Evolution of a Killer

by Robert Ullrich

  “We’ll be operational ready in fifteen,” said Derek, “waiting for your call. And for the record, you might as well include that extra 25 in the transfer.”

  *****

  “Call D,” Lazarus told Helen after finishing up with Derek.

  When Darnell answered she said, “He needs to talk to you,” and handed the phone to Lazarus.

  “I hear you had a good fishing trip, caught a big one from what I hear,” said Lazarus.

  Darnell replied, “Yeah I did, and it’s a good catch.”

  Lazarus was careful with his words; they were on an unencrypted line. “I’ll see you at the house in about ten minutes. Do you have the fish on ice?”

  “Yep, it’s chillin’ in the box right now.”

  “Good, there’s no need to offload the boat when you get here, we can figure out where to take the fish to be either processed or mounted, depending on what you want to do.”

  “Works for me,” said Darnell, “see you in ten.”

  Lazarus handed the phone back to Helen. “When D comes in, I’m going to need the names of this kid’s wife and daughters and an address or exact location. I want something from him that the wife will know had to come from her husband. The extraction team is going to need a code word or phrase if she’s going to leave with them.”

  “Understood; I’ll have the info within five minutes of docking,” assured Helen.

  Lazarus called Katsumi. When she answered he said, “I need 100 wired to Mr. Black immediately. Take it from one of the accounts where you stashed Torano’s money.”

  “As you wish, Sir,” said Katsumi.

  “Sir?” she asked. “Are Dr. Helen and D going to be able to come see me before I leave? I don’t really have to leave today, do I?”

  Lazarus thought it over. “No, I suppose you don’t, but you can’t stay there. Head to the Mainstay Suites in Ingleside. That’s where they’re staying. You can use the Tanaka ID. There’s no way to connect it to last night.”

  “Woo HOO!” she shouted into the phone, so loud Helen started laughing. “Double as you wish!” Katsumi ended the call before he could say anything else, leaving Lazarus shaking his head.

  “Well, Mr. Solaris,” said Helen. “You just made someone’s day.”

  “Nah, it’s you and D that will be making her day,” he answered with a grin.

  Helen smiled, happy for the chance to see Katsumi again before leaving.

  “Now we wait for Darnell,” said Lazarus. “I’m getting another cup of coffee, want one?”

  “Sure,” replied Helen. “I’ve been up over 24 hours and I ain’t as young as I used to be. I quit the drugs, so caffeine will have to suffice,” she added with a laugh.

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Darnell docked the boat fifteen minutes later as Helen was coming out to meet him. She returned in less than five. “The wife’s name is Rosalinda, and the daughters are Maria and Dolores. There’s a truck stop called Ejido Ley 6 De Enero, at the intersection of Highway 2 and an unmarked paved road that heads north. Vasquez’s house is one block south of the intersection on the southeast corner. There’s a line of trees to the east of the house, which will provide some cover, but there’s nothing blocking the view from the other three directions.”

  Lazarus was picturing it all in his head. “What’s the code word?”

  “Actually, it’s a phrase. They need to tell Rosalinda that Ernesto wants to meet her at Disney World. It’s an inside joke, but he assured me she would know it had to come from him.”

  Lazarus picked up the sat-phone and called Derek, giving him the information. “How soon can you move?” he asked.

  Derek replied, “We’re ready, just waiting on the pilot.”

  “Excellent. After the extraction, if doable, I need them transferred to Corpus Christi.”

  “Corpus?” asked Derek, “Now I have to take them to Corpus? Damn, Lazarus, why don’t I just take ‘em all the way to Orlando," Derek laughed, “Hell, at least that way they’d be in Florida??”

  “That’d be great, smart ass, but I happen to be in Texas; hence the request for Corpus Christi, not Orlando.”

  “You know what Lazarus?” asked Derek.

  “What’s that Derek?”

  “I don’t WANT to know.” Derek laughed at the old inside joke between them. “Fine, where do I need to deliver them? And for the record, you owe me a steak dinner on top of the 100 large.”

  “Derek, you get them to Corpus safe and I’ll buy you a side of beef if that’s what it takes.”

  “Deal,” said Derek. “Give me the rendezvous point.”

  "The meet will be at the Beachside Exxon on North Beach, in Corpus. It’s over the Harbor Bridge heading north to Portland, same exit as the Lexington. My associate will be waiting in a white Malibu on the west side of the store.”

  “Copy that. My pilot just came in. I’ll give you a call when we’re back on US soil.”

  “Thanks, Derek, or should I say, ‘Mr. Black’,” kidded Lazarus.

  “Any time, Camo-man, or is it The Iguana? I never can remember which damn lizard you’re named after.”

  “Well kiss my ass, Grimsrud,” Lazarus replied with a chuckle when Derek hung up on him.

  Still grinning Lazarus turned to Helen. “It’s about fifteen minutes from the hotel in Ingleside to the meet. I’d suggest you go it alone. Darnell can be a bit intimidating, you know,” he added with a sober look.

  “No shit, Captain O?” she responded. “I’ll handle it. D’s going to bring the kid around front so we can take him with us. I’ll wait for your call at the motel.”

  “Oh, one more thing,” said Helen, “There might be a black Yukon in your garage that sorta needs to go away.”

  “Well, Doc,” said Lazarus. “That Yukon should make for a pretty good drive to Chicago, I would think. Only you seem to be one driver short.”

  “Not if I turn in my rental in Corpus we aren’t.”

  “Good idea,” said Lazarus, “I can’t imagine Torano putting out an APB on it.”

  “And, Helen, thanking you for last night doesn’t even come close to how much I appreciate you and D coming on such short notice. I don’t think I’ll be seeing you for awhile, so stay safe. Just let me know when you’re on the road with the family.”

  They stood up and Helen gave him a hug. “You do the same and let me know when you’re finished here. We need to get together again soon.”

  “I was hoping to get you guys down for Thanksgiving in the Keys. Can you work that out?”

  “It shouldn’t be a problem, Spike. I know Katsumi would love it,” said Helen.

  “Shit,” said Lazarus, slapping his forehead, “I forgot to tell you. Kat will be at the hotel by the time you get there. She REALLY wanted to see you guys again before she left. She doesn’t have to fly out until tomorrow, so I booked her a room there.”

  Helen grinned. “D will be especially surprised, since I’m not going to tell him.”

  She headed down to the boat, and Lazarus went back in the house. A few minutes later he heard the garage door open. He watched as the Yukon backed, Darnell behind the wheel and the Mexican kid nowhere to be seen. He took off up the street, following Helen in the rented Malibu. ‘Probably stuck the poor kid in Helen’s trunk,’ Lazarus thought to himself.

  *****

  Lazarus decided it was time to move Garza. He needed to make sure there would be no more trouble with Torano. He mulled it over for about half an hour before picking up the sat-phone to call Torano.

  “What do you want now?” Torano answered with a snarl in his voice. Roman had been contemplating what The Chameleon had done to his lawyer and being ordered out of town. To top it all off, he’d just been informed that his two men in Rockport had failed to check in. Lazarus had told him he’d need to replace them; now he knew it was true. Torano was in a foul mood and the Chameleon was at the center of it.

  Lazarus answered in a calm even voice, “I’m ready to offer a settlement on this matter b
etween us.”

  “A settlement?” growled Torano into the phone. “You took my money, killed my lawyer and two of my men in Rockport. Then, you ordered me out of Corpus Christi. What possible settlement can you make to resolve all of this?” Ramon tended to forget things when angry. Lazarus had told him he would be calling in 24 hours.

  Lazarus replied with a chuckle, “Ramon, we both know your lawyer sucked. You could say I did you a favor. As for your men in Rockport,” he lied, “I had them dropped off on St. Joseph’s Island. If you want them back, send a boat to get them.”

  “Why would I want them back? They couldn’t even watch two women without fucking it up,” replied Torano. “Schultz, maybe he wasn’t so good. He did talk too much when he was drunk, but he was MY lawyer to dispose of, not yours.”

  “You have a good point, Ramon. However, you gave me your word you’d stay out of it for two weeks. You didn’t, and I needed to get your attention.” Lazarus spoke softly until he got to the point of “get your attention”.

  Lazarus’ voice had picked up an edge that caught Torano’s attention.

  “Apparently you still don’t understand. It could have been YOU they hauled out in the luggage.” There was no mistaking Lazarus intent now. He was going to get Ramon’s attention one way or the other.

  Torano was no fool. He knew that even though he wanted to take this Chameleon out, it wouldn’t be easy. He wasn’t even sure where to begin.

  He tempered his tone when he spoke again, “I’m listening.”

  “As promised,” said Lazarus, “I will return your money to you, at least all that I have located. So far we are talking between 12 and 13 million dollars.” Lazarus paused for effect. “Here’s the icing on the cake. I’m going to have the thief deliver the location of your money to you.”

  The last part surprised Torano. It gave him food for thought. “You are going to deliver him alive?” he asked.

  “Si, Hefe. I am giving him to you, along with the information on your money: names of the banks, account numbers, routing directions, and passwords. I was contracted to get Enrique out of the country and somewhere safe, which I intend to do. I complete my contracts,” said Lazarus. “Once the contract is closed, who’s to say what I do with the information.” Lazarus continued in a conciliatory tone. “Ramon, I didn’t know it was your money when I was contracted. Now I do. I’m going to return it to you, after I relocate Enrique. It serves no purpose for us to be enemies.”

  Torano bought it all, hook, line and sinker. “Si, there is no need for us to be at odds with each other, although we have been here before. As for Shultz,” he added, “I won’t seek revenge. I still need a new lawyer though, thanks to you.”

  “You’re welcome,” Lazarus said as though Torano had thanked him. “Then it’s settled?” he asked.

  Ramon agreed.

  Lazarus spent the next fifteen minutes giving Torano the details and location where he needed to be by tomorrow. He was regaining Torano’s trust while weaving a web the drug lord would never suspect. Lazarus was putting Torano’s mind at ease while setting him up at the same time.

  “The thief and the money will be there?” asked Ramon when Lazarus finished.

  “Yes, you have my word. No offense Hefe, but when I give my word, I never break it.”

  “No offense taken,” said Torano, though he was slightly offended by the veiled insult.

  “Within 48 hours, you’ll have your money and the embezzler. I’ll send directions to the location in Buenos Aires tonight. You can recover your money there and deal with the thief.”

  “I’ll wait to hear from you,” replied Torano. “One last thing, may I ask a personal question?”

  “Sure, but you might not get an answer,” laughed Lazarus.

  “How did you get the name “The Chameleon’? The name seems so dramatic, no?”

  “I got if from a Chinese gentleman in 2003. He was impressed with my ability to come and go without being recognized. Then it took on a life of its own. I got used to it, so I decided to keep using it.”

  “Very well, Senor Chameleon,” Ramon responded. “I’ll have the information in the next day or so?”

  “You’ll have it by tonight,” said Lazarus ending the call.

  Now it was time to deal with Enrique Garza.

  *****

  Lazarus called Garza on Cooper’s cell. When Enrique answered, Lazarus switched to the Johnson persona. “Enrique!” Lazarus exclaimed. “I’m kinda surprised yer ass is still alive. What with all the shit’s been goin’ on around here?”

  Enrique was taken aback by the comment. “Why wouldn’t I be?” he asked suspiciously.

  “Hell, amigo, where ya been the last 24 hours?” asked Lazarus.

  “I’ve been right here in my Corpus Christi Condo,” replied Enrique, lying through his teeth.

  “Bullshit!” snarled Lazarus into the phone. “Yer stupid ass was at the Shoreline last night ‘til after midnight. I seen you swappin’ shots of Patron with that fuckin’ German lawyer of Torano’s. You wanna lie to me agin, asshole?” Lazarus sounded angrier than a cornered raccoon, smiling the whole time.

  Enrique responded angrily. “What the hell were you doing? Following me? Spying on me?”

  “No, ya fuckin’ idiot. I was keepin’ an eye on yer god-damn brother; the big assed drug kingpin from Mexico? And la-de-fuckin-dah, there you were with Torano. Settin’ together like it was family day at the fuckin’ Six-flags.”

  Enrique was really rattled, fear creeping up his spine like a spider. He didn’t know what to say.

  “Now, I got a question for ya, Enrique. Why was ya meetin’ with him?”

  Enrique swallowed hard and took a deep breath. “As you know from the condo incident, my brother is looking for his money. I was trying to throw him off by telling him I knew who the embezzler was. I was afraid, so I made up a story.”

  “Yeah, that worked out real fuckin’ well, I’d have to say. She’s already dead. Nice move, Enrique - getting’ a innocent women killed for what ya did. That pissed the boss off a fuckin’ ton.”

  Enrique listened silently on the phone, his mouth gone dry. He was sweating bullets and all but certain he was going to be hung out to dry.

  Lazarus spoke just a bit more congenially, “Well, Enrique, seems its yer lucky fuckin’ day.”

  “My lucky day,” Garza repeated flatly, the words barely registering.

  “Yeah it is. Despite all yer bullshit, yer one lucky fucker fer hirin’ the Chameleon to handle yer shit. See, he honors his contracts no matter what. Mind you, he ain’t one bit happy ‘bout yer late-night shenanigans. In fact, Ramon needs a new lawyer. Boss had to send yer brother a message, and by-God he sent one that left no room for doubt.” Lazarus continued, “I got yer new I. D’s for ya; passports, credit cards, and the whole she-bang. Yer gonna leave for Buenos Aires in the mornin’, period. No bullshit, no delays. You be on that goddamn plane tomorrow or yer on yer own. I’ll meet ya at Cole Park, 10:00 tonight. Don’t be late.”

  Enrique whined, “But what about my money?”

  “Seriously?” asked Lazarus, sarcasm in his voice. “Ya got the nerve to ask about yer money? For fuck’s sake! I jest tole yer stupid ass The Chameleon always completes his contract; all of it. Yer gonna get yer money. It’ll be waiting for ya at the Deutsche Bank SA in Buenos Aries. It’ll be in one of them safety deposit boxes under yer new name. I’ll have the key fer ya tonight, providin’ yer ass ain’t late.”

  “I’ll be there, Cooper, you have my word,” replied Garza. “May I ask a favor?”

  “Ya gotta be shittin’ me, Enrique. After all this bullshit?” laughed Lazarus. “Fine; ask yer damn favor.”

  “Please tell the Chameleon I’m truly sorry for causing him problems. I was scared and I chose poorly. I’ll gladly make it up to him with an extra hundred thousand if that will help.”

  “He ain’t ever gonna turn down money, amigo, I can promise ya that. Just make sure it’s in the account before I git ther
e tonight. That’ll go a long way towards smoothing this shit out.”

  “I’ll take care of it within the hour,” promised Enrique.

  “Then I’ll see yer ass at Cole Park. Don’t worry ‘bout looking for me. I’ll find ya.”

  “Okay,” replied Enrique, “I’ll be there fifteen minutes early.”

  “Good enough,” said Lazarus.

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  Derek, aka Mr. Black, had 5 men and one woman ready to go for the extraction, including the pilot. He’d prefer two more, but time wouldn’t allow. The unit operated out of a Sikorsky CH53-E for extraction missions. It was sand camo and they removed all markings when running a black op. With three engines, it was more powerful that the Navy’s Sea Stallion version. They were airborne at 1415 hours, lifting off from a remote compound in the Franklin Mountains, north of El Paso. They crossed the Rio Grande 30 miles south at 10 feet above the deck. They’d flown in and out of Mexico many times. This route was rarely used. It had been scouted out several times and there was no significant traffic or civilians along the route.

  The pilot was a Meskwaki named Craig Young Bear - ex-Marine and known to everyone on the team simply as Young Bear. They had all tried unsuccessfully to extract the pilot’s first name. “Gunny” was the answer they got every time.

  Derek and Young Bear had a little inside joke they never shared. When Young Bear got his pilot’s license after Desert Storm, they issued it in the name of “Greg Gun Bear.” Derek always managed to get a laugh out of the usual stoic Marine simply by calling him Greg.

  What made Young Bear valuable wasn’t because he was one of the best CH53 pilots in the world. Gunny was the best of the best when it came to know where NOT to fly. He had an uncanny ability to avoid detection that was invaluable in black ops. The flight time from the border to Los Trios was under 20 minutes. Top speed on the Sikorsky is 170 knots. Young Bear was flying at 130 to hug the terrain.

  The extraction plan was simple. The chopper would set down in front of the house. Derek and the female team member would go in and get the family. There was a measure of risk concerning the Federales, but minimal. Most of the area around Juarez was controlled by Los Zapatos, and they were not likely to engage them if they were spotted. There was also Los Zapatos to consider. Derek was prepared for that contingency; two rocket pods underneath and a 50 cal mounted in each doorway.