“Okay, so our previous relationship didn`t last that long, but I thought we knew each other pretty good. I remember you became a naval officer after leaving college, so how come you served in the military, in Afghanistan for Christ`s sake?”
“I did serve in the navy, and then volunteered to be what they called, a dirt sailor, basically on loan to the army.”
“Why`d you do that, put yourself in such danger?”
“Young and gung-ho. Didn`t think it through at the time.”
“And you didn`t think to tell me about it?”
Arnie looked at her and gave a subtle shrug. “What would be the point?”
“No big point, just something I think you could have shared.”
“Guess I never saw it that way.”
For a moment, Jessica seemed stuck in her own silence. “You`re right, why should it matter. Anyway, you were always a bit of a mystery to me, and I guess that`s part of it.”
Getting no response and with a waiter now advancing, she picked up the menu then ordered, Arnie declining food and settling for a cold drink. As the waiter retreated, Jessica fixed Arnie with an inquisitive look. “So what did you make of Greenmire?”
“Hard to tell with military officers, but he seemed to care about what happened to his men, some real anger under that hard-nosed exterior.”
“Yeah, but he must have known about the dramatic change in these Marines, yet didn`t even speculate on what could have caused it, just stuck to deflecting attention from the base.”
“Come on, Jess, he knows we`re here to investigate him. He`s the number one suspect, been told to co-operate by Carlucci but he won`t. And that base is unusually small, too insignificant for a clandestine operation with a secret to hide. Also, Greenmire seemed okay with us being here, so if he`s white-washing us he`s damned good at it. Gotta say, I`m inclined to believe him.”
“You reckon the base is in the clear, the military isn`t involved in this?”
“That`s my gut feeling, and anyway, we were always going to get zip from them, waste of time trying. If we want to know what`s really going on here we have to get to the guys on the ground, so hopefully this Carbosa will put us straight.”
“What we need from him are the girlfriends,” Jessica said, “they`re the ones who`ll know. Carbosa could be a decoy, set up by Greenmire. And that`s all he gave us, just this one guy.”
“Yeah, makes me wonder why Carlucci sent us down here, he knows how the military works. Have the feeling this thing isn`t what it looks like.”
Jessica stared at him and raised an eyebrow. “You`ve gotten a bit rusty, Arnie, been too long riding the range on that Harley. This is about Carlucci`s career, plenty of media exposure, the senator fighting the good fight, getting justice for grieving parents. Maybe he doesn`t expect a result, so if he gets one it`s a real bonus for him. But remember, his agenda sure isn`t mine, I`ve a life that needs put back together, and that depends on getting a story out of this. Self centred it may be, but in my position that`s the way I have to play it.”
Arnie tried to keep his expression neutral, her statement taking him by surprise. “So what are we really here for, just the fee and your story, that`s it?”
“Of course that`s it,” she said. “My career`s in the toilet and I`m no different from anyone else in trying to make a living. When your Harley runs out of gas then you`ll soon see.”
He had known her motivation from the start and understood it, but the vehemence in her tone had unsettled him. “I get that, Jess, been coming to that conclusion myself and I`m not making any judgements, but Honduras is a dangerous country. So if I`m to stick my neck out in this drug cartel haven then I need to know the score. I have the feeling this thing`s much bigger than it looks and maybe our friend the senator knows it.”
“Look, Arnie we poke around, get as much as we can, see where it leads and maybe that`ll give us the story if something breaks. If we find it all leads back to the base then at least we`ll have some linkage, hustle some kind of accusatory narrative together. You get a full cut as agreed, both of us winning and getting back on our feet, you good with that?”
“Guess I`ll have to be. The fee`s welcome, but the way things are looking it might not last much longer. I get the need for your story and I`m all in on that, but what it might lead to is the real question.”
“Well we just ride things as far as we can, hope Carlucci doesn`t bale on us and we come out the right side of this. For two people in our position what the hell choice is there?”
Finding Frederico`s Bar was easy, a parking place more difficult, their hire car now a good distance away. The walk had started out okay but by the time they had turned the corner of the fourth block their feelings of vulnerability increased. It wasn`t just the eyes of the locals, who seemed friendly enough, but the ones they suspected were on them from hidden positions. No visual evidence, but a feeling Arnie knew well and trusted.
Frederico`s was buzzing, noisy as hell, and once they got past the line of six Military Policemen at the doorway, the stale humid air hit them. Whirring ceiling fans were full blast, fighting against the confined heat, wafts of marijuana smoke drifting from the back.
“Jesus, feels like taking a shower in an oven, I`m struggling to breathe,” Jessica said.
Arnie ignored the remark as his eyes scanned the place, looking for the half Honduran, assuming he would stand out from the others. It took a few minutes to wade through the packed clientele most of whom were hanging on to local girls. The few who weren`t swayed in a drunken state or were slumped on the badly torn leather benches parked along bamboo covered walls.
Shouting in the ear of the bartender, Arnie got a hand signal indicating “out the back”. Out the back turned out to be much like in the front, just with more space and a bit quieter. As Arnie caught sight of a guy who fitted Major Greenmire`s description he realised they were staring at each other. The half Honduran looked savvy, alert, and seemed to know Arnie was looking for him. His demeanor was relaxed, eyes dark and sizing up the Americans as they approached.
“Tano Carbosa?” Arnie said.
“Who`s asking?”
“This is Jessica Hahn and I`m Arnie Krench. We got a nod from your commanding officer that you could help us out. We`re investigating what happened to your three Marine buddies. This isn`t government, it`s outside the official investigation.”
Tano Carbosa took a slug of his beer, wiped his mouth and walked over to a falling down stone wall at the patio perimeter, signalling the Americans to follow. He was typical Marine Corps, tall, broad and with plenty of muscle. “Can hear myself think now,” he said. “Nice to know that somebody realises whatever the official investigation turns up it`ll be bullshit. Just need to be sure you`re not government, so mind flashing some I.D.”
Handing the I.D. cards back, Corbosa sat on the wall and got to the point. “First thing you need to know is who these guys were.”
Jessica appeared surprised, Corbosa catching her look and responding fast. “No, I mean who they were before they became dead. These guys were the elite, straight up killing machines. When soldiers like that kill for the first time they either freak out or find it a rush, and if the latter, then the next one`s easy. That`s the type of guy the U.S. Army needs for certain operations and that`s the type of guys that were taken down by a bunch of asshole rednecks. Only with no fight-back could that happen and the answer to that nobody seems to know.”
“Well everyone back home is pointing to the military, but there`s a U.S. Senator who doesn`t buy it and that`s why we`re here,” Jessica said. “So can you give us anything, could there be a drug connection?”
Corbosa`s eyes showed anger but his voice was controlled. “No way in hell, these boys were as clean as you can get. Probably did their pot thing when they were younger but since I`ve known them it`s the last thing they`d get into. I know Hondur
as is a drug cartel`s perfect place to set up production, and there`s sure been some new cocktails coming on stream, but unless it was forced down them there`s no way these Marines were on anything. And even if they were their instinct and training would have kicked in.”
Jessica nodded her acceptance. “Your Major Greenmire insists that the military is out of the loop, nothing to do with what happened, you reckon that`s true?”
“Yes,” said Corbosa, “no way this is down to the military, I would have known, we`d all have known. The answer lies out there, somewhere in this weird-ass place, and how the hell you`re going to get anywhere with an investigation I`m damned if I know.”
“Guess that leaves the girlfriends,” Arnie said. “We know each of the three had one, all local girls, been with them for a while.”
“One`s left town, Selma,” said Carbosa, “cleared out fast when she heard the news. Sammy`s girl, Louisa, works in a taverna downtown, not far from here, should be there now.”
“We heard Jeb Hoag was close to getting married to one of the girls according to our info, do you know her?” Arnie asked.
“That would be Carmen, in real tight with Jeb. Maybe she has something. Lives over the other side of town, real rough place so you`ll need to get in and out fast. Pair of Gringo`s like you will draw attention, like vultures to road kill.”
Jessica felt a shiver of apprehension then asked Corbosa a final question. “Anything else you can give us?”
“Nope, that`s it. Something real bad happened to my buddies and I hope to hell you find out what. The change in them happened down here, that`s for sure, but if you`re going to poke around in this town then be ready to haul ass out because it can be one violent place.”
“So you`ll tell us where the taverna is, where this Louisa works?” Jessica asked.
“Twenty minutes from here.”
What about the Carmen girl?” Arnie said.
“Other side of town, and like I said, it`s dangerous over there.”
“Drug gangs?” Jessica asked.
“Better believe it, and their spies are everywhere, so get in fast then get out fast.”
“You got her address?”
“No, but I reckon Louisa will have it.”
Now Carbosa took them by surprise, not waiting for a response as he suddenly stood, turned and disappeared into the crowd.
Watching him go, Jessica turned to Arnie, her annoyance clear. “Jesus, what an abrupt exit, one nervy kind of guy.”
“In this part of the world I`m sure he`s good reason to be.”
“Seems like he`s being straight with us, inclined to believe him. And if this thing isn`t down to the military then we need to chase down the girlfriends. At least we`ve got that.”
“The taverna should be safe enough,” Arnie said, “though that Carmen girl`s side of town sounds like a whole different ball-game. We check it out though, dangerous territory or not. But right now we head downtown, find this Louisa girl, see what she`s got.”
They had ten minutes to wait until Louisa would be on her break and able to speak to them. While Jessica hit the rest-room, Arnie moved outside, sitting at a table away from the entrance and under a rusty tin roof. He looked across the town square, his eyes drawn to a badly maintained bronze statue he assumed to be some famous Honduran. It was placed in a walled off area framed by a group of Palo Verde trees and he thought it would be an impressive symbol were it not for the serious neglect. Framing the square was a mixture of buildings, a few modern, most old and Pueblo in style, their facades in poor condition, carved corbels at the top corners adding some feature. But the people were the real interest, colourfully dressed, constantly on the move, though with a wary look about them.
Turning to the left he watched two ramshackle cattle trucks rumble across the square, their engines growling in the fume filled arena and holding up a line of banged up cars whose occupants were pressing on their horns. A pair of smoke-belching buses ahead of the trucks, the real cause of the hold-up, had a flotilla of mopeds now weaving in and out between them as a barrage of rude hand signals expressed annoyance.
“Jesus, the noise from those mopeds,” said Jessica returning from the restroom and pulling up a chair. “Like a racetrack with no rules.”
“Yeah, everyone yelling, nobody listening,” Arnie said.
It was seconds later when Louisa arrived on the shabby sidewalk, threw a nervous glance at the other patrons then sat opposite Jessica. She looked like a teenager but had the eyes of someone older, the sparkle of youth missing, replaced by a veil of apprehension.
Jessica could understand the trauma of Louisa losing her boyfriend but wondered about the look of fear in her. “We`re here to get answers to what happened to your Marine boyfriend and his two colleagues, why they changed so dramatically and what could have caused it. The obvious suspicion was drugs but we don`t buy that, we think their military base is involved. Accusations of experiments are being thrown around, so can you tell us about that, are we on the right track?”
Louisa showed no emotion. “It wasn`t drugs and it wasn`t the base, something or somebody else is responsible. All three of us were shocked not just by their deaths but that they died without a fight. That wasn`t our boys, and we saw the change before they went home on leave. It was just crazy, their personalities and whole demeanor were distorted, so frightening to see.”
“Can you tell us about the circumstances?” Jessica asked. “How and when it started?”
“The first night we thought they were sedated or affected by some medication, but the next few days were just the same. They were guys we didn`t know any more, it was so weird, and then it became really scary.”
“Why are you so sure the base wasn`t involved?” said Arnie.
“Because they were on a three day leave when this happened, or so they said.”
“Sounds like you didn`t believe them,” Jessica said.
“We didn`t, it just sounded like a lie, we all thought so. But where they had really been we just don`t know. If it hadn`t been for the difference in them it would be no big deal, but they came back as three totally changed guys.”
“But they could have been at the base, how could you know for sure?” said Arnie.
“Because we asked their buddies but nobody had seen them there, and no other Marines have suffered the same way. Whatever happened to them happened elsewhere, I`m sure of that.”
“There`s a Major Greenmire at the base, the commanding officer, did the boys ever mention him?”
“Never heard of him.”
Arnie looked at Jessica for a moment then back to Louisa. “So you can`t tell us anything about the base, anything the boys might have mentioned?”
“No.”
Jessica leaned forward. “We know Selma left town and that Jeb Hoag`s girlfriend, Carmen, left soon after the news broke, anything in that?”
“Carmen was really upset like the rest of us and just needed to be home in Cartagena. She came back a couple of days ago to collect her things. She gave up her job, a good one, as an administrator. Talked to her on the phone today, said she was heading out on Friday and wouldn`t be back. She sounded spooked, didn`t even want to talk.”
“What about Selma, do you know where we can find her?”
“Gone, nobody knows where.”
Arnie turned and looked at Jessica. “We need to get to Carmen then.”
“I wouldn`t go now,” said Louisa, “dangerous part of town, and it will be dark soon. Tomorrow, in daylight, it will be safer. You will need to be careful, it`s drug-land and everybody`s a snitch. Honduras has great people but they`re afraid of the cartels and the government, no one will help you.”
“Can you tell us anything else? We have no leads and had assumed our inquiries would be concentrated on the base. Looks like the answers lie outside, somewhere in
this town or elsewhere in Honduras,” Jessica said.
Louisa stared at her. “This is not America. Honduras is a crazy country for its people never mind strangers. You cannot trust anybody, not the police or any other authority, and as Americans you will be watched everywhere you go. It`s not safe for you.”
“Well we must speak to Carmen, hear what she has to say about Jeb Hoag,” Jessica replied.
Louisa now stood, pushing back the chair with her legs. “I have to get back to work. Please don`t contact me again, I can`t tell you anything more.”
As they watched Louisa retreat, Arnie was first to speak. “Guess that`s it then. The Carmen girl`s going to be the last throw, and if that gives us nothing then it looks like we`re done.”
“I know, can`t build a story on what little we`ve got, Arnie. Without the military base being connected that leaves only the drug cartels and we`re not going anywhere near that.”
“Reckon that`s just what Carlucci expected, I`m sure of it. We`ve been played, Jess.”
“Maybe you`re right, but the answer is here in Honduras. Whatever happened to these Marines happened down here.”
He shrugged. “Okay, we get to Carmen tomorrow and let`s hope she`s got something or we`re out of here. Can`t say I`ll miss the place. Maybe you can persuade Carlucci to let you dig around Jeb Hoag`s family background, could be something there.”
“Not going to fly, Arnie. Carlucci wants headlines, to show he can get things done. A human interest story won`t cut it for him and no way would it get me back to the big time. There`s one hell of a story here, I`m sure of it. Just got to hope this Carmen`s got something we can bite on.”
CHAPTER 6
The Cygnus Agenda Page 5