Gale Force

82

There was a new buzz in the town of Dutch Harbor. Daishin Sato could sense it, feel the electricity in the air and in snippets of conversation. At the same time, he’d noticed an increase in traffic on the town’s little roads. Something was happening, and it related to the Pacific Lion.

Even Hannah seemed to feel the change. The Grand Aleutian’s desk clerk had been preoccupied all day, typing on her computer and talking on the phone, issuing instructions to the cleaning staff, and primping the brochure rack in the lobby.

Sato was interested. The search for Hiroki Okura had stalled. The Lion’s second officer was alive, Daishin was fairly certain of it. And he’d stolen away to the Lion aboard a local salvage boat, Hannah said. But the body the Coast Guard had removed from the Lion belonged to Tomio Ishimaru. That meant Okura was still out there, somewhere.

“What’s all the excitement?” Sato asked Hannah. “The whole town has changed.”

Hannah’s smile seemed to brighten her whole face. “It’s the shipwreck. That salvage team saved it. They’re towing it to Dutch as we speak.”

“Ah,” Sato said. “That’s big news.”

“You said it. There’s like seven executives from the shipping company coming in from Japan on a private plane. Booked up the whole top floor of the hotel.” She grinned. “I’m hoping they have to stay for a while. This could make our whole season!”

“With luck,” Sato said. Then he frowned. “But is this all that has the whole town so nervous? Everyone is talking about the Pacific Lion, at every store and restaurant. Are visits from the Japanese so rare?”

Hannah looked at him blankly. Then she laughed. “Oh,” she said. “Ha! I see what you did there. That’s funny.”

Sato smiled back. Tried to be patient, though a part of him would have liked to have strangled this happy, cheerful woman.

Polite. Conversational. Friendly.

His patience paid off. Hannah leaned in conspiratorially. “There is something else.”

“Yes?”

“I heard there was a gunfight on that ship,” she said. “Some stowaway was on board for some reason, and when the salvage crew found him, he tried to shoot one of them.”

Sato feigned surprise. “Goodness. I hope nobody was hurt.”

“I don’t think so. Not seriously, anyway.” Hannah shrugged. “They got the guy under control and off the ship, from what I heard.”

“And what will they do with him?”

“No idea,” she said. “But they brought him here, to the cop shop. He’s under arrest. As far as I know, they’re still debating who has jurisdiction.”

Sato nodded. “How exciting.”

“You’re telling me,” Hannah replied. “Gunfights and everything. This is like from a movie!”