Lansky's Project

Cuba, December 1956:

The look on Mr. Lansky’s face left me worried. “There’s some trouble brewing in Cobrero,” he told me.” A militant group is organizing out there and if given time, may become an obstacle for the local government. Fulgencio Batista’s hold over the people is already weak and we don’t want anything to upset it or our operations here. So, I want you to go down there and see if this is anything you can do to crush before it gets too big.”

Of course, when he said operations, he meant the casinos he was overseeing in Havana. As for now, his “operations were working like clockwork, making his bosses in Chicago happy. If that were ever to change, I’d fear the worst for him. “Will do, boss,” I replied. “I’ll leave first thing in the morning.”

“One more thing, Tom. Say hi to Carmen for me.”

A smile instantly crossed my face. The thought of her always brought me joy. Carmen had just moved in with me and she had become the joy of my life. Now, I had to return home and tell her I would be gone for a few days. I knew this wouldn’t make her happy, but there was nothing that could be done about it. Normally when I did a job for Mr. Lansky, I would be back by the next day and I could easily explain my absence to Carmen, but this was different. Since I was going to be gone for several days, I wasn’t sure what believable excuse I could make. But by the time I returned home, I decided there was only one thing I could tell her, and it wasn’t that I was a federally trained assassin working for the mafia. That would have to wait for another day. Upon opening the door, I discovered she was pleasantly surprised to see me coming home early.

Running into my arms, she passionately kissed me. “Good morning, honey. I wasn’t expecting you home so early. Did you miss me so much you had to call in sick?”

Joyfully, I wrapped my arms around her. “If I did that every time, I missed you, they would have to fire me for never showing up for work.”

She kissed me again. “So, if it isn’t that you missed me, why did you come so early?”

The moment had come. “Mr. Lansky has a project in San Cristobal he wants me to work on. I’m going to be gone for a few days, but when I come back, I’ll make it up to you.”

Carmen frowned. “What is so important you have to stay down there? San Cristobal isn’t so far. You could drive back and forth each day until you are finished.”

“Mr Lansky was insistent I stayed down there. We must work on some water pumps and had to be on call in case something should happen to them. I’m sorry, Carmen, but I have no choice.”

Carmen pouted for a moment and then smiled. “Very well, Professor Tom Fixit. You better make it up to me when you get back. If you don’t, I’ll make sure you never forget it.”

“Now, now, my love. You know my name is Tom Ellis, not Tom Fixit. But if you keep loving me as much as you do, you can call me anything.” Gently, I kissed her on her forehead. “I promise you, babe, I’ll show you the time of your life and you’ll never forget it.” For the rest of the day, I doted on her and treated her like the princess she was, but during that time, I was in agony over the lie I told her. When the sun rose the next morning, I was heading towards Cobrero.

***

Fortunately, bars are open most of the day, so when I arrived in town, I was able to sit down and listen to the regulars’ gossip about religion and politics. It was the latter which held my interest. The hot topic was about how Batista was corrupted, followed by how the local militia would make a government for the people. I didn’t have to listen much longer to learn this local militia was led by a man named Fidel Castro and his forces were hiding in the nearby forest.

Afterwards, I cased out the local grocery store and waited for any customers picking up supplies. Knowing an army runs on its stomach, I figured this would be the most accessible source for supplies. As the sun was about to set, I military type vehicle stopped in the front of the store and the trucked was loaded with several crates. When the truck took off, I followed it as far as the edge of the forest, then turned back towards town. All I needed was to know where the truck entered the woods and now, I got it. Tomorrow, I can follow the tracks and engage my target.

When the sun went down, I returned to the bar and sat there, listening to who ever said anything about Castro. That evening, I learned there were only a few men encamped with him, since a massacre that happened earlier this month, wiping out nearly everyone, but him. He was either a survivor or a coward. I couldn’t tell which. Whatever the answer was, it didn’t matter. I was going to put an end to his life, along with his ambitions of power.

As the crowd dispersed in the dark of the night, I returned to my hotel room and went immediately to sleep, knowing I would be up before the sun rose.

***

As the sun began to rise, I drove within a half mile of where the truck previously entered the woods. Shouldering my rifle, I began to walk to the woods. I didn’t know how deep I’d have to go in, but I was certain I would have to walk for quite a while. The night sky was paling, but the sun still hasn’t risen. Still, I could see the tire tracks clearly. The woods became thicker, but the trail the truck took scarred a path, which even an amateur could follow.

Cautiously, I picked up my pace and began to trot. A beaten path guided me, as I continued at that pace for about thirty minutes. The path led to a clearing and in it, I could see the truck with several men standing nearby.

As I hid behind a tree, I began to watch their movements. Most of the men seemed to be in their teens and early twenties. No one was wearing a uniform and the few were armed. The weapons I could observe were severely outdated. Unfortunately, there was no sign of Castro. I took a deep breath and began to wait patiently. Thirty minutes passed, then an hour. Still, no Castro. I was beginning to think he wasn’t in camp, when I heard a deep voice barking just out of my line of sight.

I pressed the butt of my rifle to my shoulder and began to wait for my target to come into view. A moment later, a man sporting a dark black beard walked to the men standing by the truck. I aimed for his temple. Slowly, I squeezed the trigger and when I heard the round explode into life, another man walked in front of Castro. That man fell to the ground, leaving Castro unharmed. I tried to aim again, but it was too late. Castro immediately ran off and found shelter behind the truck.

With failure imminent, there was nothing I could at that time but retreat to my car. Knowing so few people were in the camp, I knew they would not try to seriously pursue me, in fear of being shot themselves. So, I ran back as quickly as possible. Hopping in the car, I turned the key and took off. Bypassing Cobrero, I drove back to Havana, knowing I had failed in my mission.

After returning to Havana, I met with Mr. Lansky. “Bad news, sir. I got down to Cobrero and sought out Castro. When I had him in my sights, I fired. But as luck would have it, a militant crossed the line of fire and I shot him instead. Castro was unscathed, but I’m sure he got the message.”

Mr. Lansky leaned back in his chair. “Don’t worry about it, Tom. You tried. We’ll just have to trust Batista to take care of Castro. If it’s just a few men like you say, he should be able to wipe them out with little resistance.”

“I hope you’re right.” But in the back of my mind, I couldn’t shake the feeling we haven’t seen the last of Castro.

After my meeting with Mr. Lansky, I returned home to find Carmen waiting for me. When I opened the front door and saw her smiling at me, the darkness that surrounded me melted away. I ran to her, and we embraced passionately. She whispered in my ear. “I missed you so much.”

“I missed you to, my love. Each night I was away from you seemed like an eternity. I can’t count how many times I thought about quitting and returning home to you.”

“I know how you feel, Tom. I thought about going to San Cristobal and meeting up with you, but then you would be spending all your time with me and never finish on whatever you were repairing. I’m sure Mr. Lansky wouldn’t have appreciated that.”

“I’m sure you’re right. I wished we were together, but at the same time, I’m glad we weren’t. Now, we can celebrate our reunion without reservation.”

Carmen hugged Tom tighter. “I like the sound of that. Let’s start celebrating now. Carmen gently grasped Tom’s hand and led him to the bedroom.

Later that evening, I laid in bed wondering, “Since Castro lived to see another day, how much will the world change?” Time will tell.