Read Online Three Weeks Last Spring by Victoria Howard - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Victoria Howard
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were marked, then he stood a chance of tracing them back to the plant from which they came. If they were n’t , then there was no way to determine their source.
I t was a huge area to search , and Walker wasn't too optimistic, but at least it was worth a try. It would be the equivalent of looking for a goldfish in a pond and a pure fluke if they actually managed to find anything. The waters around the islands were treacherous and even if the containers were lying in shallow water it would be a dangerous operation. Besides, the current weather conditions weren't exactly ideal for diving off a small boat. D ivers weren't the answer, thought Walker grimly. But there was another possibility, if he could persuade Joe to involve the Coastguard or even one of the specialist companies, in an underwater search using sonar, or better yet, a remotely operated vehicle, then maybe— just maybe, he would get lucky.
Walker massaged the pain in his temples as he waited for Joe to pick up the phone. He felt as if he had aged ten years over the last three weeks, the stress and lack of sleep had taken their toll. His concern now wasn't just for the depletion of the local salmon population, or for the rest of the wildlife, such as the sea otters and seals , which abounded in the waters around the islands, but for the human inhabitants too. He said a silent prayer that none of the hospitals had reported anyone being admitted with suspected poisoning. Once the food chain became involved, there was no telling where this would end.
The seconds ticked away and then a somewhat disgruntled voice answered.
"McCabe."
Walker cut straight to the chase. "Joe, do you know anyone who could do a sonar survey of the straits, or better yet, send d own a remotely operated vehicle? "
" Christ , you don't want much do you? Have you any idea what you're asking for or how much these surveys cost? Let's not leave out the fact that they are way outside my department's jurisdiction. I could easily be kissing my whole budget for the next ten years goodbye ."
"Calm down, think of your blood pressure. Besides, I haven't asked you to pay for it. We can ask other departments to chip in. I just want ed to know if you could organi z e one ."
"Calm down? Easy for you to say, you haven't got the entire State Department watching every move you make. Sonar surveys, remotely operated vehicles? Just what are you planning to do, look for hidden treas ure like some perverse pirate?"
"I've been plotting tides, vessel movements and details of where fish c a me ashore. I now have a rough idea of where these chemicals are being dumped. It's a large area to search, but if we could survey the seabed, who knows, we might come up with some anomaly to justify taking a closer look. I know it's a long shot, but I don't know what else to suggest, unless of course you've managed to come up with some thing positive."
"I hear you, Walker, but before I go spending all of Uncle Sam's tax dollars on what could easily be a red herring, let's see if we can't streamline your plan a little."
"What do you have in mind?" asked Walker. A muscle flicked impatiently in his jaw.
"I don't have authority to spend the sort of money you're talking about, that's for sure. As I've said , it's technically out of my jurisdiction. How about I take this upstairs and explain the position. Maybe I could get approval for a sonar survey. We could compare it to one done a few years back , that way if anything unexpected did show up we could justify the need to investigate further. Even then, I can't promise I'll get approval for an ROV, but I don't see why we couldn't send down a dive team, provided the water's not too deep, and this damn weather i mproves. How does that sound?"
"I guess if that is the best you can do, " Walker replied. "Just make sure you tell whoever that sooner or later it won't be fish turning up dead, but people, and when that happens I'll
I t was a huge area to search , and Walker wasn't too optimistic, but at least it was worth a try. It would be the equivalent of looking for a goldfish in a pond and a pure fluke if they actually managed to find anything. The waters around the islands were treacherous and even if the containers were lying in shallow water it would be a dangerous operation. Besides, the current weather conditions weren't exactly ideal for diving off a small boat. D ivers weren't the answer, thought Walker grimly. But there was another possibility, if he could persuade Joe to involve the Coastguard or even one of the specialist companies, in an underwater search using sonar, or better yet, a remotely operated vehicle, then maybe— just maybe, he would get lucky.
Walker massaged the pain in his temples as he waited for Joe to pick up the phone. He felt as if he had aged ten years over the last three weeks, the stress and lack of sleep had taken their toll. His concern now wasn't just for the depletion of the local salmon population, or for the rest of the wildlife, such as the sea otters and seals , which abounded in the waters around the islands, but for the human inhabitants too. He said a silent prayer that none of the hospitals had reported anyone being admitted with suspected poisoning. Once the food chain became involved, there was no telling where this would end.
The seconds ticked away and then a somewhat disgruntled voice answered.
"McCabe."
Walker cut straight to the chase. "Joe, do you know anyone who could do a sonar survey of the straits, or better yet, send d own a remotely operated vehicle? "
" Christ , you don't want much do you? Have you any idea what you're asking for or how much these surveys cost? Let's not leave out the fact that they are way outside my department's jurisdiction. I could easily be kissing my whole budget for the next ten years goodbye ."
"Calm down, think of your blood pressure. Besides, I haven't asked you to pay for it. We can ask other departments to chip in. I just want ed to know if you could organi z e one ."
"Calm down? Easy for you to say, you haven't got the entire State Department watching every move you make. Sonar surveys, remotely operated vehicles? Just what are you planning to do, look for hidden treas ure like some perverse pirate?"
"I've been plotting tides, vessel movements and details of where fish c a me ashore. I now have a rough idea of where these chemicals are being dumped. It's a large area to search, but if we could survey the seabed, who knows, we might come up with some anomaly to justify taking a closer look. I know it's a long shot, but I don't know what else to suggest, unless of course you've managed to come up with some thing positive."
"I hear you, Walker, but before I go spending all of Uncle Sam's tax dollars on what could easily be a red herring, let's see if we can't streamline your plan a little."
"What do you have in mind?" asked Walker. A muscle flicked impatiently in his jaw.
"I don't have authority to spend the sort of money you're talking about, that's for sure. As I've said , it's technically out of my jurisdiction. How about I take this upstairs and explain the position. Maybe I could get approval for a sonar survey. We could compare it to one done a few years back , that way if anything unexpected did show up we could justify the need to investigate further. Even then, I can't promise I'll get approval for an ROV, but I don't see why we couldn't send down a dive team, provided the water's not too deep, and this damn weather i mproves. How does that sound?"
"I guess if that is the best you can do, " Walker replied. "Just make sure you tell whoever that sooner or later it won't be fish turning up dead, but people, and when that happens I'll
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