The Silent Sea (Oregon Files 7)

Juan blew out a breath. “Okay. Don’t sweat it. Max and I will think of something.”

“May I ask what?” Eric said.

“God, no. I’m winging it here.”

For the next hour, they created a list of equipment the pair might need and went about filling it. What couldn’t be purchased in Port Angeles would be delivered from Seattle. By the time they were done, a delivery van was headed to Forks from Washington’s queen city and a small ferry was under way from Port Angeles and would pick up Max and Cabrillo at the fishing pier in the town of La Push. That coastal village was just a few miles north of Pine Island. The only problem was that they would lose another day because the sophisticated underwater communications equipment was coming in as airfreight from San Diego.

When it was all said and done, there was an additional forty thousand dollars’ worth of charges on the Chairman’s Amex, but, as he’d always believed, problem solved.

Hopefully.

He asked about the crew’s morale, especially Mike Trono’s. Eric said, “He spent an hour or so after the service talking with Doc Huxley.” She was the Oregon’s de facto shrink. “He says he’s fit for active duty. Linda cleared it with Hux, so he’s back working with the rest of the fire-breathers.”

“Probably for the best. Staying busy is a hell of a lot better than sitting still.” Cabrillo knew that he was taking his own advice. “We’ll call you when we’re set up on Pine Island. I assume you want video feed when we’re there.”

“Hell yes,” they said in unison.

Juan killed the connection and refolded his computer. Their deliveries from Seattle and Port Angeles arrived late in the afternoon, so it wasn’t until the following morning that Max and Cabrillo headed for La Push. The ferry was a couple hours late because of wind, but they made the transfer quickly, driving the re-tired SUV onto the boat from the dock. With a capacity of only four vehicles and a relatively flat bottom, the ferry was at the mercy of the sea. The ride down to Pine Island was a battle between the boat’s diesel engine and the waves that crashed over the bow. Fortunately, the captain knew these waters and handled his charge very well.

He was also being paid to forget this trip ever took place.

The approach to Pine Island went smoothly because its only beach was alee of the wind. They could only get about forty feet from shore before they had to lower the front ramp. Juan estimated they were in at least four feet of water.

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bsp; He looked across to see that Max was strapped in before backing the Explorer to the very back of the ferry. “Ready?”

Hanley tightened his grip on the armrest. “Hit it.”

Juan mashed the gas pedal, and the Ford’s tires chirped against the deck. The heavy truck shot across the ferry and raced down the ramp. It hit the ocean in a creaming wall of water that surged over the hood and then over the roof, but there was enough momentum to shoulder most of it aside. The weight of the engine dragged the nose down, allowing the front tires to find purchase on the shale seabed.

It wasn’t elegant, and the motor was sputtering by the time the grille emerged from the water, but they made it. Juan bulled the SUV up onto the beach, shouting and cajoling the truck until all four tires were on solid ground.

“You enjoyed that, didn’t you?” Max was a little paler. Juan shot him a grin. “And have you considered how we’re going to load this thing back on the ferry when we’re done?”

“As you may recall, I got the full insurance package when I filled out the rental forms. Today is not Budget Rent A Car’s lucky day.”

“Should have told me that, otherwise I would have bought retreads rather than new tires.”

Juan blew out a breath like a long-suffering spouse. “We never talk anymore.”

He parked just above the tide line. They had discussed the possibility that the Argentines would anticipate them coming to Pine Island and lay a trap. While Max got some equipment together, Juan scanned the beach for any sign that someone had come ashore recently. The shale tiles looked undisturbed. There were no depressions like the ones his feet made with every step. He knew from talking with Mark and Eric that this was the only place where someone could gain access to the island, so he felt pretty confident that no one had set foot here in a long time.

They had brought battery-powered remote motion detectors that could send a wireless alert to Cabrillo’s laptop. He hid several of them on the beach, facing inland so the motion of waves hitting shore wouldn’t trigger them. It was the best they could do with only two people.

The tract leading to the pit was heavily overgrown, and it taxed the SUV’s off-road capabilities to the limit. Small trees and shrubs vanished under the front bumper and scraped against the undercarriage. They saw evidence that people did continue to visit Pine Island despite the property being posted off-limits. There were several fire pits where local teens camped. Detritus of parties littered the clearings, and long-faded initials were carved in some trees.

“This must be the local version of lovers’ lane,” Max remarked.

“Just so long as you don’t get any ideas,” Juan grinned.

“Your virtue is safe.”

The area immediately around the pit was little changed from when the Ronish brothers came here that first time in December of 1941, with one notable exception. A steel plate had been bolted over the opening into the rock. It was badly rusted, having been exposed to the elements for the past thirty-plus years since it was installed at James Ronish’s insistence, but still remained solid. Mark had warned them about this, and they had come prepared.

The real difference lay just offshore, where concrete pylons had been driven across the mouth of a narrow inlet. When Dewayne Sullivan tried to drain the pit, they had blocked off the bay because it was the most likely source of the water that defeated his pumps every day. The inlet had since refilled, but the water looked stagnant, meaning the cofferdam kept it from mixing with the ocean.

Juan started unloading equipment while Max lugged an oxyacetylene cutting torch to the large piece of steel. The plate itself was too thick to slice efficiently, so he attacked the bolt heads. With the torch burning at over six thousand degrees, the bolts didn’t stand a chance. He cut off all eight, and silenced the hissing torch. The smell of scalded metal was quickly whipped away by the steady offshore breeze.