Praefectus Praetorio
R.I.P. Brother of the Quill
The second book in the Agent Series. I need to thank Jon Smithie for support, suggestions and corrections. And Madiosi for a manipulation which will be at the very end, but well worth waiting for.
The Agent, The Angels, and The Mexican Connection
Chapter One
October 7, 1963. CIA Headquarters, Langley, Virginia, U.S.A
I sat in my station chief {Wragg}’s office, drinking his fine 15-year-old Mortlach Scotch. He had only been promoted six-months before (and I raised to Agent Handler status at the same time) but already seemed comfortable in his office. I was not. Whenever he invited in for his Scotch, there was bad news coming. The worst had been when our former station chief {thehangingtree} had signed off on assigning me a rookie to infiltrate Castro’s Cuba – what a fuck-up that had been! (In case you’re wondering what happened to {thehangingtree}, I’m afraid my lips are sealed – very hush hush, upper echelon business, highly classified [side whisper – ever hear of the Betty Ford Clinic? That’s all I’m saying])
After a good sip of the very smooth Scotch
({Wragg} was a good boss, but even better in his taste for Scotch), he started beating around the bush. How, was I settling in? how was my team coming? what did I think about that new Sheikh we were worried about in the Middle East? Did I think we had a chance to turn the tide in Laos? I became increasingly uncomfortable. When {Wragg} had a regular assignment for you, he came right out with it. If he didn’t like the deal, he would stall telling you. The longer he stalled, the worse the deal. This was developing into one of the longest ever; it almost made me think about my mission and the one for the Bay of Pigs invasion! But I knew it couldn’t be that bad. Those were probably the most screwed up set of missions the Agency ever fucked up.
Finally he came out with it. “Jewels, have you ever heard of the Mexican Connection?”
Of course, I had. “The biggest drug smuggling cartel there is? It keeps Drug Enforcement Administration and Customs on their toes; and I gather they are not winning!”
“No, they aren’t. The White House is getting all exercised about it. With all the foreign policy problems, the civil rights explosion in the South, and weak economy, they don’t want to see nice suburban parents finding marijuana in their high school kids lunch box. If it keeps growing like it is now, the Republicans will have a field day in the next election screaming Law and Order!”
“That’s Kennedy’s problem,” I said, “How the heck does domestic drug enforcement and politics touch the CIA?”
“Because the domestic people are totally out classed by the Mexican organization on this. There’s new leader down there. Customs is using the phrase ‘Drug Lord’ to describe him. They say they’ve never seen one man control so much, have so much power, and corrupt so many officials. His nickname is Niño Malo, means the bad kid, or the bad child.”
“Again,” I said, “Why do we care?”
“Because the DCIA (Director, Central Intelligence Agency) cares! The White House says working in Mexico is something the CIA is authorized to do and had better chance of success than Customs or DEA.”
“Shit, I don’t like what’s coming,” I drained my glass and added a generous pour of his best stock.
“It’s all been decided up top. It’ll be a small operation using some of our best people -your people.”
“Before I puke on your nice new station chief carpet, what is the general idiotic idea here?”
{Wragg} ignored the insubordination. He was well used to it from me. He knew, in the end, I’d do as I was told and do it as well as I possibly could! That’s the downside of being reliable; people rely on you!
He continued. “We’ve got several promising angles to exploit. Niño Malo is headquartered out of Mexico City, pretends to be a legitimate businessman with friends in government. His (mostly) legal business is a chain of bordellos stretching from Mexico City all the way to Nuevo Laredo.”
“That’s just over the Rio Grande from Laredo, Texas. I hear that’s a big drug entry point.”
“The biggest,” said {Wragg}. “Think it’s a coincidence?”
“Like Castro’s favorite drink just happens to be Vodka?”
“Exactly. We also have something in our favor in Mexico City. Somehow, a high Soviet diplomat got the wrong way in one of Niño Malo’s bordellos and disappeared. What they could identify of his body showed up five days later in a ditch. There wasn’t much to examine, so dental records were the only way. And that was just enough for a positive due to the fact that many teeth had been drilled or extracted.”
I shivered involuntarily.
“The KGB in Mexico is hot to help get Niño Malo. You’ll be getting their help.”
“Great, help from someone you can trust!”
“Best you’ve got” said {Wragg} with a wry smile.
A dark thought had been festering in the back of my mind for a while. Now the smell hit me hard. “Why’re my people good for this?” I said, dreading the answer.
“Jewels, you have to admit, your ‘Angels’ as you call them, would be perfect to go undercover in Niño Malo’s bordellos!”
The Agent, The Angels, and The Mexican Connection
Chapter One
October 7, 1963. CIA Headquarters, Langley, Virginia, U.S.A
I sat in my station chief {Wragg}’s office, drinking his fine 15-year-old Mortlach Scotch. He had only been promoted six-months before (and I raised to Agent Handler status at the same time) but already seemed comfortable in his office. I was not. Whenever he invited in for his Scotch, there was bad news coming. The worst had been when our former station chief {thehangingtree} had signed off on assigning me a rookie to infiltrate Castro’s Cuba – what a fuck-up that had been! (In case you’re wondering what happened to {thehangingtree}, I’m afraid my lips are sealed – very hush hush, upper echelon business, highly classified [side whisper – ever hear of the Betty Ford Clinic? That’s all I’m saying])
After a good sip of the very smooth Scotch
({Wragg} was a good boss, but even better in his taste for Scotch), he started beating around the bush. How, was I settling in? how was my team coming? what did I think about that new Sheikh we were worried about in the Middle East? Did I think we had a chance to turn the tide in Laos? I became increasingly uncomfortable. When {Wragg} had a regular assignment for you, he came right out with it. If he didn’t like the deal, he would stall telling you. The longer he stalled, the worse the deal. This was developing into one of the longest ever; it almost made me think about my mission and the one for the Bay of Pigs invasion! But I knew it couldn’t be that bad. Those were probably the most screwed up set of missions the Agency ever fucked up.
Finally he came out with it. “Jewels, have you ever heard of the Mexican Connection?”
Of course, I had. “The biggest drug smuggling cartel there is? It keeps Drug Enforcement Administration and Customs on their toes; and I gather they are not winning!”
“No, they aren’t. The White House is getting all exercised about it. With all the foreign policy problems, the civil rights explosion in the South, and weak economy, they don’t want to see nice suburban parents finding marijuana in their high school kids lunch box. If it keeps growing like it is now, the Republicans will have a field day in the next election screaming Law and Order!”
“That’s Kennedy’s problem,” I said, “How the heck does domestic drug enforcement and politics touch the CIA?”
“Because the domestic people are totally out classed by the Mexican organization on this. There’s new leader down there. Customs is using the phrase ‘Drug Lord’ to describe him. They say they’ve never seen one man control so much, have so much power, and corrupt so many officials. His nickname is Niño Malo, means the bad kid, or the bad child.”
“Again,” I said, “Why do we care?”
“Because the DCIA (Director, Central Intelligence Agency) cares! The White House says working in Mexico is something the CIA is authorized to do and had better chance of success than Customs or DEA.”
“Shit, I don’t like what’s coming,” I drained my glass and added a generous pour of his best stock.
“It’s all been decided up top. It’ll be a small operation using some of our best people -your people.”
“Before I puke on your nice new station chief carpet, what is the general idiotic idea here?”
{Wragg} ignored the insubordination. He was well used to it from me. He knew, in the end, I’d do as I was told and do it as well as I possibly could! That’s the downside of being reliable; people rely on you!
He continued. “We’ve got several promising angles to exploit. Niño Malo is headquartered out of Mexico City, pretends to be a legitimate businessman with friends in government. His (mostly) legal business is a chain of bordellos stretching from Mexico City all the way to Nuevo Laredo.”
“That’s just over the Rio Grande from Laredo, Texas. I hear that’s a big drug entry point.”
“The biggest,” said {Wragg}. “Think it’s a coincidence?”
“Like Castro’s favorite drink just happens to be Vodka?”
“Exactly. We also have something in our favor in Mexico City. Somehow, a high Soviet diplomat got the wrong way in one of Niño Malo’s bordellos and disappeared. What they could identify of his body showed up five days later in a ditch. There wasn’t much to examine, so dental records were the only way. And that was just enough for a positive due to the fact that many teeth had been drilled or extracted.”
I shivered involuntarily.
“The KGB in Mexico is hot to help get Niño Malo. You’ll be getting their help.”
“Great, help from someone you can trust!”
“Best you’ve got” said {Wragg} with a wry smile.
A dark thought had been festering in the back of my mind for a while. Now the smell hit me hard. “Why’re my people good for this?” I said, dreading the answer.
“Jewels, you have to admit, your ‘Angels’ as you call them, would be perfect to go undercover in Niño Malo’s bordellos!”
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