B.B.U.S.A. (Buying Back the United States of America) (25 page)

Somewhat tired and frustrated, the two men decided to spend the night in Rock Springs, Wyoming. They checked into a small motel under a false name and paid in cash. Leo was concerned about Sarah and the kids and decided to call Swakopmund and check on his family. He used the motel phone and called collect, and he was happy to hear his mother’s voice answering the phone.

It was early the next morning in Namibia. Joyce had just opened the restaurant to the local boarders for breakfast. She questioned Leo intensely and when he commented about the cost of the phone call, she cut him short saying, “Nonsense, I don’t care what it costs.” After hearing a brief account of Leo’s last few days, she sent for his wife.

Sarah was delighted to hear her husband’s voice on the line. She was thrilled that Doug was with him and felt encouraged that they would soon have everything under control. Leo told her they had not been able to solve the password mystery and what Tim had said about it only making sense to them. She pondered his statement for a moment. “If it would only make sense to us, then the answer has to lie in real estate. Perhaps it has something to do with our transactions with Tim.”

For the first time it began to make sense to him, “I think that you are on the right track. Perhaps I’ll call Natasha and have her send me copies of all our records on each closing we did with Tim. I’ll bet you’re right. We had eight transactions with him. The answer probably lies in one of those transactions.”

“Leo, I love you. Please be careful.”

“I love you too, honey, we will be careful. I’ll call you collect from Challis when I get to Gram’s house. You take care of the boys and Mom, okay?”

“Don’t worry about us. Just get this mess straightened out so we can come home. We miss you.”

“We will honey.” They both felt better after hearing each other’s voice and knowing they were all safe. Sarah hit the highlights of their journey but neglected to mention the airport incident as she thought Leo had enough to worry about already. There would be plenty of time for the boys to retell their story to their father in the future.

Leo hung up the motel receiver and turned to Doug. “We may have a break. Sarah thinks the answer will lie in one of our transactions we did with Tim.”

“What answer?”

“The answer to breaking that darned password.”

“You really think so?”

“Yes, it makes sense. I’ve been racking my brain all day trying to make sense out of Tim’s statement. Now it makes sense. I’ll call our office manager tomorrow and have her express mail a copy of all of our closings to my grandmother’s house in Challis. It should get there the next day.”

Feeling a little more hopeful, the two men went out to eat before calling it a night.

Ervin had driven the family van into Doug’s subdivision after picking the men up at the airport. He parked in the same guest parking lot not far from Doug’s house. “I never saw any movement all morning. At least not anything up until I had to leave for the airport.”

“Which house is it?” John inquired.

Ervin pointed to the house.

“So you think they are still in it right now?”

“I imagine so.”

“Well boys, you ready to get this over with?” Bob asked.

“Right now, in broad daylight?” Florin inquired.

He turned to Florin. “You think that’s a bad idea?” Florin so seldom offered anything so when he did; Bob listened as it was usually pertinent.

Florin shrugged. “Darkness would provide more cover, and we would have a better chance of not being noticed by the neighbors.” Florin was worried about being a part of this particular mission. Though he needed and wanted the money desperately, and he felt committed to his employers, he could not envision having anything to do with Leo’s death. At night, under cover of darkness, he might be able to warn Leo.

John spoke up. “It would be easier at night.”

Bob looked at the house and scanned the quiet neighborhood. “You’re probably right, Florin.”

“Shit!” Ervin blurted.

Bob reached for his gun, expecting an ambush, wildly looking around for the enemy. “What? Where?” He barked.

“His truck. It’s gone.”

“What do you mean his truck is gone?”

“Last night Doug moved his truck alongside the garage-over there by the boat-to make room for Leo’s car in the garage. It was still there when I left to pick you up, but now it’s gone.”

“That does it! We’re moving in now. We can’t let them get away again. Perhaps only one is gone. Maybe Leo is still inside. If he is, we’ll kill him and wait for Doug to come back.”

“What if they’re both gone?” Carl asked.

“Then we’ll surprise them when they get back, Carl. You, Marcus, and Florin go around back and cover the rear. We’ll come in the front. Shoot to kill if you have to, but try to be as quiet as possible. Go ahead and put on your silencers now to avoid the neighbors calling the cops. We may be able to take them without using guns. We’ll have the element of surprise and superior numbers. We’ll pick the lock on the front door. Watch out for crossfire. Remember we’ll be coming in from the front so don’t mistake us for them.” Bob took a deep steadying breath. “Any questions?”

“Let’s do it.” Ervin was anxious to get this over.

Bob gave Carl, Marcus, and Florin two minutes to get around back before he, John, and Ervin approached from the front. They walked directly up to the front door as casually as if they were visiting a relative. Bob felt the door, which was locked. He almost rang the doorbell, but hesitated, and instead pulled out his lock pick and handed it to Ervin. “You’re better at this than I am. You go ahead and pick the lock.”

Ervin was happy that Bob had such confidence in him. Bob stepped to the side of the door away from the window. Little did Ervin suspect that Bob simply did not care to be in the line of fire should Leo be inside, hear someone messing with the door, and start shooting.

The lock opened with a click. Ervin turned the handle and slowly entered the residence. John and Bob followed. Bob whispered to John to unlock the sliding patio door to let the others in.

The house seemed deserted. It had an absolute silence; no radios, no humming washing machines, sounds of a shower, or vacuum cleaners. All six men silently crept through the house, opening cupboards, looking behind shower curtains, and under beds, but the house was empty. Bob and Ervin began searching for evidence of Leo’s whereabouts while the other men kept an eye on the front and back of the house, should Doug and Leo return unexpectedly.

Bob found a note pad on the kitchen table and used a graphite pencil to gently shade over the slight indentions in the pad of paper. It was a major lead. A bill of sale for two firearms had been written from Doug to Leo. They now knew that Leo was armed with a shotgun and a .38 pistol. Bob was furious. He had been so close so many times, and now realized they had just missed him by less than an hour. He wanted Leo dead, and he wanted him dead right now. He was no longer fighting his conscience; he’d had enough. Bob picked up the telephone receiver and hit the redial button.

A masculine voice came down the line. “Colonel Stein’s office, Lieutenant Fritz speaking.”

“Lieutenant, this is Captain Cornwall. Is Major Corrigan there?” Bob improvised in a commanding voice.

“No sir, Captain.”

“Do you know when he will be in?”

“No sir, Major Corrigan just arranged for a week’s leave.”

“Lieutenant, it is very important that I deliver some documents to him personally. Do you know if he has left town yet?” Bob sounded put out, maybe as frustrated as he really felt.

“Sir, he called in this morning right before he left. He said his mother was ill and to leave a message for the Colonel that he was taking a week’s emergency leave.”

“Thank you, Lieutenant Fritz. One more thing: do you know where his mother lives, son?”

“Sir, all the Major said was that his mother was ill and he had to head to Idaho immediately.”

“Lieutenant, you have been very helpful; give my regards to Colonel Stein.”

“Yes sir, I will.”

Bob hung up the phone. “Damn it. We missed them again. They are heading back to Idaho.”

“Where in Idaho?” Ervin asked.

“I don’t know!

“I should have taken them myself last night.” Ervin lamented.

“No. You did the right thing, and they just were a minute ahead of us again. Boys, tear this place apart and find out where his parents live. Look for letters, an address book or a photo album. Carl, come take a walk with me.”

Bob and Carl walked out the front door towards the van. “Carl, I’ve had enough of this guy. All of our jobs depend on our success. Do you understand how important our mission is?”

“Yes I do. What do you need me to do?”

“Carl, I know you have firsthand experience with explosives from your Viet Nam days. I have to get this guy out in the open. Our California agency informed me that Leo’s family purchased tickets to Namibia, Africa. Leo’s mother has a business there on the coast. This guy is smart. He has become my worst nightmare. I want you to fly to headquarters this afternoon, I’ll arrange for a briefing. I want you to go to Namibia and blow up that business. Try not to kill his entire family, but I want him to understand we can reach them anywhere. I mean business; plan it so some narrowly escape.”

“Okay. Do you want any of them dead or just wounded?”

“Preferably not dead, but if it happens, so be it. They will become the bait, you see. You follow them and report to me or to headquarters and they will relay the message. Whoever survives will somehow get the message to Leo and then he will come out of hiding and try to get to them and we’ll take him out.”

“Pretty smart if you ask me.”

“Guys like that; you just have to stay one step ahead of them. We’ll finish up here within the hour and head for Idaho. I’m sure the boys will find a lead, but you will be my back-up plan. Don’t tell the others, okay?”

“As you wish. I always had a hankering to see Africa.”

When we fly back to Idaho, I’ll put you on another flight. Now don’t waste any time. You get there, get some explosives and blow that business as soon as you can, got it?”

“Yep.”

“Okay, let’s help finish up here and get on the move.”

It was Florin who located a shoebox full of letters revealing the address of Doug’s mother. Of course Florin had already met Doug and knew all too well where they had gone. He hesitated a moment, holding the box of letters while he tried to decide what to do. He peeked down the hallway at the other men who were searching for clues in the house. Florin made up his mind. He pulled out his pocketknife, bent down under the bed, sliced the carpet, then he quickly pulled up the corner and dumped the contents of the box underneath. He spread the letters around thinly as far back as he could reach to prevent them from causing a noticeable lump, then he pulled back the carpet and smoothed it the best he could.

He had crossed the line now. If the others discovered his treachery, his own life would be at stake. He moved away from the bed, letting the bedspread hang to the floor again, and he tossed the empty box back into the closet before leaving the room.

Bob and Carl walked in the front door. “Find anything, Florin?”

Florin looked up at him, shook his head, and went on poking around in the living room. Bob went back to the other men to see what they had uncovered. The house was visibly torn apart. They had found a lot of important military papers, tax reports, and his house purchase agreement, but no letters and no address book. Bob found that strangely odd and insisted that the men continue searching for a while longer. John finally came up with a lead. “Hey, check out these pictures.”

Bob examined them closely. Florin walked over close enough to see them as well. There were pictures of Doug in a bowling alley that Florin recognized, as well as a picture of Leo and Doug with Leo wearing a T-shirt that had a “Redfish Lake” logo. Several other pictures showed distinct landmarks in and around Stanley, Idaho. One even had Doug hugging a girl in front of a rustic sign that said “Sawtooth Wilderness Area.” Florin knew exactly where most of those pictures had been taken. When Bob saw the picture of a party around a fancy cake that said ‘Happy Birthday Mom’, he knew the pictures would guide him to the right Idaho town.

“Guys, we’ve got enough information. Bring the photos. Between these pictures and finding the last name of Corrigan in Idaho we will track them down. Let’s not waste any more time. With some luck we might even catch up to them before they reach their destination.” Bob hurried them out of the house and back to the van. They drove directly to the Denver airport.

Bob handed each of the men their boarding passes and told them that they had about an hour to kill before leaving. Ervin left to return the van to the airport rental center, while John and Marcus went to get a bite to eat and pick up some sandwiches for the rest of them. Florin noticed that Bob had handed Carl a different boarding pass. He and Carl shook hands and Carl walked away. When Bob stepped into the restroom, Florin sprinted after Carl. He caught up to him and casually inquired where he was going. Carl couldn’t keep all the excitement to himself, and since Florin never spoke to anyone much anyway, he told him not to tell the others, but he was heading to Africa to blow up the rest of the family. Florin walked a little ways further with Carl and shook hands, wishing him well on his travels.