Oro looked at his friend. He remembered the day he first drove into the village with that old truck. It seemed a hundred years ago. A smile returned to his face. “Yes, too long. And we will get through this like we have all our other troubles, eh?” Oro said with a grin. Come have a drink with me and we shall share old times for a while. Tomorrow we will go up to my mountain hideaway and live off the hills like I used to do. When this blows over, I may have several blankets for you to sell to those tourists in the city,” he said with a laugh.
Verdes followed his friend into the house and two bottles of beer were opened. He couldn’t stay long. This information had to get back to Langley.
It was 5 am when Juan Ricardo drove his Toyoda to the parking area where he could watch the ship. There had been a lot of activity over the past few days and he had reported it in. Things had gone smoothly till last night when one of his assistants called in sick. There were only three people assigned to watch the ship and all three were tired of the hours spent simply sitting in a hot car and watching the people going on and off the great steel vessel. The decision had been made to simply pick up the watch again early this morning. As he pulled around the corner of a building, his heart sank. USS Iowa was gone. He also noticed a yellow convertible parked at the edge of the pier. Frantically, he fumbled for his phone and selected the number to call. After several rings, a groggy voice answered.
“The ship is gone,” said Ricardo.
“What do you mean, it’s gone,” asked the voice. “When did it leave?”
Ricardo explained the problem.
“El Presidente will not be pleased. How long was the ship left unwatched?”
“Only since midnight,” said Ricardo. “It must have left shortly after that since I cannot see her anywhere in the harbor. She cannot have gone far.”
The man on the other end swore. “I will report it in. If you are lucky, you only be asked to return home. Go find out what you can and report back,” said the voice.
“Immediately,” said Ricardo. The voice on the other end clicked off. Ricardo sat back in the seat and closed his eyes. This may just be the end of my life, he thought. His thoughts were interrupted by someone knocking in his window. Ricardo looked out to see a young man holding a badge and motioning for him to lower the window.
“Mr. Ricardo, I think you need to come with us,” the young man said as the window went down. Ricardo glanced at the keys with the thought of making a run for it, but when his eyes returned to the man, there was a pistol aiming between them.
“I wouldn’t recommend doing anything stupid. Take a look behind you,” the young man said.
That was when he saw about a dozen armed men aiming at him from the rear window. Ricardo slowly put his hands up.
“A smart choice,” said the young man. “We have been listening to your phone conversations and know who you have been reporting to. If you cooperate, things just might turn out well for you,” he said.
Ricardo took a breath. It might mean he could live after all. “My contact is reporting the ship is gone,” he said.
The young man smiled. “That’s just what we wanted.”
Colonel Rojas arrived in his office early, as usual, and prepared the morning brief. There were some twenty officials in the room besides Parente and each had either a brief or was a part of the presidential staff. Parente seemed a little lost in thought during the briefing, but Rojas was used to that look. Whenever something was bothering the man, he didn’t pay attention to anything around him. Without much discussion on any topic, the meeting ended a little early. On his way out, Parente called Rojas over.
“You were correct in us watching the American battleships. Your admiral got his underway sometime after midnight,” Parente said. “Unfortunately, our people could not tell us the exact time, but I do not think that will make a difference. If you are correct, there is only one place they will go. I have people watching the western entrances to the Panama Canal. When she arrives, we will know.”
Rojas nodded. “Then it is as I feared. Do we have word on any of the other battleships?”
“No, but we will know the minute one begins to move,” Parente said. “In the meantime, I have ordered additional coastal artillery and some of our missile assets to our coasts. I need you to coordinate troops to patrol the beaches and to be ready in case we are approached from the sea.”
“At once, Señor Presidente!” said Rojas as he came to attention. “I will place extra attention to our more remote beaches. I doubt they would make a move into our more populated areas. Shall I double our air patrols?”
Parente nodded. “I have already ordered it, but I told our commanders it is an exercise. They will patrol out at least fifty miles. I also alerted our air force to have planes fully fueled and armed as a part of the exercise so that they may respond immediately when I give the word. I included our Navy in these exercises. I do not think they can do much good, but we can have them ready in any case. As of now, I do not think the Americans have any idea where their people are, but they are acting as I would, getting their assets in closer proximity to where it happened. For now, we need to be prepared in case things change.”
“Yes, Señor Presidente. Do any of our commanders know the real reasons behind the exercise,” asked Rojas.
Parente shook his head. “And I do not wish them to know. Remember that, My Colonel,” Parente said pointing his finger in his face. “If the Americans come to our shores, they will be defending our homeland, nothing more.”
“Of course, Señor Presidente, I fully realize how important this is,” said Rojas. “Besides, my duty is to serve you in the manner you desire, nothing more,” he said stiffly.
Parente’s face softened. A smile appeared once more. “Forgive me, My Colonel, this information has placed me on edge. I know you will do your duty. As I hear more, we can take additional steps. Until then, we shall act normally,” he said as he turned toward his office. Suddenly he turned again. “Tell me, do you like sports?”
There it was. Now Rojas knew for a fact he was being watched. He could not let on how much it concerned him. He smiled at his president. “Yes, Señor Presidente. In my youth I played lacrosse and some fútbol, but since I have been serving you I do not have much time for attending any games. As a matter of fact, I just gave my lacrosse equipment to Colonel Messina, for his son to use. It seems he is getting involved in a league near his home. I was hoping to have some time to help the young man out,” he said enthusiastically.
Parente’s smile grew wide. Rojas had confirmed that Messina had visited him and why. It made perfect sense and was beyond suspicion. It was another worry taken care of. “Good. Perhaps you should take some time off to help out. At the same time, I am planning on attending tomorrow’s fútbol game. Messina must fly me there. Why don’t you come and the two of you enjoy the afternoon. We can all use some time to relax,” he said with some enthusiasm.
“That would be very welcome, Señor Presidente. Thank you!”
Parente waved his hand. “It is a small thing to do for my trusted Colonel,” he said as he turned and entered his office.
Rojas let out a long breath. The tenseness he was feeling slowly left him. Somehow he had dodged a bullet and still arranged to attend the game with Messina. Things were getting too close. Between he and Messina, there had to be a way to get out of this.
Captain Douglas “Dusty” Rhodes could not believe his good fortune. Only a week before he had been called by his detailer to hightail it to San Pedro and take command of his ship. His orders were to take command and, using a crew made up of reservists and veterans, get underway as soon as possible. He had known immediately which ship it was. He had originally been aboard in the 1980s as an enlisted man, and then went through the programs to become an officer. As a Commander, he had been assigned aboard the ship as Operations Officer under Captain and then Rear Admiral Roger Hammond. Now he was sitting in the captain’s chair on the bridge looking out over the bow of the ship as she made her way south.