Peter and Gloria were working their way through the city, when he noticed it. A tan, mid-1980's Dodge crew-cab pick-up. It had been following them, but Peter didn't know for how long. He made a few random turns, and they followed.
"Gloria, look in the mirror. You see that tan four by four pick-up? They're following us." She looked.
"Yeah."
Peter started weaving through traffic, and the pick-up managed to keep them in sight. Peter turned down an alley. Part way down, there was a guy stacking empty cardboard boxes across the alley. He had created a wall about six feet high, and five feet wide, but it was only one row deep. Peter and Gloria whizzed past, the little Aveo didn't even make the boxes move. A moment later, the pick-up plowed through the stack of boxes, sending cardboard everywhere.
Peter and Gloria blew across a one-way street. Drivers were slamming on the brakes, and crashing into each other trying to avoid the little red Aveo. Many honked their horns in anger. Peter and Gloria continued down another alley. Partway down, the alley narrowed. The buildings on both sides suddenly stuck out about three feet.
On either side of the alley, partially obstructing the gap, was a trash dumpster parked at a forty-five degree angle. They blasted through the gap, the outer edges of the mirrors just missing the dumpsters. The pick-up driver didn't see the dumpsters until it was too late.
He tried to drive between them, and wedged the truck tightly between the buildings. Gloria saw it happen, and burst out laughing.
Gloria spent the next weekend at the farm. She and Peter spent Saturday and Sunday on the rifle range. Peter was reacquainting himself with his sniper rifle, a Weatherby 340 Magnum, equipped with a Leupold Mark 5H, 5-25 x 56mm scope. He was teaching Gloria how to use the spotting scope, a Leupold Mark 4, 20-60 x 80MM MIL DOT. She also had a separate laser range finder, as a back-up. Anthony was randomly moving a target with the helicopter. Gloria would tell Peter where it was, what the range was, and he'd shoot it. He also took out a pig that had found its way into an oat field. They enjoyed some good breakfast meat from that pig.
Gloria took a week off from school. They flew out to a small town located high in the Rockies, for sniper training. It was in a small, steep valley. There were mannequin targets, and they always had four to six mannequins around them that were not targets. Peter and Gloria crept through the brush, and took out targets. The final set had a mannequin done up to look like Colonel Sanders, with one dressed as an Arab next to it. After three days in that valley, they were ready.
They packed, and met up at the farm. Alex and Anthony were going with them, they would handle travel arrangements for once the job was done. Peter's Uncle Walter picked them up, and drove them to the National Guard airfield. Colin met the team there.
He asked, "You two feel ready?"
Gloria said, "We'll get them both."
Colin said, "Remember, al-Mahdi is your primary target. What if you can't get Pantano?" She smiled.
"We'll at least ruffle his feathers. Either way, his day won't be finger lickin' good."
Peter said, "Gloria, that's bad."
"It will only take one bullet, not a twenty piece bucket of them."
"Gloria, that's enough." She turned to him.
"Peter, do you think the vegetation we'll have to get through will be eleven herbs, and spices?" Alex was behind Gloria. He cupped his hand over her mouth.
"That's enough out of you, smarty pants."
The team were escorted out to an unmarked Gulfstream G700. Their baggage was stowed, and they boarded. They lifted off, headed for Mexico.
During the flight, Colin warned them, "The area is suffering from a severe drought. Be careful not to set the brush on fire."
Gloria asked, "So don't make everyone in the valley extra-crispy?" Everyone rolled their eyes, and few moaned.
They landed at a small municipal airport in the town of Pescado, about 15 miles north of Carne Asada. They were met by a contingent of Mexican military. The military drove the team through the desert, far enough from the village so that no one should be suspicious. They stopped at the bottom of a hill, and set-up camp. The Mexican Captain briefed them.
"Santa Gertrudis is just over that hill. We have had a surveillance team watching Pantano. He takes a walk every afternoon, about twelve-thirty, before eating lunch. That middle-easterner is with him, always joins him for the walk. They walk south from the hacienda, about a kilometer, then turn around, and walk back."
The next morning at first light, Peter and Gloria set out. He had his rifle, and twenty rounds of ammunition. Gloria had her spotting scope, and range-finder. They each had a gallon of water, so they wouldn't get dehydrated. Gloria also had her AK-47, and both loaded magazines, just in case. They hiked up the hill, and stopped at the top for a drink, before starting down the other side. They found a relatively level escarpment about half a mile from the hacienda. There was plenty of brush for cover and shade, but they also had a clear view. Gloria set up her spotting scope, and started looking at the property. The front of the hacienda was at their ten o'clock.
About twelve-thirty, a small group of men walked out of the hacienda, turned left, and started walking down the dirt road that runs in front of it.
Gloria whispered, "Peter, look. Both targets. Better still, look how spread out the guards are."
Peter chambered a round in his Weatherby, and they watched as the men walked into a wide-open area.
Gloria whispered, "Clear shot to al-Mahdi."
"Range?"
"Seven-twenty."
Peter fired. Al-Mahdi appeared to stumble. He caught himself, and turned ninety degrees to his left, turning his back to Peter and Gloria. He fell forward, and didn't move. Peter chambered another round. They waited patiently as the guards went to help al-Mahdi up, only to discover he was dead. The guards looked around in disbelief. Pantano looked around, and when he turned facing in the direction of Peter and Gloria, Peter fired. A red spot appeared on Pantano's white suit. He slowly sunk to his knees, slumped, and fell on his face.
The guards started running toward the hill side, weapons drawn. Peter and Gloria held still, and let them come. The guards were maybe one-hundred yards away when a helicopter, a Hughes 500 D, came flying over the hill. Alex was sitting in a doorway with his FN-FAL rifle. He shot one of the guards, drawing their attention away from Peter and Gloria. The guards were shooting at the helicopter with their pistols, but they were panic firing, not even trying to aim.
Gloria grabbed her AK-47, chambered a round, and took out the other three. There were a dozen men with various assorted guns running out of the hacienda, but a pair of Sikorsky HH-60 Pave Hawk gun ships came flying over the hill, and took care of them with missiles.
Peter and Gloria stood up and waved at Anthony and Alex. Anthony put the chopper down near them, they climbed aboard, and flew to the municipal airport where the Gulfstream was waiting.
Once the team were airborne, heading for home, Gloria called her dad.
Colin asked, "So were you able to take out Mufti Mohammad Ibn al-Mahdi?"
Peter replied, "Yes, he's dead."
"And what about Enero Pantano?" They both looked at Gloria.
She asked, "What?"
"No chicken references?"
"No, I'm not going to make any chicken references. Pantano is worm food – original recipe."
YOU ARE READING
The Dingo
General FictionPeter Winterslip is The Dingo. He was an American NSA agent who went rogue. He and his team have a safe house at a farm in the American mid-west. Gloria Goldsmith is a college student who is the target of a kidnapping plot. She has enough attitude t...
