by Cherry Laska
The uniformed policeman finished searching the deceased’s backpack. “I’m sorry. I don’t think this is what you’re looking for,” the officer said. “It’s illegal contraband, but nothing out of the ordinary.”
The lead officer took a call. It was clear by the look on his face the news was not good. With as much control as Jessica could muster, she said, “What do you have?”
“They just found the stolen airboat drifting in the glades near a tourist nature park. It was empty, but they found blood.”
Jessica thanked him and turned to leave. She checked her phone and saw two messages. The first was from Anderson. He wondered where the hell she was, was pissed, and couldn’t believe she wasn’t there at the end of the party to thank all his clients for coming. He had accepted an invitation on somebody’s yacht to go deep sea fishing, had already gotten his stuff from the penthouse, and would see her back in Orlando on Tuesday. Good, she thought. She was in no mood to see him.
The second message was from Joe. They’d been with the boat driver. He was talking but didn’t seem to know much about the special cargo.They were wrapping up the interview and wanted the team to meet. She sent a group text that the Sorrento Penthouse was Anderson-free, and they should all meet her there.
Mark looked up from reading it and said smiling, “Sounds good to me. Let’s go.”
63
ON THE DRIVE BACK TO the Fontainebleau, Jessica shook off the frustration of the crazy night. She focused on channeling all that energy into a positive direction. She had to have faith in her team being able to figure out everything and get ahead of Zircone. When they entered the penthouse, she asked Mark if he would order some food while she took a quick shower. She was filthy and couldn’t wait to get out of her clothes.
“Order whatever you’d like. Get a lot though. We need some comfort food. Just have them charge it to the room.”
“Will your husband wonder about the bill?”
“No. He doesn’t pay attention,” she said without emotion. She heard the way she sounded and decided it was important that Mark didn’t think she was an emotional punching bag. “Mark, I’d like you to know something. Joe already knows, and I don’t mind if the team does too, but other than that I need to keep it quiet until I explain it to my kids when they finish the school year. Anderson and I are divorcing. It’s for the best, so don’t worry. I just thought it’d help you understand why certain things are like they are.”
Mark’s expression was one of compassion and understanding. He nodded his head. “I get it and thanks for trusting me,” he said, picking up the phone to order the food.
Jessica left to get cleaned up. The warm shower helped wash away her bad mood. Drying off she got an idea, found the modest suit she had, made a quick call to housekeeping to request a few more items be sent up, and gave special instructions for the staff to let themselves in. She wrapped up in a robe, grabbed a stack of towels, and went out to the living room.
Marshall was talking to Mark while setting several computers up in the living area. Joe and Alejandro were just coming in the door.
“Let’s all go for a quick dip.” Everyone looked at her like she was a little crazy. “Yes, we have a lot of work to do, but I know what I’m talking about. It will be refreshing, maybe spark some ideas. It’ll be good for our brainpower. Come on.”
Jessica headed out on the deck with everyone trailing hesitantly behind her. She threw the towels on a lounge chair, dropped her robe, and did her best swan dive. She hit the water and immediately felt refreshed and peaceful. She’d always loved swimming. Jessica was a fish as a kid and swam Varsity in high school. In the last trimester of her pregnancies, a pool was the only place she could get comfortable. When she resurfaced, the guys were watching with reservation.
She said, “Listen, we have food coming. Let’s take fifteen minutes, twenty at most. When we sit down to eat, we’ll be refreshed and sharp. What do you think?”
Jessica was selling it. She could see she was winning them over. Joe was leaning toward the pool, eyeing the water. She pushed her hand through the water rapidly, sending a tiny splash in his direction. He tried to give her a dirty look, but she saw through it.
“Okay. We don’t have any fucking thread to follow at the moment, so why not. Maybe Jessica’s plan will help.” Joe giving his consent was all anyone needed to set them in motion. The guys stripped down to their underwear. All of them were in boxer briefs except Marshall who was wearing boxers.
Mark did a cannonball and made a huge splash. He resurfaced with a whoop and said, “Now, that’s what I’m talking about right there.”
Marshall slowly eased his way in by the stairs. Alejandro did a back flip. Joe dove gracefully, barely making a splash.
“Need help, Marshall,” Joe teased.
Jessica let the water work its magic. Tension and worries were replaced by smiles and laughter, at least for the time being.
The hotel staff came out on the deck and set up the food and beverages they’d ordered. They also brought up six pairs of pajamas, six plush robes, six sets of slippers, and lit the outdoor fireplace. Jessica took a deep breath and swam the length of the pool underwater. She climbed out, thanked the staff, and signed the bill.
“I’m starved,” Mark declared. Echoing his sentiment, they all got out, dried off, and put on their robes and slippers. Jessica started to fix her plate. When she opened the last serving tray, her co-workers snickered. She looked closer at what was in the tray and understood the joke.
“Cute. Really cute. These are alligator bites, right? You guys are too funny.” She laughed along with them.
“I also got some mixed nuts in honor of the guy at Space whose nuts you justifiably crushed.”
Jessica was enjoying the camaraderie. “Love it. Seriously though, I am shocked at how forward all the dancers were. Men and women doing whatever inappropriate touching they wanted. I had to teach them a few manners.”
Marshall was rubbing his hand back and forth over his chest. “I really like this robe. This is the softest material I’ve ever felt. Do they sell these?”
“Yes, and that’s yours to keep, Marshall. All of you can keep yours.”
“This is quite some hotel room you’ve got,” Alejandro remarked. “Thanks for sharing it with us.”
“You’re very welcome. If there’s anything you need, just ask.”
She caught Joe’s eye at a moment everyone was looking either at their plates, their glasses, or up at the stars. He winked at her. Everything felt like it was going to be all right.
Jessica stabbed a roasted potato chunk with her fork. “Guys, I want Zircone’s head on a friggin’ platter.”
Joe said, “Let’s run it down. We have an unknown suspect we believe was forced to flee Iran. We know enough to profile him as a reformist. He was at odds enough with the Iranian government that he left his home, and they sent the death squad after him. He showed up in Paris and had dealings with the less-than-honorable chemical exec Paul-Henri Moreau. C-FC seems to be producing questionable chemicals under French government contracts, some of which Moreau stole and sold to finance his over indulgence in food, women, and liquor. He seems to have had contacts with Cubans and eventually ended up dead in prison of an apparent heart attack. We’re still waiting on the autopsy results. We know that while Zircone was in Paris, he spent time at a mosque with known terrorist connections. Zircone disappeared in the Paris Metro. We suspect he left France, probably headed to the U.S. We found a motorcycle we believe was Zircone’s. The bike told us several things. One, it had been modified for power.”
“He’s mechanical,” Mark added.
“Two,” Joe continued, “he had more than one escape route planned.”
Alejandro said, “He’s either clever with experience in planning missions and evasions or has the help of someone who does.”
Joe went on. “Three, we have a fingerprint on the Iranian’s bike that we’ve been unable to identify.”
“He
isn’t in any databases that we have access to, so we can assume he isn’t an agent, hasn’t been in the military, and doesn’t have a criminal record,” Marshall explained.
“And four, SAVAK was monitoring the bike, which resulted in them chasing us,” Joe said, pointing at Jessica then himself. “They broke into our hotel trying to find us or a link to the Iranian.”
“Their actions confirm they want Zircone badly,”Jessica added.
Joe kept going. “From what we’ve learned about the chemicals, we believe it’s sarin. After learning about the Cuban connection, Marshall dug into known smugglers. Several names came up. Those men happened to be attending Jessica’s party.”
“It wasn’t my party.” She wondered why she was still emotionally invested enough to even care. She bit her lip and looked away.
“Correction, the WGI party. Carlos Lopez was discovered to be smuggling a load into the U.S. tonight. With the cooperation of Customs, the Coast Guard, and the MDPD, we apprehended the boat, the captain, and three suspects who made it to shore. Unfortunately, one of them eluded us after quite a chase giving him the opportunity to make a transfer of what we believe was the sarin gas. He has not been found; however, blood evidence on the airboat would indicate he was taken out. I’d conclude most probably by Zircone or someone working with him.”
“And Jessica has a new pair of alligator boots on order,” Alejandro joked.
It was getting late and Joe wanted to get through everything. He eyed Alejandro who cleared his throat and got serious. “Teofilo Garcia, the boat driver, was persuaded to cooperate. He confirmed there was something different about this run. They were warned by their superiors in the Suarez organization of the importance of the delivery and the consequences if they failed. After a little more persuasion, he revealed the boat had been outfitted with a special compartment. He didn’t have any more information than that. He also confirmed Carlos Lopez was a regular customer, but just a customer. He isn’t a part of the operation, so for now, he’s being left alone.”
“Marshall, fill us in on the search of the boat,” Joe said.
“The Coast Guard found the compartment and rigging built into the back of the hull on the centerline, which is where the force from bumps is felt the least. It was a vacuum-sealed compartment inside another compartment with a state of the art suspension and stabilizing device to protect the cargo from being jostled. It was ingenious, really.”
“How big was the interior compartment?” Jessica asked. Knowing how big the chemical supply was would help determine target location sites and estimated casualties. Marshall shared the pictures he had taken of the boat and the compartment.
“It was four feet long by two feet wide by two feet deep.”
Joe saw the look of dread on her face and asked, “What does that indicate? What do you estimate the potential number of casualties and affected area to be with that amount of sarin?”
“That would depend a lot on the concentration of the chemical and the delivery method,” she explained.
“Give me a range,” Joe said, pushing her for something more concrete.
“If delivered optimally, it’s a huge area. It could be anywhere from two million to three million square feet—someplace like a sports arena, a government building, a shopping mall, or a skyscraper. But he has to know what he’s doing in order to maximize its range and effectiveness. The sarin incident of ’95 in the Japanese subway could have been catastrophic if the attackers hadn’t botched it. Thirteen were killed, but if the attackers had known what they were doing and deployed the chemical properly, the casualties could have been tens or hundreds of thousands. Unfortunately, everything we’ve gone over tonight and the fact that Zircone is always a few steps ahead of us seem to indicate he knows what he’s doing.” Jessica let them all absorb that before continuing with the scary details. “Sarin can be delivered in liquid or vapor form. It’s deadly either way. A person can be exposed to sarin by it touching their skin, by ingesting it, or by breathing the vapor. Whatever the contact, they will have only minutes to live.”
“Well, damn,” Mark said. “That’s not good.”
“We have to stop this terrorist or a lot of people will die.” Joe said what all of them were thinking. “After tonight, we have to go on the assumption that Zircone is in the U.S. with the chemicals he needs to carry out his attack. Priority number one is to find Zircone. To do this we need to figure out who he is, what his motive is, and what his target is.”
“Marshall, I’m going to pull in some guys I know from the agency we can trust to give you a hand. We have to dig into some databases where we don’t exactly have an open door. We need to see if we can find a trace of him renting a car or traveling by plane, train, boat, or whatever. We should make a list of all possible targets that match what we know.”
Joe looked around at his team. He knew they’d understand but wouldn’t like what he was going to say next. “I think we have to bring in Homeland Security. They’ll get a sketch and our best pictures of this bastard to all the law enforcement agencies, places he can utilize to travel, and the places he might attack without terrifying the nation or tipping off Zircone. We don’t want him to panic and choose an immediate target.”
Everyone nodded in agreement. Joe checked the time. “It’s late. Zero two thirty. Let’s alert the other agencies and see what we can accomplish in the next hour or so. After that, we won’t be effective. I want you all to shut down and get ready to hit it hard tomorrow.”
Everyone went to change into dry clothes. When Jessica was at the threshold of the master suite, she felt a now familiar hand on her shoulder. She turned and quickly looked past Joe to see the coast was clear before taking his hand, pulling him into her room, and quietly shutting the door. She hugged him tightly.
Caught a little off guard, Joe said, “This is nice. I just wanted to make sure you were all right. Are you?”
She said quietly, “I’m much better now.”They stood in silence for a minute. “The team will find us,” she said, reluctantly relaxing her grip.
Joe didn’t release her out of the hug. “Sshhh,” he whispered. After a few minutes he said, “I could send the team to work from their rooms.” Jessica stifled a laugh, and he kissed her cheek. “Okay. I’d better go.”
“Yeah, you better. But hey, after everyone goes back to their rooms …” her voice trailed off. She hesitated then asked, “Would you come back?”
“Of course,” he said. He let her go and slipped out of the room.
Jessica changed and went to join the others. Marshall’s computer was hooked into the sixty-inch flat screen, and he was working on it along with two others he had on the coffee table. Joe was sitting at the bar on the phone, arranging coordination with the other agencies. Mark and Alejandro were at the dining room table on their laptops.
Marshall stood up and slightly waved his hand at Jessica. She walked over to him. “Thanks again for the hospitality. I hate to be greedy but could I possibly keep the pajamas too? I have a collection. I’ll gladly pay for them.” Marshall was quirky, but he was also very sweet.
“Of course you can keep them. Whatever you want. They may have them in additional colors if you’re a collector.”
“No. No. I couldn’t.”
“You can, because they’re a gift from me. I won’t accept no for an answer. I’ll have them sent to your room.”
When everything they needed to do was done, the guys, including Joe, headed back to their rooms. A few minutes later, Joe came back in using the key Jessica had slipped him. She was waiting for him on the sofa. She had turned on the fireplace and made some tea. She motioned for him to join her. He sat down close to her and picked up his cup. She scooted even closer and rested her head on his chest. It was comforting.
They sat like that and talked about things unrelated to their hunt for Zircone. Their conversation always came so easily. Jessica filled Joe in about Nadia’s situation with immigration. They talked about music they liked, things th
ey liked to do, and places they’d like to travel to. She shared stories illustrating each of her kids’ personalities, funny things they’d done, their talents, and her hopes for each of them.
“Thanks for spending time with me. This is exactly what I needed,” Jessica said.
“Me too.” He stayed still and quiet. He’d been struggling with the intensity of his feelings. He felt the same affection and desire for this woman now as he had when they first met, but he respected her situation, and besides they were working on a case together. She yawned, triggering him to do the same.
“We should get some sleep,” she said. They took their cups to the kitchen, and Joe started toward the door. Jessica took his arm and walked with him. When they got close, she looked up at him. “Can you stay? I just, well, it’s so late already, and I don’t want you to go.”
“I’ll stay.” His warm smile made her happy. They both knew things were complex, but they didn’t care.
Jessica pulled herself up in bed and looked down at Joe. He thought she looked so beautiful in the moonlight. She lowered herself and gave him a soft kiss. She pulled back slightly. “Thanks for staying.”
He fought to hold himself together. He had to tell her what he was feeling, but this wasn’t the time. He raised his head and met her lips. This kiss lingered for a while. When they parted, she was smiling. She was so tired. She slowly sank back down, and laid her head on her pillow. She rolled on her side facing away, pulling Joe’s arm with her, so he was wrapped around her.
He gently moved her hair back. Brushing her neck with his lips, he whispered, “When this threat is over, I’d like to spend some real time with you.”
Her lips curled into a sleepy smile. “I’d like that too,RO-me-o.”
64
PENSACOLA, FLORIDA
REZA CHECKED INTO HIS HOTEL room before dawn. He was glad to be off the road in time for Taharah. He would first purify in preparation to perform the Subh or Fajr (dawn) Prayer. He removed his dirty clothes and replaced them with clean ones. He began performing Wudu.