IMBERADO

                                             CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Alejandro drove the Land Rover north and east out of Bachaquero zigzagging his way through and around the city after leaving the oil depot until he was on and then quickly off of Avenicia Itntercommunal  and now on the Via a Bachaquero headed mostly east up the mountain terrain east of Lake Maracaibo. The road was mostly sharp curves; some hairpins, some loops but without any straight stretch more than 100 yards long. The road was deeply forested of both sides, even when one side dipped steeply downhill. There were no roads intersecting it, and what did, was merely a trail here and there vanishing into the over growth.

They did meet one 1950’s GMC pickup, possibly headed into Bachaquero to the market with vegetables. It was covered in dirt and a lot of rust showing along the running boards and tail gate while Rick and Dave rather quietly intoned the latest tune “Kokomo” from the Beach boys for a while;

“Aruba, Jamacia, ooh I want to take ya

Bermuda, Bahama, come on pretty mama

Key Largo, Montego, baby why don’t we go, Jamacia…”

Finally Alejandro turned onto the 17 and headed more northerly. They were higher in the mountains but the road was less back curved with gentler wide bends. There had been a rudimentary sign pointing to Corcito. Here and there was a farmstead with jungle rustic houses and out buildings. Around one curve three young children were playing. A beautiful young girl of about eight waved as they went by, her siblings doing the same as she did. Travis waved and smiled back, making the children laugh.

Once they had passed through Corcito, Cerroel Careon loomed in the western view for many miles like a citadel.

Just before they turned onto the 3, Alejandro pulled the Rover off to the side and parked. All five got out walked around for a few minutes then retrieved some sandwiches and bottles of water from the cooler in the back and grabbed a quick lunch. Then they all piled back into the Rover and continued northeast. Here the road was better yet with less curves and longer stretches of very gradual straighter roadway. It was still green and lush with vegetation and tree groves. There was also more houses and farms of local farmers in a never ending variety from ram shackle to quite neat and appealing.

Here there was the intermittent old pickup, and a couple of times men in wagons pulled by burros or donkeys going from one nowhere to another. Waves would be signaled and returned or ignored, without incident. After a while they turned again, this time onto the 4 which headed almost due north and shortly traversed a log spit of terrain where you could see the Caribbean to the east and the Gulf of Venezuela on the west.

 In the midafternoon Alejandro pulled the Rover to a stop not far off the sandy beach just south of Punto Fijo where Matias had said was a good place for him to pick them up in the boat. Everyone got out stretched their legs, limbered up. And started to watch the large gulf and shore to the north for the arrival of Matias with the boat. He had said from here they could travel mostly west across the gulf until they reached Mauripatta on the northeastern most tip of Columbia. He said if they passed there in the daylight it would not matter since it was an area most like Aruba, desert like no tall vegetation and better yet no houses or towns as far as one could see. He said there were old jokes about it just like the ones about Aruba, which went like this “if you didn’t bring it with you, then it wasn’t there.”

As they waited Alejandro broke out his fishing gear and set up like they were fishing in the surf. This time it was John who started singing.

“Blue Spanish eyes prettiest in all Mexico

Two dancing eyes please smile for me once more before I go

Soon I’ll return

Say you and your Spanish eyes will wait for me….”

By then all four of them were singing the Willie Nelson hit until Travis spotted a boat cruising toward the beach. After a few now quiet minutes it was Alejandro who spoke first.

“Mister Travis, it is a boat from the refinery, I recognize it from my trips there.”

“Good, it’s right on time. Let’s get ready, pull all our gear out of the Rover, we don’t want Matias to be any longer than we have to. There is still a long way to go by dusk.”

All five of them started bringing the duffle bags down to the shoreline just beyond the waves washing onto the beach. Just as they were done unloading, Matias beached the boat in the sand in front of them.

“I hope you did not wait too long.”

“Not at all Matias, we’ve only been here maybe an hour at most.”

“She is good. Not too many have seen you all waiting then.”

“None that we know of. Let’s get these loaded and be off.”

With that it only took minutes to get the gear on board, the boat shoved off the beach and Matias putting the engine into reverse, the turning around and heading out into the Gulf. Alejandro waved them off as he sat down on the beach in front of his fishing gear.

It was over an hour before they were getting their first sight of the Columbian coast. Matias had been right this stretch of cost was as barren as he had told them. The scenery was almost entirely vacant sand, with patches of low growth in the dunes and not one structure of any kind could be seen anywhere. Then after later coming around the point Matias veered the craft more south west and paralleled the undulating coastline but skipping almost out of sight across the inlets and bays that dotted it. They were going across the sometimes choppy Salina De Uma Kaha and just before dusk was starting Matias slowed the boat and pointed to the boats far south west.

“You should just be able to make out Riohacha in the distance. I have a few deep sea fishing rods, put them into their eyes on the stern. Here we wait like good fishermen, just in case. We will head into the southwest in about 30 to 45 minutes. That way it will be well into dusk and we won’t beach close to Calle 10 until it is just dark. That is the best I can do for you not being spotted.”

“That sounds fine Matias. Okay guys let’s get our stuff checked and ready. Once we are on the beach below the cliff, we need to disembark quickly and quietly and hope there is no one close by. It’s about a thirty minute walk to the factory; slow, sure and as quiet as a nun at prayers.”

All four changed into the black camouflage uniforms they had brought and black Balaclavas to cover their faces then they put on their gear. Each one had a Glock17 and a M45 with extra magazines. Each weapon was silenced. John had what he needed to get into the computer when he found it. Rick had some lock picking tools if they needed them, but the hope was one of the guards would have keys. All had garrotes, small ropes for tying up the guard not being killed, and small two way radios. Once geared up they put their street clothes into the duffle bags which they would be leaving in the boat.

An hour later all four were walking up the path from the shore to the corner of Calle 10 just as full dark had blanketed the town. There were a few streetlights once they got to the flat area before the street and decided to circumvent that particular area by walking around some house in more unused space until they got to Calle 11a then they walked quickly up the street and into another large wooded area between Calle 11a and Calle 11b to its corner with Carerra 20, now they were a lot closer. Here they crouched and watched.

No cars, no people walking right now and only the occasional barking dog in the distance. So far luck had been with them. No need to screw it up now. They were about two blocks from the factory. About half a block ahead were another group of trees with a vacant lot in front of them on the street, if they could get there without being seen, they would be golden. The factory would be only half a block of a street with lots of big trees and only few buildings, hopefully most people gone home for the day.

One by one they crossed angular to the intersection putting each one on the right side of Carerra 20 to fade into the trees half a block down the street. Travis went first, followed by Rick as Travis was on the other side, then John and last Dave darted across. Just as Dave was across a dog started barking to his right and just behind him. Dave froze in the shadows, as did John a few yards in front of him. That damn dog wouldn’t shut up, it just kept barking as if it had seen a devil. Finally Dave and john heard a screen door screech open on hinges needing good oiling. A man yelled a curse after seeing nothing finally and since the dog hadn’t stopped barking, they could quickly hear something metallic hitting the ground or a tree and the dog yelp startled. Waiting yet longer it was quiet until the same voice uttered another curse, followed by the same screeching with a bang of wood slapping wood as the door closed abruptly. Both men moved cautiously until they were with Travis and Rick in the trees again.

Now the four of them moved silently to where the trees were bordered Calle 12. There was a narrow dirt drive coming off the street and then another small group of trees bordering the street. Again they crept across the drive one at a time until they were all together again. Now there was a slightly wider space then a larger group of trees but this wasn’t a drive it was only the back of the building on the other side of the trees, they waited but there was no movement or noise, so again one at a time they crossed into the bigger group of trees. They were all here and as Travis and John had found in their research, this group of trees flanked the factory on all three sides except the street.

There was a wide drive from the street into the property with a high chain link gate then a single line of trees between the main building and street then a wider band of trees back into the property like on this side of the drive. Then there were three other smaller buildings backed up to the other tree lines on the other three sides. So they waited under cover for long minutes watching and listening for movement or talking by any guards. After about fifteen minutes Rick had seen one moving around the back of the main building, but behind the line of trees separating it from the street. There had also been the faint noise, which sounded like two men talking in the parking lot at the front facing away from the street. This by no means meant that weren’t others though? After a short hushed discussion all four started to move. Travis moved across the drive but stayed in the trees near the street, the other three crept quietly through the heavy tree growth around the west side dropping off one at a time until all were one man on each side of the parking area and buildings. Again they stopped in place and watched. After another 20 minutes a whispered conversation of numbers only was shared between them. In total there were 6 men at various locations around the inner area. Travis was to take out the one close to the street, not kill him but make him unconscious. Between Rick, Dave and John they would shoot the other 5 simultaneously. The plan was to kill them within seconds of one another and hope no guard got off a shout or fire their weapons. At an almost silent count of three by Travis everyone took their shots.

Travis had been so close to his man that he could almost feel the man’s breath, stinking of whiskey. He counted down to one and grabbed the man from behind in a sleeper hold, riding the man to the ground as he kicked and grabbed at Travis behind his head, but eventually sank to the ground, Travis holding on long enough to be sure he was completely out. At that he injected the man in the neck with a heavy sleeping drug. This one would be out for at least four hours.

As Travis stood, he realized he had only heard the muffled sounds of the silencers and some clatter of metal and wood on the gravel parking lot around the building. He picked up this one in a fireman’s carry and walked between the building and tree line toward the drive and then around it to the inner parking lot. The others three were making sure of their kills, but leaving the dead guard’s weapons as they had fallen, so far no alarm had been heard. Dave had found keys on one of the two he had shot near the main door into the factory. Everyone scanned the entire area furtively looking for any signs of cameras, but none could be seen. He and the others walked to the door and Dave put the key in the lock it turned slowly and quietly until Dave could feel the door give slightly within. He surveyed the door jamb for any telltale wires or trip switches, finding none, then and only then did he completely open the door inwards. Still no alarm.

The four slid in through the door, leaving it stand ajar. Once they were inside, they could talk, yet still very quietly. There could still be a guard or guards inside the building, as yet unfound or heard. Dave and Rick set about to find where drugs would be stashed, first looking for any boxes looking ready for shipment. These would be the best to take drugs from, risking the least at being found if they could put the boxes back as though they had been undisturbed. Travis and John looked for the office, which would be where the computer should be.

The office was on the east end of the factory with a window in the upper half of the door. Not totally unexpected they saw a guard sleeping in a chair, leaned back with his feet on the desk. Travis slipped through the door, making no noise at all. He slipped out another syringe from his top pocket and while holding the guards mouth shut gave him the injection. The guard barely opened his eyes before he fell directly back into deep sleep. By then John was standing beside Travis.

“Okay, this is the computer. I’ll get started, it might take me fifteen or twenty minutes to get the back door installed.”

“Just get it done as quickly as you can. I’ll go help Rick and Dave.”

“What about this guard?”

“Let’s let him stay right here. Now with two of them left, they have even more reason to decide together what is in their best interest. As we were getting in did you notice the van and truck parked outside across the parking lot?”

“Sure.”

“I have an idea. I’ll explain when you’re done and we have the drugs.” With that Travis stepped out into the factory floor and went looking for Rick and Dave. He found them at a series of storage racks filled with boxes that looked ready for shipment.

As they were looking through them, Travis asked if they had found the drugs yet.

“Just did. There packed in the false bottom of these boxes.”

“Good get enough out from bottom boxes, say one or two from different boxes. Then repack those with enough of something to look like they haven’t been tampered with, reseal them so they don’t looked touched. If we’re lucky they won’t dig deep, and they won’t know for a while that anything is missing.”

“You got it Travis, we can be done in say, thirty minutes. Where do you want to meet up?”

“Just outside the door we came in. John and I should be there by then.” Saying that Travis turned and returned to the office. As he walked in John looked up from the computer.

“Five minutes tops. I’ll meet you at the front door.”

Travis walked outside and opened the doors on the van and truck, smiled to himself, then turned and walked back to the building. As he did John walked out the door.

“Done, it went even better than I hoped. The Cartel has no idea how easy they made it. They won’t have any idea until it is too late. And even then I put a worm in that will trigger when I am done with the back door. That will infect any computer they use to access this one. Every dime that is in an account for this factory and those in their billing and receiving accounts will be drained and run through a bank in the Caymans which pays out to two dozen rehab centers in the states via cloaked account numbers.”

“Cool. These trucks I talked about, well, we’re stealing them as we leave tonight.”

“I don’t get it we’re leaving on boat still, right.”

“Exactly, but we’re stealing the trucks as a cover. If they don’t hear we were inside the factory, and they don’t suspect anything else was touched, then maybe they will think it was just the trucks being stolen.”

“Okay that sounds good. But what do we do with them?”

“There’s the beauty of it. We’re going to sink them out in the surf. Dave and I will drive them out of here, we’ll drive them close to where you and Rick can get to the boat shove off and have Matias take the boat down coast until you see our headlights shining out from the beach east of town. When we see the boat ready Dave and I will drive them full speed into the surf with the windows down and back door of the truck open. With any luck we can get past the shallows and they’ll sink below the surf.”

“I see, then we head the boat in closer and you two swim out to us and we leave.”

“Yes and again we leave and will be gone before anyone spots them. By then too late.”

As Travis finished telling this new plan wrinkle to John, Dave and Rick joined them outside. Travis took the key and relocked the door and put the key back in the pocket of the guard it was taken from. While he did that he had Dave move the out conscious guard to lay him among the dead ones.

He quickly explained his plan to Rick and Dave, naturally they agreed. Travis climbed into the driver’s seat of the van with John and Rick in with him the two of them now had the drug bags, as Dave got into the truck and both drivers started the engines. The two trucks eased out of the parking lot turned onto Calle 12 west then took a right on Carrrera 20 north. When they got to Calle 11a they turned left and took an immediate right and curved onto Calle 10. Here the trucks stopped very briefly as John and Rick got out and headed for the trail through the trees for the coast. Once they were in the trees Travis took off again with Dave behind him, only this time they drove with more earnest. About half way between Riohacha and Mayapo they turned through a wide clearing for the beach and parked with their headlights on toward the Caribbean.

Within minutes they saw the light from the boat turn their direction. Revving up the engines both men drove pedal to the metal just as far as the trucks would go. Then they climbed out the windows, swam for the surface looked toward the boat and swam for it. Matias started slowly heading the boat their direction until he was close enough for them to swim to the starboard side boat ladder. Dave and then Travis climbed up and crawled over and into the boat. Matias increased speed and turned the boat out to deeper water.

Dave slung off some water dripping from his body and clothes and uttered. “Damn, what a ride. That water came flooding into the cab of the truck as she rolled deep into the surf and I pulled myself out the window and swam for air. Didn’t think I would ever intentionally sink a truck.” And both he and Travis started laughing.

After the two got out of their camouflage dried off and into their street clothes, all four men crammed their dark uniforms into one of the duffle bags then weighted it down and flung the bag over the side. They were far enough now that if anyone ever did find it on the bottom, it would be long after anything that had happened tonight. The boat was headed back for the beach near Punto Fijo a few hours away.

It was nearly 4 AM when Matias beached the boat on the shore where Alejandro waited. Seeing the boat approaching he had already gathered up his fishing gear and put it back into the Rover. As soon as Travis and the others were off the boat with their gear, good byes were said and then they shoved Matias off the beach where he put the boat in reverse and the turned back north and headed up the coast. With the duffle bags in the back with the fishing gear, everyone piled into the Rover and Alejandro started up the road. He was going to take the same roads back to Bachaquero. He told everyone they should be back on the compound by noon.

Rick looked around and asked. “What the heck is that fishy smell?”

“Just that.” Alejandro answered. “She was a good night for catching the fish. We will have a sea feast tonight.”

“Fine. I like sea food, I just don’t care to smell like sea food.” With that all five men laughed heartily. After a while Dave and Rick leaned back in their seats and dozed off.

John and Travis watched the sunrise as they passed into the mountains before they dozed off while Alejandro hummed some tune while he drove. Just before noon the Rover pulled through the gates and then pulled to a stop in front of the office. Bob who had been watching for their return, walked out to meet them.

“Did everything go per plan?”

“Not exactly, we did make a couple of additions while we were at the factory. The end result was better than I had hoped. With luck they may not even discover the theft or computer back door before we are gone and out of your hair.”

“Great. But you haven’t been in my hair, if anything you’ve just added a bit of excitement for a few days. Not that I would want a steady diet however.” Bob answered with a wry grin. “We are ready for tonight. Correro is due in later this afternoon. Do you men need some rest before we head into Maracaibo?”

“We might take a short catnap, but pretty much we all got some snooze time during the boat ride back to Punto Fijo and then again from there to here. The one who could need a rest is Alejandro before him and Dave head up to the airport and hotel.”

“No, I am fine as well. I got plenty of siesta time while I was waiting at the beach. I just need to get these fish over to the cook. Then I can be ready as soon as everyone is.”

“Alright, let’s say we leave in two hours. Alejandro and Dave will go in one vehicle and the rest of us in two others. You and the ladies in one; John, Rick and I in the other one. How does that sound?”

“Fine to me. I’ll have them fueled up and checked over by our mechanic now. I’ll tell him we’re going in for an evening of dinner and gambling.”

“Sounds good, we’ll meet back here in two hours then.”

No one actually slept any during the two hours. Most of them went over the plans for the night. Dave and Alejandro discussing how to get to the Pilot, get him out of the hotel without raising any suspicion and then their plans for commandeering the Huey and Dave flying it out of the airport without sending up an alarm.

Travis and the others were reconfirming the details for the casino and everyone’s roles in kidnapping Correro. The biggest risk would be what to do if Correro didn’t pick one of the three women for his companion on this trip.

Zemmy told Travis, she had found one woman who knew him for three days about a year ago. Her name was Emma Arenas she turned out to be a hairdresser who worked out of her house. She had been reluctant to talk about it at first. But opened up once she understood that she didn’t have to meet him again. When Zemmy had found her name and located where she worked. Zemmy took both Camila and Luciana with her to talk with her just last night. This, Luciana said had comforted her into talking more freely while she did their hair. They told her that they had heard about him and it being said he treated the women he met richly. She agreed at first but told them, one had to be very careful while with him, he had a bad temper. She had been flattered when he started talking to her. The delicious dinners and expensive drinks were fabulous but his foreplay the first time had been a little rushed and rough. Then his lack of tenderness when they had sex had worried her, she had known men like that before. She had known a couple of men like this before and they would sometimes explode violently if you could not fake orgasms and dote on them afterwards, like they were the best man that had ever made love to you before. So she faked everything for three days. When he was leaving she was very affectionate and said she would never forget him. Once he was gone, she never went back to that casino again.

Travis understood, he hoped it would not get that far. His plan was for him and Rick to get the Bodyguard neutralized quietly in the adjoining room as soon as he entered. Then they would come through the suites adjoining door, while they hoped Correro was distracted with whichever woman he selected to be with. It would just work out better if it was one of them, since they would know what was about to happen. Otherwise it could cause hysterical problems.

Then they just had to get Correro and the bodyguard out of the casino without being seen. Take them both to the airport in time for Dave to make his flight to Matias in Aruba, leaving a drugged Correro there. Then fly back to the Lake where he could ditch the chopper with the bodyguard and pilot inside without drowning himself. Finally being picked up by Alejandro in a boat to get them both back to the compound without raising any suspicion. He knew it didn’t even sound simple, much less fool proof to even himself.

As this last thought passed, Travis saw it was time for them all to leave for Maracaibo. He went outside as everyone started to gather near the vehicles.

“Okay, everyone good luck. Dave, Rick, John and I all have the two way radios. Each of us will be monitoring them and communicating the status, any issues and warning to each other until this is over. Rest as much as you can during the drive. Once we are all in place this will go as the events dictate, no planning is ever one hundred percent, so don’t get excited if something seems to go differently than we have talked about. The devil is in the ability to improvise. That is what the four of us are for, we have been down roads like this before. Just trust in our ability and follow our lead, if it’s you who has to improvise, remember we are watching and will follow with what it looks like you had to do. We’ll get back together in groups when each part is done and head back here as soon as your part has ended. I don’t want anyone putting themselves at more risk than is needed. No heroics, stick to the plan. Okay, let’s roll out.”

Alejandro, Bob and Rick started the vehicles and headed for Avenicia Intercommunal and turned north paralleling the lake shore for Maracaibo.