The Inside Passage (Ted Higuera Series Book 1) Read Online Free PDF

some outdated religious beliefs.”
    Maybe he was being
too old-fashioned? Surely Allah would allow him to bend a little to keep up
with the times? No, what am I thinking? I must be strong.
    “But our parents .
. .”
    “I’ve talked to my
parents.” Bushra looked at her cup, turning it around and around in her hands.
“They agree.”
     “Something
happened. What is it?”
    “Ahmad, don’t.
Let’s just part as friends.”
    Ahmad grabbed her
wrist. She pulled away.
    What could her
father possibly have against him? “Bushra, tell me. What is it?”
    Bushra’s eyes fell
to her hands. She spoke in a weakened voice.
    “My father. . . he
says that some CSIS agents came to talk to him. He says that you’re being
investigated.”
    Ahmad’s mouth
dropped open. Why? What did they know? How had they found him? No, he had done
nothing wrong. He had broken no laws.
    “What have you
gotten yourself involved with?” she asked.
    If only I could
tell you. You’re not ready to hear what I have to say. You don’t understand the
great evil that we’re facing. Someday, maybe someday soon, you’ll understand.
    The words would
not come. Ahmad answered with silence.
     
    ****
     
    Seattle, Washington
    Ted smelled the
enticing aroma of coffee as he turned the corner in the staircase. He shuffled
down the stairs and into the kitchen of the 1920’s Craftsman-style house that
he shared with Chris, about a mile north of the University campus.
    An atlas of sea
charts, cruising guides and tide tables spread over the scarred old maple table
in the kitchen. Ted poured himself a cup of coffee and looked for his roomie.
    Chris stood on the
back porch staring blankly into space.
    “Dude, whatcha
doin’?”
    Chris remained
frozen for a moment, then slowly turned and spoke through the screen door.
“I’ve been thinking. Dad is really pushing hard for us to take this trip. I
don’t know if I can do it.”
    “I don’t know much
about sailin’, there weren’t no yacht clubs in East LA, but how hard could it
be? We pack a few brewskies, take the boat, head north.”
    “It’s a lot more
complicated than that.” Chris came back into the kitchen. “I’ve been going over
the charts. You have to know a lot about navigation. There’re no highway signs
on the water. If you get lost, it could be big trouble. The tides up there are
ferocious. Boats have been lost in tide rips and whirlpools. We’d be crossing
into a foreign country. We’d be a long way away from help if we got into
trouble.”
    Well, maybe it was
a little more involved than packing the car and taking off, still . . . “You
know all about sailin’ and stuff, don’t you? You’re always talkin’ about how
you used to race that boat with your dad.”
    Chris seated
himself at the table and made room in the muddle of books and charts for his
coffee cup. “I can handle the boat. I’m not worried about that. If there’s
anything I’m good at, it’s sailing. I’ve always wanted to take a long cruise; I
used to dream about sailing to Mexico or the South Pacific. It’s all the other
shit that has me worried.”
    “What other shit?
What’s the worst that could happen?”
    “I don’t know,
Ted. I’ve never done this by myself before. It’s a lot of responsibility. What
happens if we get into trouble? What if we run aground or get caught in a tide
rip? What if we get hurt or sick? There’s no hospitals up there. We could be
days away from help.”
    “Now you’re
beginnin’ to worry me.”  Ted picked up the chart atlas. “What is all this
shit?”
    “That’s a chart of
the Straits of Georgia. The green is land, the white’s water. See these little
numbers?” Chris pointed. “They show you how deep the water is. The compass rose
shows the direction, these red lines are suggested courses. These scales along
the sides of the chart are latitude and longitude.”
    “There’s nothin’
on the land part. This ain’t like a map at all. There’s no roads,