Chapter 12

As Tom and Betty got off the plane in Havana, the Minister of Communication met them.

Senor and Senora Wilcox, "It is my pleasure to welcome you to Cuba. Your bags have been taken to the Hotel Tropicana. I am sure you will be very happy there. I have your transportation waiting outside."

Once they were in the limo, "Senor, Senora Wilcox, I have been asked to request that you have a private dinner with the President tonight. He will send a car for you."

Tom replied, "We will be honored. What time should we expect the limo?"

"How would 7:30 be?"

"That would be fine."

They were dropped off at the Hotel, and escorted to the elevators.

Tom turned to Betty and asked, "Are you sure you will be comfortable in a hotel room for then next 24 months?"

The bellman interrupted, "Senor, Senora, excuse me for interrupting, but your room is not a normal hotel room, you have a Presidential Suite, it is the second largest suite in the hotel. I am very sure you both will be very comfortable there."

Tom said, "My Company contracted for a normal hotel room, we will not be able to pay for a large suite and meet the budget for the project."

"Senor, the suite is for you and your family as long as you wish to stay, and when ever you visit in the future the suite will be made available. The Government of Cuba is covering the cost. What ever you want in the hotel with the exception of the casino is on the house. I apology for not introducing myself, my name is Jose' Rodgregase, I am the Hotel Manager. I have been told that everything will be explained tonight at dinner."

Just them the elevator door open Senor Rodriguez led them into small hallway then turned to open a large door, "The Presidential Suite. Your own President stayed here last year when diplomatic relations were reopened between the US and Cuba. The Cuban people were impressed with him. He was the one that pressed for Cuba's acceptance into NAFTA." There are five double bedroom, and three singles. The singles are normally used for bodyguards. There is a safe in the Master Bedroom. The piano is a computer-controlled player piano; you can select the music form any of the computers located in the suite. There is room service 24 hours a day. The maid service is right down the hall, just call 1745 on the phone and one of your maids will be right with you."

Betty looked around and with a big grin said, "I don't know if I can handle this, but I am will to try."

"Senor, I have a personal question to ask, if I may"

"OK?"

"You do have an older brother named, Bill?"

"Yes, why?"

"I was wondering how he is, I went to school with him in Miami at Edison. I was in his Latin class. The last I heard about him was he moved up to central Florida someplace in his senior year."

"He is fine, he lives in Illinois now. I thought you accent was not what I expected, but it does not sound like it is from form Florida either."

"My family were the Cuban partners for the Hotel, when Castro took over they fled to Miami. I went to school at Miami Edison. I won a scholarship to Princeton and studied Hotel and Restaurant Management. I had been living and working in Miami Beach at the Fountaine Blu Hotel. Then last year after Castro died in that electrical storm, the new government gave back the property that was taken form the original Cuban owners. When my family got back the hotel, they asked me to come back and run it for them. When do you think you will have cell phone service running in Havana? I miss my cell phone, almost as much as cable TV. We have Satellite at the Hotel, so I can still watch the Dolphins lose on Monday nights. However when there is a problem with hotel and I am not here, they have to send someone to look for me. That can become very expensive."

"As far as cell service in Havana, we will have an exchange switch to connect line service installed within a couple of weeks, we still need to find locations for the cell sites."

"The hotel, has a radio antenna mast, if that can be used, I would love to have a cell site on top of the hotel."

"I will see what I can do. I think we can work something out."

Just as Senor Rodriguez was getting ready to leave two young ladies came in. "These ladies are Rita, and Sophia, they are the afternoon maids for the suite, they will help you unpack, press your clothes and help you get ready to have dinner with the President tonight.

The Presidential Limousine picked them up at exactly 7:30 P.M. and took them to the Presidential Palace.

The Cuban President and his wife greeted them.

"Senor Wilcox, it is so good of you and your wife to come to Cuba, to help us come into the modern world. When I was in New York, it was so nice to be able to use my cellular telephone to call anyone."

Since El Presidente was killed last year, Cuba is being offered all of the investments that your country had kept away from us. Now I am not going to talk to you about the rightness or wrongness of a policy that went into place when you were learning to walk. We are thankful for the new investments. Last year your President was here, and since then he pushed through Cuba being allowed to become a signatory to the North American Free Trade Agreement. We can finally start selling our cigars in the United States. Americans have gone to great lengths to obtain them in the past.

Tom asked, " I heard that President Castro, died because electrical short in his microphone. I have been told that that has happened to Rock Musicians too."

The President looked at his wife and bodyguards and they left him alone with Tom and Betty.

"That is part of the reason that I asked you here tonight. The official story is Castro was electrocuted, in reality he was shot. There were three shots; from three rifles all located 1475 meters from the presidents platform. It is consensus of the Cuban government that we wish nothing said on this matter. Only twelve other people in Cuba, your President, and I am sure that your CIA knows what I am going to tell you. The only reason I am telling you is we wish you to deliver a message to your brother, 'Let him know that we do not wish him ill, we are thankful for him removing a cancer that had chocking our country for almost 50 year. The Grizzly is free to roam in Cuba, if he ever feels the need.' If you would give me his mailing address I will make sure he has a constant supply of the cigars he likes so much."

Tom & Betty were shocked. Tom replied, "I don't understand. Are you saying that Dave killed Castro?"

"Directly we are not sure. We know that he was in San Juan with his sister-in-law last year. She was being given a tour of the Radio Telescope your government has in Puerto Rico. While she was there, we do not know for sure where he was. Since your brother and Miss Jenny, where on a plane flying to Miami, when President Castro was shot he could not have pulled the triggers.

Now the weapons we are sure were of his design. There where three 50 caliber single shot sniper rifles with a remote target acquisition systems. Even though they were supposed to self-destruct after the mission one of the three bombs, did not go off. The trigger device failed to ignite on one of them. The sniper scopes were connected to the Internet via a satellite link. Target acquisition was performed remotely. Once the target was acquired the remote sniper rifle tracked the target, so even if the target moves behind a wall the armor pricing rounds that were used, ensued that the target was killed. Castro's bodyguards got in the way, and were killed also. They were killed before the normal audience showed up. That is why we were able to tell everyone that they were electrocuted, it was raining and the sound system was made in the former USSR. Getting shocked was not unusual for that equipment.

President Castro and the Vice President and the Minister of State Security were all killed, one shot each. We the present government are very grateful to whom ever removed them. We just hope that there are no more of those weapons platforms around. It will be bad if a terrorist group would get a hold of a few.

Betty gave Tom a worried look, and said, "Tom, we left Suzy with him, will she be OK?"

The President interjected, "Senora, you daughter could not be more protected with anyone else. After your brother-in-law quit the Army, after Panama. He was tired of the killing. The KGB tried to recruit him. The agents they sent to try to induce him, only said one word before they died, 'NO!' He started working for your Navy, mainly because he did not have a reputation with them. The department he worked for knew nothing of his work in the Army. He led a very quite life, like he wanted. He met a lovely young lady from Colombia. She was ex-Army, only ex-Colombian Army. She told everyone she was nurse, only she was an Intelligence Officer. When her family started getting death threats, she killed every Cartel Agent in Cartiheena, and then left the country so her family could live unmolested. She was one of a handful of Female Colombian Soldiers that were decorated for valor in combat, the only one that lived through the combat. She was one very respected young lady. The KGB and the CIA thought they were going to start contracting hits for hire. They were both wrong, they just wanted a quite life. Then your Navy had the misfortune of letting one of their sailors get drunk, he had the misfortune of forcing your sister-in-law off the road, she died. We do not understand what happened next. Your brother was re-assigned to San Diego California, and the drunken sailor got a slap on the hands.