by PAUL BENNETT
‘Then pay the ransom,’ I said. ‘Sounds like money shouldn’t be a problem for Estevez.’
‘Rojo doesn’t want money. That’s the problem.’
‘So what does he want?’ I said.
‘Every day Estevez has dozen of lorries travelling into the southern states of America to supply his restaurant chain.’
‘Aha,’ I said. ‘Let me see if I’ve got this right. A ransom is a one-off, but a conduit for his drugs is a daily flow of cash.’
‘You’re hot, Silver. Everything I’ve read about you is true. I’m sure I’ve got the right man for the job.’ He freshened his drink with more ice and vodka and gestured to do the same with mine. I shook my head. I’d suddenly lost my thirst.
‘Rojo is giving Estevez ten days to agree to his deal. The deadline, if you pardon the expression, is the day of the annual fiesta to celebrate the village’s saint. If Estevez turns him down then the girl dies. We have no jurisdiction in Mexico so can’t send a rescue team from the DEA or ask the CIA to act. I need a squad like yours Silver, to go in there undercover — and unconnected with any US government department — and bring the girl out alive. If Estevez has to agree with the plan, then we would either have to turn a blind eye or act. Estevez would be destroyed and Mexico would have suffered a PR disaster. You and your team need to leave tomorrow.’
He pushed the second manila file across the table towards me. ‘That contains all the details you need. Good luck.’
‘And why should I get involved? Do your dirty work for you? Either I’m missing something here or I can get up and walk out the door.’
‘I’ll put fifty thousand dollars into your account today and another fifty thousand when you have the girl.’
‘We don’t need the money.’
I made to get out of my chair when he pulled the third folder in front of him. He opened it up. On top was a picture of Anna. He put the picture to one side and looked at a piece of paper with an official-looking crest at the top.
‘How long have you been married Silver?’
‘About three months,’ I replied.
‘Wrong,’ he said. ‘You’re not married at all.’
‘Don’t try to catch me out, Toomey. We brought a vicar all the way from Barbados to perform the ceremony.’
‘Who do you think you’ve married?’
I gave him Anna’s name in full, pronouncing it as best I could, but my confidence in the answer was ebbing away. Like fate, Toomey had a trick up his sleeve.
‘Wrong again. There is no such person.’
‘I’ve seen her passport. I know the details are correct.’
‘The passport is a fake. A good one, granted, but a fake, nonetheless. The people-traffickers that took her and all the others to Amsterdam wanted them to have a new identity so that they couldn’t be traced. I feel I ought to do my duty and inform the authorities. She’s an illegal alien after all. She would have to be sent back to Chechnya. Would be a shame, huh, Silver?’
‘I could make some sort of appeal.’ It sounded lame from the moment I started to say it.
‘You wouldn’t stand a chance in hell. Given her background, that is. Being a prostitute isn’t the most highly regarded of occupations, even if she had high class clients only. In the US we call it moral turpitude. It means . . .’
‘I know what that means. Depraved or wicked behaviour. But that’s not Anna. Anything she did was down to circumstances. She had no choice. You can’t hold that against her.’
‘Oh, but we do. She’d never be allowed in. We would then put pressure on the British, whose sovereignty includes this beautiful island, to see her in the same light.’
‘You fight dirty, Toomey.’
‘It’s the only way,’ he said with a sick smile. ‘Now are you going to pick up the briefing folder or do I put matters in hand to send her back to Chechnya? Hell of a place I understand. Economy pretty much blown. Inflation sky high. Not much food in the shops. Not many jobs. Still, a girl like Anna might just survive by going back to her previous profession. Is that what you want, Silver?’
I picked up the manila folder and took a long look at him.
‘If this mission goes wrong Toomey, I’m coming to get you. I’ll seek you out wherever you hide and put a bullet between your eyes.’
‘Pleasure doing business with you,’ he said.
‘I wish I could say the same.’
Chapter Three
As I walked back along the sand I was filled with anger. I was angry at Toomey for blackmailing me into a situation where my life and the lives of my friends were at risk. And, worse still, I was angry at Anna. Why the hell hadn’t she told me? We might have been able to sort something out before getting to this point of no return.
Halfway back to the bar I stopped, sat down on the sand and looked at the sea. It was as if the whole world was conspiring against me. The sea seemed a deeper shade of blue, the sky especially clear, even the sand felt softer. Anger was joined by despair. I couldn’t go back to Anna in this mood. I had to let the anger dissipate, the despair evaporate. Then we would be able to talk calmly about what had to be done, although there seemed to be no alternative but to go along with Toomey.
True, we could all move to Chechnya. We’d be together, if nothing else, but was it a place we would like to bring up our children? Rhetorical question. And how would Anna feel? Another rhetorical question. She would hate herself for condemning all of us to that sort of lifestyle. Even if only half of what Toomey said was true, it would be existence, nothing more, and made even worse by moving from one end of a spectrum to the other. We’d be leaving heaven and going to hell. I knew what had to be done; on my own, if necessary. I got up from the sand and walked the rest of the way back.
I went straight behind the bar and filled a tumbler with ice and poured vodka in until it was halfway full. I took a big swig, went over to where Anna sat in the shade and sat beside her.
‘We have a problem,’ I said. ‘A very big problem.’
She took hold of my hand and looked me in the eye. Gave me a smile that I knew would disappear shortly.
‘Tell me about it,’ she said soothingly. ‘What is it you British say? A problem shared is a problem halved?’
‘Not this problem,’ I said.
‘Let me be the judge of that. Tell me all about it.’
And so I did. Calmly, rationally, with no expression of past deeds right or wrong, no blame, no shame.
When I had finished, she sobbed. Rivers of tears rolling down those lovely cheeks. Great gasps for air as the depth of those sobs robbed her of breath. She slumped forward and held her head in her hands. I got up from my chair and put her arms around her. Held her tight until she could speak again.
‘I am so sorry,’ she said. ‘I have ruined everything, haven’t I? A few hours ago we were saying how wonderful life was and now it has come to this. We shouldn’t have tempted fate. Is there any point me asking what you intend to do?’
I shook my head.
‘I’ll leave tomorrow. Look on the bright side, I could be back in ten days at the most.’
‘Or not at all.’
‘I’m resourceful. I’ve been in tighter situations than this. Nothing has . . .’
‘Don’t say it, or you tempt fate even more.’
Her hands were shaking uncontrollably. I walked back to the bar, poured chilled vodka into a shot glass and took it over to her. ‘One small drink can’t do any harm,’ I said. ‘Down in one like a good girl.’
She looked up at me and I forced a smile. She picked up the glass and tipped the measure of vodka down her throat, gave a grimace and spoke with a trembling voice.
‘Will the others go with you?’ she asked.
‘I don’t know,’ I said honestly. ‘They’ve all got settled lives now; Red with his ranch in Texas, Stan with his hotel by the lake in Poland, Pieter with his safari business in South Africa. As for Bull, he’s got a wife and child. Wouldn’t blame any of them if they said no.’
I paused. ‘Anyway,’ I said, ‘it may be that one man would stand more chance of slipping under the radar unnoticed.’
‘Don’t lie to me, Johnny Silver. I know you too well.’
‘OK,’ I said. ‘I admit it. It’s not just about numbers, but about increasing your options. If there’s more than just me there would be a chance of somebody else setting up a diversion. Distract the enemy while I sneak in and grab the girl. I’ll talk to Bull when he gets back from the fishing trip. If he says he’ll come, I’ll go and see Tobias. Get him to work here while I’m away. Can’t have you exerting yourself. You’re the most important thing to me. You need to look after yourself. That way I won’t worry when I’m away.’
‘So I can’t say anything to dissuade you?’
I shook my head.
‘Then may Lady Luck go with you.’
‘Amen to that.’
* * *
‘Columbian, huh,’ Bull said when I’d relayed the conversation with Toomey. He wore a big frown. ‘From what I read they’re bad people. Do anything to make a dollar. Kill you on a whim. I don’t like this, Johnny.’
‘Me neither. But I have no choice.’
‘Nor me. Count me in.’
‘You don’t have to, you know. I respect your position as a family man, and this time no one is threatening us. It’s not personal. This only affects me. You can walk away and I would understand.’
‘I know, but what the hell kind of trouble will you get yourself into without me along. Don’t bear thinking about. Lamb to the slaughter. I’ll be ready to leave tomorrow.’
‘Shouldn’t you talk to Mai Ling first? Big decision for your wife to have no input.’
‘Mai Ling knows me better than anyone. You included. She knows I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t go along and something happened to you. Good friends are rare, so you can’t abandon them when they’re in trouble. Just one condition.’
‘What’s that?’
‘We fly first class. I need the legroom and I don’t want lots of people staring at us when we’re in mission mode. People looking in our eyes, seeing the death in there . . .’
‘That’s one thing we will never lose.’
‘As I was saying brother, people looking in our eyes and glancing quickly away. Averting their gaze because they’re scared the death within might be theirs.’
‘We could wear dark glasses.’
‘Dark glasses can’t hide that special look.’
I nodded. ‘First class it is. I’ll telephone the others after we’ve finished and then arrange for those willing to come to meet at Red’s ranch. We can motor on from there.’
‘Flying will be a lot quicker.’
‘But you can’t carry an arsenal of weapons on a plane.’
‘Uh huh.’ He paused. ‘Don’t tell me Red is going to drive.’
‘He’ll be the quickest.’
‘I’d rather arrive in one piece.’
I could understand his point. Red drove to the limits of the road and the vehicle. Even for battle-trained men like us, it could be scary.
‘Let’s cross that bridge when we come to it.’
‘If I remember rightly, crossing a bridge didn’t work out well when we last did it.’
It had been back in war-torn Yugoslavia, or whatever that part of the country is called now. Our side had blown the bridge when the five of us were halfway across. We’d had to jump into the river and swim through a haze of enemy bullets.
‘What doesn’t kill me makes me stronger.’
‘Don’t quote Nietzsche at me.’
‘We’re a homespun philosopher now, too, are we?’
‘All I’m saying is that, maybe, as far as Red’s driving is concerned, I’m as strong as I want to get.’
‘He’s not killed us yet.’
‘Yet, pilgrim, is the operative word.’
‘Maybe we should try to get him a job as Rojo’s chauffeur. Then go in and mop up the pieces. Grab the girl and run.’
‘I bet it’s a better plan than you’ve got so far.’
‘Me, got a plan? I prefer to improvise.’
‘Does that mean you have no idea of what we’re going to do?’ I nodded.
‘Situation normal. Like the blind man. You’re going to shake a few trees and find out what kind of fruit drops to the ground.’
‘Exactly.’
‘Why is it I don’t feel reassured?’
‘Because the unseen enemy is scarier than the one when you can see the whites of his eyes.’
‘I’d prefer that they didn’t get that close.’
‘I’ll bear that in mind.’
‘You do that pilgrim. You do that.’ I looked at my watch.
‘Places to go, people to see?’ Bull said.
‘I need to know that Anna will be looked after while I’m away. Need to see Tobias to get him to work the bar and keep an eye on Anna. Make sure she doesn’t overexert herself.’
‘Tobias won’t let you down. I’ll speak to Mai Ling, too. Anna will be fine.’ He looked me in the eye. ‘You still here? Get going and take care of the admin. I’ll see you at the hotel shuttle boat in the morning.’
‘Thanks, Bull,’ I said. ‘This means a lot to me. I won’t forget it, if you’re ever in need in the future. Like the old song goes, “You just call out my name and you know, wherever I am, I’ll come running.”’
‘You got a friend, huh. Don’t get sentimental on me, Johnny. I preferred it when you quoted Nietzsche. Then again you can’t hum along to Nietzsche.’
‘No harm trying.’
‘And I bet you would, too.’
‘Reckon so.’
* * *
I had little sleep that night. The lie that I was living was hard to reconcile. One minute you are happily married and the next it’s all a sham. If I got through this, Anna and I would have to go through the legal procedures over again, and all before the twins were born. Call me old-fashioned, but our children being born out of wedlock set my teeth on edge. Like everything in life, if you want to be proud of yourself, you need to have a moral code and stick to it.
I wondered what Anna was thinking right now. Heavy dose of guilt I suspected. I didn’t blame her anymore — the short time thinking on the beach had got that out of my system. And what would we have done if she had confided in me? Buy another false passport? Risk going back to Chechnya to get a genuine one? Neither would change our feelings for each other, and that’s what counts. Time to do the job and placate Toomey. Get our lives back on course.
I had made all the arrangements with my friends — they were all coming. Did I ever have a doubt they wouldn’t do what I would in the same circumstances? I’d booked airline tickets for Bull and myself, and transferred some funds for the others to use on their travel arrangements. I had packed my Bergan — a gigantic rucksack we all used while on an operation, lots of pockets for guns and ammunition — and it sat by the front door of our wooden house. A gentle breeze wafted through the window, ruffling the curtains and keeping the air cool. Anna lay in my arms, her head on my chest. I felt the cold wetness of a tear roll down to my waist and into my belly button. I hugged her more strongly. Maybe that would help.
‘I’ll be back,’ I said in a whisper. No sense tempting fickle fate again. ‘Trust me. I have the others for support. We’re a hard bunch to beat.’
She took my free arm and placed my hand on the bump of her stomach. ‘There are three reasons now to come back. We will pray for you.’
She sat up, looked me square in the face.
‘And, Johnny Silver,’ she said, wagging a finger at me, ‘if you don’t come back I’ll kill you.’
You can’t beat female logic.
Chapter Four
I finished reading Toomey’s background document and passed it to Bull. We were on the last leg of our journey before all of us met up at Red’s ranch and then travelled down to Mexico by car. Plane would have been quicker, but, for some reason, they don’t allow you to fly with an a
rsenal of weapons, and an arsenal of weapons was what we were going to need.
Bull picked up the folder and passed it back to me. ‘Why don’t you summarise,’ he said.
‘Last name Rojo. First name Miguel. Brought up as a Catholic but didn’t like the “thou shall not kill bit”.’
‘Salient point noted.’
‘Salient?’
‘I flick through Readers Digest at the dentist.’
‘The dentist?’
‘Yeah. I don’t know who’s more scared, me or him.’
‘Take it from me it will be him.’
‘You’ve never been a good liar. Maybe that’s why I trust you more than anyone else.’
‘You do me an honour,’ I said. ‘Want to hear the rest of the story?’
‘Fire away.’
‘No, that will come. Where were we?’
‘Salient.’
‘I think I’ll just move on. Age 22. Lacks experience, so young enough to make mistakes. That’s our first advantage.’
‘I hope there’s more to come.’
‘Me, too.’
He glanced across at me and shook his head. ‘Not looking good so far, then? Pray continue.’
‘Second son of a Columbian drugs lord, so he can’t inherit. First son is the apple of Daddy’s eye. The two boys are always fighting so Miguel was sent away.’
‘East of Eden? To the land of Nod?’
‘Precisely. You’re really buzzing today.’
‘Ain’t much else to do in here.’
‘Anyway,’ I continued, ‘Miguel’s got to prove himself.’
‘To Daddy and to himself.’
‘So, moves to Mexico. Aim is to set up a new empire. Thinks that if he can create a new conduit for Daddy’s heroin, and pump enough drugs through, then he might usurp his brother.’
‘Usurp?’ said Bull, frowning. ‘I knew I shouldn’t have given you any encouragement. Who’s he got with him?’
‘No family. Too much going on to settle down. Got a right-hand man — the mafia would call him a consigliore — named Paco. Probably sent by Daddy to look after the boy. Make sure he comes back alive when he fails. Daddy doesn’t have much faith in the boy.’
‘Guns?’ Bull said. ‘What has he got in the way of back-up?’