Deadly Journey

by Declan Conner

  ‘Who’s this Andreas?’ I asked. ‘Wouldn’t he have family who’d denounce me?’

  ‘It’s my ex-boyfriend’s name, and he doesn’t have any family living. It was all we could come up with when we met Pedro’s contact at the embassy.’

  My mouth gaped open. As if it wasn’t bad enough to have worn a stiff’s clothes in prison, I was now sporting a dead man’s name. I shook my head and slipped the passport in my back pocket. ‘I guess I’ll have to live with it for now. Can’t say I’m happy about it being your ex.’

  ‘Me either, but like you say, we’ll have to live with it.’

  I turned to Pedro. ‘Pedro, back at the villa, you said that I was the target of the Cobra cartel. Did you get a name of who had tipped them off I was there?’

  ‘No, we didn’t get that far. The guy we tortured didn’t have as strong a heart as you. Whoever it was, they must have some serious connections to offer them favours in return for taking you out. I’m just pleased you acted on my message. Although I didn’t think that you’d take Leandra with you. I thought maybe you’d arrange for a rescue team to free her.’

  ‘So it was you who left the message on the soap.’

  ‘Yeah, I had an idea you had the tracker key, when the guard who took you back to the villa reported to me he’d lost his. I thought the key would spur you into action. Lucky I kept watching you.’

  ‘Not so lucky for Perez.’

  I turned to Leandra. ‘Is that the copy of Perez’s computer?’ I asked.

  ‘Yes. I also have a pen drive copy for you and the battery is fully charged.’

  ‘Do we have a mobile net connection?’

  ‘Yes, why?’

  ‘Pass it here. There’s something I want to check on the Internet.’

  Leandra sat beside me and placed the computer on the mattress. When she pressed the ON button, flashing LED lights sprang to life.

  ‘What about the money, Leandra? Do we still have it to help us start a new life?’ I asked.

  ‘Some of it is in bags in the back of the SUV. The rest is safe.’

  ‘Good.’

  The signal was weak and it seemed to take forever to connect to Google Maps. Once on the site, I tapped in the coordinates for an area of the border I was familiar with and scrolled along the border road.

  ‘What are you looking for?’ Pedro asked.

  ‘I’ll explain when I find it.’

  Continuing to scroll, I found what I was looking for and zoomed in on the target.

  ‘Bingo.’

  ‘What is it that’s so interesting?’ Pedro asked.

  Chapter 61

  Slight Detour

  When I looked at the satellite view on Google Maps, the RV was intact and there was no gray Ford parked alongside it on the old image. Scrolling a short distance west from the RV, I saw the shadow of a wind turbine come into view, and then the turbine itself surrounded by a picket fence. Zooming out, I traced my finger south through the forecourt of a gas station, across the border road and over the fence.

  ‘There it is. That’s what I’m looking for.’

  ‘And what’s that?’ Pedro asked.

  ‘There, that small industrial complex south of the border.’ I zoomed out further. ‘See that wind generator, that’s the entrance to the drug-smuggling tunnel and that’s the RV where they held me before sending me under the border. I don’t remember any bends in the tunnel, so I figure that building is the exit point.’

  My finger stabbed at the screen.

  ‘Well done,’ said Pedro, giving me a round of mock applause. ‘What good will that do you?’

  ‘I’m not sure yet, but it’s more than I knew five minutes ago.’ I panned out to gain a wider image. ‘I figure it’s an hour’s drive from El Paso.’ I scrolled over to the east and down. ‘There we are, that’s where we are, and there’s Ciudad Juárez. How long do you think it would take to get to the industrial complex?’

  ‘Around one and a half hours if we cut through the back roads. Why the hell do you feel a need to go there?’ he asked.

  ‘We may not have to, but I have an idea.’

  ‘Yeah, well, let me give you a better idea. Leandra has some packed meals in the back of the SUV. Let’s eat and then be on our way and forget the tunnel.’

  ‘Great idea,’ said Leandra, and sliding her backside off the mattress, she headed outside.

  Pedro kept his scowl together with his eyes glancing in my direction. ‘Come on, what are you scheming?’ he asked.

  ‘I can’t go ahead without trying something. I promise if it doesn’t work when I’ve made a few phone calls, I’ll forget what I have in mind and we can move on. But if I go, you can watch Leandra and if I don’t come back, you can set off without me.’

  ‘No one is watching anyone and there’s no way you’re going anywhere on your own,’ Leandra said as she breezed into the bedroom. ‘Look what happened last time. We’re here together and we stick together. Now explain what’s on your mind.’

  ‘Yes, ma’am.’ I saluted Leandra.

  ‘I’m listening,’ said Pedro.

  I ran through what was on my mind.

  ‘That’s stupid,’ Pedro said. ‘How do you know if you arrange to meet, your friend won’t set you up for a fall and have the authorities waiting to pick you up?’

  ‘I don’t, but that’s where you come in, if you’ll watch my back? I think I know where Rob is coming from better than anyone. I doubt he’ll contact the authorities.’

  ‘Are you sure you want to do this?’ Leandra asked as she set the Tupperware on the mattress.

  ‘I’m sure.’

  Pedro punched his hand in frustration. ‘Damn you, Kurt. Leandra, just tell him no.’

  ‘I can’t. I can understand he needs to know what’s happening, although I don’t agree with giving Rob the computer.’

  ‘You’ve got to trust me on this.’

  Leandra held her hands in the air in surrender.

  ‘Okay, but we need to study that Google image and make sure we have a getaway plan,’ Pedro said.

  ‘Right, while you two do that, I’ll go outside where there’s a better signal and make the calls. If nothing comes of it, then fair enough, we’ll be on our way.’

  Stepping outside the patio door, I took a deep breath. Fishing in my pocket, I took out a piece of paper with scribbled phone numbers and dialled Rob’s new cell phone number.

  ‘Rob, it’s Kurt.’

  ‘Kurt, thank goodness you called. I have a lot to tell you.’

  ‘You should have told me about Mary before.’

  ‘Oh, that, sorry. I just couldn’t bring myself to break the bad news, what with the court injunction preventing you from you seeing the kids and all. How are you holding up? Do you have a message for her?’

  ‘Tell her thanks. I’ll survive.’

  ‘Where are you calling me from? That’s a cell phone number on my screen.’

  ‘I’ve broken out of prison.’

  ‘What? Did I hear that right?’

  ‘You heard, I’m on the outside. What have you found out?’

  ‘Oh, Jesus, you’re putting me on the spot. Found out, right, well, yeah. Where to begin. I got some good intel to put you in the clear for north of the border. It all just needs to be corroborated. I’ve also found some interesting things in Walters’ background from his days in Black Ops. He’s still in Mexico. I hear he’s met up with one of his informants from MS-13. He’s really pissed at your attorney having Perez’s computer.’

  “Listen, if this is going to take forever, we should meet up. Where are you?’

  ‘Ciudad Juárez. I’ve just finished a meeting here. Did you find your girl with the computer?’

  ‘Yeah, I have it. Can you meet me in three hours?’

  ‘Where?’

  ‘It’s not far. Maybe an hour’s drive from where you are. I have the computer for you and you can tell me how you’re progressing at the same time.’

  ‘Have you checked out what’s
on the computer?’

  ‘No, there’s too much data. I’ll leave all that to you. Besides, the battery is almost done.’

  ‘Damn, Kurt. Don’t go getting pulled over.’

  ‘Don’t worry, once bitten and all that.’

  ‘Give me the details and I’ll be there.’

  I gave him all the details, closed the call and then dialled El Paso Homicide Division. ‘Jeff, how did your inquiries go?’

  I listened intently to his reply and after exchanging words, I arranged to phone back later in the day.

  The third call was a long shot, but I got through to the person I needed to speak to and once our business was finished, I pressed the OFF button.

  ‘Well, what are we doing?’ Pedro asked as he walked up beside me.

  ‘We’re going to the industrial complex – now. I can eat on the way. If we get going now, it gives us plenty of time to reconnoitre the area so we know there’s no trap being laid before the meeting with Rob. But I still say, he won’t call the authorities.’

  ‘How do you see it going down?’

  ‘You watch my back. Leandra can stay in the car and I’ll meet up with Rob. After that we can be on our way and you can finish your mission.’

  ‘Okay, let’s do it now.’

  Chapter 62

  Moment of Truth

  The light started to fade as we reached our destination. Pedro pulled off the road and parked behind a thicket of bushes.

  He said, ‘Let’s get this done with. Leandra, you stay here.’

  ‘You’re not leaving me here on my own.’

  ‘Stop whining. You’ll do as you’re told, woman. The men will do their work and then we’ll be away. The sooner I get you back to your family the better. I do have other things I could be doing.’

  Leandra sulked at Pedro’s sexist remark and drew her knees up to her chest. Pedro climbed out of his seat, walked to the back of the SUV and opened the rear door. I joined him as he rummaged around in his backpack. He took out some night-vision binoculars and picked up his scoped assault rifle.

  ‘Stay here and I’ll go scan the area.’

  Pedro disappeared through the bushes and I opened the door.

  ‘Come on, stretch your legs. He didn’t mean anything by what he said. It’s just soldier’s talk.’

  ‘I’ll give him soldier’s talk. If he wasn’t helping us, I’d have slapped the back of his head.’

  Leandra kicked a few stones around to vent her displeasure before the smile returned.

  Darkness quickly fell over the landscape.

  ‘Incoming,’ Pedro’s voice called out, and he joined us. ‘It’s all clear out there and he hasn’t arrived. I suggest you go down there and find a way in before he gets here. The buildings look deserted. If I see a convoy arrive, or a chopper in the distance, I’ll call your number. If that happens, abort and get the hell back here.’

  ‘Understood.’

  Crossing the road, clutching the computer, I followed a hedgerow and turned into the industrial complex. Pedro was right, the place was deserted, with dilapidated buildings and smashed windows. A stiff breeze whipped up the dust and stung my eyes. When I arrived at the building I saw a sign hanging askew over the entrance shutters. Menéndez Fruit Packing, it said on the sign.

  There were no windows and with my back to the wall, I shimmied around the side of the building until I reached a door. A chain secured to a bracket on the wall hung across the door, fastened with a padlock. I looked around on the ground and picked up a large stone. When I took hold of the padlock, I saw that the stone wasn’t necessary and I placed it back on the ground. The padlock was already smashed open and the chain unthreaded from the door handle. I tucked the laptop under my arm, drew my Glock from the back of my waistband, and slowly opened the door.

  At a vibration on my leg, I jumped, my heart skipping a beat. Taking my cell phone from my pocket while juggling my gun and the computer, I flipped it open and read the text message. I looked around, nervous of the light from the display and closed it, smiling at the message.

  Closing the door behind me, I opened my cell phone again and used it as a flashlight. A conveyer belt ran through plastic sheeting draped like the slats of a blind. I pushed them to one side and headed on through until I reached a pile of wooden fruit crates. I pulled two off the pile to make a seat and sat, closing my phone.

  Sitting in the darkness, I placed the computer on a crate next to me and waited, tucking my pistol back in my waistband. Opening and closing my cell phone quickly, I checked the time. Rob was fifteen minutes late.

  The door opened and I nearly jumped out of my skin at the noise of his entry. It sounded as though Rob had stumbled into a box of crates and they hit the floor with a crash. A bull elephant couldn’t have made as much noise. An energy-saver light glowed above me, and then started making pinging noises as it fired up to full strength. While affording some light, it still left the room dull and shadowy.

  ‘You in here, Kurt?’

  ‘Over here, Rob. Through the curtain.’

  Rob parted the slats, stepped through the curtain and stopped. ‘Well, well, who’d have thought? I see you’ve brought the computer.’

  ‘Yeah, it’s here.’ I patted the laptop. ‘You’re right, who’d have thought we’d be meeting like this.’

  ‘You’ve come a long way from that snot-nosed kid I first met at middle school. Who’d have thought you’d turn out to be a villain and an escaped fugitive.’

  ‘Yeah, surprising how our childhood shapes who we are. Remember our first meeting?’

  ‘Can’t forget. I thought I was going to whup your ass until you turned the tables on me with those crazy moves of yours.’

  ‘And we’ve been friends ever since. Where did it go wrong, Rob?’

  ‘Why are you saying that?’

  I eased off the crate and lifted my T-shirt. ‘I’m not wired if that’s what you think. Just you and me, Rob. Time for some honesty.’

  Rob laughed. ‘I know we’re alone. I arrived long before you. Where did it go wrong? Let’s see. Nah, the list is too long. You always were the smartass. Grabbing Mary when I went to the toilet at the nightclub was the biggest smartass move you ever made. I swore I’d get even one day.’

  ‘Ah, Mary. I wondered where she came into all this, but I didn’t like to think that scenario was true.’

  ‘You were too dumb to work it out.’

  ‘Oh, I think I’ve worked it out, all right. Was she in on the plan to have me killed?’

  ‘Nah, too sentimental for me to even suggest. She wouldn’t divorce you, even though we’d been having an affair for two years.’

  His words stabbed at my chest. ‘Well she’s divorcing me now. You have the job meant for me and I can’t set foot on American soil, so you can go live happily ever after in my shoes.’

  ‘I can when we’ve finished here.’ He slipped his hand inside his jacket and pulled out his pistol. ‘I just need to finish what I started. I hope you’re not expecting the cavalry?’

  He took hold of a slat and dragged the curtain open. My jaw dropped. Leandra and Pedro sat on the floor, gagged, their backs fastened together with duct tape. Rob fished in his pocket and held up a pen drive.

  ‘I’d say that’s all the loose ends tied up, wouldn’t you?’

  My chest constricted my breathing and I froze. ‘Aren’t you curious how I knew you put the hit on me?’ I blurted out for all I was worth, in a vain attempt to keep him talking.

  ‘Got to admit, I’m wondering.’

  ‘You continually whining about wanting a coffee before I sent you searching for drinks started me thinking. Then there was the watch. You wore my watch at Mary’s press conference. I thought it was a signal at first to show you were on my kidnappers’ trail.’

  He gripped his wrist. ‘Oh yeah, that watch. I guess that was a mistake.’

  ‘The only place you could have got it was from the tunnel, but you told me when you visited me in prison that you didn’t vis
it the RV.’

  ‘Well, you’re right and at the same time you’re wrong. I don’t know about any tunnel. The young thug I tortured told me where your firearm was and the watch was with it in the chocolate box under the sink. The punk also told me that the Perez cartel had bought out my contract for the hit. Still, I got even with them for double-crossing me.’

  ‘So it was you who slaughtered them and then tipped off the Cobra cartel where I was held?’

  ‘Well, yeah.’

  ‘And I guess then it was you who put the MS-13 up to killing me back there in prison?’

  ‘Got it in one.’

  ‘Then there’s the fact that Black Llama contacted our office, but you never told me.’

  ‘Oh, yeah, the Black Llama. Never mind that, how did you guess about me and Mary?’

  ‘Like you always say, Rob – instinct. If you think it, it’s likely true. And I’ve sure had plenty of time to chew things over. You weren’t interested in talking about the divorce and my kids when we met, a true friend would have done that. All you were interested in was if I had any idea who put the hit on me. It was that, and setting my mind on Walters as a suspect. If you’d have had the guts to tell me you two were an item, you wouldn’t have had to wait for her to divorce me. I’d have divorced her.’

  ‘I bet you’ve had plenty of time to think. In fact, I bet you wish you hadn’t escaped to give you more time to think. Still it’s all for nothing. Who do I kill first, you or your girlfriend?’

  ‘Just tell me one more thing, before you do anything. Was it you who shot Angelina?’

  ‘Unfortunate, but yes. When I heard from Walters that she was offering the computer for a deal, I had to get my hands on the hard drive. Like you said, if Perez was that meticulous at recording things, it might name me as the one who put the hit on you.’

  ‘So was it you who followed us here?’

  ‘Yup. I got your assistant’s address from Angelina’s office and I’ve followed her and her shadow here ever since. Gotta say, I didn’t expect you breaking out of jail. You could have knocked me over with a feather when you walked past me outside the prison in those priest’s clothes.’