Part 17 (2/2)

Charles exclamation was somewhere between a bark and a shout. It had a parade-ground kind of feel to it, and if activity in the bar did not come to a halt, it slowed down and heads turned their way.

Liam, not expecting this reaction, said, ”The gold coin in the arms hand. It, uh, fell out. He didnt say where or when.

Charles had himself under strict control. The smile was gone, though, and Jo gave him a long, thoughtful look. This was the face behind the gun sight on his jet. She wouldnt care to have that face on her tail. He lowered his voice. ”There was a gold coin in the hand?

”Yeah. Liam, for his part, didnt know what this was leading to. ”Its an American twenty-dollar gold piece. Bills got it.

”Get it.

Liam raised an eyebrow at the snapped order, but he got to his feet and walked to the bar, aware that most of the bar was eyeing him, openly or covertly. Moses was one of the former, that connoisseur of upheaval and disaster, and he grinned at Liam as he walked by. Eric Mollberg was one of the latter, nearly tucking his head beneath his arm to avoid eye contact. Clarence took advantage of Moses distraction by nipping off with Moses other knight. Liam and rest of the bar learned some new Yupik when Moses turned back and discovered the loss.

”Well? Bill said.

”He wants the gold coin.

Bill jerked her head. ”Top drawer, in the office.

”Thanks. He found it and brought it back.

Charles almost s.n.a.t.c.hed it out of his hand and then seemed to notice the odd looks he was getting. He laughed. It didnt convince them. He saw it. ”Im sorry, he said. ”It took me aback a little. I have a list of personal effects from the families, things the flight crew might have had with them on board. One of the copilots grandchildren said he remembered his grandmother talking about a lucky gold piece that her grandfather had carried. It had quite a legend attached to it, was supposed to have been won from Wild Bill Hickok in the poker game before the one he got shot in, and been in the family ever since. In the normal course of events, it would have gone to the son and then to the grandson. Itd be nice to get it back to him.

It was a charming story, told with style and just the right touch of sentimentality. It was a pity that the only person at the table who believed it was the storyteller himself. He seemed to want to move on, and quickly, too. He looked at Liam and said, ”Does anyone else know about this piece?

Liam thought back to the scene in the bar two nights before. ”Pretty much everyone in Newenham by now, Id guess.

”d.a.m.n it. Liam, we cant wait until spring to recover the bodies. We have to do it now.

”Dad, I told you, and so did Wy. Thats pretty much next to impossible. Its Octoberh.e.l.l, its almost November. Winters coming on. Its snowing right now. That airstrip isnt maintained, and theres no way to get the wreck down off the glacier even if it were.

”Well use helicopters. Ill call Elmendorf, see whats available. And theres an Air National Guard base, tooKulik, isnt it? Ill ask them what theyve got.

”I know those guys, Dad, Liam said evenly. ”Theyre on call for rescues all over the state. I dont think theyre going to volunteer their crews and their equipment to recover bodies that have been lying there for sixty years. Were coming up on storm season. Theyll have plenty of work on their hands rescuing the living.

Charles eyes narrowed. ”Those guys who came busting up on the four-wheelers when we were out at the wreck...

”What about them? Liam said, wondering where this was going.

”They were treasure hunting.

”They said they were caribou hunting.

”c.r.a.p. They knew about this gold coin and they went looking for more where it came from.

Liam couldnt deny it. ”So?

”So if we dont get that wreck out of there youre going to start losing Newenhammers who think there might be gold in them thar hills.

Liam remembered the slab of ice that had nearly killed him and Wy the previous morning. ”Youll lose just as many going after it.

”Not if I round up good equipment and good equipment operators. Leave it to me. Charles stood up and threw down a couple of bills. ”Excuse me. Ive got some calls to make.

The three of them watched him stride out the door. When it closed behind him, Liam looked at Mason and said, ”Whats going on?

”I dont know, Mason said. ”I dont, he added when he saw Liams skepticism. ”My boss heard about the wreck and called the commander out on Elmendorf. The BOC told him that Colonel Campbell was flying in. My boss asked him to ask Colonel Campbell to let me hitch a ride to Newenham. He said okay. I have to say we were all a little surprised. I mean, the United States Air Force doesnt exactly hand out rides on an F-15.

”So the inference is he wanted you here. Why?

Mason was using a french fry to mop up the last drop of steak juice and was very intent on the job. ”He said that co-operation between federal organizations was essential to the smooth working of government, and that he was happy to be able to contribute to it, in however small a way. He met Liams eyes with a bland expression in his own.

”What can you do here?

”Not much, Mason said. ”I dont have a lot of authority over the sixty-year-old wreck of a military plane. If it was sabotaged, or the flight was in any way related to espionage of some kind, then I could step in, maybe. And only maybe. He smiled. ”In Alaska the FBI is more concerned with Russians importing underage girls who come thinking theyre going to be part of an ethnic dance group and who wind up shaking it down in the strip clubs.

”Were you on that case? Jo said.

”From the start. Mason didnt sound happy about it.

”Were the girls in on it?

”The older one, the twenty-year-old, maybe. The two younger ones, no way.

”Are they still in jail?

Mason winced. ”We prefer to call it protective custody.

”Waiting on the INS?

”That, and the fact that we need them to testify against the guys who brought them into the country.

Liam reached for his wallet. ”Im due home.

”Give Wy my love.

”Wheres Gary? Liam said, suddenly noticing her brothers absence.

”Relax, Jo said. ”Hes doing some patchup work for a guy he knows in Ikikika.

Liam tried not to show his relief.

She waited until he was inches from a clean getaway. ”Whats going on with your father, Liam?

”I know as much as you do, Jo. And sometimes I think, he added, a trifle grimly, ”a lot less.

”Man, she said.

”What?

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