by Frank Perry
anger, “It’s not your fight any more!”
“Yeah, it is. These are the same bastards that nearly killed John, and they did kill Tilman and Jamie. If I don’t go after them, it will just continue.”
“Peter, I want you back!”
“I know that my love, and I want to be with you more than I’ll ever be able to say. But, I need to do this. I’m here and need to finish what Jamie started.”
“Come home first.”
He thought about the fissure that had just narrowed between them and agreed reluctantly. “All right, sweetheart. I just need to get out of Dodge in one piece then stop in El Paso for a report.”
“Why? Jamie was CIA, his only family is here.”
“Yeah, well, Leo Moritz will take this hard. He and Jamie have been friends for a long time. I’ll at least call him from the airport when I get back across.”
“Look, Peter. I want you home safe, so keep out of sight and get here.” She paused, “I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
“Then get out of there!”
After she hung up, Rachael sat quietly at her desk trying to understand her feelings. Had she done everything possible to get Jamie to come in? Was he just being overly brave for her benefit? Oh, what difference did it make? She covered her face with her hands, sitting with elbows on the desk. Then there was a light tap on the door. Cybil was standing silently while Rachael rubbed tears away.
“Can I get you something Rachael? Some tea?”
She nodded slowly up and down, “That would be nice, Cybil.”
When Cybil returned, Rachael asked her to stay. “Cybil, I have some terrible news.” Cybil just stared, “Jamie is dead.”
“Oh no!” Cybil’s eyes started to water. “How? When?” Her reaction was more intense than Rachael expected.
She pushed a box of Kleenex closer to the edge of the desk. “Today. In Mexico. He was a brave man and a true patriot. I’m only glad that I got to realize it in time.”
“Rachael, I’ve known Jamie ever since he came to the Company. He’s always been nice.”
Rachael told Cybil about her trip to Mexico City. She ended, “I don’t think I’ve ever misunderstood anyone so much in my life. I hope it doesn’t happen again.”
Both women were teary, trying to remain upbeat about someone Rachael had lately learned to respect, and someone Cybil might have had different feelings for. Rachael came around the desk and they hugged. She vowed silently never to prejudge anyone again.
Peter couldn’t be absolutely sure who tortured Jamie, but he had a good idea. Padilla had to be involved. He ended his call to Rachael, standing in an alley close to the police station, waiting for Guy to find him. When the call ended, he started thinking about his vulnerability alone in the streets of Juarez. Fortunately, Guy showed up quickly.
“Where to, Señor?”
“Take me to the border, amigo.”
“Si, Señor.”
If Padilla had helped Cardenas kill Jamie and wanted to stop Peter from crossing back into the states, he was slow to react. Within an hour, Peter was back on U.S. soil, crossing over the bridge. Flagging a taxi for the airport, he called Leo Moritz.
“Leo, Jamie is dead.”
Leo was silent for several seconds. Peter heard him take a deep breath. “Morales?”
“I think so. I found him in Padilla’s precinct house. It wasn’t pretty.”
Leo spoke so softly, he could hardly be heard, “I’ll see what we can do to get the body back through diplomatic channels.”
“Don’t count on it. It’s not pretty, and the Mexicans will probably have never heard of Jamie Montes.”
“I have to try, Peter, but you’re right, of course.”
“Look, Leo. Don’t blame yourself. From what Rachael told me after she met with him, he basically had a death wish. There was no way he could have survived, playing the lead role in the Cardenas Cartel, even if junior wasn’t coming back. I think he knew where this was leading.”
Peter would never know, no one would ever know, the depth of guilt Moritz would feel for the rest of his life. “Well. Thanks for that, Peter. I think I’ll go get drunk and have a few for Jamie. Travel safe, my friend.”
“Yeah, so long.”
Peter got a flight a few hours later back to DC. He had sponged off in a men’s room at the airport and changed to clean clothes to avoid offending too many passengers. He needed sleep, but Jamie’s vision haunted him. After changing planes in Atlanta and a short trip north to Dulles, he landed and called Rachael immediately. “Hi, beautiful. I’m back.”
“You sound tired.”
He had rarely failed in a mission before and depression was setting in after so many hours to think about Jamie. “Yeah. It’s probably fatigue mingled with frustration.”
“I understand, Peter. Look, go home, and sleep. I want you to come to Langley tomorrow to help me with the report.”
“Will do, babe. Gotta go.”
Rachael was surprised to find Cybil in the office at seven o’clock when she arrived the next morning. She normally came in almost two hours later. They exchanged greetings, and Rachael asked Cybil to arrange a visitor’s pass for Peter, which was done immediately.
After settling into her morning routine, Cybil stood in her doorway, “Rachael, can we talk for a minute?”
“Sure, Cybil, come in.” She entered and closed the door. It was obvious that she had been crying and she didn’t look as if she’d slept. Rachael moved from behind her desk and sat beside Cybil in one of the office chairs.
Cybil had a small red velvet bag clutched in her hand and was fighting back tears. “I, I wanted to show you something very special to me.” She pulled a ring box from the bag and handed it to Rachel. Inside was a wedding ring. “Nobody knows this because of the work he did. Jamie and I were going to retire this year and live together on his farm in Mexico ... ” She had a pleading look in her eyes.
Rachael felt a sinking feeling in her chest, “You don’t have any other family, do you?”
Cybil sniffled, “No, just Jamie.”
She put an arm around her. “Oh, honey. I don’t know what to say. I hope you’ll let me be your friend. What can I do?”
She sniffled again, and Rachael gave her a tissue. “Nothing. I just want him back. Is it possible?”
“I don’t know if we can get the body. I just don’t know.”
“It’s okay, Rachael. I just wanted to talk — to someone. I’m so lonely.”
“I know, honey. I’ll do what I can, but I can’t promise you much. His work was complex, and he had some powerful enemies. It’s probably not possible, but I’ll do what I can.”
“Thank you, Rachael.”
Rachael’s office phone rang and the lobby station said Peter had arrived. Cybil said she would escort him up, but Rachael insisted on going down herself.
“Cybil, if you want some time off, take it.”
“No. No, it’s worse at home. This is better for me.”
Several minutes later, Rachael brought Peter to her office. He was impressive looking in his green Class A uniform, and she invited Cybil in to the office to meet him. “I want you to meet someone. Cybil, this is Major Peter Shields.” Cybil had learned enough overhearing office phone discussions that Peter was someone special to Rachael. They shook hands and Rachael continued, “Peter was with Jamie when he died. He went into Mexico to help him, but it was too late.”
Peter added, “He was very courageous, Ma’am. He fought for what he believed in, and I wish I could have saved him.”
Cybil wiped her eyes, “Thank you, Major. He was a great man, and I’ll miss him. Was he alive when you were there? Did you talk to him? Did he mention me?”
He felt her pain. “His last thoughts were for you. He wanted to retire with you in La Paz.” He improvised from Rachael’s information.
She offered him her hand, but he wrapped a powerful
arm around the older woman. She whimpered, saying, “Thank you.”
He was momentarily speechless, recalling Jamie in the Juarez jail cell. His eyes watered. “I wish I could’ve done more, Cybil.”
She left quietly, unable to say more.
Rachael looked at him. “Let’s go to the cafeteria.”
“Sounds good to me.”
Walking down the stairs instead of using the elevator, she said, “Thank you for that.”
He looked upward without speaking for a moment. “Rachael, I couldn’t do anything for him. God, I wish I could have gotten there faster.”
She held his hand, which was unusual when in uniform. “You’ll never be able to blame yourself. I’m just glad you made it back in one piece.”
The rest of the morning, he sketched the details to her about Jamie’s death, leaving out the most gruesome parts and his part in ending his suffering.
Lonely
Hector Cardenas felt oddly lonely at his Juarez estate. He missed Jamie Montes. Even though the man had been a traitor and needed to die painfully, he had always been Hector’s private counselor. The truth was that his position in the cartel was always dangerous. No one could be trusted. They were all butchers who would cut off his testicles if given any opportunity. He couldn’t let down his guard for even one second.
Word was already spreading about how he had dealt with Montes. He smiled to himself thinking about the affect it was having throughout the drug world. If he could murder his closest ally in such a way, it served as a warning to any others trying to take his empire. Unfortunately, his empire was severely depleted. He had risked all of his capital on the Smuggler’s Pass convoy.