On his map Nunez pointed out the cliffs on each side of the valley. At the base of each was a line of cross-hatching. “The valley was cleared of shrubbery recently. There are mounds of logs piled all along the valley floor. They would make good observation posts.”

“Below the sentries on the cliffs?” Harvey looked incredulous.

“The sentries are watching the trails into the valley. If we got by them, we wouldn’t be noticed hiding in the lee of the cliffs.” Nunez looked to his friend for support.

“We have done it before,” Charles confirmed as he batted an insect away from his face. “They are more concerned with watching for anyone coming from the road and they are there to lay down covering fire from a high vantage. If we’re careful they’ll be unaware of us.”

“We don’t want them above us.” Harvey was in agreement with me. “Things will be different this time. When you were here before, it was only to gather intelligence. Sneak in, sneak out again. This time there’s going to be shooting. I don’t want to be pinned down by men on the ridges while reinforcements are brought in.”

“Then we must take them out,” Nunez concurred.

Rink withdrew his Ka-bar and looked at its razor edge. “I’ll do the ones on the cliff above us, then move on to the others on the far ridge. We only need someone to do the guys on this side. Don’t think we have much to worry about with the men at the far end. By the time they realize something’s going down, we can be in and out again.”

I stabbed a finger at the cross-hatching nearest the houses. “I’ll take that point. I want to be the one that goes inside. Harvey? You happy taking the sentries on this side of the valley?”

“Sure,” he said.

Nunez and Charles looked at each other.

“I want you guys with me,” I said. “Rink and Harvey can cover from up on the cliffs, but I’m going to need someone covering the house so I’m not disturbed while I’m inside. When I get Gutierrez I want to know I can fall back without having to run a gauntlet.”

“What about Cesar Calle?” Nunez asked.

“If he’s the person responsible for sending Luke Rickard, I’ll kill him.”

The best known of the Colombian drug-trafficking groups are the Cali, Medellin and Norte del Valle cartels. They’re the most high profile, but there are others. There are the North Coast, Bogota and Santander de Quilichao cartels as well. Add the demobilized factions of the AUC, ELN, FARC and Águilas Negras paramilitary organizations to the seething pot, and you’d think there was no room left for another enterprising group. But there were plenty.