Crime Suppression Unit Part 25
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• Airport Garden Hotel Beijing • Celebrity International Grand Hotel • Crowne Plaza Park View Hotel • Eastern Air Jinjiang Hotel |
The Final Chapter
The leader of the Crime Suppression Unit stepped down from the passenger's seat and approached the vehicle.
'Shut off the engine and get out now. What are you doing with all of those automatic weapons in the cab?
Are they all licensed? Foreigners carrying assault rifles and two dead Thai citizens in the back of your truck?
Do you know how long can you spend in jail for this? You won't live that long.'
'Aren't you the colonel from Bangkok who gave us the tip about Johnny Wou's office in Kanchanaburi?
A little far from home aren't you? How did you find us?'
'You are in no position to ask questions. You Americans think you have the latest in surveillance equipment.
We don't need it. This is a small country with small villages. Anyone that treats a gunshot wound must report it.
You went to the clinic to have your friend treated with two corpses with you? What did you think-that no one would notice?
Yes, I gave you the tip as to where Wou's office was located when we were called back because of the coup d'?tat, but you failed to carry out your mission. Colonel Pratt's death has not been avenged and we mean to rectify that
now.
Of course they packed up and moved when they found that their people in Bangkok talked to us. We don't know where they went but we have information on a drug deal taking place up here and we mean to take them down. We'll take Wou's
money and drugs.
The colonel smiled. 'It's a coincidence that we are here at the same time. Since you were in on this from the start I thought that you might want to see it through. Just as observers of course; I would not want you to use your weapons
or get in our way.
You'll see how we deal with drug gangsters.'
'Colonel, it would be a pleasure. When will this take place?'
'Now. Follow us. There is a bungalow resort down the way you can leave the truck there along with the girl.' Rick climbed into the cab of the truck and explained everything to Andrew and Sonia.
'Andrew do you want to go along?'
'No thanks. I've been shot once already today. I'll take it easy in the room and wait for you with Sonia.'
'Hey, I'm going with Rick and the guys. You can wait by yourself.'
'Soopies, it's not even up for discussion. You're staying put with Andrew.'
Soopies and Andrew checked into a room and Rick jumped into a jeep with the black team.
It was a long bumpy ride and after three hours the two vehicles pulled off the road into the undergrowth. The men started climbing up the mountain along a small path. They scrambled up as silently as possible and reached the top after a half
hour.
No one had spoken a word. They stopped at the crest of the hill with a hand signal from the team leader.
Another wave of the hand and the team started down the hill towards a shack about the size of a two car garage.
The two sentries did not see anything until the black team were a few feet away. The men guarding the shack raised their guns and were cut down in a hail of gunfire.
Automatic weapons fire came from inside the hut, the men inside were shooting blindly, spraying bullets everywhere.
The night sky lit with flashes of red and orange as the black uniforms blasted the building with machine gun bullets.
It was over in seconds. The black team stopped firing as quickly as they had started.
Rick clambered down the hill to see the results. Inside the storehouse were four dead men, two of them in civilian clothes, and bags of rice piled to the ceiling.
White rice shining like silver beads in the starlight poured out of the bags from the slugs tearing through them.
Damn, what bad luck to come all this way to find only rice. Wait. Rick looked closer. Some of the bags spilled hundreds of brown pills. Most of the rice bags contained amphetamines.
On the floor were two large Halliburton suitcases, the kind photographers use to hold their expensive equipment.
They were lying on their sides, untouched by the flying lead. The colonel bent over and flipped the laches on one of the suitcases.
The top popped open nicely, the case having been jammed with packages of United States hundred-dollar bills. There could have easily been over a million dollars in just one suitcase. The colonel snapped his fingers at a soldier. 'Put
these in my jeep.'
'Nice job,' said the colonel, turning to Rick. 'Let's go back to the hotel. My soldiers will carry the drugs up the hill and follow us later. I'll call the press and the prime minister from my mobile phone on the
way. We were quite lucky to catch such a prize and I assure you that you will be justly rewarded.'
Rick made his way down the mountain behind the colonel. Rick just wanted to collect Sonia and get back to the United States, that would be reward enough.
They arrived at the hotel bungalow and parked the jeep under the trees near the truck. Rick went inside without knocking and found Andrew and Sonia napping. They woke up and Sonia threw her arms around Rick, kissing him on the lips.
'I'm so glad you're safe. Please let's leave right now.'
The colonel stepped into the room. 'Just one minute. There is one more thing you have to do for me.'
He was holding a automatic and it was pointed at Rick.
'What?'
'Die. It's that simple. Die and disappear.'
'You will vanish along with the money. Your body will disposed of in the jungle, devoured by animals in a matter of days.
A search will be made for you; your picture at all the airports, but you'll be dead and the cash will be in my account in Switzerland. What we have here is an opportunity too good to pass up, unfortunately there will be no witness's
left alive.'
Sonia jumped to her feet and screamed. 'You said that I would not have to work for you any more, this would be my last job.'
'And so it will be my dear, I am going to keep my promise'
'Rick, I'm really sorry. I didn't think it would turn out like this. I love you. Please forgive me.
I was about to tell you that it was the colonel that had saved me from prison and was controlling me.'
'You can't shoot us, the press and politicians will be here soon.'
'I never called them. No one is coming.'
Sonia screamed curses at the colonel. He turned the gun towards her. Rick took two quick steps towards him and as the colonel swung his gun at Rick, Sonia sprang. The colonel fired and the bullet passed between Sonia and Rick. Sonia held
on to the colonel. He was off balance and fired again. Rick grabbed at the weapon and all three of them tumbled to the floor, the gun sprawling across the floor. Andrew picked it up and pointed it at the group.
'Now what? Rick said.
'You and Sonia get out of here.'
'We're in this together. What will we do about the colonel? How far would we get if he called in the black team?
They're professionals. We won't have a chance if he unleashes them on us.
He can't afford to let us live. We have to think of something.
The colonel stood against the wall with his hands in the air. 'Surrender to me now while you have the chance.'
'I don't think so,' Rick said. 'But we do need a more permanent solution to our problem.'
'I can think of one.' Andrew shoved the pistol in his belt as he picked up an assault rifle.
'Suppose that Jasmine and her helper shot and killed the colonel. The colonel heroically advancing in the face of automatic weapons fire shoots and kills the rogue couple.'
'Really great Andrew, however the people in the back of the truck are dead already.'
'But I'm not.' Andrew fired his weapon and the stillness of the room was shattered with rapid explosions as a dozen bullets tore into the colonel's chest.'
'Are you crazy?' Rick screamed. 'Now you've done it.'
'Sorry, that was the only answer if we wanted to stay alive. I'll call the embassy and have the BKKSW guys at the Drug Enforcement Agency come here to clean up the mess. Every embassy has it's own enforcement team now, what
with all the terrorists running around. These guys handle the wet work, you know black ops.
Let's carry the bodies inside and untie them. We'll set them up some place, like against the wall over there.'
'What about all that money in the suitcases,' Sonia asked.
'We'll turn it over to the agency, better them than the Thai government. Back up the truck to the door.'
Andrew sat on the bed. His arm was in a sling to take the pressure off his wound and it was starting to hurt.
Andrew pulled out his cell phone and called Bangkok.
Rick dropped the tailgate, slid Jasmine out and carried her into the bungalow.
As he set her on the bed he heard the jeep start up.
He came to the door in time to see the taillights grow smaller as they disappeared down the driveway.
He stared at the vehicle as it turned onto the main road.
Rick pulled the second body out of the truck and sat on the bed.
'Where's Sonia? Andrew asked as he untied the bonds from one of the bodies.
'Probably going to get gasoline.'
'Okay, as soon as we get finished here we can take a rest and wait for my boys to slow up.
Andrew's mobile phone rang.
'No doubt my men calling,' he said as he flipped open the phone and put it to his ear.
'It's for you,' he said handing the phone to Rick.
A soft familiar voice came on the line. 'I want you to know what a difficult choice this was for me.'
'Right, you really took your time to make up your mind.
Got into the jeep and drove away just like that. No good-byes, no regrets, nothing.'
'Now, don't be like that. Do you think that for one minute that Andrew was going to let us keep the cash?'
'It's not ours Sonia. It's supposed to be turned over to the government for drug interdiction.'
'Don't be such a square. I don't want to argue. I'm calling to say that I love you and may be I will visit you in New York someday.'
Rick snapped the phone shut.
'Is that who I thought it was?'
'Wrong number.'
Stickman's thoughts:
An excellent series!
