Bishop's War (Bishop Series Book 1) (20 page)

“I entered my presidency by addressing the world, and encouraging dialogue between friends and foes, between allies and adversaries. Very few of the self-proclaimed enemies of the United States of America accepted my invitation to sit down at the table. Instead, they have continued down a path of misinformation, lies, and ultimately violence.

“So now your assets have been seized and your countries are isolated and alone in the world. Turn over the terrorists you are harboring and we can discuss reintegration into the global economy. Nations from around the world are joining hands and working together as never before in this new war on terror. Over the past three days I have spoken with the leaders of France, the United Kingdom, Spain, Germany, Italy, Russia, China, Japan, Pakistan, India, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Mexico, Brazil and Argentina. They have all committed to working together to eradicate terrorism by isolating and ostracizing those countries that harbor terrorists.

“There are no longer any gray areas. It is now time to choose a side. You can get busy living by participating in the global economy based on fair trade, environmental responsibility, and a commitment to peace and prosperity, or you can bear the burden of leading your countries down a path of destruction. That is the price for promoting the murder of innocent civilians around the world.”

There was a thunderous applause. Many world leaders were on their feet cheering, clapping and banging on tables.

New York State District Attorney Joshua Fishman’s Office
Downtown Manhattan

“You know why you’re here, Cindy?” Josh Fishman asked.

“Haven’t got a clue, sir,” answered Cynthia Weatherspoon, the NYPD Chief of Detectives.

“Sir? You’ve been calling me Fish since as far back as I can remember.”

“That was when you were fresh out of law school, looking like a deer in the headlights, wearing that shiny polyester suit. You’re the DA now, and you’re lookin’ razor sharp in that Hugo Boss,” she said with a smile.

“I wore that poly blue pin for three years. Made it shiny from all the ironing. Seems like so long ago,” Fishman said.

“That’s ‘cause it was a long time ago. We’re both all grown up now.”

“Yes we are, aren’t we,” he said, carefully avoiding eye contact.

“Look Fish, I know you’ve got something shitty for me. You didn’t call me over here to stroll down memory lane. Just spit it.”

“Yeah, you’re right, Cindy. I was stalling. So here it is… John Bishop.”

“The war hero?”

“The one and only.”

“Is this ‘cause of his Uncle?”

“I guess, in part, but it’s more than that. Looks like he may have killed a Yale student seventeen years ago.”

“Yale student? I just read about that case in the news. Didn’t his cousin go down for that?”

“Looks like his cousin Felix took the fall for him,” Fishman said, handing over the file. “Look at the four wit statements on top,” he added.

After carefully reading through each statement given by the four student witnesses she slowly removed her glasses and sighed.

“This is thin Fish. Real thin. You’ll need a lot more than this to convict Bishop.”

“I know, I know. Look Cindy, this guy’s not just a war hero. He saved a lot of lives at Union Square, and his younger cousin died this afternoon from wounds he received in the second attack.”

“I heard the president went to see him,” she said.

“The president pinned the Bronze Star on the kid’s chest before he died and then said a prayer over him.”

“And after that you want me to slap the cuffs on Bishop?”

“No, I want you to get a few of your best detectives to investigate. Subtly.”

“Come on, Fish, what the fuck is goin’ on here?”

“Look, you’ve read the smear campaign and heard all the stuff in the news. Some of the rags are printing more dirt about the Valdez mob and Bishop than they are about terrorist attacks in our own city. Bottom line here is that he pissed off some very powerful people. I’ve been presented with a potentially wrongful conviction in a murder case and I’m ordering you to investigate.”

“This was never a murder case and you know it. At most it was negligent homicide, but it reads more like self-defense to me.”

“My office is prepared to indict him on second degree murder. There also may have been a racial component, so we may up it to murder one with depraved indifference.”

“What!? You’re trying to send Bishop up for life without parole? I can’t believe this,” she said, shaking her head from side to side. “I feel sorry for ya, Fish. I miss that kid in the polyester suit that was gonna change the world. He’d never be part of this.”

“I miss him, too.” He looked melancholy as he stared down at his desk. When he raised his head his eyes were hard, his jaw was set. His decision was already made.

“I feel sorry for you too, Cindy,” he said.

“Because you’ve got me doing you’re dirty work?”

“Honestly, I hope it doesn’t pan out, but if the evidence points to Bishop I want
you
to put the cuffs on him with the cameras rolling. You’ll personally take him on the perp walk. You understand?”

“Asshole.”

“Yeah, well, they say Fish always stinks from the head. Now get busy doing your fucking job. And don’t ever think you can talk to me like that again if you want to keep it.”

Chapter 27

Schedule A Meeting

Campos Plaza, LES

The Campos Plaza
housing project is made up of four long connecting buildings designed in a fortress-like square with a large open courtyard at its center. With only two main entrances, the original architects had unknowingly created a layout that was custom made for urban warfare. It was easy to defend and ideal for ambushing intruders.

Neither law enforcement nor enemies of the family could enter the housing development without being spotted. It made it the perfect place for the brothers to conduct their business and Gonzalo had made Campos his flagship stronghold over thirty years ago. The family had dozens of individual and connecting apartments throughout the complex. It allowed them to move throughout the buildings and from floor to floor without using the hallways or the elevators. The many thousands of tenants were happy to be living under the Valdez flag. Drugs weren’t sold there and the safety of everyone at Campos was guaranteed. It was truly a crime-free zone. At least at the street level.

Gonzalo Valdez sat at the head of a long mahogany table. His nephew Antonio sat at his right, his brother, and Antonio’s father, Sesa, at his left. Fiero was too angry to sit, and instead paced menacingly around the large conference room. Carlos and Macho had been making Chris’ funeral arrangements when they were summoned to Campos. Macho could barely control his emotions. He sat in silence, his eyes red and wet. He looked like he’d aged ten years over-night. The other brothers, Victor and Calixto, had been administering to the family businesses, but also returned for the mandatory meeting.

John, Felix and Bunny arrived and silently took their seats. John was fuming, his cheeks contracting and releasing, contracting and releasing, from unconsciously flexing his jaw muscles. The terrorist with the broken arm had given him several names and addresses. He’d passed the intel over to Christmas and his team and they immediately went into action. John wished them luck before they left, but really wanted to be by their sides on the front lines. He wanted to be on the hunt.

He stared down at the table, and noticed the dark red wood was embedded with a swirling pattern of rings from the original tree. The rings looked like a current flowing under the hard surface. A river of blood.

“Why am I here, Tio? I should be out there with the soldiers,” he said angrily.

“John, your face is on every channel and on the cover of every paper. You could compromise the missions. If you think our troops can’t handle the job then say so and we will find more competent men,” Gonzalo said sternly.

“No Tio. They’re excellent. The best. And I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking.”

“Well, you better start. I taught you chess, not checkers. You selfishly want to go fight a battle when we need your help to win a war? A war on three fronts?”

“I was being selfish and stupid. It won’t happen again, Tio.”

“Good. Every one of us here wants blood for blood by our own hand. We don’t have that luxury … Yet.” Gonzalo’s voice remained calm; his hands steady as he spread them wide to include everyone in the room.

“We have to protect the family and win all three wars in order to survive. To win, we must all think and plan strategically. And in the end each of us will taste the blood of our enemies. That I promise you.”

John nodded at Gonzalo. His respect and admiration for the man was greater than ever. He served under many fine officers in the Army. None had the command, clarity, and vision of his own uncle and surrogate father. Gonzalo was a rock. As the head of the family, John knew he was as angry as any of them about Chris’ death, but he didn’t let his anger cloud his judgment.

They all sat up straighter and John, along with everyone else was now keenly focused. Even Fiero stopped his prowling. He took a seat at the table and waited for the presentation to begin.

Kevin Mitchell and Ed Taylor were the only members of the Pro KEDDS team attending the meeting. Their partner Danny Jones was backing up the troops, out with Christmas and Chepe’s soldiers who were attacking the enemy. Kevin and Ed worked quickly and quietly. They set up the laptop, connected it to the seventy inch flat screen on the wall and passed out information packets to everyone.

“Don Valdez, Macho, before we get started please accept our condolences. We are all very sorry for your family’s loss,” Kevin said.

“Thank you,” Gonzalo said. His voice was flat, without emotion, but his yellow eyes glowed bright and hot. “Now please begin.”

“Yes, of course. This presentation is in three parts. The first being Michael Meecham. The second is Amir Khan. And part three is his uncle, Aziz Khan.”

“Why are we starting with Meecham?” John asked.

“Good question. The reason is you.”

“Me?”

“Yes, you John. Don Valdez, I’m sure your sources would have informed you of this very shortly, but we just found out they’re re-opening the investigation into the death of the Yale student. Mike Meecham must have some serious dirt on Fishman. The DA’s planning to indict you on murder one once they find or fabricate enough evidence.”

Felix slapped the table with a powerful blow. “Murder one?! What the fuck is that about!? They attacked us!”

“Felix, calm down,” Gonzalo said. “The witnesses? Where are they?”

“We received this information only a short time ago and Danny is out with the troops. So, at this moment we only have addresses for three of the four witnesses. They are listed on page two of your packets. One is in Boston, another lives in Connecticut, and the third is right here in New York on the Upper West Side. Danny will find the fourth witness and we will provide a more detailed bio on each one later this evening with photos, bank records, family and medical histories.”

“Your recommendation?” Gonzalo asked.

“Honestly, this one’s a tough call. Meecham is also pressuring Fishman to get RICO indictments on every one of you, and that includes Felix, Carlos, Sesa, Antonio, Macho and Calixto. John is the exception, that’s why they’re going for the separate murder case against him. They’re going to use his military record against him. Say that he’s always been a killer and the army just let him run free with it. They’ll say it was a racially motivated killing and he used depraved indifference. Meecham’s ultimate goal is for all of you to be in prison for the rest of your lives. That said, if four civilians suddenly disappear off the face of the earth it’s going to make Meecham’s and Fishman’s job that much easier. So, first we need more intel on the witnesses. Bribe them or scare the shit of ‘em and see how they react. We recommend holding off on anything past that at least for the next few days,” Kevin said.

Ed followed up by saying, “We really just need to delay them from potentially giving any harmful testimony against John in a deposition until Meecham’s gone. Once he’s dead Fishman’s motivation should rapidly diminish.”

“Let me do it. I’ve already done time for murder and I’ve never killed anyone. I want Meecham to be my first,” Felix said.

“You shot a terrorist last night,” John said.

“He was already dead. You and Bunny hit him first. Anyway, Meecham is a piece of shit. He has to die. Please Tio, let me do it.”

“Enough,” Gonzalo said. “You will not be the one to end Meecham. I have something very special in mind for him. As for the witnesses, I agree with your recommendation. We will talk to them first. Antonio, get our people to them tonight. Find out if they’ve given any statements. Let us know if they have, and persuade them not to if they haven’t. I want a diplomat to do all the talking, and two killers to stand there silently. Make sure our message is clearly received. Alive or dead, they will never testify against John. Next.”

“Amir Khan. We’ve hurt him. We killed five of his men and captured two more in Redhook and we believe we have all his remaining explosives. Christmas and Chepe’s crews have just killed three more that were a direct result of the information we received from Benji and John’s interrogations. We have six more locations that we’re targeting tonight.”

“The facts are that he’s wounded, thanks to John. We have his C4 and TNT. He’s lost a lot of men and safe houses. That’s thanks to our own efforts, that of the FBI, and John’s buddies in Special Ops. The actions against the taxis also resulted in four of Amir’s men being arrested by the NYPD. He’s being hunted by us, by every branch of law enforcement, and more than likely has been sentenced to death by his own uncle’s hit squad. All these facts make Amir Khan more dangerous than ever,” Ed said.

“Yes, I agree,” Gonzalo said. “He will not run and hide. He proved that last night.”

“We’ll hit the six safe houses and we may find him there if we’re lucky. If not, we keep tearing down his organization man by man, house by house. John’s guy with broken arm gave us the name of their money man. He’s an Imam that never leaves his Mosque in Brooklyn. We are looking at the structure to see if we can take him alive. If we get him, he’ll know a lot more than the foot soldiers we’ve taken out so far.”

“Anything else on Amir?” Antonio asked.

“Yes. Two things. One, beef up your security. While our guys our out hunting him, we have no doubt he’s actively hunting you. Amir, despite his losses, is aggressive, resourceful, and takes quick, decisive action. We don’t know how he tracked you to the bar, but somehow he did and he immediately went on the offensive,” Ed said.

“Yes, after last night we have an army protecting us. No one’s gonna be jumpin’ out of a cab again. What’s two?” Antonio said.

“Two is, you bring him here and finish him on your home turf. Give him a public event, like a memorial for Chris. It’ll be hosted by John, in the middle of Campos Plaza. Even if he knows it’s a set up, we think he’ll bite. His life expectancy is a matter of days, so he’s not gonna pass up on a final shot at revenge.”

“Yeah, that’ll work,” John said. “No way he doesn’t come for me. I want his ass and I’ll gladly be the bait.”

“Yes, he will come. Set it up,” Gonzalo said.

“Now, if you turn to page six of your packets you will see what we’ve put together on Aziz Khan. There is no way we can get to him directly, or even find him in his mountain stronghold. So since we can’t hunt him he has to want to see us. We make him schedule a meeting, inviting us for a face-to-face,” Kevin said.

“How?” Fiero asked.

“Business,” Ed replied.

“Business? What business?”

“Drugs,” Gonzalo said.

“Yes, Don Valdez. Exactly. He’s a warrior, but he’s also a businessman. Therein lies his weakness. He sells dope to buy weapons. And we know where his next arms delivery is and what ship it’s traveling on,” Kevin said.

“Where?” John asked.

“Yemen. And it’s a big one. Fifty-million dollars’ worth.”

“We take the ship,” Fiero said.

“Yes Fiero, we take the ship. Once it hits international waters. Then, through your contacts overseas you make an offer. A truce. His weapons in exchange for a guarantee that there will be no more attacks on the family. Perhaps a distribution agreement as a sign of good faith and that all is forgiven.”

“He will suspect a trap. I would. Whoever is sent will not return. Not unless he is very lucky,” Gonzalo said.

“Yes, Don Valdez. It is a suicide mission. But we can’t see any other way to get to Aziz. And you can’t send an assassin to do this. As you said, he’ll already be suspicious. An inner family member, one of you here in this room needs to go do it. And it can’t be John since the whole world knows he’s a trained killer. Also, this opportunity with the weapons may not present itself again for some time. We have to take the ship in three days or else we have to pass on Aziz for the foreseeable future,” Ed said.

“Yes, we must act now. The ship is the key. Such a cargo will be well protected. How do we take it?” Carlos asked.

“It will be very well protected. So it must be taken at night, by air.”

“Won’t they just shoot down the planes?” asked Felix.

“We come in stealthy. Parachute onto the deck and commandeer the ship before they know what hit ‘em,” John said.

“Exactly,” Ed said.

“Parachute at night onto a moving ship? You’ve done this before?”

“Me personally, no. But, it’s been done. With the new laser guidance systems we can illuminate the ship and follow the green glowing line right in.”

“I know I’m no soldier, but don’t they have radar to see the planes?”

“Not from that height.”

“What height?” Carlos asked.

“Thirty-five thousand feet,” Bunny said.

“Hold up. Le’me get this straight. You’re sayin’ you’re gonna jump out of a plane at night, seven miles above the ocean, land on a heavily defended moving ship, and kill all the bad guys,” Felix said in disbelief.

“Sounds pretty thin when you say it like that, but yeah, that’s basically what we’re gonna do,” John said.

“As long as it’s not too windy, and there’s no heavy rain we’ll be fine,” Bunny said.

“We checked. The weather forecast looks clear. Scattered clouds and winds at five to ten miles per hour. Only downside is the moon is going to be shining big and bright,” Ed said.

“John, you think your pals on Team Razor will roll with you on this?” Kevin asked.

“Yeah, they will,” Bunny said. “And so will I.”

“How many years since you jumped out of a plane, Bun?” John asked.

“Like riding a bike, Johnny. If I don’t land on the ship just make sure you turn it around and come get me before the sharks do.”

“Then it is settled. Our friends at CIA will provide travel and equipment,” Gonzalo said.

“We have several options for killing Aziz, once you’ve decided on who’s going,” Kevin said.

“It is already decided,” Macho said. “I claim the right to kill him.”

“Yes, it is your right, hermano. No one will oppose you. First we bury Chris. Then you will kill the man that’s responsible.”

Antonio left to assemble the teams that would meet with the witnesses. He was gone for less than five minutes when he ran back in with Grasiella following behind. Her hair was crazy, matted down in the front from the sweat on her forehead and sticking out in all directions on the back and sides. Her eyes were wide and she could barely catch her breath. Everyone stood up. They all knew that something was very wrong.