Running at night has its advantages – it’s a bit cooler –
the girls have gone down to bed – and it gives me a chance to clear my mind
before getting ready for bed. Every now
and then I see something of interest: a building in mid-construction, young
couples out for a walk, or a gang of men plotting their next heist. The most recent building going up appears to
be something for the city of Yanahuara – the section of Arequipa we live
in. I think watching a building progress
is fun to watch. Not as interesting as
passing the ‘Yanahuara 12’ as I call them.
This rogue band of men gather about once a week near a dim street light
a few blocks from our house at a bend in the road that gathers them near what I
assume is their ‘front’ company – a tienda (little local superette). It doesn’t appear they rendezvous on the same
night each week – I assume that would make it too easy for local authorities to
catch on. I often see them in their
pre-meeting banter - chatting about local news, maybe one of them highlighted
in the dark by the glowing ember of a cigarette, while waiting for the rest of
the Yanahuara 12. I wonder if they pull off major heists… like
art thefts… or stick to the easier pickings of bank robberies and the
like? It certainly can’t be basic
thievery if they need 12 of them to pull off these elaborate crimes. Needless to say, I jog by on the opposite
side of the street.
This past week I caught a glimpse into the sophistication of
their work – true professionals. Circled
up as the norm, but now wearing the garb of a traditional Peruvian band –
amazing. I even heard them last night
inside the shop practicing just like a real
band. The dedication to their nefarious
vocation impressed me. What a great
cover. Who would suspect a simple
traditional band of doing anything so dastardly? Those fancy outfits? Certainly they can’t be the ones who just
‘happened’ to be two blocks away from the greatest art heist in the history of
Arequipa last year. These guys are
good. And I was there to see them.
(There is no photo attached to this posting for fear of my
safety – I’m guessing no one has taken a picture of the Y12 and lived to tell
the tale)
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