The Nevada Job

by Vince Milam

  “English, you say. They have long been marvelous confectioners.”

  “I’m glad you like them. It was a roll of the dice getting a strange brand.”

  “Sevens and elevens, dear, to be sure.” She chewed a while, with occasional sucks, savoring the treat. “May I suggest an overlooked aspect regarding your recent confrontation?”

  “Okay.”

  “I rather imagine the expired gentlemen had cell phones. They can track the location of those. Your Mr. Simko will leave no stone unturned.”

  Damn. She was right as rain. We’d forgotten to collect those.

  “Yeah, you’re right. As usual. But MI6 and Mossad have plans for Victor Simko.”

  She swallowed, raised one eyebrow, and waited.

  “Before they left us, I brought up the subject of Simko. Chambers and Esma Mansur exchanged knowing stares. Simko may not be long for this world.”

  She shifted three abacus balls without prompting, and said, “One would be better off not assuming such an immediate demise. Such high value assets are best worked.”

  A backward flip deep dive into spookville’s pool. Time to leave.

  “Gotta go, Jules. I’ll see you before the next job.”

  I stood. The electronic door lock didn’t clack open. Jules fired a kitchen match and relit her cigar.

  “Does your relationship with Ms. Rossi remain on sound footing?”

  “It does. I think. Anyway, we’re moving forward.”

  “Excellent. Such news brightens my day. On a business item, it would appear the ledger, once again, places me in the credit column for your account. Would you prefer cash or future intelligence?”

  “Intel, for sure. I couldn’t perform these jobs without your help. Sometimes I wonder if I lean on you too much.”

  “Do not allow a frail appearance to disguise my unyielding support for you, Case Lee. I am strong of back, and you are never a burden.” The door clacked open. “Godspeed, dear boy. We shall meet anon. Further adventures await.”

  “I have no doubt they do, Jules.” I flashed a wide smile. “No doubt at all.”

  THE END

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  I’ve lived and worked all over the world, traipsing through places like the Amazon, Congo, and Papua New Guinea. And I make a point of capturing unique sights, sounds, and personalities that are incorporated into each of my novels.

  The Suriname Job

  I worked a contract in that tiny South American country when revolution broke out. Armored vehicles in the streets, gunfire—the whole nine yards. There’s a standard protocol in many countries when woken by automatic gunfire. Slide out of bed, take a pillow, and nestle on the floor while contemplating whether a coup has taken place or the national soccer team just won a game. In Suriname, it was a coup.

  There was work to do, and that meant traveling across Suriname while the fighting took place. Ugly stuff. But the people were great—a strange and unique mixture of Dutch, Asian Indians, Javanese, and Africans. The result of back in the day when the Dutch were a global colonial power.

  Revolutions and coups attract strange players. Spies, mercenaries, “advisors.” I did require the services of a helicopter, and one merc who’d arrived with his chopper was willing to perform side gigs when not flying incumbent military folks around. And yes, just as in The Suriname Job, I had to seek him out in Paramaribo’s best bordello. Not my finest moment.

  The New Guinea Job

  What a strange place. A massive jungle-covered island with 14,000 foot mountains. As tribal a culture as you’ll find. Over 800 living languages (languages, not dialects) making it the most linguistically diverse place on earth. Headhunting an active and proud tradition until very recently (I strongly suspect it still goes on).

  I lived and worked deep in the bush—up a tributary of the Fly River. Amazing flora and fauna. Shadowed rain forest jungle, snakes and insects aplenty, peculiar ostrich-like creatures with fluorescent blue heads, massive crocs. Jurassic Park stuff. And leeches. Man, I hated those bloody leeches. Millions of them.

  And remarkable characters. In The New Guinea Job, the tribesman Luke Mugumwup was a real person, and a pleasure to be around. The tribal tattoos and ritual scarification across his body lent a badass appearance, for sure. But a rock-solid individual to work with. Unless he became upset. Then all bets were off.

  I toned down the boat driver, Babe Cox. Hard to believe. But the actual guy was a unique and nasty and unforgettable piece of work. His speech pattern consisted of continual f-bombs with the occasional adjective, noun, and verb tossed in. And you could smell the dude from thirty feet.

  The Caribbean Job

  Flashbacks of the time I spent working in that glorious part of the world came easy. The Bahamas, American Virgin Islands, Jamaica, San Andres, Providencia—a trip down memory lane capturing the feel of those islands for this novel. And the people! What marvelous folks. I figured the tale’s intrigue and action against such an idyllic background would make for a unique reading experience.

  And pirates. The real deal. I was forced into dealing with them while attempting work contracts. Much of the Caribbean has an active smuggler and pirate trade—well-hidden and never posted in tourist blurbs. Talk about interesting characters! There is a weird code of conduct among them, but I was never clear on the rules of the road. It made for an interesting work environment.

  One of the more prevalent memories of those times involved cash. Wads of Benjamins—$100 bills. The pirate and smuggler clans, as you can well imagine, don’t take credit cards or issue receipts. Cash on the barrelhead. Benjamins the preferred currency. It made for inventive bookkeeping entries.

  The Amazon Job

  I was fortunate to have had a long contract in Brazil, splitting my time between an office in Rio de Janeiro and base camps deep within the Amazon wilderness. The people—remarkable. The environments even more so. Rio is an amazing albeit dangerous place, with favelas or slums crammed across the hills overlooking the city. You have to remain on your toes while enjoying the amazing sights and sounds and culture of Copacabana, Ipanema, and Leblon.

  The Amazon rainforest is jaw-dropping in its scope and scale. 20% of the earth’s fresh water flows down the Amazon River with thousands of smaller rivers and tributaries feeding it. The Amazon rainforest is three million square miles, and during flood season is covered with ten to twenty feet of water.

  The wildlife is, of course, amazing. After a long field day, I'd often take one of the small base camp skiffs and fish for tucunaré (peacock bass). I’d figured out their preferred watery environments. And learned where the piranhas were less plentiful (although it’s worth noting those fierce little chompers are both easy to catch and quite tasty—karmic justice, perhaps). So I was fishing a remote lagoon a mile or so from the base camp. Lily pads, tannic water, dusk and isolation. Howler monkeys broke into a verbal ruckus among the treetops circling the lagoon. When those raucous critters took a break—dead quiet.

  Then soft blowhole exhales no more than five feet away. Scared the bejeesus out of me. It was two botos. Rare Amazon river dolphins. Pinkish-white, curious and content to check out the new addition to their lagoon. We shared the space a full four or five minutes until they eased away. A magic moment, etched forever.

  The Hawaii Job

  I’ve always relished visits to the Big Island. What’s not to like? Gorgeous beaches, rugged coastlines, a 14,000 foot mountain, and terrain that varies from lowland scrub to tropical vegetation to grasslands to alpine turf. And, of course, an active volcano. How could I not put Case Lee smack-dab in the middle of an active lava flow?

  Then there is the vastness of North Africa and its Sahara Desert. The Sahara is about the size of the lower 48 US states. I’m talking vast and empty and scattered with isolated bands of tribes and nomadic herders. The cultural chasms are enormous as well, and something I’ve had to deal with in the past.

  The Orcas Island Job

  The San Juan Islands are spectacul
ar. Located off the coast of Washington State and close to Canada’s Vancouver Island (and the city of Victoria), each island is a mixture of tree-covered hills and carved-out fields. The small towns are a delight, and while I perhaps over-emphasized the rain in this novel, it is by and large a misty rain and a far cry from a deluge. The summers are spectacular, and the sea life awe-inspiring. Orcas Island—the one I’m most familiar with—was a perfect setting for Case to mix it up with the bad guys. There is a primal feel about the place which provided an excellent backdrop for his adventures.

  Victoria is such a cool Canadian city and, if you get a chance, do order a Victoria Shaft cocktail when you’re there. The harbor water taxis and on-foot nature of the town made for a great fit with a Case Lee scene or three.

  The Nevada Job

  The big lonely of America’s West has a special allure. It’s not to everyone’s taste, but I relish not seeing another vehicle for long stretches of stark terrain. Distant desert mountains jutting above rugged expanses with alone-time the order of the day has a strong appeal for me. Much of Nevada delivers this opportunity, big time. I’ve spent a fair amount of time there mucking about, fishing at a special high-desert lake, and sitting with dear friends around campfires as the bottle is passed around.

  The Chaco region of Bolivia is also a unique place. From dry and brittle plains to narrow mountain spines, you really are on your own. I’ll never forget climbing one such mountain ridge and discovering a completely different ecology. Lush plants and trees replaced thorny brush, and small springs provided water for wildlife. I had sat down to take a break during one of these climbs when a troop of monkeys descended from treetops and wandered over to take a drink at a small spring. It was one of those magic moments, never forgotten.

  About Me

  I live in the Intermountain West, where wide-open spaces give a person perspective and room to think. I relish great books, fine trout streams, family, old friends, and good dogs.

  You can visit me at https://vincemilam.com to learn about new releases and insider info. I can also be visited on Facebook at Vince Milam Author.