Jack felt the firm handshake and saw the flash of a smile as Jean-Louie’s eyes met with his.
“I know you by reputation,” said Jean-Louie. “Old-school operator. Not too many of us around. I’m glad our paths have finally crossed.”
“Likewise,” replied Jack.
Jack watched as Jean-Louie shook hands with Laura. He admired him for the work he was doing. His own paranoia of working narcotics in Colombia for only a day or two was bad enough. It was hard to imagine how Jean-Louie could handle the pressure on a full-time basis.
Jean-Louie then gave a thumbnail sketch of Diego Ramirez and the local area. Ramirez controlled an army of men in Cali, which was located in the Valle de Cauca, the heart of Colombia’s cocaine business.
A short distance away to the north, a place the locals called Norte del Cauca was home to several militant factions who protected the cocaine labs in return for an infusion of cash to support their war with the Colombian government. Over a thousand people in this vicinity had been murdered in six months because of rivalry in the cocaine trade.
Ramirez owned a chain of stores selling leather goods, including shoes and jackets. He was also known to be heavily invested in the petroleum industry in Costa Rica, where he laundered his money. In short, he was one of the top drug lords around and had been targeted unsuccessfully by the DEA for years.
Jean-Louie said he basically trusted the special police unit that came with him to provide protection in Cali, but even they would be kept in the dark about the real identity of Jack and Laura.
“And our friend, obviously,” said Laura.
Jean-Louie nodded, then pointed his finger at Jack and Laura and said, “Under no circumstances are you to leave Cali! It will be difficult to provide cover here, but the city is big enough that they are used to strangers. Nearby cities, like Buga and Palmira, are infested with spies. People who are the eyes and ears of various drug lords. Any cover team put in these areas would be quickly identified and you would be executed ... quickly, if you were lucky.”
“Our friend says Ramirez lives on the northwest edge of the city,” said Jack. “That is where we intend to meet with him. From what I understand, Ramirez is not anxious to leave his own place. Travel elsewhere should not be a problem.”
Jean-Louie reached for his briefcase and said, “I’ll show you some aerial photographs of his estate. He’s situated on forty acres with the best security money can buy. He has a tennis court, a couple of pools, and it is even reported that he has a bowling alley in his home.”
“Sounds like he is managing to eke out a living,” said Laura, before smiling.
“This guy is big,” replied Jean-Louie. His voice was serious and there was little doubt that he was worried. “I’ll get guys in the vicinity to try and follow in the event you drive someplace, like to a restaurant or something. Just remember they can’t get too close. You’d be dead if they’re spotted. As far as being at his place ... nobody could ever get to you in time if something did go wrong. So understand that you’ll all be on your own when you’re there.”
“We understand,” replied Jack. “Our friend did call Ramirez before we came down. He was told to go to a shoe store here in Cali first where he was to place a call to arrange to meet.”
“I read the reports on Satans Wrath’s past involvement with the Carlos cartel,” said Jean-Louie. “If Ramirez isn’t available, maybe your friend could look him up. He’s not quite as sophisticated as Ramirez, but personally I believe he would be a worthy target. His reputation is rather ugly.”
“Carlos drew too much heat when he took out that lawyer in Vancouver for skimming money,” said Jack.
Jean-Louie wasn’t easily dissuaded. He responded, “I-HIT is looking for four guys connected to Carlos for the lawyer’s disappearance. Also his brother, Ramon. I’m sure they’re back here now. If your guy is still tight with Carlos, it might be a good chance to find out.”
Jack shook his head and replied, “Satans Wrath does-n’t want anything to do with them. They’re too unpredictable. Ramirez is our target. We’ll go with our friend in a few minutes to the shoe store and let him reconnect. We can then let you know when and where.”
Jean-Louie slowly nodded and then said, “Good enough. It’s your call. We’ll cover you when you go. I was told you’re playing the part of your friend’s money launderer?”
Jack nodded and said, “I know enough to pull it off.”
“And you?” said Jean-Louie while looking at Laura. “I understand that you’re pretending to be the mistress?”
“As much as I hate bikers, I think I can manage the role,” replied Laura.
“You recently dye your hair red?” asked Jean-Louie.
Laura frowned, then replied, “Why do you ask?” “Ramirez has a reputation for loving redheads. I just wondered if you did it to impress him.”
Laura shrugged and said, “Not really. I just thought I would try a new look.”
Jean-Louie would have accepted her explanation but saw her glance at Jack when she answered. She wants to know if Jack approved of her response. They are hiding something.
“There is one more thing,” said Jean-Louie. “You have your cell so I’ll give you a cool number in Canada that is on call-forward back to me. If there is a problem, pretend you are calling your colleague in Canada. Try and let me know what is going on, but be aware that they might have the equipment to monitor both ends of the conversation.”
“Understood,” said Jack. “If I want the cavalry to arrive, I’ll ask how Charlie is. Otherwise, just play it by ear.”
“Good enough. If I hear Charlie I’ll send the teams in with guns blazing, although I doubt they could get to you in time.”
As Jack wrote down the phone number, Laura said, “You know, Jack, I’ve had a migraine all morning. Would you mind if I skipped going with you to make the call? I need to lie down for a couple of hours.”
“Not a problem,” replied Jack. “It’s just a phone call. Besides, our friend wants to go into the store alone. He doesn’t want to include either of us until he gets permission from Ramirez to introduce us. You and I won’t do our thing before this afternoon.”
Jean-Louie watched as they left. Laura’s eyes look bright and alert. Her reputation says she’s dedicated. Too dedicated to be put off by a headache while in Colombia, of all places!
Jean-Louie returned to his own room and sat on the bed for a moment. Then he took a deep breath and slowly exhaled before reaching for the phone. He hoped his gut instincts were wrong. He hated dirty cops.
A team from the Anti-Corruption Unit were only minutes away. The call was brief. Jean-Louie would pair off the RCMP narcs with the Colombian team to cover Jack and Damien. ACU would monitor Laura. Room bugs had not picked up anything of value yet, although Damien was prone to talking in his sleep.
Laura waited until she knew that Jack, Damien, and the cover team had left the hotel before putting the “Do Not Disturb” sign on her door and heading to the lobby. Soon she found a taxi driver who spoke a leetle English to take her to the northwest part of the city. She wanted to find a motel on the outskirts, someplace isolated. The taxi driver smiled. For such a beautiful woman, he understood the need for discretion. He knew a few such places.
Eventually Laura settled for Maria’s Cabinas. The taxi driver waited patiently while Laura went inside the officina and rented three cabins grouped in a cluster. Only one unit would be used, but Laura didn’t want anyone else hit by a stray bullet when Carlos died.
On her way back to her hotel, she had the taxi