Lost Voyage (7 page)

“Bring me the book, Kervin. Then, bring me the two Americans.”

Without speaking another word, Esperanza turned and left the office.

***

By the time Mercer and Vigil made it back to town, the cloud cover was back and it had started to rain. The sky was growing darker with each passing hour and with night fast approaching, they returned to the hotel they had stayed at the night before.

Before arriving, they made a stop at the local morgue where they secured arrangements to store the body they had brought with them from the gravesite. The two men figured they owed Tony’s family, and Emily, the respect of making sure his body was returned for a proper burial.

Before going to bed, Mercer placed a call to Hunt. The voice on the other end of the line was not a content one.

“I figured by this point, you and Pat would either be on a plane or already home. And why would I figure that, Sean? Oh yes, that’s right, because you were
supposed
to do exactly that.”

“I’m sorry, Colonel. I didn’t intentionally mean to defy orders. We’ve had some major breakthroughs since we last talked and there’s a lot to bring you up to speed on.”

Hunt calmed down and talked in a more subdued tone. “After we talked yesterday, Dallas informed me of what you discussed. If not for that, I would have already sent the entire Fourth Brigade down there to find the two of you. Now, where’s that cohort of yours? I know he has something to do with you disobeying me,” he joked.

Mercer looked across the lobby and into the bar. He could see his partner sitting next to a pretty blonde, no doubt trying to secure a late night rendezvous.

“He’s already sound asleep, Colonel.”

“You’re a horrible liar, Sean. But tell me what’s going on down there.”

He informed Hunt of their findings and described the situation, as well as conveyed how they needed to put an end to the cartel's reign of terror. He also mentioned the ship and its possible location. After ten minutes of talking, a decision was agreed upon to let them stay for a few more days.

“Sean, be careful. I mean it. I’ll have some reinforcements there for you the day after tomorrow. Until then, find out what you can and lay low.”

“Will do, sir. Oh, and one last thing. Please tell Dallas to be expecting a package from me. I’ll call him with the details. I’d call him myself, but it’s late and he’ll have me on the phone for an hour.”

“Not a problem. Now, get some sleep. And tell Pat that’s an order.”

They said their goodbyes and Mercer walked across the lobby to the staircase. He checked on his partner, who was now sitting next to two blondes. There wasn’t even a slight chance he was going to tell him it was time to go to bed.

He climbed the stairs to the second floor, went to his room, and grabbed a bottle of beer from the fridge before lying down on the bed. He was asleep before he even took a sip.

10

Anthony Mendoza was sitting on his porch, enjoying the light morning rain drizzling down on the forest. He had just returned from a walk to the stream and was about to take a nap, but decided on a quick cup of coffee before doing so. As the water was heating up on the makeshift stove, he sat in his rocking chair without much regard for the drops of water falling from above.

He was lost in thought, seemingly caught up in the moment, and it took him a few moments to realize there were two men with automatic rifles standing across the road at a neighbor’s house. There was no sense of alarm or panic. It was all too common to see this sort of thing in the village he had grown up in. He knew they were members of the cartel, and more than likely were just making threats to locals as they always did.

As he continued to look them over, a man walked out of the home behind them. This particular man’s large stature took him by surprise, and he instantly became fearful. The man was gigantic and Mendoza couldn’t recall ever seeing him before. Something about this man said that it was time to go back inside. As he got up to go in, he heard a voice behind him.

“You there.”

Mendoza instantly froze with panic. He didn’t know exactly what he had done, if anything, but he still had an uneasy feeling.

“Old man. I’m talking to you.”

He turned around and saw it was the giant who addressing him. He tried to regain himself as to show no fear.

“What can I do for you, sir?”

“Two men came around here the day before yesterday and were seen talking to you. Who were they and what did they want?”

“Two men? Ah yes, the scientists from the United States. They were taking samples from the river as best I can remember. What about them?”

“You don’t strike me as the scientific type, old man. What exactly did they want?”

Mendoza felt tense. He was still unsure if he had done anything wrong. “Well, I invited them in for coffee, we chatted for a while about where they were from, and then they left.”

Esperanza smiled menacingly. “Now would not be the time to annoy me, old man. You showed them a book containing information about a ship that may have gone missing in the area. Where is it?”

“I gave it to one of them. It was of no value to me and they seemed to be fascinated with it, so I let them take it.”

Esperanza visibly showed the wearing of his tolerance. “You are testing my patience. If you are lying to me, I will not be in a very forgiving mood.”

Mendoza could tell in the man’s tone that he meant what he said. He had not in fact given the port log to the Americans. He was unsure of exactly what value the book held, but he knew he didn’t want it in the hands of this man. After Mercer and Vigil left, he had moved the book to another place in his home. Mercer told him the book was a priceless commodity that should be cared for as such. The old port log was then placed in a corner cubby hole in his bedroom. He only hoped now that the soldiers wouldn’t enter his home looking for it.

“I am a simple man. What do I need with a book about ships? I have no interest in things like that.” Mendoza had an uneasy tone in his voice and he was aware of the fact, so he tried to end the conversation. “If that will be all, I was about to take a nap.”

Before he could turn around to go indoors, Esperanza barked out for the man to stop. He was growing impatient and the tone in his voice made the old man stop dead in his tracks once again. The brutish giant ordered him to sit back down on the porch, and then told his own men to stand guard while he went into the home and searched for the book.

“This is your last chance. If the book is in there, tell me now and there will be nothing more of this.”

Mendoza was determined to not simply hand over the port log to this man, so he steadfastly held to his story. “The book is gone, sir. There’s no need to waste your time searching for it.”

Esperanza stared him down for a few seconds, and then walked past him to make his way into the small wooden shack. Mendoza could hear the rattling of his possessions being thoughtlessly and carelessly thrown about. Just over ten minutes had passed when the giant man finally emerged from inside.

“Let’s go,” he said to his men.

Mendoza, still sitting on his porch, proudly muttered, “See, I told you there was nothing.”

He was about to say something more as he tilted his head towards the colossal man, but was caught by surprise as he witnessed what the soldier was holding in his hand. Esperanza had found the port log and now displayed a very vengeful look on his face. The words seemed to get caught halfway up his throat as he sat in silence and watched the ruthless man pull out a pistol from a holster revealed under his shirt. He couldn’t believe his secret hiding place had been exposed and he dreaded what would happen next.

Without a word, Esperanza walked up, pressed the barrel of the gun to the old man’s forehead, and pulled the trigger. The crowd that had gathered in the center of the village stood and watched in absolute horror at the site which had just unfolded before their eyes. The villagers watched the three men get into a truck and drive off without so much as a thought to all of those who had witnessed their act of brutality, leaving the body of Mendoza for all to see as a grim reminder of the consequences for crossing the Managua regime.

11

Mercer woke to the annoying buzzing of an alarm clock. Looking over to the other bed and seeing his partner wasn’t in it, he assumed his smooth talking friend had spent the night with one of the blondes he was talking to at the bar. Taking a minute to clear the grogginess from his head, he was reminded of Tony and the rest of the bodies they had found the previous day.

He wondered how many more bodies there could be in other mass grave, and this was now the second such site he and Pat had come across since all the chaos ensued after running into, and saving, Emily. The reality of her ordeal had suddenly hit close to home with the finding of Tony’s body, and a deeper desire to put an end to the bloodshed took priority above all else.

He showered and got dressed before heading down to the lobby to grab a quick bite to eat. As he opened the door, he was greeted by a fully naked man holding a bundle of clothes over his midsection. Vigil stood there with a childish smirk on his face.

“I couldn’t find my key.”

Mercer shook his head. “I guess there’s really no place to hide one in any space I can see. Get in here and get dressed before I change my mind and leave you out there.”

Vigil walked in and threw his clothes on the bed as his partner tossed him a towel and asked, “So, which one did you hook up with?”

With a devilish look on his face, he replied, “Well, I couldn’t decide which one I liked better, so I chose both.”

Mercer chuckled at his friends antics. “You never cease to amaze me. I know it’s hard, but try and get back into work mode. We have a long day ahead of us.”

While waiting for Vigil to shower, he went down to the lobby to take advantage of what the hotel called a continental breakfast. It was nothing more than a spread of English muffins and a small selection of fruit, but it was a free meal so he took advantage of it.

While he sat and enjoyed some grapes from the buffet, he glanced around the lobby and observed the surroundings. There were only a few other hotel patrons walking around this morning and all of them seemed to be entrenched in their own routines, paying no attention to each other. As he peered around the room, he made contact with another pair of eyes glancing over at him.

A man was sitting restlessly in the corner next to the hotel desk pretending to be reading a newspaper. Something about him didn’t sit well with Mercer, as he knew he was being watched closely. He even contemplated the possibility this stranger was hired by the same man he and his partner had encountered back on the dirt road. Just as that thought passed through his head, Vigil made an appearance.

“You ready to go, buddy?”

Mercer looked up at him. “Almost, but first I want to have a chat with my new friend over there.”

Looking over to see the man his partner was referring to, he asked, “What’s his story?”

Locking eyes with the stranger, Mercer responded, “Not sure yet. But judging by how long he’s been staring at me, he's either following us or he thinks I’m really cute.”

Vigil was about to make a snappy comeback, but was cut off before he could blurt it out. “Let’s go introduce ourselves.”

Noticing the men he was trailing had exposed his woeful attempt at spying, the man in the corner got up to make a hasty getaway. Before he could reach the door, Vigil darted in front of him blocking the exit.

Mercer walked over. “Now where are you off to in such a hurry?”

With a heavy accent, the man spoke frantically. “Please, I mean you no harm. I was just supposed to follow you and report your whereabouts.”

Vigil let out a small laugh. “Wow. That was easier than getting a fish into water.” He looked over at his partner. “I bet if we really press him, he’ll give up his own mother as the reason behind world hunger.”

The rattled man was noticeably intimidated by the two men who had him cornered. Mercer took charge of the conversation. “How old are you? You don’t look a day over sixteen.”

“Please, sir, just let me go. I will report back that I saw nothing.”

“Report to whom?” Mercer asked curiously.

The young man was hesitant to respond. “I cannot tell you that, sir. I will not speak a word of this if you let me go.”

Vigil spoke up. “Let me take a wild guess. Is your boss a big brute named Esperanza?”

The terrified look on the face of the young man was enough to tell him he had guessed correctly.

“Well, I’ll tell you what,” said Mercer. “You can tell Mr. Esperanza there is no need to have us followed. We will be seeking him out soon enough.”

After ensuring he had made his point perfectly clear, he let the young man go on his way. Mercer and Vigil looked at each other with mischievous grins, and then headed out the door to visit an acquaintance.

***

A light drizzle was falling as they drove down the road leading them to the quiet village tucked away in the jungle. The dirt was quickly being replaced with mud and puddles of standing water, causing the drive to go slower than anticipated.

When they arrived at the village, the first thing that caught their attention was a large crowd gathered outside of Anthony Mendoza’s home. Intrigued by what was happening, the NESA cohorts hopped out of the truck and walked up to the huddled mass.

Mercer had been anxiously awaiting the next time he would get to sit down and talk again with his newfound friend. As he worked his way through the crowd, all hopes of a joyful reunion fell by the wayside. He witnessed the body of Mendoza hunched over in his chair with a bullet wound in the middle of his forehead.

Sadness shrouded over him as he stood in silence next to the man he had come to know just a few days before.

In a subdued tone, Vigil asked, “Who would do such a thing?”

One of the men from the village spoke up. “It was a vicious act of brutality.”

Mercer had a furious tone in his voice, “Who did this?”

The man answered him. “They were from the cartel. There were three of them, but the one who fired the shot was a giant of a man.”

As he continued describing the man who shot Mendoza, the villager also mentioned the assassin came out of the house with a book in his hand. Mercer began boiling with fury as he came to the realization that Esperanza was the man responsible for the horrendous act.

Without a word being spoken, the two NESA partners walked up to the porch and over to where Mendoza was slouched over. They picked him up, carried him into the house and laid him on the couch, covering him with a sheet from the bed.

“This is my fault, Pat. If he had never shown me that book, we would’ve been done and home by now and he would still be alive.”

Vigil felt the grief in his friend’s voice. “It’s not your fault, Sean. This is a horrible thing that was beyond our control. I feel bad too, but at least we know who’s to blame.”

Mercer’s hands were quivering and he was growing steadily angrier with each passing minute. “We need to bury him before we leave. We owe him that much.”

The next hour was spent digging a grave for Mendoza in his back yard. After their new friend was properly laid to rest, Mercer looked over at his partner and proclaimed, “Now, let’s go find this Kervin Esperanza.”

The ride was a quiet one as the two men sat in silence the entire way back to town. After finding Tony’s body, and now with the death of Mendoza, the reality had become a little more personal for them. There was a determination within them that shouted revenge for the recent tragedies, and they knew they would get their chance for retaliation.

As they pulled off the dirt path and back onto the main roadway, they were halted by a blockade. The realization of their fruition to find the madman responsible for the recent carnage had come much sooner than they had hoped. Esperanza was the man they were looking for, and he was now standing in the middle of the road directly in front of them.

With guns drawn on them and nowhere to go, Vigil looked over at his partner and stated, “Well, it didn’t take as long as I thought it would to find him.”

Mercer never even heard his friend’s smart-aleck comment. His eyes and thoughts were focused on one person. He stared at Esperanza and thought about lunging at him straight through the windshield, but he knew they were outnumbered and ill-prepared for the ambush they had driven into.

They got out of their truck and slowly walked over to Esperanza. Mercer was enraged and quite certain he could kill the enormous man before the armed guards would have a chance to react.

Instead, he calmly said to his captor, “Well then…take us to your leader.”