West of Laredo by Tom Armbruster (epub e reader txt) 📕

poly "mecanico." Well dressed, but no gold chain, no fancy watch. He seems like a quiet family guy.

"Hey, Miguel." Lee says brightly. "You ever grant anybody whose spouse was in the U.S. illegally?" Miguel thinks. "No. I almost did. The wife's husband was supposed to be hit by a truck and dying in North Carolina."

"Sounds like a humanitarian case worthy of some consideration."

"Nah. The hospital called itself the Greater Nachville Hostpital." I never found "Nachville" on the map, so I had to deny."

"Yea. You're a pretty 'by the book guy.'

"That' why they pay me the big bucks." Miguel said. No hint of irony. No inside joke going on in his mind from Lee's perspective.

Lee couldn't understand how Miguel, probably a 'good boy' all his life, could be selling visas on the side. Before DS put Miguel in jail, Lee wanted to give him one more chance.

"Miguel." She put on her playful face. "You know how we all have nicknames? I'm La Rubia. Sinclair is El Viejo. Who are you?"

"Me?"

"Yea, you."

"Well, I used to be Senor No No. Because I denied 70% of applicants, and that word was on the street. Now, I hear they call me Mecanico, because one guy was in line saying he had a big problem in the U.S. that he had to fix and I fixed it. It was a good case."

"Miguel, you know I said you always play by the rules?"

"Yea."

"Did you ever wish you could play without a rule book?" She looks at him deeply.

Miguel keeps studying his computer monitor, looking at data on the next applicant.

"Yea, kind of. Some cases get to me. I deny but it hurts when I see their faces. Just poor people, trying to take a chance in the U.S. because have no chance here."

"Yea, it's tough for me too sometimes." Lee says. "But we have to play by the rules, especially now after 9/11. Hey, if you ever want to talk Miguel about a tough case or any tough choices you are facing, you know, talk to me." Lee tries to share a look with him, but he avoids her eyes.

"Thank you. I'm ok."


About the time of the murders of the two Americans, Ballistrade and support agents were pretty well in place in the Consulate, especially after hours. As a "Lock and Leave" Post the Consulate was empty after hours. That is when they came in to set up the hidden video cameras to watch and listen to Miguel, El mecanico, on the visa line. One evening, Lee was closing up after having written the final report on Dice and Fatima. She was startled to see a big man with a mustache. Ed Ballistrade.


"Hello!" Lee says surprised.

"Hello Lee Penny."

"How do you know my name?"

"You helped to initiate an investigation. I know everybody's name at the Consulate. I'm Ed Ballistrade with DS."

"I see. Can I ask what you're doing?"

"You can ask, but I'm not sure I should tell you. Until our investigation goes further, everyone at the Consulate is a suspect, even you."

"OK. That's reasonable. But you know if that camera you are installing is meant for Miguel, "El mecanico," you might want to set it up in Window Three. We rotate, so no one knows where we will be. We don't want Window Number One for example to be known as the "bad window" or "good window" as it were. Miguel will not be in One but Three."

Ballistrade smiles. "OK, I might let you in the club. The CG told me the same thing. But thanks for the information. For now, I'll keep everything on the investigation close hold. I’d appreciate your also keeping everything to yourself. But I do appreciate what you just told me."
"I know the CG is anxious to wrap this up, before real national security damage is done. Why not just confront… the suspect.”

“We’re doing everything we can. We need a good result to discourage future retail visa operations. I appreciate your suggestion. But the CG, and you, are just going to have to trust that DS is doing its best. Thanks for your consideration.”

“Not at all, have a good evening."

"You do the same Ma'am."

“One more thing Mr. Ballistrade.”

“Yes.”

“I might have a witness, or at least someone who can tell you more about Pickert and Miguel. He’s a male prostitute in Boy’s Town.”

“Yea, I’ll talk to him.”

“E-mail me his number and address. Here’s my card. Anything else?”

“No.” Not for now, she thinks.


*39*


Ballistrade didn’t much like Penny right off. Of course their priorities were different. She, like the CG, wanted DS to clean up the Consulate fast. But Ballistrade felt like she was hiding something, or had her own agenda. So he started asking questions. Eventually he got around to her gardener. The new guy, Usman.


*40*


Farrington, Penny and Sinclair get out of the armored Suburban and head to a back door where a Mexican soldier is standing guard. DEA Monterrey already sent an agent. The briefing that Sinclair said could be useful months ago is to be held on the Army base in Nuevo Laredo. It's a well manicured, well scrubbed facility and very private. The Mayor arranged the meeting but would not participate. Neither would the Mexican Army. There was to be only one briefer.

"My name is Antonio. That's all I can tell you about myself personally."


The DEA agent, tall, cowboy boots, standard DEA sunglasses says, "Antonio has all the information you need on Los Tecos and Ramos. The man is a walking dictionary. He knows things we never knew. Who cut whose balls off and why for example."


Antonio sits quietly. Then begins again. Lee can not place his type. Quiet, professional. Extremely sharp. If she saw him on the street she would not think twice. Antonio appears to have Indian blood. He is slight, but now Lee sees clearly he is an intelligence professional. No suit and tie, just a light wind breaker, chino pants, and nondescript shoes.


"Salvatore Ramos ran Nuevo Laredo for many, many years.” Antonio says. Their Columbian suppliers were satisfied. Nuevo Laredo was not the prime corridor for cocaine and marijuana into the United States, but it was a big time corridor. Then some of the other borders toughened up. El Paso and Juarez got an intelligence center, San Diego and Tijuana poured more money into interdiction. Laredo became the place to be. So, as the shift in drugs moved to Laredo, the Mexican government reacted, sending an elite Army team here to clean it up. You know how it is with local police and politicians. They start the job and within a week they have a visitor in their office. He lays a stack of dollar bills on the desk along with the gun and says, 'you can either take the money, or take the gun and shoot yourself. Your choice.' You know how the police chose, they are all now with one gang or another. The elite Army team took longer to go bad, but when they did, they became the narcos themselves and they began killing Salvatore Ramos’s Tecos gang. First it was the leader, Eduardo, but his sons fought back, especially Salvatore. Now, the Zetas have a pretty firm grip, Los Tecos will never have the whole pie again, but they have a lot of blood to avenge and they are here to stay until the end. I think they also have someone in the Consulate getting them visas. All of Los Tecos cross every day. Legally."


Antonio takes out a hand drawn organization chart and describes who is who in Los Tecos and the Zetas. "This is Pico. The Zeta's chief killer." The man's face is angular. His eyes are black and he has a thin mustache.


Antonio explains who Pico has killed, where and why, and graphically how. Sometimes with plastic wrap, the same wrap used to package the drugs. Sometimes with nails hammered into the skulls. There were plenty of gruesome ways to kill an enemy, an informer, or an official who would not play along. He pinpoints where some of the American kidnap victims are likely buried.

The U.S. DEA officer from Monterrey takes notes throughout. The room is hot and they are all sweating by now.

Then Antonio concludes, saying, "if you ever need me, badly, call this number. It's always on."


*41*


Based on Lee's and the CG’s latest tip regarding El Mecanico, Diplomatic Security sets up the hidden camera in Window number three. If they get what they need, Miguel, "El Mecanico" will get three to five years for selling visas. For DS, this is the biggest visa fraud case on the border in years. Miguel interviews three applicants and turns them down. Then a tall man approaches in a cowboy hat.

"I hear you are called El Mecanico?"

"That's