B.B.U.S.A. (Buying Back the United States of America) (2 page)

He looked down at the shoe prints on the wet beach floor. The tracks were not showing any signs of a slower pace. The footprints were still far apart with several feet in between each shoe print. Bits of mud and sand were pitched behind each track, indicating power in the gait. It would still be some time before they would catch up to him.

Bob secretly respected Leo, and in his opinion, he was a good, honorable man. He was busy and ambitious, with loyalty to his beautiful wife and two handsome sons. He actually envied Leo, who always seemed so trusting; accepting everything conveyed to him as nothing but the truth, so help him God. He seldom questioned Bob, merely looked at him with those big brown puppy dog eyes, eager to please his master. He thought of him as a good loyal companion, a bit like a favorite hunting dog. He was just a fortunate man with a lovely family, in the right place at the right time, and had the courage to take some financial risks that provided exceptional returns.

Leo had unquestionably believed Bob when he told him about the B.B.U.S.A. Organization, created by a Congressional Committee, which supplied matching funds in the form of grants, to private citizens wanting to help buy back the United States of America from a multitude of foreign investors. The B.B.U.S.A. had to be secretive and extremely selective with whom they chose to work. The very success of the program depended on being discreet in order to avoid media attention. Making the program public would get worldwide attention preventing the very success of the organization. Bob was convinced that Leo bought every word, hook, line, and sinker. He had seemed mesmerized about the existence of such an astonishing business venture during that first meeting with Tim, Leo’s wife Sarah, and Bob. He had probably seen dollar signs pass before his eyes, and simply trusted the legitimacy of the organization. He had worked with Tim for several years, and since Tim was involved and Leo was so trusting, he simply did not question the B.B.U.S.A. He felt it was his patriotic duty to help.

Of course, this is exactly the way the founders had envisioned the organization six years earlier. The Senate Arms Committee secretly created the B.B.U.S.A. and funded it through a slush fund in the CIA. The organization was nearly exposed in the second year when billions of dollars came up missing in the CIA. Fortunately, the Senate Arms Committee used their vast influence during the investigation and like so many other news headlines, it eventually got swept under a rug and forgotten after its five minutes in the spot light.

Why did corruption and greed infiltrate the best of institutions and organizations, and why did Tim have to go poking around with his private investigation? Bob stood shaking his head while lost in his thoughts, wondering where it all went wrong, so very wrong. No one was supposed to get hurt, or strong-armed. How could a few little screw-ups create the current snowball effect? Darn it! Why did Tim have to pry? Tim was a good man. He was one of the first in the west to participate.

Tim had introduced Leo and Sarah to Bob. Together they had made excellent progress in the western region over the past few years, all getting fairly wealthy themselves in the process. He wished he could just walk away from the whole mess, but that wasn’t in his nature. He was partly responsible and had to see it through. He wished he could just have a “do over,” as he knew he could do a better job managing the western states. If only he could go back in time. He truly wished that the last two months could just be erased, and he be given another chance. It had gone too far now. Tim was dead.

His thoughts wandered back to the previous Fourth of July weekend when Leo and Sarah had invited him to the BBQ at the park. He remembered Sarah’s smiling face as she handed him another double cheeseburger with all the trimmings. Her long brown hair framed her high cheekbones and penetrating hazel eyes. She moved with the grace of a dancer. Men turned their heads when she walked by. She was lovely to watch. Bob imagined her on Broadway performing in “Cats.”

Leo’s youngest son had asked him if he could poke his head through the small space between the boy’s thumb and index finger. Chris had created a small circle with his two fingers. Bob had said something to the effect that the only way he could accomplish such a feat would be to transform his head into Jell-O in order to squeeze through such a small space.

The boy lit up with smiles of joy. Chris then placed the circled hand up to Bob’s forehead and proceeded to poke his head through the circle with his other index finger, all the while giggling in amusement. He thought that Leo had the perfect family that day. Leo played Frisbee with his sons in the park while he watched, wondering what it would be like to have a family of his own someday. Bob watched Leo’s oldest son, Traykie, with interest. He was fast, athletic, and strong for his age. He made a mental note to watch his career as a possible future recruit for the B.B.U.S.A., if all worked out well.

The organization wasn’t sure how much Leo knew, but they simply could not risk having him take up where Tim had left off. Now was not the time to get analytical, teary eyed, or soft, or let his conscience bother him. Hell, in his previous line of work at the CIA, he’d become calloused and forgotten that he once possessed a conscience. This was a job, an important job of which he was in charge. Many vastly more important men than himself were relying on him to get his region under control. Men who had power, wealth, and contacts that could easily eradicate him. The current mission was of such importance that it unfortunately would grind away any obstacles in its path. Whether he had regrets or not, he had to get his act together and accomplish the mission, using any means necessary. He understood the situation and his mission was clear. He sighed out loud then cleared his throat. “Life is fickle.”

John wheezed, looked over at Bob who was still standing erect near the tracks on the beach and said, “Come again?”

Bob looked at John in surprise. “Oh, sorry, nothing really. I guess I was just thinking about how life does not always turn out the way you plan it.”

“You got that right! Who would have expected Leo to jump off the banister and tie into us like that? And who would have dreamt that we would still be chasing the same phantom down a deserted beach in the middle of the night? I bet this guy runs marathons just for fun.”

Bob took a deep breath, let out a sigh again, and cleared his thoughts. “John, are you going to be all right?”

“Oh sure, I’ll live. My jaw aches a little, but I’ll survive.”

Ervin took the last drag of his cigarette, flicked it on the beach floor, and ground it under the mud, then turned to Florin. “You sure picked a convenient time to take a leak!”

Florin didn’t reply. He just stared back at Ervin.

Bob felt the uneasy silence. “Ervin, just what in the hell did you mean by that statement?”

“Nothing much, really. I guess I am just a little pissed off at having to chase this asshole all over the damn beach all night. My thigh is burning from that kick he landed on me, and I guess I’m lucky that I reacted at all or he surely would have shattered my knee. Right when we needed Florin the most, he wasn’t there. The reason we were caught off guard in the first place was because we were waiting for Florin to finish in the bathroom. We weren’t expecting Leo to fly off the banister and tie into us like that. You said you wanted us with you just in case he wouldn’t listen to reason. You didn’t tell us that he was violent or had any martial arts training. Hell, as far as we knew, you were just going up the elevator to meet with him and settle some business over dinner at that restaurant on the upper level of the old light house.

“We thought you’d be finding out what he knew or maybe you’d be able to buy him off. Shit, the way he tore into John, I thought for a moment that he would kill both of us before we could even respond. By the time Florin could get his zipper up and finally joined us in the lobby, Leo had already rendered John unconscious with his elbow and about broke my leg with that kick. I know that it’s not your fault, and I know that Florin is one of us too; I guess I’m just pissed off. Nothing personal.”

Bob turned and faced Ervin. “I understand your frustrations. I didn’t expect Leo to react the way he did either. He must have suspected more than I had given him credit for. I truly thought that he was loyal, a good family man, with his values all set neatly in place. I figured that even if he suspected our involvement with Tim’s untimely departure, he would cower with the slightest threat on his family. I thought that we could offer him a deal for his silence, ensure his safety, and simply end his involvement with the B.B.U.S.A. Nice neat little package all wrapped up, end of story. I had no way of knowing that he would pounce at you guys like that. He must have seen us pull up and became even more suspicious of our intentions when he saw that I brought back-up with me. He probably feared that he would end up just like Tim Bance. Come to think of it, he probably acted much like you or I would, Ervin, if we were in his shoes.” Bob paused, and looked over at John and Florin before continuing. “Leo may be dangerous.”

“No shit!” Ervin interjected.

Bob ignored Ervin’s comment and went on. “I guess now is as good a time as any for a briefing. We did a complete background check on Leo prior to getting involved with him and uncovered some interesting things. He has a BA in Criminal Justice but never used it. He went back and finished a BA in Education. After teaching for three years he changed careers and went into real estate instead. He studied Tension Khan Karate as a youth, Taekwondo in High School, and did Judo for his first two years at Boise State University.

“John, like you guessed he is a runner. As near as I know, he has not run any full marathons, but he does have a healthy list of running achievements in 10k races and some wins at the half marathon distance in and around the Treasure Valley area. Leo is a bit of a health nut. He never drank, smoked, or used illicit drugs. He broke off a previous engagement with his high school/college sweetheart because of her smoking cigarettes at a college party. Apparently he hates cigarettes. My only point is that this stuck with me when we screened him. It struck me odd that he would pass up love and happiness with a young lady he dated for nearly four years because of his personal value system. Your values and morals can be assets or detriments depending on how you play the cards.

“He is extremely determined and headstrong when he makes up his mind on something, as evidenced with his previous engagement. He spent ten years overseas, in one of twenty-five different countries his parents traveled to or resided in. He also speaks four languages. I’m told that he learned the other languages at such a young age that he reads, writes, and speaks them fluently, and interestingly enough, has no English accent.

“Much of his younger years of schooling were spent in quasi-military schools, although he never joined the military. He formed a pretty impressive paint gunning team, made up of his best friend who is an Army Major, his wife, his oldest son, and the fourth person was the late Tim Bance. They had competed in some out of state events and even won a few major tournaments.

“We’re not up against ‘Seal Team Six’ or anything, but what I wish to impress upon you now is that it is not in anyone’s best interest to underestimate him either. He is a very determined, self–made individual, and thus a bit of a wild card, unpredictable as you all witnessed tonight. It’s truly a pity, Gentlemen. I admired the poor bastard, but now with all regrets aside, our mission has changed. He, like Tim, is now a threat to the organization, and as such, unfortunately, will have to be eliminated. Our mission has changed. Now it is search and destroy! Do you understand? Any questions?”

Ervin smiled. “Hey Bob, kind of reminds me of our early days, huh?”

They had known each other at the CIA, and Bob had recruited him as his right hand man. He was tall and strong, but he was not handsome like Bob. Ervin was a born follower with idle fancies of grandeur, but he was good at unquestionably following directions. What he lacked in looks he made up for in meanness. Bob had seen him kill before. The killings were justified, but Ervin seemed to enjoy them, usually tormenting his victims prior to ending their lives. He seemed to get high on watching the life slowly drain from a victim. He would remain high for days after a killing.

Bob had also killed before, but unlike Ervin, he found no pleasure in it. He knew that Ervin would always gladly and obediently take care of any necessary dirty work. It had been Ervin who ended Tim’s life.

Bob and John had entered Tim’s house after Ervin was finished. They removed all possible evidence linking Tim to the B.B.U.S.A. Florin had been the loner that night as well. He refused to even enter the house. Instead he simply stood guard outside in the bushes, prepared to warn them of any possible danger via their handheld radios.

“So what’s the plan, chief?” John was probably one of the most loyal employees. He firmly believed in the B.B.U.S.A. and was sincerely proud to be serving his country in such a way. He was their true computer genius, though he did not resemble the typical computer geek.

Bob looked at John and nodded. “Just like I said, search and destroy! Inconspicuously! He will simply have to disappear without a trace so that we can prevent any other domino effects.”

He noticed the shimmering lights reflecting from an off-shore boat passing by in the night, and could also see the distant halos of several faint little lights seemingly floating above the sea further down the beach. “It’s time to get going!”