Richard Johnson - Deadly Cargo - A Chilling Naval Terrorism Thriller

Still, no matter how much he enjoyed his brief debate with the American, it was at the same time disgusting, for he was dealing with an enemy. America was an enemy to be destroyed, not converted through debate and reason. America was more than merely an infidel nation: it represented all that was evil in the world. Offensive as it was for Husam al Din to be in such close contact with an American, to achieve his goal he would, if necessary, exploit an American like Josh Adams. His final thought before sleep overtook him was that being able to use one American to kill thousands, perhaps millions, of other Americans was going to be especially sweet.

San Blas Islands, Eastern Caribbean

“Maria Elena, it is time to go.” The small woman’s voice carried from the edge of the palm forest, across the beach to shallow water where two girls stood knee deep looking for tiny cone shells. Her straight black hair was cut across her forehead, leaving a hard line of bangs. From her nose hung the traditional gold Cuna nose ring and the ridge of her nose wore a straight line that ran from bridge to tip. She was dressed in a bright red mola blouse and a blue skirt that hung to her sandaled feet.

“Oh, Cadee, I will miss you,” the brown-skinned Indian girl moaned. “You are the best friend I have.”

Cadee Plover opened her arms wide and the two girls hugged. “And I shall miss you, too,” Cadee moaned. “But who knows, maybe my dad and mom will want to come back here again. This is such a beautiful place.”

“Maria Elena,” the woman said softly as she walked into the water to join the girls, hiking her skirt to her knees. “It’s almost time for your lessons. The school will not wait.”

“I know, Mama,” the girl bowed her head in submission to the schedule. Then she brightened. “Cadee said maybe her family can come back again sometime. Wouldn’t that be nice?”

“Yes, it would,” the older woman said. “Cadee, I have made a gift for your family. Will you please give this to your mother?” She unfolded a large square of cotton cloth that was hand-decorated with intricate reverse-stitch embroidery. “This mola tells of our family history. Maybe when you look at it you will remember us.”

“Oh, thank you. This is so beautiful. We will never forget you,” Cadee cried as she hugged the woman. “You have been so kind to us. I know my mom and dad and my brother Jacob wanted to be here to say goodbye, but they went to buy provisions for the next leg of our voyage. I’m supposed to meet them at the pier in an hour. Actually, I think Jacob wanted to say goodbye to the store owner’s daughter.” She laughed.

“Ah, yes,” said Mrs Morales, “she is a nice girl. I have seen the interest in Jacob’s eyes when he looks at her.” This set them all to giggling. “Now, we must go. We have far to walk to get back to the village school. I know it is hard to say goodbye, but don’t be long, my daughter.” The woman turned and walked back up the beach, put on her sandals and disappeared into the cluster of palms.

“I’ll be right there, Mama,” the girl called. Then she turned to Cadee with a look of serious concern. “I know I am only 10 and you are 11, and you may think of me as only a child, but…”

“No I don’t,” Cadee insisted. “I know what it feels like to be treated like a child. Jacob does that to me sometimes. Being 17, he thinks he is so grown up.” She rolled her eyes.

“I must tell you something important,” Maria Elena interrupted. “Be careful where you are going. There are islands where there is no law, no government protection. There are pirates.”

Cadee looked surprised. “You’re kidding. Pirates of the Caribbean?” She laughed. But Maria Elena didn’t laugh, and Cadee saw that her friend hadn’t caught the humor in it. “You know, Pirates of the Caribbean – like at Disneyland. It’s a joke.”

“I am not telling a joke,” Maria Elena said, more serious than before. “I do not know about this place you call Disneyland, but there are very bad pirates out in some of those islands where you will be sailing. You must be careful. Do not stop at those islands.”

“What do the pirates do?” Cadee asked as the girls walked back up the beach and slipped into their sandals.

“They steal everything. I have been told that they even steal children, then sell them. And if you try to stop them, they will kill you. They have machetes and guns, and they have no soul.”

Cadee was quiet for a moment, thinking about all this. She looked into the eyes of her new friend, then wrapped her arms around her again. “Thank you for warning me. This is a very serious matter, and I will tell all this to my father. I promise.”

“Tell your mother and your brother, too. They all must know of the danger. I do not want anything bad to happen to your family.”

“I will,” Cadee whispered as they hugged.

“You will be in my prayers every night and every morning,” Maria Elena promised.

“And you will be in mine,” Cadee agreed. “If we pray for each other, we should be able to stay out of trouble, don’t you think?”

“I believe that will help,” Maria Elena said. “Now, I must hurry to my lessons. God be with you.” The young Cuna girl turned and ran into the cluster of palms, clutching her hands to her face, hiding the tears.

“And with you,” Cadee said under her breath, as she waved at the spot where her friend had disappeared through the foliage.

“So, you’re heading for the Rio Dulce?” Sven Nielsen was the proprietor of the closest thing to a store on Ychutupu island, a crossroads for cruising sailors passing through this tropic archipelago. The store was just a large palm-thatched hut, blending perfectly with local architecture, but a rough sign hung out front that read ‘Viking Mall’. Sven had been in the San Blas for twenty-two years, after leaving his native Denmark on a 32-foot ketch, with a dream of sailing around the world. He got this far, looked around and decided he’d gone as far as he needed to go. Why go looking for paradise when I’m already here? he reasoned.

“Yeah, that’s the plan,” Dan Plover nodded as he laid his list on the counter. “We need to stock up on a few more things before we get so far up the jungle river that we can’t get back for a re-supply. Nicole hates running out of stuff like toothpaste and floss,” Dan smiled.

“If it were me,” – Sven looked up from the list – “I’d wait a while before leaving.”

Dan forgot about the list and looked at the tall Dane. “Sounds like you’re trying to tell me something.”

“I know your Gemini is a good, seaworthy boat, and she rides nice and comfortable on the water, being a cruising catamaran, but I still wouldn’t risk it with the storm. Especially with a family on board.”

“What storm?” Dan asked. “I must have missed something.

“Well, there is no storm yet. Maybe there won’t be one.”

A tone of concern was in Dan’s voice. “I thought most of the tropical storms this time of year were farther east and north.”

“That is true. But this is a quirky time of year, and you just never know.”

“So, if there’s no storm, what are you worried about?”

“I’ve been here, let’s see…” – he stared at the ceiling and started counting on his fingers – “…what year is it anyway? I tend to lose count. Oh yeah, I got it. I’ve been here twenty-two years, and in that time I’ve kept track of the bad blows that swept through the area where you’re heading. Right here, we’re far enough south to be out of the storm track, but farther north you could get hammered. I’m just saying I wouldn’t go right now. But you know what they say about advice: it’s free, and maybe it’s worth what you pay for it.”