Gone Fishing
The drone was barely audible as it hovered over the lake in front of Alex. Using his laptop to control the flight path and altitude, Alex appeared to be just another college student doing homework on his laptop. Cell phone on the picnic table, flip-flops on his bare feet, dressed in tan cargo shorts, a faded t-shirt and a grey sweatshirt, his outward appearance completed the ruse.
There was activity at the boat dock. Alex stood and faced the marina, watching a fisherman push away from the dock in his sheet-metal grey, fourteen-foot aluminum boat. Lowering the boat motor into the lake and pushing the start button on the trolling motor, Jerry headed to the far side of the lake, just off shore of the reeds.
Adjusting his laptop to face the fisherman and aligning the laptop camera with the far shore, Alex set the laptop to record. He set the display to a split-screen. Using the laptop to fly the drone, he settled into a holding pattern above the fishing boat. The drone was high enough and quiet enough so as not to be heard, but the image from the digital camera was clear and received in high definition on the laptop. He watched carefully from his laptop, making no indication that he was the one controlling the drone.
Oblivious to the drone flying overhead, or the young man across the lake with the laptop pointed in his direction, Jerry slowed the engine, letting the boat slowly drift toward the reeds. He dropped the small boat anchor into the water. Reaching into the bait bucket, Jerry grabbed a minnow and skillfully stuck the hook thru the eyeball and upper mouth of the tiny fish. He cast the line with bait into the water, landing just a few inches from the reeds. Then he fastened a red-and-white plastic bobbin to the line holding the bait bucket. He dropped the bait bucket over the side of the boat.
He let the fishing line and the bait bucket drift away from the boat and toward the reeds. Jerry settled back into the boat and made himself comfortable waiting for a fish to strike. It was a beautiful sunny morning on the lake. There was very little wind so the water was calm. A few dragonflies flit by and Jerry could hear a couple of ducks swimming in the reeds. He adjusted his Padres baseball cap low over his eyes to keep the glare under control. All was quiet for about 45 minutes. In a distance, Jerry heard a boat motor. As he looked around the lake, he watched as another fisherman approached the reeds. The two fishermen nodded in acknowledgment to each other.
Jerry felt a nibble on his line. Lifting the tip of his pole from the water, he felt a fish tug on the hook. He gave the fish some line and waited. He felt the tug again and reeled in a few feet of line. Not too fast; he didn’t want to lose the fish. He felt another tug and knew this time, the fish was hooked. Jerry reeled in the fish quickly and lifted the pole to pull the fish from the water.
It was a lovely seven-inch coastal trout with a large mouth and sharp teeth on the upper and lower jaws. The bait and the hook were fully inside the mouth. The body was silvery and shiny in the sunlight, with black spots on the fins and a red lateral band of color along the body. As he held the fish on the line, he glanced to see if the nearby fisherman saw his catch.
“I guess they are biting this morning.” said the stranger. “What kind of bait are you using?”
“Minnows.” said Jerry. I bought them at the bait shop on the dock. You need some?”
“Sure, that would be great. I brought a couple of lures with me, but I could try a minnow.” The stranger positioned his boat closer to the bait bucket tied to Jerry’s line. “My name is Bill; nice to meet you.”
Bill lifted the bait bucket out of the water and looked inside. “You have quite a few lively ones in here. I think I see the one I want at the bottom. He is a feisty one. You got a net or something?”
Jerry looked around his boat. He saw an old coffee can with a plastic lid sitting next to the motor. “I have something better. Here, take this can and fill it with some lake water. You can put a few minnows in there.”
“Thanks!” Bill said, “that will work just great.”
Though the drone overhead did not record sound, Alex knew this was the hand-off. From across the lake, he checked the position on his laptop camera and adjusted the auto-focus on the drone camera. As the stranger transferred the water and minnows to the coffee can, Alex could see something besides minnows was also inside the bait bucket. A few fat minnows fell into the coffee can; as well as a small brown package about the size of a pack of cigarettes.
“Thanks,” Bill said. “I am sure this will do the trick. But I think I will try my luck over there, near the shoreline trees.” Bill put the plastic lid on the coffee can.
“No problem.” Jerry said. “I am sure the fish are biting over there too. Cast your line into the shadows…I caught some great fish over there last weekend. No sense in wasting good bait.”
As the two fishermen separated, Alex sent a text message. “Package transferred. POI moving toward shore. Seize coffee can.” Alex adjusted the flight of the drone to follow the repositioning fisherman; while still keeping his laptop focused on Jerry, in the direction of the reeds. He continued to record Bill and his moving fishing boat.
Instead of heading toward the trees and the shallows, Bill decided to head toward the boat dock. Alex watched as four undercover agents mingled around the dock, two were pretending to be checking out the bait tank and the other two were reading the boat rental sign and discussing the fees for fishing license and boat rental. As Bill pulled his boat into the dock, each agent was ready to catch the tie line. Alex positioned the nearly silent drone directly above the dock.
“Need any help?” Agent Jamison asked as the boat approached the dock and Bill cut the engine.
“Sure, catch this line.” Bill answered. Agent Jamison caught the line as Agent Reed took a quick glance into the boat. As Jamison tied off the boat, the fisherman stood to exit the vessel. “Opps, almost forgot my bait can.” he said as he turned to pick up the coffee can.
“What kind of bait were you using?” asked Jamison.
“Just minnows from the bait tank.” Bill responded, stepping on the dock with the coffee can securely tucked under his arm.
Suddenly all four agents surrounded him. “Secret Service! You are under arrest!” shouted Agent Jamison. “Hand over the coffee can and get down on your knees.”
Bill tried to throw the coffee can into the lake but Agent Reed was right there to catch it. Agent Jamison grabbed Bill’s right hand and swiftly pulled it behind his back.
“Be still or you will get hurt!” Jamison shouted. Bill stopped struggling and let Jamison grab his left hand and place the hand cuffs on him. Agent Jamison recited the Miranda warning and asked if Bill understood his rights. Bill replied that he did and Agent Reed opened the coffee can, as the drone hovered about ten feet about the boat dock.
Reaching into the can, Reed pulled out a small package about the size of a pack of cigarettes. He handed the coffee can to another agent and unwrapped the brown paper. He found a waterproof plastic box. He carefully opened the box. Inside were two human eyeballs and one ring finger, with a green and gold Special Forces signet ring still attached.
“You’re in some serious trouble,” said Agent Jamison. “Look up.” It was only then that Bill saw the drone flying overhead. His heart sank as he was ushered toward the government’s black SUV.
***
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