She also needed to reach out to Detective Griffin to let him know the advances they made in their search for information. If they could get to the office to view the list of guest names, they could find more information regarding who the local family members of Cruz were. Family members don’t always know what other members are involved in when they aren’t around each other, but it’s rare that a family member is completely oblivious to secrets.
The list may provide names of persons close enough to Stantigo Cruz. Maybe he would invite them to see him while he spoke and possibly also harbor him while he took the lives of his former shipmates and detail members but not his fellow marines because he was not one.
"Mason, I called Detective Griffin and you won’t believe what he told me!” Orinda said as she barged into the bathroom. Steam from the shower made the air humid and moist everywhere. Mason turned off the water and slid the glass shower door open standing completely naked but not ashamed as he exposed his chiseled physique and his above average endowment. She gasped and then threw him a towel to cover up because she had to focus on Detective Griffin’s findings after he left them last night. It was amazing that he found time to do more cop work after getting home so late to his wife.
"What did he find out; anything heavy as what we did?" Mason asked slowly with no impediment. He stepped out of the shower and began to dry his body. This wasn’t a competition to see who could find important information, but Mason felt his position and fortitude depended on his ability to find the crucial answers because ultimately he was protecting her as much as himself. This was another shortcoming aspect of the male ego even when men are paired to address the same issue.
"Remember last night before Griffin left and he asked you for the names of the Marines that were in your old detail? He said he went home to research each of them and found a discovery too coincidental for comfort. For each murder of a Marine, there was conveniently a Department of Veteran Affairs conference in each of those locations: North Carolina, California, and Arizona. He seems to think if we can connect with the law enforcement working on these cases, we will find more similarities to ours. He also said in the case of each death, the Marines had been registered with their local VA hospital. This means to me that Cruz had the ability to use his inside position to get access to their information such as home addresses, phone numbers, the works and then take them out," Orinda said.
Mason couldn’t verbally respond. He thought about what Griffin discovered, but he wasn’t too surprised Marines were being killed because he knew one day what they did would come back to each of them. The only surprise was that the one willing to do the killing was one who served with them side by side.
"I knew death would come for me. We all did. I just can’t believe the one doing the killing would be one of us," Mason said standing in front of the mirror and then dropping his head. He knew one day he would die before his time because he allowed others to do the same. At least they died at the hands of their enemies. Well, they were enemies by their country's stances but in actuality they were brothers, comrades who were supposed to be fighting the same battle in a war against tyranny and aggression.
"What do you mean; you knew they would come? I needed you to tell me what that means because I’ve never had anyone ever want to kill me before until you and I were paired together. You have a certain calm about being chased down; I don’t get it, and I don’t like it. Now, out with it. Now! Ahora!" she exclaimed.
He knew it was time to finish what he had started days ago. He needed to tell her the secrets he kept for years. He had to finish telling the story, but the anxiety that crippled him was now worse than ever because he had to do it without medication to soothe his nerves. He needed something to aid him, so he went to his old faithful. Mason hastily left the bathroom still with his towel around his waist. He needed to get out of the confines of the bathroom and into a larger area with more space, so he could be breathe a little easier.
The narrow space seemed to grow arms and reach out to him. At least he could run away from the claustrophobia, but he couldn’t run away from the past or from the truth, and Orinda was there to keep pace the entire way. She would be there for him during the good times and the bad, but she couldn’t if Mason wasn’t going to be honest about everything. Plus she saw a pattern that maybe he hadn’t; if he had he would notice every time she needed more information from him. Each revelation would take more and more stress off his heart and from his conscience. She wanted to help him again, but ultimately this would mean her helping them both.
After reaching the kitchen, Mason opened the cupboard, grabbed a shot glass and then opened the wine cooler to grab a chilled bottle of Slivovica. He opened it and then looked at the clock on the stove. It was only 0730, and he was already drinking 102 proof liquor, but this was supposed to be better than taking powerful prescription medication.
"I’m waiting, baby. I need you to talk to me. I need you to talk to me right now, and it can’t wait until later. We don’t know if we have later and to be honest, I think I deserve to not have to wait anymore because I’m here with you, and I’m ready to be with you from here on out. Just talk to me. Please, baby, I’m begging you. Talk to me," Orinda began to cry.
She needed him to open up to her again, just once more. Talking wouldn’t make the past go away but would allow them to use their present together to continue and not allow his past to overshadow them.
"I knew one day it would come down to this, and I could no longer hold in this secret. I’m at least glad the person I have to tell my secret will not leave me or judge me for it. I know you care for me for who I am and not what I can do for you." Mason said as he took another drink to calm his anxiety but also to prolong time. He didn’t have a lot of time, but he figured the time he did have, he didn’t want to taint with the truths that haunted him more than the memory of the killings and the voices that asked for vengeance but did not demand it.
"When in the boardroom, we all knew we were going to be assigned a task that would not only be a violation to the rules of engagement but would also be against the Uniformed Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) and against international law. Like I said before, in the room were high barred officials from Serbia, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States. Each spoke in the universal language of English except when speaking to their translator. The feel was that everyone in the room only pretended to trust each other. Of course, the US and UK were chummy brothers, but the Serbs and Russians appeared to have hidden ill feelings. When we walked in, they were all talking about something to kill time until the Marines who were to do their dirt were all lined up in the aft of the room and were given the order ‘parade rest.’ The officials from the United States did all of the talking because what other country in the world is the headliner of all things war and liberty?"
"Marines, we are here today because your bravery has been summoned by others who need it. Your willingness to defend freedom and democracy is the reason you are in this room and in this country. When defending freedom, it’s not only for those living in the United States but also in places of the world where they want freedom but are being denied their natural human rights to live freely. With that said, we need you to understand what we are about to assign you is necessary and has a presidential security classification severity of top secret level Yankee White, which means you will never speak of these orders. When you swore oath to the United States of America during your enlistment, you swore under the eyes of God that you would support and defend the Constitution of the United States of America against all enemies foreign and domestic and that you would bear true faith and allegiance to the same. You also swore you would follow the orders of the officers appointed over you. Well, I am an officer and the time is now. We need you to strategically and tactically locate a list of Serbian officials who are planning a massive attack on a United States Army installation and simultaneously an attack on a Croatian position near the town of Split. We have limited information. We are i
nstructing you to use swift and precise actions to put these persons out of their fucking misery and what greater gift of war is there than to die at the hands of Marines? In other words, do what it takes."
"All the officials at the table nodded their heads in agreement. The unanimous decision had been made before we entered the room. Then suddenly, one of the Russian officials said something to his translator that caught my ear. We were still at parade rest, so I could not turn my head in their direction, but I was still certain I heard what I heard and understood. I heard what he said though he didn’t translate it to English for the Americans and British officials to understand. They didn’t ask him to translate when they probably should have. I was able to understand they were sending us on a witch hunt to find soldiers who had defected from the brutal Serbian Army because they did not believe in the inhumane instructions being passed to them. I understood this but never uttered a word. I didn’t utter a word to my fellow Marines and I didn’t speak up to the American officials who turned a blind eye to history in order to protect the interest of the present. If I would have spoken out of turn, maybe we would have never been assigned the mission. If I would have spoken up to the Marines I served with, maybe, just maybe they would not have killed innocent Serbians in cold blood who only wanted a better Slavia if not one Yugoslavia. I did what I always do and that was said nothing,” Mason said with his head down ashamed.
The story he didn’t finish in the parking lot waited longer to be heard, but it was loud and clear. It was not what she was expecting which was a good thing for them both but was still bad nonetheless. Mason could have prevented more death if he had spoken, but a man who had been ridiculed his entire life for speaking never wanted to be heard if he wasn’t sure anyone was going to listen. Something told her someone would have listened to this.
"That’s not the end of it," Mason said and began to cry. "I did not tell Stockton and the rest of the guys that the men we were sent to kill were innocent men looking to change the region’s reputation and the world’s perception of every man wearing the Serbian uniform. On the other hand, I did translate the anger and fear of a soldier who just saw his daughter murdered and then watched her lifeless body raped. I could have prevented it all. All I had to do was talk! I didn’t and now I have the blood of innocent people on my mind but not on my hands because I never joined them. Stockton and the guys always belittled me for it. It was just another reason for them to make fun of me. If it wasn’t my speech, then it was because I was afraid to kill. But that wasn’t because I was afraid. I knew it was wrong. I knew it was wrong!" Mason belted out behind a loud cry he had been holding in for years.
Since she cared for him, she rushed to hold him and remind him he was not alone because that was all she could offer. She couldn’t remove the memories that permanently stained his mind no matter how she rubbed him. Now she understood why he couldn’t find peace while he slept or while awake or while looking in the mirror. The mirror only magnified the reflection, but it didn’t remove the scars on the other side.
"Papi, Por favor, cálmate, bebé. Por favor." (Papi, Please calm down baby. Please.) I’m begging you to calm yourself down because I worry about you so. There is nothing you can do about your past now. You can’t bring back any marine that Cruz killed, nor can you bring back the Serbian soldiers. Most importantly, you can’t go back to the moment when you had a choice. That time is gone, but this is not over. You have a chance right now to end the terror. It may be the only vengeance left for them and the only left for you. You have to win this because you don’t want to meet God without completing the mission for those who died innocently. This is your time to speak. Not only is it time to speak, but it’s our time to act, and I will do it with you, baby," she said as she held him.
Orinda came into his life to save him from himself. She came into his life to save the eternity of Americans fallen and Serbians taken. She would help save them, but first, they still needed to save themselves. Therefore she still had to ask another question still not answered though she knew it all had to do with the same task of the killer.
"Baby, I need you to finish this for me. I still don’t understand why Cruz, of all people, would kill the other marines and now come after you. You didn’t kill the innocent and neither did he, yet HE is the one with a list of names to cross off. Why? What’s the purpose?" she asked.
Mason gathered his composure because he wasn’t sure this was the answer she was looking for, but one thing for certain, it was not his fault but more so the fault of American officials in the boardroom.
"American military officials have done this for years. They befriend the same nations who were once enemies only for special interest and foreign policy advancements. Historically we have done this because it allowed the military an advantage to prepare for the next enemy. It’s not a wonder that many of America's allies were enemies once upon a time. England, France, Spain, Japan, even South Korea. For instance, the Korean War may be the worst war because of the number of American lives lost in a three year time period, but it could be considered a victory because we still have two Koreas and an armistice was signed. Not only that but we have almost 30,000 troops still there. Why wasn’t this the result after defeating Korea during the Korean Expedition? What about the Boxer Rebellion? The United States teamed with the UK and France but also the entire list of countries that would become the Axis powers! Did you know that the majority of American war victories were fought on its own soil? Ask the native tribes who went to war with the US government. Usually they were aided by a country who once shared the same supposed interest. They fought gallantly but could not withstand the American interest offered to other tribes who were their own sworn enemies. That’s the history of the world’s liberators. The same people that liberate will become enemies and enemies become allies. The best deception of the enemy is to use the perception of a friend. That’s what the Russian officials in the room did. After a history of mistrust, the American officials trusted the Russians’ word in order to implement its own stamp on the region adjusting to the fall of the Soviet’s clutch. In addition to overhearing the Russian speak about the defective Serbians, together they laughed as they conspired against America to commit war crimes, but this time the world would eventually know of the atrocities."
Now Orinda understood. Due to the American trust of an enemy-turned-friend, they had to remove any proof the event had taken place. Of course, they had to remove the key pieces who committed the crimes, but they also had to kill the voice that didn’t speak but understood what they found out years after the fact. This was consistent with what United States of America’s sworn enemies and allies also knew; in order to protect its reputation and special interests, America would do what it had to do to protect itself even if it was from itself.
Chapter 17
"Detective Griffin, this is Orinda. Mason and I are on the way to the office, and we need your help. Can you have someone tail us to make sure we get there safely? I have a feeling someone already is and it doesn’t look like one of the unmarkeds you pointed out to us last night," Orinda said as soon as she heard him answer.
She was trying to concentrate on the road but because of paranoia and the fact they were running out of time on a killer’s clock, she needed to call to make sure they were safe enough to make it to the office and recover the fax Mason so brilliantly was able to swindle from the hotel reception.
Mason was not strapped in with his seat belt. Instead, he was turned looking behind them. They were being tailed by the same car. It didn’t matter what direction they turned; the car still followed suit close behind. The odd tint on the windshield prevented the driver’s identity from being revealed.
"Don’t panic, but maybe you are being followed. When you can and as safely as possible, turn without using your signal. I need you to be abrupt. This will let me know if you are indeed being tailed. Once you make the turn, hightail it and continue to look behind you for the potential followers’ response," Dete
ctive Griffin advised and Orinda obeyed.
When she made a sudden turn down the city street with a right-of-way at the red light, the car behind her did the same almost causing a collision with another car driving eastbound. The sound of car horns angrily blown could be heard as she followed the second instruction to confirm their suspicion. They were being followed. That meant the plan had now changed. They couldn’t risk going into the Daily’s underground parking depot because they might never come out alive. They needed to either lose the straggling car or lead it to law enforcement. That meant driving erratically and catching a police officer’s attention or driving up to a location where officers were.
"Why the hell didn’t the officers staked out on Mason’s street follow you out?" Griffin asked. He sounded like he was busy trying to do something while he spoke. His breathing was heavy, and his short statements only insinuated the same thing.
"I’m not sure. We tried to get back with you a little after you gave the word about the conferences in California, Arizona and North Carolina but couldn’t make contact. We called a few times, and the line went to voicemail," Orinda said as she turned another corner to get away from the following car.
She heard the sound of a woman’s voice in the background while she talked to Griffin. She figured it was his wife, but with what they found out about his past and his extracurricular activities, that didn’t necessarily mean it.
"I have to head to the office to put the research information we found into the database and make some calls into the Philadelphia Police Department and give them a heads up on the information that we have. I need them to help with the case, but I will still be in charge and will spearhead it. I need to figure why in the world my guys on the house didn’t follow you out and aren’t responding to my calls. I will give you a call once I find out what’s going on but do not, I repeat do not, under any circumstance, trap yourself in the parking garage. That’s like death in a box. Also do not give your final destination to whoever is tailing," Griffin commanded.
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