Stalked: The Boy Who Said No (37 page)

Frank was busy with work and tried to spend as much time as he could with his daughter, letting her hang out with him at Blimpie’s after he picked her up at school. She did her homework there and helped him make sandwiches on occasion. But the routine grew old for both of them.

Sometimes, Darlene stayed with her grandparents. She loved
being with them, but the transitions were difficult. Even though she had recently turned ten, she would cry when she packed to go to her grandparents’ house, and cry again when she packed to come home. She also sobbed when it was time for bed.

Magda used to read her bedtime stories, and Chris tried to do the same, but Darlene wanted no part of it, saying she was too old for stories. Frank would try to comfort her and would lie next to her in bed until she drifted off to sleep. Then he would tiptoe out of the room like he did when she was a baby, careful not to awaken her.

While her relatives had been wonderful about helping with Darlene since Magda’s death, his daughter needed a mother. She needed stability. She needed to know where she belonged.

The situation was difficult. Frank pushed his fingers through his hair and closed his eyes. He thought for a minute. Then he asked himself three questions: Did I give my all to get to Magda? Did I love her with every fiber of my being? Did I do everything I could to save her?

The answer to every question was a resounding yes. He had loved Magda unconditionally, and he had done his best to help her deal with her illness.

He thought about what advice Abuelo would give him in this situation. His grandfather was a practical man. Frank knew he would tell him to follow the dictates of his heart, to do his best for Chris, and to do his best for Darlene.

Frank remembered how Magda’s eyes sparkled on their wedding day, and how happy they were to get married. He recalled placing the wedding ring on his bride’s finger and walking her up the aisle while their family and friends smiled and clapped. Frank’s vow “to love and to cherish her until death do us part” was still fresh in his mind. It was a beautiful sentiment, one to be honored and obeyed. And he had done just that.

But our marriage is over,
he thought.
Death has parted Magda and me. It was a terrible thing, but there’s nothing I can do to change it. I can only control what happens
now. Life must go on, regardless of what anyone thinks. Regardless of how much time has elapsed. Regardless of tradition, life must go on
.

Frank knew what to do. He opened the car door feeling like a terrible weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

When Damian and Sebastian returned to headquarters in Union City, Elias and José were in a snit. The two men had just finished arguing about drying the dishes. Elias had accused José of leaving lint on the glasses with the dish towel, and José had smashed a dish in response. José ordered Elias to clean it up, but Elias refused. Tension filled the air, and pottery shards littered the kitchen floor.

José removed a newspaper from the couch to make room for his associates to sit. Sebastian plopped on the sofa with a thump. His legs barely supported his weight as his buttocks met the cushions. The couch creaked beneath him.

“How did surveillance go today?” asked José. “Did the target do anything unusual?”

Sebastian took no time to answer. “No, he just followed his normal routine.” He inched himself forward on the couch and held onto the coffee table to help him stand. He grabbed a bag of Wise potato chips off the counter, brought it to his mouth, and ripped the cellophane with his teeth. The packaging squeaked open. Sebastian shoveled handfuls of chips into his mouth, leaving a trail of crumbs behind. He filled his mouth to the point where it was impossible for him to talk.

“Nothing out of the ordinary?” confirmed José. He watched Sebastian with contempt.

“Not exactly,” said Damian. Sebastian shot him a steely look, and it dawned on Damian that Sebastian would rather he not discuss the evening’s events. But Damian didn’t care. After all, it was Sebastian’s idea to make an attempt on Mederos’s life.

“What then
exactly?”
said José in an annoyed voice.

“Mederos left work a little late. It was dark. There was no one in sight, so we—”

José’s eyes narrowed. “So you
what?”

Sebastian’s breathing thickened, and he ran his tongue over his teeth before he interrupted the conversation. “The situation was perfect. Mederos was distracted. He was parked in a deserted lot and was putting some packages in the back of his car. It was a great opportunity.”

“So?”

“So we decided to take him out.”

“You
what?”
José made a movement so sudden he almost knocked over a lamp. His voice was harsh, hoarse. He raised a threatening fist. “What made you think you could do such a thing without consulting me? I’m in charge. You had no authority to take an action like that!”

Damian had had enough. “I’m tired of you busting my chops for making my own decisions, José. For your information, I am not without authority. I am a full lieutenant, and I expect to be treated as such.”

“You may have rank, but you have no expertise in matters like this,” returned José. He put his head in his hands before he looked up again. “All right, get to the point. What happened?”

“We aborted the mission,” said Damian.

“Why?”

“A police car appeared out of nowhere. The cop was obviously a friend of the target. They chatted for a while. There was nothing we could do, so we drove away.”

“Did Mederos see you?”

“Hard to say, since he was talking to his friend.”

José looked first at Damian and then at Sebastian. “What the hell’s wrong with you two? You tried to take Mederos out in a parking lot? In Montclair? Are you crazy? You can’t just kill someone off the
cuff. You need to plan something like that. What if the cop showed up when you were in the middle of this thing? Our whole damn operation could’ve been jeopardized. It could’ve been a disaster for everyone, including me.”

Damian stiffened. He was fed up with everything. The chain of command was muddled. José was overbearing. Sebastian was a buffoon. And Elias acted like a spoiled brat. He had a lot of issues to sort out in his mind, including why Commander Pino had sent him on this mission.

He turned to Sebastian. “Let me ask you something. What do you do for a living?”

Sebastian’s eyes widened at the question. “I’m a plumber.”

“And you, Elias?”

“It’s none of your business, but for the record I’m an electrician. I work with my father. We wire factories and apartment complexes. And we’re damn good at it.”

“Did you know each other before this assignment?”

The men looked at each other and shook their heads no.

“Sebastian, how did you get activated for this job?”

“I got a phone call that we needed to take out a worm. I was told to report to Miami. Nothing else.”

“Were you ever activated before?”

“I’ve passed along information. But I’ve never worked on something this big. I’ve never been on a mission to kill.”

“Never?”

“Never.”

“How long have you been working in this line of business, Sebastian?”

“Five years.”

“And you, Elias?”

“I’ve been at it for seven years. But this is my first time doing this kind of thing.”

“Don’t you find that strange?” asked Damian.

Elias shrugged while Sebastian dropped the last of the potato chips into his mouth. He didn’t seem concerned. He swallowed and said, “That’s the way it’s done.”

“Well, I want to tell you something,” said Damian. “I’ve come all the way from Cuba for this mission. And so far the target hasn’t shown me one iota of evidence that he’s involved in subversive or counterrevolutionary activity.”

“What are you saying?” snapped José.

Damian pursed his lips and turned toward José. “I don’t have a good feeling about this. So far, I have no confirmation of what is written in my report about this guy. He’s not hanging out with members of Alpha Sixty-six. He’s not attending anti-Castro meetings. He’s not training people to overthrow the Cuban government. As far as I can see, he doesn’t even have Cuban friends. I’ve never seen anyone act less suspicious in my life.”

“I have to agree with Damian on that,” said Elias.

“Shut up, Elias,” said José. “No one asked your opinion.” He turned to Damian and smirked. “So what’s your point?”

“I was told the mission is to defend Cuba against somebody who is putting our country in danger. That he is playing a role in an imminent invasion. That he is a threat of the highest order. Well, I’m not buying it. Either we have the wrong guy or something bogus is going on.” Damian hesitated. “I’ve given this some thought. I made a mistake by trying to take this guy out tonight, but not because I wasn’t following your orders, José. I shouldn’t have gone after him because I’m still not sure he’s the right man. I’m an honorable man. I’m a patriot, not a murderer.”

José’s face bloomed crimson. His throat constricted, and he covered his mouth with his hand. He licked his lips. Damian had his orders and he had his—to make sure Damian completed this mission. And then shoot him. He didn’t know what Damian had done to deserve this fate. But it was his job to make sure the young man never returned to Cuba.

José had been a little squeamish about carrying out his own
order, but now he was feeling better about killing Damian.
If this smart aleck keeps challenging my authority and questioning the mission, killing him will be a lot easier than I anticipated.

“You’re here because of the nature of the target,” said José. “Mederos is a member of Alpha Sixty-six, that’s a given. He’s a dangerous subversive, and he’s working to undermine the regime. And you, big shot Lieutenant, are not to challenge facts or to disobey orders. If you continue to carry on this way, you could be arrested for insubordination. Or treason.”

A moment elapsed while the two men glared at each other. Menace filled their eyes. Damian broke the silence. “Well, one thing’s for sure. If Mederos was a member of the Special Forces, we’re not chasing just anybody. He was trained the way I was—to withstand hunger, torture, and deprivation. He will fight for his life, and he will kill if necessary. He can smell danger a mile away. If we miss him the first time, we’ll have a hell of a time getting him the second time. Given this, do any of you feel qualified to take him on?”

Elias and Sebastian looked down, chastened and embarrassed. José coughed and set his jaw. Damian’s question hung in the air, unanswered.

José crossed his arms and looked at Sebastian and Elias for support. “Well, I can see you think you are better than us. Being in the force, you may be in better shape. But regardless of your qualifications, I don’t like what went down tonight.”

“Why? I thought it was my mission to put three bullets in this guy’s brain,” said Damian.

“It is,” said José. “But where and when I say.”

“So when are you going to say?” challenged Damian. “You don’t like my ideas, but you haven’t come up with any of your own.”

“We’ll do it Saturday,” said José.

“Where?”

“If the target runs true to form, he’ll hunt with a friend in Sussex
County. It’s bow season, so he won’t be carrying a gun. His only defense will be his bow and arrows. He should get to the woods first thing in the morning. He’ll be easy prey. Just put three bullets in his head and this whole thing will be over. Then you can stop fretting about your damn conscience. You can go home and enjoy your life as a lieutenant.”

“Fine with me,” said Damian. “I just hope Mederos shows up, and that he gives me good reason to shoot him.”

“Don’t worry,” said José. “He’ll be there.”

When Alpha Sixty-six members Curro and Javier returned from their surveillance that night, they stopped at a diner for coffee and pie. Lazo joined them, along with the local Alpha Sixty-six leader, Augustin.

Augustin was a well-muscled man of thirty-seven, a father of four who served as a supervisor in a shoe factory. He had escaped Cuba in a wooden boat six years before. Sharks had been his companions for much of the trip, and he arrived unnerved, exhausted, and determined to find an avenue to bring about change in Cuba.

Augustin’s brother had been sentenced to five years in jail for counterrevolutionary activity, namely for visiting his mother in the next town without permission from the CDRs. He made the mistake of speaking against the regime while imprisoned, and his sentence was doubled. Ten years in jail just for trying to see his mother. The whole episode struck Augustin as criminal.

Augustin had been a member of Alpha Sixty-six for four years and had worked with Curro and Javier on other missions. He joined the organization as a way to avenge his brother’s sentence and to bring down Fidel. He liked working with the group. It kept him in shape and in touch with like-minded people.

Being involved with Alpha Sixty-six was a way for the men to bond. They had all escaped Cuba and had a common enemy, Fidel. They loved Cuban food and shared a love of fishing. Javier had a small boat. On Saturday mornings, the three men fished together. Fishing served as a vehicle for them to laugh, drink beer, and talk about the day when Cuba would be free.

Once they settled themselves in a booth, Curro turned to Lazo and said, “It’s a good thing we were there for your friend tonight.”

Lazo sucked in his breath. “What do you mean?”

“The Cuban operatives were ready to put a hit on Frank when he left work.”

“Damn! What did you do?”

“Not much—we didn’t have to. A policeman—looked like a friend of Frank’s—showed up in the nick of time and scared the bastards off.”

“Jesus!” said Lazo. “Sounds like a close call. I should’ve been there.”

“You deserved a few hours off.”

“Yeah, but I still should’ve been there. That’s what I’m here for.”

Augustin nodded. A black curl fell on his forehead. “I don’t know what they were thinking, trying to make a hit in a public place. That’s unusual behavior. People in this line of work are generally more disciplined.”