Breaking Point Part XVIII

[Robbie C.]

Trudy looked at Castillo and he gave a slight nod. “So how do we find them? Just wait for them to take a shot at us?”

“Crockett?”

Sonny’s voice was flat and as distant as his eyes. “Team Elvis is our best bet, at least for now. Keep sweeping the airways any time we go out. If these guys are in the area they’ll want to talk. They’ll have good radio discipline, but they’ll still show up. It would be good if we had some kind of radio direction finding capability, but maybe we’ll get lucky. You’ll want to have a Spanish-speaker in the Roach Coach from now on. At least some of their communication is likely to be in Spanish.”

“What about this Delacruz?”

Sonny looked at Trudy. “He’ll be close, but not too close. Maybe check some of the islands just outside our territorial waters. Someplace where he could get to Miami in a hurry but would be out of our normal jurisdiction. Something that changed hands up to a year ago. These guys like the long game, so the groundwork would have been started before they got here. It would have to have a water supply and a way to house more than a few men. Maybe a helipad, too.” He blinked and smiled. “Yeah, it’s a lot. But we might get lucky. I just think if we want to stop these guys we have to go for the head.”

“And your meet with Carrera?”

“We talked about that earlier. We’ll have the Roach Coach in range to run electronic surveillance, but I think it’s too risky to put anyone else in the Overton. We don’t know who that guy outside was, and if Carrera’s running his security that way there’s a chance our people would be spotted. And if it’s Unit 8, the chance of our people being blown goes up.” Sonny closed his folder. “Tubbs and I will have our pistols, and if anything goes seriously south Stan and his people will be in easy support distance. The meet’s around ten, and I’d like them in position a bit before that to see if there’s any unusual radio activity before we kick off.”

“I want everyone to stay off the air as much as possible.” Stan’s voice was firm, and Castillo noticed and liked the change. “These guys are gonna have close to the same capability I do. You can buy damned near anything at Radio Shack these days. We don’t want to tip our hand.”

Mindy looked around. “They can monitor our frequencies?”

“Yes and no. We scramble most stuff, but they’ll know there’s a transmission. And if it looks strange they’re gonna know it’s law enforcement. Lester and I will run one of our diversionary tapes while you guys are in the Overton. Something designed to make them think Narcotics has something going down a block or so away. Maybe that will get them talking and we can learn a bit more about them.”

Castillo nodded. “Good thinking. It might confuse Metro-Dade, but that’s not our problem.”

“Where do you want me during all this?” Randy spoke from the end of the table, not looking around.

“I think you and Castillo would be best in the Roach Coach, at least for tonight.” Sonny looked at Castillo. “Part of this is dangling Burnett as bait. I don’t want to do anything that might tip them off that he’s anything more than a major transportation guy.”

“Coordinate the timing with Stan.” Castillo got to his feet. He knew there was a call he needed to make, but he didn’t want to take that step until they had a little more information. “Trudy and Mindy, see if you can find any properties that match the criteria Crockett outlined. Randy, get me about an hour before go time and we’ll go over equipment. We can’t afford many mistakes now.”

 

Sonny was sitting in his office contemplating Delacruz’s file and the remains of his lunch sandwich with equal enthusiasm when the phone rang. “Crockett.”

Jenny’s voice filled his ear. “I just wanted to call and hear your voice.”

“I didn’t know you used the phone.”

She giggled. “I don’t much. Old habits. But we just had a break at the House and I thought I’d call.”

“How’s it going?” It took some effort to shift his brain away from trying to pin down a rogue Peruvian colonel, but he found he appreciated the change. Thinking about something positive was different for him.

“Good.” He could almost hear her smile through the line. “The first girls are settling in, and the doctors think they’ll do good. Dr. Jessup is in the first class with them now, going over the rules.”

“How’s Gina?”

“Great. She’s in there, too. I think she likes this more than police work.”

“It wouldn’t surprise me. Gina always cared.” Maybe too much for what we have to do day in and day out, but she’s a natural at the House. “Any sign of that jackass Watkins and his pal?”

“No, and you can bet Angie’s watching for them.” Her voice shifted. “You sound tired.”

“I guess I am. This just keeps getting deeper and deeper.”

“Don’t lose yourself in it, baby. This is fun, and I feel good doing it, but I need you to be you.”

“I know. Say hey to Angie for me.”

“I will. She’ll say something about blondie being a fool, but you know her heart’s good.” There was a pause. “I need to get back. I love you, baby.”

“I love you, too, Jenny.”

“That was so sweet.”

Sonny grinned as he hung up the phone. “Put a sock in it, partner. Don’t make me bring up those hickies again.”

“Man, I ain’t ever gonna live that down, am I?”

“Nope.” Sonny leaned back in his chair, realizing just how sore his neck was. “Gotta admit I needed that, though.”

“How is Jenny?”

“Good. She was just telling me about Caitlin’s House. The first girls moved in today and she’s over there helping Angie run things.”

Rico nodded. “It’s good to remember there’s actual hope in the word, ain’t it?”

“Yeah. Some days it really is. Even though I expect about half of those girls will be back on the streets in six months. Maybe less.”

“We can dream, partner. You got some good people over there, good resources, too.” Rico leaned forward. “And even if you just save one, that’s more than are gettin’ out now.”

“You sound like Jenny.” But he smiled. “And you’re right. It’s too damned easy to forget that sitting where we do.”

“Especially when you’re chasing bastards like these.” Rico waved his hand to take in the files on both their desks. “Hard to believe America had a hand in creating this.”

“It’s all big picture stuff. Like Nam. Now they say it was worth it because Thailand didn’t go Commie. Hell, maybe they’re right. But we still sold South Vietnam down the river. I know that’s a hard one for Marty, but he worked with ‘em way more than I did. I never saw much good in ‘em if I’m honest, but I’m old enough now to know I didn’t see near what he did. Or for as long.”

“With age comes wisdom. Isn’t that what Evan said?”

“Something like that. I don’t remember for sure.” But Sonny did remember the line. Word for word. Evan still visited his dreams on occasion. He knew me too damned well. Right down to stuff I didn’t know myself back then. Or maybe knew but didn’t want to admit.

“You think we’re solid for this Carrera thing?”

“As solid as we’re gonna be. It’s a risk. But hell, what isn’t a risk with these Unit 8 boys in play?” Sonny looked down at the folder again, taking a last bite of his sandwich without tasting it. “I just gotta get in this dude’s head. Figure out what he’s gonna do next and break it.”

 

Captain Salazar waited until Orozco finished speaking to look up from his own notes. “I’d say the message was properly delivered. There was no collateral damage. Good work by you and your team, lieutenant.”

“Thank you, sir.”

There was a hint of something in the reply Salazar couldn’t identify, but he chose to let it pass. This time. “I may need you to support an operation tonight. A small team, not your full compliment.”

“Just name the task, sir.”

“We have information that a local dealer named Carrera is meeting with our target Burnett tonight at a club called the Overton.” Salazar almost smiled when he thought of the source of the information. The girl thought she was getting ahead by turning on Carrera, and he figured she’d be an interesting diversion until he tired of her. Her skills were diverse and…interesting. “We will eliminate Carrera as part of a message to Burnett. Your team will provide security for our shooter.”

“Of course, sir. And if this Burnett does not get the message?”

“He will.” Salazar didn’t bother to mention the note they’d place on the windshield of Burnett’s fancy white car. Their cover man watching Carrera had seen him and the New York dealer getting into the Ferrari after they left the club, but true to his orders he stayed on Carrera. That was how they’d found out about the girl. At the time Salazar had been irritated the man didn’t try to follow Burnett and the other dealer, but now he didn’t care. It was better this way.

“And what if he decides to ignore the message?”

“I don’t think he will. This Burnett is a businessman, Victor. He stays away from the product and is only concerned with making shipping arrangements. He may push back as the Americans say, but our information indicates he’s sensible. He’ll come to terms once he sees the alternative. And if not, we will take our usual steps.”

“Perhaps it would be better to set an example with a Yankee now.”

“The colonel does not think so.” Salazar smiled inside when he saw Orozco flinch at the invocation of their superior. “In his view it’s far better to work with an established network. And there is no denying this Burnett’s network. He can also give us entry into the networks to the north. New York City. Perhaps even Chicago. We need to get there before the Mexican cartels do.” He smiled, throwing Orozco a bone. “It’s all about access, Victor. Better that we gain it early than have to fight for it with the Mexicans or what’s left of the Columbians.”

“Did you wish me to be present for the Overton operation?”

Salazar started to answer, then changed his mind. “Corporal Valderama will have tactical control, so it might be best if you were at a distance. He shouldn’t require more than three of your men, but I leave that decision to you. Burnett does not move with a large security team as far as we can tell. In fact, he seems to trust only himself and one or two others with his own personal security. Any threat would likely come from whatever scum this Carrera managed to hire.”

“I’ll send a team of three, then.”

“Use your own judgment, Victor. But the corporal has tactical control. Be sure they understand that.”

Once Orozco left, Salazar leaned back in his chair and let out a long sigh. Meeting with the man was always exhausting, but at least this time it hadn’t involved some kind of reprimand. Orozco and his team had done well delivering their message, better than Salazar had expected. Maybe the reality of operating in El Notre was finally sinking into the younger officer’s head.

He’d thought long and hard about how to reach out to this Burnett, but the tipping factor had been the girl’s information. Now they could as the Yankees said kill two birds with one stone. And the message they’d sent when they killed the other middleman, Victor, had been effective. No reason not to repeat the pattern. And it drew less official attention than messages like the boat or The Rooster.

Still, he found it odd that his teams had seen no evidence of any unusual response at the bar. Just the usual swarm of police and their lackeys with cameras and vans of equipment. The unformed officers and the ‘plainclothes’ people in their obvious unmarked cars and badly-fitting suits. He’d hoped the display would draw out at least some of this Task Force, but even Antonio’s monitoring had picked up nothing out of the ordinary.

He’d again considered following the man from the hospital, but once again discarded the idea. He didn’t have enough people to run a proper surveillance box, and anything less carried the risk of tipping their hand. Unlike Orozco he didn’t underestimate the ability of this Task Force. But perhaps this Burnett would be of use there, too. The man had been running his business for some time, and such a man had to be well-connected and in touch with local intelligence. Another lesson from the highland operations. Never assume the locals don’t know what’s going on around them.

Looking at his watch, he shook his head. There was still time before the last review with Valderama, and almost three hours before the colonel was due to relocate to the jump headquarters and be out of communications until the move was complete. He hadn’t shared that information with Orozco, and had no intention of doing so. Some things were best left unsaid.

He was about to turn his attention to a report for the colonel when the Radio Shack marvel buzzed. “Sir. Velendez is here and says he has something to report.”

Salazar suppressed his sigh. “Very well. Send him in.”

Sergeant Velendez could have passed as a student on any campus in the world, which is just what he’d been until he was recruited by El Unidad. One of the handful of enlisted men to go through the intelligence program of the School of the Americas, he was damned good at what he did. And now he stood a few paces in front of Salazar’s desk with a smile on his face. “I think I’ve found one of them, sir.”

“Good work, sergeant. Name?”

“Lieutenant Castillo. I went back ten years in the papers to be sure. The Vice section used to be headed by a Lieutenant Rodriguez. He was assassinated, and this Castillo appeared. Maybe he came from their Homicide division. It’s hard to say. But he ran Metro-Dade’s Vice and then Organized Crime Bureau for a number of years. And then about three years ago he just disappears.” He snapped his fingers. “Poof!”

“And this means…”

“Sir, this OCB was Metro-Dade’s major case unit. They went after major traffickers, arms dealers, prostitution, gambling.” Salazar swallowed a smile. When excited Velendez lapsed into very American jargon. “They were the heavy hitters. And this man ran that unit. And then one day he just vanishes from the police reports. Where does he go?”

“Someplace better.” Salazar nodded. It made sense. “What do we know about this man?”

“Not much. Some of the reporters claimed he had ties to the CIA, but no one could ever prove it. Others said he had worked for DEA before taking a police job.”

We can check part of that, at least. Salazar nodded. “I see. But what if he just retired?”

“I don’t think so, sir. There was some kind of scandal involving the unit and activities in Costa Morada. This Castillo kept his job through that. For over a year. And then he’s gone from the reports and the unit’s efficiency seems to have dropped, too. One of their people was even arrested last year on corruption charges.” Velendez looked at a point on the wall somewhere to right of the captain’s head. “Sir, I believe this Castillo either commands or is of senior rank in the Task Force.”

“Just because he’s not in the papers?”

“Because of his record with this OCB. And I think he took some of his people with him, though I cannot find other names. Because when you build a new unit…”

“You take cadres from an existing one.” Salazar nodded. “Excellent work.”

“And there is one more thing. This Burnett might be able to confirm my theory. He seems to have had some run-ins with Castillo during the whole Manolo cartel affair.”

“Burnett, eh? Maybe you can dig into him for me as well.”

Velendez smiled. “I did, sir. He appears from time to time in connection with small arrests until he married some pop star name Caitlin Davies. She was later killed during a concert in what the newspapers thought was an attempt to kill Burnett. It was soon after that when he made his moves in the Manolo cartel and succeeded in both taking over and greatly expanding its operations. There was some kind of internal power struggle, combined with a Mexican colonel, and Burnett settled back into transportation again. But it does confirm he is a very dangerous man to cross.”

“And his link to Castillo?”

“Castillo was on record as vowing to bring the cartel down. Burnett was also arrested on more than one occasion by OCB, only to be released due to lack of evidence.”

“Then it seems we will have more to talk about than the price of cocaine in Miami when we meet.” Salazar’s smile was wide and genuine. “Excellent work, sergeant. You may return to your normal duties.”

“Sir? If I may I’d like to keep digging. There may be more there. In fact, I’m sure there is. My gut tells me so.”

“For now, yes. We may need you in the field before long, though.”

 

Rodrigo Delacruz looked around the high-rise office a final time, making sure he’d left nothing important behind. They’d be coming back at the completion of the operation, but it was a point of pride with him to leave no evidence of his occupancy behind.

He thought back to Salazar’s report earlier that morning. Orozco had done well enough on his first mission in El Notre, but Rodrigo could still hear the hesitation in his second-in-command’s voice when talking about the younger officer. It was a consideration, but a small thing compared to the world of opportunities open before them in El Notre.

Still, there were things left to do here before the move. One of them waited in the lobby outside his office. It wasn’t much, a mere nuisance in the bigger picture, but still something that had to be finished before he left the city.

Like many career military men, Rodrigo didn’t like dealing with outsiders. People who didn’t know or appreciate the customs of his service or the ways they conducted their business. But they’d been forced to bring in outsiders, both to replace losses suffered and to expand operations in certain areas. And some of these men proved lacking. Often they fell by the wayside, killed by rivals or the police when they overstepped the mark or sometimes by original men of Unidad Ocho on the orders of their superiors. But this one…this one Rodrigo knew he had to handle himself.

Part of being a legitimate commander meant he had to pick up the hard jobs from time to time. Get mud on himself so the men knew he understood what he asked them to do because he’d done it himself. He’d learned that years ago, not at the service school but from an old captain who’d come up through the ranks and spent his career wallowing in the mud and filth of the backwoods provinces. The man never rose above that rank, but his men would follow him anywhere and do anything he asked because he was right there doing it with them. He’d never forgotten that lesson.

Shifting, he felt the weight of the heavy .45 tucked into his waistband. Just to the left of his belt buckle, behind the jacket but within easy reach. Hammer back and the safety on with a round in the chamber. Just the way he’d been taught to carry the big auto-loader. It was time.

The outer office had no windows, and the prints on the walls could have come from any corporate office in the world. Rodrigo’s orderly, a long-time private who’d been with him to the hard places, looked up from his desk. He knew what was coming. The other man, tending toward fat and overdressed in clothes he’d ordered in from some tailor in Hong Kong, didn’t. It was the fat one who grinned. “Eh, Rodrigo. Or jefe is it? Either way, so long as we’re making money, right?”

Rodrigo nodded, playing the fool to put the real one at ease. “So they say, my friend. So they say. But tell me of this business with Cruces. Did they change the terms?”

“Terms? No. You got the agreed-on tax. They even paid early.”

“Ah. It must be a mistake on my part, then. Because it looks like the payment was short around ten grand.”

“Ah, no. That must be a mistake. You know peasants can’t count for shit, right?” He grinned over at the orderly, a dark man with the thick black hair of the highland Indians. “My boys made sure it was right before we sent it over.”

“I see.” Rodrigo wandered past the desk, stopping only when he was a few feet from the man. “So it’s my men that made the mistake?”

“It’s all I can think.”

“Then you don’t think for shit. My men don’t make mistakes. It was that peasant you’re mocking who brought it to my attention. He studied accounting at the University of Lima before he became a solider.” The Colt was out and pointing at the man’s head. “The only mistake was you thinking you could get away with it.”

The shot boomed like thunder, amplified as it bounced off the office walls. A spatter of blood and brains decorated the far wall, red and gray stark against the matte white paint. Flicking the safety back on, Rodrigo jammed the gun back into his pants, feeling the metal warm against his skin. “Have that cleaned up as soon as possible. And relay the order to Sergeant Chocano. Seven of his men are to die. No, make that eight. I didn’t leave enough of his head for a proper message.”

“It will be done, colonel.” The private nodded. “Will you be leaving today?”

“Within the hour.”

“I’ll see to it at once, then. Will we be taking the plane?”

“At least to Columbia. From there it may be by boat. The jump headquarters has a helipad but nothing for conventional aircraft.” Rodrigo stepped over the cooling corpse on the floor, ignoring the familiar smell of death and voided bowels. “We will be out of touch for no more than twenty four hours. The advance team is already on site making the preparations.”

As he rode the elevator down to his waiting car in the building’s garage, Rodrigo felt a sense of satisfaction growing in his gut. The dead mn had been skimming from their take for more than one payment. That message had been a bit overdue. But with the Miami operation just beginning, he’d felt he should wait until things were moving forward on that front. And now they were. There’d be some lag as the remnants of the dead man’s crew sorted out their lesson, but he’d send two of his Unidad Ocho veterans to sit on them until it was running right. And if it didn’t, the veterans would expand the lesson to the entire crew and find another. Success in this business always attracted new recruits.

The head of his security team, another sergeant, held the door for him. “Your luggage is loaded, jefe. We are ready to depart.”

“Excellent. Let’s go. I detest travel. The sooner it’s over the better. Has Sergeant Major Pascal checked in?”

“Si. He’s already at the airport waiting with the first plane and the rest of the headquarters people.”

“Good. My orderly will be on the second aircraft. He has some cleaning to arrange upstairs first.”

“Very good. Shall we go?”

“Yes. The sooner the better.”

 

Sonny checked his watch one last time. He was already settling into the black suit and flat eyes of Burnett, which made the last stages of the briefing hard. “Gametime in under an hour, people. Stan, you’d best head out now and get the Roach Coach in position. We’ll open the mics for a comm check when we park and then go quiet. I don’t want to tip them off if they’re listening.”

Stan nodded. “We’ll start rolling our pirate radio half an hour before you go in.” He chuckled. “Some light programming for their listening entertainment if they’re riding the airwaves. And if not it’ll confuse the shit out of someone. We’re using non-standard frequencies so it shouldn’t mess with Metro-Dade at all. But they’re just close enough someone snooping will find them.”

“Ok, people. Showtime. Mindy, Trudy, I know you wanna go but it’s better you keep going through those property records. We need to get a handle on where these guys might be hiding. Or planning to hide. This should be a simple meet, but we know nothing with these Unit 8 bastards is ever really simple.”

Once Team Elvis had trooped into the elevator and headed downstairs, Rico turned to Sonny. “You sure there’s no way we can get Trudy and Mindy out there?”

“Not without drawing attention. These guys are military. They’re gonna work with the plan, see things that don’t fit in that plan. And if they’re leaning on Carrera they’d know we never bring dates to business meetings.”

“Yeah. I just don’t like hitting it alone. You know?”

“Yeah. It changes when you got something to lose, doesn’t it?”

“That it does, Sonny. That it does.” Rico looked around the room. “You think we can take these guys down?”

“Yeah.” He felt his Burnett voice coming on strong and did nothing to hold it back. “I got them now, Rico. I know how they’re gonna think. It’s like looking in the mirror. Maybe they’re meaner than Burnett, but we can use that to our advantage, too. That message they like to send? It’s a weakness. Something we can get inside of. It also means they’ll understand it when we send one of our own.”

He could see the doubt in Rico’s eyes. “You really think so? These psychos have killed at least thirteen people in Miami alone.”

“Yeah, but to them it’s a form of communication. Symbols. Eight heads. Eight bullets in each body. If we kill at least eight of them, we’re telling them we’re bigger. Meaner. And if we do it right, it sends a message they can’t miss or misunderstand.”

“But is that law enforcement?”

Sonny shook his head. “That I don’t know, Rico. But it’s a law they’ll understand. I know Marty wants them out of Miami, and this is the only way to do it. You arrest them, they send more and the ones we bust recruit people in jail. What I know is how Sonny Burnett would answer a challenge like that. And that’s what Castillo wants.”

“But is he right to want that?”

“I can’t answer that one. And neither can you. That’s Marty’s question to answer, and if I know the man at all he’s already answered it for himself. And there’s another player in the picture. How do you think he got those damned files?”

“An old contact.”

“Come on, Rico. Old contacts don’t have files like that. Even Marty’s. They have names and dates in their heads. Shit they whisper to you over a drink or six and then deny knowing. Someone wants us to clean up their mess, and it’s someone high up in the Federal side. Or the Company. Hell, both of ‘em had a big hand in creating Unit 8. We’re just helping them clean up the mess.”

“You think Marty suspects?”

“I don’t know. Maybe, but he’ll ignore it. These guys are trying to rip the guts out of Miami, and for him that’s about as personal as it gets.” Sonny sighed, pushing Burnett back into his corner for a moment. “I can’t say I know what goes on in Castillo’s head, Rico. But for him any attack on this city is very personal. Look at how he reacted back when Evan was involved with those MAC-10s. Or any time a big deal was going down. He comes out of his corner like a rabid wolverine if someone threatens the city. The Company’s gonna know that.”

“Yeah. But does that make it right?”

“Is it right to ignore it and let it happen? I think that’s what guides Marty.”

“Yeah.” Rico sighed. “I get it, Sonny. I really do. It’s just…this is so much bigger than most of the crap we sweep up day after day.”

“Yeah. And that’s why we need to smash it now. The military trains you to reinforce success, and if they get their foot in the door it’s success. They’ll just keep coming.” Sonny looked at his watch. “Come on, partner. We gotta get ready to hit the street.” He looked into Rico’s eyes, searching for any lingering questions. “You ready for this?”

“Always, partner. Like you said, I got something to lose now. And I lost enough already. Let’s get this done.”

They turned into the Overton lot just after ten. Sonny parked the Ferrari and killed the engine while Rico made a quick mic check. Once he nodded Sonny killed his own radio and stepped out of the car into the humid heat of the evening. Clouds had rolled in just before sunset, trapping the heat in like a blanket on a bed, and he could feel sweat beading in the hollow of his spine.

Rico looked over the low-slung roof of the car. “You ready to make some deals?”

“Always, Cooper. Always.” Sonny flashed a quick smile before letting the cold Burnett mask slide into place. He fought the temptation to scan nearby rooftops. Unit 9 had at least one sniper on the books, and according to the files they’d been Quantico-trained. He’d just assume someone was watching them and play along. Better to focus his attention close in. A knife in the ribs from four inches away was just as dangerous as a bullet from four hundred yards.

[Matt5]

Enjoying this @Robbie C. thankyou.

[mjcmmv]

I like how they got the background material on Castillo and Burnett. And now, they're closer to identifying the Task Force. Good stuff!

 

[Matt5]

45 minutes ago, mjcmmv said:

I like how they got the background material on Castillo and Burnett. And now, they're closer to identifying the Task Force. Good stuff!

 

Yes that was a great part! 

[Robbie C.]

1 hour ago, mjcmmv said:

I like how they got the background material on Castillo and Burnett. And now, they're closer to identifying the Task Force. Good stuff!

 

Open source intel is a thing, and an important one to boot. 

[mjcmmv]

3 minutes ago, Robbie C. said:

Open source intel is a thing, and an important one to boot. 

It was interesting to see how this officer realized Castillo suddenly dropped out of sight and then, pieced it all together. Kind of reminded me of Sonny's uncanny intuition.