by Dan Kelly
Looking at Dave Abby asked, “What are your thoughts on what Manny has said?”
“I agree that Manny has identified the key elements that we must focus on to bring off what we are planning to do. As for the transportation issue, our approach to the site must be undetected to keep the element of surprise on our side. We don’t want to be seen beforehand and run into an ambush, therefore, the use of military vehicles is out. Secondly, it would be better if we moved our troops into the area in stages a day or two before this meeting takes place. This will improve our chances of getting positioned undetected and afford us an opportunity to pick up on the latest developments that might negatively impact our mission. We can use civilian vehicles, even bicycles, to move our people into position and we might be able to use buses if the meeting site is in a tourist area or business district.”
Pete asks, “Will Colombia provide written sanctions to protect the assault team from prosecution when this shindig is over. If the local authorities get involved and some of us are taken into custody, will we have a get out jail free card?”
Phil answered with, “That situation was addressed when Sea Wasp was organized in anticipation of these kinds of missions. Every participating country was required to sign a sanction agreement to protect the members from legal entanglements resulting from operations performed on their soil.”
Abby said, “Okay, let’s summarize. We now have a clear understanding of what the purpose of our mission is. We’ve identified the nature of the intel we need to successfully carry out our mission. We know that procedures are in place to address the results of our mission. What we don’t know is the date, time, and exact location of this meeting; the number of people who will be attending the meeting; the details of the security that will have to be dealt with, human and electronic, and how we’re going to get the intel we need to successfully pull this mission off.
“So, it doesn’t take a genius to figure out that the first thing we need to do is get the intel we need ASAP. We’re already putting a lot of pressure on our existing resources to dig for more information, but how much more they’ll be able to come up with is anyone’s guess. We’ve got to come up with something else. Anyone have any ideas about how we might do that?”
Pete asked, “Abby, our trip around the Caribbean generated a lot of information on a lot of illegal operations and the people involved with them. To what extent have tails been put on these folks and taps put on their phones? It seems to me that if these kinds of tactics are aggressively employed our chances of getting the intel we need would be greatly improved.”
“Pete, these tactics are being used, but in a select and minimum way due to manpower limitations. We’ve picked up some useful information which has been used to wreak havoc on many of the cartels’ operations, but nothing of great consequence has been learned and not even a whiff of anything regarding this meeting. The people at the top of these organizations are very savvy and have the money to have the best technicians and electronic gear in place to scan for any taps or hidden cameras and recording apparatus. These tools work on the grunts and even some middle management, but not the top dogs.”
“How about our journalist friend, Julio Mendoza? Have you talked with him lately? He seems to have sources in a lot of the right places.”
“No I haven’t and that’s a great idea. We might have to provide him with additional incentive to sufficiently entice him to stick his neck out more than he has already, but I’ll cross that bridge with Phil if the need arises.”
Dave said, “I’ve been thinking about the likely location for this meeting and I don’t think it will be held in a public place. That would be too risky with respect to the participants being recognized and generating unwanted curiosity. I believe it will be held somewhere out in the boondocks where they will be more assured of privacy. The big wigs in these cartels own a lot of real estate all over the place. They have to put their billions somewhere. I know there are a lot of coffee plantations within a few hours of driving time from Bogota. It wouldn’t surprise me if one of our targets owns one.”
Phil jumped in with, “That’s a great idea, Dave. Let’s put some feelers out through our grapevine and see what develops. Abby, ask this journalist friend of yours to put out inquiries to his sources also. Hopefully, we’ll get lucky and be able to ID the meeting location as one of these plantations.”
Manny said, “If the meeting takes place out in a rural, farming area somewhere, we can use trucks to move the assault team into place. They wouldn’t stand out as trucks would normally be found in the area. They would also be big enough to handle all our gear as well. They’re also an excellent cover for surveillance. You often see trucks broken down on the shoulders of all kinds of roads. We can have copies of truck signs made up of local agricultural businesses to make them blend in with the surroundings even more.”
Abby brought the meeting to an end with, “One final thing before we adjourn. Phil, if this meeting does take place outside of the U.S., how do we get there, by air or sea? Air is quicker, but more expensive and the required gear for the mission is sure to raise questions of airline personnel. What does the budget allow?”
“The answer to your question is by air, but it won’t be by a commercial airline. I will arrange for the Air Force to provide transportation and see to it that immigration is not a problem. I will also set up the appropriate liaison with the proper government officials, both federal and local, to ensure their co-operation.”
Dave said, “Manny, you and your men are to report back to base and resume your normal duties, but you are to remain on twenty four hour call. When we’re ready to deploy, it will be on a moment’s notice and very quick.”
“Yes, sir.”
In less than a minute, everybody but Abby and Pete disappeared. For an awkward moment there was silence then Pete broke it with, “Wow, you’ve definitely done this type of thing before. You’re a lot more than one of the troops or Phil never would have let you conduct this planning session. Just who the hell are you, Abby, and why was I kept in the dark?”
“I’m sorry, Pete, but I was under orders to keep my trap shut, need to know, etcetera, etcetera. I now have permission to answer any questions you may have. You have proven yourself to be what we hoped you would be, knowledgeable, trustworthy, cool under pressure and a team player.
“My real name is Abigail Keenan. I am 37 years old, single and have a wide range of interests besides going after bad guys. I am a graduate of the U. S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD and currently hold the rank of Captain. I haven’t worn a uniform since I graduated because I was immediately assigned to the Department of Special Investigations and picked for duty in Sea Wasp by your friend Phil Desoto. I am an expert in martial arts as you know and wanted to be a navy seal, but females are barred from that area of service and was looking at other options when Phil approached me. The timing was perfect and I was ripe for picking. What else would you like to know?”
Pondering a moment and then smiling he asked, “Would you like to go to dinner at my folks’ house tonight? They don’t pry when told not to although when they’re alone they’ll let their imaginations run wild and speculate like crazy. And Rosa, their live-in housekeeper and cook, could get hired on as the head chef in the best restaurants in the country. You’ll have dreams about her cuisine for weeks. How about it?”
Smiling back she said, “I’d love it. What time should I show up?”
“Great. Let me call my mother and set things up.”
Five minutes later the deed was done. Abby was on the phone already working on getting the information they needed, so he pushed a note in front of her with the time for dinner, seven o’clock, and headed for home. As he walked past the office Phil and Dave were in, Phil called out, “Hey, Pete, come on in here a minute.”
Pete did and Phil said, “I just want to remind you that you can bail out of this venture any time you want to. From here on out, things are going to get a little dicey. No one will think
any less of you for doing so. You’ve got a nice life going for you as a civilian and it’s quite understandable that you’d like to go back to it alive and in one piece. Your help to date has been invaluable and I personally could never repay what I owe you for sticking your neck out when I asked you to.”
“I appreciate the comments, Phil, but I’d like to stick around for the finale of this little show of yours. I’ve been stalked, accosted and shot at and would like to be around to see some of these creeps get what my grandmother referred to as their comeuppance.”
“Might there be another reason why you’d like to stick around, like a certain dark haired emerald eyed beauty that can kick your ass and mine six ways to Sunday?”
Turning around, glancing over his shoulder and shaking his head as he walks towards the door, he tosses out what he feels is a pretty good denial. “Don’t be ridiculous. She can do a lot better than a yacht captain that doesn’t even own his own yacht.” Walking down the aisle to the front door of the shop, he hears Phil laughing his head off. “Hell, I didn’t think my response was that feeble. Damn, am I that transparent?”
Chapter 28
- Miami –
At five minutes to seven that night, there’s a knock on the door and Pete answers it. It’s Abby looking out of this world sensational in an off-the-shoulder pale yellow satin creation that would take any red blooded male’s breath away. “Hi, come on in. Boy, you look fabulous.”
“Oh this old thing that cost almost as much as the national debt, took me forever to pay off and I’ve worn it a total of never. I thought jeans and a denim shirt would be a little too casual, so I plucked it from a garment bag I have in the back of my closet. I’m glad you like it. So far, working for Uncle Sam hasn’t given me any opportunity to wear fancy clothes so I don’t have many.”
“Everyone’s in the living room enjoying a cocktail.” Taking her arm, he leads her into the room with a smile on his puss that would break his face if it got any wider. “Mom, Dad, Abby’s here.”
With a mischievous smirk on his face his dad rose from his recliner and said, “Really. I thought it was the newspaper boy making his collection rounds. Come in, Abby. Please settle in wherever there’s room and get comfortable. We’re imbibing a little libation to whet our appetites for some of Rosa’s culinary magic. What can I get for you”
“Laughing Pete said, “Mom, it’s time to cut Dad off. Where’s the key to the liquor cabinet. He’s started talking funny again.”
Relaxing and smiling in a way Pete hasn’t seen her do before she said, “How about a shot of Grey Goose on the rocks?”
“Coming right up.”
After he served Abby her drink he said, “Abby, so you will be able to sit back, relax and enjoy this evening and not have to worry about how you’re going to handle any inquiries that might come up about your activities of late, I’m going to bring the subject up now and then put it to bed immediately after I’ve said my piece. I know there’s a lot more going on with you and Pete and more recently Paul than some secret oceanography research for the government. I’ve never known my sons to lie to me before and there’s no way that that kind of research would lead to someone getting shot. I know if my sons have chosen to try to pull the wool over my eyes there’s a very good reason for them to do so and, since our government is involved, that reason has to be a doozy.
“So, instead of Cassandra and me being nosy and you being cleverly deceptive, let’s embark on other conversational voyages and see what delights await us. How does this sound to you?”
With a smile on her face and a deeply respectful look in her eyes she replied, “Very appealing sir, very appealing.”
Four hours later Abby glanced at her watch and said, “Wow! I didn’t realize how much time has gone by. It’s been quite a while since I’ve had such a wonderful laugh filled evening. Thank you so much for letting me spend this time with you. I’ve got a full day ahead of me tomorrow, so I better head for home and bed.”
Pete rose from the living room couch with her and said, “I’d better be getting along as well. I’ll walk Abby over to her place and then head for home as well. Please let Rosa know that once again she came up with a fabulous meal.
Walking Abby home, Pete’s wrestling with the idea of kissing her goodnight. “Knock it off, Brody. Don’t spoil a great evening by making a fool of yourself. Besides, at your age it will take at least a week for the swelling in your gonads to go down.”
When they reached Abby’s side door she said, “Thanks for inviting me over to your folks house tonight. They’re terrific people and I had a great time.”
Before he had a chance to respond, she had unlocked the door, turned, planted an X rated kiss on his kisser, entered her house and quietly closed and locked the door.
An astonished and somewhat befuddled Pete Brody walked to his car, but he didn’t remember doing so. “Damn! There are surprises and there are SURPRISES! This one is at the top of the charts.”
As Abby sees Pete drive away from her living room window she’s thinking, “Woman, now you’ve gone and done it. You’ve just opened a box that will make Pandora’s look like a gift from old St. Nick. You better put a lid on it before things really get out of control. That was definitely a dumb move. Yeah, maybe it was, but sometimes dumb can be mice and tonight was very nice. Shit! I really stepped into some this time.”
Chapter 29
- Miami –
When Pete arrived at Morrison’s Dive shop the next morning at eight o’clock, Abby was already there, a cup of coffee in one hand and her cell phone in the other. Judging from the look of frustration on her face, the conversation wasn’t going the way she would like. “Senora Barrera, it is extremely important that I talk with Senor Mendoza immediately. Please interrupt his meeting and let him know that I’m on the phone. He’ll want to speak with me.”
She must have been put on hold because she rolled her eyes and pounded her fist on the desk. Pete didn’t think she knew he was there because she started talking to herself. “Don’t you dare hang up on me, woman, unless you have a death wish!”
Suddenly, she sensed someone was in the room with her and she spun around a little too quickly, spilling her coffee all over her white blouse and tan slacks. She also dropped her cell phone, disconnecting the call. “Damn, damn, damn! This is going to be one of those days. I just know it.”
“I’m sorry I startled you. I saw that you were on the phone, so I went into quiet mode.”
“It’s not your fault. I’ve been zoned out since I got in this morning. Everybody I’ve tried to reach is unavailable for one reason or another. That Senora Barrera, Julio Mendoza’s admin, is a gatekeeper and a half. If God called, she’d give him a hard time.”
“I’m here to help you any way I can. How about me making some follow-up calls to my friends around the Caribbean that we talked with during our fact finding cruise? They might have heard something about when and where this summit meeting is to take place or be willing to put feelers out to see what they can uncover.”
“That’s worth a try, Pete. While you’re doing that, I’ll keep trying to make contact with the leads they gave us as well as the other resources we have in the region. Speaking of which, I’m going to have another go at Senora Barrera. Mendoza has sources throughout the Caribbean and could make things a lot easier for us.”
Five hours later they hit pay dirt from an unexpected source. Pete was about to dial another number when he heard Abby say, “Thank you, Julio. I owe you big time. If I have anything to say about it, you’ll have an exclusive that’ll put you in line for a Pulitzer. Please don’t pass this info onto anyone else, even the authorities. As I’m sure you’ve deduced, I’m working with some very special people, including some in your government, on a very secretive basis and if it got out to the wrong people that we knew the details of this meeting it would make everything we’ve done to date a complete waste of time. If you hear anything else, please let me know ASAP and thanks again.”
Pete leaned back in his seat and waited for her to hang up. When she did he said, “I gather you just received some good news.”
Flipping her cell onto the desk, Abby’s face broke into a 200 watt smile as she said, “The best. I believe we now have the time and place of this gangster confab. It’s to be held on the 30th of next month, it’s to be an all-day affair and will be held out at the Fresco Farm and Cannery. They’re located about 15 miles outside of downtown Bogota. We’re about to take a giant leap for mankind.”