Black Star Bay

by T C Miller

  “Uh, huh, and half of them are in foreign languages…Besides, we hardly watch TV anyway. Typical male thing…lot’s of channels to surf through, even if there’s nothing to watch.”

  “You never know when you might want to watch old episodes of Airwolf in Spanish or German…Now give me a hug.”

  She reluctantly complied, started to pull away and changed her mind. Pulling him tightly to her, she bent her head back and looked up at him. “You got me…Guess I’m just scared.”

  “Of what? You’re one of the bravest women I know and I’m right here to protect you.”

  “See? That’s what I’m worried about…We didn’t need bullet-proof glass in the house windows or an elaborate alarm system before all of this happened. Although, I do like the steel doors…Nothing short of the Hulk could kick them in.”

  “Exactly…but back to our baby, how do you feel about the work they did?”

  “It’s done…Guess I’ll have to live with it. I guess it’s okay.”

  “I’ll let Banner know when I call him in the morning to check in…See if there’s anything else we need to do.”

  “Speaking of that, is your presentation for the rally done?”

  “More or less. Did the research a long time ago…Just keep going back and refining my speech…Truth is, I really haven’t looked at it much since our little trip to the Bay Area.”

  He stretched his long arm over to the sideboard and grabbed a folder with a stenciled-on title, A Beginner’s Guide to Prepare for a Bus Conversion Project.” I talked to Buck and thirty-four people have signed up in advance for my seminar…Just can’t imagine that many people willing to sit through four boring hours listening to me.”

  “You’ll keep them on the edge of their seats…You could read the phone book and keep their attention.”

  “Yeah, right.”

  “No, I mean it. You’re one of the best public speakers I’ve ever heard.”

  “You mean one of the best bullshitters, right?”

  “Whatever you want to call it, I don’t think you’ll have a problem…Besides, you did a ton of reading…probably know more about it than the pros. ”

  “Well, if I can’t dazzle them with brilliance, guess I’ll baffle ‘em with bullshit…At any rate, I hope they get their money’s worth…Speaking of reading…you look at that mountain of stuff the Director sent over?”

  “Went through most it and made notes. None of it’s new to either one of us…Slightly different terminology…A little change in procedures…Still the same basics. Want to go over it?”

  “Will it wait ‘til mornin’? I’m whipped.”

  “Me too.”

  “Well then, what say we turn out the lights and call it a night?”

  “Sounds good…I’d say ‘race you to bed’ but I’m pretty sure you’d win.” They hurried anyway.

  ABOARDEAGLE ONE,I-80 WEST NORTHERN CALIFORNIA “I don’t think I can do this…let’s turn around and go back home,” Nora said in a quivering voice.”

  “You’re joking, right?” Bart replied.

  “Do I look like I’m joking?”

  “Well no, but…I mean…You know we can’t just call this off…A lot of people are depending on us.”

  “I don’t care…What if I screw up and blow it all to hell? What if Eichner and the rest of them get away because of me? I’m a housewife…I should be attending Officer’s Wives Club meetings and planning fun-raisers for underprivileged kids… Not chasing down smugglers and ex-Soviet spies…And not looking for nuclear weapons…It’s too much.”

  “Look, I know things have been a little tense the past few weeks with all the meetings, the conversion and a horde of people stompin’ around…It’s gotten to both of us, but we can’t let it stop us.”

  “The hell we can’t…Let somebody else do it.”

  “That’s just it…There’s nobody else who can step in and pick up the pieces. It’s probably a case of the jitters…You’ll be fine once we get there.”

  “But what if I’m not?

  “I know you well enough to know you’ll do great…You’ve been undercover before…Didn’t you have doubts before each op started?”

  “Maybe a little…”

  “So you know they’ll go away once we get into it, right?”

  “I suppose so…Guess I should get the bad stuff out now, though…not after the op starts.”

  “Exactly…So, do you still want me to turn around?”

  “Guess not. You’re right, I’ll be better once we get there and I don’t have time to think about it.”

  “That’s my girl. Speaking of thinking and getting there…Do we need to go over our cover story?”

  “Not really…Covers are easy enough, since we’re basically playing ourselves…No need to create an elaborate backstory or anything…Besides, all we’ll be doing, at least in the beginning, is observation, right?”

  “That’s how I understand it and, of course, flush out Eichner if we get the chance.”

  “And if we don’t?”

  “Don’t know for sure…We won’t be making the big decisions…Banner and the Director’ll do all that..”

  “True. Thanks for the reassurance…Although, I still can’t seem to shake this surreal feeling that it’s all a dream…It started out with me going to support you at the seminar…Then, all of a sudden, I’m an operative again…A little hard to wrap my head around.”

  “I understand…Haven’t felt the same since the Alert Pad was breached…Like playing some part in a movie…Only there’s no script.”

  “Exactly…I’d feel a whole lot better if I knew how this’d turn out”

  “I can tell you one thing, baby…The good guys always win and that’s us…So it has to have a happy ending, right?”

  “You betcha, big guy.”

  OFFICE OF THE SENIOR AGENT-IN-CHARGE NSA WEST COAST REGIONAL OFFICE SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA

  The intercom buzzed and John Banner answered with a curt, “What?” Melissa replied with a hint of hesitation, “Sorry to bother you, sir, but Jack Morgan from DEA is on the line for about the fifth time…Told him you’re busy…Says he needs to talk with you ASAP and that it’s critical…What should I tell him?”

  “Sorry…Didn’t mean to bark at you…Seawind Bay op’s starting…Got a thousand things to keep track of…Too busy to deal with some petty DEA agent…You know how Morgan is…thinks he’s James Bond saving the world.” And thinks he owns it because he’s head of the Drug Interdiction Task Force. “Take a message…Tell him I’ll get back to him soon as I’m free.” Not.

  “Tried that…Said to tell you it’s part of the Seawind Bay thing.”

  “He said Seawind Bay?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Put him on.”

  “Line three.”

  He punched the button. “Agent Morgan, this is John Banner…What can I do for you?”

  “And I thought we were on a first-name basis after working together all these years…Although, I’m not sure that working together is the right term.”

  Banner exhaled slowly, “Call it what you want, Jack…I’m in the middle of a dozen things at once…What do you need?”

  “Like I’m not just as busy? For a start, I need to know why the hell you’re screwing up one of my undercover ops, that’s what.”

  “Screwing up?…You’ll have to be a little more specific…Which undercover op and where?”

  “You know the one…Seawind Bay.”

  “C’mon, Jack, you know I can’t discuss ops over the phone, even on a secure line…Make an appointment and I’ll be glad to talk in person.” There was a disconcerting silence and John expected Morgan to explode again. Instead, he could hear him slowly exhaling before he continued.

  “Look, John we’ve known each other a long time… Wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t important. I’m under a shit-load of pressure from the guys upstairs…They want results in hard numbers…interdictions, dollar value of confiscations and how many arrests. Freakin’ b
ean-counters. Been working that area a couple years…Haven’t turned up what I need yet, but so what? It’s a long-term op and some of the pieces are finally starting to fall into place…Got a gut feeling I’m close to something.

  “So what happens? All of a sudden, I got a bunch of pencil-neck geeks breathing down my neck trying to justify their precious budget…And I’m supposed to give them solid numbers. I don’t and they shut down the whole op…Which means a few million bucks in man-hours and costs down the toilet…They’ll be looking for fall guys and my head’ll be the first one on the chopping block…Hear what I’m saying?”

  “You’re coming through loud and clear…So what do you want me to do?”

  “Call off your people…They’re starting to spook the perps… and I mean big time.”

  ABOARDEAGLE ONE,I-80 WEST

  “You don’t have enough money to get me to drive this monster,” Nora said to Bart.

  “Actually, it’s a lot easier than you’d think…In fact, easier in some ways than driving a minivan.” “Yeah, right. Forty feet long, over thirteen feet high and how much did you say it weighs?”

  “A touch over forty thousand pounds. But think about it, it’s got a ten-speed Road Ranger transmission, ceramic clutch and most of all, air brakes…Whole lot easier to control…Plus, rear and side view cameras…And we’re up high enough I can see everything around me…Look at the monitor.” He pointed to the display mounted above the windshield.

  “Have to admit…does seem safer than a car…No blind spots and cars give you a wide berth.”

  “Can you blame them? Nobody in their right mind would want to tangle with something this size…Gives you a feeling of power, sort of like being the king of the road.”

  The words were barely out of his mouth when a pickup cut a sharp angle from the fast-lane—crossed three other lanes—cut the bus off with only a few feet to spare and exited the freeway. Bart hit the brakes and mumbled something unintelligible under his breath.

  “Looks like one of your subjects didn’t get the memo about you being King.”

  They both laughed and Bart replied, “Might could be part of a rebel faction.”

  “Maybe he’s a secret assassin sent to eliminate us before we even start our mission.”

  The smile slowly faded from Bart’s face. “You know, I am worried about that.”

  “Really? Cause I figure he’d have come out far worse than us.”

  “Not the idiot in the pickup…Probably just some repairman late for an appointment. No, I’m concerned about what we may be facing in Seawind Bay…From what we’ve been told, they’re serious smugglers…Guys who won’t hesitate to take out any threat to their operation.”

  Nora interrupted, “Not to mention Eichner, who was going to blow up Lake Tahoe just to make a point…And killed his buddies to cover his tracks.”

  “They weren’t his buddies, only clueless dupes.”

  “The autopsy results showed they were drugged, so maybe they weren’t totally clueless…Maybe they were bored with their lives and looking for a little excitement.”

  “Guess I’ll never understand that…If I get bored with things I take up a new hobby or something.”

  “That you do, Darling, and I love riding your coattails for the thrill.”

  “That’s really what I’m afraid of…That I’ll get you into trouble, whether I mean to or not.”

  “Like I’ve said before, long as you come riding in on your white steed to rescue me, I’ll be just fine.”

  “Want to eat at The Nut House?”

  “Where else?”

  “Figured we would…’bout forty-five minutes away.”

  “You can’t get us there any faster?”

  “Only if this thing had wings and a jet engine.”

  ***

  CHAPTER 12

  OFFICE OF THE SENIOR AGENT-IN-CHARGE NSA WEST COAST REGIONAL OFFICE SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA

  “I know you’re probably not going to believe this…but I don’t have agents in Seawind Bay…Your perps got spooked, it’s somebody else doing it.”

  “Don’t give me that bullshit,” the DEA Agent snapped back. “Who else’d be waltzing around there asking dumb questions?”

  “No idea, but I can tell you for sure, they’re not mine. Try the FBI, INS, USDA…Hell, try the local dog catcher.…Could be anybody. Now I’ve said all I can over the phone…You want more, we have to do it in person.”

  “Actually, that’s a good idea…Be right there.”

  “Wait…I didn’t mean…”

  Ten minutes later, they sat facing each other in the casual armchairs in John’s office. Morgan was the first to speak. “Glad you’re smart enough to see how important it is to share intel.”

  “Don’t kid yourself…I haven’t shared anything…and may not. Were you sitting in front of the building when you called? Took you less than five minutes to pull up to the gate.”

  “No…coffee shop down the street…Don’t you see how important this is? I took the chance we could meet instead of beating around the bush.”

  “Call it what you will, I don’t like being manipulated.”

  “Understood…but I’m only trying to help both of us. These aren’t your run-of-the-mill smugglers…They seem to be connected at the highest levels.”

  “You said on the phone the perps were spooked…What makes you think so?”

  “My guy says the leader has suddenly become way too nervous…Shut down most of the operation and called both trawlers in…Usually keeps one in international waters for an escape…Don’t know if there’s a big shipment coming in, or if he’s getting ready to rabbit…Either way, this isn’t the time to make him nervous…I need to catch him red-handed and that ain’t gonna happen if he’s suddenly on the run…Know what I mean?”

  “I hear what you’re saying, but let’s back up a step or two…What makes you think they’re running drugs?”

  “You serious? They show up out of nowhere and start spending hundreds of thousands on real estate and a few million for equipment…You think a rich aunt died and left it to them? It’s got to be coming from somewhere…Drugs are the most likely source. Plus, we get paid to keep an eye on the drug trade…We’re seeing a sizeable increase in traffic in the surrounding area…Tens of millions in street value in just the last few months…That’s why we’re concentrating on that area.”

  “My sources tell me the drug trade has all but dried up lately and you’re telling me it’s increasing…I don’t understand the discrepancy.”

  “I don’t know who you’re talking to, but they got their head up their ass…Can’t go into detail, but our master computers have a program that tracks drug activity nationally…Creates a matrix that correlates undercover purchases and traces it back to a likely source. We’re seeing more foreign stuff than ever and it’s coming from somewhere…Everything in the area seems to have gone up since this crew set up shop.”

  “Any increases in other types of contraband?”

  “Like what?”

  “Electronics or computer parts.”

  “No idea…we don’t look for that kinda stuff. If we see it,

  we call in Customs…Why, what you got?”

  “Just some anomalies in radio and telephone intercepts,

  that’s all.”

  “Sure…You happen to pick up a few stray phone calls and

  all of a sudden you feel like devoting a bunch of time and

  money to one small town? I was born at night, but it wasn’t last night…Something else is going on…Want to let me in on the big secret?”

  NORTH STAR RV PARK

  REDWOOD HAVEN, CALIFORNIA “Mister, uh, Colonel Winfield, I want to personally welcome you to the First Annual Redwood RV Rally. Buck Farmer, owner of the booming voice, shook Bart’s hand up and down so much he was afraid he might suffer bodily harm.

  “Thank you, sir…Glad to be here and help out in any way I can. Been to a few rallies…Seems like you got a pretty good turnout.”


  “Lot of it’s due to seminars like yours…Gives people an excuse to get their rig out and drag ‘em here…Not that they need much excuse…Lot of ‘em are retirees looking for a good way to spend their time and have some fun in the process…Now what can we do to help you get ready for your talk?”

  “Not a whole lot. I have some handouts to give to people, but I brought enough copies for everyone. You said you had a bunch of people sign up…Any of them ask a lot of questions about me…like where I’m from or where I work?”

  “Not that I recall, but then my wife does most of the sign-ups. She’s over in the office if you want to ask her.” “No, sir, I don’t recall anybody asking a lot of questions,” Carol Farmer replied to Bart’s question. “I put what you sent me in the brochure…That seemed to satisfy most people. There was one gentlemen who said he’d met you before someplace, but I don’t remember where.”

  “Really? You wouldn’t happen to remember his name, now, would you?”

  “Oh, gosh, I don’t know…I’ve talked to a lot of people the last month or so…Rally members, vendors, suppliers…Name slips my mind at the moment.”

  “Bless your little heart, I understand. If you happen to remember, would you be a darlin’ and let me know? We’re in Space R-42, but then, you’d know that, wouldn’t you?”

  “Sure would, since I’m the one who gives out the spots. I’ll work on it, but I have a couple hundred names running through my head…Maybe after things settle down a bit.”

  “Sure would appreciate it…Right now though, I think we’re gonna run over to Seawind Bay and poke around a little.”

  “We do stock a few things in our store…Anything in particular you need?”

  “Not really. We’ve heard about it…Thought we might do a little sightseeing…Maybe catch dinner.”

  “It’s scenic, but be careful…Roads get a little twisty between here and there.”

  “If we’re not back by this evening, you call out the cavalry, hear?”

  OFFICE OF THE SENIOR AGENT-IN-CHARGE NSA WEST COAST REGIONAL OFFICE SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA