Birds of a Feather

by Don Easton

  Jack did not hear Sanchez and presumed he had been left to guard Casa Blanca. That leaves me with four trained professional killers … and more on the way.

  Soon Berto yelled, “This way!” and the three men fanned out and started to move south along the gully toward their hiding place, while the mercenary up above moved along the edge of the gully with them.

  Berto was the first man Jack saw come into view, quickly followed by one of the mercenaries. Berto pointed to the piece of cloth on the cactus and the two men approached to look at it. Jack only had a profile view of the mercenary, but Berto faced him directly and he stared into his scowling face.

  Jack held his breath and was conscious of Lily doing the same. Berto was close enough that he could see the beads of sweat on his forehead.

  The mercenary pulled the piece of cloth off the cactus as Berto took another step closer as his eyes scanned the creek embankment. Jack gripped the rock and tensed his leg muscles, ready to spring forth.

  “It’s his back pocket,” said the mercenary. “The turned rocks … this … he has given us a false trail,” he said. He turned and yelled to the other men, “The other way. He has gone north, toward the border!”

  Jack waited a full minute after they left before leaving the hiding spot. Any noise, a slip, or stones moving beneath their feet would bring them back. He helped Lily to her feet where she swayed and grabbed a clump of reeds for support.

  “I’ll piggy-back you,” he whispered.

  “I think I can walk,” she whispered back. “Just give me a minute.”

  “In your condition you won’t be able to walk without making noise. Also you’d burn your feet. I’ll piggy-back you. In the meantime, no talking.”

  Twenty-five minutes later, Jack lowered Lily to the ground and held his finger to his lips as he gestured to her to be quiet. “I need to rest,” he whispered, while listening intently to see if they were being followed. He did not hear the sound of anyone trailing them, but was rewarded by the sound of a truck passing by somewhere ahead of them.

  Adams answered his phone on the first ring.

  “We’re close,” said Jack, “and I don’t think we have any company. The problem is we’ve come to a fork in the gully. Tap your horn twice, will you?”

  Adams did as requested and asked, “Did you hear it?”

  “Yup. Sounds like I need to take the right fork. Shouldn’t be long.”

  “I’m parked at the end of a bridge, pretending to change a tire. Hope it’s over the same gully.”

  “Guess we’ll find out. I’m hanging up, but give me ten minutes and tap again.”

  A few minutes later Jack called again. “Don’t bother to honk, we see you.”

  “I’ll be right down,” replied Adams, when he spotted Jack waving at him in the distance.

  “Think you should stay there. If we need covering fire you’ll be in a better position. Of course, I’m Canadian, what the hell do I know about gun fights …” Jack knew that humour was a good way to relieve stress and right now he could use a truckload of it.

  As soon as he hung up, Lily asked, “Is it okay to talk now?”

  “Yeah, I hope so. I think we’ve made it.” Jack knew it was a mistake as soon as he said it. Lily was able to keep her emotions in check when the stress was still on her because she knew she had to. Now she thought she was safe and let her emotions erupt by bursting into tears and sobbing. Jack lowered her and held her in his arms to comfort her.

  “Can I phone my mom, now?” she pleaded.

  “Sorry, not on this phone. It belongs to a bad guy. I don’t want them knowing your mom’s phone number. Wait until we get to the car and use John’s phone.”

  Lily released her embrace and said, “And my boyfriend, Earl. He’s gotta be going out of his mind with worry,” she added, looking closely at Jack’s face.

  Jack sighed and said, “Actually, John’s phone isn’t a good idea, either. We’ll need to keep it available. You’ll have to wait until we get you to the hospital.”

  Lily stared silently at Jack.

  “What is it?” asked Jack.

  “He left me, didn’t he?”

  “Did who leave you?”

  “Please, what I have been through … what we have been through. Tell me the truth. One of the men who raped me said Earl took their dope money and split. He said they killed him a few days later. Is that true?”

  Jack sighed and said, “Yes, it’s true.”

  “So he was into dealing drugs, just like Marcie warned me,” said Lily, tearfully.

  “He was a mule. Running money back to the cartel.”

  “Did he even report me missing?”

  “No. Your mom did that and Marcie told me about it. I’m really sorry.”

  “Don’t be,” replied Lily bitterly, as her sorrow was replaced with anger. “I’ve had a lot of time to think about it. Marcie was sure right about the guy. Wish I had listened.”

  Jack looked up and saw two vultures circling overhead. It gave him an uneasy feeling and he said, “We better get going. You can use John’s phone to call your mom,” added Jack, as he turned around and squatted to piggyback her again.

  “I want so bad to talk to her,” said Lily, as she climbed on Jack’s back.

  “I’m sure,” replied Jack, as he stumbled forward. “I’ve met your mom. She seems like a really nice lady.”

  “She’s the best mom there is. I haven’t exactly always been an easy kid to get along with.”

  “I don’t know. You seem like a good kid to me. I know you’re a hard worker.”

  “Yeah? What makes you say that?”

  “I’ve seen how you look after the yard. Looks great. A lot of kids wouldn’t make the effort you put into it.”

  “Are you kidding? Mom makes me do yard work as punishment. I’m always out in the yard weeding or doing something.”

  Jack chuckled, despite still being worried about their safety.

  “I never thanked you for what you did,” said Lily.

  “It’s okay.”

  “You saved my life and, and … killing that guy who was … thank you.”

  Oh yeah … that. “I need to put you down for a moment,” said Jack. Once he faced her he said, “Killed what guy?”

  “You know … the guy who was … who was … you know, on me when you came in the room.”

  “To shoot an unarmed man like that would be murder.”

  “But —”

  “Please listen to me. You’re suffering from deep shock. Your brain has blocked out certain things. What happened was I was there in an undercover capacity. They found out who I was and handcuffed me to a pipe in the laundry room.”

  “I know. I heard them … and you, once, when you screamed.”

  “Yeah, well, after that they left me alone. Then I heard a couple of the bad guys arguing about whose turn it was to rape you. First I saw a guy named El Pero walk past the laundry room and minutes later, another guy I don’t know went by with a revolver. It must have been him who killed El Pero. I picked the lock on my handcuffs when he returned to the kitchen and went into the bedroom to get you.”

  Lily stared at him and Jack knew she wasn’t believing a word he’d said.

  “But you had the gun in your hand. I saw it,” she said.

  “It was empty. No bullets. Guess that is why the guy left it. I didn’t know until after I picked it up.”

  “You’re trying to tell me you didn’t shoot him?” she said, incredulous.

  “Under the circumstances, not only would I not have been allowed to shoot him, if I actually did shoot him, I might be returned to Mexico to face charges for murder. You would be called as a witness, as well.”

  “Oh my God … for real?”

  “Yes, a damned good chance of it.”

  “But the other men who were there — what will they say?”

  “They’re not going to come forward and say anything. It would be admitting their part in the smuggling operation as well as kidna
pping and assaulting you. Besides, they’re bad guys. Who could believe anything they say? The basis of truth will rest upon the statements you and I give … providing you never give a different account of anything to anyone else.”

  Lily nodded and said, “Now I understand, but, like, for a statement … I want to make sure I say the right thing.”

  “I want you to say the right thing, as well.”

  “So after some guy shot El Pero and left, you came in the room and told me to wait and went back to where they were?”

  “Yeah, well, first I heard the man who did the shooting get in a big fight in the kitchen with a guy named Big Al.”

  “If you say so.”

  “I do say so.”

  “Okay, it’s coming back to me now.”

  “Good. Then a truck showed up to unload cocaine and I snuck into the kitchen and stole a set of keys off the counter when the men were down the tunnel hauling the dope away.”

  “Then you came back and got me and we ran out of the house.”

  “Exactly.”

  “Okay, I think I’ve got it now.”

  “Good.”

  “So, to clarify everything, you and I weren’t hiding in the closet when some guy was praying over the body in the room and later was screaming he was going to kill you because you killed his nephew?”

  “Nope. I never hid in any closet … let alone kill anyone.”

  “Okay. I guess I didn’t hide in a closet, either.”

  “Good.” Jack gave her a sideways glance and added, “It must have been two other people who were hiding in the closet.”

  “Yeah, it must have been,” smiled Lily. It was the first time she had smiled in twenty-one days and nineteen hours.

  chapter forty-five

  * * *

  As soon as Jack and Lily scrambled into the back seat, Adams quickly drove away. Under Rubalcava’s direction, Adams headed west on the highway and turned on another road going south. This road intersected with yet another road that would see them back in Juarez half an hour later.

  Rubalcava, Adams, and Jack were all seasoned veterans. One would expect them to have become as emotionally tough as one could imagine, but all three men had tears spilling out of their eyes as Lily, sitting with Jack’s arm around her, called her mom to say she was alive.

  When Adams stopped in an alley in Juarez to let Rubalcava out, Jack also got out to say a quick goodbye.

  “I just realized it is dinnertime,” said Jack. “What about your two sons at school? You weren’t there to pick them up.”

  “My wife took care of it. I was a little busy this afternoon.”

  Jack smiled and said, “Having an affair, according to the rumours.”

  Rubalcava grinned. “Of course, but I do recall getting some work done this afternoon, as well.”

  “For that, I want to thank you. I really owe you one.”

  “No, amigo, it is my country that owes you a debt. Perhaps someday it will be safe for you to bring your wife and children here to meet my family. It would be an honour to have you stay with us.”

  “I would really like that. Be safe, my friend,” added Jack, as they gave each other a hug.

  Twenty minutes later, Adams drove across The Bridge of the Americas with Jack and Lily both crammed into the trunk. It was an extra precaution that was not needed, as the trip was made without incident.

  Once in El Paso, Adams drove Jack and Lily to a hospital for examination. Jack was immediately taken for a CAT scan while Lily was admitted to a different examining room.

  Jack lay momentarily unattended on a gurney while waiting for the results of the scan and Adams took the opportunity to talk to him. It was the first time they had been alone together since morning.

  “I should call Weber and tell him what happened,” said Adams.

  “He’s your boss. You better call him.”

  “What did happen?”

  “Don’t get yourself in trouble. Tell them the truth. I heard the bad guys last night saying Lily was still alive, but that they were going to kill her soon. I made a decision to go to Mexico on my own as I believed there wasn’t time to save her if I had gone through channels. You and your friend helped me. I found Lily, grabbed her, and stole a vehicle and … well, you know the rest.”

  “Yeah, but …”

  “But what?”

  “You make it sound so simple. They found out who you were and busted your skull open. These guys were armed to the teeth and you had nothing. How the hell did you escape? What happened in there?”

  “They handcuffed me to a pipe. I simply picked the handcuffs, stole a set of keys, grabbed Lily, and bolted. There’s nothing more to say.”

  “What about El Pero?”

  “What about him?”

  “He was Big Al’s nephew for Christ’s sake. I don’t believe one of the guys shot him.”

  “I was shocked, too, but you can ask Lily. Must have been someone higher up the ladder than Big Al’s nephew. Maybe the guy who killed him was related to Guajardo himself, or one of the Carrillo Fuentes brothers.”

  “Big Al would go ape-shit if that happened.”

  “I did hear Big Al fighting with someone later in the kitchen.”

  “Yeah, that’s what you said. Then you said they all went outside to unload a truck. Sounds to me like Big Al got over the death of his nephew pretty easy. Then everyone heads down the tunnel with the dope and you grab some keys and escape with Lily.”

  Jack nodded.

  “That’s another thing. I don’t see Big Al doing a peon’s job of going down the tunnel. He would have stayed in the house.”

  “Maybe that’s who it was,” said Jack, thoughtfully.

  “What are you talking about?”

  “Did I mention I thought there was someone using the bathroom when we left?”

  Adams stared silently at Jack.

  “Listen,” said Jack, “I’ve been beat on the head, tortured, still having vision problems, and I’m exhausted. I’m sure some details will come up that need further explaining, but now is not the time.”

  “You do know I’m your friend, right?”

  “Without a doubt. I’m just really tired. Try to imagine how I feel. A lot of things are going through my mind right now.”

  “I bet I know exactly how you feel. Tired, scared … and feeling alone and wondering if you did the right thing.”

  This time it was Jack who stared silently in response. Feeling alone and wondering if I did the right thing? Few people know about that, unless …

  “Anyway,” replied Adams, “I’ll give you some time to think about it. In the meantime, I’ll call Weber.”

  Jack remained on the gurney, but watched as Adams walked down the corridor while calling Weber on his cellphone. When he returned, Jack asked, “What did he have to say?”

  “He was astounded,” replied Adams. “He wanted to come right over and congratulate you and meet Lily, but I convinced him you both needed your rest tonight.”

  “I appreciate that. Did he give you any flak about me going to Mexico?”

  “He doesn’t care about that. He’s not your boss and as far as I go, he knows I sneak across quite often to meet my CIs. He said he wasn’t surprised we went. He said he could tell you and I were two of a kind from the first day we met.”

  Their conversation was interrupted by a neurologist and a hospital psychologist who both arrived to talk to Jack.

  Jack was told he had a hairline fracture in his skull, but there was no sign of bleeding under the skull. It was, however, recommended he stay overnight for observation.

  Lily was suffering from dehydration, but her physical injuries were relatively minor compared to the psychological damage and it was recommended she also stay overnight, but be returned to her home environment as soon as possible. Jack said he would try to arrange for their trip tomorrow.

  “I don’t believe the psychological damage will ever completely heal,” said the psychologist, “but in time she will th
ink about it less and less.”

  “She is going to have nightmares for years to come,” said Jack.

  “Sadly, I would agree with you,” replied the psychologist. “Do the media know about it?”

  “Not that I am aware of,” replied Jack. “In Canada it was being investigated as a missing person. We didn’t find out until today that she had actually been kidnapped.”

  “Her recovery will go a lot smoother if she is not being hounded,” said the psychologist.

  “Only a few people know,” said Jack. “I don’t see anyone calling the media.”

  After a short discussion, Adams made some calls and Jack and Lily were admitted to the hospital under fictitious names. They were both put in the same room where they were to be placed under armed guard for the night. Adams stayed in the room with them while waiting for the security detail to arrive.

  As soon as the orderlies left the room, Jack looked at Adams and asked, “Did you talk to Weber about the tunnel?”

  “Oh, yeah. I think he was dancing on his desk he was so happy,” replied Adams. “Speaking of which, do you think you’re up for a quick airplane ride tomorrow morning to do a little recon?”

  “If my head doesn’t explode, I will be. I’m sure I’ll be okay.”

  “Good. All the troops will be out first thing in the morning. As soon as we locate Casa Blanca and figure out where the tunnel comes up on our side, they’ll be going in. Davidson is arranging things on the Mexican side.”

  “We know how that will go with the Mexicans. There won’t be anyone there,” said Jack.

  “Yeah, but it’s not like the bad guys don’t know we’re coming, anyway.”

  “Think there will be an attempt at retribution?”

  “Against you or your family … possibly, if Big Al has his way,” Adams noted.

  “You think there’s a chance he won’t have his way?” Jack kept his expression neutral, masking his knowledge that Big Al wouldn’t be getting his way ever again.