By edRogers
[Reviewed here on the novel’s publication day, October 6, 2018: “Coming soon to a Barnes & Noble store near you?”]
Charlie’s first move was to get out of the hotel. He rented a house in the mountains west of Puntarenas, about six miles north of Margot’s house. It was a short drive into town, but the house was isolated and private, with very fast internet. He rented two dogs and installed cameras to cover the road coming up the mountain. If his friends were being followed, he would know about it. It was reasonable to assume that the government kept track of Margot and her friends, maybe not all the time, but at least once in a while.
On his monitor he watched Margot’s jeep come up the road and could see that Tommy and Howard were with her. Charlie’s two dogs began barking before the jeep topped the ridge. Charlie opened the door and told the dogs to lie down.
Margot parked the jeep and the three got out. She turned and looked down on the town of Puntarenas and across the Gulf of Nicoya. “You have quite the view from up here.”
“It is nice but it’s not why I rented it. Come into mi casa.”
“Did you get the emails I sent you?” Tommy asked.
“Yes, I did. You did a fine job. I was able to narrow the list down to a few people in each department.”
The living room had two couches facing three large planning boards on rollers. “Grab a seat. Can I get anyone something to drink?”
Margot wanted a beer. Tommy said, “ I’ll have beer also.” And Howard held up his hand to indicate he wanted one too.
After everybody had their beer, Charlie walked to the front and stood before the boards looking every bit the part of a teacher. “Most people, when they think of going to war, the first things that enter their minds are guns and bombs. But wars are fought on information. The side that has the best information wins every time.”
Howard cleared his throat. “Charlie, I agree with you about information being the key to a battle, but I have to ask: Where do you come by the knowledge of warfare? You’re asking us to follow you, but we know nothing about you except you came here to write a book.”
“That’s a fair question, Howard. Also, it’s a good idea that we get to know each other. Let me get a beer and we’ll talk.”
Charlie came back and took a seat next to Margot. “I’ll go first. I didn’t start off in life to be a writer. I was a second-generation West Point graduate. My father’s father was military and died in Vietnam. That got my father into West Point, and his death in the Gulf War got my ticket punched. To make a long story a little shorter, I didn’t do all that well at the Point. I graduated with the midclassmen.
“I wasn’t that crazy about the military, but I had to spend six years on active duty to pay back Uncle Sam for my education. I decided to stay in school as long as I could, so first I entered Ranger school, then flight school. I stayed in flight school for as long as I could. I can fly any helicopter the Army has.
“I ended up flying a one-star general around Iraq, which I had hoped would last out my enlistment. However, fate had other ideas. One morning the general’s driver banged on my door and told me to get my flight gear, the general was waiting in the car. It seems the general had found a private helicopter he wanted for his own, and we were on our way to pick it up. Coming back, we were shot down outside our base. I woke up three days later to learn the general was dead, and we had stolen that helicopter. The Army suggested I resign my commission and we parted ways. And now here I am.”
Tommy was staring at Charlie with his mouth hanging open. Howard exclaimed, “My God, that is one hell of a story!”
Margot reached her hand over and rubbed his back. “I had no idea, Charlie.”
Tommy found his voice. “So after all that, why a writer?”
Charlie laughed. “I was so mad at the Army, I decided I would write a book exposing the Army for what they did to me. Halfway through the book, I realized what they did was the best thing that could have happened.”
Charlie leaned back and took a drink of beer, and then he asked, “What about you, Tommy, what is your story?”
“Nothing near what you went through. I joined I.B.M. out of college and stayed there until I retired two years ago. I’m very good with computers, which may come in handy. However, I know nothing about going to war.”
Charlie turned to Howard. “I know you were with the E.P.A., but there must be more to the story to have gotten you here with this group?”
Howard finished his beer and began his story. “I was an inspector for the E.P.A. for thirty years. I saw mankind at their worst. I got sick of fighting an uphill battle, things never changed. And then people began blaming us for America’s jobs being shipped overseas, while all we were trying to do was keep people alive. I couldn’t understand the thinking – if you are dead, what good is a job to you? Anyway, my wife left me, I retired, sold everything, and moved here to Paradise. Only, I found Paradise had a number devils in it. But thankfully, I found an angel by the name of Margot, and we have been fighting the devils every since.”
“I know your story, Margot. Unless you have more to add?”
“No, Charlie,” she smiled, “I’m an open book.”
Charlie stood up and walked toward the boards. “If there are no more questions, then let’s get back to the business at hand. As I was saying, information will be the weapon we’ll use to defeat these people.”
He pointed at the top group of names on the first board. “These are the people we will be targeting. In the Fisheries Institute, there are Danny Torres and Michael Lopez. In Coast and Wetlands, the minister is Anthony Mora. Without these three men’s approval, there would be no shark finning in Costa Rica. It’s safe to say all three are dirty. Tommy, I need you to find out everything there is to know about them. Where they live, how much they have in the bank, how much they paid for their house, car, their children’s school. I want every dime accounted for. I want to know if anyone of them is having an affair and, if so, find out everything about the person they’re having an affair with also.”
Tommy smiled. “That should be fun. It’ll take a couple days, but I can do it.”
“Good deal, Tommy, thank you. Howard, the next one is right down your alley. The Environmental Ministry. There are three people I’m looking at, but I don’t think they are all dirty. One, maybe two are getting paid to look the other way. I need you to find out which one or two are dirty and then get their names to Tommy. Victor Rodrigez, Joseph Gonzalez, and Camilla Diaz are your targets. Think it’s something you can handle?”
“I’ve known Victor Rodrigez ever since I moved here. A few beers and he’ll tell you his life story and anyone else’s that he knows. It shouldn’t be a problem.”
“Margot, you and I will be working on the hardest problem: the Department of Customs. The department is very large, but I was able to limit our search to three people. Jennifer Araya – for some reason she checks in all shipments coming from Mr. Tai’s warehouse. It could be she just happens to be on duty each time, but I don’t think so. Carlos Ramirez is a midlevel manager and Jennifer’s boss – he has to know the shipments aren’t getting inspected. Julio Morales is the head of the Customs Department and the one person that can get a shipment through without inspection. Morales is the one we’re after, but we’ll have to get him through the other two.”
Charlie opened a bag on the floor next to the story boards. “Here are some burner phones. The four cell numbers have been programmed into each of the phones. Instead of names we will have numbers. That way, if the phones are lost there are no names in them. Tommy, you’re number one, Howard, number two, Margot three, and I’m number four. From now on, we speak to each other over these phones only. It also goes without saying, we speak to no one else about this. I know you all have made friends over the years with people you trust and people that may have helped you, but I say again, speak to no one about what we are doing. Do not even hint that you’re doing anything. Do you all understand?”
Tommy and Howard nodded their heads yes.
“Margot?”
“Yes, my Captain, I understand.”
“Then let’s get to work!”
| Copyright © 2018 by Ed Rogers |
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