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We would be docked at our isle before nightfall. I had our special guest Philippe Quentes sitting with me in the mess decks talking.
“Do you know why we came into Cuba and took you away?” I asked the English speaking Cuban.
The old man looked at me puzzled. “Why, after all of these years? Nearly fifty years have passed since that day.”
“Just so we are on the same page, what day are you talking about?” I asked the man.
“The worst day of my life, the day I killed an American President,” The man spoke quietly.
“So you’re telling me that you were the man on the grassy knoll?” I asked him.
He nodded his head. “Yes I was the man on the grassy knoll, I am the man who shot John F. Kennedy,” the man freely admitted.
“Why do you call it the worst day of your life?” I asked in a puzzled voice.
“After I got back to Cuba I was received with a hero’s welcome. But since that day I’ve been confined to the fortress under house arrest for my protection. I have been a prisoner for the last forty eight years.”
“You will be going back to the United States to answer for your crime of killing a sitting American President.”
“It doesn’t matter. My life is all but over anyway and it wasn’t much of a life,” the man reflected sadly.
“Red Dog, escort our guest back to his room. We are on our way to Jamaica. Once there, a plane will be coming to take you north,” I said as I walked out.
I called Brydon next. “Brydon, this is Rick Chambers. We have your package secured and will be home tonight.”
“Your mission was a success? Excellent! I’ll transfer your other ten million dollars into your account right away. I’ll be down there first thing in the morning to pick my package up.”
“Chris has a bill for you for expenses too. I think it’s around 1.7 million dollars,” I warned the man.
“What the hell did I buy, Cuba?” the man said in disbelief over the phone.
“We had to fire three missiles from our ship to take out two gunboats and a fighter aircraft. They cost around $250,000 each. We bought two thousand AK47 assault rifles for our guerrilla fighters plus ammo. Brady fired at least a dozen rockets at twenty thousand a piece. Then you add Gatling gun ammo, tents to house our two thousand fighters and food. That adds up to 1.7 million dollars.”
I paid to arm two thousand guerrilla fighters?” Brydon said. “That’s unbelievable.”
“I needed the guerrillas to help take the fortress down,” I tried to explain. “Chris will have a full written report for you when you get here,” I promised the man.
“Alright Rick, I’ll transfer 11.7 million dollars into your accounts,” Brydon promised. “I’ll see you tomorrow. I’m looking forward to meeting Philippe Quentes.”
We finished the journey from Cuba to our isle without any more problems from the Cuban government. Danny eased the Sea Eagle into her berth with the thruster engines.
“Red Dog, keep Philippe confined to his stateroom here on the ship. Make sure you keep an armed guard over him. I still don’t trust the Cubans. I want your team on a heightened alert until Philippe is off our isle and on his way to the states.”
“Alright LT, I’ll set up a perimeter around the Sea Eagle. I’ll have two men out in front of our island patrolling all night in a boat. I’ll have men stationed on the dock and aboard the ship.”
“Good, I’ll leave it to you to handle,” I said slapping him on his back. “I have to go check on Juan and see how he’s doing,” I said, walking off.
I walked in the direction of our house and saw Karen running to meet me. I embraced and kissed my bride to be. “I missed you,” she said into my ear as she hugged me.
“How is Juan doing? I know it’s only been a few days,” I said out of concern.
“He’s been waiting for you. I think he wants to know that it’s over with,” Karen said.
“I guess I should go and talk to him then, shouldn’t I?” I said as I put my arm around Karen’s waist and walked off to our home.
“I’ve been trying to keep him busy to keep his mind off of everything that happened to him,” Karen explained.
“How has that been working out?” I asked.
“Sometimes I can keep his mind busy and sometimes he just drifts off into his own little world,” Karen admitted.
“I guess I can’t blame him for that. I don’t know what it’s like to be eleven years old and lose both your parents. It would be awful traumatic if it happened to me now,” I admitted truthfully.
We walked into our home and found Juan sitting in the living room watching the TV. Juan was up and by my side as soon as he spotted me.
“Rick, is it finally over?” He asked hesitantly. “Is, is El Diablo finally dead?”
I nodded. “You won’t have to worry about him anymore Juan. He won’t be hurting anyone ever again,” I promised him.
Tears instantly sprang to his eyes as he tried to wipe them with his sleeves. “What’s going to happen to me now?” he asked looking up at me.
“I don’t understand Juan. What do you mean, what’s going to happen to you?”
“Where am I going to go? Who am I going to live with?” He asked as the tears welled up in his eyes.
“I’m sorry Juan, I thought that you knew. Your father talked to me about you just days before he died. He was worried about your future, just like your mother was. He asked me to find a home for you if anything happened to him. He wanted me to get you out of Cuba, Juan,” I explained.
Juan nodded his head dejectedly with his head hanging down. “Where have you decided to send me Rick?” he asked fearfully, tears running down his cheeks.
“I’m not going to send you anywhere Juan. I don’t know how to tell you this without causing you pain so I’m just going to say it. I was with your father when he died. He died in my arms Juan. His last thoughts were of you. I promised your dad that I would raise you just like I’d raise my own son. It’s an honor for me to be able to do it. I think your father was a great man Juan.”
Juan looked up at me thru his tears. “You mean that I get to stay here with you?”
“If that’s alright with you, we’d both love for you to stay here with us. Karen’s already let you pick out your own room hasn’t she?”
Juan’s arms were instantly around my waist. His body was shaking as he cried his eyes out. I knelt down and hugged him to me. I looked up and saw Karen was crying too. Hell, I thought I may as well make it a threesome.
“So I take it you want to stay here with us on our isle?” I asked him. I could feel Juan’s head nod silently up and down on my shoulder as he hugged me for all he was worth.
I held him away at arms’ length. “Now dry your eyes, men in this family don’t cry,” I said ruffling his hair.
“Then what do you call those?” Juan asked pointing at my tear stained face.
“You’re contagious, I caught them from you,” I said with a small grin on my face. “Look, you gave them to Karen too.”
“I’m just a softy,” Karen admitted. “I’ll cry with anyone. Don’t I get a hug too Juan?” Karen asked as Juan flew into her arms.