Sarah knew he couldn’t talk about what he did; she knew it was very dangerous. She knew he had to do some very dark things and was determined that she and Jamie would be the light at the end of the tunnel for him. Travis was eternally grateful to have that in his life. He felt blessed. Life was good for Travis.
He hears a helicopter. “Time check 11:58.” Time had gotten away from Travis as he was daydreaming about home. He checks the sky and sees his ride home coming in. They land and he climbs aboard. They lift off and he’s on his way.
“What's the plan?”
“We’re taking you to the CV-63 Sir.”
“The Kitty Hawk?”
“Yes, Sir.”
We touch down on the deck and they escort me to the captain in his quarters.
“Sir, Sergeant Bones reporting, Sir.”
“At ease Sergeant.”
“Thank you, Sir.”
“I don't know who you are, but my orders are to get you cleaned up and on a plane to 8th & I in DC as soon as possible for debriefing.”
“Yes, Sir.”
“You got 20 minutes to be ready for flight.”
“Yes, Sir.”
“Dismissed.”
Twenty minutes later, Travis boarded a C-2 Greyhound headed for Andrews Air Force Base in DC.
THREE
Washington, DC
THE PLANE TOUCHED down at Andrews at 14:15 EST on Thursday, September 18, 1980. It was drizzling rain and in the mid 80’s. A car was waiting. Travis rode to 8th & I in silence.
General Stevens and Mr. Turner met Travis out front of the 8th & I Barracks.
“Good afternoon, General.”
“At ease Travis. This will be an informal meeting.”
“Thank you, General. Hello, Mr. Turner. Why are we at 8th & I?”
“We’re meeting with the Commandant. He’s very interested to find out who the U.S. connection is.”
“You’re all in for a mighty big surprise. I know I was.”
Travis couldn't believe he was about to meet the Commandant of the Marine Corps. Holy shit!! Travis is going to meet Four Star General Robert H. Barnsworth!!
“Good afternoon, Sir.”
“At ease, Sergeant Bones. This is an informal debrief and we are not standing on formality or tradition. I want everyone to be comfortable. I hear good things about you, Bones, and I think you’ve single handedly done more to set back the drug cartels than all the negotiations combined. Good job, son. We need more like you. Now, down to business. What have you got for us?”
“Well Sir, first off, thank you for being so kind. Now, what I’m going to tell you will change the political landscape for years to come. The U.S. connection for the Escobar / Medellin Cartel is Senator William Baker of the Armed Services Committee.”
“Holy Shit!!”
“You're saying Bill Baker is the Medellin Cartel's government connection?”
“Yes Sir, that's what I’m saying.”
“Makes sense. He has the connections needed to get what they want done.”
“Peter, did y’all have him on the radar for this?”
“No Sir, we did not. His name never came up.”
“What do you think he’ll do when he finds out about Gabriel being killed?”
“I don't see him doing anything out of the ordinary to draw attention to himself.”
“You know they’ll push for information on who did the deed to Gabriel.”
“The only people who know that info are in this room, right?”
“That’s correct.”
“Does he have connections at the CIA to get the info?”
“I don't believe he does, no.”
“Excuse me Sir; you have a level one message.”
“Thank you, Sergeant. Gentlemen, excuse me for a moment. I have to take this. This is General Barnsworth. Thank you for the information. Get the car and my plane ready. General Stevens, Director Turner, I need the room please. I’ll get back to you in a moment. Sergeant Bones, stay.”
“Yes, Sir. What's going on Sir?”
“I sent a security detail to your home yesterday as a precaution. They didn’t check in this morning. We sent backup out. The first team was found dead and your wife and son are missing. They have locked the scene down until we get there. We’ll find them Sergeant. Let's get ready to travel.” “Gentlemen, we’re going to California. I’ll explain more on the plane. My car is waiting.”
FOUR
On Board the Flight to California
“ONCE I HEARD that Sergeant Bones had a contact name, I decided to place a security detail to his wife and son until he got home. They checked in at 03:00. Nothing after that. I sent a backup team in to check at 05:00. All members of the alpha team were found dead. The backup detail immediately locked down the scene and are waiting for us to arrive. Sergeant Bones, I know that I can’t stop you from being in this investigation, so I’ll see to it you have whatever you need and any personnel that you need. Just don't do anything rash without checking with General Stevens first. Director Turner, he is to have any resources or assets he may need from you without any restrictions, clear?”
“Yes Sir, General. He will have my full cooperation.”
“What do you need from us first?”
“I need to know what the comings and goings of Senator Baker have been for the last week. I need to know any and all property owned by him and his family or his wife's family. Where is he and are any of his properties showing any signs of activity? Who are his lobbyists? I want to know where he lives and if he’s in DC right now or not. Whoever did this is trained. They took out a trained security detail. How many guys on the detail?”
“I believe there were four on the detail. Why does that matter?”
“It will tell me how many were on the crew and how well trained they were. If it was a four-man team on the security detail, they would have one out front, one in the back, one inside and one in the alley behind the house. Probably a three-man team that came for my family. They would strike at the same time in the front, rear and alley. Then they go inside, one takes out security while the other two grab my wife and son. Clean, quick and precise. Standard snatch and grab scenario. Sounds like military or law enforcement training. Probably hired guns that work as a team. Need to check that angle and see if anything or anyone stands out. Check financials for Senator Baker and see if he received or put out a large sum of money lately. We’ll be landing at Pendleton soon. Director Turner, get started gathering info. General Stevens, if you’ll get me the names of the security team that were killed, I would like to inform the families personally as soon as I’m done at the house. I would like to thank everyone in advance for their help and cooperation. Once we land things will move at a very fast pace and I’ll be extremely busy. Again, thank you.”
FIVE
Oceanside, California
“BOOTS ON THE ground people! General Barnsworth, I’d like for you to accompany me to the house. General Stevens and Director Turner, I need the info I requested as soon as humanly possible. I need the local and state police out of the way until I process the house. Sorry General Barnsworth, I don't mean to step on your toes or overstep my bounds, Sir.”
“You’re fine, son. I can't think of anyone better to lead this investigation than you. Just don't let it get to you or make you lose your professionalism.”
“Yes, Sir. To tell you the truth Sir, it already has gotten to me, but that just drives me to work harder and faster to find my family!! Sir, I’ll do whatever it takes to find them, Sir.”
“I know son, I know. That's what I’m counting on.”
“Thank you, Sir. That means a lot coming from you, Sir. Let's roll people!!!”
“I looked forward to getting home and seeing the house and hugging my family for so long, and now I can't because of some loose-lipped son of a bitch. Whoever is responsible for this will answer to me first and the courts second, Sir!”
“I don't want you doing anything on impulse, son that y
ou’ll regret later. Believe me son, after what you’ve done for your country, no one wants to see them punished more than I do. I’ll be personally involved in their case and will see justice done, no matter who they are or how well connected they may be.”
“Let's take a look at the alley first. I want to get these boys off the scene and to their families as quickly as possible. They gave up their lives for me and my family and I don't take that lightly, Sir. I need justice for them and my family.”
“We’ll get them out as soon as you say.”
“The body is positioned with his back to the wall of the backyard and his throat is cut. The perp must have come from the neighbor’s yard across the side wall and over the top to cut his throat. He’s well trained and probably military or government training in black ops. He would have had to come through all the yards from the end of the block to keep from being seen. Have all the neighbors questioned to see if any heard or saw anything. My bet is they didn’t but check anyway. The guard on the backdoor is shot twice in the head. I'd say, judging from the blood spatter, one shot from the wall and the second shot standing over the body. Check the yards on both sides for brass, but my guess is you won't find any. Judging from the size of the bullet holes, I’d say a 22 pistol, probably a Luger with a silencer. That's why no shots were reported. Two came over the wall in the back and the other came around the front. My guess is the guard out front will be shot the same way. Let's go find out.”
“Just as I thought, same caliber. Judging from the blood spatter, the first shot came from the bushes on the right side and the second shot while standing over the body. This is a very personal and malicious killing. They meant for it to be ugly to leave a message! Let's check inside. The guard inside is shot the same way. First shot coming from the front door and the second shot standing over the body. He never had time to draw his weapon. Let's look at the bedrooms. Signs of a struggle. Sarah would not have gone without a fight. Cloth on the floor. Smells of ether. A bottle of ether on the nightstand. Makes sense. Had to get them out without noise. They surprised her. She struggles. They take her out with ether. Let's check Jamie's room. No signs of a struggle. Must have used ether while he was sleeping. The shooter probably went to get the car while the others got Sarah and Jamie. Check everything for prints, but you won't find any. Likely went out the back gate where it was dark. We know the timeline is between 03:00 and 05:00. They've got an 18 hour head start. Not going to be easy to track. Could be anywhere by now. Let's get to Pendleton and get some information. Call Pendleton and find out if any three-man teams are working in this area.”
SIX
Camp Pendleton, California
“SIR, WHERE ARE General Stevens and Director Turner working?”
“S.E.A.L Team operations headquarters.”
“I need to get my team on standby, Sir. I want men I know and can trust for this, Sir.”
“I already had that taken care of. I figured you would want them. Once we get the intel we need, you can read them in on this.”
“Thank you, Sir.”
“Attention! Commandant on deck!”
“As you were. General Stevens, what have you got for us?”
“Well Sir, we have three known teams fitting the bill working in the area for the highest bidder. Checked their financials and two of the three received large payments yesterday. One of those is laying low in the area. The other is not to be found anywhere. The third received a large payment today. Still trying to confirm the whereabouts of the team members.”
“Find them. They’re the ones that did this. They got payment after confirming the job was done. The other got paid to throw us off. Whoever did this is well connected and has the money to pull it off. Smells like the Medellin Cartel to me. Baker has to be involved.”
“Director Turner, what have you found out about Baker?”
“He has property in DC and his home state of California. He has a home in Napa Valley and a hunting cabin in the mountains at Big Bear. He also is a partner in a winery and vineyard in Napa Valley. He and his family are currently in their DC home. There’s no activity at his home in Napa Valley or his cabin at Big Bear.”
“I know where they are. They’re at the winery. He knew we would be watching his properties. But he thought nobody would think to look at a public winery with lots of coming and going. Assemble my team at our staging area. Nobody do anything until I say so.”
Travis meets his team at the staging area and gets ready to brief them.
“Hello Marines. We have a situation. This isn’t like anything we have faced before. We have walked down many roads and done many things together in the past. It was never personal before. This time it is. I love you guys and I know you love me. We have always had each other’s backs. That being said, I totally understand if any or all of you decide this isn’t for you this time. Someone has taken my wife and son.”
“Holy shit!!!”
“Yeah, that's what I said. I’ll do anything and everything in my power to get them back and I do mean anything. Legal or illegal, I’ll do it. I know you guys have lives and families of your own, and I’m not going to ask you to do anything to jeopardize that. I know where they are and I’m putting together a plan. Four Marines lost their lives trying to protect them. The killers are professional and well-trained people. They don’t think twice about taking lives. That’s the mind set I’m going into this with. I’ll harm, mame, kill or destroy anything and everything and anybody that stands in my way. I’ll destroy the world if I have to. The real bitch is there is a high-ranking Senator involved in all of this. That’s why I understand if any or all of you stand down on this. I’m going to inform the families of the four dead Marines. I want you to think about it and I’ll talk to you when I get back. I love you guys.”
Travis leaves the men to make their choices and talk among themselves. He makes his way to the airfield and boards a private CIA jet. His journey to fulfill the sad duty of informing the families whose sons gave their lives trying to protect his family begins.
SEVEN
“MR. AND MRS. Standavol, my name is Sergeant Travis Bones. I’m sorry to inform you that your son has been killed in the defense of his country.”
“Noooooo!!! What happened?”
“If I could come in, I would like to explain what happened.”
“Yes of course, come in please.”
“Thank you. First, I would like to thank you for your son's service. He was an exemplary Marine. He was killed while defending my home and my wife and son. I was deployed and we received word that someone was trying to get to my family. He was part of a four-man security team assigned to protect them. I wanted to be the one to personally inform you and the other families. Your son was a fine man and Marine. You will never know how grateful I am and how sorry I am.”
“Are your wife and son ok?”
“No ma'am. They’re currently missing.”
“Oh my God!! Why are you here and not looking for them?”
“I wanted to be the one to inform you about your son because he gave his life for my family. I wanted to show you and your family the respect that his sacrifice demands.”
“Thank you for that. But you need to go find your family.”
“Thank you, Mr. and Mrs. Standavol.”
“Mr. and Mrs. Flair, my name is Sergeant Bones, I’m sorry to inform you that your son has been killed in the defense of his country.”
“Ooooohhhhhh my God noooo!!”
“If I could come in, I would like to explain what happened.”
“We just talked to him two days ago. Come in, I have all kinds of questions.”
“Yes ma'am.”
“How did this happen?”
“He was part of a four-man security team assigned to protect my home and family until I got back from deployment. They surprised the team and all four were killed. I’m so sorry for your loss. He was a fine man and Marine. You will never know how sorry I am. I wanted to personally inform you about
your son. I wanted to show you and your family the respect that his sacrifice demands.”
“Thank you for that. I know this can’t be easy for you. Is your family safe?”
“No ma'am. They’re currently missing.”
“Thank you for coming and showing your respect for our son. That means a lot to our family. Now go find your family Sergeant.”
“Thank you, ma’am.”
“Mr. and Mrs. Hernandez, my name is Sergeant Bones. I’m sorry to inform you that your son has been killed in defense of his country.”
“Please tell me this is a horrible joke.”
“I’m sorry to say that this is not a joke, ma'am.”
“What the Hell happened?”
“He was part of a four-man security team dispatched to guard my home and family while I was deployed. We got word my family was in danger. All four of the team members were killed. You will never know how sorry I am. He was a fine man and Marine. I wanted to personally inform you of your son's death to show the respect for you and your family that his sacrifice demands.”
The Cartel Affair Page 2