back. “What time is it?”
Lynda looked at her watch. “It is about four o’clock; time for you to get up. Let’s go eat!”
He sat up and put his shoes on. He ran his fingers through his hair. She said, “You look fine. I need to change. Be right back.” She threw on her jeans and a real tee shirt.
They went to a dark hole in the wall restaurant and had local food. She filled Wayne in on all that she had learned. They debated on her getting a car. But as an unemployed ex-college student, she would look strange driving a car.
They drove around her block twice before he took her back home. He let her out and Lynda blew him a kiss. She really liked Wayne. She was certain that he was a man of his word. She thought about going out Sunday night but decided to stay in her apartment and just “chill out.”
Monday morning, Wayne picked her up and they took a tour of the city. They went by the university, and one of the buildings had been recently burned. Maybe they were a dangerous group. The building had been partially torn down.
They drove to a mountain range and found a restaurant on a slope. It was very elegant. They went in and had “pheasant under glass,” something Lynda had never had before. They drank some wine and started back for her apartment.
As she put the key in the lock she could hear the phone start to ring. She ran in and answered it. Ramon said, “Where have you been? I have been calling you all day.”
She said, “First, it’s none of your business, and second, I went to the university and looked at the building that you bombed. Nice!”
He seemed angered, then pleased. Wayne listened as best as he could. Ramon added, “Tomorrow night we are going as a group to the bar. Why don’t you join us?”
Lynda said, “Sure, what time?’
Ramon said, “The group will be there at nine. I will be there to check the place out at eight.”
Lynda replied, “I will meet you at about eight-thirty.”
Wayne left, and Lynda spent the rest of the day doing some cleaning of the apartment. She took a shower that night, and then studied herself in the mirror. She had a little “bump” on her stomach. She must be pregnant. She wanted to go home and go to her American doctor.
Tuesday, she walked all around the neighborhood. Wayne picked her up on the side street and they went and had lunch together. She was very quiet.
Wayne asked her, “What is wrong, Lynda?”
She shook her head, then looked him straight in the eye. “I am pregnant. I want to go home.”
Wayne was stunned. He sat back in his chair and went, “Whew!” Then he added, “Lynda, it is your choice. We will do what is best for you!”
She nodded her head and said, “Thank you, I think I will stay for a few more weeks, then I really do want to go home. I have had enough.”
Wayne wasn’t sure what she wanted; she seemed to be “double talking.” He realized that she was having an internal conflict. She wanted to go home, and she wanted to finish the job at the same time.
Wayne thought, and said, “Lynda, if you stay you’re going to have to get a lot closer to Ramon. There is a lot of danger in that. I need you to tell me what you want to do.”
She smiled at him. “I wish I knew. My head is spinning.” She grabbed at the sides of her head with her hands, as if to steady it.
Wayne dropped her off at her apartment at six-thirty, and she hurriedly got ready. She wanted to wear something sexy, but she kept feeling her tummy.
She took the bus to the bar and Ramon was already there. She hugged and kissed him. He was sitting in a booth by himself, and she sat down across from him. Something was obviously bothering him too.
Ramon finally blurted out, “The explosives came in today. But I have no place to store them safely. I can not afford a big enough warehouse to put them all in.”
Lynda said, “I have some money. How much do you need?”
Ramon said, “I need about a thousand dollars!”
“Wow,” Lynda said. “I can call my parents and see if they will send it to me.”
Ramon smiled and said, “I need it tomorrow.”
She said, “I will call them tonight, and see if they will wire it to me in the morning.”
He came around and kissed her on the cheek. “I was hoping that I could count on you,” he said.
Lynda wondered if she had just been set up. It didn’t matter. She would get the money from Wayne.
Some of the people were drifting in. Ramon got up. She stood up beside him, and looked around. Wayne was standing at the bar. He had his back to Lynda but was clearly watching her in the mirror.
When all the people were there, Ramon gathered everyone between the two pool tables. It was a tight knit group. He told them about Lynda’s offer, and everyone hugged her or patted her on the back. They all seemed sincere, and so trustworthy. She wondered if they were all blind sheep, too.
After the meeting broke up, they played doubles pool. The evening went along fine. Lynda kept thinking about her baby. Ramon did not say anything about going home with her, so she rode the bus home.
Wayne was waiting down the street. He walked up to her and they went to her apartment. She told him how much money she needed. He opened his wallet and took out ten one hundred dollar bills. He handed them to her. She folded them up and put them inside her bra. She laughed at Wayne’s look.
Wayne walked into the apartment with Lynda. He sat on the sofa. Lynda made coffee for them. She had some cookies. She offered them to Wayne; he wolfed them down.
Wayne called Tom and gave him a briefing. Lynda talked to Ted for a few minutes. She was concerned about Tasha. Ted told her that between himself and her mother, Tasha was doing fine. Lynda breathed a sigh of relief.
Ted really questioned her about being pregnant and putting the baby in danger. He did not want her to lose the baby for any reason whatsoever. He was very loving to Lynda.
After the phone call, Wayne left, and Lynda sat alone in the apartment. She decided that she was in love with Ted and was happy to be pregnant. She smiled to herself. She started to put the money up, but decided that it was safe where it was at.
Wednesday, Ramon called her at noon. Lynda told him that she had the money, and Ramon said that he was going to take off work and come get the money.
He showed up about an hour later. Lynda took the money out of her bra and handed it to him. He smelled the money and smiled. He took her and kissed her on the mouth. He rubbed her back and she turned from him. He asked, “What’s wrong?”
She said, “I know what you want, but I can’t do it.”
He seemed stunned. “Why not?”
“Because ... I am pregnant,” she blurted out.
“Oh,” he said, and he went and sat on the sofa.
Lynda set down beside him. “My last boyfriend ... then he left me. I can’t take a chance on losing the baby.”
Ramon nodded, but did not understand. He had not ever been with a pregnant woman before.
“No matter, we can still do the job.”
Ramon stuck the money in his front pocket. He said, “Well! I had better go. See you Friday night, and thank you very much.”
Wayne came by every day to check on Lynda.
On Friday she took the bus to the meeting. Ramon seemed to ignore her. She struck up a conversation with Rico. She talked to him like she knew where the explosives were. She told Rico, “Are you going by there any time soon? I would like to see what I helped purchase.”
Rico said, “It is supposed to be a secret, but I will take you tomorrow, if you will have dinner with me.”
She said, “Sure.” She gave him her address and directions.
Rico picked her up at about three and took her to the warehouse district. He showed her a key that he had. He was proud of it. They stopped at an old rundown building. There was no way that it cost a thousand dollars to rent. Rico went and unlocked a side doo
r. They went in and he turned on some old lights. They dimly lit the building up. In a corner were four pallets stacked with boxes. On the side of each box it read, “C-4 Explosives.” Lynda wondered how this small group had gotten so many powerful explosives.
Rico opened one of the boxes, and Lynda took out a large package of what looked like clay. It was somewhat soft and malleable. Rico told her that they were going to set off a charge tomorrow to be sure that it worked. And that they could set it off from a distance. She asked Rico if she could watch. He said, “Sure. I will pick you up about one in the afternoon.”
After they left the warehouse, they went to dinner and Lynda was all smiles. When he took her home, she kissed him on the cheek.
Wayne was waiting on her. He walked down to her apartment when the coast was clear, and knocked on her door. Lynda let him in. She told Wayne about all the explosives. He just sat on the sofa and stared at the floor.
They called Tom and told him about the explosives. Tom did not know what to think either.
Ted was in his office and Lynda got to talk to him for a minute. Ted got off on her being pregnant. She got flustered with him.
The next day, Sunday, Rico showed up and took Lynda out into the country. They went deep into the mountains. He turned on a side dirt road and went about ten miles down it. There were two cars parked where the road dead-ended. Four men watched them drive up. They had already fastened the C-4 to a tree, and hooked it up to a detonator.
Rico pointed to a mound of dirt off to one side. He said, “A traitor to our cause.” Lynda felt
CIA - The Slave Traders Page 23
