by Irving Munro
“It’s not a hard life, Officer Ross,” said Jacob taking the opportunity to engage in the conversation. “Both of our parents and their extended families had to endure hardships beyond our comprehension during the war, Deputy Ross. Our life is full of riches today because of their sacrifice. Whither it’s bespoke tailoring services or off-the-shelf merchandise, we put our signature on every product and they walk out of our store knowing that they have a lifetime commitment of service from Martha and me. That’s all we can do, ensure that our customers know that we want them to look good in our clothing and feel good about life.”
The depth of passion in Jacob Goldman’s response almost took Bill’s breath away. This is what it meant to be Jewish, thought Bill. A lifetime of commitment to their faith, their family, their lineage and their chosen profession. No matter your political views you couldn’t help but admire that.
“You said put your signature on every product. Did you mean that literally or was it just a figure of speech?” said Tommy, his sixth sense again kicking in that the comment may have real significance.
“We do sign everything, Detective Ross, it’s not a figure of speech. We have a patch with a replica of my signature and the telephone number of our store. It’s stitched on every item we sell. We have different styles of patch based on the particular item of merchandise. It is our commitment to lifetime warranty,” said Jacob proudly.
“So the leather Hugo Boss jacket that you sold to Raul Hernandez, there would be a patch with you signature on the jacket, yes? Where on the jacket would you typically attach this patch?”
“It’s always in the same location on a man’s jacket, Officer Ross. It’s on the inside of the right sleeve two inches up from the end of the sleeve. It would not be seen, but the customer would know where it was located and he could simply turn the end of the sleeve inside out and retrieve the store telephone number.”
“This will be extremely helpful to us in our inquiries,” said Tommy, looking over at his father, and they both knew what this meant. They had now a hook to bait the limo driver.
~
They said their goodbyes to Martha and Jacob and headed to the U-Haul storage facility at the Houston airport.
Given its location, the U-Haul facility was huge. It offered mostly large air-conditioned units, although there were smaller storage lockers that could also be rented on a daily basis by travelers from the airport.
They checked with the manager and showed their IDs. Claudette had been as good as her word and had advised the manager that it was likely that detectives from Austin would want access to the unit. Each renter fit their storage unit with their personal lock of choice; the manager cut off the lock on Raul Hernandez’ unit with a huge pair of shears. It was obvious that this manner of entry was a regular occurrence, as he completed the task with ease and, when complete, left the detectives to inspect the contents.
Bill had speculated on what they might find in the locker, and when they lifted up the heavy metal roller door, Bill’s speculation had been right - weapons, lots of weapons, not only guns and ammo, but surveillance equipment, explosives and timers - Semtex. They needed to call the Harris County Sheriff and get the area secured.
In the corner of the unit there was a desk-come-workbench and a chair. On the desk was a laptop, a high intensity lamp on an extending arm and a similar extending arm with a lighted magnifying glass. Mike Muguara could sit in this air-conditioned locker, completely unseen, conduct his research on his laptop, and assemble whatever he needed for any security job he had contracted for.
While they waited for the local sheriffs to arrive they conducted a detailed search of the locker and an inventory of the ordnance.
1. SR 25 Sniper rifle with night force scope and Harris bi-pod.
2. FN MK20 Sniper Support Rifle (SSR).
3. FN SCAR STD Assault Rifle.
4. FN SCAR CQC with Grenade Launcher.
5. HK MP5N (9mm) Sub Machine Gun.
6. HK MK 23 SOCOM 45mm Handgun.
7. Smith & Wesson 686 .357 Revolver.
8. Sig Sauer P226 Handgun.
9. 2 pairs Armasight PVS7-3 Alpha Gen 3 Night Vision Goggles.
10. Ultra Long Range HD IP PTZ Surveillance Camera with IR Laser Illumination.
11. About 18 pounds of Semtex and detonators.
They booted up the laptop and it was obvious that it had been cleaned using some sophisticated software. Bill remembered what Claudette had said:
“We were very concerned about data security in our line of work. Mike used a Mac Air with a separate removable hard drive for external data storage. We kept nothing on the Cloud, everything on removable hard drives, so if someone stole the laptop, there would be nothing on it of any significance.”
There was no removable hard drive or external data storage device anywhere in the storage unit.
~
The Harris County Sheriff’s officers arrived. Bill and Tommy briefed them on the investigation and that the Raul Hernandez who had rented the unit, alias Mike Muguara, was now deceased. The team secured the area and removed the entire ordnance.
Bill and Tommy asked that they not touch the desk and the laptop as they still wanted to try to access information from the computer. The Harris County team agreed. By early evening they had gone and Bill and Tommy stared at the empty storage unit containing only the desk and a laptop. There was something really eerie about the scene.
The desk drawers were empty and Tommy removed each of them so he could look into the back of the desk to see if any papers or other stuff had perhaps fallen down the back. He saw a crumpled piece of yellow notepad paper immediately and stuck his hand in the back of the desk and pulled it out. It looked like it had been in there for some time, and he un-crumpled it and laid it flat on the desk.
It was a random list of words and names.
Venture Point Holdings
Enrique Escobar Rodriguez
Pablo Zambrano
Jimmy Rodriguez
Pepe Vivar
Garrison McMullen
Alyana McMullen (Reyes)
Achak Muguara
Gavin McMullen
Antonella Aguilar
McMullen riding accident?
Merry Christmas -Feliz Navidad in Colinas Verde?
US-China supply line?
“So what do you make of it, Dad?” said Tommy.
“Strange. It’s very strange that we should find it like this. Strange list. There are questions interspersed with people’s names, so what questions belong to which names and why write the list this way?
“It’s like a random word cloud, and all of the words in the cloud are connected to some overall theme. Sorry to keep saying this, but it’s like a jigsaw puzzle when you first dump all the pieces out of the box onto the table. You know they are all connected, but you first need a place to start and you always start with taking two separate pieces and putting them together, then a third and a fourth. The other thing you do with a jigsaw puzzle is that you begin to assemble different groups of parts in separate sections and then bring these sections together to complete the overall picture.”
“The advantage you have with a jigsaw is that when you dump all of the parts on the table you know for sure that somehow they all fit. Every single part on the table fits together into an overall picture. In our world we don’t have that luxury. We need to find the parts that absolutely don’t fit, that don’t belong, and when we find these parts we eliminate them—throw them away so they don’t distort the overall picture that we are trying to see. It’s what Sherlock Homes said:
“’When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth!’
“There are perhaps items on this list that don’t help us find the truth and they don’t belong in the overall big picture. We need to investigate them, recognize them for what they are—dead ends or deliberate attempts to deceive—and throw them away. To say what Holmes said a different way, what we will have
left after we eliminate the items that don’t belong will be the right answer - what’s left is right!”
“Interesting, Dad. We are pretty sure now that one part that doesn’t fit in all of this is that Mike Muguara was killed for racial reasons. The kill the wetbacks message was an attempt to deceive, it doesn’t belong and we need to throw it out,” said Tommy.
“Correct! Now if he was not killed for racial reasons, why was he killed? We still have no motive, and although we suspect that the limo driver was involved in some way and that Jimmy Rodriguez might also be involved, we have no motive. If we show our hand too soon and use the leather jacket connection to sweat the limo driver, they could just lawyer up and they would argue that we have no connection to the dead man and no motive.
“The key to this case is to start at the beginning and follow the road that Mike Muguara walked. While walking that road he uncovered something that caused him to change. Claudette saw the change in him and so did Joe Nichol. Why did Mike ask Joe to get this entire ordnance for him—guns, ammo, explosives and very sophisticated surveillance equipment? Something he discovered scared him!”
Tommy was digesting everything his father was describing and trying to put himself in Mike Muguara’s shoes. Mike was a trained fighter, Marine Corps and Special Forces, perhaps one of the best in the world at what he did. Why would he ask his trusted colleague to get him weapons?
“There are two main reasons that you obtain this type of weapons stash: offensive or defensive. If it had been for offensive purposes, being the good soldier he was, he wouldn’t have taken on whatever scared him on his own, he would have asked Joe Nichol to join him in the fight and Joe would have been there in an instant, standing shoulder to shoulder with him. No, this stash was for defensive reasons.
“The other clue here is the surveillance equipment. That was real high-end stuff and designed for medium to long-range surveillance, not up close and personal. I think that he was scared of what he had possibly stumbled upon and was still collecting intelligence. The weapons were not for immediate use, they were for future use, once he had a complete picture.”
Tommy could see that his father was nodding in violent agreement.
“Right on, Tommy. Mike made the discovery when searching for his birth parents. We need to get on that trail. We need to get to Oklahoma and meet with the attorneys Mike entrusted with the disposition of his assets after his death. They may be able to shed some light on this. We get on the right path and follow in his footsteps.”
~
It was almost eight and they had been in the storage locker for six hours. They needed to get on their way back to Austin.
With Tommy driving, Bill Ross sat back in the passenger seat and closed his eyes.
For some reason, he thought of Little Red Riding Hood. He imagined Mike Muguara walking a path through a deep and dark forest looking for his mommy and daddy. The entrance to the forest was a place called Houston, and he walked and walked and looked for clues, and then he came by a clearing called Austin where he met a woodsman who suggested that he try walking down the path by the river. He saw signs that he was not alone in this deep dark wood and that there might be a big bad wolf watching him and ready to gobble him up. He got really frightened.
Bill Ross woke up with a start. He had nodded off.
“Why Austin?” said Bill out loud. “Does the big bad wolf live in Austin?”
“The big bad wolf, Dad? I think you need some Glenmorangie and then bed!”
“I think you’re right, son. I think you’re right.”
Chapter 22: A nest of vipers
The following morning Marie was in the office early. She had laid everything out on the conference room table and had charts on the walls. All of this was the work in progress for the research into Venture Point Holdings. She had arranged that Latisha and Julian to be on standby to link into the videoconference facilities in the room. She planned to have them be part of a briefing with Tommy and Bill when they arrived in the office later that morning.
Tommy arrived first and Bill a few minutes later. It was now gone nine and they had each slept late after their long day in Houston. Before they could get settled in at their desks Marie ambushed them.
“I’d like to bring you both up to speed on the work we have done on Venture Point Holdings. Why don’t you each get a refill on your coffee and join me in the conference room. I want to link in Latisha and Julian as they have both helped immensely on what we have found out up until now,” said Marie, heading off in the direction of the room.
When Bill and Tommy walked into the room a few minutes later, Latisha and Julian were already online via Go To Meeting and their images were being displayed on the pull-down screen via the projector linked to the laptop.
“Good morning, Latisha, good morning, Julian,” said Tommy as he walked in.
“So, Marie, kick this off and tell us what you got.”
“I believe that y’all already know some of this, but to help with context let me go over it again.
“Venture Point Holdings, VPH, was formed in 2008. VPH consists of several components: The Venture Point Investment Fund, Deng Tang Corporation, Robertson Richards and Rodriguez Holdings. The chairman and largest stockholder of VPH is Garrison McMullen and the vice-chairman and second largest stockholder is Enrique Escobar Rodriguez.
“Let’s start with the Venture Point Investment Fund. An investment fund is a financial vehicle that’s designed to provide those who invest in the fund a high return on their money, far higher than they might otherwise enjoy with other, somewhat safer forms of investment. The risk might be higher, but the returns are very much higher. For example, a bank savings account today might offer one percent interest if you are lucky. Depending upon the investment portfolio and the risk, an investment fund might return eighty percent or more.
“An investment fund will raise the fund by pitching their portfolio to prospective investors. The portfolio is what the fund plans to invest in. Again, as an example, some investment funds might only invest in early-stage technology startup companies. The risk of failure here is very large, as only one in ten of these startups ever succeed. However, if one of them is a Facebook or a Google, then the return on investment could be huge.
“Investors who invest in funds like the Venture Point Fund are what are called qualified investors. They go through a pre-qualification to ensure that they understand the risk and have done this before. They are typically referred to as the Limiteds. They are large investors with limited liability on their investment. They could be pension funds or large blocks of investors who have formed a trust together.
“After the recent banking collapse and its impact on the global economy, federal government legislators have been using forensic accounting techniques to try to track down and close illegal offshore investment trusts, many of which were being used to launder drug money for the large South American cartels.
“One of the limited investors in the Venture Point Fund is Texas State Retirement (TSR). TSR has an investment portfolio of more than $25 billion and they have hundreds of investments designed to balance risk and reward. TSR is a legitimate investor.
“We have also determined that there are several large offshore trusts that also have large positions in the Venture Point Fund, and it will take us a long time to be able to track down the investors in these trusts. It is likely that some of these offshore trusts will be crooked.
“In conclusion, the Venture Point Investment Fund only invests in construction and regional development through Venture Point Holdings, and VPH focuses exclusively on development of the land that was originally the McMullen Ranch.
“Any questions so far?”
“This is already way above my head,” said Bill.
“Mine too,” said Tommy, “But carry on, Marie, I’m sure that you, Julian and Latisha will help us make sense of all of this!”
Julian chimed in, “It does sound complicated, guys, but it’s relatively straightfor
ward, believe me. I can help y’all put this in layman’s language when we have the full picture. The real issue is to find out if there is anything illegal in all of this that ties back to Mike’s killing, and we haven’t found anything for sure yet.
“Just as you guys have a sixth sense for what you do, I have a sixth sense for financial vehicles, and this one smells.”
“Thanks, Julian, carry on, Marie,” said Tommy.
Marie continued. “Let’s now talk about Robertson Richards.”
“Robertson Richards is a huge design and construction firm headquartered in Houston. For example, they designed and built the Travis Tower in downtown Austin, the building where Garrison McMullen has his residence. Robertson Richards had its roots in the oil boom in Texas.
“Oil was first drilled out of Spindletop Hill south of Beaumont in Jefferson County in 1900. In its first year Spindletop produced more than 3.5 million barrels of oil; in its second, production rose to 17.4 million. Spindletop ushered in a new era in Texas-based industry and was enormously influential in the state’s future development. New oil companies were formed along with the refining and support organizations needed to make the fledgling oil industry successful. Robertson Richards was one of these support organizations, designing and building much of the infrastructure: roads, bridges, warehouses and the like.”
“They later branched out and created a residential and commercial division building new planned communities of homes and commercial buildings to meet the needs of the burgeoning Texas immigrant population that flocked to the state in search of jobs created by the ‘Black Gold.’
“Venture Point Holdings has agreements in place with Robertson Richards to be the prime contractor for all design and building work. They designed the new marina and the rail link to Cedar Park, and they are currently awaiting approval from city and state planning authorities, including the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization, CAMPO.
“There is also a contract in place between Robertson Richards and JR Construction Services. JR provides all of the construction workers to Robertson Richards. Jimmy Rodriguez owns JR Construction.”
