CHAPTER 6
Customs did go smoothly. Skimmer used the wait to fuel up, so they had time to grab some sandwiches. They were airborne again in less than half an hour.
The de Havilland sailed north, swaying back and forth in the gusts coming off the mountains, sometimes suddenly but more often gently. Matthew was getting used to it, like the rocking of a cradle by an unseen hand. Between clouds and peaks, they steadily made way. Below them the coast of British Columbia unrolled and the sovereignty of towns and roads was gradually relinquished to what might still pass for true wilderness.
“We’re not really getting anywhere with this,” Penny said. “We need to look at the best approach to the situation rather than try for explanations. We don’t have enough to play with yet.”
“Some readings of the vital signs of the leader would help, and I’d certainly like to have a look at some skin samples.”
“Wouldn’t all that be risky?”
He shook his head. “A little, but the Valentina has equipment on board to monitor heartbeats from a distance. I’d be surprised if they weren’t already doing this. To get the tissue samples, we’ll have to get in tight and take a swipe.”
“Do you have much real experience with this?” she asked.
“That was all supposed to happen this next year.”
“Okay,” Skimmer’s voice boomed. “We are about there. The weather is fine, as forecasted, so we’ll touch down no problemo. Check your seat belts, you never know, right? Don’t worry, no disasters planned for today.”
Matthew’s ears popped as they plunged down toward a sheltered cove that seemed much too small for them to land safely. As if sensing his doubts, the cove seemed to suddenly grow wider before them, and the floatplane was soon slapping the tops of low waves. They settled in quickly against the drag of the water.
“Made it again,” Skimmer said, leaning back toward them. He taxied the floatplane across the cove into the mouth of a small harbor and then to the only dock.
Most of the harbor was naturally formed, a small cove within a larger cove. To close it off from the worst of the sea had required only extending the natural points of land. The slopes around them were thick with Douglas fir and cedar, but the crests of mountains beyond could still be seen rising up above the trees. It had the feeling of quiet, even though there were people working all around them. No one was idle, yet no one was rushing. Skimmer tied up the plane where the three could step directly onto a float.
Skimmer got the passenger door open, and Matthew and Penny climbed out.
“Okay folks, here comes your gear. One, two, one, two….” He began to pass baggage through the opening.
Perched at the far end of the dock was a small cedar-sided café named Gabby’s. A few other buildings, houses, and shacks rested on nearby slopes where the land had been cleared of trees. Vessels in a variety of sizes, primarily for fishing, were resting at anchor. Others were pulled up onto the rocky scrabble of a nearby beach.
“We need to contact the Valentina, right away,” Penny said as she put down the last bag. “Too bad we couldn’t have landed right by the ship.”
“Much too rough out there,” Matthew said, his gaze on the ocean’s horizon.
“I’ve done it before,” she said.
“Then your pilot was nuts.”
“Can you contact the Valentina, Matthew?”
He said nothing.
“Matthew?”
He finally glanced toward her and nodded, and fished out the sat-phone.
“Hope that thing works,” she said, as he hit a preset.
“It’s ringing, so I guess—Hello?”
Captain Andrew Thorssen’s voice came on the line surprisingly fast.
“Captain here.”
“Captain, it’s me, Matthew Amati.”
“Where are you?”
“We just landed at Abercrombie. How’s it going today?”
“We’ll be coming by sooner than expected. About two hours, seventeen nautical miles out. Can you make it?”
“It will be close, Captain, but I think we can. I’ll find the man who is going to take us out, right away.”
“Good.”
There was a noticeable pause, then Matthew let his breath out. “Can you say anything? I mean the whales—”
“Wrong time.”
“Okay, we’ll get out there when we can.”
“Be looking,” Thorssen said, followed by a click. The call was over.
“Is everything okay, Matthew?” Penny asked.
“Not sure, but we’ve got to get moving,” Matthew said, almost whispering. “The Valentina is closer than we figured.” He turned toward her. “I’m going to run down that launch, if you can watch everything here.”
“Go ahead, Matthew. I’ll be waiting up in the café.”
“What about the gear?”
“I can take care of it.”
“You sure?”
“Matthew, go.”
“All right,” he said and spontaneously took her hand, then let it go. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
He was about to race up the gangplank from the float to the pier, when Skimmer called out to him. “Watch yourself out in the deep blue, folks.”
The engine started on the last word, drowning out any possibility of a belated thanks, but Matthew waved and mouthed the words anyway.