Chapter 52

Hawk terminated the call and joined Bill and Gunnery Sergeant Kellogg. After a questioning look by Hawk, Bill said, “I called Brenda. They’re sending out two vehicles; one for us and one to carry Sergeant Kellogg back to Coronado Island.”

“Excellent!” proclaimed Hawk.

Then, turning to the sergeant Hawk said, “Gunny, I want to thank you for coming with me as security. I know we’re both grateful nothing happened that required your services, but it helped knowing you were there.”

“Sir, I was just honored to be selected by the Admiral for this job, though I’ll say you and Bill have been easy to work with.”

“Good. Now, before our rides arrive I want to emphasize that anything discussed in your presence is to be considered Top Secret. That also goes for any of our destinations.”

“I figured that from the instructions given to me by the Admiral’s pilot. Besides, I never saw or heard anything that should be anyone’s business but yours.”

Thinking a moment, Hawk wrote a number on a piece of paper. As Hawk handed the piece of paper to the sergeant, he said, “This is the phone number of a voice mailbox. If there’s a time in the future where I can help you, just call and leave a message and a number where I can reach you.”

Placing the note in his wallet, the sergeant replied, “Thank you, Sir. I’ll keep that in mind.”

A few minutes later, two Suburbans drove through the security gate and pulled up close to the three men standing next to the airplane.

The driver of the white one rolled down his window, and said, “Hop in Sergeant, and I’ll give you a ride back to your base.” The sergeant waved goodbye to his two traveling companions and carried his gym bag containing his weapons to the waiting vehicle. After another wave the SUV drove out the gate and disappeared.

Hawk and Bill walked to the other vehicle, a dark metallic gray Suburban, where Ken and a ‘sans makeup’ Michael greeted them. As they also drove off the tarmac and through the security gate, Hawk asked, “So, how have things been going?”

Ken responded, “A lot smoother than I expected. There have been some excellent applicants, and I’m now permanently part of the company.”

“I figured that would happen, and I’m glad to have you aboard. How about you, Michael, have you enjoyed being my doppelganger?”

“It hasn’t been bad, though my wife had some problems making love to this face. Though I will say I was happy to take off the makeup on the way here.”

“I was wondering about that,” Hawk responded.

“We decided no one would really notice if ‘Hawk’ left with Ken and returned with Michael and Bill. That would basically set up a sense of continuity to anyone watching the facility.”

“A well thought-out plan, guys.”

“Thanks,” responded Ken, “but, I’ll have to give the whole team credit for the idea.”

“Then I’ll thank the team when we get together. I want a meeting as soon as possible.”

“We figured you would, so everyone’s waiting in the small conference room.”

Elizabeth Johnson was visibly happy as she left Connie Taylor and her ‘daughter’ Katrina and walked down the hall to the nurses’ station. Though incomplete, she’d partially freed the lock on Connie’s mind, and she’d done it without further hypnotism. Now it was time to call together the rest of her friends to plan how they’d proceed from here. At the nurses’ station, she picked up one of the phones and dialed an outside line. “Lazy Z Ranch.”

“Zed, it’s Elizabeth. We need to have another meeting, as soon as possible. Could you contact everyone and get them here as a group?”

“Sure, we’ll get right on it. Do you want me to call you back with the details?”

“Please.”

After eating, the Admiral led Jason and Andy through security and back to the operations room. Here Jason began afresh in his analysis of the two targets, seeking the one clue that would be the key to the success of the operation. He’d hardly gotten started when his concentration was broken by the close proximity of Admiral Burke. Fighting off his frustration, Jason looked up questioningly and asked, “What is it, Frank?”

“I hate to disturb you, but this intercept was received while we were upstairs. I thought it was important enough to not wait until you took a break.”

Jason took the paper from the Admiral and began to read. It wasn’t that long, but it was important, for several reasons. “So, they’ve captured the niece of the judge who issued the warrants against the Tule River Operation, and are shipping her and others across the border late tonight in shipping containers. They’re not going to travel as a convoy, but there’s a mark on the truck that tells the Mexican customs to ignore the trucks, allowing them just to pass through. Let’s see if we can make use of this, as well as free their captives. Frank, I need you to locate a couple of container trucks similar to those usually used by Mexican drivers to go back and forth across the border. I also need a couple of empty containers.”

“I’ll get right on it.”

“Good. Then while you’re making your calls, I have a couple of my own to make.” Jason went into the office assigned to him earlier and dialed a number on the direct line to Palm Springs. A pleasant female voice answered, “Phoenix Brix, may I help you.”

“Eric White, please.”

“Certainly, Sir, let me page him.”

A few moments later, a panting voice answered, “Eric White.”

“Eric, Jason Magill. You sound like you’ve been running.”

“I was back at one of the kilns when she paged me. Are you calling about your ‘special’ order?”

“Yes, I wondered how you were coming.”

“I’ve got about sixty percent of the bricks made, and I’d love to get them out of here.”

“Intermingled with others to make a full load, how many trucks are needed to move what you have?”

“If we use about twenty percent hollows, we should be able to do it in five trucks and stay under weight limits.”

“On the remaining raw material, what kind of condition is it in?”

“It’s packed in the original eighty pound boxes and stacked twenty-five boxes to the pallet. I’ve ten pallets sitting in a locked area behind my office.”

“Eric, can you get those completed out today? I need them delivered in San Diego by tonight.”

“I should be able to. Who’s the customer?”

“Leave that blank and the final paperwork rather flexible at the moment, but the consignee is The United States Navy, care of Admiral Frank Burke, Coronado Naval Air Station, Coronado Island, California. They’re to call my phone for actual delivery instructions when they arrive in San Diego. As for the rest of the paperwork, we’ll fill in the blanks in a few days. I’ll also have someone coming for the other within the next ninety minutes.”

“I’ll be waiting at the loading dock. Have them ask for me when they stop at the gate.”

“Thanks, Eric. This will help a lot, and we’ll make sure you get a ‘commendation’ for all your hard work.”

“That would be appreciated, but after rescuing my son and his friend from that mountain lion I personally owe you more than I can repay.”

“Don’t worry about repaying, but for now, let’s just get this behind us.”

Jason hung up and then dialed a second number. “White Mountain Security.”

“Red Deer, this is Longbow.”

“How can I help you, Sir?”

“Red Deer, how many men are available and how many more can be activated within an hour.”

“There are three teams here at the moment, with three more on call. If push came to shove I could probably have forty to fifty men ready to go in that time frame.”

“How many are fluent in Spanish?”

“I’m not sure. I would estimate six or eight.”

“What about Commercial Driver’s Licenses?”

“I don’t have a clue on that, Sir, but I can find out.”

“Do that and call me back. In the meantime, I need you to activate all you can and send some of those in the office to get some rental moving vans for one-way trips to different towns in the San Diego area. They can meet up at Hawk’s ranch, but I need two to go to Phoenix Brix. They need to stop at the gate and ask for Eric White.”

“Anything else, Sir?”

“I need to talk to Mike Running Elk as soon as possible.”

“He was one of those I was about to call. I’ll have him call you as soon he and I finish.”

Jason ended the call and went back into command central. “Frank, we’re going to be leaving here shortly. In the meantime, can you locate a warehouse where we consolidate our incoming shipments?”

“I’ll try, but I don’t really understand all that’s going on.”

“Frank, I really don’t think you want to know everything, but I can tell you I plan on utilizing the loosened border situation to smuggle some of our men and arms into Mexico and get them to within striking distance of Vasquez’s house and farm.”

“So you need a staging area.”

“Admiral, that’s probably a good analogy. But, we’re bringing in a lot of men and equipment from numerous locations, and it’s imperative it all remains hidden and not traceable back to either of us.”

“Jason, do you really think I’ll get my daughter back?”

“All I know, Sir, is we’re going to give it a hell of a shot.”

“Then let me get on the phone. Where will you be?”

“I want to talk to Andy for a few minutes, and I’ve got more calls to make in addition to the calls I’m expecting to receive. We’ll need to leave shortly after that.”

“Then I’d better get busy. I think there’s a warehouse near Chula Vista that should be available. I’ll verify that and declare it temporarily off limits.”

“Frank, I don’t mean to be telling you your job, but don’t do anything that can bring specific attention to that warehouse. Remember, Vasquez is getting inside information from someone.”

“I hadn’t thought about that. How can I check to see if the property is available without drawing an arrow right to it?”

“Probably the easiest way would be to check the status of several properties, with that one being buried among them. Then instruct your people not to change that status without first clearing it with you”

“That will work.”

As Admiral Burke turned toward one of the telephones Jason pulled Andy close, and asked, “How are you doing?”

“My nausea seems improved, and for some reason, my fears have abated. Can you tell me what’s going on?”

“I’ll try, but I may get interrupted. The news we received after lunch is what stirred everything up.”

“And that was?”

“Vasquez has kidnapped the niece of the judge who signed the warrant against Wilbur Jackson and his group. They’re transporting her and some other captive girls into Mexico tonight.”

“And you’re afraid that with her as a pressure point the judge will identify you as the mystery man?”

“Yes, my little Dove, but it’s more than that. I want to rescue all his captives before they can be sold into slavery.”

“Jason, why couldn’t you try to slay windmills rather than rescue damsels from ‘dragons’?”

“Would you have respected me as much as you do?”

“Probably not, but I’d have your presence a lot longer. Now, don’t worry about me, I’m dealing with it, but from the fragments of the conversations I’ve picked up there’s more to it than that.”

“Yes, there is. To get the women across the border Vasquez has somehow gotten the customs people to ignore all container trucks that cross into Mexico tonight, as long as they’ve certain markings on the door of the cab. We’re going to utilize that to get men and equipment down there, too, along with some of the items Hawk and I brought out of the cave where Hawk first met Maria.”

A wide-eyed Andy whispered, “You mean the gold?”

“Yes. We’ve got tons of it to move, and I can’t think of a better time or way to get it accomplished.”

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Mike Lowe aka The Scot

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