: C..:Hey, d.c., my favorite parts of your books are the parts about vigilante justice. It is amazing that none of the vigilantes in your books ever get caught, though. Why is that?
d.: Because, Cal.E., the vigilantes in my books are actually undercover agents for powerful organizations. No one knows their true identity, so they can use their anonymity to do away with what they consider to be dangerous people, or, at least, keep them at bay.
C.: ???
d.: Here, read this passage about “Miko.” I chose the name because it is the Japanese word for three trees growing together. In my book, “Miko” has gone by three names in his life, but none of the names he is known by is the one written on his original birth certificate. That is because he was adopted at 48 hours old, and his parents did not want his biological mother to find him. Then, he went into the service as a special forces soldier. THAT name he could not reveal to anyone, even his closest known relative, his adoptive brother. His brother is also an important part of my stories, as is his biological father.
C.: Who are these people, d.c.?
d.: I will let you read all three of the manuscripts I have completed Cal.E., then, you tell ME who “Miko’s” biological father is. (Hint: He also fathered another important character, but neither knows their true biological parentage.)
C.: Maybe I should just read this passage first, d.c. Then I will try to guess who the father is.
CHAPTER NINETEEN: A WORKING MAN’S REWARD
“Taylor” contacted the lackey that he had left in charge of his South American cartel. He was a “special needs” janitor at a fleabag hotel in Bogota, Colombia, or so most people believed. When “Taylor” met one of his contacts at that hotel the janitor approached him with a proposition. The man had too much information to be ignored. That was Taylor’s initial impression.
Charlie said that he knew who “Taylor” really was, and which organization with which he was involved. Further, the supposed janitor said he knew that “Taylor” was an ex-CIA agent who abandoned that job for one that would give him more power. The janitor also knew that “Taylor” had done away with his former boss, both in the intelligence agency and the cartel with which they were both involved. “Taylor” thought it a good idea to do away with this source of unlimited information. He pulled his .25 caliber pistol out of his waistband and tried to open fire. THAT was his first mistake.
The janitor grabbed the pistol out of his hand and pointed it toward the original owner with deft swiftness, breaking “Taylor’s” trigger finger on his left hand. He pinned the don of one of the two largest cartels in the western hemisphere against the wall and slammed his other forearm into “Taylor’s” neck, cutting the supply of both air and blood to “Taylor’s” brain. It was a rare moment in which “Taylor” feared for his life. He raised both hands, hoping that admitting defeat may save his life, if not his dignity.
The janitor relaxed his forearm just enough for “Taylor” to breathe, but not enough to talk. He then proceeded to dictate the terms of a deal he was willing to make with the don. “I know that you are planning on infiltrating your chief rival cartel, but you do not know how, because you only trust yourself. I will make a deal with you.”
“IF you will leave me in charge of the cartel that you are presently controlling, you can go north and infiltrate that cartel. When the opportunity presents itself, take control of that cartel. Act as if you don’t WANT to be in control, but you think that it is best for all concerned, since you are an outsider. As such, you have not yet formed an alliance with anyone else, so your being in charge is ideal. You will not play favorites since you are a neutral party. That way, when the new don is elected, you will be able to step down without appointing someone else as your successor.”
“When you step down, find someone who will do your bidding. Then, come back here and I will step down and let you be in charge of this cartel. You will then be in control of the two largest cartels in the western hemisphere, as long as you do EXACTLY as you are told!”
“Taylor” motioned for the janitor to loosen his hold enough so that he could talk. The janitor obliged him, but kept the pistol pointed at his left temple. The message was clear. IF “Taylor” tried to escape, his life would end. “Taylor” indicated that he understood with a hand gesture.
“I have three questions about this so-called plan. One, what makes you so sure that Javier Leal will give up his position of don of the cartel he strarted? Two, how do I know that I will be elected the don of that cartel if Javier does vacate his post? And three, how will I know whom I can trust in that cartel when I step down to come back here and run this cartel?”
The janitor pressed “Taylor’s” neck with his powerful forearm again, stopping “Taylor” from talking. “That’s three,” the janitor said, indicating it was his turn to talk. “I know that Javier Leal is dying of a terminal illness, one that has no cure. I also know that he does not trust the man he hired to be his cartel’s physician to give him proper palliative care until he passes. The doctor is greedy. If he sees the opportunity to take control of the cartel, he will seize it. That is not what Javier wants. He wants one of his sons to be the heir apparent, preferably the oldest. Because of this, he wants to die in a turf war. He will start one with a cartel with snipers who are deadly accurate. Javier will take the point, making sure that he dies bravely ‘leading the charge’ against a rival cartel. That will reinforce his desire for leadership of his organization.”
“Further, the older two of Javier’s sons are drug addicts. No one will want either to be in charge of the cartel because of this fact. He also has a brother-in-law that may want to take control when the oldest two are no longer living. Make sure that does not happen. HE is a drug addict as well. Also, make sure that it is the youngest son that is the heir apparent. He does not want the job. Additionally, he is only seventeen. The cartel will not want to put a minor in control of the cartel. He would not be able to enter some of the venues in which the cartel operates. That is when you offer to be the ‘placeholder’ until Jose` is ‘of age.’”
The janitor stopped and thought. Then, he answered “Taylor’s” last question. “When it is time for you to take control of this cartel, I will let you know. I will then tell you whom you should leave in charge of the cartel. He will help you convince the rest of the cartel that he is the best choice. My friend can be VERY persuasive.”
“Taylor” motioned for the janitor to loosen his grip on his throat so that he could talk. The grip was loosened just enough to let the don talk. “Why should I do what you tell me to do? If you kill me now, I will not be able to help you, so you will not kill me now. IF I do not do as you say later, you will have the same situation. I do not see that you have any…leverage.”
“There are things worse than dying,” the janitor began as he tightened his grip on “Taylor’s” throat. “If I was able to discern who you were in our first meeting, don’t you think that I have other information on you, as well as your cartel? IF you do not comply, I will have you thrown in prison, but NOT in the United States. You will be in prison here, where I know people both in prison and in control of it. I will make your life so miserable that you will beg to die and go to hell, where you belong. I will make sure that does not happen, though. I will tell the nurses to make sure that you survive every attack. When you have healed sufficiently to be put into the general population, I will start the whole process again. Colombian jails do not employ protective custody arrangements.”
“When you leave, you will experience a sampling of what I am capable of doing.” The janitor loosened his grip and let “Taylor” go. He kept the small caliber pistol, though. He emptied the magazine and threw it into the woods behind the hotel. He then resumed his job, whistling while he worked.
“Nice job, Charlie,” The hotel manager said in English as he observed his employee mopping. He knew that the janitor did not speak Spanish, so he communicated with him in his own language. “You deserve a raise!”
“The reward for a job well done is the satisfaction one gets from doing it,” the janitor said, with a slight lisp. He then resumed his mopping and whistling as the hotel manager walked away.
*****************************************************************************
“Taylor” hurriedly entered his car and tried to drive away, but all four of his tires had been flattened. When he exited the car to try to repair them, he was met with a brutal blow to the back of his head with his own tire tool. As he lay unconscious on the ground, the attacker bruised each of his ribs deeply. “The next time, I will break them all, if you do not do as you were told,” said the attacker, throwing down the tire iron. “Taylor” knew then that he had met a formidable foe.
From The Magruder Mysteries “Murder 8; The Inert Ingredient.”
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