Treaty Violation (28 page)

“I can’t believe we’re going to Cesar Gomez’s apartment,” Lina said.

Nicholas winked confidently as they stepped into the elevator.

He’d revealed enough details to whet Lina’s journalistic appetite. He’d admitted to stealing the documents, but her anger subsided when he told her she was part of a top secret plot to arrest Cesar Gomez. Journalists thrived on getting a story, and this story would help her career and save her reputation.

The elevator door opened. Cesar was looking down the barrel of a rifle. “Put your hands in the air or I’ll shoot,” he said coldly.

“Nicholas!” Lina screamed.

Nicholas pointed an accusing finger at Cesar. “Where are your manners?”

Cesar lowered the rifle. “There’s no fooling you, Mr. Lowe,” he said and shrugged apologetically. “Sorry, Ms. Castillo.”

Lina stood close to Nicholas and held his hand.

“What’s with the rifle?” Nicholas asked. “Are you planning to shoot coconuts from your prison cell?”

“I used this rifle to fight for justice in the jungles of Colombia many
years ago,” Cesar said. He examined it and handed it to Nicholas. “I want you to have it.”

“Thank you,” Nicholas said, genuinely moved, and checked his watch. “We should go,” he added and gestured to the elevator.

Outside, the city was
still sleeping as the sun was rising. The Pacific Ocean was tranquil, oblivious to the misdeeds of mortals. Nicholas turned left on Avenida Balboa and began the trek to Albrook airport. At the Intercontinental Hotel, he turned right on Avenida Frederico Boyd and headed up the undulating hill.

Nicholas glanced in the rearview mirror. Cesar looked deep in thought, at peace, not angry or resentful. In the passenger seat, Lina was busy jotting notes. His assumption was the day wouldn’t continue without a glitch, so he decided to take advantage of the lull before the storm to clear up a mystery.

“May I ask you a question?” he said as they waited at a red light.

Lina mumbled something that sounded like approval.

“Why did Tyler give you the documents?”

Her pen stopped. She looked up. “How did you know?”

The light changed to green. Nicholas shifted into first gear and started driving. “I eliminated all the impossible options.” He wasn’t about to reveal that Tyler had stolen the documents or had been killed by his own people.

Cesar leaned forward to hear her response. Lina glanced back and waited for Nicholas’ nod of approval before she answered.

“The day before Tyler was killed,” she said, “he stopped by my apartment and told me to hold an envelope for him. He said something important was about to happen.”

“Did he tell you what he was talking about?” Nicholas asked.

Lina shook her head. “No, just that he would be leaving soon.”

“What did he say about the envelope?” Nicholas asked.

“He told me to hold it for him, that he would pick it up the next day,” she said. “When I heard about his death, I decided to see what was inside,” she added with an apprehensive look at Cesar. “I decided to write the story.”

A security guard at the front gate waved Nicholas past. He drove to the small airport about a half mile down the road, past buildings that until recently had been barracks and offices for the U.S. military. He parked near the twin engine Piper Navajo where Alfredo was waiting. The propellers were spinning. On the other side of the plane, Willie and Daisy Holland were waiting in a black
BMW
with tinted windows. Nicholas had told them he needed to make a quick exit from the country after completing the transaction. The plane, he hoped, provided an illusion of legitimacy to the eccentric couple.

“Hand me the black bag,” Nicholas said to Cesar. Nicholas removed a camcorder and turned on the power. An image of the steering wheel appeared.

“Are you ready?” he asked Lina and Cesar.

They nodded.
He focused the video camera on Cesar.

“Have my fifteen minutes of fame begun?” Cesar asked.

Through the camcorder, Nicholas saw a repentant Cesar Gomez
looking back at him.

He handed the video camera to Lina. “Start your interview.”

Nicholas grabbed a Glock from under the front seat and loaded the chamber. “You never know,” he said in response to Lina’s shocked expression.

Lina cleared her throat ladylike. “Please state your name.”

“My name is Cesar Gomez…”

Nicholas stepped outside, closed the door, and waved to Alfredo. “Good morning.” They shook hands. “Thanks for coming. We won’t be flying today, but here’s some money for your troubles.” He handed Alfredo an envelope with five thousand dollars.

He waited for Alfredo’s nod of approval before walking around the plane to the
BMW
. He knocked on the glass. The power window lowered. Willie removed his straw hat and smiled. Daisy crushed her cigarette in the ashtray and winked.

“How’s my favorite couple?” he asked.

“It’s God-awful early,” Daisy said. “I’m still buzzing from last night. What a hoot!”

“We received word that the container with the goods arrived in
Colon,” Willie said.

Nicholas nodded. “Do you have the payment?”

Daisy gestured to two black attaché cases in the back seat. Nicholas opened the door, removed the two cases, and checked the
contents: U.S. bearer bonds with a face value of one hundred thousand dollars each. After thumbing through fifty of them—about one tenth of the pile—he extrapolated five hundred per case for a total of $100 million dollars.

Nicholas smiled at the eccentric couple. “I guess our business is done. The container should be ready to ship in about an hour.”

“Pleasure doing business with you,” Willie said and started the engine. With a last wave, they drove away.

Nicholas hoisted the two black attaché cases and headed toward
his car. When he rounded the plane, Dirk’s maroon Mercedes skidded to a stop about fifty yards away.

The car door swung open. “What are you doing, Nick?” Dirk yelled.

Without warning, he fired a round. The bullet struck Alfredo in the head. He collapsed on the tarmac. Nicholas dove for cover behind the plane. Dirk fired another shot. This one ricocheted off the concrete and whizzed passed the plane.

“I won’t let you get away with this!” Dirk shouted, using his car door to shield himself.

Nicholas whipped out his Glock as police sirens wailed in the distance. He shot at Dirk’s door, forcing him to retreat behind the car.

“He had to die, you know,” Dirk yelled and blasted a hole in the idling Piper Navajo’s tail. “He failed us. He failed the operation. He didn’t deserve her!”

Nicholas cringed when another bullet struck the plane. He fired back and pierced Dirk’s windshield.

“Hand over the money. We’ll forget this ever happened,” Dirk said. “You’ll get your membership. You have my word.”

Nicholas aimed to fire again, but Cesar jumped out of the car and fired his rifle, smashing Dirk’s right headlight.

“Dirk, you son of a bitch!” Cesar yelled and aimed again. “Step out and fight like a man!”

The wailing sirens grew louder as four police cars approached. Nicholas watched, amazed, as Cesar rolled to the right, dodged Dirk’s next shot, and fired his own that missed. Cesar aimed the rifle from one knee and fired again when Dirk pivoted into sight. Cesar’s blast hit Dirk between the eyes. Dirk’s shot caught Cesar in the left arm, knocking him down.

Nicholas rushed over to Cesar. He was bleeding badly. The bullet had torn through his left triceps. “You’ll be all right,” he said as the four police cars entered the base.

Cesar pushed him away and gestured to the plane. “Go!”

“Nicholas, let’s go!” Lina shouted.

Nicholas started to lift Cesar, but he screamed with pain.

“You can’t help me,” Cesar said. “I was right about The Order. They’ll kill you if you don’t leave now.”

“You can make it,” Nicholas said, struggling to lift him.

Cesar screamed. He fought to catch his breath. “All my life I’ve fought for justice. Today I finally got the courage to face my enemy.” He pointed at Dirk’s lifeless body next to the maroon Mercedes. “You inspired me, Nicholas. Don’t you see, I won…we won.”

Nicholas nodded, fighting back an inexplicable tear, feeling a bond with Cesar he didn’t want to acknowledge.

“We’re warriors, Nicholas,” Cesar said. “We’re brothers.”

Nicholas smiled. “All right, you saved my life,” he said. “Now quit being so damned dramatic, and let’s get the hell out of here.”

With a grunt, Nicholas lifted Cesar onto his shoulder and carried him to the plane. Lina pulled Cesar inside while Nicholas removed the wheel blocks.

Nicholas climbed into the pilot’s seat with the attaché cases and fiddled with the gauges. He eased the throttle forward as the police cars drove onto the runway. The plane taxied past Dirk’s lifeless body toward the runway.

Lina screamed as the Piper Navajo accelerated toward the oncoming police cars.

“Hang on!” Nicholas instructed and stomped his foot for a full right rudder. The plane spun and skidded to a halt. He slammed the throttle forward. Two police cars gave chase but stopped as they approached the end of the runway. Nicholas eased the stick back when the end of the runway was in sight. His arms shook as he pulled back on the stick. The plane’s wheels scraped the weeds as it lifted into the air.

Nicholas Lowe stood alone on the beach and gazed at
the moonlit Caribbean Sea. Docked sailboats bobbed and listed like drunken sailors as waves splashed ashore. A cruise ship on the horizon sounded its horn; its cabin lights flickered like fireflies. Reluctantly, after painful deliberation, he dialed the number at Dirk’s office. As it rang, he couldn’t decide whether he wanted someone to answer.

“Hello?” a voice said. It was K. “Nicholas, is that you?”

“It’s me,” Nicholas said.

“Good to hear your voice. All hell’s broken loose. Where are you?”

Nicholas took a deep breath. “Why did you lie to me?”

“Not sure what the hell happened—”

“Dirk tried to kill me,” Nicholas said.

K groaned and swore.

“He killed Tyler, as far as I can tell.”

“Dirk’s dead,” K said. “The police said you flew off with Cesar and the journalist. Need you to tell me what’s going on. Why did you change the plan? Where’s Cesar?”

Nicholas looked over to where Cesar was sitting under a palm tree. “He died. Dirk shot him. He didn’t survive.”

“Guess he got his just punishment,” K said tonelessly. “Nick, we’ll work this out. Do you have the bonds?”

Nicholas felt like he’d been doused with cold water. “Is that what this mission was all about?” Running an operation to cover an $
87
million margin call wasn’t inherently bad, but they should have told
him and Tyler the truth. “I never planned to take the money. I don’t want your money,” he added.

“You have to trust me,” K said. “I don’t know what’s going on, but I’ll get to the bottom of it. Do you have the bonds?”

“Yes.”

“I need you to tell me where you are. We’ll tell The Order
Dirk was responsible.”

“Was he?” Nicholas asked.

K didn’t answer.

“I’d never accuse you of anything, but I can’t trust anyone at this point.”

“Lay low until I get to the bottom of this, but I need the bonds right away. I’ll give you the name of a bank—”

“No,” Nicholas said. “After I know the truth. I’m tired of playing games.”

“I’m not playing games!” K said. “The police seized the cocaine. The Order will approve your membership. You have my word.”

Nicholas wanted to trust K, but the issue of membership was up in the air. His plan to expose Tyler’s murder would prove futile, and he’d seen enough of The Order’s machinations to know that joining them was tacit consent to conformity.

“Things aren’t what they seem,” K continued, his voice calmer. “Give me a day to figure things out. You’ll see I’m telling the truth. Nick,” he added after a short silence, “just promise me you’ll call tomorrow.”

Nicholas decided to respect K’s request. He had the upper hand—the bonds—so he had nothing to lose; and he owed K the chance to prove himself. “I’ll call you tomorrow.”

“Thanks, Nick,” K said. The line was silent.

Nicholas walked toward Cesar. His feet sank in the soft sand, until he reached the hard roots of the palm tree. “I told them you were dead,” he said.

“Cesar Gomez is dead,” he said and stood. “I’m a new man now.”

“Too bad,” Nicholas said. “I kind of liked the old Cesar.”

Cesar smiled and took a deep breath. “No more revolutions for me.” He shrugged and folded his arms with a smirk. “At least for now.”

“I was told my membership to The Order would be approved, but I’m not sure I want to join,” Nicholas said, angling for advice.