by Doug Ball
The rest of them sat around the table and stared at Tank. Tan broke the quiet with, “I didn’t know you could do that, Tank. Thank you for that exhibition of cell phone talent.”
Sara rolled out a topo map with all that Tank described laid out. Tank looked it over and made a couple of pencil changes, put x’s through a few places, and drew in some spots that he saw on his phone when he zoomed in.
“What’s those spots?”
“I don’t know. Looks like observation points or something to do with security. Notice there appears to be fine lines between a few of them.” He showed his phone to Sara.
“Yeah, you’re right. I vote for security,” Sara said.
Tan looked over the place on the map and the phone.
Lenny broke out his tablet and got the same map up. “Here, look at this. Bigger picture, higher detail.” He handed it to Tan, who promptly set it down on the table.
Not to be outdone, Bruce pulled out his laptop, checked for wifi, and logged on to somebody’s unlocked hub. “Yup, here it is,” he said after a few minutes of looking, “right in the middle of nothing. From the looks of it, the only way to sneak up on that place is glide in on a parasail. Those lines do look like beams or wires of some kind.”
He looked around the scene on the screen, “You know, this place has been set up to not be approached even from the air. There is a rotating antenna on the roof of the house. Or, at least that’s what it looks like.”
Lenny took a look and agreed.
Tan broke in, “Okay, that’s where our suspect hangs out. It’s five miles south of the border, wrong side for us. It’s very secure. One road in and out. Unless you wanna call skydiving a road. AND, we have no proof he’s our man. Let’s go find some proof, people.”
Sara said, “I thought that’s what this was all about.”
“Okay,” Tan said, “all of you, how do we find out if he is really our man without going down there.”
“Find the chopper. How many blue almost silent choppers are there in the world?”
“UN probably has some. Everything they own is blue.” Bruce said that like he didn’t care much for the UN. “And, we did the painting before we gave them to the UN.”
“How do we find the chopper?” Tan asked again.
“Surveillance on every landing place and storage place possible,” Tank said.
“There’s only six of us.”
“Get NSA to dedicate one of their satellites to us and monitor the whole southwest USA and northern Mexico,” Abdul laughed the words out.
“I’ll call the Governor and have her buy us one along with all the photo interpreters we will need to read the pics,” Tan kicked in.
When the laughter subsided, they sat back and began thinking. The waitress came around with more iced tea and coffee.
Ten minutes later, Tank was asleep, Abdul was making eyes at a dog lying on the floor next to him, and Sara was talking on her cell with one of her boys who wanted to go out that night. The waitress came by to ask how long they were staying.
Bruce said, “Is there a deadline?”
“Kinda. We have a big group coming in at six and they’ll need every table.”
“All five?” asked Bruce.
“Yes, sir. Every single last one of these five tables along with every chair we own.”
“Well then, I guess we’ll be outta here and your hair in about ten minutes, 5:30, so you will have time to set up for such a huge crowd.”
“Thank you, sir. Y’all aren’t such a small crowd yourownself, specially with this big guy at the table.”
Abdul laughed, “That’d be me, space filler.”
The waitress left and Tan said, “Okay. The best we can do is the best we can do. Sara, please call all the places you know and have them watching tonight.”
“Yes, sir.”
He pulled a road map out of his bag, laid it on the floor, and started pointing. “Bruce, you here. Lenny, drop Bruce off and then you go here. Abdul this is your spot and Tank you drop him off, then you here. I will be here on the high spot near the crime scene. The idea is to spot anything flying and take a bearing on its direction. If we can, we will call Border Patrol and see if they can track it south. Don’t worry about the north bound stuff. We meet west of the Sasabe store at 0600. Let’s roll.”
They all got up and threw money on the table. Tan paid the bill with the state credit card. Sara headed for her car. Tan caught up with her and said, “Wanna take me to my truck, or will I get back soon enough?”
“You can make it. You’ll need warmer clothes anyhow.”
“What, it’s downright hot out here.”
“Won’t be when the sun goes down over that ridge line. Steady breeze, 45 degrees. Desert doesn’t stay warm long once the sun goes down.”
“Better listen to her, boss,” Abdul yelled.
“I know that, let’s go.”
#
Armado stood on top of the hacienda and looked around as the sun began to set. He could see none of the guards posted around his perimeter. The air was clear. His guard stations had infra-red glasses and one on each side had night vision goggles. The radios were plugged into ears so only the men on the net could hear them. The stations were all supplied with water, stay alert medications if needed, and weapons. If whatever bugged them last night came through this night, they would capture it and find out what was going on. If it was an animal, they would eat it the next day for dinner.
13
“Governor’s Office, how may I assist you today?” Josie’s cheerful voice rang.
“I’d like to speak to the Governor, por favor.”
“Who may I say is calling?”
“You may say it is Spiderman.”
“Spiderman, I always thought you’d swing in through the window, but we don’t have a window in this office. Can we get serious here, please.”
“I kid you not, Señorita. She wants to talk to me.”
“I’m not so sure.”
Josie hit the hold button and buzzed the Governor. “Spiderman on line two.”
“Thank you, Josie.”
Josie put here phone back in the cradle. “I lose again.”
In the next room, “Spiderman, how nice to hear from you. How’s Tomasina and the kids?”
“They are well, Governor. And you?”
“Just as wonderful as ever. Art sends his love to all of you.”
“Gracias.”
“I need some info, my friend.”
“What is it you need?”
“Who is trying to bust open the southern border? We’re getting all kinds of incursions, many of them by people dressed like your men.”
“I understand. Let me put it this way, your southern border is a thorn in the side of only one man these days. That man is El Trinchante, the carving knife. His headquarters are just outside of Nueva Casas Grandes in Mexico south of Deming, New Mexico. He is the cause for your problems, because you are the cause of his problems. When you shut down the border, he lost a major part of his territory.
“He has assigned that part of his territory to Armado Borrago. Armado now has the unpleasant task of reopening that trade route which you have so deftly sealed. The soldados you found in the tunnel were not men of my units. I am missing no one. They may have been a part of us in the not too distant past, but they were not when they caught the roof of that tunnel on their heads. By the way, we are enjoying the tunnel as a garbage dump. Love the Hunters idea, also, it seems to be working.
“To stop your problems, you have only to stop Borrago. With him and his soldados out of the way, El Trinchante is broken and both of us will sleep better. Will that do?”
The Governor thought for a moment or two, looking down at her notes, “I think so. Thank you so very much. You and Tomasina must bring the children and join Art and me for a grand dinner soon.”
“I would be honored. Say hello to the General, my cousin, por favor, and keep me posted please.”
“I will.
By the way, I am very happy you were in Mexico City during the dustup we had up here.”
“As am I, Señora.” The Mexican Colonel signed off.
The Governor walked into the outer office and said, “Get me Tan on his throwaway, please, and then let’s go home.”
Josie agreed. It had been a long day.
#
Ray led the way across the border and Leon kept a careful eye on the countryside. Leon was a man that had lived by his hunches for years and now he had a hunch that this was going bad. He had trouble loading his AR-15 and dropped his Kimber, chipping the custom grips. The MRE he’d had for dinner sat in the pit of his stomach like a rock. With signs like that, he was ready to call it off. The desire for vengeance overrode the feelings and hunches, and Ray was ready to do some damage five miles away.
The hike was uneventful. They stopped on the same hill they had spotted the hacienda from the night before and there it was, the hacienda all lit up as if it were a beacon to the world saying, ‘An important man lives here.’ The two of them sat and watched, seeing nothing new as they snacked on granola bars and water.
“It looks bigger and brighter than last night.”
Leon was thinking it was also. “Could it be a trap? They might have found some tracks and set up to get us.”
“I doubt it. What makes you think so?”
“If I were Armado, I would have men checking out the perimeter as far away from the walls as possible. They would check places like this high spot daily, just to see if someone has been sneakin’ and peekin’.”
“Okay, that’s an idea. But, why? This is Mexico, and he is king of this region.”
“That is why; someone may want to be king in his stead. The stronger the fort is the better the defense and the longer the reign. I think he is very afraid right now. Actually, the feeling of fear permeates this place. I do not like it out here tonight, it just doesn’t feel right.”
Ray looked at the stars and felt the gentle cool breeze touching his face and wondered how anyone could feel fear here. “I have no feelings like that. Let’s move to the closer spot.”
“No. I think this is as good, but safer. If I were him and knew I would probably be suspected after the shooting my daughter, I’d have men out far, watching and waiting.”
“He is not you. He is confident enough in his power to send people north with millions of dollars’ worth of dope and equipment. But, if you’re uncomfortable, we can see what we need to see from here.”
They settled in to watch. Leon was as nervous as a bride the night before the wedding. Ray was working hard to keep his eyes on the hacienda, the sky was more beautiful and full of wonder.
An hour later, the blue chopper went over, all lights flashing and muffler off. “Man,” Ray said, “That thing can’t be over a hundred feet up, maybe less.”
Leon was fighting a sudden urge to pee. “I hope he didn’t have any look down detection devices. If he did, we’re busted.”
Out of the dark came, “You are busted, Señors. You are surrounded. Leave your guns where they are and stand up facing the hacienda.”
Nobody was in sight, they had no choice but to do what the voice said. Leon stood facing the hacienda, followed by Ray a second or two later.
“Very good. May I ask what you are doing on this hill?”
“We’re on a snipe hunt.”
“Very good. May I ask what you are really doing on this hill?”
“You can ask, but we may not answer.”
“That’s not a good attitude, Señor. The Patrón will be very unhappy if you answer him that way. My friend will now come up behind you and check for the guns you are probably carrying under your jackets. Those little ones that can do very much damage to my body should you use them.”
Ray felt hands work up his legs, around his waist, up his back, and then under his arms and down the front. He was spun around and his S&W removed from his holster without wasted motion. He continued to stand with hands out to his sides. He watched as his S&W went flying into the dirt twenty feet away. A shadow picked it up.
Leon was dealt with in the same manner until the Kimber was pulled. “Please do not throw it. It is too good a weapon to be thrown in the sand.”
The man tucked it in his belt and started to turn. Leon grabbed the Kimber, sticking his foot between the man’s legs and pushed. The man went over backwards as Leon moved away from Ray and started firing toward where he thought the speaker was hiding.
Three shots rang out from Leon’s left causing him to turn the gun in that direction as two rounds caught him and laid him on the ground, Kimber falling in the sand.
Ray started to move when the voice said, “Freeze. Or you will die.”
Ray froze looking down at the bleeding Leon. “I’m yours,” he said. “May I help my friend.”
“There is no help for him, he is dead.”
“Dead men do not breathe.”
The sound of steps came up behind Ray as the man Leon tripped moved to him. Two voices spoke telling them all that the man on the ground still lived.
An hour later, Ray was in a very comfortable room with Leon lying on the bed, bleeding still. Ray did his best with what he had, tearing up sheets and grabbing pillow stuffing, to bandage the wounds and stop the bleeding. Then he sat down.
“We are dead, my friend, just like our children.”
“I’m not dead yet,” Leon croaked.
#
Abdul reported the chopper flying over his position. “That sucker about made me crap my pants he was so low. Couldn’t have been no more than fifty feet over my head. He circled a bit, I think he spotted me, then he headed straight out toward the man’s house. He turned on his lights a mile or so into Mexico.”
Tan replied, “Thanks. Looks like we got a connection with what you are telling me and what the Governor had on the phone awhile ago.”
“Wait a minute, I wasn’t done yet. Out about four or five miles the chopper disappeared and shortly after I heard the pop of a couple of rounds. Somebody got shot or shot at. Leon and Mr. Lawler maybe.”
“Oh, goody. If one or both of them are shot or dead, we’ll never find them. Those cartel boys know how to disappear a body or two.”
“We goin’ in to get’em, boss?”
“Are you crazy? Then we’d be at fault by invading the sovereign nation of Mexico. How we gonna do that successfully with six people. Even if we call Chuck, who is still not up to prime, we only have seven.”
“I can call some friends.”
“Forget it. I don’t want to spend the rest of my life in prison in Mexico. They still use firing squads down there, don’t they?”
“Nah.”
“The Governor would kill me.”
#
A twin engine aircraft clawed its way into the sky from the strip a mile south of the Borrago hacienda. In that plane was the hope and success of Armado Borrago, over five million dollars’ worth of product. Waiting in the desert of western Arizona, southeast of Alamo Lake at the head of Ballard Wash, would be three trucks that would rapidly carry the product to Phoenix and Flagstaff where others waited to scatter it all over most of the state.
The aircraft leveled out at a hundred feet and headed west and a bit north. When it reached a point a few miles south of San Luis Rio Colorado it slowly turned to the north. Crossing the California border ten miles west of Arizona, it headed for the southeast end of the Chocolate Mountains. Ten miles west of Blythe it took a turn slowly a few degrees to the right crossing into Arizona ten miles north of Ehrenburg aiming for the starving little community of Bouse.
Planes flying into California from anywhere were so common place that no one gave this one a second thought. As one controller put it, “Another drug lord headed for the cool mountains or the beach and didn’t file a flight plan again. If we tracked them all down, we’d never be able to think of anything else.” His boss agreed and noted it in his on-line log required by the FAA.
The plane landed on t
he hard scrabble coming for a stop not fifty feet from the three trucks. All was well. The plane radioed Borrago’s compound with the good news. Within thirteen minutes the trucks were rolling and the plane lifted for Las Vegas for the weekend. The pilot was happy. The co-pilot groused because his new lady waiting back in Mexico that would not be happy about not being along on the trip to the Vegas Strip. ‘Oh well, she will get over it. The money I made today will keep her in fine clothes for many months,’ he thought.
The three trucks scattered with two going south together as far as old 66 and the other going north to I-40. Each truck had no problem getting where it was supposed to go. The drugs were then divided into smaller parts and distributed to regional distributors. Each region had secondary distributors that carried away amounts that averaged about a hundred thousand dollars on the street market, and passed it along to the street vendors. Some of the vendors split it up, but most of them stashed their load and started selling small pieces at a time, going back to the stash for more when needed.
#
Miguel rose from his hiding place two miles down the access road from the Hacienda when he heard the gunshots. “Someone es muerto.”
“I will watch and see what happens.” He pulled his cell phone and checked in with the Patrón’s office.
To his surprise, En Trinchante answered the phone. “Yes, Miguel.”
Miguel put on his professional voice, “Patrón, there has been some shots fired just south of the hacienda of Borrago. I could see nothing, but it sounds like they kill someone or something. A jeep went out and came back followed by four men walking out of the desert and into the hacienda.”
“Thank you for being vigilante. Keep watch and report. If the wife of Borrago and all his daughters leave the compound, stop them. I have three more men coming your way. Use them as you need them. If the wife and all his children try to leave, kill them.”
“Si, Patrón. This I will do.”
“I know. There is a bonus for you when this is done, Miguel. You are a true man of El Trinchante.”
“Gracias, Patrón. I am at your disposal.”
