A Wake of Vultures

by Patrick Kansoer

  Take your time to choose, there's no rush: but be sure your purchase is what you really want since there are no refunds. You buy it, you own it.

  “Please send your next message on-line through PGP encryption, our public key is on our profile page.”

  “Regards,

  BOHICA"

  “OK Petris. Now I’m totally confused. What does all that gobbledygook mean in English?”

  “Keren, this is all referring to illegal arms sales. TEC 9s and Soviet Skorpions are types of automatic machine pistols. An AK-47 is the Soviet Block assault carbine. They had been, and still are in many cases, manufactured in most of the old Soviet Union client countries from Romania and Albania to China and even some from Venezuela. The AK-47 is the battle weapon of choice of twelve-year-old terrorists and insurgents world-wide. They are cheap and reliable. Not terribly accurate over say 40 yards but they can be abused, dropped in the mud, run over by a truck and they still go bang. The ammunition for the AK is readily available and cheap. A thumper is a Viet Nam era shoulder-fired rocket launcher. You might call it a bazooka. He’s telling the buyers that these are not cheap. That one piece of ammunition will be about 50 Bitcoins. Bitcoins are electronic currency that has a current exchange rate of Sic hundred ninety eight dollars to one, so fifty coins would be the equivalent of around thirty-eight thousand dollars.

  As far as Maurice Bernard Laughlin, the second page tells us an address of 10 Sheridan Road. Suite 15P, Wilmette, IL 60091 and an (847) area code phone number. That second page gave me a starting point to chase down Mr. Laughlin to see what I could find.”

  “So this guy Laughlin is an arms dealer then? I thought that the government prohibited that. Arms dealers are in the same league as drug dealers and human traffickers in my opinion.”

  “Well Keren, the three professions do go hand in hand in many cases but you might be very surprised at what the facts are when considering people who traffic in arms and armaments.

  For example, people think arms dealers and imagine surreptitious deals, exotic locales, and high stakes negotiations with evil warlords. Chances are if you were in a room with college professors, medical doctors, accountants and an arms dealer or two, you would be unlikely to figure out who the arms dealers were.

  It turns out that most arms deals have nothing to do with dark smoke-filled rooms and a lot do to with navigating the complex puzzle of international relations, legal regulations and coordination of multiple government agencies.

  Maurice Laughlin is forty-three years old, well-muscled, with a clean shave and a bright smile. He looks much younger than his forty-three years.

  He joined the U.S. Air Force in 1997 and became a Second Lieutenant in the intelligence corps. He was discharged in 2002. After leaving the service he "went into businesses”... restaurants, clubs, surplus war material and various other schemes. All of which allowed him to trade on and nurture the contacts he made as a military “spook”.

  He was part of a deal organized by Shackley and Wilson of the CIA to obtain $71.4 million from the U.S. Treasury in commissions as a shipping agent for the sale of jets, tanks, missiles, and other weapons to the Iranian government. Because of shifting international politics he found himself a person of interest to the U.S. Justice Department for the one and only time in his career.

  It's tempting to think of an arms dealer simply as a guy who can sell you guns and ammunition, and more sophisticated hardware when necessary. But a better way to understand what arms dealers do is to think of them as war providers. Whatever is necessary for your war, they can provide everything from tanks and rockets to planes, medicine, uniforms, and rations.

  Military hardware is purchased in one country, usually a former Communist country, where the military needs a way to get hard cash, and then transported by plane or ship to its final destination. Most arms dealers charter planes and ships, but a select few operate their own fleets.”

  Keren sat there listening to Petris with her mouth slightly open, the remnants of the gourmet dinner completely forgotten for the moment. Petris noticed, and he also wanted to get back to what remained on his plate before dessert came.

  “Let’s take a break for a few minutes Keren and finish our dinner before it gets cold and inedible. I promise I will finish the story over dessert and then perhaps suggest a course of action. I am convinced that our late friend Jacob stumbled into something more nefarious than he ever imagined and that was most definitely what got him killed.”

  Over the next ten minutes both concentrated on the food in front of them and about the time they finished Ted came into the dining room.

  “You folks ready for some dessert now?”

  “I’m pretty well stuffed Ted”, Keren sighed.

  “It’s homemade peach ice cream Keren. Picked the peaches myself from the small orchard here on Petris’ acreage.”

  “Give us about twenty minutes or so to let the dinner settle Ted”, Petris replied. “We surely won’t let your efforts go to waste.

  By the way, while we are waiting, could you please call Paul at the airport and see if they OK’d my borrowing the transportation we discussed earlier?”

  “Sure thing boss. I’ll get right on it.” As Ted left the room Petris resumed his story.

  “Arms dealing is one of those professions that folks always wonder about Keren. And why not? It involves a lot of money, international intrigue, travel, and probably some pretty wild stories. Adding to the allure of the profession is the fact that most of us figure we are never going to meet an arms dealer.

  As long as there are arms dealers, the public will be interested. And as long as there are wars, there will be arms dealers. Global conflict and terrorism are everywhere, and while it's sad to say, they are a part of our daily lives.

  Maurice Bernard Laughlin is an undercover government sub-contractor. He participated in multiple illegal arms deals in the Las Vegas area in a gun running entrapment scheme similar to Fast and Furious.

  I believe that Laughlin is headed for Las Vegas for another gun running scheme, but based on other information I’ve been able to assemble it is my belief that there is something more to it.”

  “Why don’t we just contact Las Vegas law enforcement with this information Petris?

  That way they can coordinate with the Skokie Police if there is any connection to Jacob’s murder.”

  “It’s not quite that simple or cut and dried, Keren. As I said there is something… really considerably more than something to it. This can get sticky really quickly.

  This year marks the forty-first year of the Red Flag military exercises, which are considered among the most important training exercises carried out in the United States. A grab bag of international troops are also invited to participate in the Air Force drill, including The Saudi Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates, and Pakistan.

  The U.S. military and its allies are shifting focus to prepare for potential wars against adversaries with advanced weapons. The transition to so-called multi-domain operations calls for the combined allied forces to prepare not only for wars on land, air and sea, but for newer forms of warfare that incorporate both space and cyberspace.

  The international war games fought last month in the Nevada desert and based out of Nellis Air Force Base outside of Las Vegas suggest the U.S. military and its allied forces are preparing for new, large-scale warfare against powerful enemies.

  Most of the foreign military have left the continental US and returned home. Most, but not all.

  A contingent from the Saudi Home Guard booked the entire W Las Vegas hotel in August. The strange thing is that they are still encamped there over one month later.

  The Nellis public affairs department told me in an email that it does not disclose the participants of its joint exercises, adding that any participant has the right to choose its own lodging.

  “While we encourage foreign participants to stay in our base lodging for ease of travel during the exercise, they are welcome to make arrangements anypl
ace they prefer,” the email said.

  I contact someone I know at S&K Technologies. They have provided logistics support to the Royal Saudi Military during Red Flag operations for many years.

  Employees from S&K Technologies were visible at the W Las Vegas through this past week.

  I then checked with a contact I have at the W hotel. He told me The W pool, bar and salon will be closed to the public for the duration of the booking.

  Three oversize portraits of women have been removed from the bar.

  Most reception, concierge and valet workers have been temporarily moved to other positions within the SLS Las Vegas until further notice. According to my source the number of affected personnel is between 20 and 30.

  Female employees have not worked at the W Hotel during since the group took over the hotel.”

  “Petris what’s going on here? Why do we have foreign military pretty much taking over a hotel in Las Vegas? Why would our government allow this and why haven’t we heard anything about it on the news? This is wrong and a bit frightening. You said you had a suggestion about all this. OK, what’s the plan?”

  “Well, if all goes according to my plan Keren, we will take a quick trip out to Las Vegas, meet and exchange information with some folks I have had some previous dealings with and, with any luck at all, avoid a very messy international incident.

  Just as an interesting aside, a Saudi prince owns 47.5 percent of Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, which operates more than 100 hotels around the world, including one in Las Vegas.

  A spokesman for the Four Seasons Hotel Las Vegas said Saudi delegations normally stay at their property, but that they did not receive any group request for August.

  Unlike the W Las Vegas, the Four Seasons Hotel Las Vegas is not a stand-alone structure. It is located on the top five floors of Mandalay Bay. The Four Seasons also has 133 more rooms than the W. I’m not sure, but this looks like it plays into our situation.”

  “Go to Vegas? Petris have you lost your cotton pickin mind? I don’t have enough on my credit card to afford a plane ticket out there and it’s too damn far for my car to make the trip, not counting what it would cost in gas and I sure don’t want to be obligated to you by having you pay my way.”

  “Relax Keren. I have an associate who happens to own a nice little private Learjet 60XR that I believe he’ll let us use for a day or two. Ted is a licensed pilot. As a matter of fact he should have talked to my associate by now so we’ll have the answer when he brings in the ice cream.”

  “Did I hear somebody mention ice cream? I just happen to have two dishes of it right here,” Ted announced as he reentered the dining room. Setting one dish with a dessert spoon in front of Keren first he then turned to Petris and placing his ice cream in front of him said; “I talked to Paul’s assistant boss. He checked, the Lear is available for the next week so it won’t be any problem for us to use it for our little trip. How many days should I plan for and do I need to take any particular equipment?”

  Keren had started on her ice cream and was making throaty sounds of appreciation while spooning the cold creamy confection into her mouth. Petris took a small spoonful to taste before responding. “Good stuff Ted, as usual. Really right up there with your best efforts.”

  “I’ve never had the chance to taste your ice cream before Ted, but this is some of the best I’ve ever tasted,” Keren chimed in.

  Petris rested his spoon on his dish. “To answer your questions Ted, I expect we will probably only be in Las Vegas for one day, possibly two at the most. Pack three H&K MP7’s and nine loaded forty round magazines. Might as well pack three of the Baofeng UV-5R communications set ups too. I’m not expecting trouble, but it never hurts to be prepared.”

  “I’ll get right on it boss. When do you want to leave? I’ll have to file a flight plan.”

  “That depends a bit on Keren here. Keren we have about a three hour flight ahead of us plus about a half-hour trip to the local airport here and about forty or so minutes from the North Las Vegas Executive airport to the location of the meeting I have planned. We could leave we could leave around five-thirty in the morning after a decent night’s sleep here and get there around time for brunch or we could sleep in and plan to leave here around four in the afternoon, take care of our business and be back here at home, if we have any luck, by one in the morning. So, what is your pleasure my lady?”

  “If you leave it up to me Petris, I would choose to sleep in and have a leisurely day tomorrow. I would really like to be able to get a good night’s sleep and then spend the morning picking your brain and having you explain your theory on what we have stumbled into, if that suits you.”

  “Fair enough Keren, sleeping in for half the day it is. I can’t guarantee how much of what I believe is going on I am in a position to share but I will share what I can. By the way, how proficient are you with a firearm?”

  “I’m accurate enough with the Glock 17 I carry. Why?”

  “Are you familiar with the H&K MP7?”

  “Not really, educate me.”

  “The Heckler & Koch model MP7 stands for their machine pistol with a seven inch barrel. It happens to be the carry weapon of the United States Secret Service and many foreign government security services and private VIP bodyguards around the world. It has a collapsible stock and when configured with the forty round magazine which is used as the fore-stock it can be shoulder fired. It’s not available to the public and the closest civilian weapon is the TEK 9.”

  “OK, I heard you instruct Ted to pack three of them. Am I to assume that I am to carry one on this little jaunt?”

  “Yes, Keren. That’s correct. As I said to Ted, I don’t expect trouble, but it’s better to have the hardware and not need it than need the hardware and not have it. We have a 100 yard range behind the house. After we’ve had breakfast in the morning, we’ll put a couple hundred rounds downrange to get you acquainted with the weapon. For as much firepower as it has, I believe you will be pleasantly surprised at the way it handles.”

  They sat, finishing their dessert and enjoying some small talk for about another hour until they decided that it was time to get some rest in preparation to what appeared to be, to say the least, a very interesting trip to Nevada the following afternoon. Ted accompanied Keren back to her room and Petris retired to his office where he made a few phone calls to arrange for ground transportation and set up the meetings in Las Vegas. After a productive half hour on the phone, he too went to his bedroom for the night.

  10 FLYING TO THE WEEPING CAMEL

  The following morning Petris awoke to another beautiful Ozark mountain sunrise. After three years he still had not tired of the landscape painting view from his bedroom window.

  He was not much for sleeping in at his age and there were still details to arrange for the upcoming trip, so he arose, showered, shaved and dressed before going downstairs to rustle up some breakfast for himself. There was no point in disturbing Ted at this hour since today would be one of the few times that Ted had the opportunity to have the luxury of lounging in bed if he chose to.

  Grinding a portion of Espresso roast coffee beans to start a fresh pot in the restaurant quality Bunn coffee maker, Petris retrieved the ingredients for a quick Hollandaise in anticipation of treating himself to an Eggs Benedict breakfast. Within twenty minutes, displaying the efficiency of many years of knowing his way around a kitchen, Petris sat down to savor the result of his handiwork.

  After enjoying his breakfast and savoring a leisurely second cup of strong black coffee, Petris cleared the dishes, rinsed them and loaded them into the dishwasher and went back to his office desk to continue his preparations for Las Vegas. It was where Ted found him at about 10:30AM.

  “Sorry to have slept so late boss. Can I get you anything? Has Ms. Odensdotter come down yet?”

  “I’m fine Ted. I made my breakfast and coffee. There should still be a few cups hot in the Airpot in the kitchen and there’s fresh fruit and yogurt in the fridge if you’d li
ke. Keren hasn’t appeared yet but if she doesn’t show by 11:00AM I think we need to rouse her. Got a busy day today.”

  “Did I hear someone taking my name in vain?” Keren addressed the startled men. She showered and dressed in a serviceable version of woman’s battle fatigues.

  “Sneak up on me like that again woman and I’ll have the dogs on you.” Petris said smiling. “How was your night?”

  “Slept like a log and I’m hungry. Did I hear you mention coffee, fresh fruit and yogurt?”

  “Sure did lady. Just follow Ted into the kitchen and he’ll show you where everything is. We’re more informal today and we have a bunch to do before we leave this afternoon.”

  About twenty minutes later Petris appeared in the kitchen. “Have you folks finished your meal yet?”

  “Ted and I were just finishing up our coffee. What’s on the docket now?”

  “Well, if you will help me clear the table and load and start the dishwasher, perhaps Ted can grab the hardware and meet us out back at the shooting range. We need to give you a quick lesson on the care and feeding of the H&K MP7.”

  With the dishes cleared and washing, Keren and Petris exited the kitchen out into the large terrace area behind the house. About fifty feet to their right was the outdoor range. Five shooting stations were under a metal roof.

  Each station was equipped with cork partitions; hearing and eye protection and electrically operated target pulleys that could be preset a seven; twenty-five; fifty and one hundred yards. Each shooting bench had a receptacle for targets and a video screen connected through closed circuit so you could immediately see the results of your shooting.

  “Wow!” Keren exclaimed, “That’s some man-cave you have here.” It’s almost like something out of a computer game.”

  “Well Keren, you know what they say. Little boys, little toys. Big boys, big and expensive toys.”