Chapter 57

The MD11 carrying Jason and the freed women landed smoothly and began the long roll-out to its assigned runway exit. As it slowed to taxi speed Mike opened the cockpit door and stepped into the cabin looking for Jan. Not realizing she was sitting on a little fold-down jump seat to the right of the cockpit door he was startled when he heard her voice behind him ask, “Looking for me, Cowboy?”

Turning back to where she sat he replied, “As a matter of fact, I am. I need you to find one of the women named Kim, and bring her to me.”

With a trace of concern in her voice, Jan responded, “Are you already planning threesomes?”

Turning a bright red Mike answered, “Jan, to the best of my knowledge I’ve never met the young lady, but I do need to give her some instructions from her father.”

Jan teased him with a grin, and replied, “I guess that’s all right then. I’ll see if I can find her.”

Mike returned to his seat in the cockpit, waiting for Jan to return. By the time she did the pilots had pulled the aircraft into a large empty hangar and brought it to a complete stop, including the shutting down of the engines. “Mike, there are two Kims and a Kimberly. Do you know which one you are seeking?”

Mike replied, while trying to remember the Colonel’s conversation with Brian Two Feathers, “It seems her last name was Burt, Bart, or something like that. There was also something the Colonel said about a stuffed skunk named ‘Flower.’“

“That should help. She and I will meet you here after the plane empties.”

“Thanks,” Mike replied, not catching the inclusion of Jan.

Minutes later the only passengers left in the aircraft were Jan, Mike, and a young slender blonde. The pilots were still in the cockpit, going through some end of flight procedures. When he approached the blonde looked up at him, held out her hand to shake, and said, “I’m Kimberly Burke. Did you have a message for me?”

“Well first,” Mike answered, “you need to forget you’re Kimberly Burke. Jan, I need you to also forget the name.”

“You’ll have to buy my silence,” proclaimed Jan.

“And how much will that take?” he asked cautiously.

“How about a romantic candlelit dinner?”

Beginning to get used to Jan’s teasing Mike answered, “How about a long horse ride into the mountains, followed by a campfire meal.”

Jan replied, “Close enough,” causing both girls to giggle.

Mike shook his head in disbelief, turned back to Kimberly, and said, “We need to get you to the same emergency room they’re taking the Colonel, as your new family will be meeting you there.”

Now very confused Kim exclaimed, “New Family! I don’t understand. I’m no longer Kimberly Burke, and now I’ve a new family.”

“It will make more sense to you shortly, but you’ll be staying with your new cousins until things become more stable, and your father, their new uncle, can join you.”

On the verge of tears, she cried, “And, when will that be?”

“When Admiral Frank Burke has died.” There was a brief moment of panic in Kim’s eyes. Then, suddenly, the light of understanding was turned on when she realized it wasn’t enough to get free of that Monster, Vasquez; they had to leave no trail he could follow.

“I’m following what you’re saying, but I do have one concern.”

“And that is?”

“Our nurse here knows the secret.”

“Should I ‘bump her off’?” Mike asked teasingly.

“No, I think you should marry her and make her part of the conspiracy.”

Jan grinned, and added, “You’ll get no argument from me.”

An embarrassed and rather overwhelmed Mike replied, “Then let’s get a ride to the hospital before everyone has left. We’ll discuss the rest of this when things are a little calmer.”

“How about around that campfire you mentioned?” asked Jan.

“That sounds like a good idea,” remarked Kim. “When do we go?”

“Kim,” answered Jan, “I may not be opposed to a threesome sometime in the future, but around this campfire it’ll just be Mike and me.”

“Dayum!” Kim grinned teasingly, and replied, “Well, you can’t blame a girl for trying.”

The four historians sat around the big conference table they’d been using as a work area, dwelling on what they’d just discovered. They were alone, since they’d sent their two volunteers home for the day. They felt the information was just too controversial to be discussed in front of anyone besides themselves. Finally Doctor Herbert Metzger asked, “Do you think this is genuine?”

“I can’t see how it could be,” answered Jacob Levine. “If it was real there should have been something about it in the Washington Archives.”

“True,” remarked Consuela, “but notice the date of Lincoln’s signature; July twenty-second, eighteen sixty-one. That’s the day after the union army was routed at Bull Run.”

“I remember reading where he instinctively knew it was going to be a long war. Is it possible this was one of the results of that realization?”

“Charles,” responded Doctor Metzger, “it would fit the time line and the circumstances.”

“Then why wasn’t it activated? It gave the Apache everything they could have wanted.”

Consuela answered, “Though it’s speculation, I think this ties to the death of the great chief. From what I remember a new Union General, Carleton I believe, was placed in charge of the territory. Almost as soon as he arrived, a young officer showed him letter after letter of complaints of alleged atrocities by the Apache, even though things had actually been reasonably peaceful between the two groups. This was in spite of the incident with Mangas Colorado’s son, Cochise.”

“And what incident was that?” asked Jacob.

“Shortly before the dating of this agreement Cochise was falsely accused by a group of whites of stealing a rancher’s children and some of his cattle. Cochise denied the accusation and had evidence of his innocence, but he was still beaten and shot three times in the act of escaping. The fact the Apache didn’t retaliate was completely out of character, and for years historians have debated the reasons for such behavior.”

Herbert squinted in concentration and, after moment, replied, “While I’m not familiar with the specific facts, I can easily imagine the Apache’s normal reaction. It’s puzzling they didn’t retaliate. Now, what happened with this General Carleton?”

“When the green general asked the seasoned officer his opinion, the officer proclaimed, ‘The Apache are as venomous as rattlesnakes and that the only way to affect a permanent peace is to slaughter every Indian capable of bearing arms.’ In response, the general issued orders to kill all the Indian braves, but to spare the women and children. Thus, in January, eighteen sixty-three a small troop of men were sent to Mangas Colorado to invite him and some of his chiefs to come to Fort McLane to finalize a treaty and to receive some gifts. Once inside the Fort they were thrown into jail cells and killed by the guards who claimed they were trying to escape. If this young officer was our now infamous Captain McAllister, or someone working with him, then this set up could’ve been the means to steal this paper and, through the chief’s death, erase any valid claims the Apache might have had.”

“It would certainly fit with the rest of the events of that time,” replied Jacob, “though I’m sure we’ll learn more from Captain McAllister’s journals. Also remember, this was around the time of the effective date of the Emancipation Proclamation, and as slow as information moved from the west at that time it might not have reached Lincoln until shortly before Gettysburg, if at all. With all that was happening it would be quite possible it was just shoved aside, either intentionally or by accident.”

“I agree,” replied Charles, “so, where do we go from here?”

Consuela answered, “I think we should immediately get everything scanned and the original documents secured in a vault someplace. I think we should also continue working our way through the journals.”

“Sounds right to me,” said Doctor Metzger.

“I concur,” agreed Doctor Levine.

“Me, too,” added Charles Healy.

While Dan’s wife Margaret packed their clothes for the trip to Arizona Dan headed toward downtown Mazatlán. Though he had several things to do his first stop was a meeting with his banker, Frederico Ortiz. Banco de International is a private bank with direct affiliation with the private Swiss Bank, AABK, along with banks in Costa Rica, the Cayman Islands, and the Caribbean Central Bank based on the islands of St. Kitts and Nevis. These were all banks with an impeccable reputation for integrity, secrecy, and security. They accepted no one involved with the drug trade or with any hints of political corruption and potential depositors had to pass a tougher security clearance than an aide to the President of the United States. In reality, you didn’t seek them, but they sought you. Dan arrived at a rather nondescript office located in one of the better business areas of Mazatlán. As soon as he entered he was ushered back to Frederico’s office.

“Dan, my friend. How are things at home?”

“Hectic at the moment, Frederico. We’re supposed to leave later this morning for a wedding in Phoenix, and it’ll be sometime next week before we return.”

“Well, a wedding is always a joyous time, so that’s good.”

“It would be better if the groom hadn’t been hurt a short time ago. He was working in a mountainous area and his leg was crushed by a falling rock. He should be OK, but it’ll take some of the merriment out of the ceremony.”

“That’s true, and it would definitely put a damper on the honeymoon,” chuckled the banker.

Dan laughed, “I agree, but I think the two of them will just be happy he’s alive. Now, I don’t like to cut our Mexican greeting time short, but I’m under a tight schedule. Will you forgive me?”

“Of course, and I should have been more sensitive. I guess I’ve lived here so long I get caught up in the long traditional greetings and didn’t think about your situation. So then, how can I help you?”

“Remember our conversation regarding finding gold from the time of the American Civil War?”

“I remember. I thought it was a fascinating tale.”

“Well, it’s more than a tale, and there are several shipping containers of gold bars and coins on a ship headed this way from Ensenada.”

The banker studied his friend for several moments before he exclaimed, “You’re not joking, are you?”

“Nope.”

“Just how much is there?”

“I don’t have any idea, but I’m guessing that at today’s prices it’s close to a hundred million US dollars. Also, in our recent adventures we gained access to a lot of currency which is also on the same ship.”

“Daniel, I’ve known you for years, and you’ve always been straight with me. Is this drug money?”

“Probably at one time, but we aren’t involved with drugs, nor with laundering money for drug dealers. This find was just as much a surprise to us as it is to you.”

“Then I’ll accept that explanation. How much cash are we talking about?”

“Again, I don’t know. What I do know is there are bales of it, and most of them seemed to be composed of hundred dollar bills.”

Frederico lapsed into Spanish as he added a few profane expletives to the conversation. Finally getting a hold of his emotions the banker said, “Daniel, I’m just not equipped to handle such a large amount of funds. I’ll need to make some calls to see what can be done.”

“That’s fine, as the ship won’t arrive until sometime tomorrow. My problem is I need to stay here until we get the logistics of all this sorted out. Hopefully it won’t take you long to come up with a workable solution.”

“Hopefully, I’ll have an answer in a couple of hours. How about giving me a call around eleven-thirty or twelve? I won’t go to lunch until after we talk.”

“How about I take you to lunch around that time?”

“Dan, forgive me for being so stunned by this information. It’s I who should be taking you to lunch.”

“We’ll work out who buys lunch after we get a solution to our larger problem. I’ll call you shortly.”

Dan left the bank and returned to his car. From there he drove north a few streets and parked close to a cultural abnormality for the Mexican city, an authentic English Pub. Before he exited the car, he called his wife. “Hi, Sweet. How’s it coming?”

“Overall, I think everything is progressing well, but I just discovered my dress needs some minor alterations. My problem is I don’t know if I can get it done before this afternoon.”

“That’s all right. I’ve run into some delays, too, so it may even be tomorrow before we can leave.”

“That helps, but I’ll still try to be ready as early as I can this afternoon. That way I’m not holding us up when you’re ready.”

“That would be appreciated. Now, I need to run, but I’ll call you back as soon as I have more information.”

Dan terminated the call, exited the car, and headed toward the Pub. Just as he approached the door, the person he was seeking left the pub, so he asked, “Nigel, do you have a few moments?”

“Daniel, ol’ chap, I’ll make a few minutes. Come, let’s step back into my office.”

Dan followed the stocky Englishman inside, and they headed for a table in the back.

As they passed the bar Nigel asked, “You up for a beer this early?”

“I’ll pass, though I would enjoy a cup of Roger’s tea.”

“Roger, did you hear that?”

“Cup of tea?”

“Yes, but make it two.”

“Nige, I just put some on the burner. I’ll bring it right over.”

Although he wasn’t English Dan had a strange affection for this British outpost set in the heart of the west coast of Mexico, and though he knew something about some of the expatriates who hung out here he never asked why they’d all ended up here.

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