it, trying to avoid being caught by us or bandits, just to come to the States for work. Many have died trying, and the Border Patrol spends a lot of resources helping the illegals with heat exhaustion and other medical problems. They catch hundreds each day in our sector, which ties up a lot of manpower.
“Catching these people is not why the Guard is here. We’re after bad guys. Congress wants to stop immigrants, but our big threat is drug smuggling. You’ve heard about the violence raging at all of our border cities?”
Stokes responded, “It’s in all the news these days.”
“Yeah, well. It’s getting worse almost every day. But, there’s another threat. The agents have been finding more and more Arabic-speaking men, if you know what I mean, coming across with the dope mules (lines of smugglers with packs full of drugs).”
Stokes nodded, “Yeah, that’s something I’ve heard also.”
She continued, “Well, it’s getting worse.”
At that point, Chief Schmitt spoke, “Captain, my agents are not very well equipped to deal with murderers and druggies carrying automatic weapons. So it’s vital that we get more equipment, people and technology down here. So, that’s where the Guard can help.”
Stokes got the picture, “All right, so when do I start?”
Colson replied, “Starting tonight. You’ll have an over-sized platoon of Guardsmen under your command at the Ysleta station. You report to me, but I want you to work closely with the station commander. I expect this to grow to company strength as more soldiers arrive.”
Schmitt interjected, “The Senior Agent in Charge at Ysleta is Matt Berkowitz. Matt’s an old hand. I think you’ll like him. You two will figure out how to use your combined assets. If you need anything, just ask.”
As Stokes began to rise, Colson added, “Oh, one more thing. Remember that this is a border enforcement job, and the rules of engagement are somewhat different than the war zones. This is something you and Agent Berkowitz should discuss with your troops.”
“Thanks, Colonel. I appreciate the background. So, if it’s time, I’d like to get to the station.”
CIA Procedures
In Washington, Rachael found that procedures at Langley were more formal than at her former G2 office. The Army had its protocols, but the CIA was a civilian agency, which relied of procedures with less legal authority and direct orders. It was her second day at CIA, and she wanted to schedule meetings with her people. She greeted her Administrative Assistant, “Hi Cybil. Could you ask Martha to come to my office?”
Cybil responded, “Sure. I’ll schedule Ms. Riggs. When would you like to see her, and what is the subject?”
Rachael was taken aback. “Now. And she can guess at the subject.”
Cybil answered in a condescending tone, “Ms. Aston, we keep a record of all meetings in our calendar system. It’s protocol at the agency.”
“Whose protocol? There was nothing in the briefing I was given coming aboard yesterday.”
“Well, I realize you come from the Defense Department where things might be done differently. But, this is how we do it here.” Her smugness irritated Rachael further, but she was accustomed to petulant behavior by lower level bureaucrats. “Look, Cybil. You and I will get along fine as long as you realize that I’m in charge. Now, get Martha Riggs in here.” She kept a stern but calm face.
Cybil scowled and seemed to want to say something but picked up her phone instead. Rachael turned and walked to her office. Martha arrived moments later.
Riggs knocked on the doorframe, “Rachael, can I come in?”
Rachael rose, signaling Martha to sit and closed the door. “Hi. I hope I’m not disturbing you, I’ve just been lectured on office protocol.”
Martha smirked, “Oh, you’re getting to know Cybil.”
“Yes. She informed me that we needed to plan our meetings in advance and get our schedules coordinated.”
“Yeah, well. She’s ‘old school’ and, unfortunately, the office has tended to allow people to barricade themselves. We’re spooks you know.”
Rachael chuckled, “Look, if I want to talk, I like to do it ‘now,’ but I’ll understand if you have something urgent to do.”
“Not at all, I’m all for dialogue. But, you’ll probably find the others more difficult, especially Jamie. He likes to avoid talking to anyone.”
“Thanks for the heads up. Now, why don’t you tell me about you and what you do here?”
Rachael and Martha talked for almost three hours. Rachael enjoyed Martha who described her background and responsibilities for South America. Her primary concerns were counter-drug operations in Colombia, along with the constant threat of leftist activities in the remaining countries.
That afternoon, she met with Hal Jenkins regarding Central America. He was less cordial than Martha, but seemed to be forthcoming when asked specific questions. Rachael had worked with intelligence agents long enough to know that they were guarded in all communications.
Later, she asked Cybil, as kindly as she could, to schedule a meeting with Jamie Montes first thing in the morning to discuss Mexico, but was informed that “Mr. Montes is away on travel.” Aside from Cybil’s fresh attitude, Rachael didn’t like someone under her area of responsibility traveling without informing her in advance, even if she was new to the department.
After arriving home, she opened a bottle of Pinot Noir and called Peter to complain outside the office. Somehow, their lunch at Morton’s had rekindled more casual communications. She didn’t have any close girlfriends. He answered, “Hi. Didn’t think I’d hear from you again so soon with your new job. You must be exhausted.”
“Hi. It’s not so hard; it’s just difficult managing some of the people.”
He’d seen her manage high-level meetings with top agents in Chicago. It was hard to picture her frustrated. “Want to tell me?”
“Yeah. I guess I do.”
He sat down on his new rented sofa, “All right, what’s bugging you?”
“Most of it’s good: what I expected. But, I’ve got this one guy who took off on a trip today without my approval, and he knew I planned to talk to him about his responsibilities. I just want to know what people are working on.”
“So, how can I help?”
“Oh, just let me vent a little. I think I can handle him.”
“What if you can’t?”
“I wish I knew. Right now I just need to get on the same page with him.”
“I think tonight you just need to sleep on it. You’ll come up with something. If it was me, I’d just pull him by the collar into a small room and explain the rules -- if you know what I mean. But, that wouldn’t be the smart way to do it at the Company and not your style anyway.”
“Great. So your advice is to hit him with a bat?”
“Figuratively speaking, yes.”
“Thanks. You’ve been a great help!”
He was hopeful that the conversation would continue, but the topic was done. He lingered a few seconds before saying, “Rachael, just watch yourself. Some of these spooks are pros at undermining people. So keep your guard up.”
She let out a breath, “Thanks. I think I’ll go to bed now, I’m more tired than I imagined.”
After saying “goodnight,” Peter sat with the disconnected phone for a minute, imagining living with her again.
Ysleta Station
It took about half an hour for Stokes to drive to Ysleta station from sector headquarters. Housed in a newer building, Ysleta was opened in 1991 to patrol sixteen miles of border along the Rio Grande River. It had a history of violent confrontations with dangerous criminals. There was a wall covered with placards showing the names and etched faces of agents killed since prohibition.
Matt Berkowitz met him in the front lobby and showed him into the 14,000 foot interior. There, he met six other National Guard troops and several Border Patrol agents. There were small numbers of civilians from other agencies and an El Paso She
riff’s Deputy at different desks in the open complex. The upper floor of the building was a detention facility.
After some quick introductions, Berkowitz led Stokes to a windowless conference room where they were joined by Leo Moritz who was introduced as the DEA (Drug Enforcement Agency) Supervisor for the sector. After being offered coffee and some pleasantries, Berkowitz wasted no time beginning Stokes’ indoctrination. “John, we’re really looking forward to your help here. These Guard boys have been a great help, but they need a unit leader, so they don’t feel like they’re being treated as deck hands by the rest of us.”
He smiled at the notion. “Thanks, Matt. I’ll be getting to know them quickly and find out what equipment and mission capability we have.”
“That’s great. You’ll find out that we have a big challenge here. This afternoon, us three will take a helo ride along the river to give you a better idea of our situation. As you know, we had an agent killed recently and another one kidnapped. It’s part of a changing tactical landscape that keeps us on our toes.”
Leo spoke up, “Captain, we’re in a war zone, to put it bluntly. My guys have been tracking drug traffickers all over Central and South America, but it’s all moved up here now. These guys are dangerous. It wasn’t so bad when they stayed at home, but now it’s right on the border. It’s even spilling over into the Border States. Tucson, Phoenix, Albuquerque, and El Paso are all seeing major violence. Here, we’re facing Juarez across the river, which is the