“My choice would be the owner’s suite. It’s larger, has a big window facing the front, and has access only from a hall in back that runs the length of the building.”
Murdock turned to Horowitz. “Did the team with the President have a SATCOM with them?”
“Yes. That must be how they called for help. Oh, yes, so now the Koreans may have the SATCOM as well, so we can’t use yours. You do have one?”
“That’s a roger, Mr. Horowitz. We just lost another trump card. We have to do it on our own.”
“Overhead planning for this trip called for two Airborne Ranger Platoons to drop in here in case of any trouble,” Horowitz said. “What happened to them?”
“The coast is on a total blackout,” Senior Chief Sadler said. “They got snafued up along the coast somewhere when a county sheriff wouldn’t let them take off at the city airport. Not sure where they are. They were supposed to arrive the same time we did.”
“Back to the planning board,” DeWitt said on the radio. “We’ll need men in front and in back of the place. You want Bravo to take the back and cut off any of them bugging out?”
“Yes,” Murdock said. “But keep your silenced weapons for the kitchen entrance on that end. Use your MP-5’s. When the front is clear, send Fernandez around back to check for guards there.”
“Right. Three men in there should be enough. Leaves me five to cover the whole back. Can do.”
“I know two of my men have MP-5’s in their drag bags, which gives us four silenced.” Murdock turned to Horowitz. “How many of the North Ks are there?”
“Eighteen. So with the general and me, we match up man for man.”
“Can you call in your Uzis? Go ahead and make a net call, and tell your men that they should report to their areas for Plan B, and be there promptly at 1930.”
“Won’t that tip off the Ks?” the general asked.
“Not really. We’ll be moving in long before then. But it might get some of the Secret Service men closer to the buildings wondering what is happening. They heard the Korean demand for surrender. So they’ll be cautious.”
“I was second in command of our protection unit,” Horowitz said. “If I tell them, they’ll move. They know the net is compromised. They’ll have to figure out what Plan B is. We don’t have one.”
“At least it will give the Ks something to worry about,” DeWitt said. “I like it.”
Sadler came back with the cammies and an MP-5 with five magazines. “Best we have, General. These might be a little large, but we can roll up the pants legs.”
“This is great, Chief, thanks.” She took the gear and walked into the woods.
When she was gone, Murdock frowned. “Let’s not get a general shot on our watch. She is to be kept out of harm’s way. We keep her safe in every way except tackling her. Agreed?”
The men nodded. “I should take her to the rear to be in our blocking position,” DeWitt said. “But I can’t get her over here.”
Murdock shook his head. “She wouldn’t agree to that. She wants to be out front. I’ll post her with the front sniper. She can help watch for any targets out there. Might hold her.
“Jaybird, Lam, and I will go in the bedroom end of the place after Lam and Fernandez eliminate any guards out front. Then I want Fernandez to go around to the back and check for any exterior guards. When the front and back are clear, then the two three-man teams move into the house. Any problems or suggestions with this plan?”
“We use only silence MP-5’s inside?” Jaybird asked.
“Right, I’ll trade my Bull Pup for a Five.”
The SEAL radios came on.
“Skipper, I’m about fifty yards from the right end of the place,” Lam said. “So far I haven’t seen any guards out front or near the right end. They must have somebody here. I’ll keep watching.”
“Don’t go any closer,” Murdock said. “Settle down and wait. We have an hour before dusk.”
The general came back and grinned. “I haven’t had on cammies for over four years. Feels good. Now, does anybody have an extra floppy or a watch cap?”
Murdock reached in his combat vest and pulled out a black knit watch cap. “Will this one do?” he asked.
Major General Arnold chuckled. “Now I remember, you’re the Commander Murdock the CNO talks about. Wanted you on his staff, but you turned him down. Takes guts. He said you were right. You’re more valuable leading your platoon.”
Murdock smiled. “General, I hope you think the same thing when this operation is over. Our man up front said he can’t spot any outside guards. I don’t like that.”
“Seems they should have somebody watching their front and their back,” General Arnold said. “Looks like we’ll have to play it by ear and count bodies as we go. Right now, eighteen. Wish we could cut that down two or three before we go inside.”
Murdock took a deep breath and plunged forward. “General Arnold, one thing we need to get clear. On this mission, I’m in command. On this ground I outrank you. You can come along, but you will follow my orders. Do you agree?”
“Absolutely, Commander. I’m at your service. Just don’t leave me back here with the kitchen help. The two girls over there are friendly and nice, but I’d really hate to be stuck here.”
“Good. When we set up, I want you up with Lam. When he shifts to the right-hand end to enter, you’ll trade your MP- 5 for his Knight and be responsible for anything moving out front. You’ll have the new Knight sniper rifle. It’s semiautomatic, a lot like the SR25. I’d bet you can handle a long gun with no problem.”
“I was on the rifle team for five years. Then some skinny, redheaded, flat-chested little corporal beat me out for the last spot on the team. I nearly had her court-martialed.”
“Yeah, I bet. General, you’ll be firing at seventy-five to a hundred yards. Fish in a barrel for a sharpshooter.”
“Skipper, Fernandez here.”
“Go, Fernandez.”
“I’ve got one guard. He’s in and out of the kitchen. Eating all the time. Has a sub gun but nothing longer. I can take him out whenever you lads get in position. Seems like he’s on a definite post here.”
“Roger that. We’ll wait until dusk and move up. Hit them about 1820. You clear anyone there, then move to the rear. Right?”
“Copy that.”
Murdock looked at his watch. It was 1800. “Horowitz, have you ever had any Army training?”
“No, sir. Just the regular training.”
“We need a good man to stay here with the other two women. Can you take care of that job?”
“Yes, sir. If that’s the best spot for me.”
“We need you here. Watch for any Korean infiltrators. The rest of you, let’s move up to Lam and Fernandez. Copy that, DeWitt?”
“That’s a roger.”
“DeWitt, time for you to move the rest of your squad to the rear of the ranch house. Swing wide, leave Fernandez where he is as sniper, and get the rest of your guys into a blocking position forty yards behind the house if you have cover.”
“Roger that, we’re moving out.”
The Alpha Squad SEALs formed up in a single line, five yards apart with General Arnold in the center, and worked up the slope through the heavy brush and timber. They were completely screened from the ranch house.
Ten minutes later they jumped as a voice called to them. “You guys make enough noise to raise the dead,” Lam said as he stepped out from behind a big pine tree three feet from Murdock, who led the line. Lam grinned. “Well, maybe not that much. I’m about twenty yards up there, but the good cover stops here. So far I’ve spotted two guards. One is walking up and back in front of the place, and another one is shielding the entrance on this right end. Suggest that Fernandez take the front guy from his end. The man seems to move all the way to the kitchen. I think he has the munchies.”
Murdock settled the men down in the brush and crawled up to Lam’s lookout.
“Oh, yeah, I can see the one on this end,”
Murdock said. “He’s sitting on a chair with a cushion on it. Tough little guy. He’s got a long gun of some kind. Maybe an AK-47.”
“I’ll make sure of him first.”
“General Arnold will be up here with you. You take out the guard, and any more, then you move with me. Trade her your Knight for her MP-5. Be sure she has cover here.”
“Got it, Cap. We don’t want a major general gut-shot on our watch.”
They lay there watching the house.
“I haven’t seen anybody at the windows,” Lam said.
“Fernandez?” Murdock said into the Motorola.
“Go, Cap.”
“Have you spotted a second man who works the front and goes over to the kitchen?”
“Got him, Cap. He’ll be my first hit when he’s here. Then I get the second one. All silent. Roger that.”
“We wait until it’s almost dark, maybe twenty minutes. You in position, DeWitt?”
“All hunkered down and waiting. Fernandez is at the front sniper station, and I’ll take Canzoneri and Franklin with me to the kitchen entrance. Mahanani will use the Knight here in back looking for guards. Give us a countdown from five minutes and I’ll get everyone settled in.”
“Roger that, DeWitt.”
Murdock moved General Arnold and Luke Howard up to Lam’s sniper spot. “I want both of you to stay here for any movement out front. Bradford, Ching, Sadler, and Van Dyke, you’ll stay spread out about here for a blocking team. Spread out twenty yards apart across the front now, guys. Nothing and nobody gets past you.”
“Murdock, I’ve got Donegan, Victor, and Jefferson in blocking.”
They waited. Murdock checked his blockers, then led General Arnold and Howard up near Lam. He found good cover for the two of them five yards behind Lam.
“All set?” Murdock asked the general.
“As much as ever. First combat I’ve seen since Desert Storm. Don’t worry, I won’t shame you.”
Murdock checked his watch.
“DeWitt, you have your five before we move.”
“Copy that.”
Mahanani checked his view of the rear of the house again. He had seen no guards out back, but there could be one stationary one. DeWitt hurried back to his spot near the kitchen, keeping thirty yards of brush and trees between him and the structure. He met Canzoneri and Franklin, and they planned their run to the kitchen door after the guards were down.
The sun had been behind the far ridges for twenty minutes when dusk dropped in on the ranch house.
“Snipers in front,” Murdock said. “It’s a go. Your weapons are free.”
Lam had been sighting the Knight sniper rifle in on the North Korean at the end of the ranch house. The man had just stood up and stretched. Lam refined his sight and pulled the trigger.
18
Lam’s silent shot huffed into the high Sierra night air. The North Korean guard slammed forward, dropped his long gun, and sprawled next to the ranch house. Murdock waited, watching the man through his NVGs. The green image in the night goggles showed the man as still as death.
Lam swung his head to the left and checked the other guard. The one who had been walking his post came almost to the kitchen, then stumbled and fell. Lam squirmed back to the general and traded weapons with her.
“Nineteen rounds left in the magazine,” he said. He took the MP-5 and her magazines and moved to the tree that he and Murdock had picked out for their meet. The other two SEALs were there, and Jaybird motioned him forward. They jogged the forty yards to the right-hand entrance and paused a dozen feet away to watch it. They saw no movement.
The dead guard lay where he had fallen. Jaybird sprinted for the door and tried it. Unlocked. He pulled it open slowly. Coleman gas lights were on now inside the house. He could see down a hallway with numerous doors leading off it. Murdock and Lam crowded behind Jaybird. Murdock motioned to the first two doors on the left, pointing to the other two men. He had the doors on the right. He stepped into the hall and waited. No sound, no movement.
Murdock turned the knob on the first door and jolted it open. The room was empty, but clothes were scattered on the unmade bed. He eased down the hall to the second door. He saw Lam and Jaybird shake their heads as they exited their rooms.
They checked the eight doors on the wing and found no people in any of them, and no dead bodies. When they came to the large living room they waited. DeWitt had to be coming down there somewhere.
On the other end of the ranch house, Ed DeWitt watched the two guards go down from the sniper rifle. One tried to crawl away, but a second round stopped him. DeWitt and his two men rushed to the kitchen door. They opened it and found two cooks there busy with their job of getting a meal.
They looked up in surprise.
“Who the hell are you guys?” the taller of the cooks, with the white chef’s hat, asked.
“Navy SEALs. Where are the kidnappers?”
“Hell, got me. Last I saw of them, this one boss gook guy said he wanted a box of sandwiches and six gallons of water. Made them up for him. Must have been an hour ago.”
“Any of the staff still here?” DeWitt asked.
“Don’t think so. Everybody ran out when the helicopters blew up. We were working and didn’t even hear it. Didn’t know nothing was wrong until the Chinks came in.”
“They’re North Koreans.”
“Slants, what’s the difference? You guys hungry?”
“Later,” DeWitt said, and hurried through the kitchen into a hallway that led to a pair of empty but recently used bedrooms, then a big double door.
“Clear it?” Canzoneri asked. DeWitt nodded. He grabbed the door handle and shoved the panel open. Nothing happened. Canzoneri looked around the doorjamb from floor height.
“Can’t see anybody,” he said.
De Witt charged into the room, his MP-5 swinging to cover it. There were two rooms and a big window facing the front. Had to be the owner’s suite.
“Nobody,” DeWitt said. They left the room and moved down a short hall to an empty dining room, then to the large living room.
“Entering the living room area,” DeWitt said on his Motorola.
“Copy that,” Murdock said. “We’re here as well. We came up empty.”
“So did we, except for two cooks,” DeWitt said. “The Ks have bugged out.” The SEALs moved forward cautiously through the living room and activity room until they met.
“Looks like we’re all clear on the ranch house,” Murdock said to the Motorola. “You men on blocking, turn around and give us a perimeter while we figure out what to do. Snipers come inside. You too, General Arnold.”
Murdock frowned. “First we check out this place and see if they hid anybody here, or if any of them are hiding. Let’s do a complete search. Ed, take the kitchen and those rooms down there. Alpha Squad will do the bedrooms down the other way. Let’s do it.”
Twenty minutes later Lam opened a closet in one of the bedrooms and jumped back. Two dead bodies fell out.
“Skipper, better come take a look. Fourth bedroom from the end.”
Murdock checked the bodies. “The man was shot to death, two in the back of his head. An execution. He must be the Secret Service guy. Jaybird, go down and bring back the three civilians we left behind.”
The second body was a woman, early thirties. “Probably one of the dining-room servers,” Lam said. She had also been shot, Murdock saw, two rounds to the chest. DeWitt checked in by radio. His men had found nothing in their search area.
The SEALs met in the living room. “So do the Ks have the President or don’t they?” DeWitt asked.
“We can’t tell,” Murdock said. “They left. Why? Could be because they had the President, and that’s what they came for.”
“Where can they go up in this wilderness?” Lam asked. “Unless they have some alternative transport, like a backup chopper somewhere.”
“Let’s hope not,” Canzoneri said. “Then we’ll never find them.”
; “Lam, can you track them in the dark?” Murdock asked his lead scout.
“Should be fifteen or sixteen of them. That will make a good trail. Give me two Maglites and I’ll give it a shot.”
Horowitz came running in. “You find the President?”
“Afraid not, Mr. Horowitz,” DeWitt said.
“Use your radio and bring in all of your men,” Murdock said. “Have them bring any civilians with them. The Koreans have left the area, so it should be safe. Tell them to make themselves known. We have a perimeter set out.”
Jaybird took the Secret Service man down the hall to identify the dead man, and soon they heard a scream of protest.
Lam took two flashlights and went to talk to the cooks.
“Yeah,” said the taller cook, “they took the box of sandwiches, put them in their packs, and the water jugs, and took off. Was still light then. They headed out the back door here and walked due left down toward Wildcat Canyon. It’s about two miles over.”
Lam told Murdock what he knew on the net and headed out the door, checking the ground for what should be at least fifteen sets of footprints. Even on a trail he should be able to follow them. In the brush or woods it would be easier.
The Secret Service men and the resort staff began drifting in. There were four more government men, and they brought eight workers along with them. The Secret Service men huddled at one side. Horowitz left them and talked to Murdock.
“We want to use your SATCOM to call our office in D.C. and tell them what’s happened and ask for instructions.”
Murdock shook his head. “Not a good idea. We don’t know what’s happened. If we say the President has been kidnapped, it could cause a panic. Let’s hold off awhile. Your office can’t help us right now. What we need is a company of Marines for a blocking action and a pair of choppers with infrared imagers to show us where the Koreans are. We don’t have either and won’t get them. We wait on Lam and move out when he tells us to.”
The cook DeWitt had talked to came in and grinned when he saw all the people.
“Good, somebody to feed. I have sandwiches and beef stew in the dining room if anyone is interested. There also is plenty of coffee, tea, and soft drinks. I’ve set up for thirty, is that enough?”
Payback sts-17 Page 19
