The Ghost 4v5o

This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters and events in this book are the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any similarity to real persons living or dead is coincidental and not intended by the author.

The views and opinions expressed in this book are solely those of the author and do not reflect the views or opinions of Gatekeeper Press. Gatekeeper Press is not to be held responsible for and expressly disclaims responsibility of the content herein.

The Ghost

Published by Gatekeeper Press 2167 Stringtown Rd, Suite 109 Columbus, OH 43123-2989 www.GatekeeperPress.com

Copyright © 2021 by Dr. Joe D. Dillsaver All rights reserved. Neither this book, nor any parts within it may be sold or reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the author. The only exception is by a reviewer, who may quote short excerpts in a review.

The interior formatting, typesetting, and editorial work for this book are entirely the product of the author. Gatekeeper Press did not participate in and is not responsible for any aspect of these elements.

Library of Congress Control Number: 2021936087

ISBN (paperback): 9781662912443 eISBN: 9781662912450

Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Epilog 1

Epilog 2

Epilog 3

Chapter 1

Somewhere in the Middle East. The temperature soared as the mid-day heat took hold. The call to prayer reverberated from a minaret. As he had for the last several days, the old man shuffled to his place on the street leading to the mosque. His thobe was soiled and possessed a smell of sweat as did his Ghutra. Each call to worship for these last few days found him holding his small cup out. He did not ask for anything but his purpose was clear. The man looked blankly ahead and one eye appeared as a milky blindness. After the men entered the mosque, the grandfather figure slowly followed and performed his prayers. He slipped out ahead of the worshipers, retook his place and waited. A few sounds told of coins dropped into his cup. No one ed the old man until a few days ago. He appeared and began his ritual. The local police might have roused him from this chore but felt sorry for him. The beggar disappeared into the Kasbah after dark. The city where the old man begged was isolated and possessed a hundred thousand or so residents. Because of its location, it served as the center of the country around it. The city’s reputation was build on drug trafficking and providing manpower to various terrorist groups. Few non-natives ventured there. The undisputed warlord of the area was K El Hadad. He controlled most portions of life there. A native of the city, he made a fortune raising poppies, refining resin and selling it to foreign buyers. Later, he cut out the middle men and marketed his products directly to brokers in other countries. With the rise of Islamic extremism first against the Russians and then the USA and her allies, K saw an opportunity to make additional money by supplying arms to groups possessing cash. He was not concerned with ideological conflicts as much as profits. El Hadad never considered leaving his hometown for a larger city. He controlled all facets of where he lived and most residents were loyal to him. In some ways, almost everyone was directly or indirectly tied to him economically. K

enjoyed safety because few strangers ventured here and El Hadad’s men quickly detained any to discover their business. K enjoyed a sense of safety and rightfully so. The warlord had enemies but his location, economic power and the population’s loyalty protected him well. His enemies made attempts on his life but always when he ventured from his home area. These actions failed because of El Hadad’s network of intelligence and the fanatical fervor of his ers. K El Hadad seldom left his compound except to attend prayers or visit his wives and children at separate locations. He was a religious man. While he didn’t go to the mosque each time he prayed, K visited a few times a day. Two bodyguards accompanied him when he did go. They parked a couple of blocks away and walked. The distance allowed him to visit with the people of his hometown. He knew many of them his whole life. El Hadad liked to give small amounts of money to friends he knew needed help. Doing these favors served to remind everyone who controlled their lives. K noticed the old man with the cup. He dropped a few coins in every time he ed. The poor man’s milky eye caught his attention so he deposited a few more coins in the cup. The old man disappeared for a few days and El Hadad missed him. Then as he rode to prayers K noticed he returned and moved away from the mosque and closer to his home. He made it a point to have driver stop and give him money. He noticed the old man looked worse. One night after late prayers K spied him sitting with his back against a wall. He stopped his car and one of his henchmen asked the old man what was wrong. The beggar was hungry because he had not eaten for two days. After driving the short distance to his home, El Hadad ordered one of his bodyguards to return and pick up the old man. K retired to his suite to prepare for a visit with his wives. The cook prepared a bowl of hot soup plus bread and butter. She excused herself and left for home.

The old man made sure the guards were in the kitchen as he slurped his soup loudly. He surveyed his surroundings during the process. For a month, grandfather studied the El Hadad enclosure. He knew everything about it securing the original plans of the structure. The security system seemed primitive but sophisticated enough for its locale. The old man even knew the type of safe K installed, its model number, idiosyncrasies and its location. If necessary he could pick the safe’s lock within ten minutes. He hoped to avoid that scenario. Most important of all, one of K’s trusted associates informed his buyer what was in the safe. That information led the old man to slurp soup at a drug runner and arms dealer’s table. The cost of information leading to this point was expensive. The old man didn’t pay for any of it. Those who bankrolled his actions possessed deep pockets. He felt underneath his robes to make sure all he needed was readily available. He confirmed again the location of the two guards. Since only one accompanied El Hadad when he visited his wives, the second one soon followed the cook out the door with instructions to return the following morning. The old man slipped from the kitchen table and glimpsed at the room next to it. The guard sat with his back to where the he stood. Stealthily, he moved behind his prey and injected the contents of a single hypodermic needle into his neck. The guard tensed, reached for his throat but said nothing. His attacker caught him and eased the guard to the floor. With a set of zip ties, he secured the man and pulled him into the pantry. Now for the boss, the old man thought and eased his way up the stairs. K showered and finished dressing in anticipation of seeing his family. This time no attempt at secrecy was involved. The old man stepped into the room with his Glock 9mm pointing at El Hadad. “What is the meaning of this? Are you so crazy you attempt to rob me? A hundred of my followers will scurry to kill you.” An answer came in excellent Arabic. “I hope they are better at tracking me than I have been coming after you.”

“What do you want?” “Please open the safe for me.” “I will not.” “Yes you will. I can open it myself but you can save me time. Why don’t you go in your closet on the left side and work the combination.” He noticed El Hadad move slightly toward a bureau. “That is not a good idea to go for that pistol or, for that matter, the one hidden in the closet. I would hate to get blood all over this magnificent carpet. Your wives, excuse me, your widows will have a difficult time removing it especially after it sets for a several hours or days. No one will discover you until at least tomorrow.” A defiant K interjected, “That is what you think when my guard tears you apart.” “Oh, you mean the one trussed up downstairs and thrown into the pantry?” El Hadad’s face drained of all color. “Why don’t you open that safe? By the way, be careful of the pistol you have in there. I don’t want it to go off and hurt you.” A stern bearing of defiance appeared on his face. “No, I will not do it. You can kill me if you want but I will not open it.” “That is not what I had in mind. I will give you one free opportunity to open the safe. I understand the pressure might be intense. If your actions require a second try and that fails, I will cut off one of your fingers. Then I will kill your oldest son. You have ten fingers so you have some chances. I am not sure how many children you have but killing them one by one makes good sport.” K face became paler. “Move,” prodded the old man.

This time El Hadad edged toward the closet and exposed the safe. He shook but managed to open the safe on the first try. “There…Who are you?” he started to ask but never finished the sentence as a needle buried into his neck. “Good question…I am someone you know but don’t know.” After trussing his new prey, the old man removed the drug lord down the stairs with his head hitting every step. He placed him by the door and returned to the open safe. Three flash drives sat on top the other contents of the safe. His contractor paid the old man to deliver two of those drives. One contained all pertinent information concerning El Hadad’s drug operation and the other his terrorist arming business. The third reflected amounts and numbers of his bank s and investments. The interloper’s (of course he wasn’t an old man) arrangement allowed him to keep everything except the first two thumb drives. He believed the possibility of a profitable payday existed if everything continued as planned. He rifled through the rest of the contents and found several hundred thousand dollars in Euros and a stack of bearer bonds. The old man stuffed everything into a briefcase and put the flash drives into his pockets. The old man tapped his ear piece and said: “Leaving with the package so make sure you are ready for the cargo.” “We are fueled and ready.” “ETA is in about 25 minutes.” The old man pulled El Hadad to the back of his car and dumped him into the trunk. No one paid any attention as the luxury car turned out of the compound and sped away. The local authorities knew the car and it often traveled to different locations. A gate stood open at the airport and the old man turned in. The plane drew little attention because various people and/or groups often visited K. Its main

door stood open on the side away from the terminal. Two of the flight crew helped get the ‘package’ up the stairs and buckled into his seat. Within a few hours, K El Haddad was safely delivered to an appropriate governmental agency. The material on the flash drives was valuable in attacking the drug and illegal arms trade. The old man was no longer an old man. He shaved, showered and removed the cloudy lens. He received $5,000,000 for the two flash drives and delivering his captive alive. The other money recovered was a bonus.

Chapter 2

Dallas, Texas The sun started to disappear behind the skyline of downtown Dallas. Friday afternoons in the real estate firm of Peters, Kot, Antone and Volker usually ended at about three. The only people left in the office were the principals of the company, Leo Peters, Grace Kot, Nick Antone and Andrew Volker. Once the other employees left, the four partners met to discuss their business without interruption. The firm did remarkably well since its inception eight years before. In that short time, it either acquired or managed many of the new developments in the Dallas metro area. Local newspapers, magazine and charitable organizations took notice of the company’s accomplishments. The foursome made an effort to be visible and part of the community. One article recently marveled at how a relatively inexperienced group of young people moved into a saturated market and made inroads into the commercial real estate field. One investigative reporter wondered out loud how recent college graduates with no business experience could obtain financial backing for the transactions they managed. The answer came that their ‘vision’ was shared by a silent group of entrepreneurs willing to take a chance on them to gain significant rewards. The explanation sounded logical to most people and or at least to the ones who actually cared. Local officials liked the results such as new jobs and businesses lured to Dallas than about speculation. The group became visible in the charitable and social scene making sure their firm was recognized. The four partners were good stewards where help was needed and freely volunteered their time and resources. They enjoyed and deserved the recognition and the benefits the firm accrued. “Vashee Zdorovye!” With the toast, the four drained their glasses of vodka. The shot of vodka was obligatory at the beginning of their meetings. After that more subtle drinks

appeared usually in the form of fine wines. The four partners knew each other most of their lives. That did not mean they were close but at least their families were loosely connected. Grace Kot and Andrew Volker grew up in Dallas and except for college lived there their whole lives. Grace attended the University of Texas and majored in international business. Andrew migrated out of state to Vanderbilt University and majored in engineering. Leo spent most of his life in the Los Angeles area and attended UCLA where he studied ing. Nick grew up in Chicago and graduated from Southern Illinois with a major in marketing. All four were bright, articulate but shared a dark secret. This particular afternoon, Leo poured champagne after the initial vodka shot. “Our money people are satisfied with our profits for the last six months and have authorized substantial bonuses,” Leo stated. He handed envelopes of cash to his three compatriots. Each smiled and nodded their approval as they counted the bills. For the next thirty minutes or so, the partners reviewed their current business ventures and projects. The affairs looked promising with the four determined to continue aggressively with future plans. “I assume our friends told you, Leo, additional money is available to back any new projects we decide,” Grace questioned. “We will have discussions with the appropriate backers when projects are identified,” Leo answered. Nick chimed in. “In the past the banks set limitations on the amount of capital available to us.” Before he finished, Andrew added: “To this point, all we needed was provided. With our successes, I hope any amount is within reach.”

“The money we borrowed from the general banking community never covered our costs. Our friends provided anything we needed to complete a project,” Leo stated. “Our ‘contribution’ so to speak, back to them served to make their investments legitimate and lucrative,” added Andrew. A word of caution came from Nick. “You know we are never to talk about any such thing. The appropriate documentation exists to make those loans look perfectly legal.” “I understand but stated a fact. The comment is simply made within the confines of our organization.” “We should never mention this ever,” said Leo. “Our legal counsel and banks handle the responsibility of making everything proper should any of this come under scrutiny.” “Our job is to present opportunities to continue to make money and that is all,” Andrew added. “Here, here,” reverberated through the office. “Leo, when you talked with our friends, did you mention we are considering a significant venture encoming more money than what we ever dreamed of before?” Grace asked. “I did. A couple of days ago, I received a short message stating the amount of money was significant but such a project did seem like an expected step based on what our investments returned to this point.” “Great,” Grace replied. “All we have to do now is find something challenging and develop it,” Andrew stated with tongue in cheek smirk. “Since we started talking about this a few months ago, I gave a lot of thought and got excited about it,” Nick said. “Really?” Leo asked.

Nick was the quietest of the group. Extremely intelligent, he rarely spoke simply to be heard. When he took part in a conversation, his friends listened intently. His grandfather happened to be a senior member of the mysterious group of backers not that Nick would flaunt the fact. “Don’t look surprised,” he smiled as he sipped champagne. “I haven’t been running around in thunderstorms waiting for lightening to strike me with an idea.” “You took a vacation and that stirred your creative juices?” Grace jabbed at him. “Are you kidding? My wife and kids would desert in me in mass if I ever did anything to mess up our vacations.” “Okay, we bite. What have you got?” Leo asked. “Some of it did happen on vacation.” “You were struck by lightening?” Grace kidded. “You guys I took the family vacation to the Ozarks. We went to a small fishing resort on the Missouri and Arkansas state line. The family had one of the best times ever. Anyway, I hired a fishing guide for a couple of days. Early one morning, he and I fished on a large lake and we anchored in a cove. I was stunned with the beauty of this particular location. So, I questioned him what he knew about the land abutting the lake. He informed me what I saw was the only undeveloped land around. From what he knew, several hundred acres were owned by a private trust. That was all the information he had. Our inlet plus two others provided uninhibited access to the lake. Above one of the coves, a large house was partially visible through the trees.” “He had no idea who owned the house or land other than a trust?” asked Andrew. “No. From what I could see, this piece of land looked incredible. The problem is finding the trust specifics concerning ownership.” Leo asked: “Are you suggesting this land might be the major project we are looking to develop?”

“I don’t know yet because there are so many unknowns,” Nick added. As he answered, he pulled several large maps out and unrolled them on the room’s conference table. “I should have guessed you would come prepared to discuss your idea,” Grace teased her good friend. “This is the most important map. It’s a topological map of the area. You can’t see from this map but most of the land is covered by trees. But look at the topology. The area abutting the lake is substantial. See the fingers leading from the lake into the heart of the land. These are ideal for roads leading away from the water.” Andrew added: “There appears several relative flat and rolling areas. I am sure they have trees on them but with some work I believe they might make great golf courses.” “Now you see why I got excited.” “Looking at one map is a long ways from identifying a project,” Leo said. “I agree,” added Nick. “Let’s say we decide to at least explore this piece of land as the basis of our big project, what is the next step?” “I think I need to get a better idea about the land itself. We don’t want to get all gung ho and find out there is a reason no one has developed the area.” “How do you plan to do that?” “I have some ideas,” Nick said. “I have some geologist friends I think can tell us more about the land.” “You need to find out about the infrastructure such as existing roads. It’s no good to own a development project if you cannot get in and out of it,” Andrew added. “You don’t know principals of the trust and if they are willing to sell. I will have our lawyers try and find that out,” Leo stated.

“And if we decide we want the land and they don’t want to sell?” quizzed Grace. “I don’t see that as a problem. Our friends in Los Angeles can be very persuasive as we all know,” Leo said with a smile. The others snickered and laughed.

Chapter 3

Dallas, Texas, seven years before. Tension permeated the offices of the McCormick Company. McCo, as it was known in the area, possessed a good reputation in the community. The CEO and majority owner, Angus McCormick worked hard to first start and then grow the company. He originally bought a small oil and gas supply group and with aggressive marketing and a superior product became highly successful in a competitive field. An impressive figure at over six foot six inches, he was a larger than life personality independent oil men liked. His shrewd business acumen allowed him to make impressive sales to smaller companies and major inroads with larger corporations. When Angus first purchased McCo, the company occupied a small portion of a two hundred acre piece of property. As the sales expanded, so did the footprint of the company. The owner realized the cyclic nature of the oil business so he developed much of the land surrounding McCo into an industrial park. The action was not only insightful but profitable. He tired of relying on others for transportation of his product so Angus started his own trucking company. This move occurred just as the trucking business exploded in the country. The Dallas location turned out as a coup. Early on its location allowed the trucking business to centralize on the Texas property. The company then expanded into all areas of the United States except the East Coast. Angus wanted no part of it. McCormick was a bachelor for most of his life. Quite unplanned, he met a Dallas socialite, Mary Marie, and fell in love with her. Mary Marie loved Angus dearly as well but had not intended to remarry after the death of her first husband. Because of their ages when they married, the couple had no children. There existed a weakness in the McCormick company structure. Angus controlled everything in the organization even after it grew beyond a simple organization. Most of its key employees where friends with Angus and stood with him as McCo grew. They were well compensated and loyal. Few new people made it into the executive suite. The problem became acute when one of his old friends died of a sudden heart

attack. Angus realized he needed to modernize his organizational structure. He began the process of bringing in new blood and training them in the McCormick way. This was not an easy or quick fix. Angus found many of potential hires possessed strong academic qualifications but lacked ‘success skills.’ He instructed his recruiters to not look for high grade point averages but strong people averages. Only a few were identified and then hired. Angus liked what he saw and believed the company was on the right track. As the pace of hiring increased, McCormick Enterprises’ future indeed looked bright and survivable beyond his lifetime. Another problem arose and it was a good one. McCo needed to expand. Angus tried to keep as much of the business as he could on the original piece of land he controlled. As mentioned, he finally relented and established trucking terminals at other locations but not the manufacturing business. Angus could force some non-McCo businesses out of the industrial park but decided against that move because of the cash flow they brought into the company. The answer to the problem was next door. Almost since Angus owned McCo, a piece of vacant land of about a hundred acres abutted his property. The sign advertising it for sale was worn and discolored. Angus called the number on the sign but it was no longer in service. His attorney checked the land records and found out its current status. The death of the listed owner triggered a trust and the property fell into its corpus. The trustee was gathering all the property listed in the trust document but the time for liquidation was not established. Angus’ attorney requested the trustee be made aware of his client’s interest in the land. No exigency existed with the purchase of the land. That urgency soon appeared. Texas decided to develop all of the land around the industrial park to encourage companies to relocate there. The targets were out of state businesses that could move to the park taking advantage of tax incentives and low cost property rentals. The ultimate incentive appeared when Texas announced an extension of both a railroad and a divided highway to the industrial park. The highway’s final exit was in front of the land Angus desired. Almost overnight, the proposed cost of the land skyrocketed. The escalation was

justified. Angus drove past the land almost every day but did nothing. McCo needed that land and price seemed immaterial. The trustee decided on a way to maximize the value of the land. He hired the large real estate auction company to sell the industrial park tract. They handled everything from publicity to inspection of the property to and conditions. The most important one was payment. In order to bid on the property, an interested party must present a letter of guarantee from its bank as part of the registration process. The timing of the registration for the auction was allowed up until one hour the start of the bidding. A minimum opening bid of $500,000 appeared in the and conditions. Angus knew the owner of the real estate company holding the auction. His friend provided him with the names of ed bidders as they presented their paperwork. He did not recognize one bidder. Apparently Peters, Kot, Antone and Volker were a newly formed development company. On the day of the auction, Angus presented his friend the McCo bidding packet at exactly five minutes before the deadline. His timing was deliberate so no one knew ahead of time what he proposed to do. As the auctioneer called the parties forward to explain the and conditions plus any last minute changes, Angus appeared confused. He walked over to his friend conducted the auction. “Where are all the other bidders or are several using the computer or phone?” he quizzed. “You and that group over there are all that is left. All the others withdrew their packets. I have never seen anything like this. The land is the best I have auctioned in a long, long time. Something is going on.” “Who are they and where are they from?” “The group is called Peters, Kot something and something. They popped up recently and bought several properties. Money doesn’t seem to be a problem. I have to give them credit they turned several questionable properties into first rate rehabs. The buildings are full and tenants are satisfied.” “They are going to be disappointed today.”

The bidding started at the $500,000 minimum. Every time the real estate group raised the bid, Angus quickly topped it by $100,000. After several bids, the hammer fell and McCo now owned the land. Angus paid a little more than he wanted but he needed the property to grow his company. The defeated group of bidders stood to the side in a group and alternating between staring at Angus and talking as if deciding what to do. Two days later, Angus received a call from someone purporting to represent Peters, Kot, Antone and Volker. He asked for an appointment to visit with him about the land McCo purchased at the auction. Always the businessman, he agreed to the meet. A well-dressed young man entered his office a few days later and thrust out his hand. “Sir, my name is Leo Peters.” “Nice to meet you, Leo. My name is Angus McCormick. What did you want to speak to me about?” “Our firm is a new real estate group in the Dallas area. We are buying what we believe are some of the most attractive lands for development. That is why we wanted the property you purchased. We view it as the best around.” “So do I” Angus replied. My property abuts it and I intended to buy it for years but got caught by surprise. You see, Leo, I must have that piece of land in order to continue the growth of my business.” “I understand but let me repeat that my group wants that land. I am sure you noticed that all the other potential bidders withdrew from the auction. Their actions were not random. You see, we asked them to withdraw and they decided it was in their best interests to do so.” “What do you mean it was in their best interests?” “Just what I said, it was to their advantage to do so. We represent some very influential people who are determined to see us succeed.” “In other words, you threatened them.” “Mr. McCormick, you can describe it anyway you want but those other bidders

came to see our position.” Angus leaned back in his chair and smiled. “So why are you here talking to me. I didn’t withdraw.” “We know that. I am here to offer the money you paid for the land and some for your expenses.” “And, if I don’t accept?” “Oh, I think you will. We have some friends from California who we call on from time to time to help us.” “So you are threatening me?” “No, I am making you a promise. Something bad will happen if you do not accept our offer.” In a second, Angus was around the desk, grabbed his visitor by the lapels, escorted him to the front door and threw him down the steps.

A couple of weeks later, Cousin Vasily visited his Dallas relatives. The problem was outlined for him and he agreed to help. Ten days later, the front left tire on Angus’ car blew out. It crossed several lanes of traffic and smashed into the median. An explosion followed as the gasoline tank ignited in a fireball. The Dallas media stated the death of Angus McCormick was a horrible loss for the business community. His death crushed Mary Marie. She was not a business person but became the trustee of the family trust. Her decision was to liquidate McCo. Over the next two years she did just that and became a very rich woman. Her philanthropic activities benefited many charities in the Dallas community. Peters, Kot, Antone and Volker purchased the auction property after Angus’ death. They paid a $100,000 less than what McCo paid for it.

Chapter 4

Somewhere in the Ozarks, Hawk Mountain… Beau Coldwell, aka, Aaron Renberg, aka, Lynn Martin, aka Francisco Garcia, and there were many other akas, looked forward to some time spent at his special retreat. He called it Hawk Mountain or the Hawk. Beau made it to the Hawk only a few times a year usually after a killing freeze or two and before warm weather returned. Deep in the Ozarks any other time of the year invited ticks, chiggers, snakes among other critters to keep a visitor company. These visits provided him with a respite from the outside world. The time spent on Hawk Mountain served various purposes. At times Beau needed to heal a wound or two. At other visits he wanted to slow down the process of his lifestyle and achieve solitude. Beau Coldwell was in his forties. A fitness freak, he kept himself in tip top shape. One reason centered on his chosen profession being an independent contractor. The exact nature of his skills was largely unknown to the world except for a few select individuals. The work demanded no failure and accompanied with intense stress plus great rewards. Beau was seventeen years old when his life changed forever. His young girlfriend, Anabel Adkins, became pregnant. A baby girl was born the spring before he graduated from high school. He cared deeply for Anabel and vowed to provide for both ladies in his life. The only option to guarantee was to the military. He stood an even 6’ tall and weighed 185 pounds. Many years later, Beau still weighed the same and he prided himself on being solid muscle. Beau chose the Air Force with an AFSC as a police officer. Once in the service, he filled the paperwork for the of his daughter, Amanda. A special tactical unit recruited him during his training. From there he became part of a branch wide team that responded to world emergencies. In a few words, he became both experienced and mean. Beau decided one enlistment was enough. He wanted and needed to make a

better living than military pay to Anabel and Amanda. His initial plan centered on ing a defense contractor as part of its security. Before he did, Beau received an offer from a special secret office in the government. While not a full-time position, the money he earned turned out to be substantial and Beau did not work regular hours. He served as a worldwide courier for whatever need to be delivered. One extremely valued aptitude was while on active duty he went to language school and learned Arabic. He became fluent in the language and Beau served in the Middle East with his tactical unit. Having been exposed in high school to Spanish, he honed his mastery of that language anytime Beau was stationed stateside. Beau’s reputation as a dependable courier spread from the United States to other countries as well. He represented not only governments but corporations plus special interests groups. One event further enhanced the young man’s reputation. Most of the time, Beau had no idea of what he carried. On one trip others did. A group of three individuals planned a takedown of Beau. They would steal the briefcase he carried. If Beau chose not to give up his valuables (in this case diamonds), the attackers planned to cut off his arm or kill him. Even though young, he possessed a heightened sense of danger. As he deplaned from a private jet and walked to a waiting limo, Beau felt something was not right. The men came from behind a baggage cart and sprinted toward him. He turned to face the attackers just as one raised his pistol and ordered him to surrender. The young man dove behind another baggage cart as bullets whizzed past his head. With the briefcase still chained to his arm, Beau secured his weapon and returned fire. Two of the men fell and the third began to run. He sprang to his feet and instinctively chased him. The fleeing man turned to fire but Beau closed and dropped him with a strong tackle. He felt no remorse killing the two men. The third man provided key information about who planned and attempted to steal the diamonds. The owner of the diamonds realized and recognized the actions of Beau. His reward was well into six figures. Beau’s reputation continued to grow. The young courier was much more than a delivery boy. He was not afraid to kill and US government and others abroad began to ‘contract’ for his services.

Beau’s parents took him on vacations as a youngster to the fabulous lake areas of Eastern Oklahoma, Southern Missouri and Northwestern Arkansas. He fell in love with the country and what it had to offer for relaxation and recreation. As Beau began to accumulate money, he ed his childhood years and often retreated to the area to ‘get away from it all.’ His first purchase was a series of coves on a large lake straddling the Arkansas and Missouri border. A large home sat back a ways from the water. The house’s former owners let it deteriorate. He had a project. Beau spent days and weeks restoring the home when he was not somewhere else in the world on an assignment. He felt it was a good use for his money. He met and hired a middle aged man named Danny Whetstone to help him work on the house. Later, when they finished the renovation, Danny worked full-time for Beau as a caretaker for the property. Beau wasn’t done. He acquired as much of the land as he could around his original purchase. Over the years, the amount grew to over a thousand acres. With Danny overseeing the land, Beau did not have to worry about the property. Hawk Mountain resided some distance away from the lake house. Beau discovered it one winter when exploring part of his newly purchased land. His habit was to take a four wheel ATV deep into his property. When Beau could go no further, he hiked into the wilderness. After walking about thirty minutes, he topped a ridge and across a small valley stood a forested knoll. Intrigued, he trekked another ten minutes to its top. The view was fantastic. Having thought about a more private retreat away from the lake, Beau decided this was the location. For the next year, Danny and Beau spent time hauling material near to the site. They discovered a way to get close by going around the knoll and coming in from the back side. The trail still did not go all the way. A lot of lugging of supplies took place. One positive they discovered was a spring at the bottom of the knoll. The water tested pure. With the discovery, bags of concrete mix served as a solid foundation for a small two room structure. A frame soon appeared. When Beau was gone on an assignment, Danny worked on the structure as time allowed. A metal roof closed the building in. Later, full insulation and sheeting finished the rough of the structure. Danny cut the road closer to the knoll so

bringing supplies became easier. A small propane generator was added as well as a refrigerator. There was no television but electricity could be provided. A small electric stove was included. Later, a portable solar unit provided additional power. Finally, he added a wood stove for warmth and to cook on if needed. The building was Spartan yet functional. Beau wanted Hawk Mountain to be isolated. He and Danny moved the trail back away from the building. They reestablished the underbrush and in a short time the trail disappeared. Danny still used it when needed because he knew how to find it. Beau on the other hand walked the last half mile up the other side of the knoll. Danny built a small hut there where Beau could hide his ATV. The natural vegetation hid the structure somewhat but additional camouflage paint assisted in its disguise. Beau discovered a heat reflecting paint that he added to help if thermal detection equipment was used to try and find it. All this effort to hide the building was not necessary but Beau got caught up in conspiracy fears and the love of ‘what if.’ He preserved the natural canopy of trees as much as he could. Danny and Beau established a protocol when the owner came to Hawk Mountain. Often Beau did not come to the old house first but went directly up the knoll. In a code known only between the two men, he ed Danny with information about when he would arrive, how long he planned to stay and any special requests. Danny brought supplies of all types including food and propane bottles up the knoll and into the hut. He moved the ATV to a special protected location. There, Beau exchanged and hid his vehicle with the one left for him by his friend. He brought with him anything else he needed such a computer, reading material or writing needs. Beau always brought with him an encrypted satellite phone. Danny stocked Hawk’s Mountain retreat with supplies for a two week stay. Beau made requests. He wanted a good supply of meat. Usually, Beau wanted little if any fresh meat. Sometimes Danny made additional visits while Beau was on Hawk Mountain because of the inability of the small refrigerator to hold enough food.

Beau was exhausted. His experience as The Ghost during his last assignment was not just a matter of popping in and taking out K El Hadad. The operation demanded meticulous planning and execution. For a couple of months before arriving in El Hadad’s hometown, Beau and his team learned everything they could about this mysterious figure. The group acquired all the information not only about the city but about the target as well. One advantage of the team was a dependable and long term in the city. They acquired plans of the house. The informants spent hours observing the behavior of not only K but everyone working for him. Beau was especially interested in the ritual of going to prayers and his interactions with the locals. The Ghost felt the giving of money to the poor was significant and became the crux of his plan. If that part didn’t work out, Beau had a problem of getting to El Hadad. Beau altered his appearance. He lost significant weight to portray his persona as a beggar. One problem worked itself out as to where he would stay. It turned out a owned a seedy but clean building. It was secure and connected to the ’s communication equipment which solved another problem. As a beggar, he could not have anything on his person or in his room suggesting anything but poverty. The availability of transportation out of the area needed a solution. The ruse of the beggar was not predictable since El Hadad controlled the timing of the scenario. Beau believed it might work because K took poor into his home before and fed them. The plan centered on a plane landing, staying a couple of days and leaving. Another flew in and replaced it. That way the aircraft shouldn’t attract attention. Without immediate transport out of the country The Ghost’s plan to take down the warlord would not work. Thankfully, every element functioned perfectly. As he began his journey home with K, Beau ed Danny with his instructions. He slept some during the flights. His condition having lost weight and basically not sleeping during his time as a beggar caused additional problems. He was worn out both physically and mentally. Beau took a private jet to the Branson, Missouri, airport where he kept a car at a local garage. The distance to his land wasn’t far but Beau pulled off twice to rest.

He was not only tired but didn’t feel good. Finally, he reached his ATV, hid the car and started to Hawk Mountain. The weather added to his misery. A cold rain began and slowly turned into snow. Coming from an arid and hot climate without proper clothing further weakened his condition. All Beau needed was in the building at the top of his knoll. But, he wasn’t there yet. As mentioned before, the ATV only approached Hawk Mountain so far and then it was stored. That meant he still had a hike across inhospitable terrain once he left his ATV. Normally, this is what he wanted. That was when he was in robust condition. Not today but Beau had no choice. He was tired and run down. Beau began shivering and developed a low grade fever. The Ghost struggled with his backpack including his rifle and Glock 9mm pistol. The rain and snow turned to sleet biting deep into his exposed face and hands. Finally, he spied his home on Hawk Mountain. Finding the hidden key he opened the door and slid inside. Beau lit the wood stove first and then started the generator. Once that was on, he turned on the cooking stove for additional heat. He peeled off his wet togs and headed for some dry clothes. On the back of the door was a mirror. For the first time in weeks, he viewed his body. Beau appeared emaciated. Verging on a total physical breakdown and whatever sickness might accompany it, he struggled to make a simple broth. The tepid liquid tasted wonderful. Almost as soon as he finished the last drop, he walked to his bed, turned back the covers and collapsed. The night was black when he woke. Beau paid no addition to what time he arrived or when he laid down. While he felt a little better, Beau was still tired. The wood stove had long since burned out leaving on a few glowing embers. He stoked them and added kindling to restart the flames. In a few minutes, the fire came to life so he turned off the cooking stove. Beau again felt weak but knew he needed some nourishment. Not wanting to cook, he chewed some jerky. Sleep took over again. This time he didn’t sleep as long and Beau got up, started his coffee pot and put on water to boil. He needed substantive food so he cooked macaroni and cheese

cutting hunks of Spam into it. Beau ate every bit of it along with a bottle of liquid vitamin supplement. For the first time in days, he felt decent. He looked out the window and saw snow covering the ground. The Ghost checked his satellite phone and no messages appeared. He then did something he rarely did, Beau turned it off. The next few days were his. No one would interrupt his solitude. Beau did activate his roof dish so he had an internet connection. That was to keep up on the news and watch some movies. For the next week, The Ghost spent a lot of time either in bed or sitting in his large recliner wrapped in a blanket. He ate steak on several occasions and packed in the protein. Danny brought more food when he ran low. The caretaker told his boss he needed to eat a lot more. Danny made a special trip back with several half gallon containers of ice cream with a special refrigerated cooler to keep it from melting. The Ghost slowly regained his strength. He did something else which Beau now considered necessary. Every day he sat in his chair and wrote down lists of various things. The one he kept coming back to was pros and cons of retiring. Beau no longer needed the money. He possessed homes in several parts of the world. The Ghost also hid weapons in many places. If he did decide to retire, he should identify a specific date and stick with it. The world was a dangerous place for someone with his skills. Younger and better qualified hitmen now seemed everywhere. Maybe a forty plus year old dude was an old man. A lot of people said age had nothing to do with it. He was the best they told him. Beau now believed they were stroking him. When he finally decided to leave Hawk Mountain, he felt refreshed and heathier. Beau needed to gather his team and get their opinions. As he turned his safe phone back on, three messages awaited his attention.

Chapter 5

Dallas four years before the present time… The Orthodox Church sanctuary sounded empty as the Rector’s heels clicked on the stone floor. He praised God every time he entered the room and adored his beautiful surroundings. The icons’ faces seemed to look down with approval. The priest spent his life in the service of the Lord. The majority was in Russia. An old friend and successful immigrant to the United States brought him to Dallas to serve this congregation. His friend lived in California but had a child and grandchildren in the metro area. He believed his priest could be a positive influence on the young of the congregation. The Rector used Russian language in the church. He added classes in the language depending on the level of mastery by its speakers. To his surprise, his lessons became popular among many younger of the congregation. True, many were encouraged to attend but that did not matter. Russian had a place with some of the young Texans. What he accomplished and was accomplishing at the Orthodox Church was exactly in line with his benefactor’s wishes and what he hoped when brought the priest to Dallas. He promised the old man to return him for burial in his native Russia when the time came. That was a sacred vow. He looked around the sanctuary this day and smiled. Everything needed to be perfect. There was a baptism of a successful young congregational member’s child. Relatives from all over the United States gathered for the momentous day. One person attending was his benefactor from California. They reminisced about the old times in Russia. Smiles abounded and even a little vodka partaken. Then his longtime friend would ask him what he needed. His response was always nothing for me but the church could use a few things. Sometime later, a check arrived and the appropriate repairs, additions or new equipment purchased. The Rector enjoyed this ritual. He smiled and turned away from the altar and shuffled to the sanctuary entrance to await his honored guests.

The baby baptized was son of Grace Kot. He was a first grandchild and a joy to parents and grandparents alike. Grace ruffled a few feathers when she married someone not of her ethnic background. That was forgotten when he converted and was baptized into the Orthodox religion. Her family quickly liked him. He did not work in the real estate business and that fact relieved a lot of possible angst among the family. The baptism itself did not last long. A celebration followed at a local restaurant and lasted a few hours. Most attendees made sure the baby boy received appropriate gifts of money. His college fund had an auspicious beginning.

“Vashee Zdorovye!” With that toast in another part of the restaurant from the celebration, a meeting convened. These were not uncommon but not held as often as they once were. In addition to the principals of Peters, Kot, Antone and Volker were three other individuals. The most important attendee was a man in mid-seventies. He was overweight but that did not seem to bother him. The more he drank the redder his face became. Anatoly came to the United States almost fifty-years ago and became a citizen about ten years after that. He made and still made large amounts of money from various enterprises. No one asked him his business. Anatoly experienced a few scrapes with the law but nothing major. Rumors always persisted the government was on the verge of indicting him. The real estate firm in Dallas became a blessing for him. The business allowed him to launder some of his questionable money into legitimate profits. His tax returns now reported his gains and they were real. Anatoly willingly paid the taxes to clean money even though he lost some by appearing as a law abiding citizen. He and his businesses endured a couple of IRS audits and survived. Anatoly wanted more money and loved what the youngsters did in Dallas. On occasion, he helped them in other ways besides money. “Here is a gift for your son, Grace. I believe he needs a solid foundation for his dreams. We are lucky to be here,” said Anatoly. “Thank you, sir,” she replied.

“Now, give me an update on your real estate business,” the old man smiled as he took another shot of vodka. What followed was an overview of projects, accomplishments, community activities and profits. Nothing was written and all activities outlined even a questionable few. One new project provided capital to ‘entrepreneurs’ associated with Anatoly. He liked that because it removed possible scrutiny from him. The firm accomplished something for the first time and wished to tell him about. They built, opened, depreciated and sold a strip mall. The return was substantial and the net gain impressive. Leo explained their intention to flip more of these projects in the future. The action was well received from the three men. “Tell me of your plans for the next year,” Anatoly stated. The four expected this question and Andrew was to answer. “We identified a significant piece of land in one of the fast growing suburbs of Dallas. Several big box stores indicated pursuing our opportunity further. In fact, our attorneys are in the process of executing options with them. We feel this venture will be good for at least twenty-years. I assume needed money will be available if we cannot secure full funding?” “I see no problem with that.” “Thank you. We will proceed with securing options on what few pieces of property we have not secured.” Satisfied, Anatoly proposed a final drink and everyone returned to the celebration.

The land was prime real estate. The area exploded in growth and the metroplex needed new areas for homes and businesses. The proposed development occupied a series of five or six strip malls. These were small but viable with convenience stores, beauty salons and supplies businesses, a few small restaurants, and like entities. Most owners of the malls jumped at the idea of dumping their properties for a good profit.

One did not. Emilio Suarez crossed the Rio Grande 30 plus years ago. He had family in Dallas and migrated there. Always hard working, he began with his cousin washing dishes at a small hole in the wall Mexican restaurant catering to other ex-pats. Emilio saved all he could with the dream of opening his own place. He married another illegal, Marta, and their family grew to three sons and two daughters. The children were US citizens being born in Dallas. Finally after years of saving, he possessed enough capital to open his own place in a small strip mall. Almost all of the businesses in the center were Hispanic. Soon his reputation for wonderful food spread and non-Hispanics frequented his small eatery. Emilio expanded his restaurant and still more people came. His children worked with their father and mother once all were in school. The oldest began college and succeeded. He helped the next child and so the kids were educated. All graduated with honors from college and worked in the metroplex. The two girls went into medicine one as a nurse and the other eventually a nurse practitioner. The oldest son became a teacher and a coach. Another entered ing and the youngest a pharmacist. Emilio posted their pictures prominently on the walls of the restaurant. Every Sunday evening, the whole family, including kids and now grandkids gathered for dinner in their father’s place. This time they cooked for their parents. As the years ed, Emilio received an opportunity to purchase the whole strip center. The price was decent so he took a chance. With a little work, he rehabbed the place and attracted some quality stores. The mall provided a good income in addition to his restaurant. One thing bothered Emilio and that was he never became a citizen. Even as he grew older, Emilio feared a knock on the door could shatter his life. At least now he knew his children were American born citizens and he had enough money to live comfortably the rest of his life. Emilio watched with interest as the other strip centers began to sell. He even talked with some of the owners. Each reflected the price offered and taken was fair but maybe not what they might have liked. He did not know what he would do. Emilio’s attachment to the property ran much deeper than its cost. It became the symbol of his hard work and success for his family. He visited with his children and while they recognized the father’s

love of the center, they believed maybe the time had arrived for him to enjoy the fruits of his hard work. The day finally came when Andrew Volker of Peters, Kot, Antone and Volker arrived to visit with him. Emilio liked the young man and listened intently as Andrew outlined the plans for the area and how Emilio’s property fit in. An offer was made and Andrew set out a two week period for him to consider the offer. When the time period was up, Andrew returned for the old man’s answer. Emilio was honest with him and said he wasn’t ready to make a decision yet. Andrew understood the attachment to the land and gave him two more weeks. Emilio still wouldn’t make up his mind. This time, Leo the ant came to the restaurant. “Mr. Suarez, we need your answer. You must realize that a multimillion dollar project is waiting on you.” “I understand. But, you need to this restaurant and now this property has been my life.” “Don’t you believe the offer we made to you is fair?” “The offer could be better but it is reasonable.” “Then what is the hold up?” “I told you.” “Well, Mr. Suarez, let me tell you a little story.” A perplexed look came on the Emilio’s face. “I don’t understand what you are talking about.” “Just listen to the story.’ “Okay.” “Many years ago, a young man entered a country illegally. In spite of being a fine young man and a hard working individual, he was still illegal. No matter

how hard he worked providing for his family, he shouldn’t be in the country. What complicated the matter was his children were legal. If the father was deported, the children would stay here but he and his wife had to leave.” Emilio’s face now showed the strain of his burden. He asked, already knowing the answer: “I assume you are talking about me.” “You can draw whatever conclusion you want. Be aware we have some very persuasive friends with connections is all levels of the government. I would hate for you to have a knock on the door and have no choice but to deport you The project is important to my firm and I plan to take whatever action is needed.” “And if I accept?” Emilio asked. “You will have ninety days to close down your restaurant. The price we offered which you agreed is fair will be paid. All the sales from the liquidation are yours.” “What will become of me?” “We have no interest in seeing you deported. You have a large family in Dallas and you can enjoy them during retirement.” “Do I have to do anything to get the others out of the center?” “No. We will take care of them. All you have to do is close your business down and enjoy your retirement and family.” “I guess I don’t have a choice.” “You always have a choice. Some are better choices than others.” Emilio Suarez closed on the sale of the shopping center within 60 days of his meeting with the ant, Leo Peters. The price was fair and the money did assure him and his wife a good retirement. The local paper published a feature story on the long history of the shopping center and Emilio’s involvement with his restaurant. Family and friends held one last celebration before the business closed. If the immigration service raided the place that evening many leading Hispanic citizens might be arrested. That did

not happen. Emilio thought seriously about opening a new restaurant. His children convinced him he worked enough in his life. Emilio told them he worked hard all the years since coming to Texas. He wasn’t sure he could not work. Emilio died six months later. The cause of death on the certificate was natural causes. That interpretation depends on what natural means.

Chapter 6

Anabel Atkins That used to be her name. She was simply Mom now. Anabel and Beau (no, that isn’t his name either) knew each other since junior high school. When she became pregnant, they made a pact. The youngsters would stay together and raise their daughter Amanda (that is no longer her name and more on the girl later) as a normal child. Beau convinced a friend to provide the couple with fake birth certificates and IDs. With those, the youngsters were married. They remain married even though the two spend limited time together. He ed the Army to provide for his family. The early years were difficult for Anabel and Amanda even with the military allotment Beau provided. It simply wasn’t very much. The baby was his dependent so she had medical insurance. They lived with her parents as Anabel finished high school and began junior college. Two occurrences changed the world for the three. Beau got out of the Army and became a courier and then an independent contractor. That meant money was no longer a problem. Anabel dedicated herself full time to her studies. She chose finance. The second thing shook her deeply. Her mother and father died in a car wreck. They were the only family she had or knew except for Beau. The contractor business was lucrative but dangerous. Beau knew of no other person in his line of work with a family. He wanted to protect them with anonymity. With his connections in various levels of the government, he decided to eliminate their past. He and Anabel received two completely new identities separate from each other. No marriage license existed between them anymore. Each identity possessed new everything from birth to the present including medical records and even records in their schools plus colleges. The process was easy when one knew the right people. Access and replacement became simple. No one ever doubted the brilliance of Anabel Atkins. As she finished her finance

degree, Beau turned over the money he earned for her to manage. She created interlocking trusts, corporations and legal shields to not only protect their relationships and identities but secure ever larger amounts of money he earned. And, she became Mom. That designation made it easier. The world became her financial palette. As Beau worked for various governments, corporations or even individuals, Mom used the advantages of the countries locations for banking and investments. Governments were easy to negotiate with regarding taxes because of his services. If they wanted his help, then Beau’s entities received special treatments. Anabel could always put money in Switzerland, the Caymans or a few other places to hide it. She chose to not do that often because Mom wanted everything above board. Taxes paid drew less scrutiny especially if former IRS agents advised and prepared forms for the US Government and countries around the world. The couple believed they needed a permanent or at least a semi-permanent places from which to conduct activities. These locations usually lasted two to three years and they moved. Over the years several parts of the country were used. However, for the last five years, they preferred only one location. Ladue, Missouri, is an affluent suburb of St. Louis. Before the move there, the couple identified an older home for purchase and renovation. The rehab of the dwelling was extensive. Because of the nature of their businesses, the home became a well-designed fortress. Yet it was comfortable and functional. St. Louis was chosen for some legitimate reasons. The city’s location was close to the central part of the country. Lambert Field was a major airport with quick connections to not only all of the United States but one stop to major connections to any part of the world. It was only a 4 hour drive to their lake home and/or Hawk Mountain. Lastly, Mom was a lifelong St. Louis Cardinal fan. Now she had a choice of going to the games or watching them on television. Her day reflected a ritual. Mom arose between 6 and 7 am, exercised in a make shift gym in the basement, showered, ate breakfast and went to her office for as much as the remainder of the day as necessary. The office possessed live coverage of most of the world’s financial markets and most news programs. She employed broker representatives in these places. If need be, transactions could be initiated and completed in seconds.

Mom built a tickler system in her bedroom. If some strange development occurred in the world markets while she slept, an alarm woke her and Mom was in her office almost immediately. She maintained direct connections with major banks in the world should they be needed. The most important function of her home office was communication. If Beau was on a contract, he maintained with the St. Louis location. Mom in turn always remained connected with any necessary entity. If help was requested, a response was quick and efficient. This included arranging and providing all transportation. Such coordination was guaranteed by ing entities of the Ghost’s missions or there were no missions. Having Anabel covering his back was one less item Beau worried about when fulfilling a contract. One other person lived in the household. Her name is Steely. She had a long history with Beau and Anabel. When younger, Steely worked with The Ghost. A few years of functioning as an operative (and on many missions with Beau), Steely received a serious injury. There was some question if she would survive. She did but no longer was able to perform on the international stage. Steely was offered several positions in security firms but her friend and fellow operative had another idea. Steely had a son. Beau believed she wanted a settled life to raise her boy. Steely came from an Eastern European background and did not desire to return there. She was an impressive agent until wounded. If Beau could convince Steely to his family group, he no longer worried about Mom and his daughter’s safety. His new employee was tough and deadly if need be. She was also a wonderful cook. With the Ghost’s connections, she became a citizen. Steely raised her son in the household with Beau and Anabel’s daughter. There was never any question about a safe household. Steely understood the business plus the women became close friends. The Ghost’s latest adventure brought an interesting dilemma for the St. Louis based money person. As was often the case after a contract, a trusted courier delivered a decent sized package to Mom. She knew it was coming. Her husband went directly to Hawk Mountain for rest. She thought about going to the lake

house and then visit him but decided against it after the arrival of the package. She knew generally what was in the packet but not with specificity. She whistled quietly as she tore open the protected cover. A two inch stack of bearer bonds sat before her. The take down of K El Hadad definitely had unexpected benefits. She took the flash drive from the package and decided to open it in a laptop rather than with her main U. On it was list of numbers and abbreviations. The Ghost was told this was a list of the banks and s El Hadad possessed. Mom needed some time and to no only process the bonds and money but to see if the flash drive contained what Beau believed it did. They did not need the money. Over the years they accumulated a significant amount of cash. Mom managed it well. When discussions took place, the fact that a comfortable retirement appeared guaranteed played more and more into The Ghost’s decisions. Mom cringed at the thought of something happening to Beau. She figured he might accept one more contract before he retired. The plan after that centered on disappearing so no one with a grudge could find him. Or, no entity could tempt him with ‘one more time.’ First things first…she decided to divide the bear bonds into two stacks. Each traveled by courier to a specific bank where they would other assets. The bonds were too good to up. If there were s and money on the flash drive, Mom had another use for them. First, she needed to make a trip to their tech genius who happened to be her daughter.

Chapter 7

When it became clear that Amanda (now Mia) needed to find her own place away from her mother, she studied many possible locations. Mia had carte blanche. She considered a rural location somewhere in the west but vetoed it because of the distance away from Mom. Location discussions arrived at what appeared to be a delicate balance. Both parents impressed on the young lady they did not want her too close for safety reasons. But, all the family’s locations should not be too far away. Mia harkened back to the home of a college friend she visited often and performed an internship in the city. The location felt comfortable with its beautiful hills, abundant water and a vibrant and growing young professional population. She chose Tulsa, Oklahoma. Her parents agreed with the choice for several reasons. Tulsa had an excellent airport with a direct connection to St. Louis. The distance was five and a half hours from Mom’s by car. And, the location was just a few hours from the lake house. Mia’s journey to Tulsa was interlaced with the background of her parents. Her mother was sixteen when she became pregnant with Amanda. She spent her infancy and childhood with her maternal grandparents. When Beau began to earn enough money, Mom moved out. Her grandparents were killed shortly after that. Amanda was young when she and her family received new identities. She believed it was a game and quickly adjusted to Mia. While her mother finished her degree, Beau saw that his daughter received the best education possible. The child took immediately to anything electronic and computer related. Special schooling in those subjects was provided. Tutors became a staple of her life as Mia absorbed anything dealing with computers. Her brilliance was not limited to just that but transferred to any academic subject. By the age of fifteen, Mia attended a major university. By eighteen she possessed a bachelor’s degree and a year later a masters. She earned her PhD by age

twenty-one. She received a special award for her dissertation dealing with computer hacking and security matters. It was never placed in the university library because of its sensitive subject matter. The government’s intelligence community attempted to recruit the youngster but she wanted no control over her actions. Mia knew a few things about her father’s work. She did realize he made a lot of money. She spent time with her mother learning as much as she could about managing the family’s wealth. That aspect of money fascinated her. As she approached the end of her doctorate Mia’s parents had ‘the talk’ with her about the future. They outlined her father’s vocation. Beau knew the special gift his daughter possessed. He agreed to establish Mia with her own consulting business. Almost immediately, the government entered into an attractive retainer relationship with her organization. Mia became a security trouble shooter with numerous corporations and even countries. She also established a network of loosely d others around the US who worked with her and at times for her. One was a young man she met in graduate school named William who Mia became romantically involved with later in her life. The physical location of Mia’s business was in an industrial park with stable utilities. Even then a backup generator system insured a continuous electrical supply. The building was remodeled to withstand Oklahoma’s weather such as tornadoes and high winds. The security surrounding it was the best money could buy. The equipment inside the building was always the most sophisticated in the world. Some government agencies complained Mia’s operation received sensitive equipment before anyone else. One expert speaking on the condition of anonymity believed the youngster possessed the power and skill to close down any system in the world. The third floor of the building was Mia’s home. She wanted to be near her work. The outside contracts made her a rich person. She possessed an ulterior motive for her vocation and she never itted it to any outside person or entity. That purpose was to protect and her father. When the Ghost accepted an assignment, father, mother and daughter met to plan the interdiction. Mia’s job was to find out everything about the location(s) from a technological point of view. She learned about local security measures, electrical grids down to individual houses and phones. If need be, Mia could disable whole

countries’ internal systems. This planning took time to accomplish. When needed, she could take over everything in an area. She never failed to protect her father while he was on a contract. Once, Mia shut down a whole city’s cell phone towers so Beau could accomplish a specific task without outside interference. Mia, with Mom, coordinated The Ghost’s communication with the outside world. She could bring in addition assets to Beau. During one contract, Mia guided her father through the streets of a city by telling him which route to take avoiding trouble. While the Ghost was on a mission, Mia slept in her control room and worked day and night as needed to accomplish a completed contract. There was another member of Amanda/Mia’s house hold. Her mother’s bodyguard was Steely. Mia for as long as she ed possessed a protector in the shadows around her. His name was Ahmad Jaborri. Like Steely, he served with The Ghost on a dangerous mission. When completed, Ahmad (not his real name) had to disappear. Beau brought him to the United States and established a new identity for Ahmad. Since Mia started college at a young age and because of his occupation plus The Ghost’s peace of mind, Beau wanted to make sure his daughter was protected. Ahmad was always there for his friend’s child but no one around Mia knew he existed. She called him Uncle Al and he occasionally visited his ‘niece’ when necessary. Mia knew his purpose and never resented his presence. Now on her own, Uncle Al was still with her acting as her chief of security. He traveled with her wherever she went.

A visit between mother and daughter was good. This time, Mom decided to spend several days with Mia. Even better, the visit involved business. The money ‘liberated’ from El Hadad plus the bonds added significantly to the family coffers. Add the $5,000,000 fee the Ghost received and the reward increased. Mia knew her mother came with work. That prospect excited the young lady. That is not to say plenty of work was not already on her ‘platter’ so to speak. William and her other operatives could manage without her for a while.

Mom hugged her daughter when she arrived and the two caught up on news. Mia thought her father might show up but learned he still recovered from his desert adventure. In fact, as was often the case, the family did not know his exact location. He informed his wife of the three messages he received on Hawk Mountain. Mom assumed Beau was researching his interest in the contracts. “What did you bring me?” “It’s a thumb drive.” “What’s the story on it?” Mia asked. “Your dad was contracted to retrieve the contents of a safe of a K El Hadad.” “I came across his name several times. He was involved in bunch of bad stuff if I right.” “The contractor wanted two other flash drives which K was supposed to have in his safe. A large bonus was available if the guy could be snagged as well as the drives. The Ghost got them all.” “And this drive?” “There was another incentive in this deal.” “Oh?” “The client wanted the two drives and K. Anything else gleaned out of this deal went to us.” “So, anything we can find on this flash drive is ours.” “Yes but that is just part of it,” Mom said. “I take it dad found other stuff in the safe as well.” “There was several hundred thousand in dollars and more in Euros.” Mia whistled but before she could say anything, her mother continued.

“There was also a stack of valuable bearer bonds. I divided them up and sent them by courier to a couple of our overseas banks.” “Wow. Do you think all this is enough to finally get dad to think seriously about retiring from the games?” “I do know he is thinking about it.” “Good.” “Okay my dear, let’s take a look at what we have here. I should tell you that if what I think is here, I am going to donate most to charitable organizations we have helped in the past.” “I don’t have a problem with that. No doubt we have more than we will ever need. Plus, my business is going bonkers. There is a lot of money to be made and I have already done well. If dad retires, I won’t have to worry about keeping him safe.” “That will be a lot easier on all of us including him.” Mia slipped the flash drive in and its files popped up. There were seven. To get an idea of what was on each file, she decided to take a quick look at each one. There appeared to be numbers but also a series of random numbers. “That is interesting,” said Mom. “I don’t think it’s anything I can’t figure out with a little work,” Mia confidently said. “One thing you will have to figure out will be access to the s. I guess that is s.” “That may take me a little while but again I can do that.” “The last one is different. All that is there is a series of numbers,” Mom added with a quizzical look on her face. As she glanced over to her daughter, Mia seemed to be deep in thought and she gazed at the numbers.

“The number of digits is the same but they are not identical,” she talked out loud. Mia thought for a minute and began a search on her powerful computer. “Okay, what are you doing?” “The most logical representation of the numbers is bank identifications. I am searching for how different countries represent banking institutions. The places to search are those in Switzerland, the Grand Caymans, the US and other European Countries.” Her super computer had results almost immediately. Nothing matched. She expanded her search field to first Europe and then North America. Finally, Mia entered the rest of the world. Still, she received no results that even resembled the numbers. “He is smarter than I thought. This may take a longer. The numbers won’t help much without the financial institutions,” she said as if talking out loud to herself. “What are you going to do next?” Mom asked. “I think I will use a random number program. As you can see, the number of digits is the same for all on the list. That suggests there is something in common with them. I need to find out what that common denominator is and that may be the key to unraveling the code,” Mia explained. “If that search doesn’t work?” “I will try something else,” her daughter explained. “Mom, sometimes searches can go on for a long time.” “Have you had situations that you never broke?” “Not really. I usually find what I am looking for. My computer can literally process millions of numbers per second. I know what I am doing. That is why the government lets me use this unit. This baby is one of the few in the world that is capable of doing almost anything.” “Oh.”

“No one can use this computer better than me. I can create, search solve scenarios in micro seconds.” “I am not sure all this makes me feel better about the safety of my daughter,” Mom said with a serious look on her face. “Don’t worry. This place is almost impregnable and I never go anywhere without notifying my keepers and Uncle Al.” “Just who are your keepers?” With a grin on her face, “Come on Mom, you know I can’t tell you that.” “This makes me feel better about keeping an eye on your father. Does everyone you work for understand this priority?” “The importance ones do know I have a priority to my life but do not know exactly what that is. They don’t pry.” The computer came back with some possibilities and most of them were number theories. “What do all these mean,” Mom asked. Mia seemed intent on looking at the results and didn’t look up as she answered. “Not much I am afraid.” Then something on the second page caught her attention. “Wait a minute. I think we may have something here.” With that she walked back to the keyboard and began to enter a set of numbers looking at the list on the flash drive. Then she entered what she believed were numbers. A large smile came to her face as she leaned back in her chair. “Come on Mia, did you find something?” “Yes, I did.” “Are you going to tell me?” “I need to do something else first. This took her some time because she entered

more into the computer and waited. By this time, her mother was about to wet her pants with anticipation of what her daughter found. Mia finally hit a key and the printer on the other side of the room whirled. It didn’t last long and she went and retrieved the papers. There were six separate sheets one for each of the numbers with an on them. She proudly handed the sheets to her mother. “The numbers are GPS locations. I matched those numbers with what was actually at the locations. Yes, those six are all banks and are located in six different countries.” “So, now all you have to do is take the numbers and find the s for all of them. Once you have done that, you can empty those s and transfer them anywhere you want. Is that right?” “Yipe.” “Explain to me how you can do that and not have someone trace those transactions back to you?” “Trust me mom. I literally bounce what I am doing all over the world before the transaction is completed. Then I will erase any trace of what took place. The money is in the new .” “That is what you have done for us in the past?” “Yes ma’am.” “I am glad you are on our side.” “Mom, you need to list the charitable organizations so I transfer the money to them. While you are doing that, I will need to get the s for not only El Hadad’s s but for the charities as well.” With that, Mom went into the other room and hunted for her purse. She identified several possibilities ahead of time and determined what ones to reward.

Mia began the process of finding s for the s. When she did you, the computer whiz printed out the amount of money in each of the banks. She was surprised because the amount was not as much as she imagined. The amount was substantial while not matching her expectations. She decided to print out the information for her mother. Once Mom got the list then she could match the s with the charities chosen. Mom had a thought. El Hadad left behind more than one wife and several children. With him gone, she doubted they had any means of . She decided one of the s should be for their benefit. Mom would designate one, transfer it to a local bank, and have it notify the wives of the . This action eased her conscience. Mom told Mia the organizations she wished to benefit with the dirty money. Most had something to do with children. She preferred medical organizations. All functioned in the area where El Hadad lived. Mia completed the whole task is a couple of hours. She looked up the organizations and hacked their information. Then she identified bank s and s. Finally, she transferred the money. The day’s accomplishments were substantial. Mom told her husband the next time she talked to him. Suddenly, the conclusion struck her. What about the other number? When Mom asked Mia, her daughter smiled and said, “That, mother is a completely different story.

Chapter 8

Dallas, two years before the present time. Billy Bryson Bouvier II was the personification of old Dallas money. Now in his eighties, BBB or the Deuce was a Texas legend. Now days, most everyone avoided the crusty old man because of his reputation of a sorry SOB. While it was true BBB might bite the head off a banker, partner or even occasionally a friend, the rear end chewing was usually deserved and often followed by a smile. People telling of these legendary dressing downs forgot to add the last part. The Deuce could care less about what people thought of him. He was not a junior but named after his grandfather who started the Bouvier fortune with oil money and then invested much of it in the BBB Ranch located a couple of hours from the Metroplex. Over the years the land size grew to thousands of acres and reflected one of the largest private holdings of property in the United States. The ranch was held in trust with the Deuce as sole trustee. BBB was an only child. His father was an only child as well. Deuce never married. As a youngster, he was constantly in trouble. Daddy’s money and reputation literally bailed him out. Finally, dad had enough and placed him in one of the top military schools in the United States. He did something else. The old man sent along a retired Texas Ranger to make Deuce toe the line. He had carte blanche to do anything necessary to keep the younger Bouvier out of trouble. BBB didn’t like it but he cleaned up his act. Strangely, the action established his long term relationship with the famous law enforcement group that continued. When it came time to attend college, everyone assumed the youngster would return home and attend UT, SMU or TCU. Deuce surprised everyone by announcing he wanted to go to Princeton. His family saw this as positive sign in the maturation process of their wild child and assumed he settled down. That was not the situation at all. BBB became enthralled with a young lady who attended an exclusive private institution while he went to military school. He neglected to tell his father the real reason for attending the Ivy League college

was because her. The coed wanted no part of the wild youngster from Texas. BBB soon discovered that with a fake ID he and his fraternity brothers could enter and drink at many of the local bars. No longer with his Ranger shadow, class became secondary to his nightly carousing with his buddies. A call came from the University informing his father that Deuce was expelled from the college for multiple infractions including an almost negative grade point average. That wasn’t the most grievous transaction. In a show of Texas bravado, BBB shot up a local bar. It seems the youngster brought to Princeton his prized pearl handled .44 caliber revolvers. His grandfather specially made them for his grandson’s sixteenth birthday. The pistols were priceless but the kid brought them to New Jersey. One night Deuce got drunk and picked a fight with a couple of large non-students. They put a whipping on him. He went back to his dorm room and reappeared with his prized revolvers. He began shooting up the place in anger because his adversaries weren’t there. The process of getting him out of trouble and out of jail took several law firms both from Texas and the East Coast. He was summarily returned home and placed on the ranch working as a flunky. After a year of slinging manure and castrating cattle, he began to figure out life. During that time he never left the ranch. Everything he needed was brought to him. All the family’s vacations (which he didn’t get) and holidays were spent there. Once again, BBB’s constant companion was a retired Texas Ranger. Those pearl handled revolvers are now the centerpiece over the massive fire place at the main hacienda on the ranch. While his father was alive, he forbade Deuce from using them. After he died, his son never put them on again out of respect for his father. BBB assured his father he was ready for college. The young man no longer had the opportunity to attend a prestigious Texas university but enrolled at a small religious college where everything was prohibited but going to class and chapel. Students dated but needed a chaperone to ride in a car together. Somehow he survived without getting kicked out of school even though there were close calls. Undoubtedly, the old man’s money soothed some concerns and

adding a new classroom building bearing the Bouvier name. Another reason he graduated was because of his ranger shadow. After returning to Dallas, he father formally met with him in his office and laid out plans for his son. He gave Deuce $1,000,000 and that was all (that was a lot of money in those days). His father arranged for his son to be deferred from military service. Deuce later embellished the story to make it sound like he was thrown out of his father’s office. In addition to the million dollars, the younger Bouvier had access to all the major banks and bankers in Dallas. No lender in Dallas was going to turn down a Bouvier for a loan. All this is not to say that BBB was still a wild child who went around throwing money at anyone or anything. The elder Bouvier made sure his son understood he was getting nothing else as far as money went. If he lost the million dollars, then Deuce was broke. That statement really wasn’t true but BBB didn’t know that. The old man told his son that everything he had was in trust (truth). Deuce would get nothing (half-truth). With this in mine, BBB set out to make his fortune. The times in Texas were ripe for exploitation when BBB began his journey. Using his father’s connections, he invested in oil and gas, banking and fledgling electronics businesses. The state exploded in growth and the younger Bouvier began to move into real estate. With suburbs beginning to take hold, Deuce formed a company to buy land and build homes. The thirty something year old man was a multi-millionaire. His investments hemorrhaged money. Deuce became a prominent figure in the Dallas social elite. He belonged to the best country clubs and the Oil and Cattleman’s club in the heart of the city. At prominent social events he often appeared with a beautiful widow or other fashionable ladies. But none seemed to appear more than a few times. BBB was generous with his of worthy local charities. Even though he was often accompanied women, he always had a young male assistant with him. This led to whispers as to his true sexuality. Such a mainstay of Dallas society was never questioned. The curiosity of his sexuality grew as he aged. His father never showed him the family trust document. Deuce took literally what his dad told him about his inheritance. BBB’s mother died years before and

had no part in divvying up the family fortune. By the time his father ed, Deuce needed no money. He was surprised when called to a meeting with a prestigious Dallas law firm. These lawyers represented the old man from youth. In fact, they represented BBB’s grandfather as well. At the meeting he saw the two inch thick trust document for the first time. To his surprise, he discovered he was not shut out of his father’s will and trust. Deuce received the family estate in Dallas. It represented one of the oldest and most significant buildings in the city. Later, BBB saw it was included in the National of Historical Buildings. His father granted his son a life estate in the home. That meant Deuce could live there for the rest of his life. On his death, the building ed to a local historical society for the benefit of the community. A significant stipend accompanied the gift to insure the care and upkeep of the beautiful edifice. BBB accepted all this without question even though there might be a way for him as trustee to do something else with it. The ranch was different. The old man transferred the land to one of the state’s land grant colleges. The property was to remain in trust with the college acting as trustee. The trust was to raise and develop the best beef cattle available in the world. A herd of buffalo was reintroduced on a significant portion of the land. Not only were the animals allowed to thrive but they were to be inbred with the beef to find if the cross produced a viable food animal. If not, the buffalo herd was allowed to increase to the point that it provided a healthy alternative to beef. The royalties from the oil and gas wells was to the agricultural mission of the land. The remainder of the property including main ranch house and surrounding buildings came under Deuce’s control as trustee. This included not only acreage but oil and gas rights to that land. He chose to continue its use as a cow and calf operation. Over the years, BBB spent a lot of time away from Dallas enjoying the quiet isolation of the ranch land. He had full benefit of the profits of the oil and gas rights if he so chose. Deuce had plenty of money and invested the proceeds for later use to the land once he died. While BBB remained trustee during his life, the old trust demanded he create a

new trust and conveyance of the land effective on his death. If not, all the property reverted to the original trust and controlled by its . Deuce was not about to let this happen and created a grassland preserve for the property with the ranch house becoming a museum. The new trustee was a major western museum centered in the Metroplex. The oil and gas property served as an endowment for the project. BBB moved all of his substantial art collection from the city house to the ranch and began to accumulate additional great works. The majority of the art reflected the heritage of Texas and the West in general. Over the years Deuce didn’t have to work as hard as when he was young. With his substantial worth, he soon financed projects of other investors. When individuals or groups could not receive complete financing for a project and needed additional resources, BBB became a money source. He was astute enough so he rarely lost on any investment and Deuce made sure his return was substantial. One item he included in his contracts was no right of first refusal and no automatic right to have his share bought out. Different from his contracts, others contracts included a clause that the borrower had the right to purchase the lender’s interest in certain situations. No such clause existed in his contracts. This lack of buy back language might have contributed to BBB’s reputation as being a tough man to deal with. As he grew older, Deuce drew up his own trust for distribution of his remaining assets outside the original document drawn up by his father. His called for his property to be liquidated and distributed to charitable institutions around Dallas and Texas. The now old man kept an office in downtown Dallas in one of the building in which he still owned an interest. When he was in town from the ranch (which became less and less), Deuce spent each morning at his office largely reading a local newspaper and paying special attention to financial matters. He consumed almost a pot of coffee each morning. At exactly 11:45, cane in hand and cigar in mouth, BBB walked to the Oil and Cattleman’s club for lunch. He wore a seersucker suit no matter what the weather. These clothes became a distinctive moniker. His private tailor crafted these unique clothes in a variety of colors. Deuce never walked alone. His loyal and large retired Texas Rangers accompanied him. Most of the time they ate lunch with him but on some occasions the old man conducted a meeting over lunch. He employed several of the Rangers and one always was with him or in the area. That included on the

ranch. They even drove his cars. BBB ate some type of beef for lunch with a slab of onion. He once told a friend the onion kept him young. At this time of his life, Peters, Kot, Antone and Volker met the famous or infamous Billy Bryson Bouvier II.

For the most part, P, K, A and V were successful. An occasion bump in their affairs appeared and often with the help of their California connections, these were smoothed. There was a limit on available money at times because of lending limits of banks. If the potential borrower possessed sufficient capital or collateral these might be skirted with banks securing other participating financial institutions. That way the risk was dispersed between many potential pockets. Because of a combination of conditions, the real estate firm found itself short on both capital and collateral. The downturn in the price of oil caused many financial institutions to rethink their lending procedures. To put it another way, money became tight. The margin of profits for banks shrank and they now looked closer at projects they were willing to commit to. They still made money but more capital remained in reserve to protect against losses. Time would heal this problem with the rebound in oil and gas prices but that appeared to be a slow process. There was nothing Peters, Kot, Antone and Volker could do about the lack of available capital. Several potential projects were abandoned but they still made money on what they owned or invested in. The profit margin no longer approached what it once was and their backers prodded them to make more money. They understood the realities of the market place including their inability help finance new projects. Money available from California was now less. An edge of tension permeated the real estate office during this time. Several key of the organization were let go and the four principals found themselves working longer and harder than before. The group maintained their active nature in the community although their contributions to charity shrank considerably. All believed a continued presence and exposure in the Dallas community was critical to their continued and future success. An unexpected and tremendous opportunity suddenly became available to the group. An unfinished development in the north Dallas area came up for sale. The

price was substantial and risky. The reason for the sale was the collapse in the price of oil and gas and its residual impact of the real estate market. Through their connections, P, K, A and V learned a major hospital and shopping center would exercise options to build on contiguous land to the development. Quietly, the group secured a portion of the financing for the purchase but remained several million dollars short of what they needed. Someone suggested they Billy Bryson Bouvier II for additional financing. As fate had it, the old man was not available to meet with them. They did not know he seldom met with anyone anymore. His office provided the firm with the appropriate forms requesting a loan from the reclusive financier. To the real estate group’s surprise, they received an answer within a week. Their request for the loan was approved. A lengthy loan document was presented to them with the caveat it was different from a traditional bank request and they should study it closely. BBB’s office suggested the firm’s counsel take a definitive look at the wording. Of special note was the higher than usual interest rate to be charged and the requirement of substantial collateral. The rest of the document contained traditional Billy Bryson Bouvier II clauses. The were different but the team made a cursory review without an attorney. A list of potential collateral was submitted but rejected outright. The old man was no fool and conducted a thorough investigation of the proposed property. Most was mortgaged to the maximum already and not satisfactory. After three attempts to identify qualifying property and having all rejected, Deuce agreed to take a significant ownership portion of the new development in lieu of the mortgage. His reasoning to P, K, A, and V was with that stake, his liability was exposed and BBB would insure its success. Peters, Kot, Antone and Volker bought the deal without hesitation. The development was a slam dunk. Later on they intended to buy out the old man and while the price might be steep, the rewards were potentially great. They guessed right on the property. Within a short time, options were exercised and businesses and individuals scrambled to snap up the leases as they finished the development. The price per square foot skyrocketed with 100% leased. The tenants were substantial professionals like doctors, dentists and lawyers.

Not only was the firm pleased but so were their backers in California. The revenue buoyed their other struggling interests. The they paid to the old man seemed completely worth the expense. They decided to buy old BBB’s interests in the development and move on to other projects.

The real estate firm asked for a face to face meeting with Deuce. They weren’t sure they would get the opportunity and were prepared to submit their proposal in writing. To their surprise, the old man was in town and agreed to meet them. Rather than all four going, the group chose the ant, Leo Peters, to see BBB. This was a deliberate action since the ant handled many of the tough negotiations in the past. He was not above using a threat or two to get what he wanted often with the help of the California crew. Leo in this situation dealt with an old man and expected the negotiations to successful. Nothing could be further from the truth. Peters was shown into a cluttered office with no desk but with two tables. One appeared to be BBB’s work area and piled high with old newspapers and stacks of miscellaneous papers. The second was twice as large and contained only a few items. That is the one where the two men met. Deuce’s chair was old and well used. Leo sat in a straight back chair that was anything but comfortable. That was by design…the old man was at ease while anyone visiting with him was not. When the ant entered, BBB stood and greeted him perfunctorily. There was no shaking of hands and he pointed to the chair. Peters was surprised at how small he was and his movements seemed labored. The old man wore suspenders and there appeared to be several food stains on his shirt. He did not smile as he looked at a stack of papers on the table before him. Leo did not know it but this was a deliberate strategy to make the younger man wait. Deuce practiced the procedure many times during his life. In fact, there was very little in his life he did without meticulous planning.

Finally… “What can I do for you, Mr. Peters?” “First, I would like to thank you for helping us finance the North Dallas project. We believed in the property and our faith was rewarded.” “As was mine. You don’t know me very well but I am a conservative when it comes to my investments.” All this time, Billy Bryson Bouvier II had no smiled. He simply stared at his guest. The old man continued, “I suspect, sir, you did not come here to exchange congratulatory pats on the back.” “No sir, I did not. My group believes the time has come for us to purchase your share of the investment giving us full ownership. We are willing to make you a substantial offer for your interest. In our experiences, this path seems to be an accepted method of acquiring a partners share. We have practiced this on several occasions and no one has complained about their compensation.” Unexpectedly, the old man stood and looked directly into the eyes of his young visitor. “I am not your ordinary investor. I have no desire to be bought out by anyone. Making money, while important is a secondary concern to me. Good day sir,” Deuce said as he turned his back on his guest and headed out of the room. The ant did not see he was being set up by the master. “Wait, Wait, you don’t seem to understand. I am not asking you to sell to us I am telling you to sell to us.” That seemed to get his attention. “Mr. Peters, you aren’t threatening me are you sir? What you just said has that ring.” “Mr. Bouvier, the situation is what it is. I do have certain, for lack of a better word, assets who can be very persuasive.” “Young man, I suggest you do your homework on me. I lost track several years ago of the number of times I have been threatened with either physical or financial violence. Physical threats are taken care of by my retired Texas

Rangers. I just laugh at financial violence. You and your friends can’t carry my checkbook.” The ant looked stunned. The group had not done their homework and had no idea about the old man. A smile returned to BBB’s face. “Of course, that is not what you mean is it?” This was a rhetorical question. The old man continued. “When my people presented you with the contract, one proviso stressed was you have the document reviewed by your counsel. I believe it is very clear you chose to ignore that advice. That was your mistake.” A furrow of concern deeply etched itself of Peters’ forehead. The old man walked to a door and opened it. “Won’t you come in, gentlemen?” With that three men entered BBB’s office. “Mr. Peters, let me introduce these gentlemen. First, this is Sheriff Thomas Madigan of Tarrant County. Next to him is Mayor Theodore Joslin of Fort Worth. This last person is my attorney, Simpson Bogle.” The ant knew the other shoe was about to drop. “Simpson, please present the appropriate paperwork to my soon to be expartner.” His attorney handed a packet an inch thick to Peters. “Sir, according to the of the contract lending money to your organization, Mr. Bouvier’s Trust is exercising its option to purchase your interest in the North Dallas development. Further, the value will be determined by an independent third party based on the average of three appraisers. One will be picked by you, another by the Trust and a third by a court of this jurisdiction. This will be concluded no later than six months from today.” The ant did not say a word. Bogle continued. “I will now ask Mr. Madigan and Joslin if they have reviewed these documents and are they as I have characterized them?

“They are sir.” “Likewise, do you provide witness to the fact that these documents were presented to Mr. Leo Peters of the real estate firm of Peters, Kot, Antone and Volker on this date? “We do?” “Mr. Peters, you need to make sure you read these closely. There is a significant liquated damages clause in the original agreement. If you do not comply with its , I can guarantee you the full force of that clause will be invoked.” “There is one other thing you need to be aware of,” added Sheriff Madigan. “We heard the totality of your conversation with Mr. Bouvier. From my advantage point, you sounded as if you threatened him. That is confirmed with audio and video recording. To stress my point, if anything happens to Mr. Bouvier, law enforcement will visit you.” “Do you understand, sir?” The ant nodded his head. “There is the door, Mr. Peters. You have a wonderful day!” Bogle said as he pointed to the portal.

All Leo could do as he sat in his car was bang his head on the padded steering wheel. He would like to be mad but there was no reason. The master taught the young real estate investors a tough lesson. They were outthought and bested. All the information needed to avoid what happened was in the original contract. The ability to force BBB to comply no longer sat on the table of options. Peters, Kot, Antone and Volker learned from what happened. The money they received from the forced sale of their interest in the North Dallas project was substantial. Their California backers never knew what transpired. They were happy with the return they received. The Deuce continues to wheel and deal. The old man seems too tough to die.

P, K, A and V learned a lot from the old man. They were determined to not be caught short again. They did find lucrative deals. Two years later, they learned about the beautiful lake property in the Ozarks.

Chapter 9

Somewhere in the jungles of Central or South America… The Ghost stank. He really smelled. A full three weeks ed since he washed. All this was by design.

Sometime before the stinking… Beau studied the three proposals awaiting his review after resting up from his adventure in the desert. As was his modus operandi, packets outlining the details navigated a circuitous route before each was delivered to a hired third party who then blindly dropped them to the Ghost. He glanced over them and headed to a meeting with his family. “I take it you are considering taking another assignment?” questioned his wife with a disapproving look on her face. “Mom, before you start in on me, this will be the last one if I decide to take it,” the Ghost answered avoiding her eyes. “Yeah, right dad,” added his daughter. Without saying another word, Mia took the packets and spread them out on a large table. This was the usual procedure when they got together to study offers. There was no identification of who made each offer. The three reviewers were skilled enough to identify the parties based on the . There was no cursory examination of the information. Beau, his wife and daughter studied them in detail and then rotated the packets. Each examined the proposals from his or her expertise. Mom thought about , transportation in and out of an area plus all the supplies needed for the operation. Mia considered her ability to electronically control everything to protect her father. The Ghost thought about how and when he might carry out the requested action. As was also their habit, nothing was said after the first review or discussed until

the next morning. The family spent the evening cooking and then eating a lobster and homemade chili meal. This was followed by watching a movie and sipping wine.

Mom arose early and summoned the other two to the kitchen with the smell of bacon and eggs topped with biscuits and homemade gravy. The coffee was strong and reflected the need to concentrate on the job ahead. After the hardy breakfast and with the dishes clean, the three sat down with the information in front of them. As they began, Mia usurped the conversation: “I am sure everyone noticed the similarities between two of the packets.” Beau did not answer but his wife did. “Yeah, there are a lot of things appearing the same. Mia, I am sure your father might want to interject his opinion at this point. Don’t you have something to add?” “I wanted to sit back and see if the women in the family discerned what was in the packets.” “You figured all this out, haven’t you dad?” “I think so. Two of these are basically the same. If I am reading this right, both parties want the head of the El Chaparral drug cartel taken out. Some of it is located in Mexico and some further into South America. Right now it is probably the most violent and dangerous one out there. The head is a guy called Rojo because of his flaming red hair. He is mean and nasty. He is not a big guy but has a monster called the Mountain with him at all times. Rojo worked his way up through the organization by being ruthless to outsiders and to those within the syndicate who dared oppose him. He relied on Mountain for all his dirty work. No one has seen Rojo lately just his goon. That is what makes this interesting because Rojo must be found before he can be dealt with.” “Sounds like a sweetheart and just the kind of person I want you to go after for your last assignment,” Mom added. “He has weaknesses and is a bit too cocky for his own good. He has grown a bit complacent and that will bring him down.”

“Since he is out of sight, how do you know he is complacent? Sounds like you have done more than a bit of background checking,” quipped his wife. “I didn’t have to because I already know about him and studied Rojo in some detail before,” the Ghost added with a smile. “I will have no trouble finding him.” “Wait a minute, dad, several years ago you took a contract in this part of the world to take out another cartel leader. That wouldn’t be the way you heard about this guy would it?” Mia offered. “You have a very good memory, sweetheart,” smiled her father. “Let me guess, this Rojo was behind the group that wanted to eliminate their competition?” Mom guessed. “Exactly,” Beau answered. “So, now someone wants Rojo taken out?” “Why don’t they do it themselves?” Mia asked. “I can only guess but probably because they don’t want to be implicated if the deed doesn’t get done. That way the contractors can disassociate themselves from the person they hire if he doesn’t succeed. They don’t have to find Rojo and risk exposing their involvement in the search.” “That would be you…” Mom added. “Not necessarily,” an answer came back. “I doubt seriously if I am the only one ed about the contract.” “But you have the right of first refusal on it, don’t you?” “Probably.” “Dad, there are two proposals to take this guy out and they are not the same,” Mia pointed out. “Who is the other one from?” “Come on, people as smart as you two are and have been in this business for

years should know that.” There was silence and a pause for a couple of minutes as mother and daughter flipped through the second packet. Mom answered first. “To me, it reads like a government contract with all the formal language. It avoids directly stating what they want you to do. My guess it is ambiguous on purpose and specifics are relayed directly to you. That way no one can criticize an agency for contracting to kill someone.” “You are so right, my love,” the Ghost replied. “So this is from an agency or someone in our own government?” Mia questioned. “Maybe.” “There is no maybe about it. You have already communicated with the people behind the proposal I bet,” Mom stated. “Maybe.” “Maybe my foot. You talked with them and know exactly what they want you to do and when.” As if something went off in Mia head she stated: “Wait a minute, the two potential contracts on the table are from two different groups for the same thing. If you take the contracts you are double dipping. You’re getting paid twice for dealing with Rojo?” “Possibly.” “You have decided to take it?” asked his wife staring directly at him. “I am leaning in that direction,” Beau answered refusing to look directly into her eyes. “There are differences in the proposals. How do you plan on dealing with those?”

“I believe they will work themselves out. The one from the governmental body will not be a problem. That group could care less as long as the assignment is carried out. I probably won’t tell the other bunch.” “Aren’t you afraid they might come after you and try to get their money back?” Mia quizzed. “They are smarter than that.” “So Mia and I need to start planning for the assignment?” “What is the timeline?” his daughter asked. “I don’t really have one but I want located in country in about six weeks. I have to get myself in shape and you have to perform your magic for me.” “That is not long,” Mom said with a frown. “Maybe this will help with your work,” the Ghost said as he removed several file packets from his briefcase. He placed three in front of his daughter and one in front of Mom. “For background, I told you about the contract several years ago? Here are your files from that time.” “I forgot about that. We planned and ed you then,” Mia ed. “It’s out of date but a good place to start,” Mom said. “There is a lot of new material. The primary contracting agency is providing satellite and drone images of the area where Rojo stays most of the time. Of special interest is a new compound for him plus drug manufacturing sites in the surrounding twenty-five miles. They will provide other intelligence we require or ask for.” “Wow, a lot of the leg work is completed. I will need to go through this and tinker with the security system of the compound and the local electric grid. I am sure the community has updated the grid. Rojo must a have state of the art system for his house,” Mia outlined her tasks out loud.

“How are you going to establish yourself?” Mom asked. “That is no problem. Assets are in the area for over a year now. All I will have to do is fit into their cover. That is already established.” “Wait a minute…some of what you did before is coming back to me now,” his wife added. “The twins, what were their names? They are your assets already in place, aren’t they?” “Yes, ma’am and that would be Minnie and Mort or at least that is what I called them.” “They are brother and sister right?” Mia asked. “Yipe and they are good. They are known in the community because they lived there since the former mission.” “Do we have their impressions and updates in the stuff you gave us?” “It’s good.” “At least I feel better about you going knowing top class operatives are covering your back,” Mom smiled as she replied.

A tinge of excitement now filled the room. This feeling often exhibited itself after the acceptance of a contract. Many times it was brought on by the unknown. That wasn’t the case now because of the background information provided and dependable assets established. The tasks for Mom and Mia were defined. There was no starting from scratch on this one. Beau provided points of s with both contracting groups. Of special interest was the availability of drones for real time surveillance and armed if needed. Mom needed to know what kind of back up she could count on for extracting Beau in a hurry if needed. Mia and her mother needed to communicate with the other group and gauge what their expectations were and it might provide. The payment manner, timelines and methods needed to be discussed and the

settlement procedure. It wasn’t like one party could write a check and hand it to The Ghost. These agreements might be cumbersome and involve a series of steps. Mom was in charge and they weren’t problems if instructions were followed to the letter. Several years before, The Ghost carried out a project exactly as agreed on. For some reason, the other side initially refused to pay. One night a visitor came to the bedroom on the principal of the organization to ‘discuss’ the payment of the agreed to fee. The money became available the next day. That scenario was discussed among groups using services of men like Beau. There was never a similar situation since then. The Ghost had several weeks of preparation ahead of him. He trained to gain optimal physical shape. His body would tan so he resembled a native of the area. Beau immersed himself in Mexican/Spanish language and culture of the area. Weapons training including new types were included. His diet became only what was available where he would live. That way his body wouldn’t be shocked from local food when he arrived. Being the Ghost, Beau needed to know everything about the area where the potential target resided. He spent hours studying maps of all kind. He perused blueprints of Rojo’s house. Beau read and memorized all intelligence reports and received weekly updates. He felt comfortable with Minnie and Mort assisting him. They provided a quick look at the compound’s layout. They infiltrated the community during the last assignment and became established there.

Before he left, Mom laid a series of spread sheets on the table. These outlined the financial resources of the family. Mom began. “The numbers in this column are where we were last year. As you can see, we have several million dollars in assets. Note that our investments alone added 10% to our bottom line. The next column indicates what we took in during the last twelve months. That shows our assets increased by almost 50%.” “Why the sudden increase,” Beau asked. “You during the El Hadad contract, you kept everything except the thumb drives dealing with drug and arm sales. You ‘liberated’ a stack of bearer

bonds. That paper alone was worth several million dollars. I divided them up and disbursed them to s in other countries.” “What about the one flash drive with all the numbers? Were you able to figure out their significance?” Mia answered. “Yes. The numbers took me a while to determine what they meant but I did.” “And?” “At first I thought they were banking numbers assigned by some authority but they were not. After some digging, I discovered the numbers were actually GPS coordinates. By narrowing the location and then overlaying the numbers on a map, I identified the bank represented by them. From that point on I just searched until I found the proper s.” “What did you do with them?” Mom now entered the discussion. “All the s were in the $500,000 range. As we talked about before, Mia made a donation to charities in the area with an emphasis on medical and children’s programs. I left one in his name.” “Why?” “Because his wives and children need money to live on.” “Oh, I hadn’t thought about that.” “Is that okay with you?” “Sure. In fact it makes a whole lot of sense.” Mia looked at her mother before she spoke up. Mom gave her a nod to go ahead and breach a new subject with her father. “There is one location I have not identified its contents. The GPS location shows a single building.” “Have you been able to find out anything else about it?” Beau asked.

“No, I haven’t had time. I did request some help and I was able to get pictures of the place. Look at these.” “That is interesting. It doesn’t look like another building is close to it. The structure looks new and there are small slots in the walls to look outside. The building looks well-built and solid.” “Look at the top corners, Dad, and also above the doors.” “Those are cameras.” “Right.” “So what we have are GPS locations on a flash drive that only contains financial information. All the others are financial institutions except this one building that appears to be fortress like.” Mia added. “The logical conclusion has to be that since the location was on the financial information flash drive then something of value is in that building.” “Have you been able to identify anyone going into or coming out of the building?” asked the Ghost. “No, but I haven’t spent time on it.” “We have assets in the area so why don’t you have them watch the place for a while. I will get in touch with some of our ‘higher’ up friends and see if they can provide us any insights.” “Okay.” “That building has my curiosity up. After our current project, I may explore the building myself. When you have time, go into the local records and see if you can identify any information.” “I will,” Mia answered.

Chapter 10

Even though he reeked, the Ghost felt great. By the time he slipped into Rojo’s area, Beau was in tremendous physical shape. His outward appearance was dirty and shabby. His language skills sounded native. Minnie and Mort knew he was coming and prepared accordingly. The latest and most sophisticated equipment stood ready. They hardly recognized him when he came to their business asking for employment. Because the twins worked with the Ghost before, he needed no special treatment unless he asked for it. His cover name was Antonio Vargas. Antonio wanted to blend into his surroundings and become nondescript. When this dirty man entered their store, Mort, acted repulsed by his smell. His actions toward the stranger were demonstrative. Mort had a mole from Rojo employed so he played to this fact. But the stranger presented a piece of paper to the potential employer begging him to read it. The owner made sure everyone saw he was studying the note and announced it came from a friend of a secretary in an office located in the capitol. He picked up a telephone and called the number on it, talked with someone on the other end, and returned to the stranger. “They vouch for you. Be here first thing in the morning and make sure you take a bath or you won’t have a job.” “Thank you sir for your kindness but I have no money and no place to stay.” Mort thought for a minute and said: “You can stay in our storeroom in back. There is water there. Here is money for new clothes and soap. Make sure you use it or you employment will be brief.” After thanking his new employer several times, the man disappeared heading for a cheap resale store for clothes. Mort shook his head and returned to what he was doing before the stranger interrupted. He causally tossed the paper Antonio Vargas gave to him in the

trash. The owner made sure everyone saw him do it. He knew Rojo’s man would fish the paper out as soon as possible. Someone called the number later to the information on the note for the stranger. It was confirmed through a conversation with a very nice lady in the office who was Anabel Adams also known as Mom. The game was on.

After dark and a good scrubbing, Antonio made a point to be seen with his new clothes as he entered the room where he now stayed. Before that, the Ghost stopped by a small cantina and bought a couple bottles of local beer. He ordered some food which wasn’t too bad. The Ghost tried it before and knew its quality. His purpose was to partake of the alcohol and survey some of his ‘neighbors.’ If he was watched, Antonio believed his tail would follow him into the cantina. With little fanfare, a couple of locals entered soon after he did. They seemed detached from the rest of patrons of the small ‘dive.’ Beau decided this would be his bar of choice because of its small size and proximity to his new home. After his beers, he slowly walked to the alley leading to his room. Against the wall, he relieved himself but mostly used the stop to keep tabs on his friends. Antonio entered the room leaving a tattered curtain gapped because he knew his shadows wanted to make sure he was tucked in for the night. These games lasted only for a couple of days until the peon became a regular resident of the small community. When the Ghost was satisfied he was no longer watched, he slipped out of the small room but not until he replaced his body with a well-designed mannequin provided by Minnie and Mort. Beau disappeared behind an amply constructed stack of inventory and ran his fingers along a crevice until he felt a small opening. He carefully tugged on the crack and a portion of the wall moved creating a space large enough for the skinny now sweet smelling newcomer to slip into. Antonio carefully slid the entrance closed. A voice came from ahead of him. “I thought for a while there you really were going to sleep,” Mort said. “Not a chance and you know that. I was making sure by new companions were

satisfied with who I am.” “Let me show you something,” his host said. Above and to the side on the sliding door was a small slit. From the room side it appeared as a smear on the wall. “Before you reenter your room, you look through here to make sure it is as it should be. You can place your safety trick on the outside door and see if it is undisturbed from here.” “Thanks. I am hoping after the show we put on today and tonight suspicion will disappear quickly,” Beau answered. “After that smell, I think there is a pretty good chance that part of the mission is accomplished.” “You liked that, huh?” “I don’t you doing that before or at least to the same degree. You were ripe,” Mort said. “I know but there isn’t much time to mess around. I need to get this done in a reasonable time and I don’t think you will complain about your reward either.” “You’re right but we may have to stay around for a while after the contract to protect ourselves and our image. Who knows, maybe we will take over the drug operation and you will have to take us down,” Mort added with a smile on his face. “Right and that is not going to happen. I have reached my limit and there won’t be very many more if any after this one,” Beau added with a mischievous look on his face as if he baited his host. “Come on,” Mort indicated as he turned toward another wall. He carefully opened and closed it behind the two. Mort repeated the operation again before entering a final room. This one looked like a basement. Behind what appeared to be a utility set of shelves, he carefully adjusted a lever and a small, well lit room appeared with several electronic devices around its edges. “I see you have the toys set up,” Beau said. “We ran some electric lines to draw directly from some big s so the juice

usage wouldn’t identify this place.” “Have the ladies given their blessings to the set up?” “They have. The kid accessed about everything around here and says she can accomplish everything she needs to do.” “Good. Do, you have the destroy list from the ladies?” “I have already set switches I can trigger remotely if necessary. The explosion if that occurs will burn this place to the ground but I don’t care. The bar is above this sub-basement and the booze will torch everything in this place.” The Ghost moved to one of the machines and did something. Shortly, a coded message appeared. He acknowledged it and Mom knew Beau was in position. Preset parameters were in place that allowed Beau to communicate with his ladies. There was a separate protocol to inform them if he needed to home. The more important stuff was encrypted and all dealings were kept short although he doubted Rojo had the skill or equipment to intercept anything. One mistake might be deadly. “Bring me up to date on this place. Start with Rojo.” “He began taking over after your last contract. No one had the guts to oppose him and anyone Rojo believes is trouble is eliminated. His large goon, Mountain, takes care of potential problems. I would not want to mess with him” “You indicated someone almost took Rojo out a few months ago.” “The rumor is Rojo was badly wounded. Some say he is still recovering. I don’t think he has lost any control of the cartel and those attempting the coup met with blatant and public ends.” “My s,” the Ghost said, “indicate the cartel is running smoother than ever after the attempted assassination.” “I can see that around here. Government interdiction in the operation doesn’t exist. That is because of transparent brutality or money or both. The manufacturing locations are scattered but the cartel’s confidence is high because much of the product now flows through a central location close to here.”

“That’s good because I want to take that out as well as Rojo.” “Good luck. The place is a fortress.” “Have you seen it Mort?” “Not only have I seen it but I have visited it. The cartel now buys a lot of stuff through me. That does not include chemicals but miscellaneous items. You will be assisting me the next few days and I will make deliveries both to the warehouses and at Rojo’s home.” “Speaking of that, were you able to get our special made adobe bricks?” ‘Yes and I have started delivering them. Continual building expansion is taking place at both places. I am training a couple of masons on how to lay them.” “Can they be armed from a distance?” “Yes. That is a good thing because security improved in the last few months as well. Drones are typically in the air at irregular times. That is why my deliveries are important because my people have no problems accessing the areas. You should have an opportunity to make sure the explosives are ready to go.” “What about around the distribution area?” “Heavy with patrols, video equipment and who knows what else are everywhere.” “The house?” “The casa is in a constant state of construction. That is why our special bricks are so important. I am not sure you could get into the house if you had to make the hit that way.” “All this sounds encouraging,” the Ghost teased. “Mort, when was the last time you saw Rojo?” “I haven’t. Well, let me rephrase that. He seems to stay in the house almost all the time after the attempt and because it is well fortified. When he does some

out, it’s at night. I have seen vehicles fly by and his red hair is hard to miss. He is always in an armored SUV with a fifty caliber machine guns in front and behind him.” “You have been in the house, right?” “I visit all the time when I deliver construction material and even groceries. I have never seen Rojo. Keep in mind parts of the house are not available. Minnie is friends with a maid there and should be able to get more information before long.” “Interesting.” “There is a lady who appears to have some connection to Rojo. She seems in charge of the house and she has a young girl about three years old. The girl has bright red hair.” “That could complicate matters. I am not fond of harming others unless I have to. I need to get into that house for a few minutes.” “You will go with me in the next few days but only for deliveries and a look see. A longer visit later is up to you.” “The casa is surrounded by a wall with the same kind of protection as the distribution center. I do think there is a tunnel leading from the house. About a hundred yards away there is a series of buildings that look like barracks and a transportation center. There is no visible road or path to the house from there.” “That makes some sense. Your briefing is not encouraging.” “There is some good news. This is the wet season so thunderstorms are frequent and heavy. Electricity seems to go off about every time it rains. No drones can fly during this time. The electrical grid is extremely undependable and the security equipment is down a lot. I told Mia about this and I think she is playing with controlling it.” “I am sure she has a plan already.” The conversation paused for a couple of minutes as the two men thought.

“Think that is enough for tonight. I need some sleep.” “Be ready to work early and long tomorrow. We have a lot to do and see. Let me do all the talking at first. Your time will come later when you are on your own.”

Chapter 11

Beau was truly the Ghost this night. He wore all black with his hands and face covered in camouflage. He remained in thick underbrush some distance away from the cluster of buildings he believed connected to the house via a tunnel. In the distance a massive thunderstorm roared and lightening flashed. As soon as the rain started, he would signal Mort to tell Mia to keep the electricity off until he finished his incursion. As he waited, he felt to make sure his syringes of propofol were where he could quickly reach them. His 9mm Glock hung holstered under one arm and his razor sharp knife in the small of his back. He intended to use the propofol to block the memory of anyone who got in his way. The Ghost wanted to be his namesake and scout the two unknown areas of the house. For the last two weeks, Beau worked with Mort delivering material to both the distribution center and the casa. After a few days, his friends no longer followed him and Mort turned him loose for deliveries on his own. His presence no longer drew more than a glance when he arrived in the company truck. The work with the ‘special’ explosive bricks was now completed at the distribution center. While making the deliveries, Beau made sure they were armed and ready. He would trigger them with a cell phone just like IED’s is Afghanistan. The house turned out to be different. While the construction work continued there, enough explosives to destroy the area several times lie ready to trigger. This situation bothered Beau. His aimed to take out only Rojo. Other innocents lived in the house. After a couple of days, he delivered goods and food almost daily. The woman Mort mentioned controlled all aspects of the house. She instructed him to put materials in certain areas of the casa. Beau got a good look at most of the rooms except for one small area. Everyone was forbidden to go there. The Mountain remained with him when he entered and as he put the goods at various places. The man, as Mort indicated, possessed a massive demeanor and an intellect that did not match. The Ghost concluded his mental capacity as that of a preteen. His loyalty, the Ghost concluded, was unquestioned. To his credit, the little redheaded girl soon became his friend and jabbered away at him whenever he brought the goods. She displayed no fear and her mother just smiled as she chirped away.

The Ghost’s purpose this night centered on entering the house, going to the off limits area and finding out the contents. Finally, a tremendous clap of thunder peeled overhead, the sky lit up and blinding rain covered the area. Beau quickly signaled to knock down the electricity. As soon as the lights disappeared, he quickly and silently moved to what he believed was the guardhouse protecting the entrance to the tunnel. He anticipated no problems because of the regular loss of electricity in the vicinity. As he approached the target building, he noticed a small light flicker on. That he expected. The Ghost silently slipped to a window and looked in. Even though the electricity had only been off a few minutes and the small light on the guard’s forehead turned on, he nodded silently. Beau believed he was napping and continued his purpose. This was exactly what the Ghost hoped for. He silently slipped in and istered a syringe of propofol in the guard’s neck. The guard should remain out for more than enough time for his expedition. He ed nothing when he woke up. Beau slipped a laminated card from around the guard’s neck and headed to the tunnel. He assumed the entrance locks were battery powered. The swipe card allowed him to first enter a room beneath the casa and then to a utility room off of the kitchen. The house remained dark. He quickly slipped to Mountain’s. To his relief, the giant snored almost shaking the whole house. The Ghost hit him with two of the syringes because one might not phase him and he wanted the giant out. His two target rooms were isolated from the rest of the house. As he moved toward them, Beau checked for some sign of Rojo but found nothing. His absence ate at the Ghost because how could he take out a man he didn’t find. He tried the card on the first room and it did not work. Quickly he connected a gadget he brought to by the lock and its batteries. Beau tried and this time the door pushed open. He clicked on his own headlight and before him was a room full of electronic equipment. Whoever is running the cartel is doing it from here, he thought. The Ghost took a couple of minutes and inspected the equipment. He wanted to

take a sample of thumb drives and files scattered around but decided against it. Before he later destroyed everything, Beau decided he needed to revisit the room. Before leaving, he walked slowly around it. There behind a cabinet was a safe. The Ghost brought a small camera with him and took pictures of everything especially the make and model of the safe. Hopefully, when he returned, opening it would only take a couple of minutes. He closed the door and moved to the second room. To his surprise, it opened freely with a turn of its knob. The contents caused him to gasp. Candles flickered on what looked like an altar. Their light gave off an eerie glow. A large portrait of the Virgin Mary hung above it. Below it was a picture of Rojo surrounded by flowers and candles. Beau was totally confused. He quickly took pictures. I need to get out of here and think this thing over, Beau reversed his route first though the house, then the tunnel and finally back into the brush. His mission went as designed but what he found did not.

Chapter 12

Nick Antone looked at the clock and it read four o’clock. The time was early and still black outside. The real estate partner seemed restless. He woke up several hours before and could not get back to sleep. Not wanting to wake up his wife, he slipped out of bed, headed to the kitchen and flipped on the coffee maker. This behavior became the norm several times a week during the last few months. With his cup of coffee, he went into his home office and sat for a few minutes sipping his steaming brew and thinking. Where would his mind take him this morning? Nick knew his friends and partners most of their lives. He looked around his office and thought about his house and family. Nick lived in a mansion located in an affluent area of the metroplex. Life was good and his family’s future guaranteed. His investment portfolio remained significant and he had enough to take care of his family’s every need. “If…” The proverbial gorilla sitting in the corner was the “if…” His group possessed a long tether all the way to California. When and if the old men jerked, the group felt it tighten around their necks. So far that was not the case because of their continued successes. The prospect still remained. He realized and couldn’t deny the fact the real estate group was independent in name only. If they needed money or muscle, they called the old men. The four’s value was undeniable as a means of laundering what proceeds came from ‘dealings’ in California. A battery of lawyers structured everything as legal and even the tax revenues (at least from the investments in Texas) were reported and paid. He asked once if the same was true for money paid on the ‘loans’ to the old men. He received a wink and told not to worry about that. Nick wondered if an in depth investigation ever took place on the real estate’s books what might be his individual and the business liability. A professor once told him to ‘not mess with the Feds.’ They could turn one simple transaction like

knowingly sending money as part of a criminal enterprise into several crimes including conspiracy, wire fraud, mail fraud, and finally a RICO violation (Racketeering Influenced Corrupt Organization Act). Potentially, these four crimes were possible for every time they interacted with the old men. The criminal forfeiture sections of the RICO law could effectively wipe out everything he and the firm accumulated. There was the possibility of substantial prison time. The old men in California would quietly slip away and probably never face any liability civil or criminal. If the scenario occurred, the old men expected the young Texans to keep their mouths shut not only their welfare but that of their families. At least that is what Nick believed. None of this took place to this point so this morning he put the thoughts out of his mind or at least he tried. They came back. Their controllers in California never retired and probably never intended to. There was no reason for them to retire. Why did he believe they might let his group sever ties if Leo, Grace or Andrew wanted to end the relationship? Or, more pointedly, could he in time distance himself from the California group and be free to enjoy his family and the rest of his life. He wondered about his partners in the Dallas real estate firm. Did they ever have the same thoughts and feelings as Nick? Was independence something they desired? From what he knew of his friends, Nick doubted they did. Their family ties were deeper than his and seemed intertwined with California friends and relatives like a Gordian knot. He and they never talked about such things and probably never would. No one ever brought these matters up either formally or informally. He understood loyalty only went so far and then self preservation took over. One wrong word might find its way to the old men and that could not happen. Nick had no choice but to concur with their arrangement and unfortunately it had no terminus point he could see. Nick wanted out. Maybe he might satisfy the Californians with a mega deal and be allowed to retire. In the meantime, he must carry on and do the best he could. Any other action was simply a dream at this point. He was obsessed with the land in the Ozarks. There was no basis for this other than his whim after seeing the land from a fishing boat. After his discussion with

the other company at the Friday afternoon session a while back, Nick believed they gave him the ‘go ahead’ to continue background work on the land. Once in a while someone asked about his progress but the potential project was not a priority. For him to be successful, he must change that thinking. He refilled his coffee mug and ed it was Saturday so he stayed home. Nick opened a cabinet drawer and a large stack of papers sat before him. While he often thought about the project, Nick had not examined these materials for some time. The quiet of the early morning was perfect to review what he had. Maybe an idea or ideas lie buried in the mass of material. First, he opened a general map of the area. Nick confirmed the location of the property was indeed prime land. Private developments mostly in the form of gated communities sprang in several areas close by. Each possessed a dock system and often small private businesses of some kind ing the communities. Zoning restrictions existed in only a few areas and usually away from the water. The Corps of Engineers controlled access to the water for a specific distance. These existed since the 1930’s and like the Grand Lake of the Cherokees and Lake of the Ozarks shouldn’t be a detriment to development. All these potential problems could be hashed out later by high power attorneys. He limited access to the water was not a problem because of the potential for inland development. Rick believed the largely pristine area was ideal for a megaresort. The amount of money needed to accomplish his dreams might be huge and not even the men in California had enough to fund the whole project. Other third parties might be brought in to fuel the cash needed. Maybe developing the land in parcels was the way to go. The money required could be spread out over time. For some reason when he thought about money, Billy Bryson Bouvier II came to mind. The self confident firm of Peters, Kot, Antone and Volker was schooled by the old man. Based on the firm’s early results, they assumed everything their business did would lay a golden egg especially if backed by the California crew. After BBB taught them a well-deserved lesson, the firm were too embarrassed to even mention what happened to the old men. For one thing, the four feared retaliation might be order against them or even BBB. Either one of the actions was unacceptable. They had free reign as long as they performed. They could not endanger that freedom. Seeking revenge against BBB could blow up in their faces and damage the real estate firm. Besides, the California group enjoyed a significant return because of the forced sale and they never knew what happened.

Dealing with any money situation now needed a close examination by the firm. An in depth review of all contract elements was required by their lawyers. With this new found caution, they still performed well and their cash return satisfied their benefactors. Money might be a problem on the Ozark land if the project was as large as he thought it might be. He needed to outline a list of questions to be examined. Nick had not done this and a myriad of ideas and queries flooded his mind from time to time. Organization was a key, he decided, from this point on. Money was the first notation on his list. The nuisances of that topic would become long and complex if and or when the project developed. Nick pulled out a terrain only map of a large area including the land in question. The forest was removed to see only the land. He stopped and wrote down the significance of the land being in a national forest. As he stared at the map, Nick envisioned golf courses, water access, and maybe even artificial snow slopes in the winter. His mind danced in a thousand directions as his excitement built. Nick stopped, stood up, walked to the window and watched the morning take hold. A long gulp of now tepid coffee helped bring him back to reality. He walked to he kitchen and refilled the cup. His enthusiasm waned as he returned to his study and slouched into his chair. I don’t even know who owns the land or if they are willing to sell, thought. Nick picked up his list and wrote that subject down. This task was the first before anything else proceeded. He made a note to the firm’s attorneys Monday morning and see if they might provide help. Surely, they would have a connection in the area that could look into the ownership of the land. Preparation was the key to this project going forward. He needed to concoct a presentation and be ready for educating his partners when the time came. The old men always asked about new ideas or projects. Nick wasn’t sure they listened but preparation was important. His readiness was a necessity if a chance presented itsele. Finding out the ownership was a legitimate first step. Nick sat down in his chair and felt better about going forward. A small smile even creased the corners of his lips.

Nothing can stop me with this project. I have got to get this done.

Chapter 13

What he observed at the casa baffled The Ghost. He carefully made his way back to town and slipped into his room. The night’s activity wore on him and he felt tired. Beau knew the fatigue was not physical but mental. After cleaning up, The Ghost decided to get some rest. Mort scheduled him to return to Rojo’s house the next day. He was anxious to see if there was anything different there indicating his visit. Beau seldom slept deeply and the next few hours reflected that behavior. He did slip into a meditative state which usually revived him some. Rain started as he became fully aware of his surroundings. He slipped under the buildings into the electronic room and ed the pictures from the evening before. The safe held special significance so he instructed his daughter to find out as much as she could including the best way to breach it. He requested Mom to do some research on the shrine. The contents baffled The Ghost but he started forming some ideas about its existence. Even deep under the building, Beau felt a rumble of thunder and the frequency plus intensity increased. “I thought I might find you down here,” a voice came from behind. Mort slipped into the room while Beau was sending material back to the states. “Yeah, I am getting some information back to the ladies and hopefully they can help me out with some insight.” “How did it go?” Mort asked. “Okay. Let me get this stuff out and I will tell you.” “It will have to wait. I got a call from the casa and they need some stuff they ordered ASAP. The problem is not so much of a shortage as getting there. This rain messed things up and is very heavy. They are afraid we can’t get there if the weather keeps up. The main lady wants to make sure supplies are sufficient in case the water rises.”

“Is the truck loaded?” Beau asked. “I am not so sure there will be a problem but the storms are unpredictable this year. I can relate to the idea of having plenty of supplies especially food and bottled water.” “I am on my way.” As he drove, Beau realized Mort guessed wrong about the weather. The roads leading to the house weren’t good to start with and the rain washed it out several places. He slowly eased the truck through the uneven road and standing water. If the storms continued, the road could become imible. He believed there might be another way back to the village but wasn’t sure. As he neared the compound where the casa sat, he noticed more security in place. A couple of Toyota SUV’s with machine guns guarded the approach behind what appeared to be hastily constructed ramparts. He stopped and one of the guards gave a quick perusal inside the truck’s bed. The load clearly was nothing but household goods and food. The guard recognized him so the inspection went quickly. As he approached the house, Beau noticed more visible guards around the house. Again, newly built ramparts hid unspecified firepower. A second cursory examination of the truck yielded nothing and Beau pulled to the back door. Only the maid appeared in the kitchen. The Mountain was no where in sight. His absence never occurred before. The Ghost wondered if his shots the night before had anything to do with his absence. The help instructed him where to place his load. He knew where most went already. There was a lot of food just for the house. Apparently, Mort delivered several loads the day before to the buildings supplying the security force. Several items did not go in the pantry off the kitchen. Beau knew where they went so he headed to those storage areas. He ed Mountain’s bedroom and noticed he sat in a large lounge chair with his eyes closed. As Beau ed, he opened them and saw who it was, nodded and closed them again. Mountain usually followed him. About that time, he heard a giggle and saw his redheaded friend waving from the door with all the equipment. Beau smiled back and knelt to talk with her. After a couple of questions about her dolls, the girl’s mother appeared behind her. She smiled at the delivery man and instructed her daughter to let the man do his

work. The Ghost came to full height and continued on his circuit of delivering supplies. All this took place but not before he scanned the technology room. There was no one else there and he knew the woman was operating the machinery. She held several inches of papers and files. And, the safe was open.

The ride back flew by. The actions of those at the house and the security details signaled the guards were not concerned with him but the armed guards indicated something was up. Maybe they realized someone violated the grounds the night before. The actions of the woman were significant. Beau believed she attended to cartel business while he was there. The open safe further indicated this lady knew what she was doing and trusted. The Ghost wondered if Rojo directed her work or something else. Beau entertained the thought that maybe she now ran the cartel. As he approached the town, the rain decreased considerably. I need to have a talk with Mort and Minnie.

Chapter 14

As soon as he got back, he hunted down Mort and Minnie for a conversation about what Beau observed. “There is a lot of potentially crazy stuff occurring and I need to get a hold of it. The area around the house was like an armed camp today.” “So was the distribution center. I took some ordinary supplies out there and I was treated like a total stranger,” Mort said. “I wasn’t treated that way but I negotiated two levels of security. The guards weren’t carrying toothpicks. They possessed heavy stuff like .50 caliber machine guns,” Beau continued. Mort added. “I am not sure what exactly they had at the distribution center but it could shoulder held rocket launchers. I saw what looked like Claymore mines around the perimeter. Something very unusual was drones flying in the rainstorm. They couldn’t be very effective because of the visibility.” “Something has them spooked.” “Minnie, what did you learn from the maid?” Beau asked. “It took me a while to befriend her. On occasion, Mountain brought her to town to shop. Then Maria, her name, came by herself. The lady of the house is Elena. I see Maria at Mass quite a bit. After several times, we began some conversations. Before you got here, I even accompanied either Mort or one of our drivers to the house.” “Tell him about the changes at the casa,” Mort directed. “A few months ago, gunfire erupted what seemed like every day or night. Everyone in town said there was some sort of power struggle taking place between cartel . Rojo flexed his authority against some that apparently didn’t like what he was doing.”

Mort interrupted. “There are a couple of things you need to know about this time period. Rojo was extremely visible. Almost every night he came through town on his way to visit drug making sites. I talked with many people who worked at the various sites and there was no doubt it was Rojo.” During the time of the gunfire, it became dangerous to travel anywhere or be out at night,” Minnie continued. “No one saw Rojo anymore,” Mort added. “What is unusual about that?” The Ghost asked. “If I believe someone is targeting me, I am not running around out in the open.” “I agree,” said Mort. “A whole lot more took place at the house raising suspicion about Rojo.” Minnie continued. “I did not talk with Maria for sometime about what took place. She continued attending Mass often but Maria did not want to visit with anyone. I kept my distance and only acknowledged her with a nod or wave. I even made a couple of trips for deliveries to the casa but she deliberately avoided me. Mountain seemed present and blocked any interaction with the maid.” “There was something else about the house I noticed and so did my other delivery men. The part of the house you visited the other night was under construction. We delivered a significant amount of materials and always stacked them away from that area.” “Rojo?” Beau asked. “His appearances stopped. If he did come out no one saw him up close. People believed it was him because of the hair,” Mort said. “Anything else?” The Ghost asked. “I’m just getting started,” Minnie laughed. “Don’t keep us in suspense,” Beau prodded. “I finally spotted Maria buying some religious artifacts at a small store run by

the church. I noticed she did not leave them on the altar before or after mass. Maria caught my eye, actually smiled and walked toward me. She apologized for not visiting with me but said a tragedy occurred and she was busy helping the family. Tears welled up in her eyes as she said that. She stated a death left a young wife and a baby girl behind.” “Did she identify who died?” Beau asked. “No. Only the family and Mountain live at the house. I probed further and said I hadn’t noticed any funerals at the local church. Maria answered that the priest held the funeral at the house and the body was cremated.” “Wait a minute,” The Ghost said. “There was a box by the picture on the altar I noticed when I was in the house.” “All this leads to an interesting conclusion, doesn’t it?” Mort said. “Rojo is dead.” Beau asked Minnie directly: “Did Maria say who was dead?” “No. I pushed her as far as I could. Another opportunity might arise before long.” There was a lengthy pause as The Ghost appeared to be deep in thought. “Did any of the actions seem contrived or artificial? I am having trouble with this. These interactions seem almost planned. Tell me more about Maria.” Minnie continued. “I can see where that might be a logical conclusion. I don’t think Maria has the capability to do that. She is not overly intelligent and it’s obvious from visiting with her Maria is a simple woman.” Minnie hesitated and continued. “I do suppose the possibility exists someone might use her. She isn’t smart enough to do anything like that on her own.” Mort reentered the conversation. “We are chasing a lot of shadows, aren’t we? If something happened to Rojo doesn’t that fact change the whole nature of what you came here to do?” “Of course it does,” Beau answered. He didn’t want to get into a discussion with his aides about two contracts being fulfilled rather than one.

He continued. “Let me illuminate some on this. There is a guaranteed amount of money available. A termination clause exists to cover a contingency like Rojo being eliminated by someone else rather than me. It’s my call. If I cancel the contract, my actions are accepted without question. A set fee is payable within 24 hours. If I provide other information to the other party, then additional money is due.” “We get paid whatever we do from this point on,” Mort stated. “Your contract is with me. You and Minnie get paid no matter what happens with Rojo. That is what we agreed on. All of the money I advanced to set up our scenario is done. You have a right to your expenses.” “That makes me feel better.” “We worked together too many times for me to even think about stiffing you. Who knows, I might decide to come out of retirement later and need some help.” Again, there was a pause as if everyone was thinking. Mort added a question. “What should we make about the heighted security?” “That is bothersome. Something spooked someone for the new precautions. Keep your ears open. Some of Rojo’s workers live in the town and drink at the café I frequent. I’ll pay attention as well. All the additional security is going to make my job more difficult. I can still get into the house but picking a time and place might be problematic. I doubt the guards will be sleeping like the last time. Roving security poses a new problem.” “As will continually flying drones scanning the area,” Mort added. “The ladies determined they are controlled from a central location at the distribution warehouse. Hopefully, they have figured out a way to take care of them.” “Bad weather will become a necessity for entering,” Minnie said. “The problem is I may not have a choice of bad or good weather. Something may take place that forces my hand. You guys need to rethink your plan to stay here,” the Ghost interjected.

Mort dropped his head and then looked straight at Beau. “Yeah, we talked about that and agree. We have what we need in a couple of bags.” “You need to come out with me.” “Ok.” “Anything else of importance you can think of Minnie based on your conversations with Maria?” Again, there was a pregnant silence. As if having an ‘ah ha’ moment, Minnie’s head snapped up. “Yes there is. Maria said something in ing I didn’t gage the significance of until now.” “Lets hear it,” Beau said. “One of the times I was with a delivery man, the entrance to the house was blocked. Also, the buildings around the tunnel entrance were being worked on. We had to carry the supplies a good distance. I commented to Maria that was a problem. She mentioned if it occurred again there was another entrance to house. In fact Maria said a short tunnel on the side away from the main one existed. That is all she said and never mentioned it again.” A flurry of excitement followed as The Ghost pulled out an aerial map of the compound. “Look at that,” Beau and Mort said in unison. Just inside the tree line on the opposite side away from long tunnel appeared a small, short building. A pair of ruts almost completely overgrown led up to it. About a quarter mile away the ruts appeared to a rough path. That lane led in the opposite direction from the main road until it merged with a highway. “I will need to check this out tonight during our thunderstorm.”

The forecast for the evening was the usual rain. Mort and Beau decided to go together to find the tunnel. They discovered the ‘road’ was in horrible shape.

There was no way they could get a vehicle even close to the small building supposedly covering the entrance. They backed their SUV into the lane and started out on foot. By this time rain was pouring but the two wore the proper gear but still got soaked. The soil was spongy and the footing treacherous. They seemed to sink into the mud with every step. Beau now understood why this side of the casa compound was not as defended as the other side. The building was small and not meant for anything other than covering the entrance. The lock was easily picked in spite of the downpour. To their surprise, the door immediately led to a set of six steps down into a room. Both men flipped on the headsets and surveyed the area. Cobwebs covered the surfaces. To Mort’s relief, no other creatures inhabited the room. The men moved to another door opposite of the steps. This entrance did not have a lock but was latched from the inside. The Ghost anticipated this and brought a flat crowbar. He carefully separated the old wood until he could force another flat piece of metal between the wood frame and the door. With some force applied by tapping the inside lever he was able to flip a latch up. The old door creaked open with the effort of both men. The inside wasn’t damaged so Beau believed he could flip the lever back down. The tunnel had ankle deep water and was totally dark. As the men took a few steps, a faint glow in the shape of a rectangle appeared in the distance. The tunnel itself wasn’t very long and nothing like the length of the one running from the other side of the house. The men hesitated for a minute and Mort pulled out a waterproof pouch from under his slicker and secured a small map from it. Beau kept track of his steps as he advanced toward the light. Before he left, he marked off ticks on the map so he could estimate about where the tunnel exited into the house. He slipped up the steps and examined the hardware of the door. This end of the tunnel possessed a deadbolt lock with the key side on the part of the door facing where they came from. His estimate told him the entrance led to a utility room. That made a lot of sense. Beau and Mort decided they learned enough and did not attempt to enter the casa. When The Ghost decided to come back for real, he could open this escape route if need be from inside the house.

Overall, they were delighted with what they found. Even though Maria mentioned the tunnel to Minnie, the condition of the tunnel made it clear no one used. In fact, probably few knew it existed. The concern of outside interference was eased some with discovery of the new way out.

Chapter 15

Mort and Minnie had not seen nor would they see the original contracts Beau functioned under. He needed to talk with his wife and daughter to make plans for completion of the operation. The events taking place made it time critical. Since the hour was late when he and Mort returned, the interaction didn’t occur until the next morning. “Did you get the pictures I sent you?” Beau asked. Mom replied, “Yes. The safe is a good one but not the top of the line. I will send you instructions on how to crack it. The problem is that might take some time. A couple of well placed charges may expedite the process. I am sending you a diagram where to put them. It shouldn’t take much explosive and will not damage anything inside the safe.” “What about the other picture…you know the one with the Virgin Mary with Rojo below it?” “That is an interesting shrine. I asked a couple of friends from Mexico and they both said the same thing. That looks like a shrine for Dia de Muertos or Day of the Death. The shrine is supposed to help a death person on their journey. It’s a big deal in Mexico and Central America. I am not an expert so I showed my friends the picture. They thought it looked like a pretty elaborate one.” “Let me make sure I have this right…the picture below the one of the Virgin Mary is the deceased person?” “That is the way I understand it,” Mom replied. “You do know what this means, don’t you?” “No.” “Rojo is already dead,” Beau said. “I guess you can’t fulfill a contract to eliminate him if he is already dead. That

changes a lot of things.” “Yes and no,” The Ghost answered. “What do you mean?” “You need to look at the final versions of the contracts I accepted. I try to cover my rear in case something like this happens.” “Okay, I’m listening.” “I need you to get the non-governmental agreement out and look at the clauses for termination or fulfillment of the contract. There is a procedure for canceling it and the conditions under which that action is allowed. I want you to follow the guidelines to void the contract. Where it asks for a reason put I am unable to carry out the agreement because of impossibility due to the death of the target. According to the , this reason cannot be questioned. An agreed on fee is payable to us within 24 hours of notification. If the payment is not made, appropriate action will be taken to collect the fee.” “Do you believe we will have a problem getting the cancellation amount from them?” Mom asked. “If I right, that is a pretty hefty amount.” “They will pay it without any questions,” Beau answered. “I don’t mean to pursue the issue but how to you know it?” “Because they knew Rojo was dead when they offered me the agreement. In fact I am pretty sure this contract came from his camp.” “Why?” A surprised reply answered. “I am working on the reason but I am not sure yet.” There was a several second pause indicating Mom was thinking. “Do I follow the same procedure with the government contract?” “No. The wording is completely different in that one. There is a cancellation clause but I can still perform the agreement.”

“So they don’t know Rojo is dead,” she quizzed. “That is correct and it doesn’t matter in that contract. There is more than one way I can carry out its . I am continuing as if nothing happened.” “OK.” “Is the IT whiz on the line?” “I am.” “Good. I need for you to bring me up to speed on some items. Can you still take down the grid and interrupt communications?” “Yes I can but only if they are ed by the grid. I cannot mess with battery powered communications. The drones I can handle if they are some way tied to the same grid. If they are outside, I can’t touch them.” “But, they still are limited in bad weather, right,” Beau stated. “Yeah.” “That fact alone might impact when I finish the contract. The weather might be my friend.” “Or your enemy,” his daughter added. “Let’s assume it will be my friend.” The Ghost continued. “Something else might impact this mission and take you out of the picture to a certain extent.” “I don’t understand,” answered his daughter. “Mort told me the Rojo organization requested he buy several large gas powered generators. They are expected in any time. Once these are in place, the darkness largely disappears and I can’t have that.” “I can’t do anything about that.” “I know but I am talking out loud to myself and clue you to the fact I have to act soon.”

There was silence again before Beau spoke. “Mia, go to the part of the agreement that lists the the government will provide me. A procedure is outlined for asking for . There should be no problem when you make my request. This has to be done quickly and if there is any hesitation tell Mom and she will make sure what I request is on station immediately.” “You want an armed drone overhead to protect you when you go in and to cover you egress,” came from Mom. “Yes. Something is getting ready to happen. At least one rival is rumored to make a move to forcibly take over Rojo’s operation. His men are on high alert both at the distribution center and the casa. The way the local forces are reacting, that intel appears to be genuine.” Mom injected again. “Am I right in guessing that is another reason all your actions are suddenly exigent? “Absolutely. There may be some sapper attacks to weaken before a large scale attack. Many of Rojo’s men live in the town where we are located. If something happens there in the next few days, then hitting the compound and the house will follow shortly thereafter,” The Ghost replied. “Are you ready to move before that happens or at the same time?” “I think so. We laid out a solid plan but need a little longer to work out some logistics. I have a feeling the bad guys are well armed and are not idiots. The one advantage for us is they don’t know we are out there.” Mom interrupted again. “They don’t have to know you are there. If these guys are worth their salt, their preparations will include all contingencies. That could put you right in the middle of their actions.” “I understand that.” “Is the beast in place (the beast was an armored Suburban)?” “Yes. It’s loaded with everything we need and Minnie will be driving as usual. I will need the space. I have to bring two people out with us.”

“Willingly or unwillingly?” “I hope willingly but I need to plan both ways. One of them is a child.” “You are kidding, aren’t you?” “I am afraid not.” There was several seconds of silence on the other end. Then Beau continued. “I am forwarding you a letter. The addressee is on it. You will recognize it, Mom. Certain and conditions are specified in it. As you will read, these on unconditional and must be carried exactly as stated. By doing so, I will fulfill the requirements outlined in the contract. Understand?” “Yes. What if they don’t agree?” “The contract is terminated. Stress to them the acceptance must be immediate because I may have to act within hours.” “Ok. Is there anything else?” “Yes. The plane must be standing by to get us out of here. There will not be any time to wait. I will try to give 24 hours notice but I can’t guarantee it. Mort made arrangements to secret the plane in a hangar at an airfield. Hiding the plane should limit any curiosity as to what it is doing at the airport.” “How far is the airport from the action?” Mia asked. “About fifty miles and there are only a couple of goods roads leading to the airfield. The bad guys know about the roads and I expect they will be prepared to block them. That is one reason having an armed drone above us is so important.” “I assume the logistics of notifying the plane will be the same?” Mom asked. “Yeah.” Mia interjected. “Everyone will be wearing the communication gear I got you, right?” “Absolutely. All we have to do is talk and everyone will hear the same thing. If I

need a drone strike or anything else I will state it over the mike. Let’s hope the situation doesn’t degrade so the system breaks down.” “Let’s pray that doesn’t happen.” “I am sure I will think of something later. I need to check back to make sure everything is ready. By the way, Mort and Minnie are coming out with me as well as our other two guests. Things are too dangerous for them to stay this time. Love you.” “You too,” two answers came at once.

Chapter 16

Beau filled Mort and Minnie in on his conversation with the women. All three agreed to be ready to move within a couple of days. Their plans became acute the next evening. They noticed a change in the composition of the small town. Many strangers wandered in that day. Several people working at the distribution center and the home complex returned to the town composed largely of a complex of bars, cafes and cheap hotels. The Ghost went to his usual cantina for some beer and food that evening. He calmly returned to his room and scurried to the communication room. He signaled for the twins to him. “All hell is going to break loose tonight. I noticed tension in the cantina and shooting is going to erupt later after the booze flows for a while,” he said. Strangers are not friendly to the locals. “How many?” Mort asked. “I didn’t count. If there are more scattered around town, Rojo’s men could take a hard hit.” “You don’t think the cartel men will start something in plain sight?” Minnie quizzed. “I think it can be a straight shoot out or they wait and murder the locals as they leave. I don’t think the strangers care as long as they kill Rojo’s men,” Beau said. “What should we do?” Minnie continued. “For one thing, close everything up now. The descending steel doors you built for safety features on the street level should protect the businesses. Make sure they are battened down and locked. When the shooting starts, as I think it will, get your butts down here. The stakes are too high for us to get caught out in something like this.”

“Let’s get to it,” Mort said. “One other thing…I have been made as being one of Rojo’s men. Someone followed me when I came back with my food.” “What are you going to do?” “If my thinking is right, they will wait until I’m asleep and come for a visit. When they do, I am coming in behind them. We can’t risk assassins mes our plans.” “And us?” “Activate your cameras, head to the basement and the control room. I don’t know what they think about you. That area is secure and once the shooting is over get some sleep. If they come after you, kill them. Once I take care of anyone after me, I will you,” The Ghost instructed. “You sure I don’t need to help you?” Mort asked. “Nah,” these punks have no idea what they are getting into. One other thing, we will have to go tomorrow night. If the shooting starts tonight here in town, it might move to the casa tomorrow night.” “We’re packed. I will get what we want to take from the communication room just before we leave. The incendiary devices there will be time triggered unless defused,” Mort said. “The beast is gassed and the armaments are packed. Are you going to try and take anyone from the casa out with us?” Minnie asked. “I hope so…Elena and the toddler,” Beau answered. “I need to prepare for that?” Minnie said. “Yes. Ties to restrain the adult plus something to knock her out if needed. Also, we need something to give the kid a good nap.” “I will get all the communication gear out for tomorrow night and make sure we have fresh batteries,” Mort added.

“After our expected exercises this evening, I will the ladies of our plans so we can get the plane in and ready.” “Let’s do it.”

For once, Beau made sure the curtains covered all the windows. His watchers could see when the lights were turned off but not into the room. He laid out his dark clothes but decided against any camouflage on his face. Beau got his Glock 9mm with a suppresser and cleaned it. He wanted to make sure it was in good condition for the night and the next day. Mort would accompany him when he returned to the house and carry an AR-16 with multiple clips along with some surprises. They probably wouldn’t need all the firepower but The Ghost wanted more than not enough to cover his rear. He would take his Glock and several clips. He needed to have his hands as free as possible. Kevlar vests were mandatory as were knives. Minnie would back them up with more firepower including APGs. Tonight, his Glock should suffice. As the evening wore on, occasional gunfire shattered the darkness. Problems started in various parts of the town. Beau finally turned off the light in his room. He immediately slipped to the building with the communication room. From there he cautiously entered the alley behind the Mort and Minnie’s businesses. The day before, he arranged a place behind some crates where he could observe anyone entering the alley. Beau believed visitors would wait about thirty minutes for him to go to sleep. He was right and two men slipped down the alley and stopped at the sleeping room. Beau arranged the crates so he could move in behind the two men. One worked quietly to pick the lock. Once he accomplished the, the killer counted down on his fingers starting with five. At one, the assassin slipped in the door. The Ghost became The Ghost. When he heard a shot, another bullet entered the base of the second killer’s neck severing his spinal cord. Beau quickly stepped into the sleeping room and put one shot between the eyes of the first assassin.

Working quickly, he dragged the bodies to a dumpster down the alley and deposited the bodies. Their weapons were primitive compared to his so they went into the sewer. Beau quickly cleaned up any blood and deposited the soiled rags in another place. The total time from the first shot to the completion of the clean up took less than fifteen minutes. All this was covered by what appeared to be a full blown shoot out taking place on the streets. His clothes did have some blood on them so he burned them in a furnace located in one of the basements. The stores had plenty of appropriate wear for the next night’s adventure. As he slipped into the communication room, Mort was asleep. Minnie wasn’t and asked, “And?” “The visitors came as expected. I wasn’t a very good host. Two less we have to worry about,” Beau said. “That’s a shame,” Minnie smiled as she replied. “From the sound of things outside, an out and out war is going on.” “We can’t hear much from down here. I followed the goings on with the cameras but all I see are flashes,” Minnie said. “There has been no activity around your buildings?” “No, plus nothing where the beast is hidden.” “So everything is ready to go?” “Yipe,” she answered. “Good, I think I will get some sleep.”

The town was a mess the next morning. Some Federales arrived to restore order. No one could tell how many were killed, wounded or to which side they belonged. All the wounded disappeared before dawn.

Mort scheduled a delivery of food and supplies to the casa. Minnie went with Beau in case the housekeeper was there. The Ghost saw something he had not expected as they approached first of the outer buildings. Security remained around the compound but the guards seemed relaxed. When he made a conversation with those who looked inside the truck, Beau discovered the shootout in town was one sided…and not in favor of the other cartel. Rojo’s men apparently won a huge victory. That was not what The Ghost expected. He looked at Minnie and raised his eyebrows expressing surprise. She motioned back and diverted her eyes to something. Several large empty boxes with ‘gas powered generator’ on the sides sat tossed outside the compound building. A couple appeared hooked up and one more almost ready. Beau whispered to Minnie: “I thought Rojo ordered the generators from your store?” “They did order several,” she replied. “The ones they wanted us to get were much smaller than these. We had cash up front. Maybe ours we intended for the house.” “I guess we will find out when we get there.” Two more surprises greeted them as they traversed the short distance to the living area. A bulldozer and backhoe sat next to the marshy side of the compound. They appeared to have excavated some of the swampy land and the small house serving as the entrance to the tunnel was exposed. Some of the material was pushed against the compound wall as if reinforcing it. Rojo’s people knew they had a weak area and reinforced that side. Minnie looked at Beau and both displayed concerned looks. Beau whispered to Minnie: “This changes a lot.” “Do we need to call our adventure off for tonight?” Minnie whispered to him. “Not yet. Let’s get the goods unloaded and see what the inside of the house looks like. Notice there is no signs of any generators here. That means when the grid is killed the casa will not have any lights,” he said. “If the ones at the other buildings are working, there will be some indirect

illumination reflecting on the house and the tunnel entrance.” Minnie continued. “If Rojo’s men believe they crippled the other side last night, they might not expect any visitors.” There was nothing unusual inside the house. The little girl greeted them and followed the two around until they unloaded the truck. Mountain was no where to be seen. That did not mean he was absent and he could show up at any time.

On returning to town, they found Mort and the three discussed the new situation. All wore worried expressions. “What should we do?” Mort asked. “We don’t have any choice but implement our plan. The arrangements for protecting us and getting us out are made. Hopefully, the pushing back of the cover beyond the tunnel entrance won’t make any difference. We can be in it before the lights go out and come back on,” Beau said. “Coming out of the tunnel might be a different story.” “You are right. The down side is a clearer view once we exit the entrance because a lot of the cover is gone,” Mort added. “I will come closer with the RPG’s in case more firepower is needed,” Minnie said. “This might mean the other cartel won’t have the escape routes covered since they took a beating last night,” Mort interjected. Beau spoke up: “I don’t think so. Rojo’s people believe they are on the defensive. If it were me, I would cover all the main roads in and out. The manpower may not be as much as before last night but they will probably be there. I don’t want to take any chances with our guardian angels for protection.” “God forbid,” Mort said, “if we are spotted, Rojo’s men are going to come after us especially if they figure out what we took from the house.” “If Elena is the de facto leader, others know that and cannot afford to have her

taken,” added Minnie. “We could have our own gunfight on our hands,” The Ghost chipped in. “Something else bothers me.” “Ok, what?” Mort said. “I didn’t see Mountain at the house when we delivered the stuff today. I haven’t seen him the last couple of times I brought stuff out,” Beau said. Minnie agreed. “That seems unusual. Do you think you giving him a double shot of drugs the other night caused his absence?” “I suppose it is possible but I don’t think so. Something else must be going on and that does bother me.” “Not me if he is not there tonight,” Mort laughed. The other two laughed and agreed. “Mort, one final item: we must be ready to enter the tunnel as soon as the power goes out. There will be a transition period before the compound generators kick in if they are working. That time should be plenty for us to leave our cover and get into the small house and into the tunnel,” Beau added. “Agreed.” “After that we will carry the plan out as designed. Hopefully, we will not have to do a bunch of freelancing. I need to the ladies one last time to make sure they are ready.” “OK.”

Beau checked with the women and everything proceeded as planned. The plane was on station at the airport. When the three get close, the plane would start its engines and be staged for take off. Minnie would guide the beast to the steps and everyone load into it. This process should take no more than a minute and the plane was off. Circling above the plane, their guardian angel should protect

them. Against his better judgment, Beau decided to tell Mom and Mia about the changes of the last couple of days. “I don’t like this at all,” Mom said. “We have a specific plan and if something disrupts it, we call time out.” “No one knows we are out here. Rojo’s men are focused on the bad guys. We are invisible to them,” The Ghost countered. “Rojo’s men went through a shootout the night before. I don’t believe they are sitting on their hands. If anything they will be more alert,” Mom answered. “I think we should pull back for a reasonable time.” “We are going tonight. There are assets to protect us in place now. If I cancel, we may not have that later. Mia, you knock out the electrical grid as planned. There are no generators at the house so we should still be good.” “I will take it down when I receive the go ahead.” “Good. I will tell you when to activate our communication devices. That should happen as we get into the beast. Everyone, you and us, will be able to hear everything.” “Be careful.” “I will and see you tomorrow.”

Chapter 17

Beau tried to rest but his mind played the plan over and over. Finally, he nodded off for a much needed nap. When he awoke, his adrenalin level began to build. Beau evolved into the Ghost. He intended to carry his Glock, a M-16 and his knife so he checked and cleaned them again. Beau placed additional clips into the slots on his Kevlar vest. The phones for activating the IED’s at the distribution hub and the house got a last check before he placed them in his cargo pants. Mort and Minnie worked on their final checklists. Mort possessed plenty of zip ties if he needed them. In addition to his weapons, he carried drugs needed to knock out any prisoners or anyone else that got in their way. Mort carried two black cloth bags for any thing they wished to take. He wired the communication room to explode and burn. Any equipment to be salvaged was identified for evacuation as they left for the target. Minnie pulled the beast into the alley behind the store and loaded anything they decided to take besides arms and ammunition. She made sure the RPG’s were ready if needed. She even put in some kids stuff like diapers, food and extra clothes. Benadryl could help if the little girl became upset. She gave one final check of the first aid kit for the beast. This included saline IV bags in case someone got hit. A medic was with the plane if needed. Minnie believed the beast had plenty of room for anyone and everything the trio hoped to bring out. Their plan for the evening was not without danger. Because of the condition of the ground, Minnie parked the beast a good two hundred yards away from the tunnel. The most dangerous part of the escape was the open area next to the little house’s entrance/exit. As they finished their preparations, the topic was addressed. “Minnie, you stay just within the brush and tree line. Once we come out of the tunnel, you get the RPG’s ready to cover us,” Beau said. “Do you want to take the Elena and the girl to the beast or do you want me to?” Mort asked.

“Hopefully, it won’t make any difference. If all goes well, we both can come out at the same time with them and the booty.” “If not?” “I will provide a rear guard if needed and you move them to where Minnie is,” The Ghost replied. “Just make sure you keep the woman down with you between them and any fire coming from the house.” “If that happens, I should be able to gauge where it is coming from and pour some heavy stuff into that location. That should give you the needed time to get our friends into cover,” Minnie added. “Are we zip tying Elena?” Mort asked. “I am giving her a choice. If she cooperates, I won’t and she can hold the baby. If she doesn’t, then we will use them and gag her as well. I will tell her if she doesn’t I cannot guarantee she will ever see her daughter again,” The Ghost said. “If we do have any problems, we will hand the lady off to you, Minnie, and you hustle her to the beast. We will cover the rear. That way, you not only get them in but have the beast started so we can boogie.”

With everything ready, the three decided to eat something and try to get a few more minutes of rest.

Several hours after sunset, they entered the beast and moved toward their target. They waited a few miles away for nature’s fireworks to begin. In the meantime, all donned their communication headsets and tested them with Mom’s operation. Everything worked as planned. The three operatives tested the lights on their headgear. They gave off the light needed. Beau and Mort carried a single lens night scope. Minnie possessed one but hoped hers would not be needed. The thunder and lightening moved closer. Mia monitored the radar from Tulsa. “The storm should reach you in about ten

minutes or so. I will give it ten more minutes and take the grid down,” she told them. “We’ll be ready,” her father replied. “How long will the rain last?” “I’d say at least an hour,” Mia said. “As soon as we are out or the rain stops after we are gone, bring the grid back up or at least set it so the grid can come back on its own.” As they finished, the first drops hit the windshield of the beast. Donning their black rain slickers, the leader said, “okay, we are moving into position. I will tell you when we reach the edge of our cover. Kill the grid when you think the time is right.” “Got it. I will warn you a couple of minutes ahead of time so you will be ready to move.” “Thanks.”

Mort and The Ghost moved to the edge of their cover. They didn’t dare venture further because of the open ground. The casa’s lights illuminated the newly cleared area. By this time, the rain pelted the two men as they waited. Their ponchos kept them reasonably dry and their floppy hats helped. Their mics crackled: “Two minutes.” Mort and Beau fist bumped each other and waited for what seemed forever. Suddenly, a large clap of thunder right over their heads with a lightening bolt accompanying it darkened the whole area. Mother Nature took care of the power but Mia would make sure it stayed off. The two men moved quickly but the newly barren ground was nothing but mud. No time to be careful now as Mort popped the lock off the outer door of the little house. They men pulled their ponchos off and noted where they put them. Exiting the outerwear might come in handy. They carefully eased into the tunnel

using their night vision lens. No light came from the other end. Each flipped on their small head lamps. With the rain pouring down outside, streams of water cascaded down in several locations. This deluge was unexpected. The water might top their boots and make the going even tougher coming out. They could do nothing about this circumstance so they had to endure the problem. The trip took longer than anticipated. Beau eased to the door of the storage area. No light came from around its edges. He listened for 30 seconds and heard nothing. Mort did not force this door but picked it instead. Once unlocked, The Ghost motioned he would go high and Mort low. Rather than springing it open, Mort slowly eased it to minimize the noise. The men flipped off their lights and gave their eyes a minute or so to adjust. Total darkness greeted them in the storage room. Only a faint glow under the door from the rest of the house appeared. Beau noted that glow the first time he came to reconnoiter. They cracked the door only far enough to slip through. The glow was a battery operated night light in the hallway. The rest of the house was dark. The men started to ease out of the room when outside the house suddenly became lighter. No fixtures came on inside but the area around the house was not as dark as before. The men stepped back into the pantry. Beau told Mort. “The generators at the compound are working. Let’s stay in the dark for a couple of minutes to see if anything here is hooked up.” “We need to make sure no one comes to investigate from inside the house. I am thinking about Mountain,” Mort replied. “Agreed.” After several minutes, no activity appeared and no additional lights illuminated the area. “Let’s go,” The Ghost mouthed. Their plan was simple. The men moved all the way to the far end of the house and worked their way back toward the storage room and tunnel. The hall light

while not bright gave off enough causing the duo to cast shadows. They started at the kitchen and began to clear the rooms. Mort noticed the kitchen door to the outside facing the compound was unlocked. He did not want anyone coming in behind them as they moved the other direction so he slipped the lock on. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary as they worked toward the pantry. The rooms of interest lay in the direction of the storage room. One area of great concern was ahead and both men decided to take it together. Mountain’s room. The door was cracked. Without moving it any more, Beau studied the interior. The dull light gave enough of a glow to see no movement. He slowly pushed the door open a little more until he saw the bed. It appeared to be unslept in and made. Motioning to Mort to follow, The Ghost eased into the room. Each took a side and carefully began to search. They had nothing specific in mind but the fact no one had seen the giant for sometime weighed on their minds. The chest of drawers was basically empty. A couple of drawers contained a few items. The closet mirrored the chest. Only a few hanging clothes remained and a couple pairs of dusty shoes. Beau slipped close to his partner. “This is strange. With Rojo being dead, I thought Mountain would stay close to Elena.” Mort shrugged his shoulders in agreement. On a positive side, the giant was one less thing the men had to deal with as they cleared the rest of the rooms.

The Ghost debated whether to hit the communication room first or Elena’s He decided on the woman’s. The door of her room was closed and locked. If he ed correctly, the child’s room aded hers with no door to the hall. Beau placed his ear to the entrance and heard nothing. No light came from around or under the door. Mort

quietly picked the lock. The Ghost cracked the door and noticed nothing unusual. A faint glow came from the direction of the entrance of the girl’s room. The glow was a night light. He eased the door open more and saw a lump in the bed which he assumed was Elena. He slipped in the entrance. Mort followed and moved next to the child’s room. Beau stealthily moved around Elena’s bed looking for some kind of an alarm system. The Ghost found it. On both sides of the headboard were small buttons. Most people might overlook them but not The Ghost. With the electricity off, they probably would not work but Beau decided to not take a chance. He traced the wires from them to an outlet plate on the wall. He removed his razor sharp knife and quietly severed the connection. Mort closed the door to the little girl’s room. He left a crack to avoid making any noise and moved to the opposite of Elena’s bed from Beau. In one swift motion, The Ghost placed his hand over the woman’s mouth and shook her slightly. Elena’s eyes exploded open with a terrified look. She tried to speak but Beau’s hand clamped heavily on her mouth to stifle any noise. Her terror was real as a camouflaged figure in all black stood over the bed. Beau made shushing sounds several times to discourage her from making any noise. The Ghost quietly spoke to the woman. “I am going to loosen my hold on your mouth so you can breathe. If you try to scream or make any noise, I will physically knock you out with my fist and then drug you. Do you understand?” Elena shook her head. Beau slowly eased the pressure on her mouth. As soon as he did, the woman pleaded in a soft voice: “Please do not rape me!”

“We have no attention of doing that,” he added. Elena possessed a quizzical look as she looked at him. “My daughter is in the next room. I beg you to not hurt her.” “That is not our plan.” Suddenly, a more confused look came on her face as she recognized Mort. “You own the store and I have dealt with you for months. What is going on?” Then Elena turned to Beau and her eyes glistened as she ed who he was. “I don’t understand. Are you here to rob me because if you are, my guards will take care of you,” the woman snapped. The Ghost sat on the edge of her bed and looked straight in her eyes. “I am not going to rob you. We are not bandits. But, some things are going to happen in the next few hours and you need to cooperate. If you do, nothing will happen to you or to your daughter. I will take you to another location and you will be safe for the rest of your lives if you help some important people. I have negotiated your future and it is a good one. Do you understand what I just said?” Elena displayed a puzzled look on her face but shook her head. “That is not all you need to understand. Listen closely to what else I am telling you,” Beau leaned closer to the woman for emphasis. “OK?” For a second time she nodded. “If you do not help us, fight us or try to alert anyone that hinders what we are doing, then your world will never be the same. I will drug you and do what we came to do without your help. I will turn you over to authorities in another country and you will be treated as a criminal and imprisoned for the rest of your life. Understand?” Elena face reflected a scared and uncertain look. She knew what The Ghost told her. “One other thing will happen if you do not cooperate. You will never see your daughter again.” She sobbed spontaneously and shook her head in assent over and over again.

“Please,” Elena begged. “That is not what I want to do but I will if you don’t help us with what we ask or if you try to turn us in. Everything is planned for now on and we will protect you and your daughter from any danger.” With a new and determined look, she asked “what do you want me to do?” “First, get dressed and then I will tell you. After we are done, you will come back and get the baby and we will take you to safety.”

After checking to make sure Elena’s bathroom was clear, the men allowed her to change into jeans and a dark shirt. “What do you want me to do?” she asked. “Let’s go to the communications room,” Beau said. The center was dark because of the lack of electricity but the computers still glowed. As he figured, the area was backed up with an alternate electrical power source. Mort pulled out a couple of battery powered light sticks and turned them on. “Elena, I know you have been running the cartel from this room since Rojo disappeared,” The Ghost stated looking her directly in her eyes. “Please don’t waste our time by telling me you haven’t.” There was hesitation on her face and twenty to thirty seconds before she answered. There appeared an expression of surrender after that. “I will probably be killed if I cooperate with you,” Elena said. “I doubt it,’ Beau countered. “You are the head of the cartel for all practical purposes. No one except Mountain knows that Rojo is not here. Now, please what I told you and start cooperating.” Again, a hesitation punctuated the woman’s response. “What do you want me to do?” she finally replied.

The Ghost quickly moved to the hidden safe and exposed its front. “I need you to open this.” A look of surprise came to Elena’s face. She believed the safe was well hidden but obviously it wasn’t. As she reached for the safe, Elena’s hand visibly shook. Her first attempt at the dial didn’t get results. Elena stepped back and took a deep breath. This time her hand was steady and the handle popped. The Ghost stepped up before she opened the safe. “Is there a weapon inside?” he asked. “Yes, there is a pistol. I don’t know if it will even shoot. I can’t it being out for some time.” Beau reached in and pulled the pistol out. He looked at it and removed the clip and looked in the chamber. All were empty. “Interesting,” he said as Mort took the weapon. “I wonder why an empty weapon is in the safe.” Mort said. “Makes you think, doesn’t it?” Beau answered. He could see a look of surprise on Elena’s face. The Ghost wondered if the unloaded weapon was something Rojo knew about and if it was deliberate. Before he glanced into the safe and its contents, Beau asked Elena what was stored there. “I backed up everything on thumb drives?” “Everything?” The Ghost asked. “You have to understand everyone has a false name. I do not know what the real names of people are. There are financial records and receipts. I have to pay expenses for materials and even bribes. All this information is there. Most of the money is controlled by lawyers and financial institutions. Do they know where the money comes from? I can’t answer that because I don’t know. These people suspect where the funds come from but can deny any actual knowledge of illegality. All this was set up to protect me, I am sure.”

“You mean Rojo established the process so you can ister the organization but the laundering and everything else you know nothing about.” “I assume so. He told me what to do and for how long. I am not to continue this for every long. He told me I would know when to step away. After that, he told me our future was secure.” “Who was to take over?” The Ghost asked. “I have no idea. I hope all these investments and laundering proceeds were to take care of myself and my daughter. This is a dangerous business and Rojo wanted me out before long. You saw what happened last night. If we hadn’t known they were coming, I might be dead by now.” “You knew?” “Absolutely. My men or should I say Rojo’s men were ready for the other cartel to attack. The enemy’s plan was to kill as many of our men as possible and then come here to take over.” “How did you know?” “I didn’t personally know but our men did,” she answered. About this time, Mott got Beau’s attention and tapped on his watch. The Ghost acknowledged the signal and moved on. “What else is in there?” “There are all kinds of paper files that go back a few years. I never took time to examine most of that. I wanted to do my job and that is all. Also in the safe is a lot of cash. Rojo told me that was mine if I need it. I should use the money to take my daughter to safety with it.” “How much is there?” “I never counted it but assumed plenty,” Elena said. Beau now looked in the safe and noticed a couple of sealed envelopes with her name on them. “What is in these?”

“I don’t know. Rojo told me to not open them unless I was in trouble and had to leave,” she answered. “Is Rojo dead?” The Ghost asked. “He was badly wounded and lingered for some days. The man you call Mountain took care of him along with special doctors. I think he spent this time setting everything up to protect and provide for me.” “So, he did die here…” The Ghost said. “I don’t know. One morning when I awoke, he was gone and so was Mountain. I assumed he was dead.” “That is the reason you built the altar?” “Yes.” “When the giant returned, did you ask him about Rojo’s dead?” “Of course. He shrugged his shoulders like it was an accomplished fact and told me it was safer to learn nothing more.” “But you put on a red wig at night so people might think you were Rojo.” “Yes. That was Mountain’s idea. A couple of people were sure Rojo was not in the car and they disappeared. After that no other questions arose especially since I ran the business well,” Elena said. Then Beau knowing he needed to wrap up this part of the conversation surprised her with a question. “Is Rojo the father of your child?” With no hesitation, she replied, “yes.” “Are you married?” “No.” Beau pulled out the black backpacks they brought to carry the booty from the communications room. Even though they had been in the house for a while, Beau and Mort took their time pulling material from the safe. All the thumb

drives and CD discs were taken. Most of the paper files as well. In one of the backpacks, the cash was stuffed. The Ghost ripped open one of the sealed envelopes with Elena’s name on it. It contained bearer securities. Rojo made sure the woman and his daughter was well taken care of, he thought. Then he unsealed the other one. Several ports with Elena’s name on them fell out. A sheet listing bank numbers, location and s were there. All s bore Elena’s name. Mort turned to the woman and asked: “Is there anything else we need to take with us? what will happen if you don’t cooperate.” Elena point to a desk top U and said: “You need to take the hard drive from that computer.” Mort immediately got to work breaking the unit open and removing the drive. All the time, Elena scanned the room as if looking for something. Then she added: “That laptop needs to go” pointing to a thin notebook partially covered by papers. She turned and faced Beau. “I believe this is all you need.” “Good, now go get your daughter. Be sure and give her a dose of Benadryl so she can sleep. We still have a little bit of room in the backpacks so get her some extra clothes. We already have diapers and food for her.” Mort went with Elena and she did exactly as told. She gingerly carried her daughter who only raised her head briefly and then laid it on her shoulder. “We need to get out of here,” Beau said. “The rain is letting up. If the lights don’t come back on before long, some people might wonder why and even check on the house.” “Let’s do it,” Mort replied. The four quickly entered the storage room and then into the tunnel. The water sloshed as the moved toward the other end. As they exited, The Ghost whispered into this mic. “Give us five minutes and restore the power.”

“You got it,” Mia’s answered. “Twenty-three are you ready?” The operatives had designations ending in three. Minnie twenty-three; her brother was sixty-three; and The Ghost was eightythree. “I got you covered. Proceed as planned,” came Minnie answer. Mort nodded at Beau, took the girl from Elena and the three began the trek through the mud to cover. He carried one of the black backpacks. The Ghost covered them in the open area. When they were about half way to safety, he began to ease toward them eyeing the compound for any movement. Beau carried the second backpack. About the time there was a whistle and then an explosion close to the Ghost. The concussion knocked him to his knees and disoriented him. A stabbing pain radiated from his shoulder and the side of his head. For what seemed like an eternity, Beau couldn’t make his body move. He was in the open but couldn’t do anything about it. Then a ‘swoosh’ flew by his head but this came from behind him. Minnie launched a RPG toward the house and a violent explosion followed. A few seconds later, a second ‘swoosh’ and an explosion followed. Mort reached cover about the time Beau took a hit. Minnie acted almost instantly with the RPGs. He handed off Elena and the girl plus his backpack to Minnie and they headed toward the beast. He saw The Ghost still on his hands and knees as he quickly moved toward him. The headsets squawked with questions if anyone was hurt. Beau did not answer repeated attempts to raise him. Mort calmly answered the communications. As he reached Beau, he calmly replied. “This is sixty-three. Eighty-three has been hit. His communication gear is destroyed.” “Is he alright?” Silence and then the question repeated. “Please be quiet. I am getting him back to cover and safety. I will let you know as soon as possible,” Mort said.

The Ghost was not a little man and Mort grabbed him and threw him over his shoulder. The backpack remained on Beau. Mort felt blood dripping from his friend as he struggled through the mud with his load. Thankfully, no other ordinance followed the men as they reached the edge of the thick cover. Mort knew the explosions would generate activity from the camp on the other side of the house. They did. “I can walk,” the Ghost said and Mort helped him to his feet. Then Sixty-three bent at his knees attempting to force oxygen into his burning lungs. He knew they could not stay there and this was affirmed by the sound of gunfire from the direction of the house. The shots were not close. Beau took one step and collapsed to the ground. Mort grabbed him around the shoulders and started to hoist him once again to his back but Beau had none of it. “Just help me.” Mort did as told and grabbing him by the back of the vest guiding him toward the beast. After about twenty-five yards, Minnie reed them. “Have you got the women in the beast?” Mort asked. “Yeah. They are strapped in. Elena did everything I asked her to do,” Mort’s sister replied. With that, she yanked the backpack from the two men and put it on her back. She also grabbed the vest and began to help drag The Ghost toward the beast. As they did, both realized Beau was floating in and out of consciousness. The head wound caused a concussion at the least. “As soon as we get him into the beast, I am starting a saline drip. That shouldn’t take more than a minute and then you can hit the road. I can access the rest of his wounds as we head out,” Mort said. Once they reached the SUV, Mort did as he said and strapped The Ghost into a seat. Elena asked if she could help but told not now but maybe later. Minnie eased out of their parking place and onto the trail. It was rough and she had to take it easy for about a mile. When Minnie finally entered a better stretch of road, she accelerated and sped toward the airport. Depending on what was

ahead, Minnie hoped to be there in 30 to 45 minutes. Mort flipped on the light on his headband and looked at Beau’s head. He moaned and rested the non-cut side against a pillow. Mort examined a three inch cut on his friend’s head. As with most head wounds, a large amount of blood initially gushed from it but had clotted and slowed to a good seep. Mort examined the best he could and saw no shrapnel left in it. The problem presented was the cut was deep and he saw the skull. It looked in tack. Mort took a bandage and tied it tightly over the wound. “What are you doing?” The Ghost moaned. “I am stopping the bleeding on your head.” By the time he answered, his friend was out again. Mort turned his attention to Beau’s shoulder. The cut was deep and a piece of metal protruded from it. With a piece of gauze, he grabbed and pulled the piece out. Beau let out a large moan and the wound began to bleed. Mort immediately slapped a bandage on it and pressed hard. The blood slowed to an ooze quickly. Mort realized Mom and Mia listened to this whole event. “This is sixty-three. Eighty-three took a good shot to his head and shoulder. We are on our way now. I think he has a concussion and I have started an IV. The head wound is three to four inches but the skull looks alright. A piece of metal dug into his arm and I pulled it out. I hit him with a painkiller. You need to make sure the medical person on the plane is ready to treat him. I’m not a doctor but I think he will be okay except for a good headache and a sore shoulder. He will be out of action for a while.” “That makes me feel better at least. I will alert the plane of your diagnosis. Were you able to accomplish the task?” “Completely!” “Excellent.” Minnie interrupted. “How are we doing? Are there any threats out there we need to be worried about?”

“Potentially,” came Mia answer. “It’s to early to tell but a vehicle left the home area and could be coming after you. Also, there may be a something that could intersect you ahead.” About that time, the ground began to shake and in a few seconds not one but two explosions shook the beast. “What was that, Mort said.” “That was me,” said The Ghost. “Did you forget about what I needed to destroy?” he added as firestorms climbed into the sky in the direction of the home compound and the distribution center. For the first time since they left, Elena gasped and a whimper came from the far back of the beast. Beau turned his head toward her. “You have your daughter and everything you need so don’t worry about it.” Mia interrupted. “I believe someone is coming fast after you.” “Can our friend in the sky take care of it?” “Yes, sir. They are locked on and are firing.” After a hesitation of a few seconds, “Taken care of,” she announced. “I am also suggesting a second target. I believe a vehicle is attempting to cut you off.” After another lapse, Mia confirmed that kill as well. “Anything else?” Minnie asked. “I see nothing else but I will keep watch. How is eighty-three?” Mort answered. “He is out again.” Mom chimed in and said. “They are ready for you and eighty-three at the plane.” As the road continued to improve so did Minnie’s speed. Mia assured them every few minutes their way remained clear. Mort turned to Elena a few times to make sure she and the little girl were okay. Mort could tell from the dim light that Elena had a concerned look on her face. Finally, she said something to him.

“I am scared . What is going to happen? My baby is so young and knows few people. Please don’t hurt us or take her away from me.” Mort deliberately smiled and reassured her. “There are a lot of uncertainties and I know you are concerned. The man up here despite his appearance is a good man. I can promise you that anything he told or promised will take place.” About that time, Mom told Mort to place his headset on so she could hear what was said. After he did, Mom spoke directly to Elena. “I know you are scared and I don’t blame you. You don’t know me but I can assure you that if you cooperate with the people who will meet you at the airport, promises made to you will take place. I can guarantee this because I am the person who made all the arrangements. The key is cooperating.” “Yes, I understand.” “I know this is tough dealing with strangers but your future is taken care of for your cooperation.” “Who are you and these people?” Elena asked. “I can’t tell you that.” “Will I ever know?” “No. Trust us.” Elena said no more. Minnie made good time and the beast pulled into a small but modern airport. The terminal was dark because of the hour but the SUV pulled past it. Away from the main entrance to the location, a large building sat with its doors open. Inside a small commercial jet sat with his engines purring. Minnie pulled directly in front of the ladder extending to the ground. Two men waited for them. One was the pilot and the other was a medic. He had a gurney next to him. Once the beast stopped the medic moved immediately to The Ghost. With Mort’s help, the men guided the half conscious Beau onto the gurney and they carried him into the plane. After that, the beast’s other engers followed.

Minnie kept an eye on Elena in case she might attempt to escape. She did not. Minnie tossed the keys to the beast to a man assisting them and smiled. He nodded back to her as she scrambled aboard. Within two minutes of all the engers entering and no more than five after arriving, the jet rolled to the runway and proceeded skyward. After a couple of hours of flying time, the plane descended into a small airport on the United States side of the border. It did not taxi to terminal but to a building on an isolated side of the landing strip. The doors opened and the plane entered and stopped. Several vehicles waited inside. As the ladder descended, an ambulance pulled close and a stretcher went up into the plane. During the flight, the medic hooked up some equipment to Beau to transmit his vital signs to personnel in the United States. He cleaned the wounds and made a further diagnosis of The Ghost’s status. Mort’s impressions of The Ghost’s injuries were accurate. The medic decided to keep Beau sedated. The ambulance would take him to a local hospital to stabilize him and take care of his wounds. Mom ed him shortly. Several other official looking cars sat in the hangar. Minnie took Elena and her daughter to one and a lady met them and warmly assured them they were safe. Mort handed the two backpacks to her as well. Mort and Minnie entered another car and whisked away. Their job completed and their bank substantially larger, they would disappear for now. While they hoped to stay where they established their business that was now impossible after what took place. Their future was secure after assisting The Ghost.

Chapter 18

Three of the partners of the real estate firm, Grace Kot, Andrew Volker and Nick Antone, gathered for Friday afternoon drinks. Vodka flowed more freely this particular afternoon but not because of any successes. Leo no longer was with them. His circumstance changed dramatically a few days before. No toasts preceded the shots and the three sat quietly for several minutes. They hadn’t talked much in the days preceding because of where they were and what took place. The clear liquid would soon loosen their tongues. The partners received a message from the Old Men in California to come for a visit. That call in and of itself was not unusual. In fact such an invitation was expected. The period of time between their last trip and this one was longer than usual. The summons usually meant activities were sufficient and money received was satisfactory. All four knew California continued to increase their profits to allow more money to be laundered. Previous communications hinted at this. The investments in the Metroplex slowly climbed as the value of the firm’s property yielded more money. A problem, if one existed, was competition. In their early days, most dealings were with individuals and with proper ‘help’ from some friends in California ‘persuasion’ paved the way for the desired end. Billy Bryson Bouvier II taught the group a lesson that their means needed reevaluation. Even in that situation, their payment from his exercising his option was substantial and led to a large profit. Now, individual dealings were no longer possible. They dealt with large or huge corporations as their competition. Scare tactics or bribery no longer worked. In California, the real estate partners each received a substantial check as a bonus for what they provided for the syndicate. This visit, however, there was a subtle suggestion they needed to do more. Their illicit profits mainly from prostitution and drugs skyrocketed. The Old Men needed more and bigger ways to launder this money so it was usable for legitimate investments. These men were old school, hardened and uneducated criminals. They said what they wanted and expected their wishes satisfied.

The Metroplex ‘four’ came prepared with a list of possible opportunities which they presented. The responses or better stated lack there of from the hierarchy made it clear that wasn’t enough. They wanted more, always wanted more. Receiving looks toward him, Nick Antone knew his response was needed. For the next half-hour, he laid out the description and possible use of the Ozark property. This presentation seemed to interest the Californians. Nick stressed several times his suggestion was a germ of an idea and no where near fruition. The Old Men didn’t take it that way. To them the idea was doable and expected it to be accomplished. Nick’s neck was stuck out more than a turkey’s on a chopping block the days leading up to Thanksgiving. He neglected to go into detail about his early attempts to move after the desired land. Nick hired a law firm to investigate who owned the land and what the landowners wanted to do with it. The records were scoured and the complexity of ownership rivaled or sured the maze their own lawyers created to launder funds. The records indicated layers of corporations or limited partnerships with numerous different individuals as principals. Many of the names couldn’t be traced. Nothing was filed with the locals or even the Corps of Engineers as to any possible uses for the land. Simply stated, the discovery after thousands of dollars of legal work was zero. Nick did authorize a drone mapping of all the land but hadn’t studied that in detail. All he had was a massive piece of undeveloped property. As each day went by, especially after the California meeting, Nick coveted the land more. Something important dealing with California took place. The four real estate partners became aware of it during their visit. The leadership of the group was made up of veteran mobsters who came to the United States and established their own illicit businesses. Many served time or now graced the federal and state prison systems. A few were deported but reentered the US illegally. Their enterprises spread over several states. Many of the next generation operatives were like the real estate firm: well educated and placed. They grew up with their families under the influence of the “Old Men.” They accepted their roles largely because that was the way they were raised. Besides, many possessed solid educations and skills and the Old Men paid well for. Of the governing body, several had ed in the last few years. Only a few of the oldsters now wielded power. Unbeknownst to most of their organization

across the country, a power struggle raged within the remaining Old Men for succession rights. A decision was to begin to bring younger people into the leadership group. That is why Leo Peters did not return with Grace, Nick and Andrew. The Old Men choose to audition Leo for a leadership position. Most of the remaining ruling group did not like or trust syndicate outside of California even though much of the organization lay scattered all over the country. They wanted a centralized leadership location. Why Leo? His family came to California early. His father and uncles made up a part of the original organization. After college, Leo left California and went to the Dallas area to begin the real estate firm. The Old Men viewed him as part of the early group in California because his family still considered the area home. A simpler way to state the situation, Leo remained an insider from their area and could be trusted. The decision for him to not return to Dallas hit the remaining partners hard. Leo was considered a friend and confidant of the others. Now, they feared this relationship changed. His new loyalty was to the organization and not to them. Leo knew of all the skeletons in their closets and these could be used against them if he chose to. He could also be their champion but the remaining three realized if push came to shove, Leo would protect the organization first. He knew about the frailty of the Ozark project. Nick knew he needed to do something fast to get it moving. The vodka helped them examine and discuss what they needed to do next. Each laid their thoughts and what they chose to do. Nick would personally take over the lake project and see if he could move it along. He had to.

As he sat in his office in the middle of the night, Nick looked at the report he received from his operatives. He intended to go back to the lake personally to see what he might discover. The material Nick reviewed had useful information. Much of it was fluff to justify the fee he paid.

Danny Whetstone toiled as the caretaker of the property. He spent most of his time working on the restoration of the house overlooking the lake. Nick believed that was probably an educated guess by his spooks but it seemed a good one. They were able to secure lists of material Whetstone bought from local lumber facilities. Somehow they secured pictures of the caretaker hauling the material to the house and even some of him working on the building. The problem remained they provided little else. Only one road led to the house and its entrance was blocked by an impressive steel gate. The building itself was a mile or so on a road bordering the lake. Any observation of the area was either from a boat or a long range telescope located on a point of land jutting into the lake. No one attempted to get closer. The spies heard a rumor someone approached the main house and met with some injuries. No one knew if that was actually the case but it discouraged curiosity seekers. That rumor would not discourage Nick if he decided to come on the land. He flipped to report from his legal eagles. These were good and high priced lawyers. Nick knew they would pad what they found to increase their fees which approached being outrageous. That was a cost of doing business and the real estate firm picked up the fees anyway. Sometime before, an interim report told of the complexity of what they discovered. Nick snickered as he reviewed what they found. Whoever owns this land is not an amateur, he thought. The organizational structures he saw reminded him of what the Californians used to hide their illicit money. Nick might be running into an organization similar to theirs. He realized that could be a problem and a cause of concern. His course of action was to barge ahead no matter what was there. Nick finally found some hard information he could use. There was a short biography of Danny Whetstone. He was a veteran who lived in the area most of his life. Danny was always a handy man but several years ago started working

on the lake property. Nick’s lawyers somehow got hold of his bank deposits from the beginning of his employment. Based on this information, his payments at first indicated a temporary position but became regular. Initially, his pay was checks and later direct deposits came from a corporation. Digging deeper, the lawyers discovered the owners of the business were a series of limited partnerships. Checking with states where formed and active, more limited partnerships or corporations appeared on that paperwork. Tax returns were filed but with either post office boxes or third party addresses used. Whetstone’s salary became quite substantial the longer he worked. It probably was much greater than what a normal handyman might make. This fact indicated to Nick he was a trusted and valuable employee. Going beyond that was impossible. Danny Whetstone became more interesting given this legal information. Nick reread the information about the handyman. There was one part he scanned quickly before but now caught his eyes. This mentioned that on a few occasions, the handyman came to the home reclamation project and then disappeared. At the end of the working day, Whetstone reappeared and then left for home. This behavior happened for several days in a row. Nick ordered additional drone scans of the property beyond what he originally possessed. He now poured over them. There has to be something I am missing, he thought. At first examination he didn’t see anything obvious. Nick got a magnifying glass and began to go over the pictures. He first looked around the edges of the property and saw nothing special including no built up roads. Then he thought of another idea to pursue. Since Danny Whetstone always came to the house first, Nick would start his examination from there. He finally found something significant. From the back of the house in the tree line, there appeared to be a shed. The building was well camouflaged. Faint tracks led from the shed toward the undeveloped part of the property. They did not follow only direction but were dispersed into the rough county. Nick could not make any sense of the tracks beyond a few hundred feet from the building. He started scanning the whole property piece by piece to see if he could identify

anything else. There appeared to be some old buildings at various places. This seemed logical because surely someone lived or worked the land at some time. He spotted a partially visible building but couldn’t really be sure if it was still used or not. In a few places, tracks might be visible but Nick wasn’t sure. He needed to get on the land and do some exploring. That task was not going to be easy.

Chapter 19

Nick developed a plan to get on the land. He would intercept Whetstone in town and introduce himself. Then he would attempt to come on the land in the guise of trying to deliver him some products. Nick needed to work his way through what that would be. He established his location at a local motel and began to shadow Danny. Nick needed to work fast to find out what he needed to know. After a couple of days, he realized Whetstone went to a local big box building supply store to buy supplies he needed for his work. The second morning, the handyman ordered what seemed like a truckload of material. Nick deliberately wore old clothes to fit in. He watched as the truck was loaded, asked around and found out the delivery was the next morning. Nick decided how to get onto the land. As the truck load started to pull out the next morning, he hopped up on the running board and opened the door. “Hey, my name is Bart and I started to work this morning. The boss told me to ride with as your helper.” “Which boss?” “I have no idea. He is giving me a couple days of work. If you want, I’ll go get him and he can tell you.” “No, come on I’ll always take someone to help. What did you say your name was?” “Bart.” “Hop on in. Even though it’s just across the lake, our route will take a while since we have to follow the road.” Danny Whetstone was no dummy. For some time, he sensed something wasn’t right around the lake property. And, it wasn’t just around that area. He ed Mom and told her of his concerns so she did some snooping of her own with

Mia’s help. She confirmed Danny’s feelings: an unknown party had been into his bank records. Mom also found parties prying into their legal records concerning the layers of protection her daughter built into their business structures. She wasn’t worried about anyone finding out specifics because of the layers of safeguards built into their records. Mom worried about Danny. He worked for them and that was all. In no way was he involved with their other business. Danny was a good man and a wonderful employee. He did not know anything and didn’t want to know anything besides his work. That was the way Beau wanted it and Danny never asked for more. Beau did not use his name with his handyman. That was on purpose because something might happen like what took place now. To Danny, Beau was Aaron Renberg. He never questioned the amount of his compensation and Danny never shared information with his family. His wife knew where he worked and that was it. On a couple of occasions one of his sons helped with the restoration project. No one in his family knew about Hawk Mountain. Danny had no way to directly Beau. He simply called a phone number and received a call back later. The communication was rarely immediate but might be a month later. All purchases were paid via a credit card which Mom took care of. If the family including Beau needed to talk with Danny that was no problem and a call placed. The caretaker liked the arrangement because he could tell others the truth. With Danny’s suspicions, his behavior changed. He was vigilant and sure now he was watched. His routine called for him to go to Hawk Mountain periodically. Danny never used a single route with the ATV so no path was present. Everything appeared to be scrub and grassland as the plants sprang back quickly. Mom told Beau about the Ozark site and Danny. This development concerned the Ghost. He loved the property especially Hawk Mountain. He owned land in other places and Beau could move to another location. But considering retirement, he believed this land would be his old age home. Now he wasn’t so sure. He knew Danny wasn’t and would never be a problem. Beau called his caretaker and visited directly with him. He assured his employee friend he did nothing wrong. Beau told Danny to tell the truth because he knew no important

information. If something did happen, Beau would take of the problem. His Aaron Renberg alias was solid and untraceable. The morning the truckload of material arrived, Danny was surprised two men manned the truck. One was familiar but the other man, Bart, was not. The handyman initially dismissed the second man as a helper because of the size of the load. The material wasn’t difficult so Danny decided to be vigilant. His suspicions grew and the new hand, Bart, because to ask some probing information about who owned the land and what was going to happen to it. Danny decided to ask some questions of his own and the answers convinced him this guy wasn’t from around this area. He didn’t know anything about building materials. The handyman thought this fact was interesting considering the nature of the big box store he supposedly worked for. Bart asked him if he needed anyone to help him on the project. Danny thanked him and said he didn’t at this time but might later. He asked for a phone number where Bart might be ed if he did need someone. He had no intention of calling the man or needing help. Danny wanted the number in case something happened and the phone might be traced. Bart felt proud of this initial and he had a discussion point should he meet the caretaker again. As the truck left, the driver asked Bart to get out and lock the gate behind them. The locks were not ordinary locks but heavy duty ones which he guessed might be classified as industrial. These would be difficult to pick if at all and several secured the gate. If he came back, as he planned to, he would hike the distance between the gate and the house. He could come across the water but could not hide his approach.

The store delivered the load on Friday. Danny secured it under lock and key for the weekend. Something continued to bother him about the helper. As he left, he decided to leave a few small traps to indicate if an unwanted visitor entered the project over the weekend. If someone came into the house, he could know about it on Monday.

And a visitor came. Nick found a place to hide his rental car Sunday morning before daylight and made his way to the house. The distance turned out to be a good hike because he needed to accomplish part of it in the woods. The day was clear and the water calm. As a result, fishermen appeared in the pre-dawn light trolling around the inlet in front of the land. Nick could not take a chance of being spotted so he retreated into the woods as he continued toward his goal. The chiggers and mosquitoes began to feast on him. He had to go on no matter what the obstacles. The back of the building was obscured from the lake. Nick tried all the windows and doors. He soon picked the rudimentary lock on a door and was inside the house. He wanted to search everywhere in the building to see if he could find anything to help him identify the owner. There was little to be found. He did find a few receipts from stores but all listed Danny Whetstone as the purchaser. Nick found no hidden material. The inside looked like a massive reconstruction project a long way from being finished. Nick slipped outside and went to a large shed about a hundred yards from the house. He had little difficulty gaining entry into the building. A musty smell greeted him. Several pieces of equipment including a commercial mower, backhoe and an ATV were there. Locked storage bins graced the walls. He opened several and all contained tools. Building materials including lumber and concrete were also stacked there. He found nothing of use to help identify anything about the owner of the land. His next step was to confront Danny Whetstone directly.

The handyman’s suspicion about the helper was confirmed on Monday morning when he discovered several of his hidden traps were tripped.

Chapter 20

After the plane landed, Beau was whisked to a local hospital per specific instructions received by the individuals who met it. The Ghost was sedated as soon as he was loaded onto the aircraft. There was little doubt he suffered from concussion symptoms plus the injury to his arm. The medic on the flight was told what to do to keep Beau quiet. As a result, he remained calm and absent of movement that might cause further damage. As was often the case after a mission, Mom flew to where the team returned and met Beau at the hospital. She did not want to meet the plane so she couldn’t be recognized later. Mom’s instructions for the medical personnel were specific. Stabilize her husband and perform any immediate treatment necessary. A medivac airplane was on standby and when he could travel, Mom would move him to a private facility. His initial treatment turned out to be more substantial than expected. The gash on his head took eight staples to close. Several wounds dotted his shoulder. Doctors discovered pieces of shrapnel embedded in the muscle. Stitches were put both in the muscles and on the exterior. The wounds would require rehabilitation after immobilization of the arm. This was something The Ghost never experienced. The most serious injury was the concussion. The CT scan showed a minimal bit of swelling of his brain. While not seen as a major injury, he remained hospitalized until his headaches subsided. Mom did not like that idea at all. She wanted him into a protected environment for recovery. Minnie and Mort ed her and asked if they needed to come to back and help. Mom thought about it but declined. Instead, she brought in Steely and Uncle Al. No potential problems occurred with the family security in place at the hospital. A full week ed before Beau was moved to a private rehabilitation center. It was used before when injuries hit The Ghost. None of these came close to what happened during the latest contract. Mom told Mia about her father’s injuries and she came to his side. Slowly, the brain injury began to subside although Beau suffered serious headaches. With a

normal routine supervised by his wife, The Ghost slowly recovered. The shoulder was a significant injury involving deep tissue injuries. Even though he did not like it, Beau kept his shoulder in a sling punctuated with rehabilitation exercises. These were painful because of the damage to his tissue and atrophy because of limited use of the muscles as they healed. The Ghost objected but the insistence of both his wife and his daughter overrode any idea of a shortcut in his healing. Mia and her mother used the time when not cajoling Beau to tidy up the business end of the last contract. Both parties seemed satisfied with its result. Even if they weren’t, each knew the contract was completed and the parties paid up. There was no indication either knew of the other. One of the parties possessed all the earmarks of a relationship with a government. The second party remained obscure. Mom didn’t care who was involved as long as they ed the agreed amount to the proper coffers. As always, Mia designed an untraceable route around the world until the proceeds made it to a final secure location. The money would immediately be dispersed to investment possibilities. She made sure all the outstanding debts were satisfied. That included the fee to Mort and Minnie. Their money contained a significant bonus added by Mom without the knowledge of her husband. The siblings earned everything she paid them based on their making sure Beau was safe. Besides, she hoped their services might never be needed but the practical remedy called for their loyalty insured by paying them well.

Even though not fully healed, Beau was restless. The family decided to relocate to Mom’s St. Louis home. The Ghost’s attitude improved immediately and he wasn’t such a pain in the rear. One morning, after a full breakfast, the family sat around their kitchen table drinking coffee. “Okay, it’s time for a family meeting,” Mom announced. “Great,” Beau said sarcastically. “I am surprised it took this long for you two to gang up on me.”

His daughter responded with a snicker and a comment: “You know, dad, I feel sorry because you are so mistreated.” That response brought a smile to his face. “Okay, I have no choice but to listen since I am an invalid being held captive.” This elicited two moans. Mom placed a file in front of each one. “Its been a while since we looked at our financial health. I thought this was a good time since, as you say, you are an invalid being held hostage.” For the next hour, she outlined the contents of the file. Mia seemed interested but her father not so much. He flipped to the last page of the material searching for the bottom line. That figure was all he wanted to see. He gave a pleased ‘harrumph’ in his best Horatio Hornblower voice and closed the file. His wife shook her head and asked, “I assume the material meets you satisfaction?” “Yes it does,” he answered. “If you are pleased with the results, so am I. You are the expert.” “Good.” “Is this all I have to do for the rest of the day. I need to get back to feeling sorry for myself.” Another set of moans answered. “Sir, you have several more hours of rehab in the basement,” his wife answered. She knew he would complain but her husband’s burning desire to get back to normal would kick in. This hesitant pattern of feigning his rehab routine became a game between them. “Just a minute,” Mia said. “We aren’t through here. I have something I want to make clear.” What was coming from their daughter was discussed with her mother in detail and planned. “Before this last fiasco…”

The Ghost interrupted her: “Fiasco? This was in no way a fiasco. The operation went as planned except for the unanticipated and surprise attack. We accomplished everything as we laid it out. Mort or Minnie might have caught the wounds instead of me. I don’t like you calling what happened a fiasco.” Mia continued. “Like I said before I was rudely interrupted, before the last fiasco, we discussed you retiring. As you can see from a financial point of view, there are enough assets to last several lifetimes.” She waited for her father to say something but he did not. “Dad you almost got killed. It’s time to step back and let the younger guys do this stuff. You deserve to enjoy what you have.” Finally, The Ghost replied. “I know what we talked about and I don’t disagree with what you say. I don’t want to commit one way or the other while I am still rehabbing. You have to understand I am not sure I can walk away cold turkey. I am going to quit and it will be soon but right now I cannot say this exact moment.” “At least you are honest,” Mom said. “Don’t forget that beautiful lake home and land you have,” Mia said. “I know and I haven’t forgotten.” Mom got up and went into the other room and returned with a manila envelope and handed it to her Beau. “What’s this?” he asked. “The package came for you through our couriers last week,” she said. “Like I said, what is it? I know you have already opened it,” Beau smiled at his wife. “I thought about burning the contents but that wouldn’t be fair to you. You need to put on your big boy pants and at least review the material.” “Okay, but I have no doubt you would destroy the contents if you thought it was

necessary.” That brought a small grin to Mom’s face and a smirk of agreement. “What’s the deal?” Instead of answering, she handed the package to him. The communication came from the agency that contracted the K El Hadad affair. “Interesting,” was all The Ghost said. After reading the short document, he handed it to Mia for her review. Beau didn’t hand it to Mom because she knew the documents’ contents. The Ghost washed his hands of contracts once he completed them and cared less what happened afterwards. Reading between the lines, Beau believed El Hadad was taken to a special ‘resort’ somewhere in an unattractive part of the world. He was encouraged to illuminate and explain all the information contained in the material from his safe which The Ghost ‘liberated.’ The contractor stated nothing directly about what it discovered. Apparently, their ‘guest’ mentioned something that surprised them. El Hadad stated his wives owned a building he constructed for them. To this point at least, he maintained he knew nothing about what was inside the structure. No one believed him but the matter was not at the heart of the information they wanted from the prisoner. If the material became an issue, they might return to finding out more. They wanted anything The Ghost knew about the building. The original agreement called for him to keep everything he found that was not a party to the contract. They did not seek anything involving that part of the contract but wanted to know about the building. If the contents were not germane to the contract, the inquiry was over. If the Ghost did know what was in the building or if it was important, that was a different story. The agency asked directly in this communication if he had any knowledge of the building. A corollary was if he was aware of it and any contents. Beau was aware the building because Mia discovered it while locating bank s. That was the extent of his knowledge. The Ghost’s response to the agency outlined everything he and the ladies discovered.

The reply was simple: For a nice fee would The Ghost conduct a further investigation into the building? The agency did not want to use its assets in that area. Besides, it knew Beau still possessed substantial s in that part of the world. The Ghost agreed. “I know,” Mom told her husband when he told her about the deal. “You do?” “I have ed our people and they started investigating the location. I am sure you will have something to report in a few weeks,” she smiled. “Why do you need me if you already decided I was doing this and what I might want to do?” “That is because I can read your mind.” “Oh, I forgot.”

Now that her father was fine, Mia returned to Oklahoma. She agreed to do more in the El Hadad investigation. Mia observed the cameras on the structure so she decided to not only explore that angle but snoop to see what else she might discover. Mia thought his wives communications might provide clues. Al could help her with translations of anything of interest. She wanted to check surrounding buildings to see if any security cameras focused on the building.

Beau continued his rehab and he developed a better attitude. Maybe it was because of the new project or the possibility of something else happening. His shoulder’s pain decreased as his flexibility increased. He no longer had headaches to everyone’s relief. While still not close to 100%, Beau felt he might be able to go to Hawk Mountain before long. Mom used that as a carrot to encourage him to speed up his workouts. She specifically told him not to consider such an action until he reached hallmarks established by the physical therapists. Surprisingly, her husband agreed.

When Beau and Danny Whetstone communicated on an irregular basis, a nondescript computer system was often used. Beau’s computer was a laptop that had no connection to a sophisticated one used by Mom. Danny went to a wi-fi café and sent a message to his boss if he needed to him. Then at a certain time everyday, he returned to pick up any communications from Beau. A problem centered on the boss not being regular. Because of his business, The Ghost couldn’t always pick up the messages in a timely manner. Mom would check and inform the hired hand he was unavailable. If the message contained something exigent, she ed her husband or handled it herself. While rehabbing, Beau received several messages mostly centering on questions about what Danny needed to do or buy. But one day a different type popped up. “Someone came on the property last weekend. Nothing was taken or messed with. A new delivery person accompanied a load of supplies and he didn’t fit with the usual people. He asked questions about the property I thought were out of place. When I left for the weekend, I placed some simple security measures on the doors and windows. I also put some on the out buildings. Sure enough, someone sprang them. Nothing was taken. Something didn’t feel right about this guy. I situated three trail cameras as well and got some good pictures of the dude. What do you want me to do?” Beau replied. “Don’t do anything yet. Let’s see if he comes back. Play it like you know nothing if he comes back. I’m surprised we haven’t had someone you before because the property is prime real estate. Let me know if anything else happens.”

Chapter 21

Nick had other ideas about the property and decided to approach Danny. He considered ‘bumping’ into him in the town but would confront him directly. Nick needed to find out something soon. His time spent in the area searching for information was considerable. Leo emailed him asking what he accomplished. Since he was now part of the California leadership, the might indicate impatience by the Old Men. He fell in behind Danny on the way to the site the next morning. The handyman did not lock the gate behind his truck. Nick was delighted he hadn’t because that meant he didn’t have to walk from the gate to the house. What he didn’t realize was Danny picked him up as Nick left town. He wanted to see what the stranger might do. The handyman deliberately left the gate open and went to the house. Nick did not immediately come to where Danny worked but stayed out of sight. That bothered the handyman a bit but he figured the man changed his mind. He began working on a project in the mansion. Soon a knock came on the door. “Come on in, it’s open,” Danny yelled as if surprised someone was there. Nick walked over and thrust out his hand: “I’m Cecil Stewart.” The handyman thought to himself that was a lousy name but he believed it was an alias. He shook the man’s hand and gave his name. “You do know this is private property and posted all over with no tresing signs, don’t you?” “I did see them but thought they had to do with hunting.” “They do but there is nothing saying that. By the way, I thought when you were here the other day, you were only a temporary worker. I don’t need any help around here. In fact, I can’t hire anyone if I wanted to.” That statement wasn’t exactly correct but he wanted to plant the idea with the stranger.”

“That would be nice but that isn’t why I am here.” “Oh?” “I was visiting with a friend of mine about this place and he asked me to find out some general information. He is some kind of a real estate investor and is always looking for new investment opportunities.” “That’s interesting. I don’t think I can help you. All I do is work here.” “I realize that. Someone in town said you worked on this place for a number of years,” ‘Cecil’ said. “That’s true. What do you want to know?” Danny had a couple of other people approach him over the years. Beau told him to tell people general information about the land and that was all. Danny didn’t really know much more. “Tell me the size and about the land.” “I am not sure about the exact acreage because it wasn’t bought in one deal. My understanding it was purchased piecemeal and my work has nothing to do with most of the property. My guess its 800 to a 1,000 acres. It is undeveloped except the lakeside portion which is basically the house. There are no other roads that cross any part of it.” “None?” “Not that I am aware of. I have been on a lot of the property because I deer hunt every fall. I can tell you it is pretty rough terrain. There are some wildlife trails but they change all the time.” “People can hunt on it?” Nick said trying to figure a way to get onto the land and look it over. “No. The property is posted. I get to hunt deer because I work here. During deer and other seasons, local law enforcement is hired to keep people off the land. They do a good job and several hunters were arrested over the years. That fact gets around so not many people try any more.” “That is too bad.”

“There is another problem that the posting addresses. One of the native trees in this area is black walnuts. These logs go for a large amount of money and their illegal cutting and stealing is big business. Many black walnuts are old growth forest. After a couple of arrests, tree rustlers were sent to prison. The thefts pretty much stopped. The lack of roads and trails also helped.” Then, the question Danny waited for. All the conversation, he knew, led up to this point. “Let’s say my friend is interested in exploring the land further, who owns it and who would he ? Does he get in touch with you?” “I have no idea.” “Really, you work here and have worked here for several years but don’t know who he might ?” Nick asked incredulously. “That is correct. Whether you or your friend believes what I am saying is not my concern because it’s the truth.” “Come on…” Before he could finish the handyman interrupted him. “I am an employee and paid through a third party. Getting a good pay check is all I care about. I don’t know names and I don’t want to know them. Yeah, someone does keep an eye on what I am doing. They visit when I am not on site. I receive a communication via the computer. If I need to someone, I use an email given to me. That email changes every so often and then I use a new one.” “Strange…” “Hey look, this place is none of your business and it is none of mine also. Good jobs are hard to fine in this area and I am not going to mess things up. I am sorry if you don’t like what I said but I don’t really care.” Nick was taken back by the bluntness of Danny’s answers. From all the digging done before by those he hired, he knew all of what he was told. The man from Dallas hoped to maybe find some new information but didn’t seem to be getting anywhere. He had trouble believing this man did not know anything and that someone came on the land when he wasn’t there to oversee his work.

The handyman wasn’t pleased with what took place with this stranger. What he told him didn’t sound very convincing. Danny used the same line on others who tried to extract information from him and it worked. They accepted what he told them, seemed satisfied and never came back. This guy, this Cecil whatever his name was, appeared to be different. While not an expert on non-verbal communication, he read his body language and Danny guessed the man didn’t buy his story. What happened next surprised the handyman. “Oh, come on,” Nick said, “do you really expect me or anyone for that matter to believe you have worked here for years and not had any face to face with anyone?” That blunt question caused Danny to think for a few seconds before answering. A red color began growing from the base of his neck toward his chin. Nick saw the sign of anger as well and wondered if he had gone to far. He didn’t care because he needed to do something to stir this guy up. Danny quickly sized up the situation and the red began to retreat. He gave out a small laugh. That action caught the visitor by surprise. “You know mister, you are a treser. What I have told you is true.” While that statement was correct, Danny had not added anything else and wasn’t going to. “I think its about time you leave. I am ing the sheriff’s office to report this incident and I wouldn’t be surprised if they have a word with you.” The new man took a step toward him. Danny met the movement with one of his own. The handyman was a good six inches taller than Nick. This size difference was quickly noted and he took a step backwards. “Not answering my questions is a poor idea. The people I work for only want some information about the property. They want to find someone who owns or controls the land to start a conversation.” “I have told you all I know.” Nick continued. “You interrupted me and that was rude.”

Danny gave out a small laugh when caused a smirk on the visitor’s face. This time, the red began to grow from his neck. “Let me tell you about the gravity of this situation. If I can’t find out a name of someone for them to visit with, a couple of men might come to visit you. If they do, these guys won’t be polite like me. You see, they like to hurt people and might do something bad to you if they have to. They might even visit your family.” “Are you threatening me?” “You can take what I say anyway you want.” Nick realized he went too far. The Old Men in California would never authorize anything against a family for something as trivial as this scenario. Leo would authorize the use of goons to extract information from Danny he believed. Danny wasn’t going to let this guy get away with threatening his family. In reality, his family now consisted of his wife. His son and daughter were grown and didn’t live anywhere close to their parents. The handyman stepped towards the man with a mean and determined look on his face. “If you try to do anything to my family, I can assure you that action will be something you will regret.” “Maybe I got a little out of line with that comment. I do want to make sure you understand that I work for some very persuasive people. So, let’s figure out a way to calm this down and get a solution.” “I’m listening” “Why don’t you your people like you mentioned and tell them a big real estate developer is interested in talking to them or him about the property. That is all at this point. Nothing else.” “I can do that.” Danny would leave a message for his boss, the man he knew as ‘Lynn Martin.’ He knew the answer but he would do the action. “Great. Here is my cell phone number.” “You do realize I have no control over when they pick up the call. Sometimes it

is immediate and other times several weeks.” “That is fine.” With that, Nick turned and left. He intended to call Leo as soon as he got back to Dallas. He’d request a visit from some California friends to the handyman. Danny did not feel good about how the conversation ended. His wife wanted to visit the kids anyway so he encouraged that. He immediately left a message for his boss.

Chapter 22

Beau was close to full strength and wanted to do something to occupy his time. He ed the request from the former client concerning the El Hadad affair. The Ghost forgot to ask his wife how long ago she requested his s to start surveillance of the building in El Hadad’s hometown. “Mom, how long before you told me about the request for information on the building did you our people to start an investigation?” “I guess about a couple of weeks.” “Why did you wait so long?” “If you will , mister, that was about the time when I was having difficulty getting someone to do their rehab.” “Who?” “Come on, you know who.” “Wasn’t there some kind of a time period listed on the request? Usually, these contracts give some kind of a timeline.” “Nope. There was nothing given. I sought clarification from the contractor and it indicated the request wasn’t exigent. I saw no reason to get you juices all worked up about something that might or might not be important.” “Shouldn’t you let me decide that,” Beau said. He immediately recognized his mouth crossed the line. Mom glared at him. “Where would we be if you made every needed decision? You are right about making the acceptance or rejection of the contracts. Even then you consult with us because of the logistics and . Without us making those ‘minor’ decisions like saving your rear, where would you be? Likewise, what about all the money matters? I can’t the last time you decided

something about them…” “Okay, okay, I get the message. I thought that since rehab was all I was doing you might have asked me.” “Again, when this came up, as I just pointed out, I was having enough of a problem getting you to the basement. I wanted nothing to distract you from getting back to full strength. Look at you now. You have come a long ways and yes it is about time you went to Hawk Mountain for a few days.” “At least we agree on something,” Beau said. “I will get with Mia and see if she has found out anything about the El Hadad building. I need to report something anyway. The potential to make some money without putting your rear on line is appealing.” By the time his wife finished with him, The Ghost ‘snuck’ (that is when you really sneak) to the basement to work out without any prodding.

By the next morning, a dossier sat at his breakfast place. He regretted the day before. Beau hated details and in front of him was more than he wanted to read. The Ghost knew well that he had to read and digest every piece of information before him. The possibility existed his wife would quiz him about the contents of the material. To avoid chastisement, he spent all the time needed to review the dossier. Even though he wouldn’t it it, he actually learned some good stuff. …the building contained about a 1,000 square feet; …it was the only relatively new one in the area; …new construction abutted in to one side but that work halted; …nothing was on the other side and an alley ed behind it; …the security cameras were not tied to a system so Mia couldn’t hack into them;

…the outside cameras never moved so they probably weren’t functional; …security guards manned the building some of the time but a schedule had not been ascertained; …sometimes the guards stayed in the building but at other times they did not; …the only outside visitor to the building was the El Hadad’s senior wife. Her visits were irregular and what she took from it, if anything, was not known; …the visits were brief. From taping her cell phone, she always announced her visits before she came. The notice was usually a short time before the wife arrived; …and since she was forbidden to drive, a local cab company provided transportation.

Mia assessed the same information as her father and some of it triggered her curiosity. The most logical reason for the visits had to do with money. She visited the building to get funds for not only her household but also the other wives. This reasoning tweaked her interest. The family agreed that one El Hadad was left to his family. Mia checked that money and it was still there. Only a small amount was accessed. Maybe the wife was securing some kind of from the building. Mia had an idea and asked her mother to the suggestion on to their s. She wanted to know if they could ascertain not only the outside material of the building but any construction inside it. Under the guise of hunting for a water leak, the s x-rayed through the walls and into the building. They discovered one room which appeared to be solid. That area had to be a vault of some sort. When this information ed to Beau, he now believed the building had a purpose beyond holding family items. A new problem was for him to ascertain what was there. The Ghost ed the information on to the client and its interest intensified.

Mom did not like this idea at all and considered not ing on new material to her husband. She did not want him in harm’s way again. To her surprise, her husband showed no interest or at least didn’t talk about breaching the building. Mom gave credence to the idea The Ghost wasn’t telling her anything and would one day spring a decision to return to the area. So far, she hadn’t gleaned that. Beau hid his interest well from his wife. His level of enthusiasm wasn’t great for a couple of reasons. First, The Ghost wasn’t thrilled about returning to an area he worked before. Second, the part of the world where El Hadad lived was basically the garden spot of the armpit of the earth. It was a desolate and unattractive area. Still, Beau’s curiosity rose. Whether it might boil to action remained to be seen. Without Mom knowing, he communicated to his operatives wanting some more information. He wanted to know if those who worked for El Hadad knew what happened to him. A corollary was who now ran the cartel. He thought the organization kept functioning without skipping a beat. Perhaps the senior wife was smart, resourceful and now drove the organization. It was possible. Beau believed she had enough relatives to continue on without anyone realizing a woman ran things. This whole line of thinking remained fresh in his mind because he now believed Elena ran Rojo’s organization after he disappeared. A senior wife could easily control the younger wives and children by controlling the purse strings. He needed to get Mia to do a search for new bank s after El Hadad disappeared. That answer might be intriguing. Beau needed to check the ages of his sons. If they were old enough, mom might be grooming them to continue the business. All this thinking made sense if money to finance the organization was available and maybe even inside that non-descript building in what looked like a safe. Mom didn’t need to know how The Ghost’s ‘evil’ mind was functioning. His wife would worry and he didn’t want that. Besides, Beau wasn’t sure he wanted to do anything more anyway. Honing his brain with these games and scenarios was what he needed to get his mind off his body. Anyway, physically he was almost back to normal.

Beau or ‘Lynn Martin’ received a message from his handyman, Danny, soon after his visitor left the lakeside house. What he told Nick wasn’t exactly the truth and it wasn’t all false. His boss returned his message as soon as he got it. True, The Ghost was sometimes ‘busy’ with a contract and didn’t always answer him promptly. When ‘Lynn’ wasn’t on a contract he got back quickly. Communication between the two was necessary because of Beau’s desire to visit Hawk’s Mountain from time to time. The message Danny left for his boss this time seemed different and more urgent than what he usually received. Because of that reason, he decided to call his handyman largely because the conversation might save him from torture in the basement for a while. When he told his wife, she glared at him almost with her eyes saying, yeah, I bet there something at the lake that needs taking care of now. Danny picked up after the second ring. “You must be expecting me to call.” “I had a feeling you might want to find out what is going on. It has been a while since I had someone snooping around.” “Fill me in,” Beau said. “This guy shows up one day supposedly working as a helper from the lumberyard in town. That alone seemed strange and he began to snoop around. The next time I went in there, I asked about him and no one knew who I talked about. The driver was in the office and said he thought someone told this guy to help him.” “Did something else happen?” “Yeah, he shows up at the house and says his name is Cecil Stewart. I told you someone was in the house and I got pictures of him. When I checked the camera, guess whose picture shows up?” “Cecil Stewart.” “Bingo.”

“What did he say?” “First, I asked if he saw the no tresing signs and he did but thought they were for hunting only. I told him that wasn’t true and what did he want. This guy had liar written all over his face.” “And?” “He said he had a friend that was looking for property to buy. I couldn’t help him. But I gave him a general description of the land like we agreed on.” “And then he wanted to know who owned the property, right?” “You guessed it. I told him I really didn’t know that my employer was a trust and my pay checks came from it. If I needed to talk to someone, I left a message and I was ed later. I made sure he knew that sometimes the came a lot later.” “What happened then?” “He didn’t believe me. I wasn’t too convincing. Every other time someone quizzed me about the place, my spiel seemed to work. Not this time. There was something different about this guy. There was hardness in his eyes like he handled situations like this before.” “This doesn’t sound good. Was he a big dude?” “No, not really. I got a look at his hands. I noticed they didn’t have callouses so he wasn’t a laborer. His knuckles were misshaped so my guess he had gone a few rounds during his life.” “Was he still persistent?” “Yipe. He threatened me.” “You are kidding?” “Nope. He took a step towards me like he was to hit me. When I stood to meet him, he realized I was about 6 inches taller than him. Then he quickly backed down.”

“That was good.” “If I didn’t cooperate, the guy said his friends might come an visit me and my family.” “You think he was serious?” “Don’t know. There is definitely something I don’t like about him. My wife is now visiting our kids for a while.” “Anything else?” “The conversation did become civilized and he gave me a phone number to call if my boss ever came to the lake.” There was silence for a few seconds as Beau thought. “Danny, get the picture of this guy to me. I will have some friends of mine try and figure out who he is. Also, get more and better cameras up not only at the lake house but also at your place. If something does develop, I want a good record of any visitors.” “I can do that.” “One other thing, be alert and watch your back. I don’t want you hurt when this deal doesn’t really have anything to do with you. I am getting close to coming to Hawk Mountain before long. Be careful, Danny. “I will.” The picture of “Cecil” came almost immediately. Beau sent it on to a friend who might be able to identify the guy.

Chapter 23

A week ed and Danny heard nothing from his boss or his visitor. He thought maybe the situation had played out. Wrong. The handyman worked in a shed at the back of the lake house. He wanted to get the machinery winterized to protect it from the cold but be able to use it if needed. The morning was crisp but not cold by any means. About mid-morning, Danny sensed someone behind him. He took his time and finished what he was doing before he turned around. He hunted for a weapon as he finished but found nothing. Finally, he turned around and acted surprised as two men stood between him and the door. “Hello. You do know that this land is posted.” “What does this posted mean?” one of the men said. The visitors were about the same size as the handyman. They both wore ill fitting and what appeared to be cheap suits. The man spoke with a heavy accent. Danny believed it was a Slavic or Russian dialect. That was a guess. The faces of the men were scarred and each had a broken nose at one time or another. The handyman feared the worst. “Posting means no one is supposed to enter on this land without permission,” he replied. He could tell his words had no impact on the two men. “We don’t need nobody’s permission. We do what we want and you should do what you were told to do,” one said as he moved closer. “What are you talking about?” “You were given a phone number to call with certain information. You did not do as you were told.” “I told Mr. Stewart I had no control over when my boss might call me. When I talk to him, I will convey his message to my boss.”

“You need to get that call as soon as possible. My friend has a very short temper and if things don’t happen the way he wants, someone will pay. Guess who that will be? It’s you,” he added with a laugh. “But you don’t understand, I can’t make anyone call me. I don’t have that power,” Danny added. About that time a crashing fist dropped him like a rock. The handyman never saw it coming. He was out cold as blood spurted from his mouth. He would learn later his jaw was shattered and several surgeries required to reconstruct it. When he awoke, Danny was alone and his arm was wrenched out its socket. It was a struggle to get to his feet and make it to his pickup for the drive to the hospital. He later discovered a note in his pocket: ‘Now that we have you attention, this was a reminder to do what you were told. We can always come back. To not see us anymore, call the number you were given with information about the person who has what our boss wants. I am sure he will be able to help us with anything we need.’

A couple of days later, Danny ed Lynn. This was after a surgery on his jaw and one repairing the tendons and muscles in his shoulder. His wife ed him at the hospital and she had friends retrieve the video of what took place at the lake house. She immediately sent the images to Lynn. When he got Danny’s and then the pictures, The Ghost suddenly appeared. Beau tried to keep his different personas separate. He possessed an explosive temper that seldom manifested itself. When he saw what happened to his friend and employee, he lost it. Several items in his location exploded as he destroyed them. Mom rushed in but kept her distance as she watched her husband. She knew the volcano would soon dissipate and Beau would never hurt her. Mom understood something was bad for him to react this way. The best course of action was let him fume. When he saw his wife, he slowly began to regain control over his actions. Mom finally approached him. “What is going on?”

“Look at this video. It was taken in a shed behind the lake house. Danny was working on some equipment when these two guys showed up.” “Did he send it to you?” “No, his wife did.” “Is he alright?” Mom asked. “I don’t know because I haven’t been able to talk with him. His wife says he will try and call this evening.” “So he is hurt?” “Look at the pictures…of course he is hurt but I just don’t know how bad. the pictures of these guys because I want to know who they are and what scum they work for. The hornet’s nest is stirred and you know what it is like when that happens.” “I know but make sure it is done right.” “Nothing is going to happen until I talk with Danny.”

The initial conversation took place that evening. The handyman could barely talk. His mouth was wired shut to allow his broken jaw to heal. “I need to know what happened. If you can’t talk, then we will communicate via text,” Beau said. Something a little more than a whisper came back. “Let’s give this a try. My jaw is pretty sore but the wires keep me from moving it much.” “What happened?” “I have written out what I ,” the handyman replied. “My wife will read what I wrote.” Mom could see the anger building in her husband as Danny’s wife read the written pages. A couple of times he asked for clarification but mostly he listened.

His facial color changed as he suppressed his anger. “So basically, these two goons sucker punched you when you weren’t looking and messed your arm up why you were out cold?” “Yes.” “They told you if you didn’t get the number to their buddy, Cecil, they would be back to see you again?” “That’s the way I took it.” “When you get out of the hospital and the doctor says you can travel, I want you to disappear. I will provide you with a place, money and protection. From now on, you are only to use a burner phone when we talk. I will provide them. When you are ready to travel, Mom will arrange transportation. OK?” “Yes.” “You are completely out of anything to do with the lake property until further notice. There is no discussion about this Danny.” “I understand.” “Your main job now is to recuperate. I will let you know what you are to do next and when.” “Be careful boss. You sure you don’t want to wait until I am better so I can help you including identifying these goons.” “Believe me, I will take care of this problem clear to its roots. They have no idea what storm is about to descend on them. I need that phone number.” After he received it, the number was handed to Mom for Mia to trace. The phone probably a burner but that was ok. Beau figured they had to use it until the call came. She would keep tabs on it until then. Mom didn’t say a word after the call. She knew all hell was going to break loose on these thugs and her input was not needed.

“You have a plan?” Mom asked. “I have a general idea about what I want to do. The first thing I need to know is who these cowards are. After I find that out, I will formulate a plan. I don’t think this operation will be that difficult. The element of surprise followed by anticipation is an effective weapon,” Beau added with a grin. She started to say something but stopped. He replied anyway to what he believed she was going to say. “Yes, I will be careful as I always am.”

The Ghost was not known to be patient man. When performing a contract, he wanted everything done the way he designed it. Beau planned most items down to a time and place. If something disrupted what he was doing, he took corrective action. This situation, at least initially, The Ghost could not control. He depended on others to provide identities of the three men dealing with Danny. Seeking to identify them was not ing a person and getting action. Most things The Ghost did involved layers of protection for his identities. Once these were penetrated, his sources could act immediately. This procedure was critical because if something unexpected happened, Beau wanted no one to trace anything back to him. And, he waited. Finally, part of the expected information arrived. It was a complete dossier of the two thugs who beat up Danny. They were California based petty crooks. They worked for an Eastern European crime syndicate. The two possessed lengthy rap sheets and served time in prison and then deported. With their strong syndicate ties, they came back to California easily. Beau correctly gauged the men were low level thugs and not a priority for law enforcement. As enforcers, they were mean and obedient. If apprehended, the two would be dealt with. They now faced life in California prisons under the three strikes and out rule. Chances were that would never happen because the syndicate would protect or move them out of the country. These guys were

collateral and the real target was the top syndicate . There was a caveat The Ghost received from his source. The Feds had a long term undercover investigation into the syndicate. Whatever he did, Beau was not to mess up that investigation. He decided wherever his path of vengeance led, he was going to follow. Beau wasn’t concerned with any syndicate investigation if it got in his way. For now, The Ghost wanted to avenge Danny’s injuries. Beau decided to learn more about the syndicate especially the bosses. At this point, he sought information only. The material identified only the employer as being Eastern European. There had to be a connection between the thugs and his property. It was possible they were hired out by the syndicate to third parties. Beau found that hard to believe and thought there was some connection to group itself. Then he ed the guy named Cecil Stewart. So far his source had not forwarded anything on him. This guy must be a key player because he called in these hoods quickly, The Ghost thought. I can’t go any further until I find out his identity and how is he connected to my property? So, he waited. Finally, the information he needed arrived. Starting to review it, Beau began to understand why it took longer to compile than the other request. As he thought, Cecil Stewart was an alias for a man named Nick Anton, a real estate broker/investor/entrepreneur from Dallas. The dossier Mom printed for her husband was several inches thick. Almost all was informational items of the firm he belonged to. It appeared successful and well known in the Dallas area. Surprisingly, the firm developed a reputation as a model citizen ing various clauses. This doesn’t make any sense? Beau thought. Why would a supposedly model real estate firm use California thugs to beat up a handyman on someone else’s property? That question bothered The Ghost. There has to be more, he thought

As he reviewed the last page, a notation caught his attention. “More information to follow.” “Hmm,” he muttered. The Ghost was back to waiting but at least now he had information to ponder.

The next day, Mom received the rest of the file and it was enlightening. Nick Anton came from Chicago and graduated from Southern Illinois University. Nothing out of the ordinary about that. His partners seemed to have legitimate backgrounds as well. A deeper examination of Mr. Anton’s lineage showed that his real name was Nicholas Stavinski. His name was legally changed when he was twelve years old. There was several juvenile run ins with the law but nothing permanent in his records. After the name change, no criminal activities appeared. It seems Nick was clean. Beau sneered to himself and continued to read. His family was involved in numerous criminal activities but the youngster was not. The Ghost began to piece together an interesting scenario. The syndicate spotted Nick early for his potential as a legitimate business man who could serve them outside their criminal structure. I bet all the partners in the firm come from similar backgrounds and the mob groomed them for a legitimate use. The new material verified these thoughts. Beau already guessed this was the case. He wouldn’t ask for verification of what he believed. The real estate firm in Dallas was successful because the syndicate wanted it to be. The profits not only laundered money for the mob but he bet substantial amounts of legitimate funds returned to the mob in various parts of the country. He guessed most went to California. Beau quickly deduced that the real estate firm was under constant pressure for money. That could be the reason his lake land came into play. The young mob surrogates were continually being pressured to do more. His land was prime real estate. A variety of potential uses might come from it. The reason for the current exigency resulted from the constant pressure to do and produce more.

He ed something else he read in the file. One of the newspaper clipping reported that one of the partners, Leo Peters, left the company for a new opportunity in California. There had to be a reason for the move. The background of Leo, if he ed right, was on the West Coast. If The Ghost’s thinking was correct, this move opened up all kinds possibilities. Hopefully, Beau’s request for information on the California mob could shed more light on what was happening. The time approached for The Ghost to go to the lake with a special invitation for some company.

Chapter 24

Beau’s initial plan was to lure Stewart and his thugs onto Hawk Mountain and remedy the situation there. He decided to wait a day before calling the phone number Danny gave him. That ‘cooling off’ period caused him to rethink the matter. The Ghost thought through all scenarios and gauged which one was advantageous to his success. He concluded drawing people to Hawk Mountain was not a smart move. Doing so ran the risk of something going wrong and drawing attention to himself or Danny. Beau decided he needed to divorce anything he did from his land and the lake area. Luring Stewart and his goons to another place he knew was the smart choice. He wanted to make sure backup was available because of what he planned to do. Beau ed Mort to him immediately at the lake. Beau texted Cecil Stewart when he and Mort were in place. His excuse for texting centered on his inability to talk because of his broken jaw. The message was simple: Danny’s would be at the lake house for only one day, the next one. His name was Lynn Martin and the text named the local motel where he stayed. Beau figured because of the short time, Cecil could not bring in the goons to help him. The Ghost’s appearance would be altered so no facial identity program could identify him. If Beau figured it right, as soon as he left for the lake house, Stewart would break into his room looking for information about its occupant. Mort observed the room to if the plan worked or not. Beau figured the information he planted might satisfy the interloper and he move on to the location given. If not, Mort could follow him if he decided to go to the lake house. Without the two goons to back him up, The Ghost was confident Cecil Stewart wouldn’t confront him. There was a vast difference in dealing with a handyman and a potentially moneyed landowner. Mort notified Beau as soon as he knew Stewart was not heading to the lake. They met up at the local airport to use the charter service mom arranged. The destination: Las Vegas.

The desert city was Mort’s choice but The Ghost had used it before. The information found in the motel room identified a specific location. Both men considered it a safe house and Mort and his sister, Minnie, used it from time to time. The residence was secluded with no houses close by. It also was walled for extra protection. Its security system was top notch. Their charter reached Vegas long before Stewart or his goons could possibly get there. Mia arranged for possible flights from the Midwest carrying Stewart be screened as well as any from California that might carry the goons. Beau and Mort prepared for a couple of scenarios. They figured at least two days were needed for the others to get to Vegas. If Mia’s tracking spotted any of them, she might be able to trace them to a particular location. Once they devised a plan, started to the house, Mort and The Ghost would be ready. All three men might come or just the goons. Beau wasn’t sure what might happen. He saw advantages for both plans. Mia spotted all three men as they arrived. They did not go to a hotel or motel but disappeared into a residential area. Mia could not trace them there. She was able to identify the makes of the vehicles they drove. With the help of a local drone company, Mia found the house where the cars were parked. The goons left the next day and returned with a windowless van. The Ghost believed the planning was complete. They should expect visitors that night. The hosts were ready.

About midnight, the van left the house and headed toward the safe house. Something unexpected took place a couple of hours before that. Stewart’s rental car left and headed toward McCarron Airport. Mia quickly checked flights to Dallas and found Stewart was on one of the flights to the Metroplex. The dirty work was left to the two goons. Nick Anton decided to distance himself from what would take place in Vegas. Beau saw what was supposed to happen as a last ditch effort to find out who owned the land and to purchase it. The California mob must be leaning on their Texas connections to produce or move on. If Lynn Martin did not agree to sell, maybe his heirs or business partners and/or successors might.

Chapter 25

Sunrise was still a two hours away in Dallas, Texas, a couple of days later. Nick Anton wondered how the operation went in Las Vegas. He was a little antsy but not overly concerned. His men were to take their time in dealing with Lynn Martin. His instructions told them to be in no hurry. If things didn’t look right, wait a day or two until they did. Also, the goons should take their time with the victim because his information was critical. Getting in a hurry and blowing the interrogation was not an option. He stressed patience to them several times. Nick got a cup of coffee from the kitchen and headed to his study. He figured he’d hear something before long. A small package lay on his desk. That was not there the evening before. A computer thumb drive lay on top of a note in the middle of his desk. “The note said: play me ASAP.” With his curiosity racing, he slipped it into his computer. The disc was the video of a local news story from Las Vegas.

A picture of a smoldering vehicle filled the screen. “What you see is the remains of a van found burning in the desert about 20 miles from Las Vegas. Police received an anonymous call pinpointing the location of the vehicle. By the time they arrived, nothing was left but what you see. The anonymous call said two men were in the van. The only evidence of the bodies was piles of ashes. The medical examiner states if identification is possible it will come from dental records. The station also received an anonymous call stating the burning van was a hit and the two victims were from California in the area on mob business.”

Nick Anton slumped into his chair. His complexion pale as a ghost. He noticed another note with the thumb drive. “Look in your top drawer inside the paper bag.”

He cautiously saw the small package. Nick slowly pulled it out and opened it. There was a sandwich bag with two bloody fingers in it. Nick immediately threw up and continued to heave for several minutes. What had he gotten himself into? Another message was below the bag. “You know who these belong to. I will be coming after others including you. Always know who you are messing with. You lose.” Nick did not want to but he should Leo in California and tell him what happened. If nothing else, someone needed to identify the fingers as coming from the two California hit men.

Before the fingers were deposited in the desk, The Ghost secured the list of phone numbers Nick kept. He was especially interested in the California ones. With burner phones, even this list might not provide all the information Beau needed. They were relayed to Mia who would monitor any calls Nick made. The purpose was to not ascertain the content but numbers to whom the calls were made. All the information would be gleaned and other parties identified. She searched for any information on the web concerning the two California visitors and wiped it clean. This included airline reservations, and rental car/van records. All cameras that might follow the van were accessed and erased. The local authorities faced a now almost impossible task to identify the thugs. Even with dental records, unless someone came forward with possibilities they would never be identified. The California bosses would not cooperate. Besides, the Vegas authorities wouldn’t look very hard. Mia made a surprising discovery as she began to trace the destination of the calls. There were wiretaps on many of the phones. Someone was actively listening in to some of the numbers. She went no further because she had no desire to run afoul of any legal taps. Identifying where a call went was much different than actually listening in on conversations. Her relationship with the government was too important to risk hearing people haphazardly. That could be reserved for another time if needed. Beau informed his daughter when he believed the fingers would be discovered.

He was right. Nick placed a call to California. It only lasted for a few seconds. Within a minute, a call from a burner phone rang his number. Mia now had a burner phone to trace in addition to the first number. Within minutes she isolated the location of the second. The information was forwarded to Minnie who began a loose stake out of the phone’s location. The first number Nick called was to Leo Peters. The burner phone’s location was also at Leo Peters’ home. That was what the Ghost wanted to know.

Leo Peters accomplished much since he was called to California to become a member of the oversight committee. Only two people knew this scenario was in play for years. The Old Men in charge of operations of the mob were not aware of what would take place. For years as one died he was replaced by another loyal member. These replacements were also old. Several years before, that procedure ceased. There was one constant during these times and that was Anatoly Petrosky. His power reached such a point that no one in the organization dared challenge him. A few bodies verified his authority. His problem was his age and physical condition. He was overweight and a heavy smoker. Anatoly developed type 2 diabetes and COPD. He finally decided it was time to activate his succession plan. That was where Leo Peters came into the line and returned to California. Most of the organization on the ‘left’ coast knew of him and the success his group achieved in Dallas. What they didn’t know was his real name was Leonid Petrosky. At a young age his parents at the insistence of Anatoly changed his name to Leo Peters. All the records of Leo’s life reflected his new name. His grandfather groomed him early in what would happen as he grew into manhood. No one else was aware of this including his partners in Dallas. His academic experience as an ant was impeccable as was his work life before moving to the Metroplex to establish a real estate business. Leo knew the other side of his life and in the shadows of legitimate business fostered the knowledge of a dark available if needed. The Dallas group used that shady background successfully until ‘schooled’ by BBB. He held other secrets from both his partners in Dallas and the California ‘Old Men’ including his grandfather. His extensive technological background helped

him devise a system of transferring laundered mob money and returning it as legitimate income. Leo developed a way to ‘skim’ money for his own benefit. This fund became substantial over the years and no one including his grandfather had any idea it happened. Since Leo devised the system for the California operation, he manipulated it so he could not be caught. At least that was what he thought. Overconfidence in schemes sidetracked many individuals over the years. Leo was very confident in his own skills.

Leo wasn’t happy when he received the call from Nick. That initial was dangerous but that was developed protocol for an emergency. Using burner phones should protect their anonymity. Nick arranged for the fingers to be sent by courier overnight. Leo had no doubt they belonged to the two goons sent to aid the Dallas crew. He believed their doom had nothing to do with the original mission but they ran afoul of someone in Vegas. These guys were idiots who probably should have been ‘whacked’ long ago. He did not see any of this as endangering his position in California. Leo, for all practical purposes now ran the whole operation. Anotoly’s health was bad. The old man made it clear that Leo was now in charge and would be after his death. When he could, Anotoly appeared with his grandson (which no one knew he was related to) to reinforce his . A few internal ‘hits’ on those who questioned this succession further strengthened Leo’s position. He was no idiot and Leo developed his own cadre of loyalists who carried out his directions without question. The lake proposition enticed him. He figured something special must be there for a couple of reasons. First was Nick’s inability to ‘crack’ the ownership riddle even with the bashing of the groundkeeper. Second, why all the secrecy about the land? Nick was no novice and except for BBB was successful. An unanswered question which he doubted was germane asked if the mob’s enforcers’ deaths had anything to do with the lake property. Leo decided he would have a shot at identifying who owned the lake property and once he knew that, persuading them to sell.

Chapter 26

The Ghost’s plan to deal the two intruders was simple. First, the thugs had no idea they were set up from the very beginning. Second, each step as they approached the house where Beau and Mort waited funneled them to a specific place in the structure. Once in that room, the take down was easy. Everything they needed was brought in by The Ghost. The residence was picked because of its generic neighborhood. They called it a safe house but in reality its owners never knew it was used. Its isolation prevented home security cameras from recording anything. Mia scrubbed any reference to the van or an accompanying car. The owners of the house returned home without knowing anyone was there. The patio door easily opened and the goons stepped into a den. When they did, a Taser hit each one and they dropped to the floor. A simple injection behind an ear insured they would never see consciousness again. The men were placed into the van. A stop where the goons left their car and the two vehicles made their way into the desert. There a preselected trail led them several miles off the road. Accelerant was placed all over the inside of the van with strategic ignitors as well. The vehicle and its contents burned to the ground. From a rise some distance away, The Ghost ignited the van. It exploded into an inferno. Beau knew the car left tracks resuming its travel on a paved highway. He abandoned the vehicle in a bad part of Las Vegas with the keys in the ignition. A call was made to a specific number. Within thirty minutes, the car was picked up, stripped and crushed.

The action made The Ghost a cold blooded killer. He thought about this fact before when he killed. This was one part of his job he did not like. Beau justified such an action as necessary. In this situation he felt no remorse. These people crossed the line and brutally beat up Danny Whetstone. Their action demanded retaliation. From a psychological point of view, Beau believed every individual probably had such a feeling but it never reached a point where it became overt. In his case, the action surfaced a few times. In each situation, something

despicable occurred which demanded he act. He felt this case was his last. Beau needed to get out soon. He did not want the urge or rage to kill again.

He gave specific instructions to Mom and Mia. The family believed they protected their lives by multiple layers of protection. Now, Beau believed, the ownership of the lake property might lead to his family. He needed to finish dealing with a certain Dallas firm. His attention turned to Leo Peters and Nick Anton. Beau discovered that Leo was the more dangerous and Mia should spend the necessary time unlocking his world. When she told her father about the discovery of a tap on certain phones, The Ghost told her to begin caching away questionable information for later use.

The calls between Leo and Nick soon became infrequent. Leo’s calls went all over the country. Mia believed and so did her father, Leo was searching for ways to unlock the mystery of the lake property. The Ghost’s daughter saw no indication that the private workings of the family were in danger. Mia did see some general probing but her security remained tight. One series of calls did interest her. These went to numbers in Kansas City. With a little exploration, Mia traced them to individuals tied to organized crime. Everything seemed to stop with word from California that Anatoly Petrosky died. The news of his death was not unexpected but a period mourning and respect was observed. Rumors abounded that Leo made personnel moves after his grandfather’s death. These were delayed in deference to the old man. Leo now fully controlled the organization. Most communication between Leo and everyone else deceased during this time. One set of calls that continued was the Kansas City s.

The Ghost went to Hawk Mountain. Beau wanted for some time to go there. He needed to think some things over

plus the drill in Las Vegas aggravated his still healing shoulder. The time alone allowed him to finish rehabbing his injury and to recharge his mental batteries. Not having Danny in place was a nuisance. He thought about bringing him back but after visiting with him and knowing his injuries, The Ghost knew it was too early. Beau concluded he could do everything for himself. He usually came in on charter and picked his car to take him to the lake. Beau didn’t do that this time for a variety of reasons including Danny’s absence. Instead, he flew into Springfield and rented a car. He stopped and loaded up on supplies before going to the lake. He assumed everything still worked in his hideaway on the mountain even though it was turned off for a while. He felt better and more at ease as The Ghost approached the lake house. Beau locked the gate behind him and pulled into a secure garage. There he found his ATV, loaded his goodies into the vehicle and headed in a general direction of his cabin. Without Danny working the trails, his ATV left some pretty good tracks. As always, he parked a good distance away from his destination and made several trips to get everything to the cabin. To his relief, everything worked and his comfort guaranteed. Danny did well and cameras he installed covered every angle from the entrance to the property, to the lake house and finally all approaches to Hawk Mountain. Beau left certain items secured in the Hawk Mountain building including a special rifle, knives, and computers. All were safe. After a few days, Mia informed her father of the death of Anatoly Petrosky. The timing was good and it provided a respite from ‘prying eyes’ if there were indeed those still around. Beau used the well. He ate lots of protein, worked out for hours and rested a lot. Nothing bothered him for a couple of weeks. That changed.

“I detected increased activity between Leo and a number in Kansas City. It was a regular cell phone but communication went pretty much dark after old man

Petrosky died. I saw a couple of calls in the interim but the volume is increasing. The significance is another KC number that received calls from the first one is originating from your area. This may be nothing but I thought you should know.” The information was extremely important to Beau. As he thought about it, he may have screwed up royally by not covering his trail to Hawk Mountain.

Chapter 27

The Ghost continued his routine but tried to be vigilant. The location of the cabin and the trail cameras made any approach almost impossible without detection. One thing he worked on was his competency with a rifle. With no one or nothing around, he set up targets at various distances to hone his marksmanship. He spent enough time on Hawk’s Mountain to feel refreshed. On several occasions, Beau eased down the mountain on foot to build up his endurance and to make sure nothing was amiss. Everything was fine but added a few nonscientific gimmicks for security. This was not because the installed cameras were deficient but he still liked the ‘human’ touch to double check the electronic measures. Beau wanted to accomplish a couple more things before he left. One reason to return to society was a series of bad weather systems forecast to blanket the area in snow. Before he left, Beau needed to winterize the cabin. That procedure shouldn’t take more than a couple of hours. Beau decided to take one more round of target practice. The paper silhouettes were still up at the various distances. The day was raw. As he began to set up, he heard a strange noise coming from the direction of the lake house. When shooting, he carried his binoculars with him to help sight in on his targets. To steady himself, he braced against a tree close to his shooting spot. He searched down the hill for what seemed like several minutes before he spotted anything. When Beau did, he shrank behind the tree. The noise came from a drone. The Ghost became both alarmed and mad. All these years as a contractor, he made it a priority to never be identified. His appearance was always disguised in some way to prevent anyone from getting a true picture of his face. If the drone got close enough it might change all his safety procedures. His anger began to rise. The appearance of the machine probably meant Leo or

Nick had not given up on trying to identify the owner of the lake property. The Ghost hoped the elimination of the west coast goons stopped any investigation into its ownership. He believed the message was not lost on Nick. Continued attempts were sanctioned by the new boss. This had to be the reason for the calls to Kansas City. Surveillance duties ed to someone locally since Kansas City was closer to the lake than California. His Ghost persona took over and he reacted to the appearance of the drone. He found a good firing position where his arm was ed by a low hanging limb. He allowed the machine to slowly advance up the mountain until it was close. Beau took one shot and the machine crashed to the ground. Whoever flew the drone had no idea what or who brought it down. The flyer knew the possibility of it being shot down so he couldn’t risk going onto the land to retrieve it. The Ghost slowly approached the dead instrument. He didn’t know much about this type of technology. He assumed it could carry enough explosives to cause damage. Beau covered his face as he neared it in case the camera still worked. The drone was smashed. What was left after the round crashed into it was destroyed further as it hit the ground. There was a camera so his suspicion of it taking pictures on the property was correct. He found what he thought was a memory card and put it into his pocket. Beau gathered up the remains and got them back to the cabin. He tried to reconstruct it and sent a picture to Mia. In a few minutes she ed her father. “That is a pretty sophisticated drone. Someone paid a lot of money for it. I will give you more information when I can.” “I found what I believe is a memory card. What should I do with it? Is there a way I can get it to you? “If the card is not to beat up, you should be able to it to the new computer I bought you. Then you can send it to me.” With that, Mia walked her father through what to do and it worked. Then Beau sent it to his daughter and waited. In the meantime, he began the process of

winterizing the cabin. After a while, he made a cup of coffee and sat down to think. He concluded to not be in such a hurry to leave. Beau needed to make sure there not any other potential problems he needed to clean up before he left. Some time ed before Mia got back to her father. “Yes, someone was taking pictures of the property. They were thorough as if looking for something.” “I think whoever did this was looking for me,” Beau said. “Do you think they are still trying to figure out who owns the land?” Mia asked. “That would be my guess.” “They don’t give up easy.” “I am not sure these guys have connected the dots yet,” Beau said. Mia continued: “There was something else I gleaned from the card. It’s a picture of someone. My guess whoever ran the drone wasn’t an expert. Before launching, he held the camera toward himself and accidently took a picture of his face.” The Ghost’s heart beat a little faster as he asked, “Were you able to identify the person from the picture?” “Of course I did. His name is Nat Rochelle. Nat is a young guy in his midtwenties. He has a record of some minor stuff. My guess is he has some electronic skills because of his training from a trade school.” “Is he from Kansas City?” “Yes.” “Mr. Rochelle is probably some low level hood whose bosses sent him down here to try and identity me. He has no idea what is involved and is doing what he was told.” “I bet you are right. My guess is the phone new number is Nat Rochelle’s and the old KC number is his bosses,” Mia stated.

“See if you can pinpoint a location down here where the phone might be located. He is staying at some cheap motel or I think so.” “I will see what I can find. You so staying there or going to do something else? Someone you know will ask me that question.” “I don’t think I will be here much longer. The more I think about it, I should tie up some loose ends. That being said, my stay is short.”

The rest of the day, The Ghost pumped pure adrenalin. There were times in his life when this was needed. That was not the case right now. He decided to do a couple of things besides winterizing the property. The delay might put him in danger of the path of a strong winter storm. Beau decided he needed one more ‘adventure’ at the lake. The Ghost dressed warmly and in all black as he descended from Hawk Mountain toward the lake. He decided to take some night goggles with him because clouds obscured the moon. Everything was quiet and no heat from bodies appeared. Beau double checked all the doors and windows at the lake house and nothing disturbed his homemade indicators. His intuition began to run wild as he approached the building where the car was. He removed his glove and felt the key slot on the building’s main lock. There were minute scratch marks on it. Only his educated fingers detected them. Beau searched for the small pieces of tape he placed on the door. They were either gone or no longer in place. He slowly opened the door and stepped in. The Ghost believed two possibilities existed for the entry into the building. Both centered on the rental car. One involved placing a bomb in or under the vehicle. He seriously doubted this scenario. The placing of some sort of tracking devise on or in the car was more logical. The problem was finding it. Beau slipped on the light he wore on his head. Whoever invented this gadget was a genius. He locked the vehicle before he went up to Hawk Mountain. Someone could unlock and place a devise inside but he doubted it. The more logical places were somewhere on the frame or in the motor well. That second was the easiest to search so that was where he started. Looking for a tracking device was like looking for a needle in a haystack. Beau found nothing meaning

he had to get under the car by lying on the cold concrete. Time was not a factor so hurrying was not necessary. He found an old blanket that Danny probably used as some kind of a drop cloth. That might cut some of the coldness. The clearance was barely enough for The Ghost to slip under the frame. This time luck was on his side. After just a couple of minutes of tracing the edges of the car frame, he felt something. He slowly worked his fingers around it and pulled it from the metal. Beau didn’t know for sure but believed what he found was a tracking device. As he began to pull himself from underneath the car, The Ghost stopped. The first thought entering his mind was to smash the bug. The thought stayed there for a few seconds but he dismissed it. Beau took pictures of it from several angles and sent what he had to Mia. He slowly replaced the device and pulled himself out. Beau had a more useful idea for the bug. With some excitement, he relocked the building and made his way back up to his cabin on Hawk Mountain. The heat felt good. He checked the weather forecast for the next day. Snow should start in early evening. Everything was falling into place ing what he wanted to do. Mia ed her father and confirmed the tracking device. The bug wasn’t overly sophisticated. Beau told his daughter what his plan for the next day was and for her to tell Mom. He also instructed her of when and how the next would be made. “Are you going to destroy the bug?” “Nope, I am going to use it to my advantage. After it has served its usefulness, I will smash it.” “Don’t put yourself in harm’s way.” “I won’t. What I will do tomorrow is nothing compared to the dangers I have faced before.” Beau gave out a small laugh. “If things go right, I have a feeling a whole lot of angst will be stirred up. At least that is what I hope.”

The Ghost finished winterizing the cabin. He put his weapons and computer into a state of art and massive safe. A couple of trips down the mountain and what he wanted to take with him were stowed into the rental car. Beau wore gloves when he worked now to avoid leaving any possible DNA or other evidence. One item he did take was a special knife in case he needed to defend himself. He added something else to his kit. This was a toy pistol which he purchased some time ago. Beau took a nap, ate a snack and waited for darkness to come. Mia identified where Nat Rochelle’s phone was. Several motels occupied the area and she told her dad she would need more time to narrow down which motel. Beau told his daughter the exact location probably didn’t matter any more if his plan worked. A couple of hours before The Ghost came down the mountain, snow began to fall. While accumulating on the grass, the rate of the snow was not bad. Wind started to blow and that was good. Beau pulled the car from the building, placed the ATV in it and relocked it. As he existed the property, Mia texted her father and told him Nat’s phone moved. His plan began to play out. As if on cue, the snowfall increased and visibility decreased significantly. The Ghost parked his car in a large dimly lit lot serving several businesses in a strip center. He picked the area on purpose because Nat had to park in a remote place to surveille the rental car. The snow continued and began to accumulate. Beau wore a combination of black and white camo. He covered his face and hands then slipped into a concealed place and waited for his prey. Nat’s car pulled into place exactly where The Ghost believed it would. Beau waited a few minutes and the snow shrouded his movements until he stood next to Nat’s driver side window. He tapped with a black revolver on the window. A startled Nat turned and looked directly into the barrel of the revolver. “Unless you want your head blown off, unlock this door?” “Wait,” the visibly scared man said.

“No waiting. You won’t get hurt if you do what I tell you.” “I’ll give you everything I have but please don’t shoot me,” Nat almost begged as he looked at the pistol. “Unlock the door and scoot over against the other one. Before you do, with your index finger and thumb take your weapon and put in on the dashboard in front of the steering wheel. You are a young man with a lot of living left to do. I would hate to leave your brains on this nice white parking lot.” By this time, Nat was shaking but he did as ordered. The Ghost quickly replaced him behind the steering wheel and recovered his weapon, “Hold out your hands.” The youngster did and plastic cuffs were in place within a second. Then Beau emptied the pistol and hurled the bullets into the snow covered parking lot. “Do you have any other weapons such as knives on you?” “Yes sir, I have a pocketknife.” “I would say that is useless to you.” “Yes sir.” “Listen to me for a minute. I have no desire to hurt you. Your name is Nat Rochelle. You work for individuals in Kansas City. They sent you down here at the request of people from California. I doubt you know that. Your job was to see if someone came to certain lake properties. If they did, if possible you should try and get information from them or him. Right?” “Yes.” “As part of your plan, you broke into a building behind the lake house and planted a tracking bug on the car. Right?” ‘Yes.” “You also launched a drone to map the property hoping to find where the person

from the car was. I give you credit that was a good idea until someone decided to use the drone as target practice. What I am saying is correct?” “Yes sir.” Beau was recording the conversation with Nat in case he needed it later as evidence against someone. The youngster itted everything. “Do you know who wanted your bosses to send you down here?” “No sir.” “Are you sure, Nat? I would hate to come back at some point in the future and punish you for lying.” “I am not lying. I am doing what I was instructed to do. No name was provided. All I was told to do was just like you outlined.” “Ok. Just what I said. Where is your phone?” “In my coat pocket.” “Can you reach it?” “No sir.” With that, Beau pulled his knife and pressed it against his throat. “Don’t move or my hand might slip.” Nat was quiet as a church mouse and not a muscle moved. “Well, done, Nat.” The Ghost took the phone and checked the number. It matched the one involved with calls from Kansas City. That was what he wanted. He dialed the phone. Several rings before someone answered. “Hello.”

“Is this Leonid Petrosky?” “Who?” “You heard me the first time.” “No.” “If I say Leo Peters, do you recognize that name?” “Who are you? I am going to hang up.” “No, you are not. The phone I am using is from am employee of your buddies in Kansas City. Do I have you attention now?” “I will give you a minute.” “You will give me as long as I want. After you received my gift to Nick, I thought you were smart enough to give up trying to identify who owned the lake property. Instead, the Kansas City crew sent a youngster to do a man’s job.” “Are you still there, Leo?” “I’m listening.” “Who they sent is a fine young man. He has no idea what is going on. The problem was not him. It was with the morons you convinced to try and do what you idiots cannot do. Bottom line is that makes you inept, Leo.” “One more time, who are you?” Beau could tell by the change in Leo’s voice he was getting mad. That is exactly what he wanted. “I’ll get to that. Let’s just say for right now, I am an employee of the people owning the property. My job it to protect their interests. Understand that Leo?” Silence. “Don’t hang up.”

“I’m not.” “You couldn’t work your way up through the mob so you rode on grandpa’s coat tails. Not very impressive, Leo? “Who are you?” The Ghost could feel the timber of his listener’s voice rise. “If the two goons you sent to beat up an innocent caretaker is any indication, you are also a coward. I decided to spare Nick his fingers but I don’t know about you since you cannot take a hint.” “Why don’t you came and try.” “I may. I haven’t really decided what I am going to do with a punk like you.” “I am going to find you, kill you and then take that land.” “Uh, such tough talk from grandpa’s little boy.” “You will find out how tough I am you nameless prick.” “Well, Leo, you see countries, dictators, cartels and real bad guys tried to do that for years. Guess what? I am still walking around and healthy as can be.” “I’ll get you bastard.” “Bad words coming from the little man. By the way, if anything happens to the young man whose phone I am using, I will personally revenge him. That includes your buddies in Kansas City and then I will visit California.” “Who are you?” “Oh, I forgot to tell you. They call me The Ghost.” With that, he hung up and placed the phone back into Nat’s pocket. He removed the firing pin from the youngster’s pistol and placed it back on the dashboard. “I meant what I said Nat. You are not who I am after. You did what you could with no idea of who you were up against. If you give me your word and I trust

you, I will let you go. If you double cross me, you will die right here. Understand?” “Yes, sir.” With that, he cut the plastic cuffs. “I meant what I said to the guy on the phone, if someone hurts you, believe me I am going to hurt them. You can tell that to anyone who tries. I will find out and I always keep my word.” “I understand,” and for the first time a hint of a smile wrinkled the corners of his mouth. “Nat, you are a smart man and apparently have some skills. Perhaps it is time you found a new line of work.” The Ghost handed him the tracking device, opened the car door and disappeared into the snow.

Chapter 28

Beau and his wife sat around their kitchen table drinking coffee. “I can understand if someone from my past decided to come after me. I can handle that situation. What is happening now baffles me. Not one of us has done anything to these guys. They chose us because of our land,” he added. “My guess what they are trying to do is modus operandi for this Dallas bunch. I am doing some research and odds are they have done this before. Several years ago, the firm acquired some prime land from the estate of a businessman named Angus McCormick. Angus died in an automobile accident. The newspapers said a tire blew out and he died in the accident caused by the resulting crash,” Mom said. “Nothing unusual about that,” Beau answered. “There is more.” “I bet there is.” She continued. “There was a piece of land McCormick needed to expand his business but he neglected to buy it for years. Then the state announced an expansion of its transportation system and suddenly the land became prime property. The owner offered the land at public auction. As you can imagine a significant list of bidders signed up and qualified for the sale. Strangely, all but two of the bidders withdrew.” “Let me guess, the two left were McCormick plus Leo and Nick’s real estate firm. McCormick outbid the group and won the property.” “Shortly thereafter,” The Ghost stated, “Mr. McCormick is killed in that car wreck. My bet is his car was new and so were the tires.” “Bingo,” Mom said. “What else?” he asked.

“Your buddies bought the land from McCormick’s widow for a $100,000 less than what he paid for it.” “How did you find all this out?” “Most of it came from newspapers s or from public land records at the courthouse. I it a couple of blanks were filled by me.” “This whole thing is pretty much circumstantial,” The Ghost added. “All these facts attracted your attention.” “I am not done.” “Really? “Several names appeared in the newspaper stories of people who worked for Angus. I called a couple and told them I might write an article about McCormick and what happened to his empire after his death. Each gave me the name of his istrative assistant, a Miss Evelyn Roebuck, and even how to get in touch with her. She is a delightful person and loved to talk about Angus. Evelyn is elderly and according someone working where she lives has days when she re everything in detail and others when her name eludes here.” “You got her on a good day?” “Did I ever,” his wife replied. “Don’t hold me in suspense…” “I asked if anyone ed or visited Angus McCormick after he bought the land at auction. She told me about one rude young man insisting on seeing her boss. While she couldn’t make out all the conversation, Evelyn heard it get quite loud. The visitor left in a hurry with a frown on his face. Angus followed him out, smiled and whispered the visitor wouldn’t be coming back.” “Did she his name?” “Not immediately but I suggested several. When I mentioned Leo Peters, she knew him. When the real estate firm took over, she retired.”

“So, all this indicates our friends might have gone after others as well. I bet McCormick wasn’t the last one.” “I am saving the best for last. Evelyn in a matter of fact manner told me I wasn’t the first to talk to her about what happened.” “Oh?” “Some nicely dressed young men with badges came to see her two times. They seemed interested in what transpired with the land and McCormick’s death. Evelyn gave them all her daybooks she kept around this time.” “Hello. Something Mia said a while back is beginning to make sense now. She discovered someone was tapping the phone lines of Leo and crew. I am glad Mia immediately backed away from this action and stayed on where the calls went and not the content of the calls themselves. That could be a major problem.” “What does all this mean?” Mom asked. “My guess this is an ongoing criminal investigation. These things might last for a long time. We need to stay as far away from this as we can. We need to be viewed as a victim only and not part of a conspiracy.” “You need to be careful.” “I am not doing anything that will draw attention. Nothing ties us into anything except as a potential investment.” “What do we do?” “I had Mia center in on the burner phone Leo had when I called. It is now dead. My guess the Feds didn’t know about it or couldn’t trace it so I think my conversation is long gone. Or, I hope it is. I don’t need my Ghost persona out there.” “You got that right but that also limits our keeping tabs on Leo.” “Not really,” Beau replied. “I had Mia investigate the burner phone company and identify others out there

sequenced to the one Leo had. There were several and calls went to numbers across the country. In most cases, the call back came from another burner.” “Smart,” Mom said. “Yes. I am pretty sure Leo is not pleased with me and is seeking help to find out who I am,” Beau added. “Mia is making a record of all of this isn’t she?” “Yes and at some point there might be a ‘gift’ of these records to the Feds.” “Beau, there is no way that our shell companies will not sooner or later be cracked. We need to figure out what we want to do with the lake property. I know how much you like Hawk’s Mountain but it may have to go to protect ourselves.” “I know,” he answered back. “We need to begin that process immediately. This isn’t going to happen overnight. As part of the deal to rid ourselves of it, maybe we can find something that might be included in a trade.” “I looked forward to retiring in the lake house but there are plenty of other places that might work.” Beau hugged his wife and kissed her on the forehead. “I will begin the process.” They both sat and finished their coffee. Beau got up and refilled his. Mom then ed something and said, “before I forget it, I have the information Minnie accumulated in California. She details the location of the mob headquarters and Leo’s house. The headquarters is, as you may imagine, in a rough part of town. It’s located in an old bathhouse plus a hookah and coffee house in the same building.” “That is stereotyping a group,” Beau said. “Exactly what I thought. She detailed the whole area. As usual, she did a great job. There is one more thing, she and Mort are retiring.”

“I know. Mort mentioned it.” “Any idea where?” “Nope. We both agreed I didn’t need to know,” The Ghost replied. “What if you need them?” “There is a way and only I know it.” “That is the way it should be.”

Chapter 29

The old man scuffled slowly down the uneven sidewalk. He used his scarred cane to feel the concrete since his eyesight wasn’t the best. His clothes were worn but clean and shoes were loose but polished. A sweat stained ball cap sat over his white hair with strands unevenly peeking from underneath it. He shaved a few days ago so shabby stubble appeared. The oldster wasn’t a large man but average. His pants did not fit his very well but his cinched belt kept them tight When asked his name, he replied ‘Bert.’ No one bothered to find out his last name. In this part of town most people either didn’t want to know or didn’t care. Everyone kept to themselves because the population was transient. Sirens punctuated the streets both day and nights. There was a police presence but mainly to referee the fights and haul the drunks off to jail. Bert picked to live here because it was cheap. His apartment was a small two room flat facing the street. Directly across the street were a bathhouse and the supposed headquarters of the local mob. He figured the location was as safe a place as any to live. The flat seemed clean and the rent was modest. The neighbors were used to seeing Bert about. He walked the couple of blocks to the local library branch. Bert learned to use the computer and sometimes spent an hour or so on one. The librarians assumed he looked up special things because he probably did not know anyone to email or Facebook with. He loved westerns and mysteries so he often checked out a couple and carried back in a bag over his shoulder. A common sight pictured Bert sitting in front of his apartment window reading a book. The view from that front window allowed the old man to see up and down the street for about a half a block. An alley across from the flat cut beside the bathhouse and had a busy entrance or exit from it. Bert decided in addition to reading in the good light of his window he learned the various individuals coming and going from not only the bathhouse but also the hookah. The latter business spurred the old man’s interest because he was never in one or knew anything about it. An elderly man about his age ran the place. Everyone seemed to respect him and greeted him warmly.

One morning Bert sat in front of his window drinking his coffee. The hookah man walked in front of the shop and saw him sitting there. With a beckoning gesture, he motioned for Bert to come over. From the window Bert pointed to his chest as if to see he was the person being beckoned. The hookah man smiled and motioned again. So, Bert went across the street and the man held out his arm and shook his hand. With that gesture, an interesting and valuable friendship began. The meeting turned out to be beneficial for both. The hookah man’s name was Milos. After proper introductions, the men sat at a table close to the front window. “So,” Milos asked in a heavy accent. “Where are you from Bert?” “I have been all over the country. I was in the Army but got hurt. A few years ago I ended up in California.” With a small laugh, Milos continued. “Doesn’t seem like this area would be a good place to settle.” “Actually, if you think about possibilities, this place is as good as any. All I have is social security and a small pension from the VA. My flat is clean and affordable.” “But why here?” “Someone told me the bathhouse is really the headquarters of the local mob so it should be a safe place.” “That is good logic and is close to the truth. Go a few blocks in any direction and that is not true.” “Do you feel safe here, Milos?” “Yes. You have to understand that I have been here over fifty years. This is my home.” “No family?”

“Yes but my wife died years ago. My son and daughter married. They grew up in the area, went to college and left. I live and they grew up in the apartment above here. Marcus lives in Fresno and Renee in Vegas. They visit often and the discussion is about me leaving this place. The kids love me but I always tell them this is my home and I am not ready to come yet. As long as I can take care of myself, I will stay. You have family?” “No. I figure when the time comes, I will find some Veterans’ home and move there. I have looked into that and I may make application for one before long. Right now, this place will do.” “How did you end up here?” Bert asked. “A friend of mine from Eastern Europe, I won’t tell you where, escaped after the war and came to America. Yes, he was illegal, settled here with others and established various businesses. Before you ask, they were criminals and their activities were illegal. I didn’t know that and it would not have made any difference. I was desperate to escape. Anyway, my friend, Anatoly, missed his bath house and hookah. He ed his friend, Milos, who ran a hookah in the town where we lived. Anatoly made arrangements to sneak me out of our hometown and into America.” Bert had a strange look on his face. “No, no, no my friend I am no longer illegal and I have been a US citizen since a few years after I got here.” “And, what did your friend Anatoly do?” “He was a criminal. Over a period of time, he and his friends took over a large organization. Yes, before you ask, Anatoly was caught a few times for some rather minor offenses and served time.” “Did he set you up in business?” “He financed both the bath house and the hookah. I paid him back and the titles are clear and mine. I am very proud of that. The bath house became too much and I didn’t like what went on there. So, one of Anatoly’s associates purchased it from me.”

“That had to be a relief,” Bert added. “Yes. I tried to keep my distance from the illegal stuff. The men running the organization respected me for that.” “Is your friend, Anatoly still alive?” “No, he ed a while back.” “You said a group of others ran the organization. Are there still some of them alive to run things?” “No.” “That concerns you, Milos?” “You are right. Getting rid of the bath house when I did was an act of fate. I am not sure what would have happened if I had not.” “Why?” Bert asked. “I can’t say for sure and don’t want to know, but the people coming and going from the building seem like a different group from before.” “If Anatoly is gone, who runs the thing now?” “I can’t be for sure but I believe his grandson, Leonid. He calls himself Leo Peters. From what I can see, he’s a smug little rat. I know you like to sit in your window and read. I will point him out to you. He surrounds himself with scum from Eastern Europe as bodyguards. They are not like in the old days. At least then there was honor with the people who worked with the organization.” “Oh?” “Don’t get me wrong, they were mean, killed and hit when instructed to do. They respected people like me who never gave them any trouble.” There was a pause and Bert felt it was a good time to excuse himself. Milos made him promise to come back in the morning for pastry, read the local newspaper, talk and drink the Turkish coffee. He promised he would. Besides,

Bert liked the strong Turkish coffee.

A ritual and a friendship blossomed. When Milos opened, he’d waive for Bert to come over. A newspaper was available and the two read the various parts plus discussed everything from the news to sports to the comics. Milos stopped often to wait on his customers most wanting coffee with some adding a pastry or two. Some of the older men smoked a hookah as well. Most of those visiting were regulars. Milos made it a point to identify the people who came in so Bert knew them. Many came for the Turkish coffee but not all. Milos knew the regulars by name. Some of the newer patrons didn’t bother to acknowledge him. He told Bert that was fine with him. He wasn’t sure he wanted to know them. One group came almost daily acted surly and rude. One man wore expensive suits and slicked back his hair. Two others always accompanied him. They spoke in a language Bert did not recognize and their suits were cheap with scuffed shoes. Bert noticed things like that. After one particularly rude day, he got up the nerve to ask Milos who they were. “The short greasy one is Leo Peters.” “Oh, he is the one you said is the new boss and the grandson of Anatoly.” “Unfortunately, that is him. He lacks the diplomacy and people skills of his grandfather. Don’t get me wrong, the old man could be as mean as anyone on this earth. He earned his reputation. Anatoly could be the kindest man as well. If an organization’s man was killed or wounded, he was there immediately and saw the family taken care of. His grandson acts like everyone owns him something.” “Sounds like a sweetheart.” “As soon as the old man died and his body cold, Leo had several of the old guard ‘retired.’ Their bodies never found so their families couldn’t give them a decent burial.” “And those two beauties with him?”

“I am not sure where he dug them up. They came from the outside the organization when Anatoly ed. They do his dirty work and there is no doubt where their loyalty lies. The tall one is particularly mean.” “Do they bother you?” “No. Leo knows I am harmless and not involved in any of his business. Besides, no one can make coffee like me. Leo realizes I know all the history of the area and the organization. He visited me several times wanting to know something specific and I told him. I received a large tip for my information. He came a couple of times without his goons. I figure that is about as trusting as Leo can get.” “Where did he come from? I am not sure but I think Dallas. I know the old man went there many times including for a baptism. The important thing is Leo is the old man’s blood. All that taken with a grain of salt but I don’t think Anatoly would bring him to California unless he believed Leo was ready.”

Several days later Bert discovered the wrath of Leo’s bigger and meaner lackey. Milos asked him to carry a cup of coffee to a customer. Bert picked up the coffee and turned to deliver it. The goon turned into him without looking and hit Bert’s arm. The coffee spilled a small amount on the man’s suit. He started cussing at Bert as if it was his fault when it was not. All of a sudden the big man’s temper exploded and a vicious backhand knocked Bert to the floor. He followed it up with a kick to his butt. A small glimmer of blood seeped from the corner of the old man’s mouth. He drew back again but by this time Milos was in his face and pushing hard in his chest to separate him from Bert. The big man started toward Milos but a sharp whistle got his attention. When he looked at Leo, his boss shook his head and the entourage went next door to the bath house. “Are you alright, Bert?” his friend asked. “My face and my butt hurt. What did I do to set that guy off?” “Nothing. The guy is an idiot.” “Thanks for helping me. He could have killed me.”

“Yes, he could have. That moron was going to do the same to me until Leo called him off. I guess I am still respected.”

Bert didn’t come for the next couple of mornings. Milos took him some coffee and a pastry to check on him. Bert’s face showed an ugly purplish/yellow color. His face and rear were sore. He came back on the third morning. Leo’s man returned with his boss but avoided all eye with the elderly men.

About a week later, the early morning air was punctuated with police sirens and an ambulance. Yellow crime scene tape blocked off the alley Bert saw from his window. The hookah was not part of the taped off area so he headed over there. Milos met him as he entered the main room. “What happened,” Bert asked. “Someone was murdered.” “Who?” “The rumor is it was the big guy who worked for Leo.” “No kidding? You mean the one who backhanded and kicked me? Doesn’t break my heart at all.” “Mine either,” Milos said. “Someone found his body next to the backdoor of the bath house. Drunks come in and out of there a lot at night. This is especially true if they don’t want to be seen on the street or they have a lady with them.” “I didn’t hear a shot or anything until the sirens this morning,” Bert said. “Me either. Someone said it wasn’t from a gunshot but a small puncture wound at the base of the skull.” “What?” “My guess the murder weapon was an ice pick.”

The killing shook Leo up. In a short time, he made some pretty influential enemies. Murdering his bodyguard could be a wakeup call to watch what he was doing. First thing he needed to do was strengthen his protection. After answering the questions of the police and taking care of the body, Leo retreated to his office to think. He saw a manila envelop on his desk. It wasn’t sealed except for the catch. He opened it and shook the contents onto his desk. A bloody ice pick fell on the shinning wood. Leo recoiled away from the instrument. He knew this was the murder weapon. Leo saw the note and carefully opened it not to disturb the possibility of fingerprints (which he knew wouldn’t be there and the police would never be involved anyway). The cryptic note read: “I told you to back off. I told Nick the same thing. You just don’t understand. Guess you haven’t learned who I am yet. That is your own stupidity. Next time you might be the one the cops are bagging up.” Signed, Prizrak (Ghost in Russian).

Chapter 30

The neighborhood’s environment changed. Before, most people living there had little fear because of the bath house. Anxiety now hung in the air. Fewer people came out at night. Milos now closed the hookah earlier. Among those coming for coffee and a smoke, the murder dominated conversations. Conspiracy theories were dime a dozen. At some point, most of them centered of the changes in the organization after Anatoly Petrosky’s death. Because of its new leadership, it was now vulnerable. Bert listened with interest. His demeanor remained the same. He only expressed his opinions to Milos. Bert seemed more interested in Leo and slowly began to form an opinion about the new leader.

One day out of curiosity, Bert drove his old Datsun pickup to the neighborhood where Leo and his family lived. He kept the old pickup behind his apartment building for a few dollars more a month. The Datsun still ran well enough to get him around the city but not for any distance on the highway. Bert found out about Leo’s address by asking one of the old men at the hookah. The house was Anatoly’s. The residence was in a nice area but not an overly expensive neighborhood. What he found was a house undergoing an extensive and he supposed costly renovation. The back sat on an alley with a wall enclosing a good sized backyard. Bert noticed a couple of buildings that seemed out of place for the area. He concluded these were shacks where guards might be stationed.

During the next days after the murder, Leo came for coffee only occasionally and at irregular hours. Each time he looked around the hookah as if trying to find something or someone. Bert and Milos noticed he replaced the murdered bodyguard. The old men concluded the new boss was scared of something and Leo didn’t know what it was.

Everything changed a few days later. If there was a meeting of the organization’s bosses, it took place at 10 o’clock in the morning. It could be any day of the week. Milos always knew a day a head to provide his Turkish coffee and pastries. Cars arrived and disgorged their occupants. The drivers parked on the street in front of the bath house and fed the meters only if an officer stopped. That rarely happened and most police showed no interest. This meeting was on a Wednesday and Milos prepared his goodies. One of Leo’s goons expressing his dissatisfaction with his chore picked the coffee plus pastries and disappeared. About fifteen minutes later, all hell broke loose. At least 20 cars descended on the bath house. They surrounded the building including the hookah since it shared the same structure. No sirens blared and scores of men and women scrambled to get to assigned positions. All wore bullet proof vests with letters like ‘FBI,’ ‘US Marshalls,’ ‘ATF,’ and ‘SWAT.’ Several wore vests over their suits. These men carried fists full of papers. A couple of the organizations’ men stationed out front made furtive moves toward what were probably weapons but thought better of it. At the insistence of the Feds, Milos locked his front door and retreated to his apartment. Bert went back across the street and watched the proceedings for the next several hours. Several vans pulled in front of bath house on the now closed street. Men were led out of the bath house in handcuffs escorted by armed law enforcement officers. After loaded, the vans disappeared and others replaced them. What appeared to be the contents of the building were removed and loaded into other vehicles. That included file cabinets and computers. The procedure continued all day. It started again the next day. Yellow crime tape engulfed the bath house and new locks placed on the doors. For good measure, several armed officers guarded the premises. Bert was enthralled at the magnitude and speed of the takedown.

The third morning, he appeared early at the hookah as Milos opened the door. Few customers came that day especially with the bath house closed. That was fine because the two old men spent most of their time reading about what

happened the day before in the morning newspaper. The headlines were bold and read: “Mob Indicted.” The old men spent considerable time reading the stories and comparing their thoughts. They agreed on the following: The bust was nationwide and not just locally; The indictments were unspecific but the articles suggested a large number with more to be added later; Among the charges specified were murder, conspiracy to commit murder; assault and battery and conspiracy to commit assault and battery; wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud; mail fraud and conspiracy to commit mail fraud; bribery and conspiracy to commit bribery; money laundering and conspiracy to commit money laundering and RICO (Racketeering and Corrupt Organizations Act). The latter carried both criminal accusations and civilian forfeiture provisions. The articles stated other indictments might follow. Another location where a simultaneous raid took place was Dallas, Texas, at a real estate office. Among those arrested in Dallas were Nick Antone and Andrew Volker. Grace Kot’s name was conspicuously missing. The big name taken into custody in California was the alleged leader of the local organization, Leo Peters. He possessed a large number of indictments. One that was added later was murder based on a bloody ice pick found in his desk. The US Attorney asked for bail denial for Peters. The US Magistrate granted his request. The mob lawyers went wild screaming illegal search and seizure. Later after learning of the wiretaps in place renewed their objections. They argued holding their defendants without bail was a violation of the 8th Amendment. All motions were denied. The indictments coming in the United States Federal Court system was significant. The Feds had more resources and laws to deal with these kinds of cases. The bottom line Milos and Bert agreed to was Leo and his boys were in deep trouble and could very well never see the light a free day again.

For the next few days, the raid was the center of the discussion at the Hookah. Fewer and fewer people came for coffee or to smoke. The third day, only Bert and Milos were there. “Milos,” Bert said, “I am moving out of my apartment and going somewhere else. A major reason for me to stay is no longer here.” “I am not surprised. My son called and we agreed I should move to Fresno where he lives.” “What are you going to do with the hookah?” “It’s old and not worth much. I have ed a Turkish Cultural Center and they are coming by and can have anything on the bottom floor they want. I have decided to donate the building to the local Orthodox Church after I try to sell it. I expect they will get it because who would want it.” “When is your son coming to pick you up?” “This weekend. He lined up a truck and I will take what I want from the apartment and be gone.” “I will miss you Milos. You have been a good friend and I will miss your Turkish coffee and the conversations.” “When will you leave, Bert?” “I am almost ready to go. I will get in the old Datsun truck and head toward a Veterans’ center who said they have room for me.” With that, the two friends shook hands and Bert shuffled across the street with his cane leading the way. When he reached his flat, he took his bag and placed his library books in it. He decided to drop them off as he left. Bert cleaned his apartment to erase any suggestion anyone lived there. That included all his clothes and personal belongings. The only thing left for him to pack was his rifle. He wouldn’t need it now. He slipped it into its case and swung it over his shoulder.

Next to the Datsun was a dumpster. After he loaded the rifle behind the seat, “Bert” looked at his cane and tossed it into the trash. Then he drove away.

Epilog 1

The Ghost did a lot of thinking while recuperating from his injuries and before going to California. The two contracts involving Rojo were paid in full. That was a lot of money added to his already burgeoning s. He knew one contract came from Rojo himself. The boss wanted out of the cartel business and faked his own death. Beau thought he was actually hurt but Rojo saw the injury as a way to get out. Further, The Ghost believed the second contract from the government was tied to the first. Rojo agreed to help them but needed a way to get Elena and his daughter out. He guessed Rojo was debriefed and into a new life in a witness protection program. Mountain, Beau guessed, was part of the deal and with him. The problem remaining centered on getting the records of the cartel out safely. These were keys to Rojo’s cooperation. That is where Elena came in. Beau bet Rojo only sketchily outlined what took place and what she needed to do. The large amount of cash and bearer bonds guaranteed her family was safe and financially secured. Mom’s negotiations for Elena’s safety were easy to secure. The procedure decided on just needed The Ghost to get Elena and her daughter out with the evidence and money. Beau had no way to confirm this scenario but was pretty certain these actions were planned before he took the contracts. He smiled when he thought about it. This was the first time in his career he didn’t mind being used. The only thing that went wrong was the fire from the casa inflicting his shoulder and head wounds.

When the plane landed in the United States, Elena and her daughter found themselves under the protection of the government. Their temporary home was in a secure compound in an isolated location. Not being from the United States, she had no idea where. The backpacks were taken from her. For the next few days a set of experts meticulously went over everything. Then the questioning began.

Elena spoke in able English but an interpreter helped if needed. Her daughter, Filicita, or Fil for short, had full time nannies and a multitude of toys. A couple of days, youngsters her age came to play. Fil only knew a few words of English so a tutor worked with her to improve her language skills. She made remarkable progress with her English. Elena’s questioning was intense but not overbearing. She provided information but most was limited. Elena gained knowledge from the directions Rojo left her. This is how the lady ran the operation effectively. Her relationship with Rojo was a popular topic of examination as well. To help Elena with her life ahead, the teams spent a few hours a day teaching her how to function in the United States. Elena learned things like shopping at grocery stores or going to the bank. The agency in charge enlisted financial advisors to assist her with the money and bonds that accompanied her to the United States. Intensive English classes improved her ability to communicate. Elena was allowed to see Fil anytime she wished. The transition team wanted as little stress as possible in her life. They were satisfied with the information she provided and signed off on achieving full cooperation. Finally, she was placed in a southwestern city with a Hispanic neighborhood. Most residents spoke both English and some version of Spanish. Her house was relatively new and spacious. For a while, a live in maid/cook/assistant provided by the government stayed with her. When Elena felt ready, she went on her own. Fil quickly adapted and after a short period of time was just another kid in the neighborhood. Importantly, Elena became a United States citizen. After a couple of years, she met a young entrepreneur and they married. Elena and her husband had three other children—all with bright red hair. In a small building attached to the back of their house, lived her husband’s uncle. A giant of a man, he took care of the land and the kids.

Mort and Minnie disappeared as expected. They seriously considered returning to the Rojo mission area. The brother and sister lived there before their latest adventure with the Ghost. They were able to see pictures of the damage caused

by their destruction of the communication room and the resulting fire. The city block of the store’s location disappeared. The only thing left was a gaping hole. A residual fear included someone might make a connection with the destruction and the twins. Mort and Minnie decided they needed another location to start a new life. Close to their native area on the Caribbean side of Central American lie some beautiful and undeveloped property. They secured a piece of beach with idea of building a small but well conceived resort. As they began the process of constructing their dream, their lives changed. The two met locals, fell in love and married. The both started a family soon after. Mort’s wife had a baby girl and Minnie a baby boy. A second occurrence echoed their previous lives and became a lucrative additional money making opportunity. Some local entrepreneurs had threats and other problems. Mort asked if they needed help. He and Minnie created a corporation providing certain needed services. They assembled a small but capable ‘force’ to assure no one interfered with their clients. ‘M & M’ Resources built a selective client base throughout Central America, Mexico and sometimes into South America. The new organization brought additional resources into the construction of the resort so its development pace quickened. Even though both parties said they would not communicate with each other they still did. Beau and Mom visited the new location to provide a ‘security assessment’ for the new resort.

Epilog 2

Beau followed the developments in the Leo Peters et al situation. He did it for a couple of reasons. The first centered on curiosity as to how the criminal indictments would play out. The second was to placate his personal grudge against Nick and Leo. If kismet had not interfered, The Ghost fully intended to take out the maggot Leo and teach a hard lesson to Nick. The Federal actions ‘scratched’ the intentions for the present time. Something interesting caught his attention as he read online news from California. A large fire destroyed the portion of the building where the bath house was located. It was limited to the hookah and Milo’s apartment. A fire department investigation determined faulty wiring connection caused the fire. No arson was involved. The article stated the loss was fully insured. Good for Milos, Beau thought. He got rid of the building and got its value reimbursed in an insurance settlement. This would make Milo’s life a little easier.

The criminal cases slowed down considerably. The Feds demanded the speedy trial act be invoked forcing the judge to order the cases into court immediately. The tactic worked and forced the defense to waive the act. Scores of motions were filed by the defense challenging everything from excessive bail to illegal searches to improper wiretaps to withholding evidence. Defense motions for change of venue and recusal of the judge followed. The Government responded with motions for the defendants to disclose all assets for possible seizure to satisfy the RICO statutes. All this time, the Feds were successful in having Leo and most of the defendants held without bond. Months later, the circus atmosphere around the case came to a head. Just before the trial started, the Government announced a series of plea bargains were offered, accepted and the Judge approved them. Leo pled to an auxiliary murder charge as well. He would serve all the time in a federal prison facility. The Judge

assessed a fifty-year sentence followed by a consecutive ten year term for some of the lesser crimes. This meant after the satisfaction of the fifty years (or parole) then Leo began the ten years sentence. Nick was luckier and ‘only’ received twenty years. A third partner in the real estate firm, Andrew Volker, received five years with credit for time served. There was no mention of Grace Kot. All resources of the Texas real estate firm and those found in California were confiscated by the Government, the State of Texas and the State of California. After a period of time, The Ghost’s curiosity started to eat at him. He ‘needed’ to find out the real story behind what happened. He cautiously inquired of a few well placed friends. One driving force for the pleas was the inability of Leo and crew to pay the high powered team of lawyers defending them. The Feds argued all assets should be impounded because of the likely hood the government would prevail in the RICO case. The judge agreed even though such an action deprived the defendants of counsel of their choice because of lack of money to pay fees. An appellate court agreed with the trial court’s ruling. Without funds to retain them, the lawyers began to drop out of the defense team. Before leaving, their attorneys informed Leo there was little chance of winning a trial. If they did go to court, the prospect of better sentences was slim. The murder charge was especially menacing. The sentence might be life with Leo serving it in a California prison rather than a federal one. The Feds had an ace in the hole the whole time. Early in the investigation, Grace Kot’s name arose. Prosecutors immediately saw her as a weak link in the Dallas real estate group. They secretly called her to testify before a grand jury and she was smart enough to sense a major problem. Given the fact of her young family and her minor role, the Feds offered and Grace took a deal. In exchange for her testimony (and it was substantial) Grace was granted immunity and placed in a witness protection program. The defense lawyers figured Grace flipped. They wouldn’t be given her testimony until close to trial. The attorneys had no way to attack her since Grace’s story was ed by other evidence. There was another surprise waiting for trial. The defense had no idea about it

until discovery and exchange of a list of witnesses for trial. Billy Bryson Bouvier II was on it. When quizzed by his attorneys, Leo told about his visit to BBB’s office to try and force him to sell. He added the old man completely outsmarted him with credible witnesses listening in BBB’s office. There was no way defense counsel could overcome this testimony. Beau couldn’t help but chuckle when he heard the story about BBB schooling the young real estate operators. He now saw why Leo, Nick and the rest of his mob had little choice but to get the best deals they could.

The Ghost couldn’t let Leo and Nick rest without a last shot at each one. Again, through his connections he found where the two men were incarcerated. Leo was at a supermax and locked up twenty-three hours a day. Nick was in a medium security prison which Beau thought was sufficient. A note was smuggled into to Leo. It read: “You lucked out again. I was looking forward to seeing you. I guess it doesn’t make any difference now, but I have decided to sell my lake front land. You don’t get it. Maybe, just maybe if you hadn’t been a tough guy I might have sold it to you. No, I doubt it. You won’t ever be a free man and you will probably die in prison. If you ever get out I am still be waiting for you. If you ever make it into general population, I may have some friends there to give you my regards…Bye now.”

He also wrote a short note to Nick. “Twenty years, that is a long time but you should make it. Be sure to watch your back. Your only hope is I have mellowed during your prison time. You did a lot of stupid things over a piece of land.”

Epilog 3

The Ghost was now silent. When he returned from California, he looked at the packet of information he requested and accumulated on the mystery building in El Hadad’s hometown. “Tell the party that sent this to me, I am retired and no longer interested in any more contracts,” he told Mom. As she watched, he took the material to his shredder and carefully ground it up. Then, the Ghost emptied the shredded remains into the fire place and watched it burn. Beau left the house and walked onto the west side of the porch with a cup of coffee. The screened in enclosure for the most part kept the bugs away. The temperature cooled as he sat to watch the brilliant red of the sky as the sun set. An incredibly clean smell met his nostrils as he took a deep breath. A thunderstorm still echoed in the east. The time since he and Mom (now called by her real name of Anabel or Ann) moved to the ranch flew by. Her home in Missouri was sold and she now worked her business from a special room added to the structure. Ann conducted all the business for the ranch from there. They were never happier. Mia still lived in Tulsa. Her security business remained dynamic. Her life changed dramatically when she married William, her long time romantic interest. Their first child was a girl and Mia now expected her second, a boy. The family decided to visit grandma and grandpa the next weekend while Mia could still travel. Uncle Al remained as her local security guru and now had the additional job as babysitter. Steely no longer lived with Mom and Beau. Her son graduated from college, married and had a family. Steely experienced some health issues and he wanted her closer. She and her son’s family were still considered part of Beau and Mom’s especially since the boy grew up with Mia. They often spent their holidays at the ranch. When everyone was there, chaos was a kind way to describe what took place.

Mom came out of the house and walked behind her husband’s rocking chair. She

kissed him on his head and he squeezed her hand.

Their migration to this place was meant to be. When the trouble with the lake property and the Dallas crooks arose, Beau decided he hated to lose Hawk Mountain. But, the family needed to move on. His background demanded complete anonymity. Mom with her financial ability and her connections began to seek a way to rid themselves of the lake property and obtain something else. Beau pictured himself ending up in Montana or Idaho or another western state. The complexity of attempting to include the lake property in some kind of trade wasn’t working for land out west. A major entertainment corporation became interested in Hawk Mountain. The land was prime being next to the lake. The surrounding area exploded as a destination resort for the Midwest. Hawk Mountain was undeveloped and a corporation could do anything it wanted from planned communities to entertainment facilities. It was willing to pay a for the property. Mom held tight with the insistence that some sort of land swap was needed. The plan called for a satisfactory property to be identified and approved by Beau and Ann. The corporation would purchase the land they wanted and then a complicated trade process worked out. The couple knew they might add cash for the transaction to be successful. Several potential areas and deals were suggested and studied by the parties. Nothing fit the parameters of what both parties wanted. A real estate broker suggested a new deal. He wasn’t sure if Beau would consider the land. The property was a several thousand acre ranch sitting in Northern Oklahoma and Southern Kansas. For years the ranch was held in trust by one family. The eldest of the trust decided it was time to either the land to their heirs or dissolve the trust. As often happens, the younger wanted no part of running a ranch. A major problem in marketing the land was a stipulation in the trust that it remain together and as a working cow/calf property. For a while, intense interest from various suitors approached the trustees. Many of the suitors turned out to be large corporations. Their interest spiked because of the large undeveloped oil and gas potential of the property. Most indicated they

wanted to develop these minerals and cared little for the ranching use. The suitors ignored the fact the area fell within one of the last remaining ‘tall grass’ prairies in the world. The trustees believed they had a duty to insure this resource remained preserved. All these organizations had another obstacle to overcome. Wilton Gann lived all his adult life on the ranch. He came to work as a teenager and rose to manager in his twenties. The owners built him a home on the land and he raised his family there. The trustees decided anyone expressing an interest in the property had to go through Wilt. Now in his mid-60s, the manager was a crusty bastard and notoriously hard to get along with especially when talking about liquidating the land. On more than one occasion, an outsider came to visit the property and he/she was summarily kicked off the ranch. The younger heirs grew resigned to the prospect of no sale of the land until all the trustees ed. The control of the ranch then ed to the trust department of a large bank in Oklahoma City. This particular morning, Wilt stood by the ranch house that served as the center of the spread for years. No one lived there now and hadn’t for years since the trustees reached the age where they no longer were self sufficient. The younger generation had no desire to even come to the ranch any more. As a result, the old place deteriorated. Wilt and the ranch hands tried to keep it up. The ranch was now dramatically under staffed and it was all they could do to keep the cow/calf operation afloat. A small buffalo herd still roamed a distance part of the pasture. He believed they might have to go before long. As always, Wilt’s task included meeting any group wanting to see the ranch. He hated the job because of the way he ed it being. The spread was his whole life and its deterioration saddened him. His son, Charlie Mac for short, graduated with honors in agricultural management from a major university. He recently visited his parents and couldn’t believe how fast the spread went down hill. Charlie Mac told Wilt that if he was in charge the ranch might be a showcase. That wasn’t going to happen. The main house sat on a rise. Wilt watched down the main road leading toward the old homestead and saw a wisp of dust far in the distance. The bumpy old road was bone dry and the trail was visible a long ways off.

Wilt spit and kicked the dirt with his already soiled boots. Wonder what kind of idiots the trustees are sending this time? The owners asked Wilt to show more patience with visitors. Some earlier perspective buyers complained of his rudeness. He promised to be civil. The vehicle finally neared his location. He expected another limo or a shinny rental car. Instead a four or five year old pickup pulled into the parking lot. This got Wilt’s attention. Maybe this isn’t the buyer, he thought. The man wore jeans and a clean tee shirt. He was toned and Wilt spotted several scars on his exposed skin. The ranch manager guessed the new guy was in his forties. He walked straight toward Wilt and shoved out his hand: “You Wilt? My name is Beau and I’m here to look at the land.” “I’m sorry, yes I am Wilt. You don’t fit the kind of people I usually get coming to look at the ranch.” “Yeah, well don’t worry, I am serious and not here for a curiosity tour.” “You looking at this place as a business opportunity?” “The broker warned me about you. We might as well get your concerns out of the way.” “Oh?” “I was told you were a crusty old so and so. Plus you want to make sure this place is sold to someone willing to follow the of the trust.” Wilt stood disarmed. Beau said, “Now lets start over,” as he thrust out his hand. “My name is Beau.” Wilt reciprocated and a small smile appeared at the corners of his mouth. “I am not looking for a business opportunity. My wife and I are looking for a home. Our daughter and her family live in Tulsa so we want to be close to her.

Yes, if we are interested, we will fully live up to the of the trust. One other thing, I have plenty of resources to buy this place.” “Well, okay then. Let’s look around?”

The tour didn’t last for a few hours but for three days. Beau appeared between 6 and 7 the next mornings. The conversations between the two men were frank and pointed. Wilt pointed out the deterioration of the property because of lack of manpower. Much of the equipment was old and often held together by ‘bailing wire.’ The cow/calf operation needed new bloodline bulls and heifers. The same was true for the buffalo herd if it was to remain viable. The pastures needed annual burning and over seeding for better hay. Many ponds dotted the landscape but more should be added. The streams crossing the land might be better utilized. Beau noticed a lot of scrub cedars on the property. Wilt indicated when they enough cowboys, several days a year the cedars were cut and burned. Not taking care of them created a major wildfire threat. Many buildings located at various places on the ranch needed immediate work. The ranch house specifically was in desperate shape especially if someone wanted to live there. The men’s discussion turned to the oil and gas potential. Wilt told Beau portions were under leases. He wasn’t sure how much and what they were because the trustees handled the natural resources. Wilt said not much was done with the exiting leases and the equipment was in bad shape. Beau specifically asked if the cow/calf operation could coexist with an enhanced oil/gas operation. He honestly told Wilt that revenue might be required to make the improvements on the ranch. The foreman believed with proper management the two could. Beau inquired about modernizing the operation. Wilt told the visitor he was an old style cowboy but it could be done with someone like Charlie Mac. Before he left, Beau looked Wilt in the eyes and asked: “If I decide to make an offer on the land, will you agree to stay?” This time, Wilt smiled for real, “yes, I will.”

As the brilliant fireball sank behind the western hills, the prairie came alive around the ranch house. Crickets began their nightly songs with lightening bugs popping randomly in the gathering darkness. A bobwhite or two started their evening melodies. There was no sign of vehicles or any of civilization’s noises. Beau was nudged by his wife as he nodded off. He developed the habit of working with the other ranch hands when he could. Coffee in the big barn a few hundred feet from the house was on at 6 in the morning. Beau either made it or was of the first hands to arrive. Almost everything he and Wilt talked about on his first visit was in progress. He turned for one last look at the red glow disappearing quickly. Beau shook his head ing all those years ago when he and Mom first started. The Ghost made most of this possible. He was now gone forever. Or, was he?