Four Months in Cuba

by Luana Ehrlich

  In matters relating to the drug cartels, Salazar seldom made such distinctions.

  Before I had a chance to respond, Carlton said, “That information was never verified, and there’s no data indicating the cartel owns any property in El Cobre.” He gestured at Katherine. “I’m right about that, aren’t I?”

  Katherine nodded. “Our analysts haven’t been able to find any record Rafael Lorenzo or anyone associated with the Los Zetas organization owns property in El Cobre.”

  Salazar shrugged. “Since Titus hadn’t brought up anything about El Cobre, I wasn’t sure everyone had the full picture.”

  Carlton looked over at me. “Resume your narrative.”

  Because Carlton always insisted on having every detail on the official record, I described how the Peaceful Retrieval team had planned and rehearsed the POA after Gabriel had been issued the invitation to provide the entertainment for Lorenzo’s tourism celebration.

  “Once we arrived at Lorenzo’s compound, everything went exactly as planned. When Juliana and I went—”

  “Excuse me.”

  Mai Kato had removed her gigantic glasses and was now using them to gesture at Carlton. “Did you say we could ask questions?”

  “Yes, Mai,” Carlton said, “do you have a question for Titus?”

  “I have a question for anyone who wants to answer it,” she said.

  “Perhaps I can answer it then,” Carlton said.

  Mai put her glasses back on and opened up the official debriefing folder Carlton had distributed before the meeting began.

  The front of the folder was stamped CLASSIFIED and inside the binder was a one-page document listing the protocols the DDO had authorized for Peaceful Retrieval.

  Carlton usually placed other pertinent information about the POA inside, including printouts of reconnaissance photos, schematics of the buildings, maps of the relevant area, or photographs taken on scene. In this case, he’d added a couple of reconnaissance photographs of Lorenzo’s compound, plus the photographs Juliana had taken of the ten sarin gas canisters in Lorenzo’s guesthouse.

  Mai picked up the printout of the gas canisters and held it up in front of her. “Are these the missing chemical weapons the DDO talked about in our divisional meeting two weeks ago?”

  “Yes, those are the missing canisters,” Carlton said. “Titus will explain where those were found in a moment. He hasn’t gotten to that part of his narrative yet.”

  “I understand the objective of Peaceful Retrieval was to rescue Senator Mitchell’s son from the cartel. Since Ben Mitchell is not sitting here today, I have to assume that objective was not achieved. Am I correct?”

  Carlton nodded. “That’s correct.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that, but I’m more concerned about the status of these canisters than I am about how Titus went about executing a POA that didn’t achieve its objective. I understand you were trying to save a man’s life, but there’s no telling how many lives are at stake as long as those chemical weapons remain in the hands of the cartel.”

  Salazar said, “She has a point there. The cartel won’t hesitate to use those weapons.”

  “I understand your concerns, Mai,” Carlton said, “and as soon as Titus finishes up his narrative, I’ll address how the DDO plans to handle those weapons.”

  “Please do.”

  Carlton said, “I don’t believe Titus will be much longer.” He pointed his finger at me. “Resume the narrative.”

  I took that as my cue to speed things up, and after relating how Juliana and I were able to gain access to Lorenzo’s guesthouse, I began telling the committee what we found inside.

  I was in the middle of describing where the gas canisters were located, when Carlton suddenly took his cell phone out of his coat pocket, looked down at the screen, and announced, “I’m sorry. Something’s come up, and I need to cut this session short.”

  Without any further explanation, he signed off on the recording. “Session One. This is Operations Officer, Douglas Carlton concluding the intelligence debrief of Titus Alan Ray, Level 1 covert operative, and Juliana Lamar, Level 2 covert operative, in the matter of Operation Peaceful Retrieval.”

  After reminding the committee members to return their CLASSIFIED folders to him before they left the room, he looked across the table at Juliana and me and said, “The two of you need to remain behind.”

  When Mai handed Carlton her folder, she said, “I hope your emergency doesn’t have anything to do with those canisters.”

  “I appreciate your willingness to serve on the committee today, Mai, and I promise I’ll get back with you about the status of the weapons very soon.”

  She nodded. “I’ll hold you to that.”

  Once everyone had left, Carlton turned to Juliana and me and said, “Deputy Ira and Senator Mitchell are on their way over to The Gray to speak to you.”

  Chapter 26

  Carlton refused to answer any of my questions, and, a few minutes after making his announcement, he left the room to be at the front door when Senator Mitchell and the DDO arrived.

  As soon as he was gone, Juliana said, “Give me your best guess. Why is the DDO bringing Senator Mitchell over to the safe house?”

  I got up and walked over to a mobile beverage cart where there were a couple of carafes of coffee, several bottles of water, and a pitcher of lemonade.

  It was Martha’s responsibility to provide refreshments for the conference room, and the last time I’d been here, I’d made a big deal about how much I enjoyed her lemonade. After the way I’d praised her, it didn’t surprise me she’d remembered.

  As I poured myself a glass, I said, “If the DDO is bringing the Senator all the way out here to The Gray, it’s because he has something he wants to say to me in person. Senator Mitchell likes to confront people face-to-face.”

  Juliana smiled. “Be sure and give me a heads up if I need to duck and cover.”

  There was a soft knock on the door, and when I opened it, Martha was standing there with a tray of cookies in her hand.

  She said, “I was told we’re about to have some very important guests, and I thought they might like some refreshments.”

  After I helped her place the tray of cookies on the cart, I told her how much I appreciated the pitcher of lemonade she’d made for me.

  She paused at the doorway on her way out of the room and said, “You’ll have to thank Mr. Carlton for that. He told me you had a thing for lemonade.”

  I took my deflated ego, along with my glass of lemonade, and resumed my seat at the table next to Juliana.

  A couple of minutes later, the door swung open again.

  Martha’s very important guests had arrived.

  * * * *

  Carlton stood off to the side and held the door open as the DDO and Senator Mitchell walked in. Both men were dressed in dark blue suits and red ties.

  Aside from that, the two men were a study in contrasts.

  Senator Mitchell was broad-shouldered, over six feet tall, and had coal black hair and a Romanesque nose. He was a man straight out of central casting; the very embodiment of Hollywood’s version of a powerful Senator.

  Robert Ira, on the other hand, was a short, overweight, pudgy-faced man with thinning gray hair and a bulbous red nose. He looked more like a rodeo clown than a high-ranking member of the intelligence community.

  Despite the DDO’s less appealing physical features, when it came to wielding power, I felt confident the DDO could hold his own with the Senator.

  When the men entered the room, Juliana and I immediately stood to our feet and walked over to greet them.

  After Carlton had introduced Juliana to the Senator, he smiled and said, “I understand you were working with my son in Santiago when he was kidnapped.”

  “That’s right, sir, and I’m looking forward to working with him again.”

  The Senator continued to smile, but he didn’t respond to her comment. Instead, he offered me his hand and said, “Titus, I’m still c
ounting on you to bring my son home.”

  I shook his hand. “I’m still counting on that too, sir.”

  With such an amicable beginning, I wanted to believe there wouldn’t be any need for Juliana to duck and cover today.

  * * * *

  The DDO left little doubt who was in charge of the proceedings when he immediately placed his briefcase on the conference table in the center seat position—the one formerly occupied by Carlton.

  When the deputy pulled his laptop out of his briefcase, I noticed he was looking over at a wide-screen television monitor mounted on the wall. A few seconds later, he directed Juliana and me to sit on the opposite side of the room, at the far end of the conference table.

  “You two sit over there,” he said. “I want you to have a clear view of the video screen.”

  As Juliana and I took our assigned seats, Senator Mitchell took the chair to the left of the DDO, while Carlton chose the one on the right, the one closest to where Juliana and I were sitting.

  Once the DDO had powered up his computer, he hit a few keystrokes and a blue screen appeared on the overhead monitor.

  The screen was blank.

  It remained blank while the DDO gave a short speech.

  The speech was primarily directed at me.

  “By any measure, your operation was a failure,” he said. “Your objective was to locate and rescue your fellow operative, and you were supposed to do so without causing an international incident. Not only did you not achieve your objective, you came very close to alerting the DSE to your presence in Santiago when your actions landed their agent Federico Gonzalez in the hospital.”

  The deputy paused and took a deep breath. “However, I believe there’s still a high probability Operation Peaceful Retrieval’s objective can be achieved. Douglas and I, along with input from Senator Mitchell, have come up with a new POA, a Phase II, if you will. Although we’re still developing the protocols for the mission, Phase II will be your next assignment.”

  The DDO reached over and hit a key on his laptop. The blue screen on the video monitor disappeared. In its place, was a document which the DDO identified as the email the Senator had received from the cartel.

  “Ready to have your son back, Senator? If so, follow these instructions: Book a villa at Los Tavios Resort on San Andros Island for a one month’s stay beginning August 12. Open a coded bank account in your name at the Banque Cantonale in Geneva, Switzerland and deposit ten million dollars by August 12. Establish two coded signatories at the bank; one for you and one for your son. After confirming you’ve opened this email, you’ll have eight hours to book your reservation at Los Tavios. We’ll be in touch.”

  The DDO said, “The Senator immediately booked a reservation at Los Tavios, and, a few hours ago, he completed the process of establishing the bank account at Banque Cantonale.”

  He touched his keypad and said, “Los Zetas included this proof of life photograph in the email.”

  A picture of Ben appeared on the screen.

  It showed him holding last Friday’s edition of The Miami Herald. Carlton had already told me Ben looked thinner in this third photograph, so I’d prepared myself for a gaunt-looking Ben.

  However, even though the angles in his face had definitely become more pronounced, he didn’t look all that bad.

  “Our analysts have determined this photograph is authentic,” the DDO said. “They could find no outward signs Ben is being tortured, and they say he appears to be in good health.”

  The Senator said, “The deputy and I have a difference of opinion about that. I’ve never seen my son look so bad. I don’t believe his captors are feeding him enough.”

  The deputy picked up a document he’d placed next to his computer. “This is the assessment from our nutrition specialists, and I’m quoting them verbatim, ‘The subject’s diet may not contain as much fat as he was used to consuming prior to his captivity, but he appears to be well nourished and eating regularly.’”

  The Senator made no comment in regard to the DDO’s rebuttal.

  “He doesn’t look drugged in this picture,” Juliana said.

  She was right. Although Ben’s overall demeanor was still one of apathy, his eyes seemed to have more life in them than in the last two photographs.

  I took a good look at the way he was holding the newspaper. His hands looked a little different than in the last picture. They were still spread out across the front of the paper, but now, in addition to his fingers, he’d positioned his thumbs at the outer edges of the newsprint.

  I said, “There’s something odd about the way he’s holding the newspaper.”

  “I noticed that too,” the Senator said. “It reminded me of when he was a toddler and his nanny was teaching him to count. He would always spread his hands out like that when he was reciting his numbers.”

  I said, “Since Ben knows the cartel is sending these photographs to you in order to prove he’s alive, I believe he’s trying to draw your attention to his hands.”

  “Perhaps he wants you to count his fingers,” Juliana said.

  “You mean he’s sending me a signal?”

  “That’s right,” Carlton said. “Ben’s been trained to look for ways to communicate with the outside world in the event he’s captured by the enemy.”

  “In that case,” the Senator said, “I’d say he was trying to communicate the number ten.”

  The DDO suddenly spoke up. “Maybe he’s trying to tell you about the ten canisters of sarin gas. Perhaps he saw them when he was being held at Lorenzo’s compound. He’s probably warning you about them.”

  The Senator’s face clouded over. “I’m not changing my mind about mounting an operation to retrieve the canisters, Robert. I thought I’d already made myself clear about that.”

  As the two men glared at each other, Carlton looked over at me.

  If I was reading the look he gave me correctly, then the circumstances Carlton had mentioned earlier must have had something to do with the disagreement the men were having about going after the canisters.

  Although I didn’t think Carlton would approve, I decided I had to voice my opinion about the matter.

  * * * *

  The DDO finally broke eye contact with the Senator and clicked on the next slide in his presentation. The words, Phase II, appeared on the screen.

  “Phase II of Peaceful Retrieval will—”

  “Excuse me for interrupting,” I said, “but if Phase II has anything to do with sending us back to Santiago to retrieve those canisters from Lorenzo’s guesthouse, then I have to respectfully voice my opposition to that plan.”

  Since I saw the Senator nod his head as if he agreed with my statement, I figured the DDO had a different opinion, and I was about to get an earful.

  Instead, the DDO said, “Phase II has absolutely nothing to do with the canisters, but I’m still interested in hearing why you think we should leave the weapons in the cartel’s possession.”

  “I didn’t say we should leave them in the cartel’s possession permanently. In fact, I’m all for removing them as soon as possible, just not before we’ve located Ben.”

  “That’s my opinion as well,” the Senator said.

  The DDO ignored him. “Expand on that, Titus. How do you think retrieving the canisters would affect Ben?”

  “If you send a Special Ops Team into that compound to get those canisters, it could endanger Ben’s life. Even though he isn’t being held in the guesthouse, the cartel is ruthless when it comes to getting revenge on an enemy. No matter where they’ve got Ben, he would be an easy target they could use to send a message to the U.S.”

  The DDO nodded. “I’m aware that’s a possibility, and I’m not unsympathetic, but if the cartel decides to use the sarin gas on a large population center, there would be hundreds of lives lost, not just one.”

  “Does that mean you’ve sent an authorization request to the President’s desk already?” I asked.

  When I saw Carlton purse his lips a
nd glance up at the ceiling, I got the impression he thought my question was impertinent.

  I guess it was.

  No covert operative had the right to ask the CIA’s Deputy Director of Operations what kind of communication he was having with the President of the United States.

  In this instance, though, since I’d been asked to rescue a Senator’s son from his kidnappers, I thought the DDO might be willing to overlook my bad manners.

  He said, “No, I haven’t asked the President for authorization to send a Special Ops Team to Santiago yet.” He glanced over at the Senator and added, “I’ve decided to wait a few days on that.”

  Any covert operation that included sending military forces into a sovereign nation was subject to prior Presidential approval. Such approval had to meet certain criteria, but the decision usually boiled down to one thing; how would the operation affect the President politically?

  In this case, when the President was in the process of normalizing relations with Cuba, I had the feeling the DDO might be reluctant to take such a request over to the White House.

  Although the Senator turned and addressed me, it sounded like his words were intended for the DDO. “If Phase II goes smoothly, Ben will be out of harm’s way, and I’ll go over to the White House and personally urge the President to mount an operation to retrieve those canisters from the cartel.”

  The DDO immediately shot back. “By that time, it may be too late.”

  Since I felt partially responsible for ramping up the tension in the room, I attempted to defuse it.

  “I believe I interrupted you,” I said, gesturing up at the video monitor. “You were about to tell us about Phase II.”

  The DDO touched the keypad on his computer. A few seconds later, a map of San Andros Island appeared. “In Phase II, you and Juliana will travel to San Andros Island in the Bahamas, where you, Titus, will pose as Senator Mitchell’s legislative assistant in order to negotiate Ben’s release from the cartel.”