by Frank Perry
Rachael, it’s dangerous being around me, and dangerous for me to even talk to you.”
“Jamie, I came a long way because my boss ordered it. I’m tired and would just as soon go to my room and sleep before flying out first thing in the morning. So, if you want to talk to us, you better stop babbling and get on with it.”
“You don’t like me, do you?” he was reciting the obvious.
She shrugged. “It doesn’t make any difference if I like you. I’m here on business, nothing more. This isn’t a friendly visit.”
“What do you think you know about me?”
“You’ve done everything possible to hide yourself, so what could I know.”
“I’m not a bad man, Rachael.”
“I didn’t say you were.”
“No, really, I’m on your side.”
“Which side is that Jamie?”
He shrugged and looked down at his hands that were sticking to the table from perspiration. Before he could speak, a waitress took their drink orders. He ordered Dos Equis, and she ordered mineral water. After the waitress was far enough away, he started, “Okay. What I’m going to tell you will put us both in a lot of danger, me more than you.”
She folded her hands together on the table, “So, what’s so mysterious that I could be in danger?”
“I’m going to tell you things about people here in Mexico, the most powerful people.”
She didn’t say anything as he continued, “I’m a spy.”
She grinned and looked upward before looking directly at him, “Of course, you’re a spy! Is that what you wanted to tell me? My God, man, you worked for me.”
He exhaled and looked around before speaking, “No, I’m the deepest kind of spy you’ll ever meet. Only the prior Director, Will Lawrence, knew my real mission.”
She showed a wry smile, “Oh, come on. This is too rich. How long have you been hallucinating?”
“No, it’s true.”
“Look, Jamie. I did some checking. You didn’t cover your tracks, escaping to Mexico as well as you thought.”
He looked at her questioningly as she continued, “You want to tell me about thousands of acres of land in La Paz? The land given to you by the Cardenas Cartel. By Alejandro Cardenas?”
His face was ashen, “What do you know about that?”
“They keep records in Mexico, too, you know. If you look deep enough, you can find it.”
He sat back slowly and looked at her. “You’re better than I thought.”
“Why, because I could find a two-bit counter-spy in the wood shed? How many people have died as a result of your treachery? How many?”
He stared at his hands clasped together on the table, “A lot.”
“You admit it like it’s trivial! How can you do that and expect me to trust you?”
“Because, Rachael, what you will learn, if you stop pre-judging me long enough, is that this all makes my case.”
“Oh. This better be good.”
He waited a moment, “All right. Here are my bona fides. When you go to Washington, I want you to write a memo to the Clerk of Records in the vault, where all super sensitive information is stored deep below Langley. Have Vitale sign it because you can’t get in otherwise, or you fake his signature if you don’t trust him. He doesn’t know anything about this, only Lawrence knew. In the memo, state that you are to be given complete access to the Sandcastle files logged under my name. You’ll need to read them in the vault, and they should never see the light of day.”
Rachael had a curious expression, “What should I be looking for?”
“Oh, I think you’ll find all kinds of stuff, but for starters, look for an Affidavit signed by me and Lawrence titled, ‘Transfer of land title’. It says that title to all of the land given to me by the cartel is transferred to the Agency. The Mexican land deeds are attached, signed by me. There’s another one that gives all my ill-gotten money to the Agency.”
“That seems too bizarre to be true.”
He slumped and said softly, “I don’t care -- it’s the truth. What do I have to do to get you to listen?”
She was getting slightly unnerved. Counter espionage was way beyond her experience level. Jamie was right about that. She asked, “Okay, suppose the memo exists. What else will I find?”
In a subdued voice he replied, “I don’t know, probably my birth certificate, my will, my parent’s birth and death certificates, military records, old pay stubs, program authorizations, bribes to congressmen — the usual. You’ll even find out my real name.”
She shook her head slowly trying to clear her mind after such a long confusing day. “All right Jamie, why tell me this?”
“Because you’re what I’ve got, Rachael.”
Their drinks arrived and tensions eased as she realized that they might both be on the same team. He seemed somber when she asked, “Okay Jamie, tell me what’s going on.”
Over the next half hour, he explained how his role with the CIA had actually begun in the Army when he was embedded with military and CIA covert operators in Central America, destroying drug trade routes. Jamie handled logistics. Like their Latin counterparts, the American operators were occasionally offered bribes to “look the other way.” For the most part, the Americans were not as intimidated by threats as the native troops because the cartels feared reprisal from U.S. forces.
Jamie had been approached several times about providing operation plans to Cardenas, when he ran a small-time criminal gang. Mons shared the information with the CIA and was recruited to “play along” with Cardenas. It was a very dangerous game and Jamie found himself frequently reminded of this when rival drug smugglers were executed by Cardenas, sometimes in front of him. After retirement from the Army, he had already accepted a position with the CIA to expand his clandestine work in Mexico. Over time, he became so integrated with Cardenas that he became key to the cartel’s success by using his CIA credentials to divert DEA operations, usually against competing cartels. Oddly, his information led to some of the largest drug captures in history. With these seeming successes north of the border, Jamie’s DEA trust grew along with their success, capturing large drug shipments. At the same time, Cardenas used the diversions to ship large quantities along different routes. It took almost ten years, but Cardenas finally trusted Jamie enough to use him as his chief advisor. This ultimately led to the senior Cardenas’ death.
Rachael was curious, “Jamie, why do this? You have your military retirement, and could have a desk job in CIA, DEA or any other organization needing knowledge of the land corridors for drugs.”
“Rachael, it’s personal for me.”
She looked at him strangely without speaking, so he went on, “Look, my real name is Jairo Navarro Claudio Montez. When I was seventeen, Alejandro Cardenas killed my father and mother, his own sister. He probably brought along his little son for amusement.”
She looked at him, speechless. She had no idea how he must have felt, and obviously still felt. She couldn’t imagine experiencing something so horrible as a child. After a moment, she said, in a sympathetic voice, “Okay, so Cardenas is dead. Why not end this?”
“His empire is not dead, neither is Junior.”
“This isn’t sounding good.”
“I wish it were more positive. I got myself in too deep. It should have been enough to kill the old man, but now I’m wrapped up even deeper in the cartel because of Hector.”
“Okay, all op plans have an objective, an exit. What’s yours?”
He was caressing the empty beer bottle, “I want the son. Then I think the cartel will be eliminated by the mean SOBs trying to take over. There’s no end to it down here, Rachael. They’re all animals. They grow horns and tails at birth here just to keep feeding drugs to American idiots. Sorry to get so melancholy.”
“So, is there some strategy? How do we get you out of the firing line?”
“Oh, I’ve been under threat so long down here that it
doesn’t seem so bad any more. I guess if we can get the son, I’ll be finished. They can kill me if they want then. I don’t care.”
“Jamie, that’s not acceptable. Let’s work on this like professionals and get you home safe.”
“Rachael, this is my home. If you mean retire, I can go back to my parent’s farm and live on my Army pension like a land baron. That would make me happy.”
“Okay, now we’re getting somewhere. So, what will it take?”
“Kill Hector Cardenas.”
“How? Where?”
“I thought we’d get him at Smuggler’s Pass. He was leading the pack when they left Juarez.”
“Where’s he now?”
He showed a sardonic grin, “I dunno.”
“If he shows up, will he find out about you?”
“Rachael, the sadistic monster left me in control of his property and the cartel. He told me his whole plan days before that night. He was supposed to retire in the States with the billions from the shipment, and I set him up to be captured. He’s not stupid – he’ll figure it out. He wasn’t captured, so he’s gonna show up here again -- soon.”
“What happens to you?”
“I don’t know. He could blame me for not diverting the DEA. Worse, he could figure out I set up the whole thing, which is the truth. If he gets that information, I’m dead. No way to avoid it. In fact, I’d be much happier blowing my own brains out than suffer under his amusement.”
“Jamie, I believe you. What can we do?”
“Rachael, I just want to know that you’re on my side, and that you know I’m one of the good