by Chris Tucker
Rojas shrugged his shoulders, apparently baffled by it as well. “I tried to do a quick search, but nothing shows up about any ship that was lost either on the river, or anywhere else for that matter.” He continued, but with a more somber look on his face,
“The other part the clerk overheard, however, was of a much bigger concern. He said he heard something about bodies in shallow graves. You know I would never question you, Andres, but we cannot have the locals inquiring about your business practices.”
Vallejos shrugged him off. “Let them think what they want. It is of no concern to me. I have the large majority of government officials either on my payroll or at a point where they’re too scared to do anything. So, let them think what they will.”
Rojas knew there was no way of rationalizing the point to his employer, so he moved past it. “It also turns out the two men were overheard talking about a village they had spent time at earlier in the day, and something about a book possibly containing information about a ship. I think that’s more than just a weird coincidence. We searched their room, but found nothing. So, either this book is with them...” he was interrupted before he could complete his sentence.
“Or it’s still in the village,” Vallejos finished.
The two men wrapped up their conversation with some small talk, and then Rojas was sent on his way. The cartel leader stood there for a moment and pondered the possibility of the lost ship being somewhere in the vicinity. He then picked up the phone to make a call. After it rang a few times, a voice answered on the other end and he spoke.
“Kervin, come back to the compound at once. I have something I need you to do.”
***
Arriving early in the afternoon to the site, Mercer and Vigil began doing a little reconnaissance of the area, but turned up nothing.
“Luck doesn’t appear to be on our side,” said Mercer.
Vigil was standing on top of a tree stump, staring off into the distance. “Not at all. Unless you count finding fossilized volcanic rock lucky. Why don’t we head a little further down? We might find something that’ll give us at least a glimmer of hope.”
Mercer agreed and they started walking down a trail to take them further inland. As they traversed the area, he began recalling the events of the past few days. He thought about what he and his partner would find – if anything. He wondered how long it would be before the man they had confronted would return for them, and how many soldiers there might be the next time.
On the forefront of his mind was Emily. He was assured she was safe and on her way home and he hoped he would indeed get to see her again one day soon. He was carefully scanning the trees and brush of the jungle for any signs of the possible remnants of Tamarindo, when Vigil broke the silence.
“What’s on your mind, partner?”
“Just think. We’re possibly standing on top of a goldmine. What if the Alyssa Marie didn’t make it out safely before the eruption? There’s not only the ship and the gold that was lost, but all those aboard who perished as well. If we do somehow manage to find the wreckage from a disaster that occurred over a century and a half ago, there’s a lot more to recover than just some lost gold.”
Vigil, taking in his friend’s comment, responded, “If the impact shattered the ship, the remains could be spread out over a mile or more. Add to that how much debris and rock it’s buried under. Then there’s the logistical aspect to weigh. How do we get ten thousand pounds of gold out of a jungle? And more importantly, how do we do it with a cavalry of mercenaries following our every move?”
Mercer shrugged whimsically. “I haven’t quite figured that out yet. Let’s see if we can find the ship first. Then we’ll worry about the particulars.”
For the next forty five minutes, they continued to explore the complex terrain, finding visible signs of volcanic rock and solidified ash composts. They came to a clearing, which opened into a grassy field that was about fifty yards to the tree line on the other side.
The cloud cover overhead was just enough to give them a break from the sun that had beamed down on them for the past week. While scanning the open area, they noticed a larger mound which instantly caught their eyes, as it was in much higher proportion to the rest of the field.
Carefully examining the area and finding nothing of interest, they gradually wandered over to the protruding grassy hill. Vigil threw his backpack to the ground and climbed on top of the six foot mound, proclaiming, “King of the hill! I’ll take on all challengers to the throne!”
Mercer laughed. “Alright, King Nothing. I accept your challenge.”
Like two kids in a schoolyard, they bantered with each other for a minute before any actual tactical moves were made. Mercer began easing his way up the hill, while Vigil took steady and careful aim of his attacker, waiting for the right time to pounce from his perch above.
Mercer flinched to the left, causing the King to twist his body just enough to get him off balance, and then quickly jerked to the right where he caught his friend by surprise with a leg tackle. Vigil fell backwards and tried to roll his attacker down the hill, but the brute strength of his partner was too much to overcome. Vigil grabbed him by the waist, flipped him upside down, and watched as his friend tumble to the bottom of the hill.
To add insult to injury, he leaped off his throne to deliver a final blow to his defeated opponent, but Mercer was ready for him. Throwing his feet up in the air, he caught the diving Vigil square in the chest, tossing him to the side like a beanbag. As he landed, he let out a moan.
Winded, Mercer asked, “Had enough, your Highness?”
Vigil grunted, “Yea, the throne is temporarily vacant.”
As the two exchanged a few laughs, a ray of sunlight broke through the cloud cover. Mercer caught a glare in his eye from a flickering object about fifteen feet away.
Interested as to what it could be, he hopped up and went over to it. As he crouched down, he began wiping the dirt from a silver object imbedded in a rock. It was only a few inches in diameter and with the exception of the area being caught by the sunlight; the surface was as dull as the color of the moon. It took him a few moments to clear the debris from around it. It could have been nothing at all, but being the history buff he was, he was always hoping for that next great find when it came to any sort of antiquity.
After about five minutes of scraping the ground and finally prying the mystery object from the grip of the rock, he stood up and wiped the face of the item as he stared at it curiously.
“What is it?” asked Vigil.
Mercer stood there for a few seconds without responding. Then he looked at Vigil, who asked again, “Well? What is it?”
He finally answered. “It’s a pocket watch.”
Vigil suddenly had a strange tone in his voice, as something unexpectedly caught his eye as well. “A pocket watch, huh? Do you think it belonged to him?”
Confused by the question, Mercer looked at his partner and saw him looking right back past where he was standing. He turned around and saw a ditch just twenty yards away from where he had been digging. Lying in the ditch was a man who looked like he couldn’t have been dead for more than a few days. Next to him was a line of bodies that stretched about thirty feet down to the other end of the trench.
Mercer estimated there to be about fifty bodies, all of which had been murdered in a brutal manner. One of the bodies in particular grabbed his attention. It was that of a man with a gaping wound in his chest wearing a red polo shirt, which had the letters USGS embroidered on it.
***
Vallejos had just completed a walk-through of the compound at the cartel’s base of operations. Situated on over a hundred acres of land, the complex resembled a military base. Bunkers and munitions depots covered the landscape, along with hundreds of soldiers and their shanties throughout the wooded area. Secure in the fact all operations were running normally, he made his way back into the main building which housed his office, as well as other administrative facilities.
A staircase in the middle of the foyer led to the upstairs floor where his office was located, and even though there were other rooms on the floor, he didn’t allow them to be used as personal work spaces. He was a paranoid man who liked his private space and despised others impeding on his territory. The remainder of his personal staff was confined to the downstairs, where they carried out their day to day operations.
As he walked into his office, he sauntered over to the window overlooking the compound. The events of the past few days had made him uneasy, and he thought of ways to make the men who were responsible for the death of his soldier pay dearly. He was so enthralled in his emotions that he never heard the tapping sound on the door behind him. It was only after he heard a deep, stern voice call his name that he finally became aware of his surroundings once again.
“Andres, is everything okay?”
“Yes, Kervin. Everything is fine. Sit down.”
He did as he was instructed. As Vallejos talked, he listened with great interest about a book that may contain the location of a ship and a large quantity of gold. The greed in the enforcer’s eyes was hard to conceal and he had to hold himself back from any show of emotion.
After his employer finished, Esperanza said, “The two men may have been on their way there today. If that’s the case, then we at least have an idea of where they might be looking. I’ll leave before sunrise and check out the local villages in the territory.”
“Very good. I trust you know what to do if you find this book. I expect you to get the job done right this time.”
Esperanza acknowledged the sharp comment with a nod of his head. He stood to leave and was almost to the door when Vallejos made one more request.
“Bring me the book, Kervin. Then, bring me the two Americans.”
Without speaking another word, Esperanza turned and left the office.
***
By the time Mercer and Vigil made it back to town, the cloud cover was back and it had started to rain. The sky was growing darker with each passing hour and with night fast approaching, they returned to the hotel they had stayed at the night before.
Before arriving, they made a stop at the local morgue where they secured arrangements to store the body they had brought with them from the gravesite. The two men figured they owed Tony’s family, and Emily, the respect of making sure his body was returned for a proper burial.
Before going to bed, Mercer placed a call to Hunt. The voice on the other end of the line was not a content one.
“I figured by this point, you and Pat would either be on a plane or already home. And why would I figure that, Sean? Oh yes, that’s right, because you were supposed to do exactly that.”
“I’m sorry, Colonel. I didn’t intentionally mean to defy orders. We’ve had some major breakthroughs since we last talked and there’s a lot to bring you up to speed on.”
Hunt calmed down and talked in a more subdued tone. “After we talked yesterday, Dallas informed me of what you discussed. If not for that, I would have already sent the entire Fourth Brigade down there to find the two of you. Now, where’s that cohort of yours? I know he has something to do with you disobeying me,” he joked.
Mercer looked across the lobby and into the bar. He could see his partner sitting next to a pretty blonde, no doubt trying to secure a late night rendezvous.
“He’s already sound asleep, Colonel.”
“You’re a horrible liar, Sean. But tell me what’s going on down there.”
He informed Hunt of their findings and described the situation, as well as conveyed how they needed to put an end to the cartel's reign of terror. He also mentioned the ship and its possible location. After ten minutes of talking, a decision was agreed upon to let them stay for a few more days.
“Sean, be careful. I mean it. I’ll have some reinforcements there for you the day after tomorrow. Until then, find out what you can and lay low.”
“Will do, sir. Oh, and one last thing. Please tell Dallas to be expecting a package from me. I’ll call him with the details. I’d call him myself, but it’s late and he’ll have me on the phone for an hour.”
“Not a problem. Now, get some sleep. And tell Pat that’s an order.”
They said their goodbyes and Mercer walked across the lobby to the staircase. He checked on his partner, who was now sitting next to two blondes. There wasn’t even a slight chance he was going to tell him it was time to go to bed.
He climbed the stairs to the second floor, went to his room, and grabbed a bottle of beer from the fridge before lying down on the bed. He was asleep before he even took a sip.
10
Anthony Mendoza was sitting on his porch, enjoying the light morning rain drizzling down on the forest. He had just returned from a walk to the stream and was about to take a nap, but decided on a quick cup of coffee before doing so. As the water was heating up on the makeshift stove, he sat in his rocking chair without much regard for the drops of water falling from above.
He was lost in thought, seemingly caught up in the moment, and it took him a few moments to realize there were two men with automatic rifles standing across the road at a neighbor’s house. There was no sense of alarm or panic. It was all too common to see this sort of thing in the village he had grown up in. He knew they were members of the cartel, and more than likely were just making threats to locals as they always did.
As he continued to look them over, a man walked out of the home behind them. This particular man’s large stature took him by surprise, and he instantly became fearful. The man was gigantic and Mendoza couldn’t recall ever seeing him before. Something about this man said that it was time to go back inside. As he got up to go in, he heard a voice behind him.
“You there.”
Mendoza instantly froze with panic. He didn’t know exactly what he had done, if anything, but he still had an uneasy feeling.
“Old man. I’m talking to you.”
He turned around and saw it was the giant who addressing him. He tried to regain himself as to show no fear.
“What can I do for you, sir?”
“Two men came around here the day before yesterday and were seen talking to you. Who were they and what did they want?”
“Two men? Ah yes, the scientists from the United States. They were taking samples from the river as best I can remember. What about them?”
“You don’t strike me as the scientific type, old man. What exactly did they want?”
Mendoza felt tense. He was still unsure if he had done anything wrong. “Well, I invited them in for coffee, we chatted for a while about where they were from, and then they left.”
Esperanza smiled menacingly. “Now would not be the time to annoy me, old man. You showed them a book containing information about a ship that may have gone missing in the area. Where is it?”
“I gave it to one of them. It was of no value to me and they seemed to be fascinated with it, so I let them take it.”
Esperanza visibly showed the wearing of his tolerance. “You are testing my patience. If you are lying to me, I will not be in a very forgiving mood.”
Mendoza could tell in the man’s tone that he meant what he said. He had not in fact given the port log to the Americans. He was unsure of exactly what value the book held, but he knew he didn’t want it in the hands of this man. After Mercer and Vigil left, he had moved the book to another place in his home. Mercer told him the book was a priceless commodity that should be cared for as such. The old port log was then placed in a corner cubby hole in his bedroom. He only hoped now that the soldiers wouldn’t enter his home looking for it.
“I am a simple man. What do I need with a book about ships? I have no interest in thin
gs like that.” Mendoza had an uneasy tone in his voice and he was aware of the fact, so he tried to end the conversation. “If that will be all, I was about to take a nap.”
Before he could turn around to go indoors, Esperanza barked out for the man to stop. He was growing impatient and the tone in his voice made the old man stop dead in his tracks once again. The brutish giant ordered him to sit back down on the porch, and then told his own men to stand guard while he went into the home and searched for the book.
“This is your last chance. If the book is in there, tell me now and there will be nothing more of this.”
Mendoza was determined to not simply hand over the port log to this man, so he steadfastly held to his story. “The book is gone, sir. There’s no need to waste your time searching for it.”
Esperanza stared him down for a few seconds, and then walked past him to make his way into the small wooden shack. Mendoza could hear the rattling of his possessions being thoughtlessly and carelessly thrown about. Just over ten minutes had passed when the giant man finally emerged from inside.
“Let’s go,” he said to his men.
Mendoza, still sitting on his porch, proudly muttered, “See, I told you there was nothing.”
He was about to say something more as he tilted his head towards the colossal man, but was caught by surprise as he witnessed what the soldier was holding in his hand. Esperanza had found the port log and now displayed a very vengeful look on his face. The words seemed to get caught halfway up his throat as he sat in silence and watched the ruthless man pull out a pistol from a holster revealed under his shirt. He couldn’t believe his secret hiding place had been exposed and he dreaded what would happen next.
Without a word, Esperanza walked up, pressed the barrel of the gun to the old man’s forehead, and pulled the trigger. The crowd that had gathered in the center of the village stood and watched in absolute horror at the site which had just unfolded before their eyes. The villagers watched the three men get into a truck and drive off without so much as a thought to all of those who had witnessed their act of brutality, leaving the body of Mendoza for all to see as a grim reminder of the consequences for crossing the Managua regime.