Cally Comes Clean
Cally’s doctor arrived shortly after breakfast. He administered the physicals. Everyone passed. However, he would have passed anyone as long as they weren’t on life support.
Makani shopped for enough food for a week. A truckload of cargo was delivered and secured in the hold.
The rest of the day, the crew prepared for the voyage to Pago Pago in American Samoa. Trace estimated a five-day journey. By the end of the day, The Tramp Islander stood ready to sail.
Trace sat at the chart desk, tapping his pencil and scanning the chart.
Cally walked into the pilothouse. “When are we going to sail?” He sat on the bench. He leaned forward, placing his elbows on both knees.
“Everyone is onboard,” Trace said. “We could leave now.”
“Are there any loose ends here in Suva?” Cally asked.
“I’ve gone over the list you gave me a couple of times,” Trace said. “We have everything needed at this point.”
“What about the weapons that Pete was supposed to acquire?” Cally asked.
“They’ve all arrived,” Trace said. “It was supposed to stretch out for a week, but they’re all here.”
“What’s the count?” Cally asked.
“Six L1A1s and four pistols,” Trace said. “They’re in the hold.”
“Ammunition?” Cally asked.
“Two thousand rounds,” Trace said.
“That’s good,” Cally said. “We’ll use a lot just to train and practice.”
“I don’t want to shoot anybody,” Trace said.
“Then I bet your dad told you to learn to shoot well,” Cally said. “We wouldn’t want you to accidentally shoot somebody.”
“I was raised with a a saddle under my ass and a rifle in my hand,” Trace said.
“These ain’t rifles,” Cally said, “they’re weapons. Rifles are for shooting tin cans, weapons are for killing, but most important,, deterring. I’m not as mercenary as you might think; taking a life is a troubling contemplation. Outside of my time in the military, I’ve never taken a life. I want to keep it that way.”
“I'm not naive enough to think death is never the option,” Trace said. “I only want to make sure it’s the only one remaining.”
The subject appeared uncomfortable for both men. A change of subject was desperately needed.
“There are other supplies in Pago Pago,” Cally said.
“I’m curious about the seaplane,” Trace said, “how does it fit in?”
“I’m having it flown to Vostok Island, and left there,” Cally said. “Another plane will fly my pilot away. The plane will be waiting for us.”
“You’ve decided to sail further with us?” Trace asked.
“Yes,” Cally said. “I have to have more than five days with the crew. I’d like to have five months.”
Trace scanned the chart and tapped his pencil on Vostok Island. “Looks to be about one hundred miles from Flint Island.”
“You’ll leave me with the plane and sail toward Flint Island,” Cally said.
“This will take a lot of coordination,” Trace said.
“And a lot of luck,” Cally added.
“I think there are some things we have to get straight before we set sail,” Trace said.
Cally’s face fell expressionless.
“No expression,” Trace said, “that tells me more than if you started twitching and winking.”
“What do you mean?” Cally said.
“You hop aboard and have half a plan already,” Trace said. “It didn’t occur between the time Dad left you and you showed up.”
“I’m used to thinking like this,” Cally said.
“And I’m not a fool,” Trace said. “And neither is my dad. We are both suspicious.”
Cally pressed his lips and nodded. He acquiesced. “Well played, Trace. Franks and I go back a few years. We’re not friends, by any means. He hired me for a legitimate job, maybe two. The closer I got to him, the stronger the stench. I finished a job for him and we parted ways. Two months ago, somebody contacted me and asked me to visit him in prison. We talked, and the next day I got the same box from him that you have now. I read it all. And I told him I wasn’t for hire. It was too high risk.”
“What made you change your mind?” Trace said.
“Adam shows up,” Cally said. “What a coincidence—really. He said nothing about Franks, but I knew from what he was telling me that it had to be the same thing. I’m in the business of taking chances and yet being cautious. Not all of my work is risky. Some is, and when it’s too risky, I turn it down. I have to see a high probability of success. I’m not wasting my time, somebody’s money, the life of others, or my own. If Adam was in on this, I knew it had to be something important. Somethings come along that is worth impossible odds. This is one of them.”
“My dad must trust you and value your opinion,” Trace said. “I’ve never known him to ask for help or advice from someone who wasn’t tried and true.”
“'Your dad and I have had a couple of exploits in the past,” Cally said. He smiled. “We’ll speak of them another day—when you’re older and more mature.”
Trace chuckled. “I’m only going to believe half of what you say anyway.”
“What about you?” Cally said. “Since we are revealing everything, are you holding out on me?”
“I can’t think of anything,” Trace said. “However, I can’t imagine you taking this on in the way you have by only knowing my dad.”
“In my line of work, we have sources,” Cally said. “We hear things not meant for pubic curiosity. We hear secrets, plots, and schemes. Sometimes we know things will happen way in advance. Some of the things we know, governments don’t know, or people like the CIA. Sometimes they are in the dark—a good place for them. And they are constrained by politics. I look for moral causes. They can seldom be found, but when they come along…”
“The right thing is not often popular, prudent, or possible,” Trace said.
“It sounds like you’ve thought of such things,” Cally said. “You arranged them under the Ps.”
“I did,” Trace said.
“So that we are all square,” Cally said. “I’ve known about you for some time. How you were involved in the coup, and how you uninvolved yourself. How you helped put Franks away. I admired that. Wished I could have done it myself. And the thing with the gold; didn’t hear it from Adam, but through the back channels.”
“I guess you really keep your ear to the ground,” Trace said.
“Then, when I heard you were Adam’s son, well, I couldn’t wait to meet you,” Cally said. “That said, when do we sail?”
“The crew is expecting a fresh start in the morning,” Trace said.
“The morning it is,” Cally said.
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