“Agreed,” said Nathan. “If he’s become a gun for hire, he’s more than capable of taking out VIP targets.”
“Which is all the more reason to deal with this quickly to avoid any kind of Raven-CIA connection. Do either of you have any idea who our mysterious messenger might be?”
Nathan shook his head. “Not immediately. It’s interesting he used only Harv’s designation, though.”
Harv added, “I think it’s reasonable to assume we’ve either met him or know him.”
“That’s why you’re here.”
“Nathan doesn’t exactly have the fondest memories of that place. Neither do I. You’re asking a lot, especially of Nathan.”
“I’m aware of that.”
Harv looked at Nathan. “There’s also a possibility this whole thing is a trap.”
“I’m aware of that too. I’ll be able to give you limited support, but metaphorically, don’t call in any air strikes. Also, you may not discuss this with your families. Nothing goes any further than the two of you.”
“So what’s next?” asked Nathan.
“You guys are in the Hyatt tonight. Sit tight for now, but be ready to deploy at a moment’s notice. When we’re ready to move, I’ll send you a text on this.” Cantrell reached down to the floor and came back up with a plain cardboard box about the size of a hardcover novel. “It’s a special phone that comes with a few important rules. Always keep it on, and keep it with you. And never let its charge drop below thirty percent. If it falls below thirty percent, it erases itself and becomes unusable. It has a special battery that should last for three days if you don’t use it too much. It also monitors and records your GPS coordinates in real time. If you lose track of it, let me know right away. We can remotely kill it. There are also instructions on how to erase it. It doesn’t store recent calls or have a contact list, so you’ll have to enter all phone numbers manually. It also has no voice mail. We either speak live or text.”
Nathan and Harv nodded.
“I’ll text you if you don’t answer. If you call me and I don’t answer right away, give it ten rings before hanging up. I’m either on the phone or unavailable. I’ll see that you attempted a call, and I’ll get back to you ASAP. In the event the phone falls into the wrong hands or you’re being coerced, we’ll need a code word. It will be the first thing you say to me after I answer. If I hear any other word, I’ll hang up and kill it. Pick a word, something uncommon, anything you like.”
Harv thought for a moment. “How about… chromium.”
“That works. It’s an international phone, so it will work in Nicaragua. Memorize Bill’s cell number, just in case you can’t reach me.” She gave them the number, an easy one to remember because only the last four digits were different from Cantrell’s.
A brief silence ensued as Cantrell pulled out her cell, looked at the screen, and tucked it away.
“We passed the Hyatt a few minutes ago,” Nathan said.
“You don’t miss much.”
“Neither do you, Rebecca.”
After dropping McBride and Fontana off at the entrance to the Hyatt, Rebecca Cantrell moved to the opposite side of the passenger compartment so she could face Bill Stafford.
“What did you think of him?” she asked.
“McBride? He’s hard to read, but the word capable comes to mind.”
“That’s a good assessment.”
Bill shook his head.
“What?”
“Those scars on his face… People must stare.”
“I’m sure they do. He doesn’t like being in public much. But I have a feeling he’d be reclusive even without the scars. He fits the profile of an operations officer perfectly; it’s why I handpicked him for Echo. He and Harvey were ideal for the job. It was my brainchild. I built and operated the program. I’ve never told McBride and Fontana, but I suspect they know. The Reagan administration wanted to stop the atrocities being committed against the Contras and their families, but they didn’t know how to do it. When I proposed surgical strikes using sniper teams, they loved the idea but didn’t want the risk of having Americans on the ground in Nicaragua. We compromised by training Contra teams in neighboring Honduras. I can’t help but feel a shared responsibility for what happened to McBride.”
“You mean his capture and interrogation?”
She looked out the window. “I should’ve pulled them out of there sooner.”
“That’s the problem with hindsight, it’s always twenty-twenty.” Bill thought for a moment. “For what it’s worth, they were dead-on about how it feels becoming a sniper. When I got home after my first kill, I was physically ill. I’d never shot anyone. Nothing Judy said to me that night helped. The guy was a first-class turd and deserved a bullet, but it bothered me for a long time. I guess it still does.”
“Imagine multiplying that by a factor of sixty.”
“I can’t.”
They went silent for a few miles. Cantrell liked that about Bill — he didn’t ruin the quiet moments with small talk. McBride and Fontana were the same way.
“I didn’t tell them, but we’ve already heard back from our messenger. He’s requested a face-to-face.”
Bill didn’t say anything.
“I wanted a read on them first. I’m planning to tell them tomorrow morning.”
“Do you think they suspect you’re holding back?”
“Absolutely.”
“I’m assuming it’s going to be reconnaissance only? They meet with the messenger, determine what’s going on, and report back to you? You aren’t expecting them to engage, are you?”
“No, they aren’t operations officers anymore. Don’t get me wrong. They’re still capable, but for obvious reasons, we can’t risk them falling into the wrong hands. Besides, they’d never allow themselves to be captured, but I doubt it would come to that. I agree with Fontana’s thought: they’ll likely be meeting with someone they already know.”
“How are they getting down there? They can’t — well, shouldn’t — fly commercial, and Nicaraguan customs agents are thoroughly inspecting private jets and charters upon landing.”
“I’ve already set it up with JSOC. All the assets are on the move.”
CHAPTER 6
Later that same morning, Nathan and Harvey finished their thirty-minute jog and reentered the Hyatt’s lobby. Despite being jet-lagged, neither of them had slept especially well. Just four short hours ago, they’d been inside an armored SUV with Cantrell. They strode into the bar and had no trouble finding a quiet spot. At 0615 the place was all but deserted. They grabbed a couple of plates and helped themselves to coffee and a continental breakfast.
“I expect we’ll hear from Cantrell today,” Nathan said. “I have a feeling she’s already heard back from our messenger. Think about it — ten hours of chartered jet time for a ten-minute conversation, plus an encrypted phone? It’s a safe bet she’s already got a plan.”
“The question is, what is the plan?”
“Well, there’s no way we’re flying into Managua under any circumstances. If that’s her plan, we aren’t going.”
“I’m glad to hear you say that. I feel the same way.”
“We go in covert, or not at all. Meanwhile, we should find out if anything major’s going on in Nicaragua, politically or otherwise. Since Cantrell didn’t mention anything, I doubt there’s any serious trouble, but let’s not rule it out.”
“Do you really think Raven would sell his services to a cartel or criminal gang?”
“I honestly don’t know. I hope not. We spent a lot of time with him, but how well did we really get to know him? Like I told Cantrell, I trusted him back then, but people can change.”
“Money can be a powerful lure, especially in a poor country.” Harv fell silent for a moment. “We can’t go to war against a cartel.”