“When you’re sure of every body, count them,” Murdock said.
Lam went back with the President, who still sat behind the tree. “There were fifteen of them with me,” President Dunnington said. “Two of them spoke good English. They didn’t talk much about why they attacked the ranch. They did say that they would keep me captive until the United States made massive war-crime payments to the North Korean people. They wanted three trillion dollars in trade, goods, credit, and hard cash. Ridiculous. They were the ones who attacked South Korea two years ago, not the other way around.”
Murdock and DeWitt went to the clearing and looked for any kind of papers or plans. They found a map on one of the bodies, and some papers in Korean on another. The rest of the men had no identification of any kind, not even dog tags. DeWitt found the SATCOM in the riddled tent. It had taken three slugs and was ruined. He slung it over his shoulder. Maybe they could repair it. They never did find the Secret Service radio.
Murdock went to where he saw Lam, and knelt down in front of the nation’s highest elected official.
“Mr. President, do you feel like walking back to the ranch house?”
“Ready right now. You’re Murdock? Lieutenant Commander Murdock of SEAL Team Seven, Third Platoon?”
“Yes, sir.”
“We’ve talked several times on the phone. Strange that we meet this way. But I’m grateful. How are my people?”
“My senior chief told me that all of your staff people are fine except for one we can’t find, Maria Alvarez.”
“I know, I saw that bastard shoot her in the head. I thought he was bluffing. He also killed one of the waitresses. How many North Korean bodies did you count down there? I hope to God that you nailed him.”
“There were fifteen dead North Koreans, sir. We had them boxed in, in a cross fire. Not much of a chance anyone could get away.”
“Thank God for that. But it won’t bring back Maria. She was a good one. They also killed Barney Bronson, who owns the ranch. What about General Arnold?”
“Yes, we found her in the brush. She has on cammies and is packing a rifle. She helped us on the perimeter defense.”
“Sounds like her.” The President paused. “Well, I’m ready to travel anytime you are. Have you notified my office about this yet?”
“They know you were attacked. We didn’t tell them that you were captured. Now we don’t have to. We have a SATCOM that you can use as soon as we get back to the ranch house.”
“Move us out, Commander.”
“Yes, sir, Mr. President.”
They left the camp and the bodies where they lay. Someone would come in the next day or two, bury the bodies, pick up the weapons, and clean up the area so it could revert back to the natural Sierra woodland. In five years no one would be able to find the exact spot where the President had been held captive by a foreign power. It would be better that way.
The hike back to the ranch house took an hour and a half. Murdock and the President were in front, and the SEAL let the nation’s leader set the pace.
Back at the ranch house, the President at once called his office on the SATCOM and had a long private talk.
Murdock got the SEALs collected. They had taken no casualties in the firefight. Lillian Bronson, wife of the murdered owner of the ranch, said that they could sleep in the bunkhouse, off to the left of the main house. It turned out to be a dormitory with thirty beds in two big rooms.
Murdock used his SATCOM and called the Quarter Deck in Coronado. They had their ears on.
“Murdock, hoped you would call,” Master Chief Petty Officer MacKenzie said. “How is the mission going?”
“Wrapped up, Master Chief. You still blacked out there?”
“On and off, mostly off. Wrapped up? You found the man and he’s safe.”
“Safe and sound and talking with his office right now. We’ll stay here tonight and do any cleanup work we need to tomorrow. Hold the paperwork for me.”
“Can do that, Commander. Glad he’s all right. When you move, use that chopper you left at the bridge. He’s still there and getting hungry. The jet is waiting for you at Sacramento. Keep up the good work, Commander.”
“You too, Master Chief. See you tomorrow.”
Murdock talked to Mrs. Bronson, and had a car take a big pot of coffee and a dozen sandwiches down to the men at the helicopter near the bridge. There was a good road that went down there and the lady said it would be no problem. Murdock knew the men wouldn’t leave the chopper unprotected. They’d sleep beside it all night.
General Arnold came in, still wearing her cammies and watch cap. “I like them,” she said when the men with the President looked at her. “We going to have another meeting tonight, or are you wimps so tired you need to go to sleep.”
President Dunnington came up and grinned at her comment.
“If they aren’t too tired, I am. The SEALs saved all the papers we had been working on. North Korea would have loved to have had them.” He looked at Murdock and walked over and shook his hand. “This mission wasn’t covert, so I’m going to have a unit citation struck for your platoon. Also I’m giving your man Lampedusa an instant promotion to first class. Figure it out any way you can. The man deserves it big-time. He grabbed me right out from under the noses of fifteen armed killers.” The civilians stared at the President. “Yes, I’ll tell all of you about it when we have time.”
He stopped and looked around the dining room where most of the President’s men, the staff, and the Secret Service men had congregated. “I’ve lost four good people on this trip. Three of my top Secret Service men and Maria Alvarez. The responsible parties have paid with their lives, but that doesn’t bring the dead back with us. First order of business tomorrow is to locate our dead and have them flown out by helicopter to Sacramento. I have ordered enough CH-53’s into Sacramento from surrounding bases to take everyone out of here by noon. A graves-registration squad will come in with its own transport to take care of the North Koreans. They will not be sent back to their homeland. That team will also retrieve the weapons the terrorists used and tear down and dispose of the camp that was built there.” The President looked at Lillian Bronson, who now owned the ranch.
“Lillian, did you and Barney know about that camp?”
“We heard that it was being built. Some man from Sacramento said it would be a boy’s camp for underprivileged children.”
“Was he Oriental?”
“Yes, he said he was Chinese.”
“So they really did a lot of planning,” the President said. “How did they know we would be coming here?”
“I can’t figure it out, Mr. President. The camp went up in a week just before you arrived. They asked if they could drive across some of our pasture with a truck.”
“So, I’ve got a leak somewhere among my top advisors, or their staffs. I’ll work on that.” The President turned and looked into the activity room. “Anybody want to shoot a game of nine ball? Pool always relaxes me after I exercise.”
Murdock excused himself and went out to the bunkhouse. He’d had enough exercise for one day.
The next morning the breakfast buffet began at 0600 for the staff and cowboys, and lasted until 0930. The SEALs all feasted on their choice of bacon, cheese omelets, breakfast steak, hash browns, pancakes, waffles, fruit salad, eggs to order, and lots of coffee, tea, and hot chocolate.
“Why don’t we eat here every day,” Jaybird said.
The big cook with the chef’s hat put out a fresh tray of crisp bacon. “Hey, SEAL, you can come to my kitchen anytime. I like a big eater,” the chef said.
By 0800 the President led six SEALs with two stretchers up the trail where he and the Secret Service men had been attacked. Both agents had been shot once in the forehead.