Protect & Survive Miami: End of Watch
- Thread starter wolverinethad
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Chapter 12
Chapter 12
January 8, 1984
Somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean
Klima and Cárdenas had driven to a marina near Dodge Island, where they could park the car right by the docks and hop into one of the powerboats maintained by the City of Miami and Dade County for undercover operations. Nobody was even paying attention as the boat roared to life and sped out of the South Channel into open water east of Key Biscayne. Klima was at the wheel of the 1982 Chris Craft Stinger 260SL, and Cárdenas sat behind him watching García. As they passed out of sight from Key Biscayne, Klima opened up the bag and pulled out the items he'd stopped to pick up along the way: two bags of cow's blood from a butcher shop. Klima slowed the boat down, opened one of the bags, and started turning in a lazy circle, pouring the blood out. García was staring at Klima, wondering what he was doing. Then Klima headed south some, and repeated his action with the second bag.
At this point, García's curiosity couldn't take it anymore. "What the fuck are you doing, you stupid gringo? Why are you pouring that shit in the water?" Klima turned back to the hitman. "Oh, just hang tight, you'll see soon enough," he replied. Klima then started doing racetrack patterns over the two areas he'd dumped the blood, and a few minutes later, he got his wish. Headed towards the southern area that he'd dumped the pig's blood was a fin slicing through the water. Klima turned the wheel, taking the boat back in that direction slowly...
*****
Grimes was back in the office, sorting through his messages. He looked up, and noticed that Detectives Klima and Cárdenas were missing. This was the third day in a row he hadn't seen them in the office. The temperamental captain stormed over to the squad admin, who shrugged and said that they were on assignment for the chief. She was used to cranky men like Grimes after twenty years on the job and wasn't afraid of him. Her lack of fear just made him angrier, and he stormed back to his office, slamming the door on his way in. Picking up the phone, Grimes called upstairs to the chief's office. He got routed to Harms' deputy chief, who refused to give Grimes any information, other than they were on special assignment at the direction of Chief Harms and nobody was to be given information as to what. Grimes was not so stupid as to forget he was a mere captain talking to a man who was four ranks higher than him, so he politely thanked the deputy chief for his time and hung up.
The captain pulled out a Marlboro and lit it. Those bastards better hope when their assignment is over that I'm not still here. Then another thought hit him. What if they're involved in investigating the murder of the witness? Grimes had told Antonio that it would be foolish to kill the witness. Better to kidnap him after subduing the officers, giving the impression that he'd escaped. Murder created more questions than answers, and brought unwanted attention. Those damn Cubans. All machismo, coldhearted at business, but emotional beyond reason if someone crossed them. All those bodies since last fall. Grimes knew Klima had been investigating those, knew he'd gotten a Cuban partner to crack through, which he had...until the murder of the Cuban who'd talked.
Grimes had been at this well over 20 years. He should've been at least a major by now, but his abrasive attitude wore on his superiors, and he looked destined to top out as captain, not even a commander. His sour outlook on the world and treatment of others had cast a cloud over a solid record of police work. He had kids headed for college now, no prospects of moving up, and a captain's salary just wasn't enough to pay for "The U," Gainesville, or Tallahassee. The bitterness at topping out midrank, combined with the money pressures, made him an ideal candidate for recruitment. One of Rivera's civilian informants had pegged the captain as a worthwhile mark, and so Rivera had the informant (a higher-level city official) reach out towards the captain. The informant had taken Grimes out for a drink, and after a couple of rounds, which included listening to Grimes bemoan his state in life, set the hook. Grimes bit. He was asked for information from time to time that wouldn't hurt any cases (or so Grimes reasoned, since nobody knew who Rivera was), and after a year, he was on solid ground. He stayed out later many nights, telling his wife he was working overtime to save extra money for the kids' tuition, and banking the hefty amounts that Rivera paid him, depositing large payments over several weeks so no flags were raised. His wife was proud of him, taking extra care of him at night and on weekends because he was, to her knowledge, working hard for their children.
A couple of months ago, when Rivera, through García, had asked for the information about the informant, Grimes balked. He felt it would blow his cover, and told Rivera so. As the Cuban remained in custody longer, Manny Rivera grew angrier, and finally decided to put Captain Grimes in his place. Antonio met with the captain, handing over an envelope with color 4x6's showing Grimes taking an envelope of cash from Antonio during a meeting some months back. Manny always kept insurance, and after seeing the pictures, Grimes folded. He'd given up the information, and done everything short of begging that they not kill the Cuban witness. Rivera clearly didn't care what Grimes thought.
He'll care if they catch me or that prick hitman of his.
*****
Klima was stunned at how quickly Antonio García had folded. Jan and Luis had grabbed him and held his head towards the water, where he could clearly see the circling fin, drawn by the blood in the water. For a man hardened by prison and murder, the thought of being eaten by a shark in the middle of the ocean was still a bridge too far, and he started talking. Klima moved out of the way of the shark, driving a short distance away from the circling fin, and then stopped the boat. Luis pulled out a tape recorder, speaking into it that anything said on the tape would not be used for prosecution. Klima repeated those words into it, and turned it towards García. They started asking questions, first about Grimes, and then about how the operation worked. After a time, Antonio started becoming uncooperative, leading Klima to grab him by the shirt and throw him in the water. García screamed and begged for mercy, promising he wouldn't hold back anything. The detectives pulled him back in the boat and continued the interrogation. It was nearly dark by the time they'd gotten all of their questions answered, and Klima turned the running lights on and headed back towards Key Biscayne. Tying Antonio's handcuffs to a rigging behind them, Jan motioned Luis up front.
"Luis, what should we do now?" Klima asked, looking out at the ocean. Cárdenas was surprised by the question. "What do you mean, what now? We take him in, book him, and have him charged." Klima nodded slowly. "That's the book, right? But we already broke the rules, and this guy might be more dangerous than alive. Even if he's totally truthful with us, this Manny Rivera guy will have him whacked too, right? If he disappears, though, Rivera and Captain Grimes will be in the dark about it. Nobody saw us with him, right? Nobody puts us in the boat with him. He could just go poof, like David Copperfield did with the Statue of Liberty last year," Jan explained, shocking Luis. He'd never heard his partner talk this way.
"Are you serious, hermano? What's wrong with you? Do you really mean that?" Cárdenas asked. Klima stared right back at him. "What do you think?"
January 8, 1984
Somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean
Klima and Cárdenas had driven to a marina near Dodge Island, where they could park the car right by the docks and hop into one of the powerboats maintained by the City of Miami and Dade County for undercover operations. Nobody was even paying attention as the boat roared to life and sped out of the South Channel into open water east of Key Biscayne. Klima was at the wheel of the 1982 Chris Craft Stinger 260SL, and Cárdenas sat behind him watching García. As they passed out of sight from Key Biscayne, Klima opened up the bag and pulled out the items he'd stopped to pick up along the way: two bags of cow's blood from a butcher shop. Klima slowed the boat down, opened one of the bags, and started turning in a lazy circle, pouring the blood out. García was staring at Klima, wondering what he was doing. Then Klima headed south some, and repeated his action with the second bag.
At this point, García's curiosity couldn't take it anymore. "What the fuck are you doing, you stupid gringo? Why are you pouring that shit in the water?" Klima turned back to the hitman. "Oh, just hang tight, you'll see soon enough," he replied. Klima then started doing racetrack patterns over the two areas he'd dumped the blood, and a few minutes later, he got his wish. Headed towards the southern area that he'd dumped the pig's blood was a fin slicing through the water. Klima turned the wheel, taking the boat back in that direction slowly...
*****
Grimes was back in the office, sorting through his messages. He looked up, and noticed that Detectives Klima and Cárdenas were missing. This was the third day in a row he hadn't seen them in the office. The temperamental captain stormed over to the squad admin, who shrugged and said that they were on assignment for the chief. She was used to cranky men like Grimes after twenty years on the job and wasn't afraid of him. Her lack of fear just made him angrier, and he stormed back to his office, slamming the door on his way in. Picking up the phone, Grimes called upstairs to the chief's office. He got routed to Harms' deputy chief, who refused to give Grimes any information, other than they were on special assignment at the direction of Chief Harms and nobody was to be given information as to what. Grimes was not so stupid as to forget he was a mere captain talking to a man who was four ranks higher than him, so he politely thanked the deputy chief for his time and hung up.
The captain pulled out a Marlboro and lit it. Those bastards better hope when their assignment is over that I'm not still here. Then another thought hit him. What if they're involved in investigating the murder of the witness? Grimes had told Antonio that it would be foolish to kill the witness. Better to kidnap him after subduing the officers, giving the impression that he'd escaped. Murder created more questions than answers, and brought unwanted attention. Those damn Cubans. All machismo, coldhearted at business, but emotional beyond reason if someone crossed them. All those bodies since last fall. Grimes knew Klima had been investigating those, knew he'd gotten a Cuban partner to crack through, which he had...until the murder of the Cuban who'd talked.
Grimes had been at this well over 20 years. He should've been at least a major by now, but his abrasive attitude wore on his superiors, and he looked destined to top out as captain, not even a commander. His sour outlook on the world and treatment of others had cast a cloud over a solid record of police work. He had kids headed for college now, no prospects of moving up, and a captain's salary just wasn't enough to pay for "The U," Gainesville, or Tallahassee. The bitterness at topping out midrank, combined with the money pressures, made him an ideal candidate for recruitment. One of Rivera's civilian informants had pegged the captain as a worthwhile mark, and so Rivera had the informant (a higher-level city official) reach out towards the captain. The informant had taken Grimes out for a drink, and after a couple of rounds, which included listening to Grimes bemoan his state in life, set the hook. Grimes bit. He was asked for information from time to time that wouldn't hurt any cases (or so Grimes reasoned, since nobody knew who Rivera was), and after a year, he was on solid ground. He stayed out later many nights, telling his wife he was working overtime to save extra money for the kids' tuition, and banking the hefty amounts that Rivera paid him, depositing large payments over several weeks so no flags were raised. His wife was proud of him, taking extra care of him at night and on weekends because he was, to her knowledge, working hard for their children.
A couple of months ago, when Rivera, through García, had asked for the information about the informant, Grimes balked. He felt it would blow his cover, and told Rivera so. As the Cuban remained in custody longer, Manny Rivera grew angrier, and finally decided to put Captain Grimes in his place. Antonio met with the captain, handing over an envelope with color 4x6's showing Grimes taking an envelope of cash from Antonio during a meeting some months back. Manny always kept insurance, and after seeing the pictures, Grimes folded. He'd given up the information, and done everything short of begging that they not kill the Cuban witness. Rivera clearly didn't care what Grimes thought.
He'll care if they catch me or that prick hitman of his.
*****
Klima was stunned at how quickly Antonio García had folded. Jan and Luis had grabbed him and held his head towards the water, where he could clearly see the circling fin, drawn by the blood in the water. For a man hardened by prison and murder, the thought of being eaten by a shark in the middle of the ocean was still a bridge too far, and he started talking. Klima moved out of the way of the shark, driving a short distance away from the circling fin, and then stopped the boat. Luis pulled out a tape recorder, speaking into it that anything said on the tape would not be used for prosecution. Klima repeated those words into it, and turned it towards García. They started asking questions, first about Grimes, and then about how the operation worked. After a time, Antonio started becoming uncooperative, leading Klima to grab him by the shirt and throw him in the water. García screamed and begged for mercy, promising he wouldn't hold back anything. The detectives pulled him back in the boat and continued the interrogation. It was nearly dark by the time they'd gotten all of their questions answered, and Klima turned the running lights on and headed back towards Key Biscayne. Tying Antonio's handcuffs to a rigging behind them, Jan motioned Luis up front.
"Luis, what should we do now?" Klima asked, looking out at the ocean. Cárdenas was surprised by the question. "What do you mean, what now? We take him in, book him, and have him charged." Klima nodded slowly. "That's the book, right? But we already broke the rules, and this guy might be more dangerous than alive. Even if he's totally truthful with us, this Manny Rivera guy will have him whacked too, right? If he disappears, though, Rivera and Captain Grimes will be in the dark about it. Nobody saw us with him, right? Nobody puts us in the boat with him. He could just go poof, like David Copperfield did with the Statue of Liberty last year," Jan explained, shocking Luis. He'd never heard his partner talk this way.
"Are you serious, hermano? What's wrong with you? Do you really mean that?" Cárdenas asked. Klima stared right back at him. "What do you think?"
A nuclear war would be a great way to cover up a murder. Actually, a detective doggedly pursuing a murderer even after a nuclear holocaust would be an interesting story.
There's two things at play here.
1: Klima is a straight arrow, strong moral standards, raised and trained to Do The Right Thing.
2: Klima has seen every effort to bring justice in this case be thwarted, often by brutal means. Twice, when someone talked and gave them information, they weren't just killed. They were slaughtered, and so this guy who plays by the rules has been prevented from finishing the job because his adversaries don't play by any rules. Factor in that his current boss is on the take, and he's feeling very distrustful of justice being brought to a man who has admitted to multiple murders.
Jan already crossed a line by threatening to feed Antonio to a shark, literally. If he goes all the way over is what we'll see in the next chapter.
Yeah, that is interesting, but he needs Antonio alive to get Rivera, IMO (there aren't any good options here)...
This reminds me a little of the movie Taken, where Liam Neeson's character (a former special ops soldier) will take the necessary steps (including torture and murder) to get his daughter and her friend back. Have you seen that movie, BTW?
This reminds me a little of the movie Taken, where Liam Neeson's character (a former special ops soldier) will take the necessary steps (including torture and murder) to get his daughter and her friend back. Have you seen that movie, BTW?
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I have, but it wasn't in my mind when I wrote the last two chapters. I look at it a little like John Clark from Tom Clancy's books. Sometimes you need to step over the line to make things happen.
Right. Clark is a good guy whom is changed by awful events. Klima feels like he twice got people killed by trusting him, and so, that same sort of vigilante justice idea is becoming appealing to him, and as a trained military officer, he has the tools to do it.
Chapter 13
Chapter 13
January 8, 1984
Sands Key, Florida
Detective Klima brought the boat to a stop against an old pier. Sands Key alternately was part of the Biscayne National Park and the city of "Islandia," except the city was never built on this section of the Keys. So, in short, nobody really bothered to come here.
"Get up," Jan said, roughly grabbing Antonio García by his arm, pulling him onto shore. "Start walking," Klima ordered, and García began walking inland. After a couple of minutes, Jan ordered him to stop. They were near a treeline. It had long grown dark, and the only light on the island came from a lantern that Luis was holding up. The product of Omaha, Nebraska had a voice as cold as an ice storm. "Antonio García, by your own admission, you have committed a dozen murders, potentially more. As an officer of the United States Army, I hereby find you guilty under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, an action permissible when the offense or the confession is at sea. Do you have anything to say?" Klima glared at the hitman, who had summoned his last bit of dignity to not break down in tears or beg. "Manny's gonna kill you and fuck your woman, Wonder Bread! You think you can get away with this?" Antonio asked. Detective Jan Klima, formerly Captain Jan Klima of the United States Army, looked down at Antonio from his full 6'3" height. "Of course I can. No one's going to know you're dead." He whipped out a Beretta Cheetah (which was not his police-issued firearm) and fired a shot right between García's eyes. The best friend of Manny Rivera slumped to the ground.
"Jesucristo!" Luis Cárdenas was in shock. Of all the things he'd thought would happen once they got here, he just didn't expect Klima would do such a thing. "Jan....what the fuck? What the fuck are you doing? Look, hermano, I can't be a part of this anymore. I don't know what just happened, but I can't do this. That's not what we signed up for, man," Cárdenas said. He was almost shaking as the words came out. Klima turned and looked at his partner. "Listen, this isn't something I did lightly, okay, but you know this man is a menace. We can't trust our boss, because he's on the take from whomever Rivera is, and we watched this scumbag pay him off earlier. We have a confessed murderer in our possession, but just about zero usable evidence in a court of law. Oh, lest I forget, we might be in a damned shooting war down here pretty quickly the way Castro and friends are behaving. So, you know what? I sentenced him to the death he deserved, and it'll even work in our favor, because it should flush Rivera out now without his gofer to do his bidding. If war breaks out, we can't afford to have men like Antonio García and Manny Rivera running loose. We're running out of time, Luis, and we have to bring this Rivera bastard down, quickly."
Klima sighed, and continued. "Look, if you want to quit, I understand, but Janet Reno isn't going to let you walk away without telling her why, and if you tell her about this, you and I both go down, and Manny Rivera walks free, building an empire, while God knows what happens to Florida. I swore an oath to this country to defend it from all threats, foreign and domestic, and Manny Rivera is a threat. I won't kill him out of hand, oh, no, I'll make sure his ass ends up in a courtroom, on trial, with all his sins exposed. But to get him there, we needed Antonio here to disappear, and now, so he has." Klima walked back to the boat. Luis followed him, got in, and Jan turned and headed north, back towards the marina. It was a very quiet ride.
*****
When Klima got home, it was late. His daughter was already asleep, but Rosa was sitting up, watching TV. She turned it off when she saw him walk in, and they went in the kitchen while she heated up leftovers. She saw the fatigue on his face. "Bad day, honey?" she inquired. "Yeah, really bad day," Jan replied. "I hate coming home late, I hate how screwed up this case is. I hate what drugs have done to people. And there's so much bad involved that I don't even know what is the worst part....check that, I can tell you, but you cannot repeat this." Rosa nodded at Jan. "Luis and I....we were doing surveillance, and Captain Grimes showed up, but not where we were. We caught him meeting with a known criminal. The guy gave the Captain an envelope full of cash. So, I can't even go to him for help or advice, even though he's such a hardass that I usually wouldn't. Now there's going to be an IA investigation once we take the photos to the State's Attorney in the morning...it's just ugly. It's all ugly." Klima sighed and put his head down on the table.
Rosa rubbed his shoulders. "Honey, I have faith in you. I know you're going to close this out. You're smart, you work hard, and Luis is a good partner. You guys got this, and you've got the backing of the chief, you said, right? Hang in there." Klima nodded as Rosa turned back to the stove. She didn't believe in using microwaves if she didn't have to. He picked up the Miami News, the evening paper he got delivered at home, because the Herald was delivered to the office every morning. The headline at the top was, "Andropov speaks to Supreme Soviet; demands NATO withdraw from Berlin."
There's going to be a war. Not today, not tomorrow, but soon.
Rosa brought his food to the table, along with wine for both of them. She saw him intently reading the story. "Jan, don't get worked up, this has happened before. There wasn't war then, and there won't be one now," she said, trying to reassure him. He put the paper down and took her hand. "Rosa, I think you're wrong this time. Last time there wasn't riots throughout East Germany, riots they are blaming specifically on us. There wasn't the enlarged NATO forces in the city like there are now. There also wasn't a Maggie Thatcher and Ronald Reagan leading the West. They're stubborn as a pair of mules, and Andropov is an old KGB guy. This is the worst possible combination I can imagine. Just watch, there's going to be a full activation of all National Guard forces tomorrow, and that means we're going to be even thinner at work, too, right in the middle of a drug war." He downed his glass of wine and poured another before beginning to eat his dinner.
I need to get things ready, find a good place for Rosa to bunker down with Adriana. Food needs to be stockpiled. I'm going to go buy lots of canned goods tomorrow and jugs of water. Plastic tarp. Duct tape. I need to call her dad too. He has to go with her and protect her. He's got his rifle.
Rosa saw his eyes go out of focus, knew he was deep in thought, so she decided to pick up the paper and read herself.
God, please, don't let Jan be right.
January 8, 1984
Sands Key, Florida
Detective Klima brought the boat to a stop against an old pier. Sands Key alternately was part of the Biscayne National Park and the city of "Islandia," except the city was never built on this section of the Keys. So, in short, nobody really bothered to come here.
"Get up," Jan said, roughly grabbing Antonio García by his arm, pulling him onto shore. "Start walking," Klima ordered, and García began walking inland. After a couple of minutes, Jan ordered him to stop. They were near a treeline. It had long grown dark, and the only light on the island came from a lantern that Luis was holding up. The product of Omaha, Nebraska had a voice as cold as an ice storm. "Antonio García, by your own admission, you have committed a dozen murders, potentially more. As an officer of the United States Army, I hereby find you guilty under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, an action permissible when the offense or the confession is at sea. Do you have anything to say?" Klima glared at the hitman, who had summoned his last bit of dignity to not break down in tears or beg. "Manny's gonna kill you and fuck your woman, Wonder Bread! You think you can get away with this?" Antonio asked. Detective Jan Klima, formerly Captain Jan Klima of the United States Army, looked down at Antonio from his full 6'3" height. "Of course I can. No one's going to know you're dead." He whipped out a Beretta Cheetah (which was not his police-issued firearm) and fired a shot right between García's eyes. The best friend of Manny Rivera slumped to the ground.
"Jesucristo!" Luis Cárdenas was in shock. Of all the things he'd thought would happen once they got here, he just didn't expect Klima would do such a thing. "Jan....what the fuck? What the fuck are you doing? Look, hermano, I can't be a part of this anymore. I don't know what just happened, but I can't do this. That's not what we signed up for, man," Cárdenas said. He was almost shaking as the words came out. Klima turned and looked at his partner. "Listen, this isn't something I did lightly, okay, but you know this man is a menace. We can't trust our boss, because he's on the take from whomever Rivera is, and we watched this scumbag pay him off earlier. We have a confessed murderer in our possession, but just about zero usable evidence in a court of law. Oh, lest I forget, we might be in a damned shooting war down here pretty quickly the way Castro and friends are behaving. So, you know what? I sentenced him to the death he deserved, and it'll even work in our favor, because it should flush Rivera out now without his gofer to do his bidding. If war breaks out, we can't afford to have men like Antonio García and Manny Rivera running loose. We're running out of time, Luis, and we have to bring this Rivera bastard down, quickly."
Klima sighed, and continued. "Look, if you want to quit, I understand, but Janet Reno isn't going to let you walk away without telling her why, and if you tell her about this, you and I both go down, and Manny Rivera walks free, building an empire, while God knows what happens to Florida. I swore an oath to this country to defend it from all threats, foreign and domestic, and Manny Rivera is a threat. I won't kill him out of hand, oh, no, I'll make sure his ass ends up in a courtroom, on trial, with all his sins exposed. But to get him there, we needed Antonio here to disappear, and now, so he has." Klima walked back to the boat. Luis followed him, got in, and Jan turned and headed north, back towards the marina. It was a very quiet ride.
*****
When Klima got home, it was late. His daughter was already asleep, but Rosa was sitting up, watching TV. She turned it off when she saw him walk in, and they went in the kitchen while she heated up leftovers. She saw the fatigue on his face. "Bad day, honey?" she inquired. "Yeah, really bad day," Jan replied. "I hate coming home late, I hate how screwed up this case is. I hate what drugs have done to people. And there's so much bad involved that I don't even know what is the worst part....check that, I can tell you, but you cannot repeat this." Rosa nodded at Jan. "Luis and I....we were doing surveillance, and Captain Grimes showed up, but not where we were. We caught him meeting with a known criminal. The guy gave the Captain an envelope full of cash. So, I can't even go to him for help or advice, even though he's such a hardass that I usually wouldn't. Now there's going to be an IA investigation once we take the photos to the State's Attorney in the morning...it's just ugly. It's all ugly." Klima sighed and put his head down on the table.
Rosa rubbed his shoulders. "Honey, I have faith in you. I know you're going to close this out. You're smart, you work hard, and Luis is a good partner. You guys got this, and you've got the backing of the chief, you said, right? Hang in there." Klima nodded as Rosa turned back to the stove. She didn't believe in using microwaves if she didn't have to. He picked up the Miami News, the evening paper he got delivered at home, because the Herald was delivered to the office every morning. The headline at the top was, "Andropov speaks to Supreme Soviet; demands NATO withdraw from Berlin."
There's going to be a war. Not today, not tomorrow, but soon.
Rosa brought his food to the table, along with wine for both of them. She saw him intently reading the story. "Jan, don't get worked up, this has happened before. There wasn't war then, and there won't be one now," she said, trying to reassure him. He put the paper down and took her hand. "Rosa, I think you're wrong this time. Last time there wasn't riots throughout East Germany, riots they are blaming specifically on us. There wasn't the enlarged NATO forces in the city like there are now. There also wasn't a Maggie Thatcher and Ronald Reagan leading the West. They're stubborn as a pair of mules, and Andropov is an old KGB guy. This is the worst possible combination I can imagine. Just watch, there's going to be a full activation of all National Guard forces tomorrow, and that means we're going to be even thinner at work, too, right in the middle of a drug war." He downed his glass of wine and poured another before beginning to eat his dinner.
I need to get things ready, find a good place for Rosa to bunker down with Adriana. Food needs to be stockpiled. I'm going to go buy lots of canned goods tomorrow and jugs of water. Plastic tarp. Duct tape. I need to call her dad too. He has to go with her and protect her. He's got his rifle.
Rosa saw his eyes go out of focus, knew he was deep in thought, so she decided to pick up the paper and read herself.
God, please, don't let Jan be right.
Hope he starts thinking about more than just food & water
At least it's Florida. Much harder places to dig to fill sandbags.
At least it's Florida. Much harder places to dig to fill sandbags.
Great video, never saw that before. Yeah, Jan thought about this, but doing it in open water, sharks around or not, had somewhat more risk (say the Coast Guard shows up, given the Cuba situation). Sands Key is desolate, and by the time anyone may or may not land, there's a decent chance the crocodile population finds him first.
As a teaser, here's a bit of the next chapter.
Manny unlocked the door to Antonio's house. He wasn't answering his phone, hadn't come to Manny's suite, hadn't been seen by any of El Caracortada's lieutenants.
"Antonio! Wake up! We gotta talk!" Silence. Manny searched the whole house, and found nothing. The car was parked in the carport. No sign of having packed.
"Where the fuck are you, Antonio?!"
Manny Rivera slammed the door and locked it. He needed to find Grimes. If the cops picked Antonio up and that arrogant prick of a captain hadn't called, he would soon find out the price of disloyalty.
Chapter 14
Chapter 14
January 15, 1984
Miami, Florida
"Good morning, Miami, it's 8 o'clock on a foggy Sunday. Scattered showers expected later on after the noon hour, then clearing by sunset, with a high of 73 degrees and just a few light breezes. Now, let's have a look at the news.
In Poland, an uneasy silence hangs over the nation after the mass demonstrations about 36 hours ago, protesting the Soviet crackdown in East Germany. The Polish security forces fired tear gas and rubber bullets into the crowd, killing an estimated 50 people. Over 600 Solidarity trade union members were arrested in the aftermath, and Pentagon sources state that they expect martial law to be reimposed in that nation once more. Poland has been wracked by protests and strikes for four years now, and any reimposition of martial law would be the second time in three years that would have happened.
Meanwhile, in Washington, rumors are flying that President Reagan is going to send Secretary of State George Shultz to Geneva, Switzerland, to meet with his counterpart, Andrei Gromyko, the Foreign Secretary of the USSR. With tensions having been rising for months now, including the Cuban air battle off the shore of Miami Beach, this is seen as a hope that further escalation, or even war, can be prevented.
In Tampa, preparations are continuing for this year's Super Bowl...."
El Caracortada was up early at the Biltmore. He had been working non-stop the past two weeks, as the threat of war had driven demand sky-high. His customer base was buying more cocaine at once, probably afraid they'd run out before the missiles flew. Manny smirked at that thought. Dumb bastards, he thought, nobody is stupid enough to launch nuclear missiles. Who wants to rule a wasteland? He looked over at his girlfriend, curled up naked under the sheets. She'd been the only pleasure he'd had time for lately. No time to chase other women or party in one of Miami's clubs, no time for drinks in rooftop bars. Business was booming, and Rivera wanted to stash as much away as possible. If war did break out, his supply would definitely get cut off for a time, until adjustments could be made.
He had a different problem at the moment, though, and that's why he was up this morning. He kissed Amber goodbye, and headed out. The Mercedes was his choice of cars this morning, given the thick fog. No sense dying in a crash when business was doing this well. He made the turns by heart despite it being a new route, and soon was in Little Havana. Manny unlocked the door to Antonio's house. He wasn't answering his phone, hadn't come to Manny's suite, hadn't been seen by any of El Caracortada's lieutenants. "Antonio! Wake up! We gotta talk!" Silence. Manny searched the whole house, and found nothing. The car was parked in the carport. No sign of having packed.
"Where the fuck are you, Antonio?!"
Manny Rivera slammed the door and locked it. He needed to find Grimes. If the cops picked Antonio up and that arrogant prick of a captain hadn't called, he would soon find out the price of disloyalty. If Antonio took a deal, though, Manny would give him a one-way ticket to the Everglades and the alligators. Either way, someone was going to pay by the end of the day...
*****
Tallahassee, Florida
Governor's Office
Bob Graham was working on Sunday again. This crisis atmosphere was keeping him from his church at a time when he needed it most, he thought to himself. Instead of his pastor's calm words, he was getting an intelligence briefing from a CIA officer. British intelligence had been told by their agent-in-place, London KGB rezident Oleg Gordievsky, that a number of KGB/Spetznaz teams were being infiltrated into NATO nations to launch sabotage and terror attacks if war was imminent. MI-6 chief Sir Colin Figures had immediately reached out to Casey, French DGSE Director Admiral Pierre Lacoste, and West Germany's Bundesnachrichtendienst (Federal Intelligence Service) President Eberhard Blum. The intelligence chiefs all moved to locate the teams. While the United States was the biggest threat to the Soviets in a war, the other intel leaders all believed they were least at risk, because any infiltration of American soil would require air travel, whereas the European nations could be infiltrated by land. President Reagan had been briefed on Friday by CIA Director William Casey, and was alarmed enough by what he heard to order Casey to dispatch briefers to every governor in the nation, immediately.
This was why Graham was at work, again, on a Sunday morning. Florida was one of the most target-rich states in the nation, and Graham was starting to worry where he'd find the resources. Much of the Guard was activated, and a full activation would cause additional disruption to the state's economy. Tourism was already down since the Cuba incident, and if it wasn't for the Super Bowl, there'd be almost nobody visiting the state. Graham had just been told the day before by the president of Walt Disney World that if tensions didn't ease soon, they'd have to lay off workers. The economy had only started bouncing back late last year from the "Reagan recession" of 1982, and if Disney started laying off workers, it would cascade into other areas. A full Guard activation was the last thing Graham needed.
And yet.
If he didn't, and a KGB team blew up an airport or shot up an important target, it'd be his fault. Ultimately, he had no choice. Governor Bob Graham opened the folder on his desk and signed a declaration fully activating the Florida Army National Guard and Air National Guard.
*****
Jan Klima was having brunch with his in-laws, thinking about how to have the conversation with his father-in-law. Yes, Carlos, I need you to take your daughter and granddaughter across the state with lots of canned food, jugs of water, and guns. How the hell do you have that talk with your father-in-law, especially when there was no guarantee that you'd be alive to reunite with them? Rosa was eagerly talking away with her parents, somewhat masking Jan's silence. When they finished eating, Carlos motioned for Jan to join him on the patio. Jan's father-in-law loved to sit outside with cigars on the weekend, a habit that the detective had picked up mainly to placate the father of his wife.
"I'm just going to be direct with you, Jan. I think you're worried about something, but I'm not sure what. Is something happening at work? Are things okay with you and Rosa?" Carlos asked. Klima looked down and took a deep breath. "Yeah, Carlos, we're okay. Work has been....difficult lately. I did something that I'm not proud of in service of a greater good, but that's not even my biggest concern." Jan paused before moving on. "I'm concerned there's going to be a war soon, and you know as much as I do that if it blows up like that, there's going to be nukes flying. I don't know how to protect my family, because I'm a cop and I have to stay at my post, or if it gets really awful, I might get called up from the Ready Reserve. I mean, what the hell do I do?"
Carlos took a long drag on his cigar, puffing out a perfect ring. "Jan, that stunt Castro pulled a couple weeks ago was really stupid, and he's not stupid. That bearded vendejo chased me out of my homeland. He went from living in the jungle to ruling the nation and hasn't let go since. He didn't do that on his own. The Russians must've put him up to sending those planes," he concluded. Jan pondered that for a little while. "If you're right, then the question isn't if, but when, we get attacked. They wouldn't do something like that unless they meant it," Klima said. "Listen, Carlos, if things go bad, you need to take Rosa and Adriana and head west. I've already gone to Walmart and bought two weeks worth of canned goods and jugs of water. Rosa thought I was crazy to buy that much, but I don't think I've even got enough. If it comes down to it, take them, take your rifle, and drive out to Naples or Ft. Myers. I figure with my boss in the Guard, I'll get warning before things kick off, or maybe even through work."
"You know I will. It's good that you've thought this out, kid. You're smart, and I'm glad Rosa married you, Jan. Just stay safe out there. The girls need you."
January 15, 1984
Miami, Florida
"Good morning, Miami, it's 8 o'clock on a foggy Sunday. Scattered showers expected later on after the noon hour, then clearing by sunset, with a high of 73 degrees and just a few light breezes. Now, let's have a look at the news.
In Poland, an uneasy silence hangs over the nation after the mass demonstrations about 36 hours ago, protesting the Soviet crackdown in East Germany. The Polish security forces fired tear gas and rubber bullets into the crowd, killing an estimated 50 people. Over 600 Solidarity trade union members were arrested in the aftermath, and Pentagon sources state that they expect martial law to be reimposed in that nation once more. Poland has been wracked by protests and strikes for four years now, and any reimposition of martial law would be the second time in three years that would have happened.
Meanwhile, in Washington, rumors are flying that President Reagan is going to send Secretary of State George Shultz to Geneva, Switzerland, to meet with his counterpart, Andrei Gromyko, the Foreign Secretary of the USSR. With tensions having been rising for months now, including the Cuban air battle off the shore of Miami Beach, this is seen as a hope that further escalation, or even war, can be prevented.
In Tampa, preparations are continuing for this year's Super Bowl...."
El Caracortada was up early at the Biltmore. He had been working non-stop the past two weeks, as the threat of war had driven demand sky-high. His customer base was buying more cocaine at once, probably afraid they'd run out before the missiles flew. Manny smirked at that thought. Dumb bastards, he thought, nobody is stupid enough to launch nuclear missiles. Who wants to rule a wasteland? He looked over at his girlfriend, curled up naked under the sheets. She'd been the only pleasure he'd had time for lately. No time to chase other women or party in one of Miami's clubs, no time for drinks in rooftop bars. Business was booming, and Rivera wanted to stash as much away as possible. If war did break out, his supply would definitely get cut off for a time, until adjustments could be made.
He had a different problem at the moment, though, and that's why he was up this morning. He kissed Amber goodbye, and headed out. The Mercedes was his choice of cars this morning, given the thick fog. No sense dying in a crash when business was doing this well. He made the turns by heart despite it being a new route, and soon was in Little Havana. Manny unlocked the door to Antonio's house. He wasn't answering his phone, hadn't come to Manny's suite, hadn't been seen by any of El Caracortada's lieutenants. "Antonio! Wake up! We gotta talk!" Silence. Manny searched the whole house, and found nothing. The car was parked in the carport. No sign of having packed.
"Where the fuck are you, Antonio?!"
Manny Rivera slammed the door and locked it. He needed to find Grimes. If the cops picked Antonio up and that arrogant prick of a captain hadn't called, he would soon find out the price of disloyalty. If Antonio took a deal, though, Manny would give him a one-way ticket to the Everglades and the alligators. Either way, someone was going to pay by the end of the day...
*****
Tallahassee, Florida
Governor's Office
Bob Graham was working on Sunday again. This crisis atmosphere was keeping him from his church at a time when he needed it most, he thought to himself. Instead of his pastor's calm words, he was getting an intelligence briefing from a CIA officer. British intelligence had been told by their agent-in-place, London KGB rezident Oleg Gordievsky, that a number of KGB/Spetznaz teams were being infiltrated into NATO nations to launch sabotage and terror attacks if war was imminent. MI-6 chief Sir Colin Figures had immediately reached out to Casey, French DGSE Director Admiral Pierre Lacoste, and West Germany's Bundesnachrichtendienst (Federal Intelligence Service) President Eberhard Blum. The intelligence chiefs all moved to locate the teams. While the United States was the biggest threat to the Soviets in a war, the other intel leaders all believed they were least at risk, because any infiltration of American soil would require air travel, whereas the European nations could be infiltrated by land. President Reagan had been briefed on Friday by CIA Director William Casey, and was alarmed enough by what he heard to order Casey to dispatch briefers to every governor in the nation, immediately.
This was why Graham was at work, again, on a Sunday morning. Florida was one of the most target-rich states in the nation, and Graham was starting to worry where he'd find the resources. Much of the Guard was activated, and a full activation would cause additional disruption to the state's economy. Tourism was already down since the Cuba incident, and if it wasn't for the Super Bowl, there'd be almost nobody visiting the state. Graham had just been told the day before by the president of Walt Disney World that if tensions didn't ease soon, they'd have to lay off workers. The economy had only started bouncing back late last year from the "Reagan recession" of 1982, and if Disney started laying off workers, it would cascade into other areas. A full Guard activation was the last thing Graham needed.
And yet.
If he didn't, and a KGB team blew up an airport or shot up an important target, it'd be his fault. Ultimately, he had no choice. Governor Bob Graham opened the folder on his desk and signed a declaration fully activating the Florida Army National Guard and Air National Guard.
*****
Jan Klima was having brunch with his in-laws, thinking about how to have the conversation with his father-in-law. Yes, Carlos, I need you to take your daughter and granddaughter across the state with lots of canned food, jugs of water, and guns. How the hell do you have that talk with your father-in-law, especially when there was no guarantee that you'd be alive to reunite with them? Rosa was eagerly talking away with her parents, somewhat masking Jan's silence. When they finished eating, Carlos motioned for Jan to join him on the patio. Jan's father-in-law loved to sit outside with cigars on the weekend, a habit that the detective had picked up mainly to placate the father of his wife.
"I'm just going to be direct with you, Jan. I think you're worried about something, but I'm not sure what. Is something happening at work? Are things okay with you and Rosa?" Carlos asked. Klima looked down and took a deep breath. "Yeah, Carlos, we're okay. Work has been....difficult lately. I did something that I'm not proud of in service of a greater good, but that's not even my biggest concern." Jan paused before moving on. "I'm concerned there's going to be a war soon, and you know as much as I do that if it blows up like that, there's going to be nukes flying. I don't know how to protect my family, because I'm a cop and I have to stay at my post, or if it gets really awful, I might get called up from the Ready Reserve. I mean, what the hell do I do?"
Carlos took a long drag on his cigar, puffing out a perfect ring. "Jan, that stunt Castro pulled a couple weeks ago was really stupid, and he's not stupid. That bearded vendejo chased me out of my homeland. He went from living in the jungle to ruling the nation and hasn't let go since. He didn't do that on his own. The Russians must've put him up to sending those planes," he concluded. Jan pondered that for a little while. "If you're right, then the question isn't if, but when, we get attacked. They wouldn't do something like that unless they meant it," Klima said. "Listen, Carlos, if things go bad, you need to take Rosa and Adriana and head west. I've already gone to Walmart and bought two weeks worth of canned goods and jugs of water. Rosa thought I was crazy to buy that much, but I don't think I've even got enough. If it comes down to it, take them, take your rifle, and drive out to Naples or Ft. Myers. I figure with my boss in the Guard, I'll get warning before things kick off, or maybe even through work."
"You know I will. It's good that you've thought this out, kid. You're smart, and I'm glad Rosa married you, Jan. Just stay safe out there. The girls need you."