“Yes, sir. I’m sure you will, sir,” she said.
The door flew open and Diosdado Rossi careened into the room. “Mr. President, I came as soon as I heard.”
“Yes, well. Do something. The police are more than useless out there. I’ve called for more troops.”
“Troops? Are you sure you want to use our troops on civilians? And with the cameras out there?”
“I’ve already given the order to get rid of the cameras. They will all be confiscated, arrested. They are not our people. There are probably some CNN or BBC cameras out there. We will simply ship them home. We don’t need their kind around here anymore.”
“I’m not sure that is wise, Mr. President,” Rossi said, joining his leader at the window.
“And why is that?”
“With the election coming, we need to show the world that we have free and open voting here. Besides, they will want to send election observers. They always do.”
“That is for the election day. The round up is for this day, and I want those cameras and those students stopped. Do you hear me?”
“Yes. Of course, Mr. President. Come. Let’s sit down for a few minutes. Let the police and soldiers do their jobs. I have other problems to discuss with you.”
“What’s more important than this?” the president said, pointing and staring at the crowd below.
“If you’ll give me a minute, I’ll explain.”
El presidente finally turned and slowly walked to his massive desk and sat down. “All right. Talk.”
“Remember I was to have a meeting with the people from GeoGlobal today?” Rossi said
“Yes, I remember something about that. You said you and the energy director had it all under control.”
“We did until …”
“Until what?” the leader demanded impatiently.
“Until their man from the states was kidnapped over the weekend.”
“Kidnapped?” the president asked incredulously. “How? Who took him?”
“We don’t know yet. I got a call from the American Embassy. They have lodged an official protest and are asking our help in locating this man. His name is Adams and his car was ambushed on the way in from the airport.”
“Do they have any idea who took him?”
“They say it was men in police uniforms who put up a detour sign and sent them into a trap. Two of their men were killed. Two others wounded. They took Adams and left Victor Aguilar alive, evidently so he could get back to his office and report what happened. I’m sure they will ask for money, whoever they are. But GeoGlobal is holding our government responsible for the murders and for Adams’ life.”
“Us? I had nothing to do with it.”
“I know that. I told them that. They maintain that since the men were wearing official uniforms and since you are in charge, it is up to you and your government to get Adams back. Unharmed.”
“And exactly how am I supposed to do that when I have no idea who these people are who kidnap businessmen. As you said, I too assume it’s for ransom. Have they made any demands?”
“Not yet. Shall I put our police on alert?”
“It all depends on which ones we think we can trust. We know that many of them take on other jobs, as they say. Call in the chiefs. The ones we know best. Get them on it to search the city, the other areas where these gangs have been operating. Get on it right away.”
“I knew you would say that. I have already made a few calls. I’ll arrange a meeting.” Rossi said. “We can’t have foreigners kidnapped on our streets. That would kill our tourist trade, such as it is, to say nothing about the Iranians and Russians who do business here. They might be worried that their people are at risk too. See that there is no publicity on this. And I mean none. Is that clear?” the president said, pounding his desk for emphasis.
“Yes, of course. But that isn’t all I came to talk about,” Rossi said, pulling out a sheet of paper from his jacket pocket.
“There’s more?” the president said in an irritated tone.
“I just wanted to give you some good news for a change.”
“Then give it.”
“After our first three exercises in the states, the price of gas and oil is up twenty percent, their stock exchange is down by almost that much, and we still have more plans to carry out,” he said with a glint in his eye.
“Good. At least there is some decent news these days. As for carrying out our, uh, additional plans, you heard my speech over the weekend and took the appropriate action. Correct?”
“Yes. It was noted and passed to our agents,” Rossi said.
“So now, I’m going to wait to visit those other sites on our list.”
“Why wait when things are going our way?” Rossi asked.
“Because I want to see how the prices will fluctuate all this week and then make some new calculations. Also, I want to see if we can find this Mr. Adams. I have no love for GeoGlobal but we want their people to keep working in the fields and not be too distracted. At least until we get that contract signed.
“As for our next moves,” the president continued, “as we’ve discussed, keep watching my speech schedule. I sometimes decide at the last minute. It all depends on my mood and analysis of the markets. So when you see my next appearance, you will know it’s time again to contact our agents.”
Rossi simply nodded and smiled.
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
THE WHITE HOUSE–MONDAY MID-MORNING
“Samantha Reid to see Mr. Cosgrove,” she said, standing nervously at the Wilma’s desk outside the NSC advisor’s office.
“Yes, Miss Reid. He’s expecting you. Glad we could fit you in today.” The secretary motioned for Samantha to head into the corner office to the left and then turned back to her computer.
Samantha walked through the open door as Ken was getting up from his desk.
“Come sit at the conference table, Samantha. I’m very concerned about Mr. Adams. I’ve asked Evan Ovich to join us since he heads up our South American Directorate. He’s been working on a whole host of issues in Venezuela right now. Of course you know him.”
“Evan? Yes, he’s very good. Any help he can offer would be great.”
“I did get a call from an assistant secretary over at State about this case this morning,” Ken said. “So when your request came in about a meeting, I thought it best that we get together and see what we can coordinate from here.”
“Good morning, sir. Hi, Samantha,” Evan said, coming through the door.
“Why don’t you close the door, and we can get started,” the NSC advisor suggested. “Now then, we have word that this man, this Mr. Adams of GeoGlobal was kidnapped over the weekend.”
“Yes, I just got it too, and evidently Diplomatic Security is looking into it,” Evan said. “But to be honest, I don’t know how much clout they’ve got in Caracas. I mean, sure, they protect our Embassy people down there, but I’m concerned they may not know enough of the street types or common criminals who might have pulled this off.”
“And there are plenty of those gangs around,” Ken said. “What about CIA connections? I’m sure our station chief at the embassy has resources. Have you been in touch with him yet?”
“Yes,” Evan said. “Just got off a secure line. He’s got a few contacts with people who deal with the narcos. They’re better organized. And he also tries to keep track of the police and politicians who are on the take. He’s working his sources. But the gangs? Not sure about that,” Evan said.
Ken turned to Samantha who was watching the exchange with mounting fear. “You said you know this Mr. Adams?”
“Yes, sir. I do. We’ve been meeting about their gas pipeline attacks.” Samantha didn’t think a paragraph on her very personal connection was in order right now. “As I’m sure you’ve heard, he’s the vice president of GeoGlobal that owns those lines. But in this case, they sent him to Caracas to try and negotiate with the government because they’re trying to take over the last of the co
mpany’s oil properties.”
“That socialist bastard has confiscated just about every means of production. No wonder their economy is completely busted,” Evan said.
“What about this man’s background?” Ken asked. “I’ve asked for a complete bio. But from what you know, do you have an opinion as to whether he could take care of himself? I mean, what’s he like? Is he a big man? Do you think he’s strong? I want to find out if he could withstand some rough treatment? If that’s what’s going on here”
Samantha tensed up. “Rough treatment? You think they …?”
“We wouldn’t know,” Ken said. “We have had a number of kidnap cases, especially in Colombia, Mexico, and South Africa that didn’t end too well.”
Samantha shuddered, folded her arms across her chest and took a deep breath as he added, “But we have no reason to believe they want him for anything other than ransom money. I doubt if whoever has him is trying to make any sort of political statement. After all, the report is that some local police were in on the abduction. So it’s probably just for money.”
Just for money. His life is in danger and it’s just for money, she thought as she looked from Ken to Evan for reassurance. “Uh, you asked about his background. I do know that he was in the Navy and later worked for Greyfield.”
“Bingo!” Evan said. “They must not have known that or they wouldn’t have taken him. Navy? Greyfield? This guy can absolutely take care of himself.”
“But for how long?” Samantha asked.
“Who knows?” Ken said. “First, I’m sure GeoGlobal will get some sort of demand for a payment. Once that contact is made, we’ll have something to go on. If it’s a courier, we’re in luck because we can often trace him back.”
“And if it’s just emailed or phoned in?” Samantha asked.
“Of course, we’d try to locate the source,” Evan said. “But as you well know, our government doesn’t deal with ransoms to terrorist organizations or kidnappers of any stripe. That’s our policy. If you give in to one group, you’ve suddenly put every traveling American in danger.”
“So are you telling me that our government is powerless to find him and rescue him?” Samantha asked, her voice faltering.
“He didn’t say that,” Ken said. “If we can assist in locating the kidnappers, we would coordinate with the company. What he meant is that the US Government would not pay a ransom. But then you know that.”
“Yes. Sure. I know that,” Samantha said in a soft voice. But that’s not really true. Obama paid the Iranians over a billion dollars, saying it was just part of a nuclear deal. But right after that, our hostages held in Tehran were miraculously released. And we’ve traded foreign spies for captives since the Revolutionary War. Our Seal Teams have rescued a ton of people. Even people who weren’t spies like sea captains kidnapped in Somalia. I can’t believe there’s nothing we can really do. She sat back and listened as Ken talked some more.
“Our embassy has already contacted the Venezuelan government. They say they know nothing about it. In this particular case, we’re inclined to believe them. State has its people going over the details …”
“And GeoGlobal says they’ve set up a war room down there,” Samantha interjected, “but what can they do?”
“Look,” Ken said, “the situation in Venezuela is pretty dicey right now. Since you’re involved in this issue, let me bring you up to speed on some other developments.”
“Other developments?” she asked, arching her eyebrows.
“Yes. Well, Evan, do you want to fill her in on your project? She’s got all the clearances.”
“Sure. You see their president has called for snap elections right after Christmas. Guess he thinks the people won’t have much time to rally the opposition. This guy is very cagey. I’ve been studying him for a long time. He’s part populist and part dictator. He says he wants to help the peasants, but he reads books about the old French and English kings. My sources say he loves to find out how they held onto power. That sort of thing. But this is the twenty-first century, and the students are fighting back. They have a whole slate of candidates, including a pretty strong guy who’s running against the president. Now, they’re organizing rallies again.”
Evan looked over at Ken, “Did you hear about the big march this morning? They arrested dozens of kids and hauled them off to some new prison they just built. I got an email from a contact in FR. He said it was almost turned a bloody riot.” He turned back to Samantha. “And it’s not just students who are protesting the government. Reporters Without Borders, Human Rights Watch, even Amnesty International are all weighing in on this schmuck. So there’s a lot riding on these elections. As for the rest of our efforts, I won’t bore you with the details, but with all that’s going on, I’m pretty sure their president wouldn’t be out there kidnapping American businessmen. He’s got enough to worry about just trying to stay in office, even if he does control most of the election machinery.”
“I see,” Samantha said. “What do you think the chances are that he’ll be ousted?”
“Not very good right now. Sure, the students are organizing, passing out cell phones, sending text messages, handing out radios. We’re beaming in newscasts from a ship offshore, and they haven’t been able to jam that signal yet. We keep changing the frequency, and our contacts let the people know how to tune in. But still, it’s a tough row. As you know, we can only do so much, and it’s mainly in the area of communications. That’s it right now.”
“I realize he’s a terrible dictator,” Samantha said. “But back on Tripp. I mean Mr. Adams. He went to Caracas on Friday. He was supposed to have a series of meetings with their energy people to try, as I said, to stop this last take-over of their operations down there. So, I agree with you that it wouldn’t make any sense for the government to be involved in this kidnapping.”
“As for taking American company assets, that’s not the half of it,” Ken said. “We’re also focused on his contacts with Iran, China, Russia as well as the Hezbollah militia that’s taken root in South America, especially in the tri-Border area. He cooperates with those terrorists in smuggling operations, training camps and all the rest. Just the way he’s cooperated, or at least turned a blind eye to FARC’s activities in Colombia.”
“In fact,” Evan added, “we’ve decided that the tri-border area, where Paraguay, Brazil, and Argentina come together, is probably the most important base for Hezbollah outside of Lebanon. They’re using it for training and recruitment. And with easy access up through Brazil and then Venezuela, they can work their way north to our border. It’s not a happy thought.”
“There are even more extremists harbored in the Trinidad Tobago area right off the coast of Venezuela.” Ken said. “Right now, our allies get LNG from Trinidad, and we don’t know how long that source is going to last.”
“Liquid natural gas. Yes, I know,” Samantha said.
“That government is run by a bunch of Islamic militants who are cozy with el presidente. They all hate our guts,” Evan said. “So as you can see, his continuation in office poses huge problems for us in more ways than one.”
“The bottom line on the Venezuelan dictatorship is this. If there were any way to dislodge this guy and get more of a democratic government installed, more of an ally instead of a Castro-type, it would be better for us and for all of South America. Europe too. That’s for sure,” Evan said.
Samantha sat back and looked from one man to the other. “So you’re saying there’s a lot on the line right now, and the kidnapping of Tripp, uh, Mr. Adams, is just one more problem we don’t need.”
“I wouldn’t put it quite that harshly,” Ken said. “We’re always concerned when an American citizen is in trouble.”
“But isn’t there anything we can do to try and find him?” Samantha pleaded?
Evan met her gaze and answered, “I’m going to go back to our student contacts. See if they’ve gotten any gossip from the streets. See if any of their people might have
heard about these gangs or where they might be holed up.”
“Well, at least that’s something,” Samantha said. “Oh, but GeoGlobal is saying that there shouldn’t be any publicity on this. Not yet. They want to wait and see if they get some sort of ransom message first.”
The two men nodded. Ken checked his watch and got up from the small table. “I’ve got another appointment, but we’ll all keep working this issue. Evan, you be our point man here. Coordinate with State, especially their Diplomatic Security people at our embassy there. Meanwhile,” he turned to Samantha, “if you hear anything from GeoGlobal, about Mr. Adams or anything new on the pipelines, I’m sure you’ll let both of us know.”
She stood up, pushed her hair back off of her forehead and muttered, “Sure.”
As she walked out of the NSC suite of offices and headed toward the stairs, all she could think about was the fact that she had come to the NSC advisor hoping he would have some brilliant idea about a way to find Tripp and rescue him. She had hoped that with all of the government’s contacts, undercover agents, and all the rest, she would be given some idea of a plan that was already in place or at least one they were working on. She had visions of special forces pinpointing his location using some newfangled surveillance equipment and rushing in to free Tripp from a bunch of bad guys hiding in a cave somewhere. But she finally had to admit to herself that it only happened in movies and some of the more far-out thriller novels.
All she really heard in this meeting was a summary of their efforts to check a few contacts. The rest of the time was spent outlining the dire situation regarding the government and people of Venezuela which meant the US Government had much bigger fish to fry than being concerned about one man. Tripp Adams.
Final Finesse Page 16
