A Mountain of Snow

Welcome to the Spot Writers. This current prompt is a story about excessive amounts of snow. Phil Yeats wrote this week’s story.

In September, 2021, he published The Souring Seas, the first volume in a precautionary tale about the hazards of ignoring human-induced climate change. The second volume, Building Houses of Cards, appeared in May 2022. He’s now published They All Come Tumbling Down, the third volume in his The Road to Environmental Armageddon trilogy. For information about these books, or his older soft-boiled mysteries, visit his website:

https://alankemisterauthor.wordpress.com/

 

A Mountain of Snow

by Phil Yeats

 

“Pull in our gear,” John Jenkins, the captain of the lobster boat, Marjorie Jane, yelled to his crew as he emerged from the wheelhouse. “Coast Guard received a distress signal from a nearby vessel. Our duty to respond.”

An hour later, they approached a fifteen-metre-long ketch with bare spars sitting dead in the water. They pulled alongside in a calm sea. His oldest deckhand hailed, but they got no response. Their youngest crewman, a college student named Nigel, working with them for the summer, jumped aboard. He disappeared below before Captain John emerged from the wheelhouse, annoyed that the young college boy would take this possibly dangerous action before they had time to prepare.

College boy poked his head from the companionway. “Thirty centimetres of water on the cabin floor, but no sign of water coming in.”

“Anyone in distress?” Captain John asked.

“Nope. Deserted, and something else. No sign of any sails.”

“Bloody hell,” John said, thinking it sounded like some tortured soul took his yacht to sea and killed himself by jumping overboard attached to his anchor. “Let’s get a line on her, transfer our spare bilge pump over, and see if we can pump her out. I’ll contact the Coast Guard and describe the situation.”

They soon had water gushing from the yacht, but they weren’t making progress lowering the water level inside. They began towing the yacht toward shore, but the quantity of water made for slow progress.

Once again, Nigel popped from the yacht’s cabin. He was obviously treating this as an adventure. “I’ve found the source of the water. Corroded pipe. Someone attempted to patch it, but it’s still leaking rather badly.”

John turned to Mike, the most seasoned member of his four-man crew. “Take tools and our gear for repairing through-hull leaks and do your best. And send college boy back. I don’t like the idea of him messing about and making things worse.”

Mike stood on the yacht’s foredeck twenty minutes later. “Situation is under control. Corroded pipe as Nigel said, but it’s inside the shutoff. Tap was frozen, but our pipe wrench and a little elbow grease solved that.”

“So, the pump should start making progress,” said John.

“Should do, but there’s something else,” Mike replied. He held up a plastic bag containing white powder. “I suspect this is cocaine, and there are lots of them.”

John sighed. This meant a call to the RCMP and a cousin who wasn’t his best buddy.

Shortly after nightfall, they slide against the dock in their home port. Numerous police cruisers with red lights flashing had the town pier cordoned off. They quickly took charge of the yacht. Half an hour later, Jerome Jenkins, the head of the local police detachment, climbed aboard the Marjorie Jane. “We’ll need to search your boat and record statements from each of you.” He locked eyes with his cousin. “I suppose you’ll want to get back to sea.” When John nodded, Jerome added, “check in with us tomorrow at 0800. We should be able to give you the all clear.”

John arrived at the police station at precisely 0800 the next day. Jerome led him to a room with dozens of bags containing white powder stacked on a large table. “The haul from your yacht plus many more we bagged from three reprobates who were bringing them ashore in a launch.”

John stared at the table. “My god. A veritable mountain of snow.”

 

*****

The Spot Writers—Our Members:

Val Muller: http://www.valmuller.com/blog/

Catherine A. MacKenzie: https://writingwicket.wordpress.com/wicker-chitter/

Phil Yeats: https://alankemisterauthor.wordpress.com/

Chiara De Giorgi: https://chiaradegiorgi.blogspot.com/