按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！
〃Be a good experience for you。〃
〃Don't tell me about plans；〃 the Cuban groused。
Viceroy Wilson slid Lionel Richie into the tape deck。
〃Oh； man； turn the jungle drums down…〃 Jesus Bernal reached for the volume knob but Wilson forcefully intercepted his arm。 〃Okay； okay！ Christ； take it easy。〃 Bernal couldn't see Viceroy Wilson's eyes behind the Carrera sunglasses； it was just as well。
〃So tell me about Dartmouth；〃 Wilson said in a phony Ivy League tone。 〃Did you excel？〃
'That wasn't me； that was another Jesus Bernal。 I'm a different person now。〃
〃Too bad；〃 Wilson said。 〃Tell me about the First Weekend in July Movement。〃
〃Never！〃
Wilson chuckled dryly。 He'd done a little checking at the Miami Public Library。
〃Why'd they kick you out？〃
〃They didn't kick me out； co？o； I quit！〃
Viceroy Wilson didn't like the sound of co？o； but he let it slide。 He was having too much fun。 He'd been waiting for this since the first time Jesus Bernal had flashed his switchblade。 Jesus was a bully； his mean streak carefully rehearsed； Viceroy Wilson would have loved to play football against Jesus Bernal。 Just one play。 Thirty…one Z…right。
〃So tell me about the bombs。〃
Bernal sneered。
〃e on； Jesus。 I read where you were in charge of munitions。〃
〃I held the title of defense minister！〃
〃Yeah； that was later。 I'm talking about 1978； June 1978。〃
Bernal's upper lip twitched。 He stared out the car window and started humming 〃All Night Long；〃 drumming on his knee。
Viceroy Wilson said； 〃June 15； 1978。〃
〃Turn up the music。〃
This is what had happened on the afternoon of June 15； 1978： Jesus Bernal manufactured a letter bomb which was meant to kill a well…known Miami talk…show host。 This TV celebrity had been foolhardy enough to suggest that the United States should send emergency medical supplies to a rural province in Cuba； where a deadly strain of influenza had afflicted hundreds of children。
The talk…show host had actually made this appeal for Cuba on the air。 In Dade County； Florida。
Jesus Bernal； munitions man for the First Weekend in July Movement； saw the talk show and flew into action。 It had taken only two hours to fashion an inconspicuous letter bomb with gunpowder； C…4； glass； wire； gum； and blasting caps。 He'd addressed the package to the talk…show star at the television studio； and put it in a mailbox at Southwest Eighth Street and LeJeune Road （the same intersection where； years later； poor Ernesto Cabal would peddle his mangoes and cassavas）。
At 4：10 P。M。 on June 15； 1978…ten minutes after Jesus Bernal had deposited the lethal package…the mailbox blew up。 No one was killed。 No one was injured。 It wasn't even a particularly loud explosion； by Miami standards。
Jesus Bernal knew he was in trouble。 Frantically he'd telephoned seven Cuban radio stations and announced that the First Weekend in July Movement was responsible for the bombing。 They all wanted to know： what bombing？
Two days later； on orders from above； Jesus Bernal had tried again。 Another letter bomb； another mailbox。 Another premature detonation。 This time it had made the newspapers： Feds Seek Postal Prankster。
When Jesus Bernal had translated this headline for the andante of the First Weekend movement； the old man had erupted in fury； waving the newspaper with a scarred and trembling fist。 We are terrorists； not pranksters！ And you； Jesus； are a maricon！ Make another bomb； a big one； and kill the co？o on TV 。。。 or else。 The andante was a revered veteran of the Bay of Pigs； and was to be obeyed at all costs。 Jesus worked swiftly。
It was the third bomb that made the pages of Time and U。S。 News & World Report； where Viceroy Wilson read about it years later in the stacks of the public library。 The third bomb was a delicate yet extremely powerful device that was meant to blow up a car。 Jesus Bernal spent four days building the bomb in the kitchen of a Little Havana rooming house。 He had personally transported the device to the television station； where he'd meticulously affixed it to a forest…green El Dorado which； in the darkness of the night； appeared identical to the one driven by the seditious TV talk…show host。
Unfortunately； the El Dorado was not identical； in fact； it was not the right automobile。 The El Dorado that blew up on the Dolphin Expressway on June 22； 1978； actually belonged to a man named Salvatore 〃The Cleaver〃 Buscante； a notorious loan shark and pornographer who had often played gin with Meyer Lansky。
The headline the next day said： Anti…Castro Terrorists Claim Credit for Mob Hit； Feds Puzzle Over Cuban Connection。
Jesus Bernal immediately was expelled from the First Weekend in July Movement； and ordered at gunpoint to leave Florida。 He spent ten miserable months in Union City before being recalled by the andante； who had e to miss Bernal's public…relations acumen。 So what if he'd bombed the wrong guy？ He got press； didn't he？
Over the protests of almost all the First Weekend in July's hardcore soldiers； the andante had promoted Jesus Bernal to defense minister and bought him an IBM Selectric。 From then on； the First Weekend was known for having the most impeccable press releases in the hemisphere。 In his new role Jesus Bernal was an innovator： he even sent muniques on embossed letterheads…italic for bombings； boldface for political assassinations。 Even the most skeptical mandos had to admit that the kid from Dartmouth had style。 Soon the First Weekend in July became the preeminent anti…Castro group in the United States。
In the summer of 1981； under Bernal's inspired guidance； the terrorists launched an ambitious PR campaign to discredit Fidel Castro。 Although this effort again won national publicity； it also led to Jesus Bernal's second and final banishment from the First Weekend in July。
The linchpin of the campaign had been a 〃letter〃 from a renowned Swiss doctor reporting that President Castro was dying of a rare venereal disease transmitted by poultry。 The malady supposedly was manifested by a number of grotesque symptoms； the mildest of which was drooling insanity。 Of course the Swiss letter had been invented by none other than Jesus Bernal； but the document was accepted in Miami so unquestionably； and with such patriotic fervor； that Bernal decided to unleash it in Cuba as well。 He hatched a daring scheme and persuaded the andante to donate 19；022…a sum which； sadly； represented the entire treasury of the First Weekend in July Movement。
Not surprisingly； Jesus Bernal picked the first weekend of July in 1981 as the time of attack： the weekend Fidel would finally fall。 In Little Havana； the air filled with intrigue and jubilation。
But not for long。 On July 4； 1981； a low…flying DC…3 cargo plane dumped six metric tons of anti…Castro leaflets on the resort city of Kingston； Jamaica。 The townspeople were baffled because the literature was printed in Spanish； only the words Castro and syphilis seemed to ring a bell among some Jamaicans。 One of the leaflets was shown to the island's prime minister； who immediately cabled Fidel Castro to express sorrow over the president's unfortunate illness。
Later； under scornful grilling by the andante； Jesus Bernal admitted tha