Target Alaska Ring of Rings

"It's been a good long afternoon, um Bob."

"Sure is great to spend it over a few drafts and a bit of food, James. I guess it's time we head back. Our trucks are unloaded and we have to prepare tomorrow's shipment."

James stopped at the first truck, opened the door and turned to Bob, "See you back at the site in twenty minutes," and he sat down behind the wheel.

Bob climbed into the cab of the truck in which Juliana was hiding. Both drivers started their engines, while Juliana wondered, "Do I get out of the truck or stay inside?" She decided not to leave, because she knew that her best chance to catch these polluters would be to continue her investigation. Besides, the first driver had dropped in directly behind Juliana's truck, and would have clearly seen her if she had tried to open the doors.

Her eyes had not adjusted to the dark, so she resorted to feeling her way around. When her knee hit a metal object, she had to bite her lips to keep from screaming. She could not keep moving around blind. She took the flashlight from her left coat pocket. When she flick it on, the beam revealed two tanks and associated pumping equipment. Because the ship just left the pier, Juliana expected the tanks to be empty, but she had learned from Sean that some of the contents were always left in the pump and the piping. Remembering how Sean had opened the small drain valve, Juliana repeated the process. Sure enough, some liquid came dribbling out and onto the floor. She quickly closed the valve and looked around for a container, annoyed that she had not thought to do so before turning the valve. She found a Styrofoam cup, previously used for coffee and then discarded in the back of the truck. She re-opened the valve and half filled the cup. Taking one of her sampling syringes, she injected a small quantity of the liquid into a portable analyzer and waited three minutes for the results. Once the analysis was complete, she had proof: there were toxic chlorinated hydrocarbons in the tank. She first thought this was sufficient to arrest the trucking company as polluters. However, she quickly realized that in a courtroom all she could obtain would be a conviction against the trucking company for illegally transporting toxic waste. There still was no proof that these chemicals were on the cruise ship, and definitely no proof that ships were dumping such chemicals in the ocean.