“It was a miscalculation.”
“I’m an idiot for giving him so much responsibility.”
Suddenly, a shrill beeping sounded from the bedroom. Ned nearly lost his footing.
The beeping hit a crescendo and then stopped.
Darlene moved first and Ned followed her into the bedroom. He peered at his day bag sitting next to the minifridge. Darlene dug her hand into the bag and pulled out the black tablet.
Thoughts swirled in Ned’s mind. This wasn’t normal. This certainly wasn’t normal. Yermakova would only make contact if something had gone seriously wrong.
Ned reached for the tablet and held it like a fragile stick of dynamite.
Placing his right hand over the tablet’s screen, he felt the warmness of the scanner flit under his palm and fingers. The screen blinked green. Ned removed his hand and adjusted the tablet so its camera lens could scan his face. After that was accepted, he typed in the necessary passcodes known only to him.
That was the point of this operation. Knowledge had to be compartmented. Ned was the true agent on the ground, known to the Russians by the cryptonym: KODIAK.
In his team, Darlene was second-in-command. But the others—the others he paid: Jake, Curtis, Vance, and Tobeluk—they only knew so much. They had no idea where Ned sent the subjects, no idea who Ned worked for, and no idea that Russia was footing the bill.
Ned finally accessed the secure message and instantly felt confused.
“What does it say?”
Ned turned the tablet so Darlene could read before the message would self-erase.
URGENT: Whereabouts and Identity of this INDIVIDUAL needed. Asking KODIAK for any information. Reply IMMEDIATELY.
Below the message was a family picture where James Gale was holding Cassandra Gale’s German shepherd. James Gale’s face was circled in red ink. It looked to be some sort of military graduation.
“They’re interested in the father?” Darlene asked. “Why would they care?”
“I don’t know.”
“Do you think they know about the search? That the Alaskan authorities have gotten involved? They couldn’t have seen it on the news, could they?”
“Again, Darlene. I don’t know.”
“What are you going to reply?”
Ned typed:
INDIVIDUAL is JAMES GALE, the subject’s father. Individual’s whereabouts: Eagle, Alaska, at time of message. Individual is searching for the subject.
Ned hit send and watched the message encrypt itself and disappear from the screen. A minute later, another message arrived.
Send PHOTOGRAPHIC proof of JAMES GALE—IMMEDIATELY.
“How are we going to do that, Ned? It’s the middle of the night.”
Ned shook his head; he was thinking. He knew that the wording, IMMEDIATELY, to his GRU handler actually meant immediately.
As in now.
This moment.
Drop everything and act.
Ned replied that he got the message, then handed the tablet over to Darlene for safekeeping. He hated that thing; modern-day SIGINT intelligence perturbed him. When he was spying for the Soviets, he much preferred the HUMINT meet and greets with Yermakova. It seemed much more secure. Face-to-face. There was a tradecraft to it all. An excitement. This new technology scared him, mostly because he didn’t understand how it all worked. How could he know it wouldn’t be hacked or intercepted?
“The Gales are staying above the Eagle Trading Company, right?”
“Yes.”
“Then we wake them, tell them something to get them outside. I’ll make something up, you take the camera and get a picture of the father. I’ll try to get him under a light.”
“We should wake Jake and Curtis. Curtis is much better with this kind of stuff. He can use his camera with the 800 mm lens.”
“Fine,” Ned said. “I’ll go get them.”
Ned threw on his jacket and stepped into the brisk June air and knocked on Jake and Curtis’s door. He was surprised to find it slightly ajar. Ned walked inside. The room was a mess. The TV was on the floor, the blankets all over the place. He checked the closet, the bathroom.
Jake and Curtis were gone!
Ned ran back into his room. Darlene was tying her hair in a bun and saw the fear on her husband’s face.
“They’re gone!”
“What do you mean they’re gone?”
Darlene ran out and inspected the room herself.
“It was him,” Darlene said. “Him and his men that arrived this evening.”
Of course it was James Gale and those cowboys from Montana who must be behind this disappearing act. Cassandra Gale’s quick-tempered father had suspected Jake and Curtis from the get-go.
“What do we do?” Darlene asked.
Ned walked out of Jake and Curtis’s room and stared at the light glowing from inside of the VPSO’s office down near the shoreline. Sergeant Plant was surely in there, still awake.
“We’re going to do what we’ve been doing all along. Keep our friends close and our enemies closer.”
Chapter 28
CASSIE’S CAMPSITE
Sunday, June 30th, 2:01 a.m.
GALE BREATHED IN the cool night air and looked at the stars glinting like white pinpricks on a black tapestry. The wind rustled the bushes and leaves of the trees around Cassie’s campsite, and Gale tried to focus on his breathing.
To focus on what he was about to do.
Maverick whined at his side and Gale put a protective hand over the dog’s head. He had taken Maverick from the veterinarian clinic earlier in the evening and had driven the dog up to Cassie’s campsite. They’d spent the better part of the night trolling around the adjoining woods, Gale allowing the dog to sniff out anything the searchers might have missed. Then they’d moved down to William French’s campsite and done the same thing. At both campsites, Maverick sniffed the perimeter and then led Gale straight to the Yukon’s shoreline.
They’d found nothing new.
At one a.m., just as the sun had been setting, Gale received word from Petit and Bill Cronin that they had succeeded doing the favor Gale had asked of them and were on their way to Cassie’s campsite.
He checked his watch. It was just after two a.m., and his usual razor-sharp mind was beginning to feel sluggish from sleep deprivation. It had been days since he’d slept more than an hour at a time. He hoped Trask and Emily were able to get the much-needed rest they both deserved.
It’s better they sleep and stay out of this.
He walked over to the pickup truck Bill Cronin had lent him and turned on the headlights.
The high beams flooded the area as Gale heard the rumble of diesel motors coming up the access road.
Gale took Maverick by his lead and made sure that the dog’s collar was secured around his neck.
The plan called for Maverick to not cause bodily harm.
He needed to see the dog’s reaction and the reaction of the men witnessing the dog.
That would show the truth.
Petit and the Davis brothers drove into the campsite first, followed by Cronin.
Gale watched Petit exit the truck, load a clump of Copenhagen in his mouth, and nod at his boss.
Gale nodded back. Petit was wearing a pistol on his hip and had a double-barrel shotgun hanging from a shoulder sling. Gale had insisted that everyone be armed. It added to the intimidation factor. Gale fingered the hilt of his Colt Anaconda as Bill Cronin and three of his men dragged two bound figures from the back of their vehicle.
“Drop them, here,” Gale said, pointing in front of him.
As Cronin’s men dragged Jake and Curtis into the light, Gale watched Maverick’s ears perk up. The dog reared, lunging forward, but Gale yanked at the dog’s lead. Maverick snarled, spittle and foam flying from his mouth. Gale let Maverick rage as Jake and Curtis were placed five feet away.
They squirmed and looked terrified.
The Montanans created a semicircle around the scene.
Gale said, “Maverick, down.”
Maverick suddenly stopped barking and sat down at Gale’s side in a sphinx position.
“Bill,” Gale said, “take your men and head back to town. Take the Davis brothers with you. Alvin, stay with me.”
Cronin collected his men and drove away without a word. When the sound of the trucks dissipated in the cool night air, Petit moved forward and removed the gags from both Jake’s and Curtis’s mouths.
“What the hell are you doing, man!” Curtis yelled. “You can’t do this! It’s kidnapping!”
“We’re not kidnapping you,” Gale said. “We’re borrowing you, so we can have a discussion.”
“When Ned finds out—”
“He isn’t going to find out,” Gale said, and he tugged on Maverick’s lead. The dog stood and Gale led him in a slow circle around the two men. “You boys familiar with war dogs? This here is Maverick, he’s a retired marine. Served three tours with my late son-in-law in Afghanistan. I’d introduce you two to him, but it seems you’ve already met.”
Gale stopped Maverick so the dog was right behind Curtis and Jake. He could almost smell the fear emanating off them.
“While Maverick might be getting old, his mind is still sharp. He listens to his alpha and obeys his every command.” Gale led the dog and had him sit four feet in front of Jake and Curtis. “After Maverick was discharged from service, we took him in. Even went to Germany for two weeks so we could be trained in handling such a dog. There are two people left on this earth who Maverick will take orders from. One of them is me, and the other is my daughter Cassie.”
Gale let her name hang in the air. Both Curtis and Jake had their eyes planted on the ground. Maverick began to snarl again.
“Maverick doesn’t seem to like you two. Any idea why that is?”
Both men shook their heads forcefully.
“Hmm,” Gale said. “Maverick is usually a sweetheart when he’s not working. For him to have such a visceral reaction to you two is… alarming.”
“What are you trying to say, man?” Jake said.
“I’m going to ask a series of questions and you two are going to give me answers, got it?”
Petit walked behind Gale, cradling his shotgun.
Gale said, “Did you two or your crew have anything to do with the disappearance of my daughter?”
Both of them shook their heads.
“Did either of you hurt my dog?”
More shaking of heads.
“It would take quite a person to get the best of Maverick. That dog has over three hundred pounds of bite pressure and he can run like a freight train.”
“We didn’t hurt your damn dog or your daughter, man!” Jake yelled. “You’re fucking crazy. We didn’t do shit!”
Gale looked up at Petit. “You find anything in their rooms?”
“Just this,” Petit said and tossed Gale a white iPhone. “Go in his videos; dumbass doesn’t even have it password protected.”
Gale caught the iPhone, swiped it open, found an open video.
Curtis whimpered.
Gale looked at him. “This phone yours?”
Curtis didn’t say anything but his eyes told Gale everything that he needed to know.
Gale pressed play and he watched as the video focused in on a man wearing red flannel approaching a bar. Gale recognized the man as Jake. Jake leaned against the bar and began talking to a woman that Gale recognized as Cassie.
Gale felt a familiar feeling of anger ripple through him. Sounds of men snickering came from the phone as Gale continued to watch. Then he saw that the other patron sitting next to Cassie was William French. He watched French stand, get sucker-punched by Jake, then watched Cassie jump to her feet, grab Jake by the finger, and slam him over the bar top. The video cut out as Ned ran out of the kitchen.
Gale threw the phone back to Petit, then squatted down in front of Jake and looked him directly in the eyes. “Earlier, back in the VPSO’s office. You smiled at me. Why did you do that?”
“I didn’t fucking smile at you.”
Gale grabbed Jake roughly by his shirt collar and shook him. “Is it because you did something to my daughter? Is it because you knew where she was camping? Maybe you wanted to get back at her for kicking your ass; pride is a delicate thing. Maybe you convinced some of your boys to drive up here and settle the score with Cassie and French—”
“We were at the logging site all week, man!” Curtis sputtered. “Ned was punishing us for the fight!”
“I don’t believe you,” Gale said, and released Jake. “Maverick, heel!” The dog sprang forward and landed in the same sphinx position at Gale’s side. “You two must take me for a fool. Some senile old man who’s losing his grip. But let me tell you something, you two are fucking with the wrong old man.” Gale’s hand went to his holster.
Maverick growled, and Petit said, “Jim.”
Gale continued, inching his face closer to theirs, “You don’t know what I’m capable of when push comes to shove. If I find out that either of you—”
“Jim!”
“What!” Gale snapped, turning to Petit.
“Someone’s coming.”
Gale turned his attention to the access road and could hear the sound of vehicles heading toward them. At first he thought it was Cronin returning, but it sounded like multiple engines.
Gale said, “Alvin, you sure nobody saw you guys?”
“Thought so, we moved quietly in and out.”
Gale swore and grabbed Maverick and had the dog sit farther away from the men. “Untie them,” Gale ordered.
Petit descended on Jake and Curtis and cut their restraints. The two men got to their feet and rubbed at their wrists.
“You’re all so screwed, man,” Jake said, smiling.
Gale licked his lips as four vehicles flew into the campsite. The first two trucks were Cronin’s and Petit’s. The last two were an AST vehicle, then Ned Voigt’s red F-350.
Bill Cronin climbed out of his truck. “Sorry, Jim. They caught us just down the road.”
Sergeant Plant, Trooper Ross, and Mountie Condon flew out of the AST vehicle. Plant marched into the light while Ned and Darlene stayed in the shadows.
Plant roared, “What the hell is going on here?!”
She had her hand on her service weapon, Ross coming up behind her as she stared at Jake and Curtis, then at Gale and Maverick.
“We were just having a little chat,” Gale said.
“Don’t insult my intelligence, Mr. Gale. I saw the state of their motel room.”
“They kidnapped us—” Curtis said.
“They know something they aren’t telling us, Sergeant,” Gale said. “This whole Northern Breeze crew isn’t telling us something; my dog reacted—”
Sergeant Plant scoffed, kept her hand on her service weapon. “They’re not telling you anything because they didn’t do anything.” She pointed a finger at Ross and Condon. “These two just got back from Clinton Creek. They talked to all the workers, viewed all the security footage. These two never left the site until today.”
“They’re lying.”
Plant took out a pair of handcuffs. “Turn around, Mr. Gale.”
Gale saw Petit and Bill Cronin step forward, even Maverick growled. Gale put up a hand to stop his men and silence the dog.
“Mr. Gale, I’m taking you and your men into custody.”
“On what charges?”
“Let’s see: breaking and entering. Kidnapping—”
“I acted alone.”
“We’ll see about that,” Plant said, grabbing Gale’s wrist.
“Now, hold on a second,” Ned said, stepping into the light. “I think we’re overreacting a bit.”
“Ned, they ripped us out of our beds! They kidnapped us!”
“Shut your mouth, Curtis!” Ned snapped.
Maverick started growling again as Ned approached. He stopped walking when he realized it.
“Ain’t no need to put Mr. Gale in cu
ffs, Sergeant—we aren’t gonna be pressing charges.”
“Ned—” Jake said.
Ned turned viciously to the two. “We aren’t pressing charges, ain’t that right, boys?”
Both Jake and Curtis stared at the man coolly—then after a tense moment said, “That’s right.”
“Good. Mr. Gale here has been under an incredible amount of stress. If it was me in his position and you two knuckleheads got in a fight with my daughter—I’d be doing the same thing. Hell, I’d probably done worse.” Ned kicked Curtis in the boot. “You two idiots get in the damn truck.”
After they sulked to the truck and shut the doors, Ned walked to Gale, extended a hand. “I’m willing to let bygones be bygones if you’re willing to.”
Gale stared down at the hand, then to Plant who still held the handcuffs.
“Sergeant?” Ned asked, knowing she was the only one with the power to bless this turn of events.
Plant sighed. “Fine.”
Gale reluctantly took Ned’s hand.
Ned held Gale’s hand firm when Gale tried to release his grip. “Since my crew is cleared, let us help with the search.”
Gale squinted in the harsh headlights, trying to read the unreadable man in front of him. After a moment, Gale said, “Sure, you can help.”
“Then let’s head back and get some much-needed shut-eye.”
As everyone walked back to their vehicles, Gale grabbed Maverick’s lead and walked over to Petit’s truck.
Good, let them stay, Gale thought—he’d seen what he’d needed to see. Maverick had a visceral reaction to Jake, Curtis, and Ned. They had something to do with Cassie’s disappearance, Gale was willing to put his life on it. A dog with Maverick’s training and intelligence wouldn’t steer him away from the truth. The Northern Breeze crew was dirty—and he was going to prove it.
Gale was so consumed in his thoughts that he didn’t notice Darlene snap a picture of him from her phone as he climbed into the truck.
All Gale was thinking about was his next move.
Chapter 29
MOSCOW, RUSSIA
Sleeping Bear Page 16