Page 82 of God’s Country

He hadn’t seen me. That was obvious. His focus had been on the source of the smoke and the lone man trying madly to get his attention. I thought Adam would fly by again, just to be certain, then probably radio back to the communication center and await instructions. But how would he interpret the situation? There was no canoe at that campsite, and only one man in apparent need of help. I had to make sure that he saw me as well, which would give him a better chance at understanding how things stood.

I leaped up and, just as Stan was doing, waved my arms like crazy. Adam knew me. I simply needed him to look my way. He flew by again, but I couldn’t tell if he saw me. The Super Cub disappeared down the channel and was masked by the island at my back. I had to be certain I’d been seen. I ran to the tree where I’d tethered my canoe. The night before, I’d been dead tired and the two half hitches I used on the rope were a bit of a mess. I fumbled with the knot, and as I did, I could hear the plane approaching once more, but this time, the engine was being cut back. I knew with a sinking heart that Adam intended to make a landing on the lake.

I got the rope free and shoved the canoe onto the water. I waded calf deep, stepped in, and grabbed the paddle. I swung the bow around, pointed it toward the Kennedy brothers’ campsite, and dug the blade in. I’d taken only a few strokes when Adam brought the plane floats down onto Lost Man Lake. I could only watch helplessly as he taxied up to where Stan stood and where, I was sure, Ollie was in hiding, Glock in hand, waiting to ambush this Good Samaritan.

CHAPTER 46

My daughter Jenny, who is a writer, often uses the word “paradox,” which I have asked her to explain. She’s told me it’s a situation involving contradictory elements. I sort of get it. That morning, as I paddled toward the Super Cub, the situation seemed to me to fit the definition perfectly.

The day was as beautiful as any I’d ever seen in the Boundary Waters. I could feel the Great Mystery in everything around me. The lake, absolutely calm after the restless wind the night before. The air, fresh and pure and smelling of the vast reservoir of clean water beneath my canoe. The sky above me like an immense blue china platter waiting to be filled with soft clouds whipped up by the Creator’s hand. Heaven on earth, absolutely. But there within it, along with all that beauty, were the Kennedy brothers, two monstrous wolves of hate completely capable of tearing out the heart of a decent man.

From the distance, I saw Adam exit his plane and drop an anchor into the shallow water near the shoreline. He called out something to Stan, who answered with words I couldn’t hear. A wind came across the water, gentle but strong enough to ease the floatplane sideways, and I lost sight of both Adam and Stan. I continued to paddle cautiously until I was within fifty or sixty yards of the shoreline, a distance I judged to be beyond the effective shooting range of Ollie and his gun. There wasn’t much I could do but watch and wait.

I didn’t have to wait very long before Ollie stepped into view. Adam was with that Kennedy bastard, the Glock to his head. Ollie gestured to me to come ashore. The situation was just like it had been back at Devil’s End when Ollie had the gun to Leticia’s head. I had no choice but to go to him.

As I pulled up to the shoreline, Stan joined his brother. I got out of the canoe, still holding my paddle, and walked to within a few yards of where the other men stood.

“Hey, Adam,” I said.

“Cork.” He gave me the slightest of nods.

“Sorry.”

“Not your fault.”

Ollie removed the barrel of the gun from Adam’s head and stepped away. He was smiling like he’d just won the lottery. “Thought we’d be canoeing to Canada. Looks like we’ve got a more comfortable way to go.”

“O’Connor,” Stan began, his voice apologetic.

“I don’t want to hear it,” I said.

“He’s my brother,” Stan said, as if that explained everything. “We’ll just fly out of here and everything’ll be fine. Nobody hurt.”

“Nobody but the two dead men, and Cordell and Tucker.”

“Nobody else, I promise.”

“Forgive me if I don’t believe you and your promises.”

Adam said, “Either of you guys know how to fly this plane?”

“Hell, no,” Ollie said.

“Then how’re you getting to Canada? Cuz I sure ain’t flying you there.”

“No?”

Once again, Ollie leveled the gun barrel at Adam’s head.

“No,” Stan said.

Ollie considered his brother. “Okay,” he said and turned his gun on me. “How about I shoot this guy?”

“No more killing.”

“Maybe I’ll just shoot him in one knee first. Then if our fly guy here still won’t take us out, I’ll shoot him in the other knee.”

Stan looked at Adam. “He means it. Please, just fly us out of here and no one else gets hurt. We’ll pay you whatever you want.”