“Just like old times,” one noted West Indian commentator stated in his usual colourful way during the match summary. Magnus Hunter and Corey Miller were not opposed to this view, which was now being shared by West Indians living in the West Indies, by those who were part of the overseas diaspora and, ironically, by vanquished English supporters back home as well.
As for the visiting supporters who had come to see their England team, though disappointed with the result, they appeared pleased to have been in Barbados for the Test Match. Most of them still had three days of their ten-day cricketing holiday left, so all that was left for them to do was to enjoy Barbados’ sun, sand, sea, sights, excellent rum, beer and the restaurants that were available to them. For most, these memories would last a lifetime.
The third Test Match was set to be played at the Queen’s Park Oval in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad and Tobago from the coming Saturday.
***
The original plan had been to raid The Organisation’s Miami headquarters complex at 8:00 a.m. the following morning. However, once Prime Minister Motby’s Ministerial Statement had been delivered to Parliament that morning, things changed. Though Motby had not mentioned The Organisation (or its full and correct name), those connected with or to it knew that it had been implicated and therefore exposed.
That prompted USA Embassy personnel in Barbados to encourage that urgent action be taken to finalise investigations pertaining to The Organisation. Raids of Pilessar, Castille and Thomas’s apartments and on The Organisation’s Miami headquarters were to be brought forward to that night and end by dawn. Ambassador Rowley was instrumental in this regard, working through Busbee and her ‘people’ back home. Once notified, Tom Huney in the FBI’s Miami field office agreed to take action and the raids were organised for execution between 10:15 p.m. and 2:00 a.m. the following morning. The required search warrants had been secured from a District Judge to cover US Law enforcement’s actions around 6:00 p.m. that afternoon.
***
Later that night in Miami, the repeated ringing of Royce Thomas’ apartment doorbell was unexpected. It was late, close to 10:20 p.m.
People seldom came to his second-floor apartment after 10:00. p.m. Thomas looked out the large window to see if there was any unusual activity outside on the street below. It was quiet. There were no unusual vehicles parked or traffic movements. He assumed that the person ringing his doorbell must be a friend and not a foe. Given his kind of work, one could never be sure but this was his well-protected apartment, not The Organisation’s respectable office complex in down-town Miami.
Thomas therefore felt safe as he went towards his apartment’s front door. Looking through the door’s peephole, he saw what appeared to be a uniformed Miami police department (MPD) officer. He did not open the door but spoke through it.
“May I help you, officer?”
“Good evening, sir. There’s been a recent break-in in a neighbouring apartment in this building.”
“Really? Well, I’m fine, but if your officers are looking for a criminal, why don’t I see any police vehicles outside…”
“We’re doing this quietly, sir. The perpetrators may still be around.”
“Very well. Thanks for stopping –”
Thomas did not finish the sentence. The window he had earlier looked out of had been opened. Thomas turned to see one, then a second masked person entering his apartment through his now opened apartment window.
“Miami PD. Hands up!” Thomas did as he was told. The gun-toting MPD officers looked serious. It quickly dawned on him what might be happening. He thought quickly. Was there was no robbery in the building block after all? Was someone out to get him, or The Organisation he worked for. Who might they be? Local law enforcement?
Thomas turned away from the two gun-toting MPD officers when he heard his apartment door being bashed in. It splintered before being broken down completely. Three more armed MPD officers flooded into his apartment. They approached him. He meekly put his hands further up in the air.
These people clearly knew who I am, probably everything about me, The Organisation, Emma and Rhohan too, he was thinking.
“Shit, who are you guys? What have I done? Miami PD don’t break into people’s apartments without warning or warrants. You guys have a search warrant?” Thomas asked as he was being handcuffed.
In walked a couple of men in dark suits. They flashed identity badges and what was a warrant of some kind was also shown to him. Having never seen a warrant up close before, Thomas didn’t know what a warrant looked like and so if it was genuine.
“I’m Tom Huney, FBI Special Agent-in-Charge of Miami and Surrounding Districts. This is a warrant to search these premises. We’re also taking you downtown to read you your rights and to ask you some questions about the business you’re involved in, the people you work with. Do you understand me, Mr Thomas?”
“Be my guest.”
“Right then team. Search every nook and crevice of this place. Be careful not to break anything. Log each and every piece of evidence you collect and be careful when removing it from Mr Thomas’ apartment please,” said Huney.
With that, Thomas knew that his day was done, so to speak. Given what he knew about The Organisation’s activities over the past seven years since he had joined it before quickly risen up its ranks, he started to anticipate having to spend a long time in a penitentiary somewhere in the USA. Facing that would be a real challenge for him, given what he’d heard often happened in such places.
As he was being taken out of the space where once his apartment door stood, he decided that no, he could not do any time. Dying might be better. This way he could not give away any of what he knew about The Organisation’s activities and commitments.
And so, having made his choice, Thomas who not been handcuffed behind his back but in front of himself, swung and elbowed the MPD officer on his right sharply in the stomach before kicking out at the officer on his left. Thomas was able to get away from both officers and make a bound through the doorway in an effort to escape down the corridor outside of his apartment. Two more men in suites and several MPD officers were standing around, looking the opposite way.
Hearing shouts from inside of Thomas’ apartment of “Stop him, STOP HIM,” they turned around to see Thomas coming at them. Without hesitation one of the suited men un-holstered his weapon, shouting “Stop” to Thomas as he closed in on them. Thomas ignored the command and continued towards the standing MPD officers who had all now turned in Thomas’ direction. One of the masked officers who had entered the apartment through the window had followed Thomas out of his apartment doorway and had fired his weapon at Thomas without hesitation, hitting him in his left leg and causing him to fall in great pain in a heap on the floor. Thomas, now crying out in pain from his gunshot wound, knew there was no getting away from US law enforcement personnel tonight, or any time soon for that matter.
Just before midnight, having received medical attention for his leg wound, Thomas was asked in the ambulance outside of his apartment about The Organisation’s activities. This took place while the search of his apartment was ongoing in earnest to see what documents or electronic files Thomas kept at home on his computer that was the property of The Organisation.
Thomas started to co-operate…
***
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Laying the Trap
TUESDAY, 1 MAY (ONE WEEK LATER)
On the previous Wednesday afternoon, JJ had called Pierre Pilgrim to confirm that he would return to P’s Disco to play his twice weekly ETT set for the club’s more mature patrons. Pilgrim was happy. JJ too, for he had missed doing his shows and felt guilty having let down those patrons who had regularly came to hear him play. Like the song by Chaka Khan You Never Miss the Water (Till the Well Runs Dry, JJ’s need for P’s Disco was back. Playing there twice a week was the water in his well.
JJ prepared hard and enthusiastically for his return to DJing duties on Monday, 30 April. Vanessa surprised
him by accompanying him to P’s Disco where she remained for all of his four-hour show, having arranged for her mum and dad to visit for the night to look after Angela and Andrew. They loved it all because they got a night with Granma and Granddad. They knew they would be ‘spoiled rotten’.
This was Vanessa’s way of visibly supporting JJ’s return to doing something she knew he loved doing after the upheaval that had taken place in his life over the past couple of weeks. She made a few new friends that night, mainly patrons who loved what JJ played.
***
In Barbados, May 1 is annually celebrated as Labour Day, a public holiday. Prime Minister Motby was scheduled to attend and speak at the Barbados Workers Union-organised and sponsored ‘Labour Day Rally’ at noon, so he had a few spare hours in the morning to relax while trying to further polish the remarks he planned to make.
The 8:00 a.m. telephone call he received from Colonel Burke requesting an urgent meeting with him at Ilaro Court was unexpected but was granted.
They agreed to meet at 9:00 a.m. Colonel Burke arrived ten minutes early and so was seated in the family room to wait for Motby. He was offered a hot beverage, cold drink or water by a butler. He chose water which was quickly brought to him.
“Good morning, Trevor. I’m intrigued…what makes you want to spend part of your public holiday with me, and so early in the morning? I’m hoping that what you have to share will not be another evolving national security situation but is something to make me laugh. I’m looking for a good joke to include in my speech today, ideally at the start. I’m struggling for the right opening line!”
“Good morning, Prime Minister. I’m not good at telling jokes, sir. I can seldom remember the punchline. Nor do I have any dire warning of an imminent national security situation. I do need to speak with you about someone you know well, have hitherto trusted and relied greatly upon.”
“What are you talking about, Trevor?”
Colonel Burke removed the file that he had brought with him from his briefcase and presented it to Motby.
“Let’s go into my study.” Motby knew from Colonel Burke’s demeanour that this had to be something serious as Colonel Burke was not one for jokes.
Colonel Burke followed Motby out of the family room down a corridor before they reached the Prime Minister’s study. He closed the door behind them.
After reviewing the contents of the file, Motby looked up at Colonel Burke. The latter’s quietly undertaken week-long investigation had been shared.
“My God Trevor! We’ve been, are being played! Clever bastard. You sure all of what’s presented here is gospel?”
“John 3:16, sir. If it wasn’t, it wouldn’t be in my report, nor would I be here.”
Motby nodded gravely before making his decision.
“Okay, I buy it. You must finish this, but in the correct and proper way. While my paws must not be all over this, I don’t mind making it known that I’m happy with the action that you’ve suggested be taken. You’ve done fine work here. Let’s bring this unfortunate situation to a quick and quiet end. As you know, Parliament breaks up after tomorrow’s sitting for a fortnight. Try to complete what needs to be done by then and I mean tomorrow, Trevor.”
“Yes, Prime Minister.”
“Tell me, would it help if I were to prepare an appropriate document for your use?”
A smile appeared on Colonel Burke’s face. “That would be helpful, sir.”
“Very well. How will you execute your task?”
“I have a plan, Prime Minister…”
“I’m not surprised, Trevor. Please advise me what it involves,” said Motby invitingly.
Colonel Burke explained what he intended to do.
Motby listened carefully. Seeing no big holes in Colonel Burke’s plan, he agreed to its implementation, timings and all. They anticipated little or no ‘fallout’ from the plan. The trap was laid for their prey. They hoped it would work. They had faith that it would.
Similar to a previous occasion, Motby turned on his computer. A few minutes later, he handed Colonel Burke a piece of paper and a plain white envelope. Colonel Burke read what was on the piece of paper.
“Thank you, Prime Minister.”
“No problem. I must say that it is not a pleasure, Trevor. Now, don’t forget. If you come up with any kind of joke between now and 11:30 a.m. that I might use, let me have it,” said Motby with a half-smile.
“Don’t bank on it, sir,” said Colonel Burke.
“Then allow me to show you out and thank you again for coming over. Do try to enjoy what’s left of your public holiday, and my regards to Diane.”
“I’ll try and will pass on your regards to her, Prime Minister.”
As Colonel Burke drove away from Ilaro Court’s gates, the vehicle’s dashboard clock showed 9:45 a.m.
***
JJ’s family had a lazy morning. After playing some family games, including Jenga at which both children excelled and had managed to beat JJ and Vanessa, they ate lunch. As Angela and Andrew were getting a little restless, so Vanessa offered to take them out for a drive and some ice cream at their favourite shop in Oistins.
Vanessa knew JJ would not be accompanying them because he’d earlier stated that he would use the afternoon to prepare his final playlist for the various segments of his show later that night at P’s Disco. Last night had gone well, but JJ wanted to make tonight, his second night back at P’s Disco, even more exciting and an extraordinarily good one.
Vanessa wished JJ good luck and warned that she would not rush back to give him all the time he needed to complete his task. She would stop by Carmen, one of her girlfriends she had not seen for a couple of weeks. JJ was happy for her to do that. This suited Vanessa perfectly. Being away from JJ for the next two or three hours would give her the time she needed to execute her plan for that evening. She believed she had most, if not all of JJ’s friends’ phone numbers. Those she did not have she knew Fred and Joe would provide to her.
After the drive and ice-cream stop, Vanessa headed for Carmen’s house in Atlantic Shores, Christ Church. There, because she knew that Angela and Andrew got on ‘like a house on fire’ with Carmen’s kids of a similar age, Vanessa could spend up to an hour making telephone calls.
The last person Vanessa called was Mindy Dane, the Johnson’s older and reliable neighbours. Could she bring Angela and Andrew over to them around 8:30 p.m. that evening and could they spend the night with her? JJ would be working at P’s Disco until midnight and she knew JJ’s work friends were planning to surprise him with an award. She of course, had to be there to see JJ receive it, so by the time they returned home, it would be well after midnight, too late to wake and take home their kids. She and JJ would come for them early in the morning, clean them up, and provide breakfast before getting them ready for school.
Mindy spoke with her husband Roger. They said yes to a night of baby-sitting. Auntie Mindy and Uncle Roger loved the Johnson kids a lot, especially as they got on well with their own grand-children whenever they visited. Vanessa had one further request of Auntie Mindy and Uncle Roger. Should they see JJ during the afternoon, they shouldn’t mention that Angela and Andrew would be sleeping over at them tonight. Again, Vanessa secured the Danes agreement. The Johnson children had overnighted with the Danes grandkids a couple of times before, so would be comfortable.
***
JJ focussed in earnest on his task. His theme for tonight’s four-hour set was celebration, particularly after his reinstatement at BIB a week earlier. As usual, he would break his set up into his four hourly segments, namely H1C (the ‘chillin’ hour), H2G (the ‘groovin’ hour), H3F3 (the ‘floor fillin’ funk you good’ hour) and H4FGD (the ‘final get down’ hour). He would play happy songs he genuinely loved and had a strong bond with. His selections would reflect his beliefs and love of his patrons.
After an hour’s research and reflection on what his potential selections across these segments might be, JJ chose: Cloud One Atmosphere Strutt, B
rass Construction Changin’, Archie Bell & The Drells Strategy, George Benson Shiver, Yvonne Gage Lover Of My Dreams, Raw Silk Do It To The Music, Temptations Treat Her Like A Lady, Brothers Johnson Stomp, Sylvia Striplin Give Me Your Love, S.O.S. Band Take Your Time (Do It Right), The Whispers And The Beat Goes On, Yvonne Gage Garden of Eve, Bobby Thurston You’ve Got What It Takes, Gap Band Burn Rubber On Me, Nathan East Daft Funk, Quincy Jones Razzamatazz, KC & The Sunshine Band Get Down Tonight, Herbie Hancock You Bet Your Love. Excited by the selections he had made so far, JJ turned his mind to choosing a mini-mellow-mood segment that should cool the place down. He decided to set use a triple offering of Maxwell Welcome/Something, Something/Ascension. As usual, he would encourage patrons already on the dancefloor to stay there and cling to their partners. To those sitting down, he’d urge them to grab a friendly soul and cling to them on the dance floor. Other mellow tunes he identified to use, perhaps at the start of his H4FGD segment: The Whispers No Pain, No Gain, Johnny Gill My, My, My and Melba Moore Falling. Back up cuts were Bobby Brown Rock Wit Cha, Everette Harp If I Had to Live My Life Without You, and S.O.S. Band The Finest.
During his 11:00 p.m. ten-minute break, his mix of primarily instrumental and jazz/funk tunes would come down. He had prepared an hour-long CD the previous Sunday afternoon or himself, featuring Paul Hardcastle Rain Forest, Total Contrast Sunshine, S.O.S. Band Groovin’ (That’s What We’re Doin’), The Temptations Stay and more During this break, he share the first four tracks from his CD while everyone in P’s Disco, himself included, would have the chance to catch their breath, purchase a drink, make a bathroom stop, clear tables, order some food, chat up a fellow patron or pursue a mixture of the above before JJ would get the final segment of his set going around 11:10 p.m.
Hung Out to Dry Page 48