Love and Death at the Encierro: A Harold Gatewood Mystery

By Hal Graff

Love and Death at the Encierro 

The Love and Death Mystery Thriller & Political Espionage Series 

A Harold Gatewood Mystery 

Volume 1 

 

 

    Welcome to the volume one of the exciting Love and Death Mystery

• Language: English
• Publisher: Harold Graff II Publishing
• Release date: Apr 28, 2023
• ISBN: 9781960684943

Hal Graff

Dr. Hal Graff holds a doctorate in business administration. He is a native of Gibson City, Illinois. Hal is a proud father and grandfather. To date, he has published 104 books, including 96 novels. He has published over 6 million 900,000, words.

Book preview

Prologue

AS HAROLD GATEWOOD rubbed his sore arm, his doctor’s words echoed in his head: You need to find a new profession.

Gatewood had first heard those words nine years ago, and now his doctor was saying them again.

Harold had always proved them wrong.  He had always done whatever was needed: rest, rehabilitation, surgery, pain, effort, courage, or dedication. He had always come back, usually smarter, and better, in many respects.

Now, he knew two things.

One—his arm was the worst it had ever been. Everything he had tried had been a total failure.

Two—he would prove the wizards of professional baseball wrong again, as he had done many times in his career.  He would make a comeback, and play major league baseball again.

Harold Gatewood was a man who never gave up.  That tenacity would prove him well in his upcoming trip to the encierro, the Running of the Bulls festival in Spain, and in the amazing path his storybook life would take after that chilling, dangerous, adventure. 

Chapter 1

The Meeting

April 3

TWELVE MEN, PATRIOTS at heart, said their hellos and sat at a rectangular table.

On the wall above the far end of the table was the huge red-green-and-white flag of the Basque people.

Ekain Koldo, the tall, black-haired, mustachioed national commander of the AIO, rose from his chair and said, Welcome, fellow freedom fighters. Long live the Basque people.

Welcome, National Commander. We salute you.

Scribe, please note the presence of the five regional commanders, their assistant regional commanders, the assistant national commander, and myself, the national commander.

Completed, sir.

The national commander continued, With our attended members, all five areas of our AIO organization are represented. Those areas are our logistics, political, military, research, and charitable divisions.

Nods of the twelve heads acknowledged each of the division representatives.

Tonight, we continue our long struggle for self-determination, establishment of our country’s geographic boundaries, the free use of our Basque language, and the enjoyment of our proud heritage. May we always be free—never again to suffer the indignities forced upon us by a dictator such as Franco.

Ten pairs of hands pounded the table in approval of the national commander’s comments.

Our meeting tonight will include reports from all divisions and a vote on a proposed operation. Would the regional commander of logistics please read the membership report?

Sir, the membership numbers have risen by 15 percent, due largely to the poor economic conditions in Spain. The uptick in membership is in the younger age group, which represents a nice turnaround in that segment.

Excellent, National Commander Koldo said. Are there any questions or comments?

No, sir.

What is the financial report?

Sir, the finances are up slightly—5 percent—due to membership activities in our revenue-producing areas.

Thank you. Any questions, anyone?

No, sir.

Can we please hear from our regional commander of the political division about the developments in that area?

Commander, the bad news is that our efforts in the political arena have shown backward movement.

What are the causes?

The world community has labeled the AIO a terrorist organization due to our use of violence.

Koldo said, We were aware that would come when we moved in that direction.

Sir, we tried a political approach—a more peaceful outreach—when we offered a cease-fire of our military actions.

Yes, and that olive branch was rejected.

Yes, sir. We also offered to disband our organization if we could be granted independence and self-determination in the areas our people have lived in for centuries.

Correct. Unfortunately, that offer was flatly rejected.

Yes, sir.

What is the progress report in the area of our prisoners’ rights?

Sir, we have lobbied for better conditions, the end of torture, and a plea to not house our patriots in prisons, which are spread out from each other. We have also reached out to international groups for support in our efforts.

What has been the result of those efforts?

Commander Koldo, all efforts have failed.

What else can you report?

Sir, the gains through the use of political efforts are often reversed when elections result in the change of political leadership and ideologies."

Thank you. Does anyone have any input or questions?

No, sir.

Would the regional commander handling the military arm of our organization please give us his report?

Commander, our organization is now more organized than in the past. Based on feedback from our membership, the opinion is that the military division is the preferred segment of our organization.

Go on, please.

Sir, all three of the regions have asked for more military training.

Please continue.

The membership favors more aggressive tactics and action now.

I understand the importance of that request.

We all do, sir.

Koldo replied, Thank you. Do any of you have comments or questions?

No, sir.

May we now please hear the report from the regional commander of the research division?

Commander Koldo, our efforts in the research area are paying big dividends.

Very good. How is that taking place?

We have been able to use the various social media sites to reach new members, especially in the younger age groups, which has increased membership and revenue, as was reported earlier.

Excellent.

"We have also been able to improve our communication skills, and the speed of contact we have with our members.

Social media sites are our most, important, way to reach our base of loyal patriots."

Will the trend continue?

Yes, sir. We believe these improvements will all continue as the world becomes more addicted to technology.

Is there anything else to report?

No, sir.

Are there any questions?

No, sir.

Very well. Can we please hear the report from the regional commander in charge of our social division?

Sir, we have made continued progress in our assistance to the families of our fallen patriots who have given their lives for our cause and to our loyalists who are now in prison for their roles in our missions across the globe.

Excellent. We must continue to support our heroes in these areas.

Yes, sir. Also, we continue to work with our religious and organizational partners who assist us in the financial activities that help raise money to help needy Basque families.

Excellent. Keep up the fine work you are doing.

We will, sir.

Are there any questions?

No, sir.

Commander Koldo looked at his notes and said, Thank you for your reports. Our next agenda item is a discussion, consideration of, and vote on a possible military-style action on a big, well-known target. In front of you, on the overhead screen, you will see the details of the plan, which will allow us to adopt a hardline approach, which our members want. Are there any comments?

No, sir.

The national commander said, This operation will give us an opportunity to return to more terrorist acts, which will highlight our goals. These types of actions create fear and panic and have been proven to be successful in bringing quicker positive results.

The faces of the twelve men were marked with concern, and their eyes locked on the details of the report.

The question to be decided is if this aggressive action, named Operation Ice Chest, should be implemented.

Discussion on the pros and cons of the organization’s increased use of more militant actions, and the approval or rejection of the plan, went on for a few tense minutes. The vote was taken, and the result was announced.

"My friends, the operation is approved. The assistant national commander and I will review the plan and contact the northern district commander to deliver the assignment and discuss the strategy and tactics required to successfully accomplish our task.

The nature and details of our meeting tonight are secret. Confidentiality is mandatory, as usual. To your good health, my fellow patriots."

Thank you, sir. And good health to you also.

Blessed be our organization, the Abertzale Indepentzia Oraintxe. Here’s to our patriots’ independence now, my loyal comrades.

Chapter 2

The Ballplayer

May 2

HAROLD WAS EXPERIENCING his first summer away from baseball since he was eight years old. The empty time away from the game, the competition, his teammates, the clubhouse, and being a ballplayer was depressing.

He was from a baseball family, and his time as a boy had been spent thinking about, learning about, and formulating dreams of becoming a major league player. It was the natural state of his existence.

His biggest, and most important, influence was his dad. Dean was a former all-American and professional catcher who had been injured the day before he was to report to the parent club. The knee injury had ended his climb to the majors.

Harold’s dad was his hero, having taught him what he needed to know about the game from the time of his birth.

Most of all, his dad was his hero because of the type of man he was. Blessed with character, personality, drive, and confidence, his dad had instilled those qualities in Harold.

The son was also blessed with a wonderful mother, a former athlete herself.

The father had been a respected high school and college coach before entering the business world as a salesman and land developer.

Gatewood’s baseball schooling was based on learning the fundamentals and enjoying the game. The father had written a book about winning baseball through percentage coaching, fundamentals, and positive player motivation. The prize student was the son. Harold’s father was the model for the son’s career.

When he arrived at the family home after his birth, a baseball uniform was waiting for Harold. His mother had made the gray and red jersey. The back had his last name and one half as his number.

Almost every second of his boyhood was related to baseball—playing ball with the neighborhood kids at the diamonds they made in their yards or at the town ball field by the swimming pool.

He was always mad when everyone else would have to quit and go home. He would practice on his own, dreaming of being a professional player.

After high school graduation, Harold was chosen in the early rounds of the draft. Signing a professional contract was temping.

His father knew that a year or two would allow the son to put more muscle on his 170-pound frame, get more exposure from scouts, and to be a first-round choice—with all the money and advantages that came with it.

Harold’s college years were good when they were not marred by the injuries that would dog him the rest of his career.

He had always played hard, and he had the sore arms, stitches, concussions, and broken nose, fingers, and foot to prove it. The foot injury, which never fully healed, delayed his signing a contract by two years. Other injuries would delay the start of his career for another two years.

He was drafted four times, but he did not sign because his injuries always came at the wrong time. They negatively affected his timing and weight transfer when hitting and the ability to mow down base runners trying to steal bases, which was his strong suit.

Harold’s college coach was a fine gentleman and one of the top baseball men in the country. His coach would help in the player’s development during the college seasons—and in the best college league in the country—for three years.

In the seasons when he was not injured, he was an all-star catcher and the number one catching prospect in the country. Harold’s skills—the best hands in the country, the ability to think and manage catching a baseball game, the ability to catch and block the low balls thrown in the dirt, and the ability to hit with power—got sharper as he matured.

His main failing was a hot German-like temper he had inherited from his grandfather, which needed to be under control.

No one could say he has not competitive, but it needed to be tempered.

Finally, he graduated, signed a contract, and started his pro career. He was slated to go up to the parent club at the end of the second year, but a vote was taken and injuries implemented the swing vote, delaying his arrival to the majors two years later than planned.

His career, so far, had lasted nine years, including contributions as a starting catcher, a platooning catcher against left-handed pitchers, and a late-inning defensive replacement. The last two years had also included pinch-hitting duties against left-handed pitching.

In nine years, embarrassing mistakes had caused Gatewood to seek asylum in a hole, out of sight, with the earth pulled on top of him.

Despite those instances, there had been two all-star selections, one by the fans, and one by his manager. For coaching the winning World Series team, he was rewarded with the honor of managing the game.

Harold had played in one World Series, hitting a single to center field to clinch the series-winning game in the exact manner his dad had taught him. The hit was the apex of Harold’s career.

Now, he was thirty-five, going on thirty-six, beat up, and suffering from another arm injury, which would probably require surgery and rehabilitation.

He had then been released, was out of baseball, and was washed up in many people’s eyes, but not in his own. There had been many comebacks from injuries, and he was confident that his arm would again be what it was in its prime. The ability to catch at a high level was still there, and there were still left-handed pitchers to terrorize.

Harold’s batting average had seen a rapid rise in the last three years, which was due to the platooning system and a change in his hitting style.

The decision to go back to his natural stance, swing, and mental approach had paid dividends.

His natural power was to right, center field returned when he returned to his hitting roots.

He had changed himself into a pull hitter to left field to increase his home run production at the urging of his college coach.

Harold was thrilled to return to his original hitting style, and he felt it could get him back into the majors or Japan.

If it was all over, and no comeback was possible, what would he do next?

He had invested in twenty-one hundred acres of Central Illinois farmland. His grandfather, one of his biggest fans and an important part of his life, and his dad had invested in farmland—successfully buying, selling, and trading up in value for many years.

No better businessman existed than his dad, and Harold hired him to manage the farms, which grew corn and soybeans. The plan was to continue in the farming business and add other ventures.

He had many other options. He had earned a master’s degree in finance before starting in baseball. His thesis had compared the preferential choice of marketing systems and captive agents versus independent brokers for financial salespeople.

Three years ago, he had earned a doctoral degree. The dissertation studied the career-related training behaviors and motivation of professional baseball players. For Gatewood, learning had always been easy.

He had other choices, in and out of baseball, if being a player was no longer an option. Many people thought he had the qualities to become