A Modern Crime Novelette

IV.

 D.E.A. Safehouse, Nuevo-Laredo

Reyes sat up in the bed. He was breathing easier now. The Doctor had given him some pills and put him on oxygen. There was a gentle knock at the door and Agent Kessler of the D.E.A walked in. Reyes felt his face get hot. “You guys should know better than to rough up a fifty-year old man like that, Jesus on the Cross!” Kessler took a chair by the bed and sat down “We are sorry Captain Reyes, we truly are, but it was necessary to make your men believe the cartel had snatched you to maintain your cover” Reyes smirked. “Hell, as good as your guys are, they should go work for the damn cartel!” Kessler laughed at the comment and started sifting through some photos and papers in a folder he was holding. “I have been thinking. How did you get to the girl I was with, Jasmine?” Reyes asked. “She has been an informant for the Mexican D.F.S. and the D.E.A. for the past year.” Kessler replied still looking at the papers in the folder. “You have to protect her!” Reyes sat up in the bed. Kessler noticed Reyes’ blood pressure spiking. “Easy their Captain. We have already pulled her from circulation. She will be living a comfortable life in the U.S. with a new identity by the end of the week.” Reyes took a breath and relaxed. After settling down he began examining the room. “Where are we anyway? I don’t recognize this building.” Kessler smiled. “I would hope you would not recognize it. We are here unofficially at the request of your President. We were assigned this place for its overall shitty appearance from the outside…” Reyes shook his head. “If I had a peso for every U.S. agency that has been in Mexico ‘unofficially’ in the last decade, I would be a rich man!”

Kessler leaned forward and placed some black and white photo’s on the tray table in front of Reyes. “”You have met with this man, correct?” Reyes looked down at the photo and pushed them away. “Before we get into any of that I want to discuss my terms again.” Kessler let out a breath and leaned back in his chair. “The lawyers have already shown you the papers. When we are done with this investigation and secured the indictments, you and your family will be placed in Witness Protection and moved.” Reyes shook his head. “Not good enough. I want guarantees on where we will go. I do not want to go the U.S., the cartels have just as much power there as they do here. I want to go to New Zealand.” Kessler smiled, trying to diffuse his frustration. “Captain we have already told you we don’t handle that part of it. But we did notate your re-location preferences when we passed it on.” Kessler watched as Reyes’ face got red and the numbers on his blood pressure reading begin to climb. “Pedazo de mierda mentirosa.” Reyes cursed under his breath.  “Look you are not doing anybody any good, especially your family, getting upset like this. We are going to honor our side of the agreement but we need you to honor yours, now tell me about the man in this photo, you have met with him before, yes?” Kessler tapped the photo with his finger.

Reyes took a deep breath and picked up the picture. “Yeah. I’ve met with him before. Chandler, Logan Chandler, that was the name he gave me anyways.” Reyes replied. “And how many times have you met with him?” Kessler asked, taking out a small notepad. “Twice. The first time was three months ago and the last time was just a week ago.” Reyes replied. “Are you scheduled to meet with him again?” Kessler asked, still scribbling. “Yeah in three weeks if I have information on the load.” Reyes replied taking a drink of water. “Do you have a location?” Kessler asked. “No. I have a burner number I call. They call back with time and place.” Reyes replied dryly. “Have you seen any of these men with Chandler?” Kessler laid out pictures of Jolt and Tarzan. “Nope. He did have a driver the last time I met with him but I don’t see him here.” Reyes replied laying his head back on the pillow. Kessler gathered the photos and put them back in the folder. “So tell me again what it is exactly what information this Chandler was paying you for.” Reyes let out an exasperated breath. “How many times am I gonna have to tell this fucking story?” Kessler’s smile faded as his frustration with this cranky corrupt mexican cop boiled over. “Look, we have been more than patient with you, not to mention generous. If we wanted we could turn you over your own agency on dozens of corruption charges but instead we have brought you into the fold to work for us. Now the least you can do is help us with the details…” Reyes sat back up in the bed. “They wanted specific intel on anything related to CJNG and only CJNG. Loads, Processing sites, names of command hierarchy, etc. and they paid really fucking good for this intel.  I mean unprecedented prices.” Kessler was scribbling again. “So who are these fucking guys anyways?” Reyes asked. Kessler finished what he was writing and closed his book. “Well, best we can tell they are all Private Security Contractors, all well-trained ex-military spec-ops types.” Reyes shook his head. “You mean Mercenaries?” Kessler got up and started for the door. “Yeah, except these guys are not your average opportunistic war profiteers. Something tells me they have an agenda in mind.” Reyes cocked an eyebrow. “What agenda?” Kessler opened the door. “That is what you are gonna find out for us Captain Reyes at your next meet.” As Kessler walked out the door he could hear Reyes yelling. “I never agreed to that! Dios te maldiga Kessler!” A big grin spread across Agent Kessler’s face as he walked down the hall to his office.

3 weeks later – Near Monterrey, Mexico

Reyes was nervous. Sweat had begun to form on his brow and he felt nauseous. He did not know why he agreed to do this other than he did not want to go to a mexican prison for the next ten to twenty years. Corrupt cops had a lifespan of maybe a week inside if they were lucky. A Former associate, Lieutenant Juan Carlos Ramirez had been busted by an internal affairs investigation and got twelve years. Four days after he went inside they found him strung up in the showers, his cock and balls cut off and placed in his mouth and his intestines wrapped around his throat like a rope. The thought of it almost made Reyes puke. He took a drink of water. “I need another one of them sedatives.” Reyes asked Kessler sitting across from him in the van. “We need you focused and alert, not spaced out on xanax.” Kessler said. “Just take some deep breaths. Jesus, I don’t know why you are so nervous, you been doing this kind of shit your whole career!” Kessler laughed, looking at Reyes with a smirk. Reyes wanted to choke this conceited yanqui gringo. “I am nervous because these are obviously some serious people you stupid fucking pendejo! They think for a second I am a snitch and I am dead!” Reyes took another drink of water and wiped his brow with a handkerchief. “Look, just act and speak normal. Don’t push for anything, just let the conversation flow. Give them the information we gave you and that’s it. Your job is done. And don’t worry, We will be close by in case something goes wrong.” Kessler reassured him. “How will you know something’s gone wrong?” Reyes asked, his eyes wide. Kessler smiled. “If we hear a gunshot or if we find your body hanging from a bridge tomorrow, that’s how we will know.” That is what Kessler wanted to say to this slimy, piece of shit, but he didn’t. “Look, we can’t bug you, they are too smart for that, even with a cell phone, so if you don’t get out of that car in ten minutes we will close in, fair enough?” Color returned to Reyes’ face upon hearing that. He straightened his shirt, checked his hair in the mirror and got out of the van. Kessler watched him as he walked over and got in the car that was to take him to the meet. One of their guys, dressed up like a Mexican Federal Cop, would drive him there. After they had driven away he reached underneath the seat and took out a small flask of Johnny Walker Black. He took a long drink. Twenty years ago Kessler could have never lied to an asset like he had just done with Reyes, but who was he kidding? There would be no saving him if things went sideways. There would be no wit-sec to New Zealand. The only thing that awaited Captain Reyes at the end of this was a Mexican prison and most likely a gruesome death once inside. Kessler expected to feel something for the poor sod. Remorse? Compassion? No, he felt none of it. This job had twisted him inside out and made his heart a stony rock. Besides, Reyes had made his bed. He had made his choices. He was just another corrupt mexican cop. When he was gone there would be a thousand more fighting to take his place. It was a never-ending cycle down here. If these guys killed him, so what, it saved him a ton of paperwork. Just as long as he delivered the information the D.E.A. had given him to deliver, that was all that mattered.

The meet was to take place at a small cantina twenty minutes out-of-town. When Reyes arrived Chandler was already there. Walking in, Reyes noticed Chandler had taken a booth which afforded him a view of the front and back door plus the parking lot. “Am I Late Senor Chandler?” Reyes asked smiling as he sat down. “No, not at all.” Chandler responded. After a few moments, a young, petite waitress comes over and take their order. Chandler orders Pozole’ and a beer while Reyes, still nauseous, just ask for bottled water. “You sure you don’t want to eat something Captain? You look a bit peaked.” Chandler ask. Reyes smiles. “No. Thank you. I think I am trying to come down with something.” Chandler nods in understanding and scoots his chair away from him a few inches. Reyes laughs. “Don’t worry Mr. Chandler I don’t think it is catching.” Logan remains stone faced. “Well, no offense but I don’t want to take any fucking chances, I know how you like the whores…” At first Reyes was inclined to take offense, but then he laughed and realized this is just the way these Americans joked. The waitress came over and sat down the drinks, plus a basket of chips and salsa. “So what you got for us today Captain?” Logan asked. Without missing a beat, Reyes began reciting the story the D.E.A. had him memorize. As he talked a surreal feeling came over him as if he was sitting in an audience, watching himself perform. He suddenly became nauseated and had to excuse himself.

An hour later Logan, Tarzan and Luis were headed back to Camp Inferno. Logan sat  in the back seat with a digital camera scrolling though the stills. “He stayed in that van for twenty minutes then got in another car and came to meet you.” Logan studied the pictures. “I don’t recognize these dudes. They’re not contractors or agency. What about the plates?” Logan asked. “The van and the car were both registered to a leasing company out of Houston. I got my guy digging deeper on it.” Tarzan replied. Logan looked out the window. There was a storm rolling in from the east off the gulf. “What kind of information did he give?” Luis asked, turning around in his seat. Logan did not answer, he was still lost in thought looking at the approaching storm. Luis reached back and touched Logan on the shoulder, stirring him back to the present. “Hey, Logan, what did Reyes say?” Logan took a breath. “Same thing as last time, heavily protected convoy, twelve to sixteen armed men, blah, blah…” Luis turned and looked at Tarzan with a confused look. “Well whats wrong with that? Sounds pretty good to me!” Logan shook his head. “No Rookie, it’s not good. It’s pure bullshit. No way the CJNG is gonna transport the same way after losing 4 tons of fucking product.” Logan replied. “Well, what then? You think he’s trying to set us up?” Luis asked. “There is no thinking about it. I KNOW he is setting us up, the only question is WHY.” Logan replied as rain begin to fall from the storm. Tarzan turned on the wipers and Logan cracked his window. He loved the smell of fresh rain. “Snatch and Grab Job Coming up Tarzan, your specialty…” Logan said as he slapped the big South African on the shoulder from the back seat. Tarzan smiled and gave Logan the thumbs up. “No worries, we will snatch up that little piggy and make him squeal!” Tarzan replied laughing. Luis shook his head. These guys were born too late he often thought, They would have been right at home as 9th Century Vikings.

D.E.A Safehouse – 3 Days Later

Kessler was finishing up some reports when Hopkins, their in-house surveillance man and former CIA spook, knocked on the door. He was a tall, lanky fellow in his mid-forties who was one of the few in the office who still had a full head of hair. A career bachelor, he always was dressed to the nines, able to actually buy decent suits, not JC Penney off-the-rack specials.”Yeah what you got Hop?” Hopkins smirked at the abbreviation. Why the hell couldn’t people just say his whole name? He laid a folder on the desk and plopped down in a chair. “We put a revolving tail on them when they left Monterrey. They drove into Quetzalcóatl International where they split up into three cars. We had a one out of three chance so we stuck with Chandler. After playing ring around the rosy with us for two hours, which included taking a cab to the racetrack and getting on a bus to the library, he ended up here.” Hopkins pointed to a black and white photo of a house at 2713 Rosevine. Kessler stared at the photo. “OK, so he went to a house, Whatta we know about it?” Kessler opened up a roll of life savers and popped one in his mouth. He did not offer Hopkins one. “Well, not a lot. It and three more houses on the same street are all owned by a Construction consortium based out of Panama called OPTIMO TRADING Inc.” Hopkins took off his glasses and began cleaning them with a handkerchief. Kessler sat there waiting for the briefing to continue. “OK, so these mercenaries work for a construction consortium? What am I missing here?” Hopkins continued cleaning his glasses. Making Kessler wait for information he badly needed was the only way he could get back at him for abbreviating his name. It was office politics 101. “Hopkins!” Kessler’s frustration boiled over. “Ok, Ok, don’t blow a gasket!” Hopkins got up from his chair and walked around the desk. “When I saw the OPTIMO name it rung a familiar bell, so I went back to a report I remember EUROPOL put out last year.” Hopkins leafed through the papers in the folder and pulled out one marked CLASSIFIED with the heading Possible Foreign Intelligence Shell Companies Operating in Europe. Kessler read through the entire list and then looked up at Hopkins wide-eyed. “You’re telling me these Mercs are working for the CIA?” Hopkins nodded. “I called in one of my last favors for this and what I learned amazed even me.” Hopkins walked over and sat back down.

Sensing how big a favor Hopkins had just done him, Kessler loosened up the formality. “You wanna drink?” Kessler opened the bottom file drawer and pulled out a bottle of scotch and two glasses. “Sure, why not, it’s only ten in the morning.” Kessler poured each of them a mild snort. “So tell me what is so amazing about what is going on at 2713 Rosevine?” Hopkins sipped the scotch and leaned back in the chair. “Before I do, our prior agreement still stands, yes?” Kessler nodded. “Of course, mums the word!” Hopkins smiled. “OK, You joined the DEA in what? Ninety-One, Ninety-Two?” Hopkins asked. “March of Ninety-One, why?” Kessler replied arching an eyebrow. “Did you ever hear about a joint CIA/DEA-Operation called Hallowed Thunder?” Hopkins asked, taking another drink. Kessler shook his head in disbelief smiling.”You’re shitting me! The CIA and DEA actually worked together in a meaningful way?” Hopkins kept a solemn face. “Yeah. They did.” Kessler’s smile faded. “Doing what?” Hopkins stood up and walked to the window, which had been painted over with a paint the color of faded limes.”Consolidating the Cocaine trade in South America.” Hopkins replied still staring out the window. Kessler gave Hopkins a crazy look. “Consolidating? As in ensuring there is only one Cartel? One Boss?” Hopkins turned around and looked at Kessler for a long moment. Then the proverbial  light bulb went off.  “Holy Shit!” Kessler exclaimed. He felt as if he had just been punched in the stomach. Hopkins smiled. “I know it’s a bitter pill. Especially from the law enforcement side. But you gotta remember there are bigger things at stake here. After all, we are talking about an income stream that can prop up the entire U.S. Economy! Illegal or not, that is worth protecting.” Hopkins stopped at the door.”Now remember our deal Kessler. You never heard this. I was never here…” As Hopkins left the office Kessler reached for the wastebasket and vomited.

Just down the hall Captain Reyes sat in his “holding cell”, which was nothing more than a twelve by twelve square foot room with a locked door. He had been sitting up in bed reading a novel given to him by one of the agents, The Godfather by Mario Puzo when he began overhearing a conversation through the paper-thin walls that was taking place down the hall. The D.E.A. had made a mistake in choosing this location he thought to himself. In Mexico, unlike the United States, construction standards were lower. Only exterior walls were insulated, not interior. Combine this fact with the cheap sheet rock that was often used and Conversations had in rooms down the hall could be heard very easily, as if you were present in the room. Reyes took a pen and in the back of his book jotted down the following: Operation Hallowed Thunder.

To Be Continued…

A Modern Crime Novelette

III.

Camp Inferno

After the meeting Luis’ head was spinning. He did not know what to worry about more. The fact they were involved in an illegal operation that could send them all to prison for the rest of their lives or that they were about to ambush a convoy of heavily armed narco’s jacked up on coke that outnumbered them four to one. “OK guys, the boss wants us to do a dry run’s of the ambush, but first I asked Steven to give us a little demonstration of the close air support that we are going to receive on this job.” With that Jolt got up and left and after a few minutes, the high-pitched whine of the helo’s engines could be heard. Logan opened the door and led Luis and Tarzan over to the east side of the camp behind the shoot house. “I had some old piece of shit junkers drove or towed out here just for this so you guys could be reminded of what close air support really is!” Logan laughed with excitement. The three men walked to the edge of an old dried up riverbed. Decades of erosion had created a natural depression in the land that resembled a huge salad bowl. The small valley was two miles long and a mile wide at the widest point. Five cars had been parked in a staggered, single file line on the valley floor. Logan handed Luis a pair of binoculars. “I even had a few mannequins set up down there just to add to the realism…” Luis smiled as he scanned the targets below. Logan keyed up the radio in his hand. “Whenever you are ready Jolt.” The radio crackled with static and then an excited voice broke through. “Coming in HOT from the south! Romeo Foxtrot Shall we Dance!”  All three men turned around at the same time to see the Little Bird approaching from half a mile out. Luis and Tarzan realized right away the distinctive whop-whop sound of the rotors was much quieter. “Logan how is he being so damn quiet?” Tarzan asked. Logan beamed with pride. “We had a new type of blade called Blue Edge installed, amazing, huh?” Both Tarzan and Luis shook their head in disbelief as the chopper, like a sleek, quiet panther, closed in for the kill.  The first salvo of 2.75 inch rockets were launched from just under five hundred yards. When the warheads hit the explosion shook the ground like a small earthquake and all three men instinctively went to the dirt with Tarzan laughing like a five-year old at the circus. While everybody else was covering up their heads, Luis looked down into the valley to see a panorama of fire and explosions, pieces of molten orange metal flying in every direction with indigo and yellow colored flames blooming out of each explosion like a deadly flower.  Jolt followed up the rockets with a burst from the twin .50’s. Green tracers had been loaded every fifth round, so every staccato burst resembled a loose, wavy rope of death as the big .50 caliber lumbered slow and sure to their intended target. All three men whooped and hollered like Comanche’s with blood lust. Something primal had been awoken deep inside and despite nobody wanting to admit it, each of them yearned for combat. Each of them yearned to see the enemy, regardless of who it was or what they represented, placed down there in that box of unforgiving death, being eviscerated like sheep in a meat grinder. Logan’s radio crackled to life. “How did that look down there?” Jolt’s voice asked with excitement. “Awesome. Spectacular gun work Jolt!” Logan replied with equal enthusiasm. “Cool! Gonna come around for another pass and clean it up!”

After they all had run through the basics of the ambush and put in some trigger time on the range and in the shoot house, Tarzan held a shooting clinic on how to take out somebody wearing body armour. “The default shot to defeat body armour has always been the head shot, we all know that. We also know a head shot is a shit low-percentage shot in any situation. Here’s an alternative: Aim for the gap above the clavicle. Most body armour vest, unless they are wearing a full suit, will leave anywhere from a 3 to 4 inch gap between the top of the vest and the neck.” Tarzan took some paper plates and drew a line through the middle. “Work on hitting the top half of the plate from varying distances, especially while moving…” After a while, the competition mentality took over and all four men were betting on who could place the most rounds from 15 yards with a pistol while moving. Two hours later all four men sat under the lounge canopy drinking cold Dos Equis. “The key to this ambush is going to rely on us separating the semi from the escort vehicles. Only then can Jolt open fire and take them out. Under no circumstances can the semi be fired on or damaged. We have to be able to drive it away.” Logan looked around at all three men so they understood. “What about collateral damage?” Luis asked. “We chose an ambush spot that is fifteen miles outside the city limits and not close to any residential or commercial areas. Combine that with the time this is going down and I think we will be OK on civilian casualties.” Logan replied.  “Tarzan, you have the most experience with convoys, what do you think is going to be the best way to separate the semi from the escorts?” Tarzan leaned back in his chair and took a long drink of beer. “May I see the proposed convoy route again?” Tarzan asked. Logan reached into his portfolio and handed it to him. After studying the map for a few minutes Tarzan spoke up. “At first I was thinking of using IED’s. The only problem with that is if they stagger their escort, meaning one vehicle in the front and two or three in the back, that means we have to separate the two or three vehicles from the semi at the same time and in the process not damage the semi and trailer. That means we have to have perfectly spaced and timed explosions not to mention having to take out any stragglers that survive. Even with air support, I just don’t see that as having a high probability of success.” Tarzan sat forward in his chair and looked at Logan. “OK, then what are our other options?” Logan asked. Before Tarzan could speak, Jolt answered. “We stop the entire convoy at once.” Jolt looked around at the rest of the crew. Tarzan looked at Jolt for a long moment and shook his head in the affirmative. “I agree. We stop the entire convoy, take out the escort vehicles at the same time then secure the load.” Logan stood up and began pacing. Luis could sense the nervous tension building. “OK, so how do you stop an entire drug convoy on a dime?” Logan asked looking at the entire crew. There was a long moment of silence as everybody racked their brains. Luis, sensing the nervous tension, also got up and began pacing. As he walked to the end of the trailer he turned and looked in the middle of the camp where the road ended. “That’s it!” Luis exclaimed out loud. “What!” Logan said walking over. Luis pointed to the orange and white barriers with the quote from Dante hanging down. “Road Construction!” The next day Logan made a phone call to Skeeter and told him their plan. “Since we are all dark-skinned and don’t look like your typical yanqui, gringo asshole, I think we can pull it off…”  Logan said excited, He told him he was going to need three road construction outfits, barriers, flags, the whole nine yards plus some small C4 magnetic charges with detonators. Also he asked that he talked with his contacts in the D.F.S., the Federal Security Directorate, which was Mexico’s version of the F.B.I. and C.I.A. all rolled into one. They could pass the word to all local and Federal cops alike to steer clear of the ambush area on Highway 85 between the hours of midnight and four a.m.”You will have everything you need .” Skeeter replied and the line clicked dead.

15 Miles South-East of Nuevo Laredo on Hwy 85

By 10 p.m. that night the entire crew was loaded and ready to go. Logan, Luis and Tarzan began setting up the barricades on the highway while Jolt ran recon at a higher than normal altitude with Night Vision to watch for the convoy to approach. Three nail-biting hours went by before Jolt radioed in. “I got em’! Four escort vehicles, two in front and two behind. Will be at your location in twenty minutes or so.” Logan called a quick meeting. “OK, first things first. Radio silence from here on out. They will most likely have radio comms and a scanner going, so we can’t risk tipping our hand. As for the plan of attack, Tarzan and Luis you take the front two escort vehicles. I will be responsible for the semi driver and the back two. When I am ready to go, I will get where you both can see me and set down my flag. When you two have planted the charges and are ready to go, take up position in the median and then take off your hard hat. That will be the GO signal. Luis you will detonate first and then everybody will follow, understood? Remember: if you have to shoot, head shots only. These guys will most likely be coked up, so wounds are not gonna impress them.” Tarzan and Luis nodded with excitement. All three men gave each other one final look and then took up their positions. As he waited he nervously to reassure himself Logan felt the bulge of the suppressed MP-7 SMG hanging concealed under his arm. He wondered to himself if the combination of the concealed sub-machine gun and the Body Armour vest made him look too bulky and might give him away to the narco’s? “Shut down your anxious brain Luis and focus on the Op!” he told himself.

The three earpieces crackled with Jolt’s excited voice. “A thousand yards from you, get ready.” Luis looked up to see the headlights of the convoy approaching. He took a deep breath as he felt the nausea give way to adrenaline. All three men began waving their flags, directing the convoy over to the shoulder where flares and flashing barriers had been set up. As soon as the convoy spotted the flashing lights and flags, they did exactly what any good Convoy security team would: The lead vehicle separated from the pack, leaving the other three vehicle with the semi. Logan was the first to meet the scout truck. It was a Red Chevy Avalanche and looked to have four men inside. Luis could hear Logan conversing with the driver in Spanish telling them they were repairing pot holes and re-striping up ahead. After a few minutes, the truck moved forward toward  Tarzan and Luis. They both waved their flags to the left directing them to the shoulder. As the scout vehicle passed it was close enough that Luis could look into the cab. Luis could tell right away the guys were sicario’s and not common street thugs. All of them were suited up with body armour and had AK’s resting between their legs. After they parked Luis knew this was the best time to plant the C4 before the other truck pulled up behind them. Luis casually walked around the vehicle, kneeled down as if he was tying his boot and placed the charge beneath the gas tank. The sound the magnet made when it attached was loud but thank God the semi’s engines covered it up. As Luis stood up he saw Logan motioning for the semi driver to stay put. This would keep a safe distance from the lead vehicle explosion.

Logan could not believe it. The two trucks behind the semi only had two men each. Combined with the eight men in front two trucks, plus the driver of the semi, that made for only thirteen men total. Of course there could be a fucking platoon hiding in the trailer with the drugs, but that was highly unlikely. He decided right then he was NOT gonna use the C4. He would shoot them. That way there was less chance of damaging the load. After they parked, the driver of the third truck rolled down his window and got Logan’s attention. “Hey vato! How long is this going to take? We got someplace we need to be.” Logan just smiled. “Please be patient sir.” he replied in Spanish. He knew it was a lame reply, but it was all he could think of at the moment. The driver gave a smirk and said something under his breath and rolled up the window. Logan’s heart jumped when he saw him take out his phone and make a call. “Shit, he’s calling the other trucks to tell them he doesn’t like this. They are all gonna blow trough the barriers and then we are fucked. He glanced up the road to make sure no cars were coming and then took up a wide position where he could see Tarzan and Luis plus all three drivers. Logan took a breath and laid down his flag. Seeing this, Tarzan and Luis moved to the median and took off their hard hats. As Logan gripped the MP-7 to bring it around an explosion shook the ground. He felt a hot wind blow past his face and the smell of gas-filled his nostrils. As Logan stood transfixed at the fireball in the night sky, he heard several truck doors open. “Shit!” he said to himself as he spun around to see the semi driver, who was every bit of three hundred pounds, plus all four sicario’s getting out. At first, there was confusion on everybody’s face. But it only took a few seconds for the sicario’s to piece together the game that was being played.  Logan saw fat boy, the semi driver, move first. He did not know how he had missed it, most likely the excitement of the explosion, but the bastard was palming a small .38 revolver. As the driver straightened out his arm to shoot, Logan had already brought the MP-7 up from underneath the workman’s vest. The five watt red laser was automatically activated by a pressure switch in the grip and as soon as Logan saw the red dot on the drivers chest he pressed the trigger. The MP-7 belched and a controlled, suppressed burst of 4.6×30 caliber hit the driver right above the sternum and zippered him right up into his neck and jaw. The bullets made splashes of pink and red as muscle and bone were ripped apart.The obese man dropped like a puppet whose strings had suddenly been cut. By this time the four sicario’s had taken up positions behind the trucks and Tarzan and Luis had made their way down the median to help.

The sicario’s first few AK burst were wild and off-the-mark, kicking up dirt and grass and causing Luis, Logan and Tarzan to go to the ground behind the protective berm of the median.  “Well fuck! This did not go as planned!” Tarzan yelled. “Does it ever?” Logan replied, slamming a new magazine home. Luis rolled over and crawled up the bank of the median to try to get a shot, getting a face full of dirt and chipped asphalt for his trouble. “Son-of-a-bitch!” Luis yelled, as he recoiled back, touching his face to see if there was blood. “Fuck it!” Logan said. “I’m calling him in!” “Eagle One, Eagle One, this is War Hammer, do you copy?” Logan spoke calmly into his mic, despite being jacked on adrenaline and fear. Immediately their earpieces crackled with Jolt’s excited voice. “Loud and Clear War Hammer, So I am guessing that Radio Silence thing did not work out?”  Logan smiled and shook his head. “Always the smart ass, huh? Listen, I Need you to come in with Gun’s Only, no rockets. We got 4 assholes behind two trucks. Will signal our Position with the IR Beacon. Please Jolt, DO NOT Shoot us!  War Hammer OUT.” Logan took out a small IR Beacon, turned it on and placed it on the ground. “Well guy’s let’s hope his aim is as good as it was yesterday.” Logan said half-smiling. Tarzan crossed himself and Luis hunkered down behind the berm even tighter. Soon the faint drone of the helo’s engines could be heard but it was hard to distinguish the direction because of the wind. Suddenly all three men went to the dirt on instinct as a chain of green .50 caliber tracers rained out of the dark sky from a quarter-mile away. Luis peered over the median to see pieces of sheet metal, tires, a human head, an arm, all flying up into the air like a wood chipper was spitting them out. “Jesus God!” Tarzan yelled as he covered up his head and tried to get lower into the ground. There was a sudden loud boom as one of the tracers pierced a fuel tank and one of the trucks exploded. As soon as the attack had begun, it ended and Luis felt the rotor wash as the helo passed low over their heads. Luis then crawled to the top of the berm to examine the damage. There was nothing but bits and pieces of junk scattered all over. Radiator fluid mixed in with dark pools of blood, an arm, pieces of a foot. “How does it look up there?” Logan asked. “Like the end of the fucking world.” Luis replied. Logan crawled up beside Luis and scanned the area. Not seeing any movement, he got up and ran over to the semi, making a quick check of everything. “Outside looks good!” he yelled. He then opened up the back and quickly shut the door. “Cargo intact!” he yelled. He then crawled up into the cab. “Gauges are in the green! Let’s get the hell out of here!” he yelled. Neither Tarzan or Luis had to be told twice. As the Semi began to roll away from the carnage, Logan keyed up Jolt. “Hey Brother, awesome shooting! Four bad guys dead and the Goods are intact. We are rolling to the rendezvous!” All three men could hear Jolt laugh and howl like wolf through their earpieces. “Something really fucking wrong with that guy, but damn do I love him!” Logan said smiling as he shifted gears and the big diesel engine roared to life, busting through the construction barriers as if they were paper mache.

*************************

Curacao, Venezuela – Two Days Later

McRay’s intermediary with the Gulf Cartel (CDG) had finally gotten back with him via one of the burner numbers. They would meet but only at a place of their choosing. McRay stressed the meeting had to be with somebody in the top-tier of leadership. The confirmation finally came back. The meet would be in Curacao in twelve hours under the legend of Daniel Andrews. A Houston Banker.  Against Company regs, McRay decided he would fly himself. He took his normal security detail with him of course. Five D-Boys that had been with him since the early days of hunting Guzman. He did not know why the agency always got their panties in a twist over him flying himself. He had never crashed a plane and could out fly any Agency jock, except maybe the old-crusty Air America yahoos, but there were only a few of them left. No, McRay’s flying record spoke for itself. He had been burning up the skies over the Caribbean, Mexico and Central and South America since the early eighties. He knew every homemade narco airstrip between the Keys and Bogota by heart, including the one they were going to at Curacao. It was located on the Northwestern tip of the island near Watamula. For this trip they gave him one of the older Hawker 900XP’s. They required less runway and had good fuel capacity to boot.

McRay did not know the exact location of the meet until after they landed and were in the car. McRays burner rang and a very British woman’s voice told them to head south toward the Beach Lodge at Westpunt. An hour and half later they pulled up to the lodge and after letting the valet take the cars, McRay walked to the front desk and asked for a Mrs. Virginia Adams. “Well of course sir. Mrs. Adams and her party are expecting you. They are in the Aruba Bungalow. Juan will show you the way.” The lodge was swanky and reeked of indulgent European excess,  It was Full of wealthy European families on holiday. Walking up to the front door  of the suite, McRay was greeted by two large security men. A Good Sign he thought to himself. Scrubs don’t have security like this. After the standard pat down, McRay left his team there with the other attack dogs and was led into a huge living room by a butler of some kind. “Mr. Morales will be with you shortly.” Skeeter’s stomach did a back flip and his bowels suddenly became loose. Morales? As in Alberto Pena’ Morales? The el patron of the Gulf Cartel? Holy shit! Straightening his shirt,  McRay mentally composed himself and walked over and sat down. He began mentally going over what he was going to say. He could not give the standard “come work for us” sales pitch he had been giving to would-be assets for the last three decades. No, that would not do. Morales was in a class all by himself. This time ole’ Skeeter was gonna have to do what he did best: Improvise.

When Morales walked in he did not look like the billionaire cartel boss who got his start guarding poppy fields in Sinaloa at twelve years old, but a man carefree and happy, on vacation with his family. “Mr. Andrews you will have to excuse my tardiness. My 10-year-old son has discovered snorkeling and I must admit, it is very fun, even for a fifty year old man!” McRay got up as Morales came over and shook hands. He was a short, round man, around five foot seven and two hundred pounds. He had curly black hair but was clean shaven. He was wearing a Hurley T-Shirt and his khaki board shorts were damp on the bottom from wading in the ocean. “Can I offer you a drink?” Morales asked as the butler brought over a towel. “Yes, ice water please.” McRay replied. Morales nodded to the butler as he dried himself off and sat down. “So, you will forgive me for being direct, but my time is valuable as you can imagine. My associate told me you are in banking and had a proposition for me.” Morales made himself comfortable on the couch. McRay noticed how the man’s demeanor had changed in an instant. “Yes, I…” McRay was interrupted as the butler brought over his ice water and Morales a cold Heineken. McRay smiled as he took a sip of water and began again. “Yes, I work for a rather large bank in Houston and I…” Morales interrupted him. “I’m sorry, Did you not hear me Mr. Andrews? I said my time is valuable. Now what does the CIA or DEA or whatever other crooked ass yanqui agency you represent want?” McRay was caught off guard by the remark but not really surprised. You did not live to fifty-years old in this business by your organization not having a good intelligence branch.

McRay smiled. Morales was stone faced, his eyes a bluish-grey, like dirty smoke. “OK, so here it is. With Guzman out of the picture, everybody is scrambling to fill the vacuum and get their piece. It’s a bloodbath. The bodies are stacking up so fast the coroner is having to use refrigerated meat trucks to store the corpses. What you need right now is calm. Nobody makes money when everybody is killing each other.” Morales took a drink of his beer and looked out the window at the beach where his wife and kids were playing and surrounded by half a dozen men who looked like the starting D-Line for the Dallas Cowboys. “So far all I am hearing is a recap of the evening news.”  Morales replied smirking. McRay smiled. He liked this guy. “What WE want and when I say WE I am talking about the United States Government, is to help you consolidate your Power in Mexico.” Morales turned and looked at McRay. “And Why would you want to help me do that Mr. Andrews?” McRay stood up and walked over to the window. As a salesman he was now in his element. He had the customer interested, now it was time to close this fucker.

“As you may or may not know Mr. Morales, America is no longer the shining beacon of Democracy and Freedom. We are an Oligarchy, pure and simple, where Business and Government are intimate bed partners, actually, come to think about it, ‘fuck buddies’ would be a more appropriate term.” Morales cracked a smile. Good. He was building rapport, McRay thought to himself. “I represent a large portion of those business interest to whom this consolidation would benefit greatly. Now like all great business partnerships, this one is symbiotic, meaning we could provide services to you that in the past you had to go overseas to find such as large-scale money laundering, real estate investments, etc. We could also help you on the distribution end in certain capacities in the major cities. In return, we would only ask for a few bust and major arrest each year to keep up appearances that the ‘War on Drugs’ is progressing nicely.” McRay sipped his water and looked at Morales. His eyes betrayed nothing, but McRay knew he had a hook in him.

“You know what you are suggesting is nothing new. If my memory serves me correctly this was tried with Escobar back in the eighties and it fell apart, and when I say ‘Fell Apart’ I mean your Government killed him.” Morales looked at McRay with disdain. But McRay was ready for this one. “You are correct. We did try this arrangement with Escobar, except it was HE, not US, that broke the deal. You cannot be in business with a man who blows up airplanes and detonates car bombs in his own country, killing hundreds of innocent civilians.  I mean his own press invented a brand new word for the kind of shit he was doing: Narco-Terrorism. You just cannot be in business with a man like that.” McRay walked away from the window and over to the book-case. “You see what I am saying Mr. Morales? You have to be prepared to keep your end of the deal.” McRay pretended to look at the books on the shelves, all the while watching Morales in his peripheral vision. Morales was looking square at him, thinking hard.

“OK, let’s say just for the sake of speculation I agree to this. How do you intend to use your words ‘Consolidate’ my Power? I don’t have the manpower or resources to take on all my enemies at once and wipe them out.” Now McRay was getting excited. But he had to be careful not to overplay his hand. “You are correct in your thinking that war would be a mistake. Me and my associates feel the same way. What we do think will work is to take your biggest threat right now, which my analyst tell me is the CJNG, the Jalisco New Generation and bleed them until they come to the table.” McRay walked back over to the couch and sat down. Morales cocked an eyebrow and sat down across from him. “By Bleed them you mean jack their loads.” McRay paused for a few moments to let it sink in. “Yes. Jack their loads, shut down their processing sites, assassinate their command structure. Basically wage guerilla war until they come to their senses it would be more profitable to join you than fight you.” Morales shook his head and cursed in Spanish. “Hijo de puta loco.” McRay smiled. Yes, he was a crazy motherfucker. “And before you give me any more reasons why you CANNOT do this, we know the Los Zetas, The Templars and the Juarez Cartels are all on peaceful terms with you and would be receptive to a respectable offer, an offer we can help coordinate.” McRay set back on the couch. He had nailed it. A fucking home run, the crowd goes wild. Morales had nowhere to go except to agree. Several minutes passed while Morales mulled it over. “OK, let’s say I say yes, what can you offer me right now to prove you are serious?” McRay smiled like the cat who ate the canary and leaned forward. “How is four tons of CJNG Coke sound for starters?”

To Be Continued….

A Western Novelette

Part 2 of the Border Trilogy

 III.

The Randolph Estate

Marshall Prescott had been waiting in the parlor for over an hour. Twisting his hat in hand like a nervous child on the first day of school, he was running through several scripts in his mind that would attempt to explain the events of the last twenty-four hours. Prescott knew from long experience that Randolph did not take bad news, nor worse yet, failures, well. Suddenly, Prescott was jolted out of his dread by Randolph’s booming voice as he walked in. “What the hell was so important you had to ride out here to my house?” Randolph walked over to the bar and poured himself a drink, glancing at Prescott with a look of disgust. “Well sir, it appears the posse I dispatched to apprehend La Voyant’s outfit has been massacred by a group of renegade indians.” Prescott prepared himself for Randolph to fly into a blind rage. “And what of La Voyant’s outfit, were they killed also in this massacre?” Randolph asked. “Well sir, it appears the posse managed to kill the ten men La Voyant’s outfit was attempting to bring over, but Grissom, the Mexican and the creole nigger were not among the dead.” Prescott was now gripping his hat so tight his knuckles had turned white. Randolph spun around quickly to face Prescott. “These renegade indians, you think they were working with the boy?” Randolph asked, his face red and flushed. “No sir. It appears to be the band that escaped off the Mescalero Reservation last month. The US Army at Fort Sumner has been dispatched as well as the Texas Rangers.” Prescott replied. “So these red niggers just up and decided to attack our posse, huh? Are you stupid Prescott? One or all of them damn apaches are kin to that indian boy somehow.” Randolph replied. “Well sir they took all the posse’s horses and weapons but there is no sign they went to the La Voyant Ranch.” Randolph took a drink and then turned around and looked out the window. “So these three from the boy’s outfit, where are they now? Back at his half-ass ranch on my land” Randolph asked. “We believe so sir.” Prescott replied. “Well Prescott, you need to get another posse together and go over there and finish off these pieces of shit before they run off to the Federal Marshal in Austin claiming we tried to kill them.” Randolph spat out his words in frustration. Prescott swallowed hard at the suggestion. He could not believe what he was hearing. “Mr. Randolph I just cannot go and attack these men on their own property without just cause, that would draw more attention than we need. We need to stick to our original plan and ambush them on the road. That way we can claim bandits or indians killed them.” Prescott replied with a small glimmer of pride in his eye that he actually stood up to the mighty John Randolph.

There was long pause as Randolph pondered the situation. Suddenly, in a flash, Randolph spun around, and with Prescott’s face frozen in disbelief,  drew a small Colt pistol from his pocket and fired at a distance of less than six feet. The small thirty-two caliber round hit Prescott in the upper neck, tearing apart flesh, bone and artery, sending blood spurting halfway across the room like a fountain. Prescott dropped down to his knees, his left hand clutching at his neck and his right hand still trying to draw the gun on his hip. Calmly, Randolph walked over and at point-blank range, shot Prescott square in the head. The impact of the blast scorched the bone and threw Prescott’s head back in a violent whip. Like a limp dish rag, his body crumpled to the floor. Prescott’s eyes were wide and almost cross, a ghastly look of confusion and horror fixed on his face. The smell of scorched flesh and bone permeated the parlor so much that Randolph had to waft away the smoke and odor for fear of gagging. Randolph kneeled down and unbuckled Prescott’s gun belt, placing the rig on a table. He then reached down and unpinned the gold star from his shirt and placed it on the table beside the gun.”You are officially relieved of your duties.” Randolph mumbled with a smirk on his face. Randolph  then walked outside and got the attention of two of his goons. “I need one of you to dispose of that lump of shit in my parlor. Burn it, do not bury it, you understand? I also need one of you to go to the telegraph office and have this message sent.” Randolph handed the man a folded slip of paper. “After that, go and fetch Deputy Knowles, tell him to come straight out here, as it is a matter of supreme importance regarding the Marshall. You understand me?” Both men responded with a “Yes-sir” and headed in separate directions. The telegram Randolph sent had been written the previous night and was to be sent in lieu of Prescott’s failure. It read:

From: John Randolph, Shafter, Texas

To: R.T. Newton, Tombstone, Arizona

Mr. Newton I have a job for you and your crew in Shafter.

Please come in person to discuss details.

Enclosed is $1,000 cash for your trip and trouble.

The money is yours regardless if you take the job or not.

Upon completion of job there will be a bonus of $5,000.

Regards,

John Randolph

———————————————–

 The La Voyant Ranch

The next morning as Tick and Rojo recuperated in their bunks, Grissom and Creed began work on the main house. Around noon time, Creed spotted a lone rider approaching. Grabbing their carbines Creed and Grissom both walked down to the barn and waited. As the man got closer, Creed recognized him as John Lewis, the Land Office Owner. “Hello! I am unarmed and come in peace!” Lewis yelled as he put his hands in the air, smiling. Creed and Grissom both waved and smiled back and lowered their rifles. “Come on inside the bunk house Mr. Lewis. Got sum’ coffee brewed.” Creed hollered back. “Stick around for this” Creed told Grissom. Grissom nodded and headed inside. As Lewis walked into the bunk house, he noticed Rojo and Tick in their bunks. “What happened to your two men?” Lewis asked concerned as he sat down at the table. “They were wounded in an ambush at Preachers Gulch.” Creed replied, pouring Lewis a cup of coffee. “Oh Yes, I heard about that. Those damn renegade indians are really causing a lot of trouble, I suppose we should be grateful your men survived..” Lewis replied, sipping at his coffee. Hearing this, Creed and Grissom quickly looked at each other. “What exactly did you hear Mr. Lewis?” Grissom asked, moving closer. “James Redding, the Telegraph Operator told me that one of Randolph’s men told him a group of renegade indians massacred around twenty-five cowboys at Preachers Gulch. He said a majority of the men were Mr. Randolphs and the others were hired men out of Mexico he thinks. Why, did you hear something different?” Lewis asked, a quizzical look on his face. Creed and Grissom’s face both got two shades of dark red. “That lying son-of-a-bitch!” Creed exclaimed, jumping up from the table and pacing the room. “Randolph had a group of fifteen hired killers set to ambush Rojo and Tick as they returned from Mexico with ten men who hired on to help build the ranch. That group of “renegade indians” was led by my uncle, Spotted Rabbit, who SAVED Rojo and Tick just in time before they were slaughtered by those hired killers.” Creed explained with fervor. Lewis sat at the table shaking his head, trying to absorb the news. “I knew Randolph was trying to take this land from you. That is the reason I rode out here, But I had no ideal he was going to go this far!” Lewis exclaimed, throwing up his hands. “You say this Telegraph Operator was told about the news of the ambush by one of Randolph’s goons? Well, it all makes sense. Randolph used my uncle and his band as scapegoats to cover up his botched ambush.” Creed explained, sitting back down. “You said the reason you rode out here was that you knew Randolph was going to try to take this land from us, what did you mean by that Mr. Lewis?” Grissom asked pointedly. Lewis reached into his jacket pocket and placed a folded leather-bound black ledger on the table. “For the last twenty years I have been in charge of every shady, illegal land deal Randolph has been a part of. And unbeknownst to him, I also recorded every dollar of extortion, bribe and kickback money that changed hands. With this ledger gentleman, you can put John Randolph in prison for a very long time.” Lewis replied.

“Prison is too good for that piece of goat shit.” Tick weakly hollered from his bunk across the room, taking a big swig of laudanum. “The only way we can tie Randolph to the ambush and murders is the testimony of Tick and Rojo.” Lewis replied, looking at Creed and Grissom. “Somebody is going to have to contact the Federal Marshall in Austin directly.” Grissom replied. “Why not just telegraph them?” Rojo suggested from across the room. “Because James Redding, the Telegraph Operator is on Randolph’s payroll, and any information he is told goes directly to Randolph.” Lewis replied. Creed paced the room, thinking.  “The only thing to do then is to take the ledger directly to the Federal Marshall’s office in Austin, Mr. Lewis.” Creed said, looking at Lewis intently. “Why me? Why not you or Grissom?” Lewis replied, shrinking in his chair. “Because Me and Grissom need to stay here to protect Tick and Rojo. As you said, they are the only living witnesses to his crime, so he is definitely going to try to kill them, and me in the process if he can.” Creed answered boldly. Lewis sat there silent for a few minutes, contemplating the situation. Grissom walked over and placed his hand on Lewis’ shoulder.”You said yourself you are tired of Randolph running rough-shod over the people of this town, including you, Mr. Lewis, this is your chance to stop him.” Creed walked over and placed three hundred dollars on the table.” This will cover your round-trip stage fare plus hotel and food.” Lewis stood up from the table. He looked at Creed and Grissom for a long moment, then over to Rojo and Tick in their beds. He reached down and picked up the money and placed it in his pocket. “Do you own a revolver or pistol, Mr. Lewis?” Grissom asked. “Ugh, No, never had the need for one.” Lewis replied. “Well, now you do sir. We are dealing with dangerous men, and you have to be prepared to defend yourself.” Grissom handed Lewis a Smith and Wesson M&P Model .38 Caliber revolver with a four-inch barrel and a box of shells. “You can keep this in your jacket pocket without having to wear a holster.” Grissom added. “The gun holds six rounds, but the hammer rest on an empty chamber for safety.” Grissom showed Lewis, breaking open the cylinder. Lewis nodded and pocketed the gun and ammunition. The three men walked outside to Lewis’ horse. “I will have to ride to Fort Davis to catch the Stage. I will go by my place and pack a few things and head out. If I ride hard, I can get there tonight and catch the first stage in the morning. If all goes well in Austin, you should be hearing from me within a week, hopefully with a dozen federal marshalls in tow!” Lewis extended his hand to Grissom and Creed, who both shook it.”Please let the Federal Marshall know my uncle had nothing to do with the ambush at Preachers Gulch.” Creed reminded Lewis. “I will be sure too.” Lewis replied. “Be Careful Mr. Lewis, there is a lot riding on this trip!” Grissom said smiling. “I will. You two be careful and protect those men in there! Right now they are more valuable than silver or gold!” Lewis spurred his horse and took off for town, a trail of dust swirling up into the noonday sun. “What do you think his odds are?” Creed asked Grissom, squinting into the bright sun. “Right now kid, he is our only hope at stopping this bastard so I gotta believe his odds are good.” Grissom replied, spitting brown tobacco juice into the dirt.

————————————————-

The Randolph Estate

“Congratulations Marshall Knowles! I know you will make the town of Shafter proud with your service!” John Randolph smiled as he shook hands with the newly promoted Marshall while a local newspaperman snapped their picture, the bulb flash blinding both of them temporarily. Afterwards, Randolph walked over and slipped a hundred-dollar bill in the newspaperman’s vest. “And make sure to include something about Marshall Prescott being killed by that band of renegade indians, OK Bill?” Randolph shook hands with the newspaperman as the man nodded and winked that he understood. “Come on out to the back patio Marshall and have a drink.” Randolph said waving his hand to Knowles. As Knowles followed Randolph through the house, he noticed a group of cleaning ladies in the parlor scrubbing the floors. That must have been where he killed Marshall Prescott. Knowles thought to himself, his stomach suddenly getting nauseous. “Knowles come on over here and sit down.” Randolph motioned from the patio table. “Now that you are Marshall, I am gonna be leaning more heavily on you to get things done.” Knowles nodded and tried to hide the fear that was welling up inside him, turning his stomach inside out. What the hell had he gotten himself into! “Now as you know your former boss let me down in taking care of this indian boy and his friends squatting on my land.” Randolph eyed Knowles for his reaction. Knowles just nodded. He knew what Randolph was implying. After the failed ambush, the two living witnesses, Rojo and Tick, had to be silenced. Knowles did not say it, but one thing had always bothered him since this all started. Why was Randolph so concerned about this particular piece of land? What made it so special?  “To help speed up the process of taking care of this problem I have called in R.T. Newton and his boys, I assume you have heard of Newton?” Randolph smirked as he looked at Knowles for his reaction. Anybody in Law Enforcement had heard of R.T Newton. He had made a name for himself as a mercenary, a gun-hand for hire working for rich ranchers and railroad tycoons. “Yes sir I’ve heard of him” Knowles said. “Good. Then you know he is more than capable of handling this band of misfits. Just stay out of his way and let him work.” Randolph lit a cigar and exhaled the grey smoke. Knowles stood and shook hands with Randolph. “If that will be all Mr. Randolph, I better get back into town and see about hiring me a couple new deputies.” Randolph stood also. “By all means Marshall and by the way, I will be increasing your salary to two hundred dollars a month and your deputies to seventy-five. I want you all to know how much I appreciate your hard work.” Randolph smiled as he chomped down on his cigar. “Thank you sir.” Knowles tipped his hat and turned around and left. As he was riding away from the estate Knowles felt used. He realized that this was the moment he could either become just another Randolph stooge or stand-up and do something. Regardless of the money and perks, he did not want to end up like Prescott and become a by-line in a fictitious newspaper story. He had to do something, and fast.

       ————————————————–

The Palace Hotel, Shafter TX

R.T. Newton and his three associates checked into their rooms at the Palace Hotel John Randolph had reserved and paid for in advance. “How long will you be staying with us Mr. Newton?” the clerk asked smiling. “That is to be determined young man, but let’s just say a week for now.” The clerk handed the men the keys and snapped for the bellhop to get their luggage. “That’s not needed, we can handle our own bags.” one of the men said gruffly. “OK Gentleman you are all set, here are your keys.” As the clerk handed Newton the keys he took stock of the man he had heard so much about over the years. He stood close to six-foot with coal-black hair and a neatly trimmed handlebar mustache to match. He was lean for a man his age, the familiar paunch belly was absent and in its stead was lean muscle that made his arms and legs appear like braided steel cables. His hands were the hands of a working man, large and scarred, with dislocated knuckles from many a bar-room brawl. He was dressed impeccably, with a tailored gun-metal grey suit, low-cut Wellington boots and being a native of Mississippi, an elegant black string tie. Newton did not wear a traditional gun belt like most hired guns of the day. Instead, he wore a shoulder rig with a Colt Semi-Automatic .38 Caliber handgun. Always a careful man, Newton also kept a back-up gun, a custom-made Colt 1903 Hammerless in a pocket holster and a .22 caliber derringer in his boot. As the clerk watched Newton ascend the stairs, he also took stock of the men following him. None of them really stood out, they were all about the same height and weight and dressed basically the same. Each of them in custom tailored dark suits with tan dusters. All of them wore tie down gun belts. As each man entered their room, they took care to set down their bags gently. Each of them carried an assortment of small arms including rifles, shotguns, revolvers and pistols. One of the men who went by the name Taylor and fancied himself a sharpshooter had one of the new 1903 Springfield Rifles with a telescopic sight. It was said this rifle with the right man behind the trigger could kill a man from over five hundred yards away. Taylor intended to put that theory to the test.

Later that night, the front desk clerk, a man named Peters, stepped outside for a cigarette and met the young bellhop leaning against one of the stone columns in front of the hotel, loafing as usual. After bumming a smoke, the bellhop’s curiosity got the best of him. “So tell me Mr. Peters, who was that old man and them three guys that checked in earlier? You acted like you were kind of scared of them…” Peters smiled at the remark. “Yeah if you knew who they were son, you would have been scared too…” The young bellhop’s eyes got big and excited. “So tell me!” Peters rolled his eyes and relented. “His name is R.T. Newton. He’s a mercenary. A Gun-Hand. Some say he has killed upwards of thirty men, maybe more.” The clerk exhaled the cigarette smoke into the cool night air. The bellhop laughed in excitement. “Hot Damn! I knew there was something about that old man! What about the other men, who are they?” Peters took a moment to answer. He could hear the piano playing at the saloon at the end of the street and men talking loudly. “Those men are Newton’s ‘associates’. In a word: Killers, just like him. Some of them are ex-army, some of them outlaws. All of them are dangerous.” Peters took one last drag of his cigarette. “Wow. I cannot wait to tell my friends about this!” The bellhop gushed. Peters shook his head at the young boy’s foolishness and crushed out his cigarette with his foot. As he was about to turn around and go back inside he caught movement out of the corner of his eye. Suddenly out of the darkness in the alley beside the hotel, a man appeared. It was one of Newton’s killers. Peters froze. “Good evening sir.” the bellhop said startled. The man said nothing as he ambled up the hotel steps. Peters moved aside to allow him to pass but the man stopped before entering the hotel. Being so close, Peters could smell the whiskey on his breath. He also got a good look at him. He was young, around twenty-five or so. He was unshaven and grizzled and had a nasty scar across his neck. As Peters was examining him, the man suddenly turned to face the bellhop. “You’d best keep your goddamn mouth shut about Mr. Newton kid. He don’t like people who gossip…” The man slurred his words slightly as he stared at the kid with coal-black eyes. The bellhop’s face went white. “Uh, yes sir, no problem.” the boy squeaked. Satisfied he had made his point, the man turned back around to make his way to his room. As he got to the stairs the man stopped and smiled. In a low voice he said “You were right Mr. Hotel clerk.” Peters walked over closer, straining to hear. “I’m sorry sir? Right about what?” The man turned and in the blink of an eye and in one smooth motion, with the simultaneous sound of iron clearing leather and the hammer being cocked, drew his revolver and pointed it right at Peters head. “I am one dangerous son-of-a-bitch!” The man eyes were wide and crazy, like a feral animal. His crooked smile revealing yellow and black teeth.  Peters felt his bowels and bladder release and all the blood drain from his face. Suddenly the world went black and he crumpled to the floor in a pool of his own piss and shit. Smiling broadly, The man holstered his gun and made his way drunkenly up the stairs. The bellhop just stood there staring with his mouth agape and his eyes wide, scared to even move or make a sound.

To Be Continued…