The last night before reaching Alaska, Jim had asked Leonard and the other men who could help with loading and unloading to get a really good night’s sleep because they would be called on to do a lot of work once they arrived. Sue brought all of them some melatonin to help with their sleep.
Donald eased the yacht into his indoor parking area that was equipped with a dry dock for winter storage. It was really pleasant weather this morning but could turn into a winter wonderland at any time. He paid his buddy that he rented the storage place from to winterize the yacht, as having fluids in the holding tanks was a no-no here.
Leonard and the rest of the strongarms began unloading the supplies from the launch and stacked them beside the boxes of coats which had been delivered, in preparation for loading up the buses which were expected within the hour. Sue had taken a shopping list and Donald’s credit card to the local store to get necessities. As soon as the buses arrived, the men set to loading it. There was a lot of room underneath the seating to carry supplies, but not quite enough, so the last three rows of seats in each bus were also used for supplies. Everyone boarded and they were off to the lodge. Nancy had packed sandwiches and bananas and water bottles for everyone so they didn’t have to stop for food. There was no restaurant in the area that could seat and feed 80 people, anyway!
About three miles into their journey, the bus drivers slowed to a stop. Donald asked what was going on and the driver explained as he pointed that there was a bull moose in the road. Karen asked, “Why dahling, why don’t you just shoo it away?”
Donald, being an outfitter, explained, “Why Karen, a bull moose is very temperamental and can turn a car over easily. He couldn’t turn over this bus, but he could destroy the engine if he got irritated and that would leave us stranded. We simply have to wait until he decides to move off of the road.”
After about 45 minutes, the bull must have heard a female calling because he took off at a run and the buses once more continued on their way. Just before they got to the lodge, a large hardwood tree stopped their progress as it was laying across the road. Donald asked the driver if he had his chainsaw and when it was produced, he began sawing the tree into manageable pieces. He had some of Leonard’s men stack the pieces of wood on the side of the road while he cut. They would come back down here and retrieve the wood to use in the fireplaces at the lodge.
When they arrived at the lodge, Donald went to open it up and discovered he had misplaced the key. He knew Anne, his housekeeper always hid her key in a new location every time she left, so he called Anne to ask her where it was. Anne, in her Irish brogue, said, “Well Donald, ye really shouldn’t be forgittin yore key ever time and wanton to use mine! Try lookin under the flowerpot on the porch.”
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Donald did and reported, “It isn’t there.”
“Well lovey, look under the rock that is holdin down the rope for the awnin. Not there either? Hmm. Oh I remember now! Go around by the back door and reach way up on top of the door on the right side. You got it? Good. Enjoy your stay. I will see you later in the year.” The lodge was opened up so it could air out, the supplies were moved in and people were assigned to rooms and Nancy and crew started cooking a nice meal.
Karen looked around the rustic lodge and marvelled at how many people it could accommodate and had to wonder how such a large place had come to be way out here in the woods!
In the middle of the night, Donald was awakened by a noise. His first thought was, “I hope we got all of the food moved inside.” He got out his flashlight and his shotgun. Bruce walked in and asked what he was doing. Donald said, “Have you ever eaten wolverine?”
Bruce said, “I don’t think so, why?”
Donald said, “I think we have one wandering around outside. Can you shoot a gun?”
‘Why, yes I can,” he answered.
Donald cautioned him, “Wolverines are extremely dangerous, so please be careful.”
When he opened the front door, he closed it immediately when he heard snarling. “I think there are two of them and they are fighting over something. They devised a plan. Bruce would open the front door while Donald had his gun raised, then close it promptly. They went for it and just as Donald pulled the trigger, the wolverine jumped toward the open door!
Meanwhile, as soon as the launch had been offloaded onto the cruise ship, Max started interviewing people on the ship to find out who knew something about the missing old folks. He was bound and determined to find these missing people, because their time was at hand and if they got away, they would just have to be rounded up again and at more expense to the government.
Since it was late and most people had gone to bed, they started with the nightshift. “We may as well start at the top with the captain. “ Max wandered onto the bridge and introduced himself to the captain. “Hello, I am Max and I wondered if I might ask you a few questions,” Max said pleasantly, as he flashed his credentials.
The captain said, “Hello! I am Captain Reynolds. Welcome aboard! What are you here for?”
“I brought supplies and need to ask you if you know anything about the missing elderly from this ship?”
“Why no, I don’t. Why don’t you ask some of our other older folks. They may give you some insight,” the captain said.
Max and Carl continued making rounds, asking the ones who were doing all of the nightly chores and they made so little headway that Max was feeling angry. He was starting to feel this was a lost cause when Carl brought in Lorraine to be questioned. Max offered her some coffee, which she gladly took. When he asked her if she had any clue as to what happened to the old folks, Lorraine answered, “It’s just like the movie we were watching that night. They made their escape on a boat. I didn’t see it go up into a space ship, though. You know aliens are real; I saw one once. It wasn’t green, though. Did you ever see one?”
Max could feel his blood beginning to boil.