“I’ve actually made two calls since I spoke with you. I had long talks with friends at the Feds in Washington, one from the FBI and another from the State Department about the Belize matter. The bottom line is that you’re in a jurisdictional quagmire.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Belize is a British protectorate — soon to be independent. Other than the partial use of their airbase, there are no U.S. assets in the country, and therefore no direct threat to U.S. assets or personnel. Both my contacts suggested you turn the matter over to the British consulate to handle.”
“What about the war games?”
“He didn’t see that as a direct threat to U.S. assets. Most assets in the war games are off-shore in international waters. In other words, before the State Department could get involved, there would have to be a direct threat to a U.S. command or embassy post, and you would need to be able to prove a specific threat.”
Jake paused to allow the message to sink in. “My State Department friend felt his department would become involved only if the threat was directed toward U.S. personnel or assets. In a friendly country like Belize, the U.S. would look to the U.K. or the Belize government to handle the matter directly.”
“No wonder we have such a screwed-up foreign policy.”
“He said he’d be happy to make an introduction to the U.K. Embassy in Belize if we had enough evidence. I told him to hold off until I could speak with you again.”
Wade could see political wheels spinning with no corresponding progress. He asked, “How do you think the embassy in Belize will respond?”
“My guess is they’ll probably do a memorandum. Belize has limited defense forces and relies heavily on the U.K.. Getting the U.K. involved raises the bar, and I don’t think you have enough specific evidence at this point. I’m afraid they’re going to want to know the what, when, and where about the threat, and especially who’s behind it.”
Wade thought about Jake’s questions and the lack of information he had at this time. He not only couldn’t answer the primary questions, he couldn’t reveal his source of information or his suspicions about his agency’s involvement. He would be laughed out of the briefing room, and if the Agency got wind of his chatter, he’d be fired or permanently terminated.
Jake finally broke the awkward silence. “I’m afraid all we could provide them with at this point is circumstantial evidence pointing to a possible plot.”
Wade acknowledged Jake’s point. “That’s the problem. No one is going to do anything with this, based on the information I have. You’re right about unconfirmed sources. I also can’t take the risk of disclosing my sources regarding Agency involvement in the Lockhart murder. At least we tried.”
Jake understood Wade’s dilemma. He’d been in these situations before. “I don’t like it any better than you do, but unfortunately, that’s where we are.”
Wade had another thought.
“Do you think your FBI friend might offer any assistance if we had more evidence?”
“What did you have in mind?”
“Let’s say I was able to get those black cases back here. Could he have them X-rayed and disarmed? If they turned out to be a threat, would he then take action?”
“I would have to ask him specifically about the cases. If the cases did contain a threat, the FBI might go through the same channels I described before. This would all take time, of course,”
“Let’s not raise the question about the cases just yet. I need to give it a little more thought.”
“Sorry I couldn’t be of more help.”
“You were a great help. You gave me the answer I needed. It just wasn’t the answer I had hoped for. I appreciate it.”
“Let me know how it goes.”
“I sure will. Thanks.”
At that moment, Wade realized he wasn’t going to get the help he hoped for, anywhere else either. He could expect the same result from whatever intelligence sources Megan might find. Nobody except a few tourists were interested in a small, politically insignificant country surrounded by jungle and beautiful Caribbean beaches.
The well-armed armadas of the U.K., U.S., Canada, and Australia assembling off the coast of Belize were not being threatened as they played war games. There would be no concern that a few disruptive operatives could cause anything but a minor political embarrassment on shore.
Their scenario seemed ideal from a terrorist point of view. No need for them to confront heavy military assets on the water. A cleaner mission would involve the deaths of onshore civilians and dignitaries right under the nose of the world press. They would be in and out before anyone realized it or could respond. The night was restless as Wade tried to sleep with those thoughts circling in his head.
The next morning, Wade’s first wall was to his former training partner Max from the Fort Benning exercise. The overview Wade gave Max over the phone was enough motivation to arrange a meeting later that day in Houston.
As Max walked through the door, Wade rose, and the two exchanged warm greetings commonly shared by soldiers who haven’t been in contact for a long time.
“I’m glad you could make it. I didn’t want to say too much over the phone.”
“I heard enough to know that I’m in if you need me.”
“First tell me what you’ve been up to since Fort Benning.”
“After getting my Special Forces training, I had a tour of duty in Vietnam. After R & R leave I returned for a second tour, and I took a bullet in the thigh. I got shipped back to the U.S. and have been in rehab since then. But I’m in good shape now. I signed up for another tour in ‘Nam, but the doctors tell me I have to wait another three months before I can return. I work out hard every day and I’m usually at the range three times a day. I can’t stand not being in action.”
Wade was always impressed by Max’s attention to detail, willingness to take orders, and steadfast resolve in dangerous combat situations.
“I understand. I gave you a summary of this mission on the phone, but wanted to give you more details in person. We’re up against three, maybe four operatives. I’m trying to get more intel on them now from Yari. I think all the operatives are Intelligence or former military, trained in Russia or Europe.”
Max was still a little confused about what the Benning incident had to do with Belize. “So that Mashburn guy was the Lockhart killer, but he was never caught?”
“Right. He spilled his guts to me and I let him go because if I took him out, I’d have killed any chances of getting to the other operatives.”
“Do you know who or what their target is?”
“No. Not for sure. That’s the problem. The intel is sketchy. It’s probably the Prime Minister of Belize or one of the foreign dignitaries. ”
“Do you know when they’re scheduled to attack?”
“Not certain of that either. It’s probably scheduled for one of the ceremonies during the war games. I took two sniper rifles from Mashburn with a 5-power scope, in addition to some small 9 mm arms. Then there are these two black cases that Mashburn dropped at a cemetery in Belmopan. They look like explosives or other devices or weapons that are part of their mission.”
“Aside from Mashburn, do you know anything about the other operatives on this mission?”
Wade nodded. “The head guy is a German-trained assassin by the name of Stephan. There are three other operatives coming into the country as well. I don’t have a lead on who they are, but Yari is covering all communications between them. We should know more soon. Apparently Stephan is being handled by a former CIA operative who goes by the name of Condor. He’s out of Brussels.”
“Why is the CIA involved?”