The Viking Seal

CHAPTER 22 - Doubts and Dinners

"You knew about this, and you still put her in charge?" Parker hissed into the phone, nervous about being overheard, but the connection was so bad he had to speak louder than he wanted to.

"Moira is a special case, Parker, and I am fully aware of how she operates. You shouldn't be concerned about it. She will do her job."

"Yeah, like up north in that bookshop?"

"Parker please just do what you are paid to do and let me worry about Moira."

"That's fine for you, but you aren't here with her. She lives in her own world, Wayne and it isn't always a nice place to be."

"I will talk to her again. Meanwhile what's happening with the Congress?"

Parker told him everything they knew to date and asked about the progress on the translations. They were having a debate over some of the meanings, trying to put what they thought they knew in context with the purpose of the map, but there was nothing more than what they already were given.

"As soon as we get any consensus I'll call. If we could get their part of the map it would help immensely."

Parker humphed, and expressed his doubt in that regard before signing off.

He went back to the lounge where Kenny and Moira were still leaning over the nautical map of Labrador's coast. The boat swayed against the moorings and he kept reaching out to things for support.

"Nothing new on the translations," he said, taking a safe seat alongside the bulkhead.

"Should I expect a call?" Moira asked without looking up.

"As soon as they learn something."

"I mean about my behaviour." She straightened up and smiled at him. "Parker I know you registered yet another complaint so don't try to look puzzled. I think it's sweet just how concerned you are about me."

"Moira, I—"

"Save it, Parker. When this is all over maybe you and I can sit down somewhere and discuss the wisdom of hasty judgements." He opened his mouth but she held up a silencing finger and returned to her study of the map.

"I uh, I think I'll phone and order dinner. Lobster okay with you guys?"

"Fine with me," Parker said. "But who the hell's gonna deliver in this?"

"He will." She gave Kenny a truly evil grin. "I'll have a rare New York steak with just bread." Moira glanced up. "And make sure it all comes hot." Kenny bobbed his head in agreement and quickly fled the lounge.

****

Gretta and Stone huddled around the little stove inside the tent watching their dinner cook. Outside the wind battered the nylon walls with frustrated roars that made conversation difficult. The storm had only dropped a scattering of rain so far but the daylight vanished, and the wind seemed to be regrouping.

"I wonder how they're making out on the boat?"

"Captain Eddie's an old hand, they'll be fine."

"I don't like our chances after the little bit of scouting we did. This terrain has changed considerably over the years. You can tell that by the cliff walls along part of the harbour. Unless they moved a fair distance inland whatever evidence they might have left could have been destroyed with erosion."

"My guess would be that's exactly what they did." Gretta stirred the concoction in the pot and adjusted the heat. I wouldn't expect to find anything like they did in Newfoundland... mounds I mean. I think this was just a short stopover place on the initial explorations.

"What I hope to see is some indication of where they stored the things for future voyages." She took a plate and spooned out a serving and passed it to Stone. "They would have had to mark it in some way that someone other than themselves would find it."

"Hell that could have been anything. Chop a tree down a certain way. Set up a rock or two that meant something to their culture." He took a mouthful of food and chewed silently.

"Gourmet stuff, eh?" She laughed at the expression on his face. "It's stew. Beef, potatoes and a few vegetables in a gravy."

"All synthetic?" He asked suspiciously.

"Just the gravy. Eat up it won't hurt you." Gretta grinned all the way through the meal and then continued when he gratefully accepted a mug of steaming coffee to wash down the taste. "Can't carry around frozen dinners in spite of the climate. This stuff was created for the military and they had to fight as well as eat."

"I'm surprised we won."

"Listen, this storm will likely be past us by morning, so I think we should each take a grid search using the tent as zero, and really scour the area carefully. Lots of pictures and even samples if you find anything curious. If we get up early enough we can have a couple of hours before Captain Eddie sends Arvil to pick us up."

"Sounds like a plan... if the storm has passed. Otherwise I may mutiny if we have to stay for another of those meals."

They finished eating and Gretta quickly and efficiently cleaned up the dishes and shut down the small stove, stowing everything away so that they would have maximum room. The wind flapped the sides of the tent, but the rain seemed to have stopped, and when she stuck her head outside the flap she was surprised to see that the sky had brightened somewhat and the wind wasn't as fierce as it sounded.

"I think we might get some looking done before lunch. You game?"

Stone said yes and they grabbed their equipment and stepped outside, checking that their watches and compasses were in sync. Stone waited as Gretta struck out north from the tent and up the rocky incline. He lifted his own gear and headed parallel to the river, inland.

Gretta followed the coastline north, heading inland every hundred yards or so when it was possible over the rocky terrain. She wondered if Stone had noticed the helicopter earlier, and what its appearance meant. Either Moira was waiting until Gretta and the others found something, or she was planning another assault on getting the map portion.

She clambered over a small wall of craggy rock and into a section of low scrub and bushes that formed a barrier to the thick line of trees further back. Some of the rock was smooth on the surface, while others were rough and calving off like icebergs. All under foot, she found the gravelly rubble both uncomfortable and treacherous, even in her boots.

She detoured around another stand of tough bush and came to a small clearing. The ground was uneven but almost level for an area of about thirty feet in diameter. Suddenly excited, she dropped her pack and took out her camera, snapping pictures of the area from several angles, then she got out a small field spade and began probing about in random spots.

****

Stone paused, his fingers feeling cold inside his gloves and he took them off and blew inside to warm them up. The tree line veered away from the river, and followed for a distance down into a shallow dale that was filled with rough, thorny looking bushes. He ventured in a short distance and stopped; there was no way he was ploughing though that.

He moved down closer to the river's edge and followed it for a short distance. Across the other side he could see a smooth section of shore, surrounded by evergreens and the ever-present rock. Taking out his field glasses he studied the area carefully, noting that on several of the rock surfaces there seemed to be what resembled the type of graffiti he had seen in the city.

He dug out his camera and fitted the zoom lens and took another look. It was graffiti. Who the devil would be in this godforsaken place marking the rocks with graffiti? He made another pass with the zoom lens and was about to put it away when something caught his attention.

In a small alcove next to the trees closest to the water he saw something that resembled a defined square. Because of the angle and the distance he couldn't determine what it was, so he took several shots and marked the place on his map for future reference. The wind had died a little but the sky was getting much darker, and he decided to head back to their campsite. Getting lost out here in a downpour was just not on for Stone.