man looked twice that age. Unkempt white hair grew in tufts along the sides of his head and yet curled oddly into neatly trimmed sideburns that ended midear level. Liver spots were visible on his exposed arms and the once-dark skin had taken on an odd, yellowish tint when the light hit it a certain way. His face possessed a gaunt quality, but still had more health and glow than the rest of his body appeared to have, which was a bit of a surprise to Bolan.
Two muscular men wearing pistols in shoulder holsters followed Veda and took up positions where they could react quickly should any threat present itself.
“Lupe,” Veda cried, shuffling over to her and bending to accept a kiss on the cheek.
Veda turned to Bolan, then extended his hand.
Bolan felt as if he were shaking the limb of a skeleton. “I’m—”
“Colonel Stone, U.S. Army,” Veda finished. “Yes, Colonel, I knew of your arrival practically from the moment you stepped foot in Puerto Rico.”
Bolan held an impassive expression. “You seem well-informed.”
Veda chuckled as he sat behind his desk. “It’s a job requirement in my business.”
“Which is?”
“Come now, Colonel, there’s no need to be coy,” Veda said pleasantly. “I know who you are, so it stands to reason I would know why you’re here.”
“And why’s that?”
“Because of the incident the other night at the rally.”
Bolan nodded in way of prompting him to go on.
“I’m sure that Governor Hernandez’s advisors are telling him that either the Independents or our contenders are to blame,” Veda continued, “but I can assure you that such allegations are entirely false.”
“Really,” Bolan interjected. “Why?”
“Because despite whatever rumors you might have heard to the contrary, we are not violent militants. In fact, I do not believe in violence as means to an end, whether for political purposes or otherwise. I believe in peaceful resolution to conflict.”
“You can’t ever hope your views will be recognized through standard political channels while your group is sanctioned.”
“On the contrary, it is because we are under sanctions that is at the very heart of these matters. You see, Colonel, supporters for the idea of statehood for Puerto Rico have dwindled over recent years for a good number of reasons, the instability of the economy and devaluation of the U.S. dollar not the least of them. This has caused significant increased support for our cause. The current party in power knows that, just as they know that their own influence falters.”
“So if you know that they’re touting propaganda about your efforts and the Independents, why not set the record straight through peaceful means?”
Veda laughed outright this time. “We do, Colonel Stone, we do! And that’s why I can promise you that we had nothing to do with this. Someone is out to destabilize Puerto Rico because it is a commonwealth and protectorate of the United States.”
“And?”
“What sense does it make for a group like ours to conduct violent acts against the established government, when by their nature those same acts would topple our wish to be independent and promulgate further interference by the United States? In fact, I surmise such acts would force the president to invoke emergency powers by military means. Your presence here is proof enough of that. Is it not?”
Veda gave pause there, probably so Bolan had some time to absorb it.
The soldier locked gazes with Veda. He’d learned long ago how to spot deception in people. What he saw now made him wonder if Veda was one of the biggest liars alive or if he actually spoke the truth. Bolan decided to give the guy the benefit of the doubt, play a card and see what happened.
“I never really bought the whole political motive from the start,” Bolan ventured.
“And well you shouldn’t, Colonel.”
Bolan didn’t miss a beat. “But what I haven’t heard you do is offer any hard evidence your people aren’t behind the attack.”
“From where I stand, I can offer no such proof,” Veda conceded. “Only my word. And assurances that those you encountered earlier today are not members of the Independents.”
“How did you know about that?” La Costa asked.
Veda’s expression softened and he offered La Costa an ingratiating smile. “My dear, you know I have eyes and ears everywhere in Puerto Rico. Why should this surprise you?”
La Costa didn’t have an answer for him.
Veda turned to Bolan. “Colonel, when I first heard of your arrival I wasn’t the least bit inclined to cooperate with you. But now that we’ve spoken and I’ve seen you’re only interested in getting to the truth, I offer you every resource at my disposal.”
“I appreciate that,” Bolan said warily. “But I think you’ll understand if I decline your offer for the moment.”
“I understand. You must maintain some air of neutrality. But consider the offer standing for the duration of your time here.”
Bolan nodded. “Thanks.”
“As to other places to look, might I suggest you start within the very place this thing started?”
“The governor’s office?”
“You sound surprised,” Veda said. “Is it so hard to believe? Who else stands to suffer considerable losses if political parties pressing for an independent Puerto Rico gain popularity? The idea of becoming a country of our own is known in many circles as progress. But I and my colleagues wish to do this peacefully and legally. We still lack resources and the support of the strongest backers, those with the money and political clout, primarily due to the current government’s disinformation campaign against any group preaching independence be it by nationalism, secession or otherwise.”
“You’re proposing the government’s in bed with terrorists,” Bolan said evenly.
“I’m proposing that someone inside Governor Hernandez’s office is in bed with terrorists,” Veda countered.
Bolan grasped the tight, aching muscles on the back of his neck and considered Veda’s proposal. In other circumstances it would have sounded utterly preposterous, but in this case he could see its feasibility. Whoever hit the rally, and Bolan was fairly convinced he could rule out anyone working for Veda at the moment, would have given an insider exactly the leverage they needed to point the finger at the Independents or another group like it, not to mention all the political ammo they needed to take the attention off themselves. That left just motive and Bolan could think of only one.
If terrorists could get Puerto Rico out from under American control, it would provide them not only with a significant financial resource, but would also establish a strategic stronghold and base of operations from which to launch strikes against the continental U.S. and her allies. It was unthinkable, but not implausible.
“Let’s
