Castro's Bomb (40 page)

The powerfully built man took Franklyn's head in his hands.
 
"We don't want your God damned money.
 
What we want is for you to back off on this bullshit tale of yours about Cuban nukes."

"I won't.
 
It has to be told."

"Too fucking bad," the man said.
 

The rag was stuffed back in his mouth and strong hands grasped Franklyn's testicles, squeezing and twisting.
 
Franklyn tried to scream and tried to get away, but could do neither.
 
He saw red in front of his eyes as the pain roared through him.
 
He thought he would die.
 

"Hey," the big man said, "he really does have balls.
 
Franklyn, you want me to stop?"

The answer was a whimper and a nod.
 
The man let go and the rag was removed.
 
Franklyn gasped and moaned.
 
"Why?
 
Who are you?
 
Oh God, you're from the government, aren't you?"

"Why would you think that?" the second man said.
 
"Look, asshole, we know there's an atomic bomb out there, but our employers want it to be used.
 
We don't want you to raise a stink and get it halted."

"Employers?" Franklyn asked. "What do you mean?"

Big man spoke.
 
"We work for some people who had major investments in Havana and were booted out by Castro.
 
They’re afraid that Kennedy won't kick Castro out and give them a chance to get their money back.
 
If American troops are nuked, Kennedy will have to go after Castro and wipe his ass out.
 
When that happens, my employers can open up shop in Havana again and the world will come back to the casinos and other places for fun."

Oh God, Franklyn thought, these two are from the Mafia.
 

The big man saw comprehension and smiled.
 
"Good thinking, asshole.
 
Now you understand you are going to be a very quiet and very good boy.
 
In fact, we are going to guarantee it."

The two men dropped Franklyn's pants to his knees.
 
He squirmed.
 
The woman was looking, laughing.
 
A hypodermic appeared from the woman's very large purse.
 
Big man jabbed it into Franklyn's thigh.
 
In a moment, he was limp and barely conscious.

Big man turned to the woman.
 
"Stay here.
 
You don't have to see this."

Two small cameras, one of them a Polaroid, also came from the woman's purse which they took with them as they dragged Franklyn into his bedroom and closed the door.
 
A few minutes later, they left the bedroom.
 
The three of them left the house and drove away, leaving Franklyn shaken and sobbing on his bed.
 
He was beginning to regain full consciousness and control over his body, and remembered what they'd said and done. They'd told him they'd find him wherever he went if he didn't stop pushing the story.
 
They told him the pictures they'd taken would be all over Washington within moments of his going public. They left a couple of Polaroid prints to emphasize the point.

He couldn't yet move very well, but, when he could, he would pack his clothes and go far, far away.

Charley Kraeger, Jock Soriano, and Elena Sandano parked the car in front of Elena's house.
 
They'd driven the better part of an hour to cover the few miles.
 
If anybody had been tailing them, they'd have noticed it.

Inside, both men took off the wigs and pulled the cotton stuffing out of their cheeks.
 
Elena took off her blonde wig and peeled the ugly mole off her cheek.
 
She reached inside her blouse and removed the padding that had made her so huge.
 
All three of them laughed at the changes in their appearance, especially hers.

"I thought that went well," Soriano said.
 
"He caved almost immediately."

"What did you do in the bedroom?" Elena asked.

Charley smiled. "Stripped him and took some pictures of him naked and doing strange things to his own body.
 
Then we took some more with him dressed in the women's clothes and doing disgusting stuff with one of those new Barbie Dolls we'd brought in that large purse.
 
We left a couple of the Polaroids just to let him know what will happen if he doesn't back off.
 
And thank God he's an idiot who thought he was safe using the same pay phone to talk to the reporter.
 
That makes it a lot easier to tap."

"Won't the reporter wonder when Franklyn doesn't get back to him," Elena asked.

"Franklyn's no dummy," Jock answered.
 
"Nickel says he tells the reporter that he was wrong, there was no story."

"I got another nickel that says he puts in for retirement tomorrow," Charley added.

Soriano stood and stretched.
 
"I'm out of here.
 
It's late and I'm getting old."

With the big man gone, Charley was concerned for Elena.
 
What she had done with them was totally new for her and maybe disturbing.
 

"You didn't have to go with us, you know," he said gently.

She smiled warmly at his concern.
 
"Yes I did.
 
All my career I've sat behind a desk while others have put their lives on the line.
 
I don't mean that muscling this Franklyn cretin was in anyway dangerous, but it did give me an appreciation of what the other half does for a living. I hate to admit it, but the whole thing was an adventure.
 
Maybe even thrilling."

"I guess I'm glad.
 
Does that mean you don't think I'm a thug?"

"Charley, I've never thought you were a thug.
 
Soriano, now, may be another story."

"Don't sell him short," Charley said.

"Wouldn't think of it."
 
She stood and looked thoughtfully at him.
 
"Wait here," she said and walked into her bedroom.
 
He'd been to her house for dinner a couple of times, but had never been invited into the inner sanctum.

A few moments later, she emerged from the room, wearing a long white robe that even covered her feet, which, when she moved, he could see were bare.
 
Her hair was down and he thought she was indescribably and breathtakingly lovely.

"It was a very interesting evening, Charley, exhilarating and even exciting."

She undid the robe and let it drop.
 
She was naked.
 
Charley could hardly breathe.
 
If he'd thought she was lovely moments before, he was obviously mistaken.
 
She was a tan goddess.

She let him stare for a moment, then smiled and held out her hand, pulling him to his feet and leading him to her bedroom.
 
"Charley my dear, I am not an innocent little waif and neither are you.
 
Now get in here before I change my mind."

"Comrade Che, it is so good to see you," Ortega said.
 
He tried hard to keep the sarcasm from his voice and hide his dismay at having Guevara in his headquarters.

"And I am pleased to see you as well," Guevara said with equal insincerity as he sat down.
 
"It's been a long trip, but a safe one.
 
The damned American planes didn't find us."

"Us?"

"My little convoy.
 
We traveled scattered and only at night.
 
We had some reasonably close calls, but nothing serious.
 
The American bombers are getting so numerous and so dangerous it's a wonder that any travel succeeds.
 
This state of affairs has to end before it destroys Cuba and the revolution."

A shame, Ortega thought as he leaned back in his chair.
 
"The Americans are more than dangerous.
 
My forces have suffered badly and the fighting hasn't really begun.
 
We have no choice but to sit and take it until the Americans land and we can close with them and kill them."

"Which brings up a point," Guevara said.
 
"Fidel wonders why you aren't using the SAM missiles and other anti-aircraft weapons you have."

Ortega sighed.
 
"Because we used up almost half our weapons inventory when taking Guantanamo and in the immediate aftermath when the Americans launched their attacks.
 
Unfortunately, too many of our commanders had little in the way of fire discipline and simply shot off everything they had at anything that flew, and caring nothing about actually hitting a target.
 
American pilots quickly learned that they can outmaneuver our SAM missiles and no American B52 heavy bombers, which would have been juicy targets, were involved during the takeover of Guantanamo.
 
Thus, I have ordered that no SAM missiles or other weapons be used until the Americans actually begin landing and we actually have viable targets."

"In the meantime, however, our brave troops sit and take it," Che said angrily.

"With regrets, Comrade Che, yes.
 
Sadly, we have already lost far more men than we did during the battle for Guantanamo, and yes, many of our men are dispirited and their morale is low. Unless you and Comrade Fidel can conjure up an air force to fight the Yankees, we have no other choice but to sit and take it."

Guevara smiled ruthlessly.
 
"Perhaps I can provide you with a choice."

Jesu, Ortega thought, here it comes.
 
Just what my cousin had predicted.
 
"What do you mean?"

"Comrade General, I have brought with me a weapon that will change the course of the war and bring us not only victory over the Americans but will give us the stature Cuba deserves in the eyes of the world.
 
The weapon will make us pre-eminent among our sister nations and will enable us to export our revolution."

Ortega decided to pretend ignorance.
 
"My dear comrade, what do you mean?" he said, repeating himself.

Guevara leaned forward conspiratorially.
 
"I have brought you a nuclear missile, a Soviet Luna 3.
 
We will launch it at the Americans when they land.
 
It will shock and devastate them.
 
Many thousands will be killed and wounded, perhaps tens of thousands."

Ortega shook his head.
 
"Comrade, if we were so foolish as to do that, what do you think the American response would be?
 
I believe they would launch many of their missiles at us and turn Cuba into a radioactive cinder."

Guevara shook his head.
 
A beatific smile lit his face.
 
"They won't.
 
When part of their army is obliterated, we will tell the Americans that we have dozens more of these missiles and we will use them to destroy the rest of their army if it doesn’t surrender.
 
We will, of course, wait until they land so they will be required to surrender to us in order to save their own lives."

"Do we really have that many rockets?"

"Of course not, but the Americans don't know that.
 
Their intelligence is now aware that the Soviets brought in a large number of them, but they don't know where they are or who controls them.
 
We will let the stupid Americans believe that we do.
 
They are afraid of battle and will take the excuse to back out a conflict they think they cannot win."

"And why do you believe that, comrade?"

"Because John Fitzgerald Kennedy is a coward,” Che almost spat.
 
“He didn't go to war against the Russians back in October and he has proven to be afraid to fight us now.
 
He has dithered and sought compromise and so-called peaceful solutions while all the world mocks him.
 
No, we will show some resistance, use the bomb to kill a few thousand Americans, and he will cry like a baby and pull his troops away.
 
If Kennedy was serious, he would have attacked us a long time ago.
 
Instead, his huge army sits and waits.
 
It won't matter that the Luna is a small bomb, the attack will shatter him."

"How can you be certain of Kennedy's manhood, and that the Americans will believe we have more missiles?"

"Because the Russians have told me much about Kennedy’s manhood, as well as America’s fear of nuclear weapons.
 
The fact of the missile and our declaration that we have more will come as a complete shock to the Americans.
 
And there has been no mention of Cuban nuclear missiles in the American press.
 
Even if they suspect that we have them they are afraid to tell their people who would flee their cities in bloody panic."

Ortega trembled in disbelief.
 
"So you would have me use it when the Americans land."

"Yes."

"Then tell me, comrade, just where will they land?"

"At Guantanamo," Guevara said with supreme confidence.
 
“Re-conquering that base is their goal, general.
 
When they storm ashore you will launch the missile and Cuba will be victorious.
 
It may take a few days of additional skirmishing, but the Americans will go into a defensive shell and be afraid to move."

Ortega sat back.
 
"And just why do you think they will land only at Guantanamo?
 
Or haven't you noticed that we are an island surrounded by American ships and being overflown by American planes.
 
The Yanquis can land anywhere and everywhere, and there is precious little we can do to stop it.
 
Yes, your one rocket will damage them but it will not stop them and I for one do not think they will believe your fairy tale about inundating them with other missiles."