottle brush. Meagan stood frozen for a second, her hand in mid-air, then Ichi lashed out with his claws.

  “Ow!” she screamed as she pulled back. There were three little cuts on the back of her hand. “What’s wrong with your cat? Cats always love me.”

  “I don’t know miss, he’s never done that before. I’m really sorry.”

  Ichi let out a long low growl. The young man went white.

  “Here, take this back. I can’t help you,” he said as he stuffed Meagan’s five dollar bill back in her hand.

  “What’s wrong? What did he say?”

  “I can’t tell you.” With that the young man, visibly shaken, scooped Ichi off of his perch, folded the little display and hurried off down the street. The whole episode had only taken seconds. Meagan stood, watching him go in dumb silence.

  Chapter 8

  On the Iranian border, Afghanistan

  Ahmad told his family the trip to Iran was to visit his grandparents. Being a native citizen of Canada didn’t absolve him of his responsibility to, and love for, his parents’ native country. This was his first chance to see the homeland.

  However, it wasn’t just a trip to see his family. Instead of two weeks of rigorous religious instruction in Tehran, Ahmad and Mohammed snuck across the Afghani border to visit a Taliban training camp.

  “Please excuse our poor Farsi,” Ahmad told his instructor.

  “It is not a problem,” Jamal replied. “You were given to me because I speak English. You will strike a blow for Allah regardless of what language you pray to him in.” The six trainees in Ahmad’s group were all from English speaking countries.

  First came weapons training. They drilled night and day until they could dismantle and reassemble the Russian-made AK-47s in the dark. The feel of the weapon in his hand, the smooth cold steel of the barrel, gave Ahmad a sense of power. Soon they’ll be sorry. Soon they’ll pay for every slight, every insult.

  “You will learn to rely upon your weapons,” Jamal told them. “Keep them as close to you as your Qur’an. When you return home, you will be contacted and told how to obtain them.”

  It was all new and exciting for Ahmad. He experienced a sense of fellowship and belonging that he had never felt before. These were his people. He was accepted unconditionally. They were all working together for a great cause.

  After the weapons training, there was a short course on explosive devices.

  “We don’t know what your mission will be. You must be prepared for anything.”

  They learned to make improvised bombs and use C-4 plastic explosives. Will we have to bomb something? He was prepared to fight men, soldiers; but he would not stoop to the levels of the suicide bombers attacking women and children.

  Their brief indoctrination included physical training, even though both he and Mohammed were in prime shape. They had made it their mission to run five miles daily and regularly hiked and rock climbed in the wilds of Canada in preparation for this mission.

  On their return trip to Canada, there was nothing on their passports to indicate that they had ever left Iran.

  ****

  Seattle

  Man, what’s got his underwear in a knot? Ted stared open-mouthed as Chris stormed below. In the four years they had lived together, Ted could count the number of arguments they had had on one hand.

  He knew he had to do something. He didn’t like the way Meagan controlled Chris’ life. He couldn’t understand why Chris couldn’t see that she was just after his dad’s money. Maybe it wasn’t such a bad idea after all, her coming on the trip. This would give Chris a chance to see what she was really made of.

  “Food’s here,” Candace called from the dock.

  Ted looked up to see Candace take a deep breath, paste a smile on her face and climb aboard. The way she moved was mesmerizing, he couldn’t take his eyes off of her.

  “Here’s a bacon cheeseburger.” Candace handed a burger and a wax bag full of French fries to Ted. She handled them as if they were toxic waste.

  “Gracias, senorita.” Ted wiped his hands on the seat of his jeans.

  “And I got one for you too,” she said to Chris who came back up from the cabin.

  Chris unfolded the teak cockpit table and Candace unwrapped her greasy vegetarian burger as if it might bite her. She didn’t have any fries.

  They sat at the table. Candace leaned back, shook her head and let the unusually warm June sunshine flood her face. Ted couldn’t help but stare as she thrust out her chest. She quickly sat back up and crossed her arms.

  As soon as the food hit the table, a flock of seagulls circled the boat, calling for handouts. Ted tossed a fry in the sky and half-dozen birds fought to grab it in mid-air.

  “Shit, man,” Chris scolded. “Don’t give them food. They’ll never leave us alone.”

  “Let it go, dude.” Ted dug into his burger.

  Chris sullenly picked the pickles off his. “I hate dill pickles.”

  “If you’d told me, I’d have told them to hold ‘em.” Candace glanced at her fingernails.

  “Whatever.” Chris finally nibbled at his burger.

  Candace stared at Chris for a minute.

  Ted could feel the tension. He looked at Chris, sending him a silent message. You’re gonna havta make nice with Candace, dude.

  Candace finally spoke. “Your father and I are thinking about taking a cruise.” She neatly folded the wax paper around half of her Boca burger. “We’re talking about having the wedding on a cruise ship, on the way up to Alaska.”

  “That’s kinda unusual, isn’t it?” Ted asked.

  “Not really. The captain’s authorized to perform weddings. We’ll have a small ceremony in the chapel on the ship. Sarah’s thinking about going. She’ll be my maid of honor. My parents are coming over from Idaho to go with us. You boys are going to be gone, so you’ll miss it, but maybe we could meet with you somewhere along the way.”

 
“That can’t be Dad’s idea.” Chris stood up from the table and turned to leave. “He never wanted to go on a cruise.”

  “It was my idea. But he liked it.” Candace picked up the remaining wrappers from lunch and carefully wiped the table with a paper napkin. “He thinks it’ll be romantic. It was the only way I could get him away from work for long enough to get married.”

  “Don’t worry about us. We wouldn’t be there anyway.” Chris stepped onto the first rung of the companionway ladder. “It’s sure convenient that Dad’s sending us on a cruise right when you’re going to get married.”

  Ted stared into Chris’ eyes and thought as hard as he could. Lighten up dude, this is your future step-mom. He had always thought that Chris could read his mind. He sure needed to now.

  “Well, your father has ulterior motives.” Candace folded up the cockpit table.

  “Yeah, what’s that?” Chris asked, frozen on the stairs.

  “This is the first cruise of a new kind of cruise ship. The Star of the Northwest. It was built specifically for the Alaska cruise by Scandinavian Cruise Lines. This cruise is going to be a big deal, Hollywood stars, politicians, big business leaders. Your Dad thinks it’ll be good for his business to spend a week with these people.”

  Without another word, Chris descended to the cabin.

  Candace sat for a minute in silence. Ted watched her seethe.

  “You have a good afternoon, Ted. I think I’m done for today.” She climbed off the boat walked up the dock without a backwards look.

  ****

  Seattle, Washington

  Chris and Ted spent the rest of the week getting Defiant ready for the trip. Ted wasn’t surprised that Candace didn’t show up for the remainder of the preparations. It also didn’t surprise him that Meagan didn’t show up to help.

  Their last task was to get the rubber dinghy ready. Chris spliced a new painter while Ted changed the oil on its nine horsepower Honda outboard motor. They were almost ready for their journey.

  “What do you think about your Dad’s wedding, dude?” Ted asked as he lowered the outboard to Chris in the dinghy. “You haven’t said a word about it since the last time we saw Candace.”