Chapter 17. Closing The Books

By Irene

The rented boats were returned to the owners in Texas. They included their original crews plus Tony, who wanted to get back quickly. While the crews of the two boats flew straight to LA, Tony drove for hours to San Antonio, then flew to Las Vegas. Tonto and Pammie met him there and drove him to his safe house in Pasadena, where he grew a beard, changed his hair, and assumed a new identity. He wasn’t rich, but could be comfortable if he wanted. His son had a bunch of stock tips. Of course, that was not his nature.

Tonto moved into Belen and Ernie’s guest house. Pammie’s parents assumed, reasonably, that if their daughter were going to cross a line, she would have done so crossing the country while living with Tonto in the camper for a month. Arrangement were made so they would both finish high school using private tutors.

“Tuska” landed the troopers and nerds in Florida. Some had their families fly in for a visit to see the sights. A handful, including the younger nerds, flew back to LA with Irene and Martin, who had chartered a private flight. They landed at John Wayne Airport in Orange County on Friday September 5.

“Tuska” sold the various cars, trucks and busses where they found buyers in the Caribbean. Only the three Mercedes Benz vehicles plus the APC and the tank returned to LA on the ship, arriving at the end of September. The car shop for 49 got these three vehicles, changed the serial numbers, and got them solid papers.

With there leaders and their most enthusiastic troops gone, the Aztex gangs in Texas and New Mexico were quickly destroyed by their neighbors as new pretenders fought their internal battles.

In LA the remaining Aztexs, with a more moderate silent majority firmly taking charge, wasted little time blowing up the meth houses in their territory and letting people know that the meth dealers were no longer welcome. Those who were in the meth business grabbed the significant store of drugs in inventory but had no place to sell the merchandise. Instead they found themselves being hunted by mysterious Asians who wanted everything they had, including their lives. These so-called Meth-Aztexs soon splintered and disbursed, each looking for safer, greener pastures. Instead, many found an unmarked grave in the desert.

The “old” gang members took the temporary name of “Notexs” and asked for 49 to return to the negotiations for merger. They really needed protection from their neighbors so as a pre-condition for talks they ceded the Seerdon Forest and signed on with the 49 drug policy which meant only selling weed and party drugs.