Life's Chances

By Christopher P. Kruse

This is a "movie" written in book form. This is a "movie" about a group of friends that turn to a life of crime due to circumstances out of their control. Their life of crime was not killing and mayhem. They needed money so they stole it from drug dealers. As time moved on from high school to college they were beginning to be watched by federal agents. Unable to catch the group breaking any laws the federal agents decide to use the group to their advantage. Leaving "bread crumbs" for the group to follow and complete assignments that the laws of the United States do not allow for federal agents to participate in. With each successful operation the group became a more trusted entity and with each successful outcome the group became better equipped; guns, cars, money, training, and intelligence. Their connections to the underworld make them an invaluable source when terror strikes and all eyes are looking the other way due to the "red tape" of our nations laws and procedures.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Jul 17, 2009
• ISBN: 9781465316547

Christopher P. Kruse

I grew up in South Texas, as they say “born and bred.” The Rio Grande Valley acts as if it is its own little world. Things are done differently in this part of Texas. I lived five minutes from the border and used to watch illegal immigrants running through my backyard. I knew drug dealers, smugglers, wanted persons, you name it, I probable knew them. Some type of law enforcement persons were always parked outside or around my house. I didn’t want that life so I changed it. I went to college, got a degree, and moved away. I moved to a small town where the sun shines all the time and the beaches and bays never stop moving. I used my research and my past to write the story of a group of friends that turn to a life of crime due to extreme circumstances. Their abilities are quickly found out by authorities but they could never be punished since they were never caught in the act or left evidence to be caught. Agents decided it would be more beneficial to turn these misfit wannabe’s into an invaluable resource to help fight the criminal elements that exist in our world today. The group became a self contained element that were turned to when extra help was needed to accomplish a goal that would otherwise not be achieved. Descriptions such as people, places, and crimes are based on actual events that have happened. This is their story.

Book preview

Chapter 1

How it all started

Within the vast state of Texas, down at southern most tip, you will find an area known as the Rio Grande Valley. The Rio Grande Valley is far removed from the rest of the United States. The area where this story takes place is mainly within the center region which starts on the west side of the valley in the town of Rio Grande and extends to the east side to a town named Brownsville. No matter what town a person is in within this region, it would only be an hour’s drive from one end of the valley to the other. Any town along the border is only a matter of minutes from the international boundary between the United States and Mexico. All a person would have to do is find any one of the four main highways and turn south. In a matter of minutes the international border would be in your path. Simply pay your fee to cross the border and you’re in Mexico.

It is in this region that a group of friends changed their lives for the better. This group of friends spent their childhood growing up in various parts of the United States but for one reason or another they all ended up in the Rio Grande Valley, in the same town, by the time they were entering junior high. Two friends of the group were Christian James Comb and Ruby Zavala. They became good friends just before entering junior high and stuck to each other like glue. They were both un-popular kids. They were both over weight and ugly to the rest of the cool kids. Upon entering junior high Christian James met another member of the group, Richard Keen. They met by chance. Christian James stepped in for him when some of the other Hispanic kids wanted to beat his ass just because he was white. After that day Christian James, or CJ as they started calling him, found himself protecting Richard and Ruby. These three friends were inseparable; where-ever one went the other two were soon to follow. By the time they were in the eighth grade they had managed to form a small circle of friends that numbered nine. By the time the eighth grade was over CJ decided that he didn’t want to attend the local high school. He was tired of trying to stay out of everyone’s way to avoid fights. There were some gangs and punks that most of his time in school was spent sitting in class waiting for the teacher to get done fighting with another student who didn’t want to do anything he was told. So by the end of the eighth grade he had found a high school where they fostered learning and didn’t tolerate behavior that a home high school had to deal with. When his friends found out about the school they were hot on CJ’s heels.

The beginning of their freshman year found them at the Science Academy of South Texas which is located just outside of Mercedes, Texas. People that wanted to attend this school had to fill out an application in order to get in. The district did this so that they could pick and choose who they wanted to let into the school. The basis for the district operating this way was to allow the kids that wanted to learn, learn. The school was much like any other school except they didn’t have sports or a band. This allowed the district to put all that money that other districts would spend on sports into the newest and best equipment to learn with such as computers, books, and lab equipment. Walking through the school made a person feel like they were walking through a college building and not a high school. It was in this school, known as Sci-Tech that the rest of the group came to be. By the middle of the freshman year the group had grown to eight, consisting of CJ, Ruby, Richard, Mitzi Goatee, Ed Kyle, Oscar Olivarez, Shawn Roser, and Richard Topp. The total number of friends associated with the group numbered thirty, but the inner circle was the eight friends with CJ at the head of the group. Back at their home high school, for all of them, they were nobodies. They were each in fights and constantly in trouble for standing up for themselves. Just because they weren’t like the rest of the kids who thought it was funny to fight with teachers and cause trouble. They were all picked on and treated crudely. At Sci-Tech it was different, they were kings.

They were looked up to by the younger, and the older, grades for the way that they acted. The majority of the kids that were already attending the school were what people called nerds. CJ and his inner circle were smart, but they weren’t nerds. They were the red necks from the country, and CJ dressed the part of it. By their senior year everybody knew who the group was, some feared their leader, some admired him. He was considered an asshole by many but not because he was mean to anyone but because he didn’t let anyone get away with anything. If you told him you were going to do something then he made sure that you kept your word, and he had no problem questioning any authority figure when he felt that their decisions were unfair to his friends, himself, or anyone else for that matter. Being called an asshole came from being fare with everyone. For example, when someone messed up and got into trouble, he didn’t fix the problem, he told them how to fix it and made sure that they paid the consequences for what they did and wouldn’t allow them to dump the problem into someone else’s lap. He is the type of person that will tell you the truth, even if you don’t like the answer. He is the type of person that doesn’t sugar coat things, he’ll tell you what is on his mind and tell you the answer to your question straight out so that you understand him and not misunderstand what he is trying to say. That made him both admired and hated because you don’t find too many people in this world today that are like that.

To many of the people that you run into on a daily basis are always afraid to offend someone so they try and do what they can to be as nice and polite as possible, not CJ. He was nice, he was just very blunt with his answers and the way he carried himself which had a tendency to throw people off that weren’t use to the way his mind works. Everyday CJ showed up to school wearing his Redwing boots, Wrangler jeans, t-shirt, and his signature Black felt cowboy hat. There was something about the hat that made him feel invincible when his head was under the brim. Maybe that’s why he is the way he is. Richard on the other hand was something else, entirely different than his best friend CJ. He would normally show up wearing untied combat boots, jeans with holes in them, a multi colored shirt, and his shoulder length hair either in his face or pulled back into a pony tail. His attitude was the total opposite of his best friend CJ. He didn’t try to be liked by everyone, everyone just liked him. When he grew his beard he resembled Jesus Christ and had the habit of walking the halls wearing a white robe. Not that he was trying to act as the Supreme Being but because he was comfortable in the robe. He was a hippie trapped in the body of a young man thirty years to late.

Ruby was in the middle of these two extremes. She wore her Doc Martins to show her hipper side, jeans, and usually a black shirt. She almost never pulled her long black hair back out of the way. Her attitude depended on the time of day. Usually she was chipper and upbeat in the morning, and grumpy in the afternoon. The only person that she would allow to mess with her head was CJ. They had been friends for so long that they were like brother and sister and he picked on her like his sister. Mitzi was always in some type of dress, nothing to fancy or flashy, and sandals. She too was a hippie trapped in the wrong body and time. Although she wasn’t as far out there as Richard, she did have an attitude that resembled the care free attitude of the sixties. She and Richard used to hang out and when she became part of the inner circle her and CJ started spending a lot of time together. Everyone accused them of dating, but in reality they were friends with benefits, which meant they would hook up to pleasure each other and then go their separate ways. Neither one of them wanted to be in a relationship but they each wanted someone that they could be exclusive with in an intimate way. That’s not to say that they didn’t care for each other, because they did. When they were around each other it was as if they were dating, maybe even married. It would all end when they would go their separate ways for the day. Ed, Richard Topp, and Shawn were the normal ones of the group. They wore the usual shoe apparel such as tennis shoes or hiking boots, jeans, and a t-shirt.

The inner circle of friends became inseparable. To the outside world the inner circle of friends seemed more like a cult with CJ as the leader. But that was because they just didn’t understand how the group worked. In order to be in the inner circle you had to be dependable and trusting of everyone else within the inner circle. For example, CJ walked into Ed’s science class during a lab one day and asked the teacher if he would be allowed to speak to him. After the teacher gave him permission, CJ walked over to Ed and simply said give me the keys to your car. Ed did not like anyone driving his car, but he reached into his pocket and handed CJ the keys without even really looking at him or saying a word. Just reached into his pocket and handed him the keys. CJ in turn did not say anything to him and walked out of the classroom. This very tight stitched group of friends that made up the inner circle would do anything for the others. That is what it was to be in that inner circle, to know that no matter what time of day, to know that no matter what the problem, all you had to do was make one phone call and within an hour or so that entire inner circle would be at your door step to help, total dependability. There was no initiation, just simply time to understand how the group of friends worked with each other. You either wanted to be friends with them and work as they did or you didn’t. The ones that didn’t were still friends of the group and were invited to whatever was going on they just weren’t looked upon to help the friends. This group of friends did everything together. If one came up with an idea for the weekend it wasn’t long before the rest of the group knew about it. By the end of their junior year everything was going great for the inner circle of friends. They were on top of the world. They pretty much ran the school, the student body anyway. Yeah there was the student council and all the planning committee’s that put on functions and such but the votes seemed to follow what ever it was that the group was going to do.

Their senior year was a different story. Over the summer the inner circle of friends still stayed together and did things, by this point they were more like family than just close friends. By the start of their senior year there was trouble in paradise. Ruby’s mom was getting sicker and the insurance was not enough to cover all the medical bills. Richards’s parents were in financial trouble and were in jeopardy of losing their five acre ranch while Richard himself was dealing with the typical teenager drama. CJ’s mom lost her job and her health was in serious question which put CJ into a deep state of depression. Mitzi, Richard Topp, and Shawn Roser were lost and didn’t know what they wanted to do with their lives but they knew that they couldn’t continue staying at home. They had to move out and get their own place, and soon. Ed was just Ed. Then one night it happened. The group was over at Mitzi’s house to watch movies. Sitting in the middle of the sofa was CJ with Mitzi right next to him with her head on his chest. On the opposite side of CJ was Ruby. Around the room on the chairs were the rest of the friends and Richard on the floor. They were waiting for Mitzi’s dad to finish watching the news so that they could start the movie. One of the segments on the news broadcast was a story about the amount of drugs and money seized by the Border Patrol the night before. The Border Patrol had been notified by a group of men calling themselves the Minute Men about suspicious activity taking place on the border. When the Border Patrol arrived in the area a large number of men where busy transferring the loads of drugs and money from their three trucks on the Mexican side of the border to three trucks waiting on the United States side. A fire fight began between the drug dealers and the Border Patrol as the drivers of the trucks tried to get back across the border with the drugs and money. After it was all over, the Border Patrol was able to seize three million dollars worth of cocaine and five million in currency. CJ and Richard looked at each other and they were both thinking the same thing. Turns out every one of the friends was thinking the same thing. What if we could find out where this was happening and take the money for ourselves?

The way they were looking at it was they would not actually confront the group in the process, they would watch and trap the smaller group and take the money from them. Or better yet, if they stashed the money for a later pickup then they would just wait and take the money when the coast was clear. Feeling that the reward was well worth the consequences Richard and CJ began planning a trip to the border with the help of their friends. They knew the risk of death and torture were present in what they were doing if they were caught but they didn’t think or talk about it much. If they worried about it too much than they wouldn’t go forward with their plans and certain members of the team desperately needed the financial help. After several weeks of research they came up with their final plan. CJ, Richard, and Roser were to go down to a hot spot that they picked out and see what happens. Richard Topp and Ed Kyle would park several hundred yards away and keep a birds eye view of the surrounding area while Mitzi and Ruby would park a mile or so away and monitor what was happening through radio communication with Ed and Topp. So if something went terribly wrong, they could easily show law enforcement officers directly where they needed to go. While Ed and Topp would rush down to the three friends at the river and try to help. Of course they all knew how risky doing something like this would be to them if they were to get caught either by the drug dealers or by the Border Patrol. The only way to minimize trouble on the United States side was to tell the Border Patrol what the group was doing, sort of. They explained to them that they acting as the Minute Men were, keeping a watchful eye on the border and if anything were to happen they would call. Not being able to stop a private citizen on public land that isn’t doing anything wrong, Border Patrol agents were hard pressed to stop them. They just didn’t tell them that if they found money that they were going to keep it. They were all warned about the kidnappings and murder of federal agents who were fighting the war on drugs. After discussing it at lengths and for the next couple of days they figured that they would just look around and see what it was that they could find. After all, in their minds, the rewards greatly out weighted the risks. So that is how it happened.

On a cold, dark night CJ, Richard, and Shawn Roser climbed into the cab of CJ’s beaten up truck and drove out to the border. Following right behind them were Ed and Topp in Ed’s car while Mitzi and Ruby followed in Mitzi’s car. Midnight found CJ, Richard, and Roser sitting in the shadows of Anzaulda Park fighting off the cold. They parked the truck at the gate and walked the two miles to where most of the action happened, according to reports filed by the Border Patrol agents. This area of the park is only thirty feet from the Mexican border. The only thing that separated the park from Mexico is thirty feet of water that is no more than two to three feet deep. This area of land, this area of the park, is perfect for smugglers for several reasons. One reason would be that at night the park is shut down and all the gates are locked so no one can enter the premises, at least from the United States side anyway.

So smuggling drugs, money, or people is especially easy since any law enforcement agency would have to open the gates and drive down to the area where the activities are taking place which would take no less than five minutes which is plenty of time to retreat back across the border and not be caught. Another reason this is a preferred sight is for the darkness of the area. Without the help of a flashlight, or some type of night seeing device a person wouldn’t be able to see no more than two feet in front of them. The area is covered by a canopy of trees that block out any light which is located back up by the main entrance which is at a higher elevation. The elevation of the main entrance, along with the canopy of the trees at the preferred site, makes it impossible to for someone at the gate to see anyone down by the river, even with the aid of technology. But for those at the river, they can easily see through the trees up to the gate. Even during the heat of the day a person can immediately feel the extreme difference when stepping under the canopy of trees. The last reason for this being the preferred sight is for the vegetation on both sides of the border. Standing up at the main gate it is very difficult for anyone to spot a person once he decides to disappear into the trees and bushes. This type of area is perfect for the smugglers, they can sneak across with their drugs, people, or money and hide in almost plain sight and no one would even notice them. Once they have hid their items and returned across the border for their safety they would call their counter part and then the following day, while the park was open, someone would drive in and pick up the item or items.

The night that the group decided to start their endeavor it was cold, bone chilling cold. A cold front blew in that morning and pushed all the clouds out which made for a beautiful night to watch the stars but also made it right for the temperature to drop very quickly. Everyone was in their positions, CJ, Richard, and Roser sat in total silence hiding in the bushes watching the area seventy five feet in front of them. Ed and Topp were in Ed’s car watching the area where their three friends were hiding, and Mitzi and Ruby were up on the ridge watching the whole thing. Before starting their night CJ stopped by the local Wal-Mart and picked three pairs of night-vision goggles. They found the perfect place where they could sit with their backs to each other so that each one of the three friends had a hundred and twenty degree area to watch. Every fifteen minutes they rotated so that each person had something new to look at and wouldn’t become bored and complacent. Before they left the house CJ remembered to bring his two guns with him. The one in the holster strapped to his leg is a forty five caliber automatic Smith and Wesson pistol. The one sitting across Richard’s lap is a Remington 870 shotgun. Every time they switched positions CJ looked at his gun just to make sure that it was still strapped to his leg, not knowing what to expect he wanted to be sure that he brought some type of protection for him and his friends. As they switched positions for the fifth time the wind begin to howl and race through the area. The cold wind cut through the bodies of the friends and they began to shiver from the cold. CJ pulled back the sleeve of his jacket so he could read the glow in the dark dials on his watch. The clock read eleven thirty. As they rotated positions he looked at his friends and pointed to his watch. He then held up two fingers and then made a small circle in the air with one finger. The friends nodded in quiet silence knowing what the hand signals meant. By pointing at his watch and then showing two fingers CJ was telling his friends two o’clock in the morning. The second signal of making several small circles with one finger told them that they would wrap it up and leave the area. CJ watched a large number of movies that featured Special Forces in operation and he also studied the hand signals that they used. He was always fascinated at how they could say so much to each other with minimal hand signals. CJ and Richard also used it a lot when they were in class so they could talk to each other no one would no what they were saying.

CJ, Richard, and Roser clear the water from their eyes caused by the cold hard air. They then return their focus to the images coming through the optical lens of their night-vision goggles. CJ keeps a close eye on his watch. Ten minutes till two in the morning, they make one final search of the area, and after ten minutes CJ turns to his friends and motions for them to start walking toward the truck. The three friends stand up from their hiding place and carefully start making their way toward the parking area where CJ’s truck is parked. As they make their way up a small hill in the dark a light flashes into the lens of their night-vision goggles. The flash of light coming from far off in the distance is not very bright, but the sensitivity of the night-vision goggles picks up that dim flash and transforms it into a bright white flash. The three friends drop down to the ground and hide behind the crest of the hill. The hearts in Ed, Topp, Mitzi, and Ruby stop as they helplessly watch from their cars. CJ slowly crawls up to the top of the hill and peers over the crest of the hill. His two friends join him and together they slowly scan the area trying to find where the flash of light came from. As they peer into the darkness on the opposite side of the river a pickup truck comes into view as it makes its way to the edge of the river. As the truck comes into a clearing two men appear in the cab and four men appear sitting in the bed of the truck. CJ, Richard, and Roser watch as the two men in the cab of the truck attach night-vision goggles to their faces to inspect the area. CJ motions for his friends to move down below the crest of the hill. He motions for them to find a better place to observe the actions taking place. The three friends quietly slide down the hill and split up. Each one of the friends makes his way to a hiding place that is thick with underbrush. The two men in the truck carefully continue to scan the area. After what seems to be an eternity the men in the cab of the truck motion for the four men in the bed to proceed. From their almost perfect hiding places, the three friends watch the men across the river which is only seventy five feet from the hiding places. Three men jump out of the bed of the truck and pull out three large duffle bags from the back. The fourth man jumps out of the truck with a small metal box in his hand and leads the way. They quietly and calmly walk to the edge of the river and slip into the waist deep water and cross the international boundary into the United States of America.

The man with the metal box in his hand leads the way. As the reach the muddy shores of the United States the men form a single line, starting with the man with the metal box. He stops at the waters edge and then brings the device up to his chest so he can easily read the gauge located on the top of the device. He flips a switch and a red light blinks three times and then turns off. The man then sticks the box out in front of him and begins to move forward. He carefully watches the meter on the device making sure that the gauge never marks more than half way. The device senses the electromagnetism coming from the sensors planted all around the area. If the men move slowly and calmly, and stay away from the sensors, they can enter and exit without ever setting off one of the sensors. The man with the metal box climbs the embankment and begins to show the other men the safe path for them to take. The men crawl out of the water with their bags in tow and cautiously change direction as the meter begins to rise. The four men follow each other as the leader makes his way to a very secluded area of the park. The three men with the bags set them down on the ground. They then pull up the heavy brush that covers the ground. The bend down and begin feeling through the soft dirt. After a couple of minutes the men find what they are looking for, a metal handle. They pull on it and a thin metal door opens to reveal a hole in the ground that measures four feet long, four feet wide, and four feet deep. They grab their bags and neatly place them into the hole. They leave the hole uncovered and the four men quickly make their way back across the river for another load. Once they reach the back of the truck they find six duffle bags waiting for them. Each of the three men grab two bags and as before follow the man with the metal box. After safely reaching their secluded destination, the men neatly fit all of the bags into the hole. They then put the metal lid back of over the hole and cover it with dirt. They then grab the thick brush and pull it back over the area. They then quickly return to the safety of the Mexican side of the river. Once out of the water, they quickly jump into the bed of the truck. The driver starts the engine and calmly drives away without using his headlights.

CJ and his friends lay as still as rocks watching the men as they leave the area. They wait for what seems like an eternity wondering if anyone will come and pick up the bags. After half an hour Richard turns to CJ and raises his hands. CJ raises his right hand and tells him to wait. After about another fifteen minutes CJ decides that they would take their chances, after all that is why they were there. The three friends push themselves up to their knees and look at each other. They figure no one has come around in an hour so now would be the time. Richard hands CJ the shotgun and together Roser and himself jump up and make their way to where the bags are hidden, making sure to move in