Thin Blood Thick Water (Clueless Resolutions Book 2) (28 page)

There was a pause from Mahlah and Maggie covered the microphone on her cell phone looking at Max with a nod, and a wink.

“Okay, it’s a deal,” Mahlah said, rather icily. “Where and when do we swap papers and cash?”

Max pumped his fist when he heard the question.  Maggie described the Fort Fairfield, Maine border crossing as the buyer’s location preference. A closing date on the following Monday at 9:00 AM, at that location, was agreed to by Mahlah. This would give her time enough to get her papers ready and to arrange travel to the site.  The women then cordially ended the conversation.

“Whew! She’s a cold fish!” Maggie exclaimed after she ended the call.

“I’ve got to call Don Chace,” Max said. “He said he needed a few days to arrange for the cash.” He dialed Chace’s number and got an almost immediate answer. Chace was glad to hear about the acceptance of the offering price and terms and agreed to meet for the ‘closing’ on Monday morning.  He had been called two or three times a day by Maurice Leblanc looking to get any news of the planned Bickford Lab setup. Chase related to Max that he understood the anxiety.  Leblanc’s efforts over the recent years, to work within the framework adhered to by the RCMP Code of Honorable Service, had been frustrating.

Getting to the bottom of the illicit operation working out of the Bickford Laboratory would be his reward.  Leblanc had been thwarted at almost every turn by Mahlah Bickford’s hiding behind the veil of protection afforded to the Native Canadian Indian combined tribes of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. He had told Chace that the Native Tribes were 99.9 percent honorable and peaceful.  However a devious sector, made up of elders within the tribal hierarchy, maintained control of the reservation along the Forty Five Mile River by operating the illicit drug operation, working out of the Bickford Lab. Mahlah Bickford had established a connection with the Council of Tribal Elders. The Elders manipulated a group of toughies within the tribes to do their bidding as enforcers.

Chace ended the call so he could give Maurice Leblanc the promising news he wanted so badly.

On Friday morning Maggie set out to take care of business and set up her itinerary for the following week. She expected to be back in East Wayford by Wednesday. She reviewed the Thanksgiving holiday office schedule with Jessie. They would be closed that week from Thursday until the following Monday for a four-day long weekend.

Max caught up on Hargrove House details, and met with the maintenance contractor to review snow-clearing procedures, anticipating the approaching winter season.

In preparation for Monday in Maine, Max reviewed the morning weather report there. Eleven inches of snow had fallen since their preliminary visit, and Presque Isle Airport had closed for snow-clearing operations. The expectation was for the airstrip to be open for business by 8:00 AM on this Saturday morning. A fast-moving front was the forecast, accompanied by snow showers, to pass through on Sunday. Blustery winds and low temperatures would arrive by Monday. A caution for blowing snow was issued.

After Saturday mornings ‘mulligan omelets’, which were egg omelets with any and all edible leftovers in the refrigerator thrown into the mix, Max suggested to Maggie that they might consider making an early trip to Fort Fairfield due to the weather forecast. Even though the landing surface would be cleared, perhaps they could practice a skis-down landing off to the side of the runway.  Maggie agreed since Max thought it would be necessary. He was the pilot after all.

Max hadn’t planned on using the ski apparatus, but he explained that he felt more comfortable flying cross-country in unfamiliar territory having an alternate way to land. It was similar to flying the amphibian float plane over water while also having the option to set down on nearby land.  If the Presque Isle airport closed while they were airborne they might not have sufficient fuel to divert to another landing spot. Airports were few and far between in the North Country. This was his reasoning when he originally asked Brad if any of the fleet planes were equipped for snow conditions. Few small planes such as the Cessna flew during winter conditions, but the retro-fitted Skyhawk was the ideal solution.

With their packed ‘emergency Eskimo outfits’ and ‘brown-bag lunches’ in tow, off they went to Tweed-New Haven Airport.

After filing a flight plan to Presque Isle, Max and Maggie readied the Cessna for flight, filled the fuel tanks, and made a 9:10 AM departure. Clear weather and light breezes made the flight uneventful until they received a report of unexpected snow squalls north of Bangor, Maine. The clouds were low and not built up, so Max announced to the flight following monitors that he was lowering their altitude to 2500 ft.

For the following twenty minutes they could occasionally see the terrain through the thin cloud layer as they passed overhead. It appeared that there was a complete ground cover of snow. After making contact with Presque Isle Airport, Max inquired as to a landing surface for ski-equipped aircraft. The reply was that he would be cleared to land on the taxiway parallel to runway 01, as it was not yet cleared of snow. It was requested that they make radio contact at 15 miles out, for wind and visibility conditions, and an altimeter setting. Max acknowledged the instructions.

As Max was making his downwind leg of the landing pattern he switched the ski-position toggle to ‘down’.  A humming sound began and there was some buffeting action as the skis lowered into position and the nose wheel raised. After making the usual turns to line up with the south-to-north runway, full flaps were applied and the throttle was pulled back. The plane moved down the glide path as normal but, as Max cut the throttle to idle and flared over surface to touch down, he raised the nose of the Skyhawk and had to watch for contact through his side window. The ski’s made contact with the snow surface with no noise or jerking motion, and the tail lowered and bounced along on the tail-skid. Max was pressing the braking pedals instinctively but it had no effect. The Cessna Skyhawk slid to a stop in a nose up, tail down position. Max released his white-knuckled grip on the wheel and let out a lung full of air, which he had held in since they touched down.

Although the temperature reading was 55 degrees in the cockpit, Max had a bead of sweat along his brow as he gave full throttle to move forward on the skis. With no wheel brakes, he had to make wide turns with the tail skid by using the rudder controls.

It took a few minutes to get the feel and to maneuver around the end of the runway in order to ski back toward the parking area. Maggie guided him from the opposite side window view as the visibility over the upturned nose was blocked.

After shutting the plane down, Maggie and Max trudged into the terminal lounge to use the restrooms and have hot chocolates and doughnuts.

Max spoke with the traffic director on duty to ask if they could practice some touch-and-go landings along the taxiway. He explained that they didn’t have snow cover in their part of the country. The director laughed and told him to go ahead saying, “Use up as much snow as you can.”

Max and his eager co-pilot ran through three cycles of taking-off and touching down, then accelerating to take-off without stopping, and touching down again. With the fuel supply down to 10 gallons, they pulled up and parked for the rest of the day.

After renting a car they took their overnight bags and drove the twelve miles north to Fort Fairfield and checked in at the same bed-and-breakfast where they stayed on the last trip.

A recommended restaurant turned out to be a bistro style café. The food and service was good and the prices were reasonable. The visitors were somewhat of a welcome rarity for this time of the year in Fort Fairfield. They met a married couple in their age group from Bar Harbor, who were there consulting on a school construction project, and had an enjoyable evening of chatting and cocktailing. Maggie and Max were quiet about their real purpose for the visit, saying that they were practicing operation of the ski-plane. Questions about the plane had to be flagged off as a test for a ‘patent-processing issue’.

By 9:15 PM the soft feather comforter in the Country Vista bed & breakfast bedroom did its job keeping the couple warm, since the room temperature got down to 62 degrees according to the thermostat.  Although the setting was at 72 degrees, the constantly-running ‘steam heat’ system did not conquer the onslaught of single-digit temperatures. Showering and dressing in the morning was a challenge in the 60 degree room and bathroom but, after all was said and done, the experience was a refreshing, and a mysteriously-invigorating way, to start the day.

Sunday was not a sight-seeing day for sure. An overnight dose of snow showers was blowing around in a gusty northwest wind and 10 degree temperatures.  With no TV in their room, Max and Maggie went to the living room after the blueberry pancake breakfast, to catch up on current events. The satellites of major networks were broadcasting political talk shows and the local networks were mostly showing revival religious-type sessions. The satellite discs in Fort Fairfield were apparently not tuned-in otherwise, on Sunday mornings.

For a lack of anything else to do, Max and Maggie decided to take another look at the border crossing at the U.S./Canadian Customs depot. A short drive took them to the crossing location. The clearing stations for each country were on opposite sides of the connecting highway. Each had a walk-in on the direct route and a drive-through for inspection of vehicles on the perimeter.

On the international dividing line, along an older 2-lane discontinued road section between the two countries, the phased-out original customs house straddled the boundary. This old custom house was now used as a library, and/or museum, featuring local history dating back to colonial times. According to a promotional description printed on a glassed-in placard on the building, the interior was designed to accommodate clerks from both countries, separated by a painted line down the center, representing the international border. There were no customs rules then, such as in present times. The clerks simply collected cards with three questions filled-in by those passing through. For those who couldn’t write, the clerks entered number of persons, any objects valued over a certain amount, and land of birthplace. Lumber, mining and farming workers co-existed with indigenous peoples. In more recent times the border areas were populated with several military installations during World War II, primarily U.S. Army Air Corps installations.

The weather was changing by noontime. Winds were picking up and loose surface snow was blowing around and forming drifts. This was a signal to the two interested ‘tourists’ to retreat to the restaurant lounge near the Country Vista. The afternoon lunch and televised pro football games helped to pass the time. At the halftime intermission of one game, Max called Don Chace to apprise him of the weather situation in Fort Fairfield. They agreed that the blowing snow could be problematic. At the time he called, Chase was boarding a charter flight from Hartford with plans to meet up with Maurice Leblanc in Presque Isle. They had rooms reserved at Country Vista. He learned that he and Maggie were already there when he called for the reservation Saturday afternoon. The Presque Isle airport had an ILS system to guide them in on landing but the plan for the transaction might have to be revised somewhat. Max and Don agreed to talk it over later when he and Maurice arrived.

Once back at the restaurant lounge for a dinner meal at 6:35 PM, Maggie spotted Don Chace and waved him over as he and Maurice arrived. A howling gust of wind in the enclosed entry announced every entrance and exit on this evening. Chace and Maurice, both with scrunched-up shoulders, were rubbing their hands together while they walked over to join Max and Maggie. Greetings were exchanged as Max’s and Maggie’s meals were being delivered by the waitress. She returned quickly with another set of menus, and pad and pen ready to take a beverage order.

The group spoke quietly in the small establishment as they discussed the next day’s action plan. The few other customers, along with the bartender and waitress, were very aware of the four off-season tourists. They had an idea that something beyond ordinary was underway and were not adept at disguising their curiosity.

“I plan to be on the Canadian side with a customs officer, out of sight until our friends arrive,” Maurice said in semi-code. He was referring to the modern day Canadian-side Customs depot, separate from the modern U.S. depot across the new highway, to the west. “My cohorts advise that ‘she’ will show up at Canadian Customs. They also indicate that the deed papers might be forged.”

“A friend of mine is the ‘reclusive buyer’ and will be following the ‘script’ while staying mostly out of sight,” Chace said. “A plain-clothes Federal Marshal will be carrying the satchel,” Chace added, rubbing thumb and forefinger to indicate money.

“I can stay out of sight along with the buyer,” Max added. “If Chip is with the seller, he’ll spot me real quick.”

Everyone agreed and continued the eating and drinking for a moment while the two other meal orders were delivered. Following that, Maggie asked how the signing and money exchange was going to take place. Maurice suggested that Mahlah Bickford might have a lawyer with her to examine the sales agreement, and to act as a legal witness on the Canadian side, if the exchange happens there. “I’ll be there, and I’ll arrange for one of my men to be there, as if he is ‘passing through customs’, Maurice added.

“I made it quite clear that the buyer stipulated that the money exchange for the property deed had to take place on U.S. soil,” Maggie offered.

After a moment Maurice suggested that they take a break, finish the meal and regroup in his room across the way, at Country Vista. Agreement came from all around the table.

The discussion continued after the participants struggled across the street against the wind and blowing snow. Maurice’s room was a two-room suite. It accommodated the group and seemed warmer to Maggie and Max, compared to their room. A dose of Maurice’s French Brandy in carafes for each of the foursome added some warmth.

They were stumped as to the way of getting Mahlah into Maurice’s jurisdiction so that he could detain her. Chace had no problem with arresting her on his side, confiscating the money satchel, and transferring custody to Maurice. Maurice agreed with that, but thought that it might cause problems at trial, if the arrest was challenged in court. The discussion went back and forth for twenty minutes without a sound plan for the exchange.

Max suggested that there might be a way to do the exchange with all parties in the same spot. The rest of the group gave him their full attention.

“The separation of the parties could be problematic, especially in this weather,” Max began. “Maggie and I walked over this morning to look around, and we saw the original customs house. It’s used as a library or museum now. The posted description of it stated that all transits went in one side and out the other, and there was a line painted through the center of the main room representing the official boundary line. If we suggest that we meet there ‘to stay warm’ the money satchel could be held in the center by the Marshal, and the participants could do the paperwork each on their own side. Maggie could shuttle the papers back and forth. Maurice could detain Mahlah on his side of the boundary line as she gets a hand on the money. The marshal could then confiscate the money.

“I like it!” Maurice exclaimed. “I’ve heard of that building, it sits right behind the new U.S. Customs parking lot. I know the library caretaker there, he’s a RCMP retiree. I was going to stop in to see him before the transaction.

“Perfect!” Chace responded. “If you can arrange it, we can get in early to check it out, and set the stage.”

The plan was set. They all felt confident that this act could be pulled-off with a minimum of ‘collateral damage’ to their careers, especially if the deed papers turned out to be illegally altered.