Caribbean Capers

by Dan Kelly

  “He gave me a shot of something and some pills to take.”

  “We’ll find out from the doctor what he shot you up with. Try to relax. An ambulance will be here shortly to take you to the hospital so your condition can be evaluated. I have the number where your wife is staying. You can call her from the hospital to let her know your ordeal is over.”

  He wrote the phone number of the hotel where Millie Trumball was staying on the back of one of Paul’s business cards and gave it to him. “I have to go now, Bob, but I’ll be in touch and fill you in on everything that has happened.”

  “Thanks for helping me out of this jam, Pete. When we left that doctor’s office I was beginning to think the fat lady had sung and it was all over for me.”

  “Your rescue was a team effort, Bob. We’re all glad we were able to pull it off.”

  A few minutes later an unmarked Miami police car with two detectives arrived and they took Dr. Manzanares into custody and a moment later the two patients remaining in the doctor’s office and the receptionist came out with very confused look on their faces. Pete went over to them and said, “I can’t go into any detail right now, but the doctor is going to be out of circulation for a while.”

  Looking at the receptionist he said, “You’re going to have to find a new job and”, looking at the patients, “you’re going to have to find a new doctor.”

  As he finished speaking with them, the coroner’s van and the ambulance showed up. Five minutes after that, he was headed back to the villa with Manny and his men close on his tail. “I survived round one. I hope my luck holds out during round two.”

  Chapter 26

  - Pablo’s Villa in Miami –

  When they got back to the villa, it was close to eleven and there was a full moon and a sky full of stars shining down on them. This, added to the street lights at the beginning of the driveway and along the street in front of the villa, made an undetected frontal assault highly unlikely.

  Since Pete and Paul had left, things had remained quiet. Lights were on in parts of the villa and someone was watching TV in one of the rooms downstairs as glimpses of the TV screen were caught when a breeze caught the partially opened drapes through a partially opened window.

  Looking at Pete Manny asked, “Okay, what’s the game plan?”

  “We wait until two in the morning. By that time, everyone should be asleep. There’s a large veranda at the back of the villa that is accessed by sliding glass doors off two rooms about twenty feet apart in the back. There are small patios on each side of the villa which are accessed by regular doors with windows on the top half. Those will be our points of entry. We’ll assume all of the doors will be locked. Did you bring any of your Seal gear with you that will take care of those doors?”

  “Well, we have the means to pick the locks or we could cut a hole in the glass of the doors and reach in and open the doors or we could use a little C 4 and blow the doors off their hinges. Do you prefer a stealthy entry or a quick, noisy, chaotic and brain numbing invasion? You say, we do.”

  “I say let’s really rattle their cages. The more disoriented they will be, the safer we will be.”

  Manny said, “I’m wondering if Pablo is going to be getting much if any sleep tonight. He’s got to be wondering what’s going on with Pedro and Bob Trumball. They should have been back at the villa by now. I’m sure he’s tried to contact Pedro on his cell or at the brother’s office and because he couldn’t get through due to our interference with things he’s probably starting to worry about the million dollar ransom going bye-bye.”

  “I hope so. Maybe he’ll be so exhausted from pacing the floor with worry and the lack of shut eye that he won’t have the energy to put up much of a fight.

  “There are ten of us, so I’m breaking us down into two teams of two for the side doors and two teams of three for the rear sliding glass doors. When do you want to plant the C 4 and how will you co-ordinate its detonation?”

  “I suggest that the teams move into place at 1:45 a.m. Each of the two men teams will have one of my men. I will be a member of one of the three men teams. I and my men will plant the C 4. By waiting so late to plant it, we have a pretty good chance of the charges not being seen by someone who decides to step outside for some fresh air. As for detonation, we have the means to remotely set off the charges and this can be done by one person. That will be me. At exactly two o’clock, I’ll blow the doors and it’s party time.”

  “That works for me. Okay, everybody check your weapons and then sit back, remain hidden and wait. No smoking and no talking above a whisper unless it’s absolutely necessary. Damn, I feel like I’m back in the military.”

  The TV was turned off at midnight and all of the lights throughout the villa that could be seen from outside were off as well. At 1:45, Pete gave the advance signal and they all moved out. The teams arrived at their assigned spots without incident and the C 4 was planted. When two o’clock rolled around, it was like the fireworks on the Fourth of July, but louder and a lot messier. All of the teams rushed through the now open doorways, quickly cleared the downstairs and headed for the second floor. They threw flashbang grenades into every room they approached and easily subdued all of the occupants but one.

  The flash produced by the grenades momentarily makes vision impossible for approximately five seconds and the loud blast causes temporary loss of hearing and also disturbs the fluid in the ear causing loss of balance. The occupants didn’t know what hit them and were instantly and completely disoriented.

  Sometimes the heat created when these grenades go off can ignite flammable materials and fires will occur which may or may not be a desirable consequence, however, this wasn’t a problem this time around.

  The one person who wasn’t immediately neutralized by the flashbang grenades was, of course, the worst of the bunch, Pablo Salazar. Murphy’s Law is still alive and well.

  Apparently, when the shit hit the fan Salazar ducked for cover in a huge walk-in closet and closed the door, minimizing the effects of the grenade that was thrown into his bedroom. He also managed to grab his Glock which was lying on the nightstand next to him on his way to the closet. When Manny and one of his men went into the bedroom to check it out, they were met by a fusillade of bullets. Fortunately, none of them had their names on them. Pablo was just a lousy shot or he was too scared to have a steady hand. Unfortunately for Pablo, a couple of Manny’s rounds had his name on them and hit him dead center in the middle of the forehead. He was dead before his body sunk to the floor.

  All in all, there were fifteen thugs, including Pablo, staying in the villa along with the live-in maid who was rattled but unharmed in the raid because Pete determined that the bedroom off the kitchen had to be hers and yelled for her to stay put until she was told to come out.

  Pete called Dave and briefed him on the results of their encounter with the bad guys and summed things up with, “I’ve had a lot less hectic eight hour work days in my life that’s for sure, but except for losing Salazar as a potential windfall of information on the cartels, this is one of the best I’ve had in quite a while. While it would have been nice to have taken Salazar alive, we still have fourteen others to play ring around the rosy with and Bob Trumball is once again a free man.”

  “You did good, Pete, and pass on my thanks and praise to the rest of the guys. I’m sending a truck to haul away your prisoners and you can tell my people that they can have the rest of the day off, but to report in to me at the shop at eight o’clock tomorrow morning. Things are really heating up with this new cartel consortium and I’m going to need them. That includes you too, amigo.”

  Having said that, Dave abruptly hung up, leaving dead air and a whole bunch of curiosity in his wake. “What hell am I going to be embroiled in next? Scrounger is going to owe me big time when this is all over.”

  Chapter 27

  - Miami –

  The next morning everyone was assembled in the back of Dave’s shop where he repairs diving gear stuffi
ng their faces with the best tasting pastries this side of Paris and washing them down with the best Kona coffee this side of Maui. Phil and Dave know how to spoil the troops and keep the grumbling to a minimum.

  Phil rapped a wrench on one of the work benches and said, “Okay, chow-hounds, listen up. I just got word from the doctors at Westchester General Hospital that are taking care of Paul Brody and Bob Trumball. They’re going to be back in the fray in no time. Paul will probably be released tomorrow and Mr. Trumball the day after. They want to monitor Trumball a little longer because his body took a real pounding from the reaction to the seafood he ingested.

  “Now moving right along, boys and girls, the cartel menagerie we’ve been plaguing lately is highly pissed and getting very restless to strike back. Our intelligence sources tell us that a summit meeting of sorts is being set up in Bogota, Colombia for some time next month. We’re working on getting the exact date. Abby, give them a rundown on the hows, whats and whys.”

  Looking at Abby, Pete suddenly realizes that although it’s been less than a week since he’s last seen or talked with her he’s missed her more than he should. Silently scolding himself for feeling this way, his alter ego lambastes him with, “Damn it, Brody, how many times do I have to tell you? This lady is way out of your league. Forget any ideas you have about her. You’ll make a fool of yourself.”

  His mental self-flagellation is interrupted by Manny whispering in his ear, “Earth to Brody, Earth to Brody. Come in, Brody. Back to the real world of fun and mayhem.”

  Glancing over at Manny with an embarrassed smile he whispered back, “Thanks” which Manny acknowledged with a nod.

  Abby was saying, “Just about every one of our resources we have tapped has heard something about a special secret meeting of not only the kingpins of the major cartels in the Caribbean, but the leaders of many of the smaller ones as well. What makes this meeting so special? The main reason is because nothing of this scope has ever happened before. Why do these oligarchs of the underworld want to have such a meeting? The answer to that is quite simple. Sea Wasp’s interference with their multi-billion dollar operations has had a serious impact on their bottom lines and desperation is beginning to set in.

  “Supposedly, this meeting will be taking place at the end of next month in Bogota, Colombia, but that could change at a moment’s notice as we know from past experience many of these people are very capricious and quite adroit at sensing potential trouble. These people are not stupid and we’re sure they are concerned that the timing and place of their meeting will leak out and get to the authorities. They will be extra careful and their security will be tighter than a woman’s size nine foot in a size six shoe. We are convinced that what we’re hearing is more than unsubstantiated rumor and that this confab harbors an extremely dangerous threat to the safety and general well-being of citizens in every country in the Western Hemisphere and perhaps even globally.

  “Therefore, we are determined to see that their little get together turns into a fiasco of unprecedented proportions. How are we going to do that? That’s why we’re all here this morning, to develop a flexible game plan to bring that about, one that can quickly adapt to any change in time and place. It’s brainstorming time people. Let’s get to work.”

  Pete’s thinking, “This is what she’s been doing while we were doing our thing to rescue Trumball. The lady has been busy. She’s also more than the underling I’ve been thinking she is. The way Phil deferred to her just now and putting her in charge of plan development indicates that. The lady just doesn’t seem to be able to run out of surprises.”

  Pete spoke up with, “I don’t want to bust anyone’s bubble, but no matter what plan we ultimately come up with, it won’t lead to the complete demise of piracy, smuggling or drug trafficking. There will always be cretins around to step in and pick up where others of their ilk left off. The best we can hope for is to seriously hamper their operations and reduce the brainpower at the helm of many of these cartels through apprehension or elimination.”

  Phil responded with, “Your cynicism is appropriate for the situation, Pete, but if we can land a devastating blow to these activities, we will win a major battle if not the war. I’m optimistic enough to believe that if we win enough major battles eventually we’ll win the war. When that might be is the big unknown, but one thing I do know is if we stop fighting we will not like the consequences.”

  Abby got everyone focused on the task at hand by saying, “Okay, let’s begin with reacquainting ourselves with problem solving 101. First we define the problem, then we determine alternative ways to satisfactorily resolve the problem and then we select the best alternative. The next stage is implementation. Do we have the means to implement the selected alternative and, if not, can we acquire it within the time restraints we’re dealing with. Did I leave anything out?”

  No one spoke up so she pointed to Manny and said, “As a Seal, you’ve had experience with these kinds of challenges. What ideas are buzzing around in that noggin of yours?”

  “As I see it, the first major hurdle we’ve got to clear relates to logistics. Without knowing the exact location of this meeting, we can’t address this issue very well. Hell, we’re dead in the water until we can. The kinds of information we need in this regard are as follows:

  The type of building in which this meeting is going to take place, i.e. residence or

  commercial – how many stories, how many entrances and exits, the nature of building

  security – electronic and human, etc.

  The nature of the topography of the area surrounding the building, i.e. hilly or level,

  existence and kinds of shrubbery, trees or other items that can be used for concealment.

  The kinds of buildings in the area that might be good for sniper locations.

  We should have an up-to-the-minute weather forecast along with the time of day of the

  engagement because these pieces of information will dictate the kinds of gear we’ll need.

  The number of people we will be dealing with which will determine our manpower

  requirements.

  Ideally, this information should be obtained by our assault team, but, realistically,

  we’re going to have to rely on outside resources for most of this intel, probably the same

  resources you’re tapping already.

  “The next major consideration is to define the purpose of the mission. Is it to kill as many of these people as we can or is it to capture as many of them as we can?

  “Assuming Sea Wasp is to remain a classified operation and out of the limelight, another thing that must be addressed is transportation. How will the assault team get to the site and afterwards head for the hills without having to answer to any local authorities or perhaps any news media that might get curious?

  “Closely associated with this concern is what happens after the curtain comes down on our little performance. If the assault team takes prisoners, who handles the interrogations and the prosecutions and how do we keep Sea Wasp and its people out of the media circus that’s sure to take center stage like it always does when something this unusual and dramatic takes place?

  “Nothing else is buzzing around inside my head right now, Abby, but I think I’ve touched on the key elements of a successful mission.”

  “Thank you, Manny. You’ve done an excellent job of getting the ball rolling for us. Phil? Dave? What’s your response to what Manny has put on the table?”

  Phil said, “Manny zeroed in on the important things to make our mission successful. Manny’s correct in assuming that Sea Wasp is to remain below the radar. It will continue to play a major role in our fight against the crime lords in our area of the world because its effectiveness is rooted in its cloak of invisibility. As for the purpose of our mission, it is to remove these players from the field of play, dead or alive, which will decimate the hierarchy of these cartels and seriously weaken their ability to function as they have in the past.

 
“As for the aftermath of this mission, if any prisoners are taken, they will be interrogated by a select team of people from all of the countries involved who have specialized training in this regard and prosecuted by an international tribunal of judges from every country participating in Sea Wasp. The proceedings will be conducted out of the public’s eye, including the media no matter how much they protest, and Sea Wasp’s role as well as that of any of its personnel in the entire process will be kept buried.”