forward again as the driver eased them closer. Vanessa put a hand on Jimmy’s shoulder. “Not to worry. Old Ben here is one of the best pilots around this place. And even better, he’s an old friend. We’ve got nothing to worry about.”
“Nice to meet you,” said Jimmy. But Ben only smiled and kept his eyes straight ahead.
Jimmy glanced at Vanessa. “Is he okay?”
“He can’t talk,” said Vanessa. “Ben was a prisoner of war in Vietnam. They tried to make him tell his secrets, but he refused. So they cut his tongue out as a way of ensuring he’d never speak again.”
“God-“
Vanessa nodded. “He’s a good man, and he’s helping us, which makes him all the better. He’ll never tell our foes what we’ve been up to.”
Ben pulled the motorboat close to the stairs leading down from the deck and Vanessa waved at one of the deckhands who threw a rope down. She caught it and then used it to pull them closer to the freighter.
“We can’t linger here,” said Vanessa. “It’s critical we get on-board as quickly as possible.”
As if to underscore that point, the freighter suddenly let loose a deep thrum from somewhere in its belly as the engines started to come to life. Vanessa led the way and she and Jimmy stepped onto the stairs. Jimmy sped up the steps with Vanessa behind him.
They stepped on to the deck and looked back down, but Merlin had already untied the rope to Ben’s boat and they were reversing away from the freighter. “Isn’t Merlin coming with us?”
Vanessa shook her head. “I’m afraid not. She needs to stay here and look after some other business of ours. But not to worry, I’m sure you’ll see her again. She’s quite fond of you, I can tell.”
“Yeah, right.”
“I'm serious. She respects the fact you let her know she bunged up and came too close with her shot.”
Jimmy watched a breeze blow Merlin's hair about her shoulders and caught the twinkle in her eye as she waved at him. “Another time, then,” he said quietly.
Ben’s boat disappeared back into the harbor, rounding the stern of the freighter and then vanishing into the inky darkness. From overhead, he heard the steady beat of chopper blades.
“Coast Guard,” said Vanessa. “It’s time we went below decks. Not that they necessarily know what they’re looking for, but it would be better if we weren’t seen on deck.”
Jimmy nodded and let himself be led over to the main door into the superstructure. So this was going to be his home for the next couple of weeks? It seemed almost too bizarre to believe.
But after everything else that he’d been through in the last two days, he supposed it wasn’t quite that unusual.
“We’ll be coming back here, won’t we?”
Vanessa nodded. “Absolutely. But first, we’ve got a long journey ahead of us. And a lot of challenges as well.”
Jimmy looked one last time, saw the city lights far off in the distance, and then turning back stepped into his new world.
Chapter Eleven
The Kage Maru made good time pulling out of the port of Los Angeles. While Coast Guard helicopters buzzed the area searching for the bodies of a teenage boy and woman, no one noticed the 189-meter long cargo ship slipping out of the port en route to Tokyo, Japan.
Technically, the Kage Maru was designated a Handymax cargo ship, meaning it carried, on average, roughly 54,000 deadweight tonnage of dry goods. Measuring about six football fields in length, it spanned almost one hundred feet in width. Four cranes positioned along the ship would help move the containers during docking and were capable of lifting up to 30 tons.
The ship contained five cargo holds normally packed with everything from televisions and electronics from China and Japan to clothing from Southeast Asia and foodstuffs from all over the Pacific. All of the cargo was destined for shelves in the massive superstores in the United
“Nice to meet you,” said Jimmy. But Ben only smiled and kept his eyes straight ahead.
Jimmy glanced at Vanessa. “Is he okay?”
“He can’t talk,” said Vanessa. “Ben was a prisoner of war in Vietnam. They tried to make him tell his secrets, but he refused. So they cut his tongue out as a way of ensuring he’d never speak again.”
“God-“
Vanessa nodded. “He’s a good man, and he’s helping us, which makes him all the better. He’ll never tell our foes what we’ve been up to.”
Ben pulled the motorboat close to the stairs leading down from the deck and Vanessa waved at one of the deckhands who threw a rope down. She caught it and then used it to pull them closer to the freighter.
“We can’t linger here,” said Vanessa. “It’s critical we get on-board as quickly as possible.”
As if to underscore that point, the freighter suddenly let loose a deep thrum from somewhere in its belly as the engines started to come to life. Vanessa led the way and she and Jimmy stepped onto the stairs. Jimmy sped up the steps with Vanessa behind him.
They stepped on to the deck and looked back down, but Merlin had already untied the rope to Ben’s boat and they were reversing away from the freighter. “Isn’t Merlin coming with us?”
Vanessa shook her head. “I’m afraid not. She needs to stay here and look after some other business of ours. But not to worry, I’m sure you’ll see her again. She’s quite fond of you, I can tell.”
“Yeah, right.”
“I'm serious. She respects the fact you let her know she bunged up and came too close with her shot.”
Jimmy watched a breeze blow Merlin's hair about her shoulders and caught the twinkle in her eye as she waved at him. “Another time, then,” he said quietly.
Ben’s boat disappeared back into the harbor, rounding the stern of the freighter and then vanishing into the inky darkness. From overhead, he heard the steady beat of chopper blades.
“Coast Guard,” said Vanessa. “It’s time we went below decks. Not that they necessarily know what they’re looking for, but it would be better if we weren’t seen on deck.”
Jimmy nodded and let himself be led over to the main door into the superstructure. So this was going to be his home for the next couple of weeks? It seemed almost too bizarre to believe.
But after everything else that he’d been through in the last two days, he supposed it wasn’t quite that unusual.
“We’ll be coming back here, won’t we?”
Vanessa nodded. “Absolutely. But first, we’ve got a long journey ahead of us. And a lot of challenges as well.”
Jimmy looked one last time, saw the city lights far off in the distance, and then turning back stepped into his new world.
Chapter Eleven
The Kage Maru made good time pulling out of the port of Los Angeles. While Coast Guard helicopters buzzed the area searching for the bodies of a teenage boy and woman, no one noticed the 189-meter long cargo ship slipping out of the port en route to Tokyo, Japan.
Technically, the Kage Maru was designated a Handymax cargo ship, meaning it carried, on average, roughly 54,000 deadweight tonnage of dry goods. Measuring about six football fields in length, it spanned almost one hundred feet in width. Four cranes positioned along the ship would help move the containers during docking and were capable of lifting up to 30 tons.
The ship contained five cargo holds normally packed with everything from televisions and electronics from China and Japan to clothing from Southeast Asia and foodstuffs from all over the Pacific. All of the cargo was destined for shelves in the massive superstores in the United
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