The flight sergeant walked in the front door from the tarmac with a clipboard under his arm and turned to the copilot. “Sir, we’re almost loaded. It’ll be another half hour. I don’t have a flight requisition for these two men.”
The copilot quickly responded, “These men are CIA, Sergeant. They fly with me on a regular basis. I received the call yesterday. Don’t worry about them. Just add them to the list under Intelligence Personnel.”
“Yes, sir. I’ll let you know when we’re ready to depart.”
The copilot turned back to Wade and Max. “You see? Everything runs on paperwork. I’ve got to finish my flight check now. I’ll see you onboard in a few minutes. Help yourself to some coffee.”
As usual, the two-and-a-half-hour flight was noisy. It was impossible for Wade and Max to hear each other past the ear-cupped head gear. Communicating with hand signals and the occasional shout made pieces of their conversation somewhat intelligible. After thanking the copilot for a good flight, the two boarded a navy bus for a ride to the city center and the car rental agency. Initially they would only rent one car, but Wade thought they would need a second car by the time the other operatives arrived.
Before going to the motel to check in, Wade drove Max by the safe house on Adam Roy Avenue. All was quiet and closed since Mashburn’s departure. Only a few parked cars dotted the neighborhood as the afternoon sun bore down on the quiet street.
Wade spent the rest of the day showing Max around Belize City. Max was immediately mesmerized by the natural beauty and ambiance of the historic city, and made more than one comment about how easy it would be for him to move there. They made a stop at the storage rental facility where Wade had stashed Mashburn’s weapons, ammunitions, and supplies. Max commented that the weapons grade was high end. He couldn’t believe all the documentation, although neither of them could interpret the Spanish papers.
The next stop was to the newsstand to get the local paper. Wade wanted to see if the Adam Roy house had been put back on the market since the robbery and Mashburn’s departure. If the house had been relisted, it might mean the mission had been terminated by Stephan or Condor or they had changed the safe house location. They walked into one of Wade’s favorite local restaurants while he was reading the rental ads. The isolated table in the corner with a nice view was perfect. Wade looked up from the newspaper.
“I don’t see the house listed.”
Max was quick to jump in. “That doesn’t mean anything. It may be vacant or rented to someone else. We’ll have to actually stake it out to be sure. ”
“I agree. I want to try something after lunch. I’ll need you to cover me.”
“Not a problem.”
“We’ll need to bring our radios.”
Max quickly became a connoisseur of conch ceviche and local flounder. They both ate like there was no tomorrow and applauded the chef’s skills during the three-block walk back to the car.
After leaving the motel they parked the rental car at one of Wade’s side street observation points. The Adam Roy house looked vacant without a car in the driveway and no visible lights on. It was early afternoon. They waited for signs of life but saw nothing. Belize residents really took their siesta time seriously. The early afternoon sun was blazing and no one was stirring on the sidewalk or the side streets.
Each man took time to chamber a round in his 9mm semi-automatic Sig. Wade was in disguise when he reached for the set of keys he had, hoping they had not changed the locks. They coordinated radio frequencies.
As he opened the door, Wade turned to Max who would stand sentry from the car. “I’ll have the radio on, so alert me if anyone approaches.”
“You’re covered.”
Max turned the radio dial to the right frequency and checked that Wade’s receiver picked up his tone. Wade’s disguise was back-up in case anyone he knew, like the maid or real estate agent, happened by. He felt he could talk himself out of the situation if he had to. The fact that Wade already knew the house and grounds made his approach through the garden door into the courtyard seamless.
Thinking they may have changed the locks after the robbery, he had brought tools to pick the lock. He was surprised to find that the door unlocked with his old key. Wade cracked the door, slightly feeling around the edges for wires which might be connected to a Claymore.
With his gun drawn, he eased inside, looking carefully for signs of alarms, cameras, and booby traps, then he quickly surveyed each room. The house was sterile except for an unmade bed in the front bedroom.
He looked in the refrigerator, searching for signs of occupancy. There were two bottles of local beer that hadn’t been there when Mashburn left. All the kitchen cabinets were empty and cleaned. He remembered the next day was cleaning day, so they could observe the maid’s movements. Wade wondered where Stephan was. After searching each room, he retraced his steps to the rear of the house and exited through the same door he entered before heading to the car.
“What did you see?”
“Nothing noteworthy except for one unmade bed and two bottles of beer. Everything else is clean. I think our man has been here, but I don’t think he’s using this as his main operation hub. If they kept the same cleaning schedule, the maid should be here tomorrow at 9:00 a.m.”
Max knew what Wade was thinking. We’ll be waiting when she arrives.
That evening the men went to another of Wade’s favorite local restaurants. This time they feasted on the conch ceviche, local lobster, and roasted mashed plantains. The next stop was the local library, where Max stood nearby as Wade dialed Yari’s secure number from the phone in the outer lobby.
“Hi, Yari, it’s Wade. Any news?”
“Yeah, I have some calls to report. I recorded a whole conversation. I think you should hear it - it’s between Condor and Stephan. Let me patch in the recording.”
Wade tilted the phone away from his ear so Max could listen in. A scratchy sound was followed by a beep.
“This is Stephan. I’m in Belize. I’m at the house, but Mashburn’s not here.”
“What do you mean he’s not there?”
“When I picked up the keys the rental agent said there had been a robbery. Apparently the maid found Mashburn tied to a chair and scared out of his wits.”
“What did they take?”
“Everything. The place was cleaned out. All the weapons, papers, maps - everything’s gone.”
“Are you sure it was a robbery?”
“Yeah, I interviewed the maid. Mashburn gave a police report. She said he was real shaken by the incident and was leaving the country. My guess is the robbers saw the weapons and maps and took everything they could. They’ll bring a good price on the black market. I’m guessing they might have gotten scared off by all the military stuff and didn’t want to take a chance on killing Mashburn.”
Condor replied, “Yeah, I guess that’s possible.”
Stephan continued his explanation. “I think Mashburn saw that his cover was blown with the police report, and probably thought the only way out was to get the hell out of the country.”
“That sounds like Mashburn. He hasn’t checked in with me. I’ll check to see if he’s used the return ticket to Panama. I don’t want that guy floating around. He knows too much. So what’s the plan now?”
“I think we go back to the original plan, but that means we’ll have to replace the equipment. I assume Mashburn made the drop in Belmopan before he left.”
“He told me he did, but who knows. You’ll have to check.”
“I’ll check that out first thing in the morning.”
Condor showed his frustration. “It will take me days to replace our supplies.”
Stephan wanted confirmation of the mission. “Listen, all I need to know is whether or not I still have a go from the top.”
“Yes, but check in with me on a regular basis. And don’t get robbed.”
“That would never happen to me, my friend. They would all be dead.”
Yar
i returned to the line. “What did you think of that?”
“That’s great intelligence work. Keep monitoring. We just got back from the Adam Roy house, and Stephan has been there. It doesn’t look like he’s staying there, but we’ll confirm that with a stakeout tomorrow. By the way, I need you to set up a double-secure patch from this line to someone at the Agency for me. But before we do that, someone here wants to say hello.”
Wade passed the receiver to Max. “Hi, Yari, it’s Max. Good to hear your voice.”
“Max! I can’t believe you two hooked up again. How are the tropics?”
“So far, so good. But I think things may get pretty intense before it’s over.”
“You couldn’t be with a better guy.”
“I can’t disagree with that.”
Max handed the phone back to Wade for the second call. He got out his pen and pad.
The call to Megan could be his last before he cut off all communication with the outside. He was still anxious and uncomfortable about revealing anything more about the mission, but he had to know what she had found out from her research. While he was waiting for Yari to confirm the patch, Wade suggested that Max go to the periodical section and jot down phone numbers for the American and British Embassies and see what the newspapers were saying about the upcoming war game ceremonies, before the library closed. The patched call went through, and Wade heard Megan’s voice.
“Hi, it’s me.”
Megan was quick to ask, “Are you on a secure line?”
“Yes. Thanks for asking.”
“I’ve got some research results I wanted to go over with you, but first I wanted to make sure we’re secure. Before we get into the research, I want you to know that ever since you made that comment about trusting the Agency, I’ve been more cautious and done a little snooping around on my own.”
“What did you find out?”
She gave an audible sigh. “There was an agent in Vietnam by the name of Daniel Spencer who reported to our New York office. He left the Agency and was killed in a hit-and-run accident just after he arrived home in North Carolina. Apparently there was a hush-hush investigation of what was going on in Vietnam before he was recalled. But I could find no mention of that investigation in any Agency documents. From what I can see, several senior people were involved including Spencer’s handler, and they all took early retirement or suddenly went on to become consultants with the Agency.”
“Be careful where you poke. It’s going to get very sensitive when it ties back to the Fort Benning incident. What about Belize?”
“We have one agent recently appointed to the American Embassy, by the name of Art Mellon. From what I can tell he’s more of an administrative type, processing documents and doing research projects. There’s also an MI-6 agent based in the U.K. Her name is Zara Wicks. Her cover is senior administrative staff to the consul general, and she seems to have some real field experience. She’s married to a Belize national who’s a surgeon on the hospital staff somewhere in the area. I’m still checking her background through some U.K. contacts.”
“Listen, I don’t want you to dig any further into this. Let me think about it. I’ll decide as we get further along.”
“Where are you?”
“Close.”
“Close to me or close to Belize?”
“That’s all I can say right now.”
“I understand.”
He paused before speaking his mind. “Please be careful with your research. I don’t want anything to happen to you.”
“Believe me, I’m careful, but I’m sensing that you might be in danger.”
“I’m fine. We’ll talk soon.”
Wade joined Max in the library, and they both read everything they could find in the local newspapers about the upcoming war game ceremonies. Articles under the peace headlines labeled the purpose of the games as “Building Ties with Friendly Neighbors.”
A large looming question continued to bother Wade. He shared his thoughts with Max. “The thing I still can’t get my head around is Condor, and whose authority he’s working under. If it’s the U.S., what’s the motive for disrupting Belize relations? If it’s another country, he’s a double agent. It doesn’t seem like a good use of U.S. assets.”
Max nodded. “That’s been sticking in my craw from the beginning. Who’s the enemy here?”
“It would seem that the Russians have the most to gain from disrupting the games.”
“That would mean that Condor is a double agent.”
“Or that’s what he wants everyone to think.”
Chapter 23
After watching the maid clean the empty safe house, Wade and Max were certain that Stephan was operating out of at least one other location. Stephan as an operative was obviously much better trained than Mashburn, and still a mystery. Yari couldn’t find any intel on the man, not even a picture or last name to go on – just “Stephan.”
Wade wanted Max to see Belmopan and get a sense of the layout. As Wade drove he explained the city to Max as his partner pored over several maps. Their first stop was the cemetery to check on the cases. As they rolled past the entry gate, the cemetery looked a little different to Wade. Bushes and weeds had been trimmed and the gravesites cleaned up – perhaps in preparation for visitors.
A burial ceremony was in progress not far from their mausoleum target. They drove to a quiet place on the opposite side of the cemetery and waited with binoculars until the interment ended. The cemetery clean-up made everything easier to see.
Max trained the binoculars on the thicket of bushes next to the mausoleum and wondered aloud to Wade, “Could the maintenance crew have discovered the cases? What do we do if they’ve been removed by the operatives?”
Wade paused, unsure how to answer Max’s question. “Let’s take it one step at a time.”
“In other words, you don’t know?”
“Of course I don’t know, and I don’t want to spin my wheels thinking about it until I know. It won’t be long.”
Max kept his binoculars trained on the attendees and made mental notes and descriptions of the guests and their vehicles. His glasses moved back and forth between the departing funeral guests and the service road that ran behind the mausoleum.
Both men knew Stephan had to perform the same assessment if he intended to pick up the cases. It wasn’t long before attendees made their way to three waiting limousines parked in a row followed by another dozen private cars. After the funeral procession left the cemetery, all was quiet again. The two men looked at each other.
Max asked for clarification. “How long do you think we should wait?”
“I would give it at least another half hour. I want to recheck the observation positions we previously identified before we go in.”
“What are your thoughts regarding whether the cases are or are not there?”
Wade showed a little frustration with Max’s question, because he hadn’t thought that problem out. “I told you I don’t know. If the cases are still in place, it only means Stephan has determined they’re safer here than in his possession. That could be because the contents inside are very dangerous or too sensitive to handle. They probably don’t want to risk getting caught with them. If the cases are gone, Stephan probably has them, which means we need to track him down, which we’d have to do anyway.”
Max agreed with that logic. “That’s the way I see it also.”
Wade shook his head from side to side in frustration. “You asked me that question so I could tell you that you were right?”
“No. Don’t ever tell me I’m right if you don’t think it’s true. It’s just that we think alike.”
“It must be the same training.”
“Or the same devious minds.”
Wade couldn’t argue with that.
After scanning potential observation positions, Wade drove slowly onto the service road as Max scanned the surroundings in all directions. Each had their 9mm semi-automatic pistols with silencers loaded,
with Parabellum rounds lying on the front seat.
Craning his neck, Wade scanned the dense bushes as he stopped the car. He couldn’t be sure. The thick shrubbery created a black cave pressed tightly against the mausoleum’s side wall.
With his weapon in hand, Wade left the car and approached the shrubs as Max stood watch. The two cases were still in place. He motioned to Max to join him.
“Gently lift up that case and check out the handle and locking mechanism.”
Max complied, but he also jiggled the case a bit, making Wade more than a little nervous. He immediately cautioned Max about the danger.
“Don’t do that. It might go off!”
“Didn’t you say these cases made it to Belize on an airline flight all the way from Panama?”
“Yes, but for all I know, Mashburn activated them before he put them here.”
“They’re heavy. My guess is some kind of equipment or explosive device.”
Wade’s nerves were on edge. Max seemed more relaxed, like he had a better understanding of what he was handling. His hand slowly moved around all sides and the bottom of the case. He studied the locking mechanism up close, as though he could see past the rows of spaced cylinders into the case itself.
Finally, to Wade’s relief, Max set the case on the ground. Wade looked at Max and said, “We need to put them back where we found them.”
To Wade’s surprise, Max responded, “If it’s all the same to you, I’d prefer that you put them back.”
“Not a problem.”
Before returning to Belize City, they spent some time going over the Belmopan map and driving past important administrative buildings. Max spotted something between two of the buildings.
“Look over there. It looks like construction workers assembling stands for the ceremony.”
Wade quickly picked up on Max’s observation. “The person in the yellow hard hat looks like a construction superintendent.”
“Let’s stop. We might get some good information on the ceremonies.”
Suddenly Wade thought about an approach. “We need a cover – and it can’t be that we’re tourists, or we won’t get any information. Let’s think. Who might be out here doing an inspection from America?”
Lethal Authority (Wade Hanna Series Book 2) Page 20