Incognito

Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Sting the Cartel. Give me a break. Sting the Cartel? How the hell does someone sting a cartel? Cam thought as she waited in the baggage claim area for her suitcases to come down the ramp. She shook her head. This Major Falasco better be one dynamite law enforcer. She’d never heard of anyone fooling a cartel. One slip, one wrong move or word, and several people could be eliminated. Permanently. And I’m dealing with protecting an eighteen year old boy…while helping negotiate a trade treaty. Oh, Craig. What did you get me into this time? I’m really good at finding drug sources and closing drug routes, but am I a good enough actor to get past a cartel?

She reached onto the carousel as one of her bags slid past. As she waited for the second case, she thought, Well, let’s get this started so I can go home. I thought I was through with these long-term assignments.

Cam went right from the airport to the large, stone government office building that held many of the offices of the Argentine government. She’d called before she left the US and made this appointment. When she set her suitcases on the floor of the secretary’s office and introduced herself, she was immediately shown into Major Falasco’s office. He was a tall, slim man with darkish skin. He wore a dark gray suit with a light blue shirt and a dark blue tie, which did nothing for his coloring. Cam hoped he wasn’t as drab as he looked.

“Miss Andrews,” he greeted her, offering his hand. “It’s very nice to meet you.”

“Very nice to meet you, too, Major,” she started. “Please call me Cameron.”

Falasco grinned. “Only if you call me Ramón. We’ll be working too closely to stand on ceremony.” He sat down as he motioned for Cam to sit in the chair across his desk.

“Director Roberson told me about you. He seems quite convinced that if anyone can do this, it would be you. Have you been briefed about the situation here?” he asked after she had made herself comfortable in the plush chair.

“Director Roberson has told me a bit, but I’m sure not all.”

“No. Many things have been happening since I spoke to your director last. Every day it gets a little more involved.” Falasco frowned in despair. “Have you met the Taylor family, yet?”

“No. I came here directly from the airport. They don’t expect me until this evening. I’ve read their dossiers, though.”

He smiled. “I think you’ll find them an interesting family. I’ve met Ambassador and Mrs. Taylor at several state functions. I was quite surprised by the ambassador’s control of things around him. He is definitely in charge of his family. His wife is very nice but she seemed more old-world than I had expected.”

“Old world?” Cam asked.

Falasco smiled. “Yes,” he explained. “She’s not what I expected an American woman to be like. She…uh…defers to the ambassador much more than I’ve seen most American women do.”

“I see,” Cam said. “Yes, most America women stopped bowing to their men back in the very early sixties.”

“Which is a very good thing,” Falasco hastened to add. “I believe that women and men have to be partners in today’s world. There is too much to do and experience for a family to rely solely on one member. One person cannot support an entire family these days. Everyone has to chip in and share the responsibility. We’re raising our daughter to be like that.”

“That’s wonderful,” Cam said. She hadn’t expected a South American male to spout these notions. Most of them still chose to be the man-of-the-house. “How old is your daughter?”

“Fourteen,” he said, proudly.

“That’s a good age to be.”

“Yes,” Falasco added, nodding. “I’m very proud of her. I have good hopes for her future. Do you have children?”

“No. I’ve haven’t had the opportunity.” Mentally, she smiled. No, the opportunity would have been to choose a man as a partner, and that was definitely something she didn’t want to do.

“I do hope you will someday. It is a wonderful experience.” Falasco smiled to himself.

“I’m looking forward to meeting the Taylor family,” Cam said, to steer the conversation back to the matter at hand.

“I have not met their children at all,” Falasco said, “although we have an extensive file on Edward.”

“Edward?” Cam was confused by the name.

“I guess the family calls him Tad. He’s been in and out of trouble for the past few years. Nothing serious, I’m happy to say, but it looks like it might escalate.”

Cam bit down on her lower lip. “That’s what Director Roberson feared. That’s why he sent me.”

“I understand you’ll be helping the ambassador with the treaty negotiations as well,” Ramón started.

“Yes. I have a Masters in International Affairs and Craig felt it would be better if we kept the name Cameron Andrews linked to the treaty negotiations. He suggested we keep the Taylors out of that loop of why I’m really here until we decide what we’re going to do for the sting.”

“Is Cameron Andrews your real name?” he asked.

“Yes, it is,” Cam nodded and took her CIA ID from her bag. She took a deep breath and added, “Although I’ve worked under several different names when needed.” She handed it to Falasco. “I understand Tad Taylor is involved with the Cartel,” she continued.

Falasco read her government ID on both sides, then handed it back to her.

“Yes. We have observed young Mr. Taylor buying from one of the younger sons of the Salavado family. We also believe he’d gotten into debt with them, but I’m pretty sure he doesn’t know it’s the Cartel. Have you been told about Mister Taylor’s debt?” Falasco asked.

Cam nodded. “Yes. Director Roberson approved five thousand US dollars for me to pay his bill. But first, I’ve got to get Tad to trust me so I can get into that situation to meet with Salavado and pay.”

“Yes,” Falasco said thoughtfully. “I don’t think you’d want to just give Taylor the money. I’m sure he’ll use it correctly, but I think there has to be quite a bit of smoothing down that situation so that Taylor won’t be targeted again.”

Cam nodded. “What else has happened recently?” she asked.

“Young Tad Taylor seems to have gotten another boy involved in this, too. I suspect he’s asked that boy to help him pay his debt. This other boy, a Graham Foster, is the son of the Consul from Australia. I believe his family is rather well off and young Taylor has asked him for a loan. We’ve observed them having lunch together but were able to only hear part of their conversation very clearly.”

Cam grimaced. “Is Graham Foster in trouble with the Cartel, too?” she asked.

“We don’t think he is, yet, but Mr. Taylor has been spending more and more time with the young Australian and we feel he may be implicated. We haven’t contacted the Australian Embassy…yet. We’re hoping the situation with young Taylor can be resolved and the circumstances alleviated. We may be acting too optimistically, but I don’t want to see either boy get into trouble with either us or the Cartel.”

“That would be bad for everyone.” Cam took a deep breath. “I may have to work more quickly to settle his debt.” Then she continued, “Have you plans for how we can resolve this? How do you see this sting working?”

The Major clenched his lips as he stared at Cam. “We’ve come up with a sting scenario, but I’m not sure it will work, and now that I’ve met you, I’m beginning to think of another plan. I understand from Director Roberson that you work undercover for the USDEA,” he went on, “I’m thinking if we could present you, not as someone working with the ambassador, but as another person altogether, we could fit you into a different plan.”

Cam smiled. “I have passports and identification for a Canadian and a Spanish citizen. I’ve used both several times.”

“Tell me a little about them.”

“Sarah Ortiz is a xenophile from Barcelona. I studied in Barcelona so I can affect the accent and I know the city. Sarah is a writer who is doing research on different cultures. She’s writing a treatise on cultural differences among peoples who speak the same language, on legal pluralism. As a researcher, it isn’t unusual for her to ask many questions.”

“Interesting.”

“Laura Stuard is a very wealthy woman from British Columbia. She owns a cruise ship line and never takes no for an answer. She was a real person but she died several years ago in Asia, in a plane crash that was never reported to the authorities in the Western Hemisphere. Although she was a few years older than I am, I bear a striking resemblance to her. Why I assumed her identity is an interesting story.”

“Can you tell me?” Ramón asked.

“It’s rather long and involved. Perhaps another time would be better.”

Ramón smiled. “Of course. But you must promise you will.”

“I promise,” Cam said. She smiled up at him.

“Two very interesting personae,” Ramón said, thoughtfully. He was impressed.

Cam smiled. “Yes,” she said. “I’ve had fun with both of them. If you want me to be Laura Stuard, however, I’ll have to call home and have them ship some wardrobe. Laura Stuard had very expensive tastes.”

Ramón laughed out loud. “Let’s talk about each of them. I think either personality would fit in well with some of our ideas. Let me get my deputy in here and we can throw some ideas around.”