Tolerance Book II

Chapter Eighty-Five: Facing Danger

Harpers Bay

In the dense green surrounds what would normally be a Hikers' paradise had turned into a deadly encounter as the three men eyed the tripwire overhead speculatively. Jay finally spoke but kept his voice as low as possible after motioning the two men to approach his position.

"How far are we from the caves?"
"We're about two-three minutes out," Jack supplied, "you reckon he's booby trapped the whole area?"
"Can't take the chance he hasn't. He had time to do it," the Detective informed his companions gravely, "are there likely to be Hikers up here over the next few days?"
"Usually there wouldn't be," Gregson explained, "but there's no guarantee someone won't come along."
"So we need to trigger whatever devices he's set up," Jay stated decisively as he searched for anything he could use to do just that.
"With this much foliage it's going to be impossible to check every place," Jack pointed out unhappily.
"Well we'll have to do our best."
"Any idea what he'd use?" Gregson looked to the Detective seeking as much information as he could get.
"Hard to tell," the younger man explained, "he doesn't have a favourite weapon. He might use nails but then again he has used dynamite before."
"This guy is one sick ....,"
"No time for that now," Jack brushed off the Rangers' tirade before it began, they didn't have time to waste, "so what do you want to do?"
"No offence boys but this is my jurisdiction," Gregson intervened, he was not going to let the American control the situation, King was on his turf so dismantling the traps fell to him.
"I've been on this case for months," Jay quietly noted eyeing his counterpart evenly before continuing with some rare exaggeration, "but more importantly I've dealt with IEDs and booby traps extensively. If you have more experience fair enough but if not then I need to deal with things."
"Well ....,"
"You don't have the experience Jonas," Jack pointed out frankly for he was aware of the mans' military past which was mostly spent behind a desk, "this isn't about jurisdiction it's about stopping innocents getting hurt. Jay was in the 75th Airborne Rangers and knows what he's doing."
"You're putting an awful lot of faith in him?" Gregson spoke as if the man in question couldn't hear the conversation, "and I want to know why?"
"We don't have time for this!" Jacks' displeasure was clear even though he managed to keep his voice low.
"I want to know," the Ranger stubbornly persisted.
"I checked him out," Jack cast the half listening Detective an apologetic look, "he's the real deal Jonas. He's seen more action then you and I both put together. He's the right man for this."

Jay was not really surprised the older Tucker sibling had checked him out. The man had after all invited a stranger into his home so it was natural he would take precautions to ensure his family was not in any danger. As the two older men were debating jurisdiction his main focus however was on the trap above them. The fact that King would have had plenty of time to set a number of traps was unsettling to say the least. Turning his attention to the ground underneath the wire he sought anything out of the ordinary. His keen eyes also seeking a way to trigger the trap without the necessity of climbing a tree. That option was a last resort, especially considering the state of his injured leg. No, tree climbing needed to be avoided if at all possible!

Vancouver Airport

The red eye flight had landed on Canadian soil right on schedule. Once through Customs and Security the Unit sat in a busy eatery scoffing down a quick breakfast. Voight had opted for the early meal here suspecting they would need to hit the ground running upon arrival at Harpers' Bay. There was a two hour layover between the onward flight to their final destination and the Sergeant could feel the tension amongst his men. He was brought out of his ruminations by Als' quiet comment from his side.

"Surprised Murphy and Parker are coming here."
"They have a vested interest in the investigation," Voight shrugged, the duo were getting later flights, "King did leave a trail of bodies in their city."
"True. You reckon the Canadians will play ball?"
"If you mean will they let us run the investigation here? No," Voight stated succinctly, "we'll just have to do the best we can and hope we deal with good people."
"Crowley said Marks is extremely reliable and thorough," the moustached Detective referenced one of the contacts he had been given, "apparently he's worked on Task Forces for years and is used to manhunts."
"Guess Canada is a good place to try to get lost."
"Apparently."
"What about Gibbs? What do you know about him?"
"All Crowley said was he had been appraised of the situation," Al shrugged as he recalled the brief conversation about the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Detective.
"This is going to get messy," Voight sighed, "too many people from different agencies can be a hindrance rather than a help."
"We've worked with other agencies before."
"I know but this time the RCMP have no interest in the investigation."
"They're going to want to avoid King doing anything here," Al argued, "that will be their incentive to help us."
"I hope you're right."
"Well Marks is meeting us in Harpers Bay," Al put in, "that means he understands the urgency of the situation. Most people would have wanted a debriefing here. It's a good sign."
"Hell since when did you become an Optimist?" Voight asked ruefully.
"Since just now," the Detective winked.