“Why don’t you mark them on the map and number the buildings from left to right? We’ll check each one and the extraction points after the superintendent is gone.”
“Give me a minute to code the positions. I need to get the binoculars and a camera.”
“Go for it. Remember to look like a construction guy, not a tourist taking pictures.”
Max was not a big talker. On the way back from Belmopan, though, he did tell Wade that he’d graduated from the Army explosive school and that explosives had been his back-up specialty in Vietnam. Their conversation continued about shooting positions and escape scenarios from the layout they had seen that day. For them, the concrete, steel, and glass layout was like a living, breathing organism, which they dissected as snipers, much like a surgeon getting ready to operate.
After grabbing a quick meal, the two men headed back to the safe house for their stakeout. This time there was a car in the driveway and a light on in the living room.
“Where has this rabbit been hiding? I just want to see the guy’s face.”
“We may be here for a while. Looks like he just pulled up. ”
“I’m pretty sure this is no longer his main operating house. We’re going to have to follow him to find his other hole.”
Much to the men’s surprise, Stephan was soon on the move, rushing to jump into his car. The men followed his blue sedan to the car rental agency, where the attendant and Stephan conversed for a bit before coming out to the yard to look at vehicles in the lot.
After walking past a number of vehicles, Stephan pointed to a roomy utility-type vehicle. While speaking with the rental agent, he conveniently stood under the light in the parking lot where Wade and Max got a clear look at his face.
He had typical Germanic features and a well-defined lean body type. Definitely fit. This operative was in good shape, with close-cropped dark curly hair and dark eyebrows that seemed too close together for the size of his head.
The car he pointed to was pulled to the front office door, where the agent handed Stephan the keys and Wade turned to Max.
“You follow Stephan in this car, while I stay behind to rent a second car. I’ll take one of the radios.” Wade reached into the backseat to get a radio transmitter and his weapon. He tucked both under his loose-fitting overshirt. “I’m going to go back and check the house again. Stay with him. I think he may be headed to his second hole.”
“I’ve got him.”
Max pulled out of the car lot, following Stephan at a safe distance. Wade entered the front door looking for the gentleman who had helped Stephan. Stephan’s car rental paperwork was still on the clipboard sitting on the desk
The sales attendant returned to the small office approaching from Wade’s left side. “Good evening, sir, what can I do for you?”
“I’m looking to rent a second car for my associate.”
“Listen, would you excuse me for a second? I need to attend to something real quick, but I’ll be back momentarily.”
“That’s fine. I’m in no rush.”
The attendant disappeared through a gray swinging door behind the counter, leaving Wade to peruse Stephan’s paperwork. He spun the clipboard around to make it easier to read. Stephan’s signature was scribbled at the bottom of the page. The last name he’d signed was “Woretz.”
He’d just replaced the clipboard to its original position when the swinging door opened and the agent smiled at Wade. “It’s been a busy evening. How may I help you? ”
“I’d like to rent a mid-size sedan for a week. What are your rates?”
They settled on the rate and a vehicle. After making a right turn out of the car agency, Wade pulled over to the side of a quiet street to hook up his radio transmitter. The two men had already established code names and protocol for the mission, knowing their radio frequency was not totally secure
“Base to Sky, how do you read?”
“Sky here, reading you loud and clear.”
“Are you still with the rabbit?”
“You bet. We’re seven clicks out of town heading east on Northern Highway toward Belmopan. I’m five cars back.”
“Stay on target. I’ll check out the rabbit hole and make a few calls home. I’ll relieve your watch in the early morning, around 5:00 a.m.”
“Copy. Awaiting your next call.”
“Over.”
Wade cautiously drove by the house before going in. He performed his normal check around the doorjambs for wires. The house remained untouched except for one slip of paper that had fallen to the kitchen floor below the counter, a receipt for hardware parts. The same scribbled handwriting on the bottom of the page confirmed it was Stephan’s signature. Wade thought about leaving the paper on the floor, but ultimately decided to keep it for potential handwriting analysis. He found nothing new in the house, and only a single unmade bed. There was nothing more he could do at this safe house so he headed for the library.
The library was closed but the dimly lit lobby remained open. Sitting on the small built-in seat beside the payphone, Wade took a moment to write down a detailed physical description of Stephan before making his first calclass="underline" approximately six feet tall, slender, with a neatly-trimmed beard; a small scar under his left eye; a small tattoo on his right forearm. He seemed to be in excellent shape, and handled himself like a cat ready to pounce at a moment’s notice. By the way Stephan carried himself, Wade got the sense he was well trained as a covert operative.
The call to Yari brought surprisingly little new information. “There were no calls recorded.”
“How about credit card transactions?”
“I can’t trace them with only a first name.”
“That’s one of the reasons I’m calling. Our target is using the name Stephan Woretz. His handwriting is terrible, so I may have the last name misspelled. I have a credit card receipt with his signature. I can send that to you for handwriting analysis. He just rented another vehicle from the Island Rental Car Agency. He also used his credit card to buy something from a local hardware store. I’d like any background you can dig up on this guy.”
“I’ll get to work on it right away. I have a source who can track credit card transactions from that country.”
“We may soon have another safe house location for you to trace as well.”
Yari tried filling in more gaps. “That’s good news, because he’s not making calls from the Adam Roy house. I haven’t found any calls coming in from Condor’s side either. I’m thinking he may be using another line.”
“It’s possible, but I get the sense this guy runs his own jobs. He may not be communicating with Condor at all. Let’s see if we can get another location fix. I’ll call as soon as I know something. By the way, I need you to set up one of those secure double encryption patches from this phone so I can call the Agency.”
“You got it. Give me five minutes after you hang up.”
Wade was hoping Megan’s research might have paid off when he dialed her number.
“This is Megan.”
“Hi. It’s me.”
“Let me go to one of the spare offices to use a secure line.”
Wade didn’t mention that he already had a secure, encrypted patch on their line.
Megan continued from the new secure location. “I think I’ve discovered which of our Agency’s guys was involved with Daniel Spencer in Vietnam. Unfortunately, it goes right to the top. The files are locked down tight as a drum, including related older files at the Pentagon. I have my friend who works there checking. I got one document that shows two people at the Agency signed off on the drug investigation results. I have those names when you need them.”
“Did you learn anything about the Belize situation?”
“Yes. Both publically and privately, we support Belize as an independent democratic government. We run everything through the British Embassy, and let them take the lead on most matters. Our interests stem from the fact that their country is near our shores, not Britain’s. We monitor everything closely, including their elections and many of their government communications. We have people who also monitor trading partners in the country for commercial ventures to make sure no one with conflicting interests gets too big. We’re not going to let them become a pawn of some other country who might not be one of our friends. We especially watch for growing interests from Panama, Cuba, Columbia, El Salvador, and Nicaragua. We’re also monitoring Russian influence in the area.”