THE AEGIS
CONSPIRACY
A NOVEL BY
GALEN WINTER
The Aegis Conspiracy: A Novel
Copyright ©2011 by Galen Winter
ISBN-13 978-1-926918-97-6
Second Edition
Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication
Winter, Galen, 1926-
The aegis conspiracy : a novel / written by Galen Winter – 2nd ed.
ISBN 978-1-926918-97-6
Also available in print format.
I. Title.
PS3573.I565A74 2010 813'.54 C2010-900227-X
Additional cataloguing data available from Library and Archives Canada
Disclaimer: The characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.
Extreme care has been taken to ensure that all information presented in this book is accurate and up to date at the time of publishing. Neither the author nor the publisher can be held responsible for any errors or omissions. Additionally, neither is any liability assumed for damages resulting from the use of the information contained herein.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the express written permission of the publisher.
Publisher: CCB Publishing
British Columbia, Canada
In MemoriamDouglas Robert Winter
Contents
The man sat alone at a table in a restaurant in the Arturo Merino Benitez airport in Santiago. It was cold outside in the Chilean winter night, but comfortably warm in the section of the airport reserved for international travelers. For ten minutes, the man had been engrossed in reading the La Prensa articles describing the discovery of the body of Humberto del Valle. Without looking up, he reached for the small cup of coffee that rested on the table in front of him. He brought it to his lips. The coffee was cold. He glanced at the waiter and nodded slightly.
The waiter came to the table and the man said: “Otro cafecito, por favor.”
The waiter answered “Si. Senor,” and walked to the restaurant counter for another cup of the strong, black coffee the traveler seemed to prefer.
Though the government of General Augusto Pinochet Ugarte had been out of power for some time, the recollections of his administration’s jailing and murder of left-wingers, opposition politicians and student dissidents had not faded. The report of the death of Humberto del Valle, the man who organized the vicious abuses, was front-page news.
His body was found in a cottage near Puerto Montt, a city only five hundred and fifty miles to the south of Santiago. One of the editorial writers wondered if friends within the current Chilean government might have provided del Valle with the sanctuary he enjoyed until only a few days ago.
Humberto del Valle disappeared when the Pinochet government fell from power. For years he had eluded his pursuers and avoided facing the consequences of his crimes. At various times he was reported to be hiding in Paraguay, in Spain and in Argentina. Protected by friends and fascist elements in those countries, he was consistently a step ahead of those who looked for him. Now he was dead. Someone had found him.
Two bodyguards protected del Valle. The body of one of them was found in a wooded area near the entrance to the Puerto Montt cottage. His neck was broken. The other bodyguard lay inside the building on the kitchen floor, a single bullet hole in the center of his chest.
Humberto del Valle carried a similar wound. He lay crumpled against the wall of his bedroom. A 9 mm Tokarev