King of All I Survey
Chapter 75: A Gathering for Reconciliation

Chapter 75: A Gathering for Reconciliation

"Tim, I thought you were going to give things a few days to settle down before moving on Colombia," Dad observed.

"I was but why give them time to regroup and counter-attack. Let’s take their pieces off the board before they can use them."

"You know, if you take the southern border away as an access point to the largest market for illegal drugs, someone will find another way. Instead of cocaine and crack, they’ll focus on opium, heroin and manufactured drugs like fentanyl and meth. Those can be made almost anywhere by almost anyone, given access to the ingredients."

"I know," I conceded, "but just because I can’t immediately solve every problem doesn’t mean I shouldn’t go forward and solve those I can."

"Agreed, but don’t forget to consider the new problems that we might be making when we solve old ones."

"So, if you’re using the rehab cells for Colombia, you’ve decided to leave the Guatemalan gangs free?" Dad asked.

"Yes, but we’re going to make them all register to work with Food First as part of their punishment. As soon as we get local infrastructure projects going, they’ll be working. Meanwhile, Rafael will be keeping them all in line, relying on what’s left of his former command structure. Troublemakers will be turned over to the police as we agreed with Arroyo."

--

At Maribel’s house in Guatemala, Miguel and Luis slept in the living room. Luis on the couch and Miguel on a cot that Maribel had conveniently ’found" in her storage closet. Of course, we sent it there by LITV, but in her assumed persona, she didn’t know that. She just ’knew’ that she kept most of the things she needed in that particular closet.

The two were up early and ready for the day before there was any sign of stirring from either Rafael or Maribel, both sleeping in separate bedrooms. In truth, both were awake early, but hesitant to leave the safety of their rooms. Last night, Maribel had told Rafael they would ’talk’ today after the two had kissed on her doorstep. She didn’t know what she was going to say. The kiss had been an impulsive thing, unplanned. Yet, she didn’t regret it.

Luis used the display screen on his radio to access overnight updates on the current situation. "Help yourself to the kitchen, make whatever you want for breakfast. I need to check messages for a few minutes," he told Miguel.

"Yeah, ok," Miguel answered as he opened the refrigerator to see what he could find. He took out a bowl of eggs, leftover beans, and a stick of butter and put them down on the counter beside the stove.

Looking around the kitchen, he grabbed a couple plantains off the counter and set them beside the stove as well. Rummaging through the drawers and cabinets, he found a cooking knife, a spatula, and a big skillet.

A few minutes later, the door to Maribel’s room opened. "That smells good," she said.

"There’s enough for everyone," Miguel said. "Eggs, refired beans, and fried plantains."

"Thank you, Miguel. I’ll put on some coffee. Plates are up in the cabinet of the left." She pointed. Miguel grabbed four plates and set them beside the stove.

Rafael’s door opened. Maribel stared at the coffee maker as if she were trying to calculate the flow rate of the water as it passed through the coffee grounds.

Rafael walked into the kitchen, "Good morning," he said cheerfully.

"Good morning," Miguel answered as he took his filled plate and headed for the table.

Maribel poured herself a cup of coffee, "Good morning," she said without looking up. She took her coffee over to the table and sat down in front of the computer. Rafael stared after her, then shrugged and took a plate, got a coffee and sat down at the table to eat. He ate quietly, glancing at Maribel every few seconds. She never took her eyes off the screen even as she sipped her coffee.

"Mexico is going to hit the cartels and what’s left of the trafficking gangs today," Maribel finally spoke.

Rafael’s face showed a mild surprise. "Is that so?"

Finally, Maribel looked up at him. "Yes, they’re sending the army after them all around the country. We’ve sent them a list of corrupt officials. They’ll be arrested today as well." Maribel felt her face growing red as she looked at Rafael. She quickly turned her face back down toward the computer screen. "Your people are supposed to meet us in Sacapulas at one o’clock today. Arrest warrants will be issued for anybody who doesn’t show up. They won’t be able to hide. We WILL cooperate with the police on this. You should make whatever follow-up calls you need to make to convince everyone that it’s in their best interest to show up." She looked up again, this time she didn’t blush. She felt more in control of herself when she took charge of the situation.

Rafael looked at her as she spoke. He studied her face for any sign of the passion she showed when she had kissed him on the doorstep last night. If it was there, it was hidden behind a wall. "I will," he said, "but there will be some who try to hide or run. There may be some who show up that are... unreliable, perhaps who lose their senses when they get angry."

"If they leave the country, nobody will chase them, but if they come back, our facial recognition system will find them, and they’ll be arrested. No third chances. If they show up, they’ll be given the same chance as anyone else and they’ll either succeed or fail. Failure will have consequences." She met his gaze almost challenging him to say something about the kiss. She tried to stare him into silence, yet she wanted him to bring it up, to tell her that he... Damn it, focus! She told herself.

As he looked into her eyes, his face shifted to an expression of resignation. "I understand," he said. He would wait until she mentioned it. She clearly didn’t want to discuss it now. "I’ll start making calls as soon as I finish breakfast."

Miguel kept his face turned toward his plate, but his eyes darted back and forth between the two of them waiting for one of them to break the tension. Neither one did. Finally, Rafael finished eating and brought his plate to the kitchen.

"I’ll clean up," Luis offered, "Just leave the plates by the sink."

Rafael chuckled, "I suppose that’s your job description: ’clean up the mess we made. At least this time there are no bodies."

"Yeah," Luis was clearly not amused. "We need to be ready to leave by 10:30, if you’re not finished with your calls, you can make more on the way." He stood up and took his plate to the kitchen. He turned on the faucet to start washing.

A few hours later, they were all in the car driving to Sacapulas. The plan was for them all to meet in the old Food First warehouse. There, Rafael would talk to them about his change of direction and not allowing himself to be used by others like the Colombian and Mexican cartels. He would also talk about consequences. He would tell them he had brokered an amnesty deal with the government, out of loyalty to them for the loyalty they had offered him. They would be required to work for Food First and to attend counseling sessions. They would be paid for their work, like any job, but they would also know that they were working to make things better for the country, for the future, for themselves, for their families. Then, Maribel would take over. She would give them a rousing message of personal redemption and earned forgiveness, of adding value to the community, of making the world a better place. She would share her vision of a world where no child would have to face the hardships many of them had faced.

Each of them would fill out forms listing the skills they had, their education, what kind of work they wanted, where they lived, and all the logistical information required to match them up to potential projects. Some projects would be starting within days, and new ones would be added as quickly as possible.

The car arrived at the warehouse. People were still streaming in. Manny was there at the door, and others from the paramilitary group hovered around outside the building, scanning the crowd for any trouble. Others were inside, doing the same.

Luis pulled the car up to the loading dock and parked. They got out and entered the side door. As they did, they were watched from a distance by several men who were not invited to the meeting.

The watchers did not carry cell phones or radios. The arrival of the car and its occupants was the only signal they would need to trigger their planned operation. The best way to cause chaos in Guatemala was to make sure that this reconciliation between former gang members and law enforcement did not go well.

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