Lost Voyage (5 page)

Mercer was intrigued by what he had read in the port log and was curious about what had happened to the U.S. mail steamship that was forced to dock in the town.

They took a few minutes to take in their surroundings and were about to head back when Vigil asked, “You up for a little hike to the lake?”

“Six miles is more than a little hike. I say we head back to town and get the truck. We can go to the lake from there. Besides, I want to make a call and do a little checking into this boat that may have disappeared.”

Vigil agreed, “Yea, a truck ride sounds better than walking in this heat anyway. What do you think happened to the ship?”

Mercer thought for a moment. “I don’t know. But whatever it was, the answer to that question might be lying out there, somewhere under a pile of rock and dirt and inside a ship that hasn’t been seen in over a hundred years.”

7

Dallas Marks was sitting in his study overlooking Eagle Harbor. From his vantage point, he could see the Seattle skyline on the other side of Puget Sound. His home on Bainbridge Island sat on the edge of the harbor and offered many spectacular views of the area. He had lived here for over five years now since he was assigned to his position as Head of Environmental Research for NESA.

His office was located in downtown Seattle on pier sixty six, but he opted to work from home most of the time, making an appearance at his actual workplace maybe once or twice a week. He had everything he needed here for work and didn’t see the need to get up and make the ferry trip every morning when he could just roll out of bed and work from the comfort of his own dwelling.

He would make the trip to the Emerald City when Hunt requested it, or if there was a mandatory meeting, but other than that, he had the blessings of his employer to take care of his workload wherever he saw fit to do so. He could access the computer mainframe from the office while in his own study, where he spent most of his day anyway, and he had never failed to deliver results up to this point.

He had just finished reading an email from his employer discussing the events that had taken place in Nicaragua, informing him that Mercer and Vigil would be staying behind to finish gathering samples, when his phone rang.

Dallas didn’t recognize the number on his caller ID, but decided to answer it anyway since it would most likely be work related at this time of day. He did, however, instantly identify the voice on the other end once he heard it.

Dallas replied cheerfully, “Sean, my friend. I was just reading an email from the Colonel about your findings. How are you?”

“I’m good, Dallas. Thank you. Pat and I are just wrapping up down here.”

Dallas had a concerned tone in his voice. “Is everything okay down there? I hope you guys aren’t in any danger.”

Mercer assured him, “We’re fine, old friend. Pat and I decided to stay behind and finish up. There was no sense in having anyone else here in case trouble started brewing. Besides, Pat’s a big boy. He can handle himself if need be.”

Dallas’ tone became more playful after being guaranteed by his friend that all was well. “Well, I have no doubts you can take care of yourselves, but Pat still owes me fifty dollars from the last time we played poker. It would be a shame to not be able to collect.”

They both shared a laugh before Dallas continued, “But in all seriousness, please take care of yourselves.”

“Will do,” Mercer said, still laughing. “And I’ll make sure he personally delivers that fifty bucks. I actually have another reason for calling. I stumbled upon something down here and I was wondering if you wouldn’t mind doing a little research for me.”

“Anything at all. Just name it.”

Over the next few minutes, Mercer described the port log and the name of the ship which may have been lost during the volcanic eruption. Dallas told him he would get right on it, and that he should have some information by the end of the day.

***

Mercer and Vigil arrived at Lake Managua in the early afternoon. They were in awe as they looked up at Mount Momotombo from the shore at such a short distance.

There were a few people wading in the shallow waters on the edge of the lake. Some children were splashing water at each other, while others just sat in the sand and patchy grass on the shore.

After talking to Mendoza for most of the morning, both men were eager to search for the original town of Tamarindo. Colonel Hunt had already sent a few members of the team to gather samples from the lake a few days earlier, so Mercer felt no need to collect any further data from the water at this spot.

Mendoza had told them exactly where the old town was built, but Mercer wanted to come in from the river entrance to try and pinpoint the flow of the blast and follow the wave of its destruction. After taking in the beauty of the lake, they got back in the NESA Jeep and headed inland. It was a fairly quick five mile trip, which took them to the site where the decimated town once stood.

Mercer and Vigil got out of the truck and started scouring the area for any signs that would lead them to the lost ship, if it had not in fact made it out of port.

“It’s like looking for a needle in a haystack,” Vigil commented.

“More like a needle in four haystacks,” Mercer quipped. “It’s been over a hundred and fifty years. Over a century of dirt and growing trees on top of the already lying ash and rock that initially covered the town. We may never find any trace of the town or any ship. Who knows if the ship was even still in port at the time the mountain blew? We could be searching for something that’s not even there. I think we should just wait until we hear back from Dallas and see what he finds. We at least know where to look now, but the sun’s going down and we may have a certain someone looking for us. Maybe being out in the dark jungle isn’t the best place to be caught with our pants down.”

His partner agreed and they headed back to the Jeep. It took them about half an hour to get back to town. They decided to rent a room at the local hotel rather than pitch the tent back at the makeshift base. Vigil had been talking about wanting to sleep on an actual mattress, and Mercer found it hard to argue with what seemed to be a valid point.

***

The wakeup call Mercer had asked for went off at seven fifteen the next morning. He sat up and looked over at his partner, who was still snoring and sound asleep. He threw a pillow at his friend, but Vigil didn’t even shift a thumb as the pillow hit him in the face. Finally deciding on going over to shake him out of his sleep, he woke his sleepy comrade and told him he had fifteen minutes to get ready.

Vigil quickly responded, “Well, that gives me ten more minutes to sleep then.”

Mercer made another attempt to get his friend out of bed. He grabbed the glass of water sitting on the nightstand and splashed him with its contents. This time, Vigil sat up abruptly and shook off the night’s sleep.

“Well, no need to shower now,” he quipped. “Let’s go eat.” The two men were dressed and out the door ten minutes later.

After a quick breakfast, Vigil went to the local market to get food and water for the day, while Mercer decided to make a call.

“Good morning, Sean,” the voice on the other end of the line said.

“Good morning to you, Dallas. Were you able to find anything on the ship?”

Dallas answered, “A little. There was indeed a ship named the Alyssa Marie that went missing in September of eighteen fifty seven. She was a mail steamship that was en route from San Francisco to Panama City when she went missing. It was presumed the ship was lost at sea during a storm, but every search turned up nothing.”

Mercer interrupted, “Probably turned up nothing because it wasn’t lost at sea.”

Dallas interjected again, “So, you see where I’m going with this then, and I agree with you as you seem to have seen proof the ship did indeed dock at the port in Tamarindo. The harbor master would’ve taken the port log with him onto the ship once the Captain offered him safe passage from the area. It's a miracle it survived the devastation.”

Mercer took in what Dallas had just told him. “So, we can’t be sure, but it would seem the ship never made it out of the town. The odds are too great to think otherwise.”

“Are you ready for the kicker?” Dallas asked.

Curious, Mercer said, “If there‘s a kicker, I can’t wait to hear it.”

“There was a ship in San Francisco that unloaded a large shipment of gold onto another vessel. The initial ship was overloaded and the skipper of that vessel apparently made arrangements with the Captain of the Alyssa Marie in order to transport the excess weight for them. It was agreed upon, as they would be pulling into port only a few days later, and he took on the extra cargo.”

Mercer could sense where Dallas was going with this, but he listened on without interrupting as the story continued.

“It turns out there was no documentation filed. The disappearance of the gold only came to light after the Alyssa Marie didn't port in Panama City. As it turns out, it was a pretty common practice in those days to allow other ships to carry excess cargo loads they couldn’t handle. The Great Northern Lights Company was the owner of the first ship and had approved the unloading onto the Alyssa Marie.”

Mercer butted in. “So, the gold went down with the ship. It was never found because they were looking in the wrong place all along. There’s a ship filled with gold lying underneath the Nicaraguan jungle and nobody has any clue as to its whereabouts. How much was transported?”

“Get ready for this,” Dallas said with an excited twang in his voice. “Apparently ten thousand pounds of gold was dumped onto the ship that disappeared. I did the math on the value of the gold today. It would be worth over one hundred and eighty five million dollars by today’s standards.”

Mercer was stunned by the staggering number. “And what if someone were to find this gold?” he asked.

“Well, it would then become the property of said finder.”

Mercer knew he had to find the gold and return it back to its rightful owners, even if it was over a hundred years past its arrival time. “We need to find this ship, Dallas. Or it may go undiscovered forever. A find like this would be monumental. Pat and I will do a little more surveying of the area and see what we can come up with. In the meantime, will you see if the company that owned the first boat is still in business?”

“Already ahead of you, Sean, I looked into it and they are indeed still in business. They moved their location further up the coast about fifty years ago. They’re now based out of Boston. I’ll try and get ahold of someone there and see what I can find out. Be careful, Sean. Please keep me up to date with what you find.”

“Thank you, Dallas. I'll be in touch soon.”

As quickly as Mercer put down the phone after his conversation with Dallas, he picked it right back up to call his employer. He discussed their findings and explained how he and Pat were going to try and uncover the location of the Alyssa Marie.

Hunt had some news for Mercer as well. “We got some results back from the samples we collected. What you uncovered in the jungle may be playing a part in the pollution of the river.”

“What is it, Colonel?”

Hunt replied, “Gastroenteritis, a very dangerous bacteria, is seeping into the river from the creeks upstream and it’s trickling down the waterway and causing the health problems. This is the number one indicator there are more mass graves near where you found the one you did.”

Mercer commented, “The bodies we discovered may just be the tip of the iceberg. If there are more bodies buried in shallow mass graves too close to the water source, then the bacterial and viral infections they are facing down here could be just the beginning.”

Hunt expressed his misgivings, “Sean, this isn’t something you should get involved in. I’ll make some calls and we’ll let the local government handle this.”

“Understood, sir. We’re still going to try and find the ships location, if that’s okay with you.”

“You still have a day left according to our agreement,” Hunt replied. “If you find anything, we’ll discuss further options at that point. Be careful, Sean. Call me with any breakthroughs.”

“How’s Ms. Lundy, Colonel?” Mercer asked.

“I personally saw to it that she was on her way back to Portland this morning. She’s doing well, all things considered,” Hunt answered reassuringly. He then said goodbye and hung up on his end.

Mercer hung up the phone just as Vigil was walking in from his return trip to the market. The two discussed what Dallas and Hunt were able to come up with.

Vigil, to no surprise, was on board to find the ship and the lost gold. They got into the Jeep and headed back out to the site where the original town of Tamarindo once stood.

As they pulled out of the parking lot, a man who was sitting in the lobby of the hotel got up from his chair and walked outside. Once the two men he was spying on were out of sight, he went back inside, picked up the phone and dialed a number

When a voice on the other end answered, the man said, “Andres, it’s Kervin. I have found them.”

8

The NESA Jeep was leaving a dust trail behind as it sped down the narrow roadway. The thick foliage made visibility limited to about a hundred feet in every direction at any given time, and the sun was still glaring down on them. It was becoming hotter by the minute, but relief looked to be in sight with a line of clouds moving in from the horizon.

Vigil was behind the wheel as Mercer looked over a map of the area. He was eating a quick snack from the bag which his partner had bought just a short while earlier. After a few minutes, he folded the map and put it in the glove compartment, all the while checking the side mirror on the passenger side.

“That’s the third time I’ve seen you glance at that mirror,” Vigil said. “Are you looking for anything in particular?”

Mercer smirked. “Just keeping an eye on our tail back there.”

Vigil took a quick peek at the rearview mirror and said, “Well, you would think whoever it is would try and be a little more inconspicuous than to drive around in a big black SUV while trailing someone.”

“I think the point is to let us know they’re back there,” replied Mercer. “I saw them back at the hotel while I was on the phone. One in particular didn’t look too friendly and was almost as hideous looking as you.”

Vigil looked at himself in the mirror and quipped, “Hideous? If he looks half as good as me, he’s irresistible.”

Mercer let out a little chuckle before speaking again. “Okay pretty boy, time to get serious again. You and I both know why they're behind us. I say we take the offensive and get the upper hand.”

Vigil knew his friend was right. “You have anything in mind, or should I just keep driving for a while?”

Mercer thought for a moment. “When you reach the next bend, they’ll lose sight of us until they get to that point in the road. Speed up and build a gap. When we get far enough ahead of them, we’ll pull over and set up our own little ambush. There are plenty of curves on this road so they shouldn’t see us until they’re right on top of us.”

“I like the way you think, partner.” Vigil was always ready to jump into any situation with his friend, no matter what it called for.

Mercer reached into the back seat and pulled a red backpack up to the front with him. After unzipping it, he pulled out two Beretta M9 pistols and a box of ammunition and filled both magazines with rounds. He placed one of the Berettas on the dashboard in front of him, and handed the other one to his partner before throwing the backpack into the rear seat. He then reached into the back again and unclipped a latch, lifting up the backseat and revealing a semi-automatic HK416D machine gun.

He had always loved his HK for its amazing accuracy and gas operating system. It was fitted with a 419 millimeter long barrel, an Aimpoint CompM4 red dot sight, and a vertical fore grip. It was a weapon he had relied upon many times during his years in the Army, and had used quite a few times since then. After pulling out a few accompanying magazines, he sat back in his seat and prepared himself mentally for the encounter that was about to take place.

Taking a few more twists in the road, Vigil saw his opportunity. He made a sharp left turn at the next bend and as soon as he cleared it, he stomped down on the gas pedal. For about three minutes he kept up his speed and took tight corners with amazing ease and accuracy. Mercer sat in the passenger seat, seemingly undaunted by the chaotic movements of the vehicle. He just sat there waiting for the right time and location to make their move.

After barreling down a straightaway about a half mile long and seeing no sign of the black truck behind them, he decided it was time.

“After the next bend, find a spot and pull over. We’ll have only about a minute or two to get this done, so we’ll need to move quickly.”

Vigil didn’t need to reply. He knew what needed to be done. After making the last turn, he slammed on the brakes and brought the truck to a halt sideways directly in the middle of the dirt road. Both men got out and waited for their pursuers to finally catch up. They stood silently in the middle of the road as they heard the vehicle approaching from around the bend. Vigil had his Beretta in his hand, and Mercer had his trusty HK pointed directly at the spot where the truck would be emerging from in mere seconds.

***

Kervin Esperanza sat in the front passenger seat of the black SUV, which was now racing down the dirt road. He was infuriated the vehicle they were following just seemed to vanish into thin air. He angrily shouted at the driver to speed up even more and gain on them once again. The third man in the truck sat in the back in silence, holding an AK47 while he listened to the driver being scolded. He knew it was best to not say anything.

As they rushed down the road, Esperanza’s frustration continued to compound. He couldn’t wait to get his hands on the two men who had killed five of his soldiers. He thought about how he would handle the men once he finally came face to face with them.

As he was about to lash out at his driver once more for his incompetence, he was suddenly overcome with a loss for words. The driver slammed on the brakes and the truck came to a grinding stop. Esperanza sat in sheer amazement as he stared at two men standing directly in the middle of the road. But what caught his attention even more were the barrels of a pistol and a machine gun pointed directly at him and his men.

He looked on in disbelief as he witnessed the two men in front of him. After a few seconds had passed, he heard one of the men speak. “Very slowly, get out of the truck. Do it now.”

Mercer spoke with a very authoritative tone in his voice. As the three men exited the vehicle, he shouted for them to drop their weapons. Esperanza and the driver hesitantly complied, while the soldier who was in the back seat was not as willing to meet the gunman’s demands. He refused to lower his weapon and yelled back in Spanish at the two men in the road, demanding they lower their weapons instead.

Esperanza turned his head back to the soldier. “Do as they say. Drop it.”

Still, the soldier refused to comply. He raised his weapon slightly and Mercer let out a final warning. “Drop your weapon now! Or we will kill you!”

As the soldier's weapon continued to rise, a shot rang out creating an echo in the forest. Mercer had squeezed off one round from his HK, and it was all that was needed. Esperanza turned around and watched at his man dropped from the shot which had struck him in the throat. As he turned back around, he looked the gunman directly in the eyes with a distant gaze.

When he finally spoke he said, “That’s now six of my men you have killed, but how could I fault you for that one? Besides, I did not like him very much. So, I won’t count that one.”

Mercer found himself somewhat impressed with the composure of the man talking to him. He thought the man was slightly arrogant, but knew he had to keep up his guard.

He spoke to him directly. “Who are you and why are you following us?”

Esperanza calmly replied to the question. “My employer has now lost six men in the past few days and it would seem that you are the reason for that. He is an extremely unforgiving man who you must now answer to.”

Vigil let out a chuckle. “In case you haven’t noticed, we have guns pointed at you, not the other way around. Looks like you’re the only one who has to answer to anything right now.”

Esperanza didn’t appreciate the tone in the voice of this man. He was not accustomed to being talked back to or disrespected. “You will both learn your place very soon. I promise you that.”

Mercer took back control of the conversation. “I asked you who you are.”

“My name is Kervin Esperanza. You have intruded upon the operation of my employer and I have been sent to retrieve you to his presence.”

“Well, it looks like you’ve failed at that. We’re not going anywhere with you. We’re United States citizens and aren’t governed by your ruthless law. Sorry to rain on your parade, but we’re heading back home in just a short time.”

Esperanza had a sly look on his face as he replied. “On the contrary, you and your friend will not be leaving for home any time soon. I know you two are all that’s left of your operation and that everyone else left a few days ago. You are alone down here. You should have left with your group when you had the chance.”

Vigil couldn’t contain himself anymore. The stocky Irish American was eager to get his hands around the throat of this pompous loudmouth. “If you threaten us one more time, you’ll be joining your comrade on the ground next to you.”

Esperanza‘s patience was also beginning to wear thin. “You cannot frighten me with the threat of death. I have squashed much better men than you in my day. You will answer to my employer for the death of our men. That, I can assure you.”

Mercer had also heard enough. “You tell your employer that if he wants a war, he knows where to find us. But also tell him to expect the death of more of his men should he continue down this path. We’ll find out what you’re covering up and we’ll make sure you suffer the consequences for it. And if I see you following us again, I may not be so willing to let you live the next time.”

“The next time you and I meet, there will be a much different outcome. The both of you will die a slow and agonizing death,” Esperanza confidently proclaimed.

“I look forward to it,” Mercer said, as he gave a little grin. “But just to keep that next meeting from happening too soon, I’m going to have to take your weapons and do something else you may not like.”

Before Esperanza could respond, Mercer fired two rounds into each front tire of the SUV, stranding the cartel members. With guns still aimed, Mercer ordered Esperanza and his driver to back up while he retrieved their weapons. After retreating back to a close proximity of Vigil, he gave a nod to signal it was time to go.

“And with that, gentlemen,” said Vigil, “We bid you a good day.”

The two NESA operatives hopped back into their vehicle and drove off into the Nicaraguan jungle. Mercer turned his head towards his partner.

“That was fun, wasn’t it?”

Vigil nodded his head lightly, “Yea, but I have a feeling the real fun is yet to come.”

Still determined, they knew there was another objective that had just been added to their itinerary.