by S. J. Braden
“Yes, how can I help you?”
“I’m agent Tommy Dumas with the FBI, This is local field agent Isabel Smith. Could we come in?”
“Of course, do you have information about the envelope I received?”
“No, not yet, this is about the kidnapping of U.S. Attorney Colleen McAllister. Do you know anything about that?”
“What? No. Of course not.”
“Do you know anything about a rash of explosions throughout the city?”
“No, I don’t. Do I need to get an attorney? Why would you think I have anything to do with this?”
“Well, Counselor McAllister is the one who prosecuted your father.”
“Yeah, well that has nothing to do with me. I always knew Pop was up to something. He wanted me to be a partner in the business, but there were just too many things that I knew nothing about. It never made any sense to me where the money came from. I guess now I know, but I don’t have anything to do with that world. I thought he sold outdoor advertising. You know, billboards,” RJ answered.
“So you never worked for the family business?” Isabel asked with a hint of skepticism in her tone.
“No, I’m an accountant. I work for myself, a small shop doing taxes. I do some bookkeeping for some small businesses. I didn’t know what Dad was doing. I swear. The closest I ever came to working for my father was in high school. One summer, I helped to paint an empty building. A few weeks later there was a strip club in the building. I was sixteen and thought it was cool my dad owned a strip club and quickly envisioned it as a new hangout for my friends and me. When I asked Dad about it, he said he sold the building and had nothing to do with the club. Truthfully, at the time I was disappointed. He kept what he did from all of us,” R.J. admitted.
“Thank you for your time,” Tommy replied, shook R.J.’s hand and turn to leave.
“Do you know when there will be results from the envelope I received? I’m sort of nervous about what I might have been exposed to.”
“I’m not working that case, so I don’t know. What I can tell you is don’t worry. They would have tested for the obviously serious and threatening things first. If you haven’t heard back from them, it’s probably something innocuous sent to scare you.”
“Thank you, that’s reassuring. Maybe my wife will come back home and bring the kids back. She didn’t want to take a chance on me infecting them if it was some dreaded virus or something contagious. She’s a little over protective of the curtain climbers if you catch my drift.”
“Indeed I do, have a nice day,” Isabel replied with a frosty bite to her tone.
As the partners left the home of R.J. as his friends and family called him, Isabel asked Tommy, “Do you believe him?”
“I believe he doesn’t know where Colleen is and I don’t think he knows about the bombs. I believe he knows about the family business and I believe it’s possible someone or someones in the family knows something. That yarn he was spinning about a horny teenager was designed to convince us. It didn’t convince me because it’s too well rehearsed. He’s used that one before. I bet if we had Colleen’s investigation notes, there’s at least someone else out there, who knows about his teenage disappointment. Want to place a wager?”
“Nope, that’s what I call a sucker bet.”
Colleen stared at her captor as he paced. He threw the cell phone across the room and it slammed into the front of the mirrored bar, shattering the mirror into shards. Colleen hid her relief and jubilation at seeing the broken glass by engaging the man in conversation.
“What did you expect? Did you set off a bomb in the park last night? Is that what caused all the action I could see from here? In the middle of an international event?”
“Of course, that was me!”
“Well then, a criminal mastermind you are not.”
He slapped her and said, “What do you mean? Hundreds of people were hurt, I made a loud statement. But your stupid husband was warned not to call in the police.”
“Well, you are not a criminal mastermind, because anyone knows that when there is a bomb that affects a large number of people and especially non-U.S. citizens every law enforcement agency comes running. It is now a federal offense, genius. My husband didn’t call the feds, YOU did.”
“Shut up, bitch! Your husband was supposed to disarm the bomb. Then the cops wouldn’t have shown up!” the man said and then hit her hard across the face with the pistol in his hand, storming away to leave her again in solitude.
Chapter 34
In a duplex in midtown Memphis, a bomber was also angry. Yancey watched the news, and was furious, not only because what should have been a big news story featuring his handiwork was overshadowed by the bombing in the park, but because the cops called his bombs simplified. Therefore, he felt they called him simple.
Don’t they know I build what the customer orders and what I’m paid for? I can build a better bomb and I will. I sure wish I knew who built that bomb last night. What are the chances there are two of us working in this town? Did my customer hire two of us? If so, how come the other guy gets to build the better bomb and make more money. Who is playing who here? I’ll contact that sorry asshole and tell him I refuse to build this little piss ant crap any more.
Following his release from the hospital, Trent refused to go to Court’s house to rest. He insisted he was going to be wherever the rest of the guys were going to be. Despite his injuries he wanted to be where the action was. His injuries however, would slow down a team, so the group of friends decided it was time to set up camp at Jake’s Explosives Academy. Since all the law enforcement was now involved, and Court needed to share about Dasher’s injuries and the loss of him as a working dog, Court called in all the employees and dogs.
Everyone gathered in the large conference room and Court briefed them all on Colleen’s abduction and the subsequent events. Pierce and Frankie paid particular attention to expressions and body language to try to determine if any of Court’s employees might be a suspect. Every employee registered shock at what their boss and friend had been going through. Court’s friends felt confident that whoever was behind this was not present in this room. When Court shared with the group his last conversation with Colleen and the phone going dead, every one of them gasped. Court also explained that now that the FBI and other federal agents were involved, he didn’t know if any of them would be able to go on location to follow through, if any more clues came in, but in the event that they could participate he wanted everyone ready. He instructed the dogs wear their kevlar safety vests at all times. Court couldn’t stand the thought of another injury or loss of another dog. They all expressed concern for Dasher and for Harley.
Court told them the feds were questioning the employees from Colleen’s office and how he expected the same for all of the Jake’s employees too.
At that moment, Trent gingerly rose from his seat and addressed the group. Particularly Harley, who was standing in the corner of the room, despondent, but present and available for his friend, despite his devastating loss.
“I owe Dasher my life,” Trent began. Harley looked up and into the eyes of the man speaking about his comrade, who wouldn’t be able to work anymore.
“Dasher was walking on my right, as he should. He picked up the scent of the explosive and circled around to get closer, because the bomb was on my left. He literally dragged me around in a circle. As the bomb exploded, Dasher leaped up and pounced on me knocking me to the ground and placing himself between the explosion and me. Now, don’t get me wrong, if Harley were standing here telling you this story, it wouldn’t surprise me at all. I understand the love between a dog and his human. But Dasher wasn’t my dog. And still he protected me, and ultimately saved me. He is a hero, he is my hero and always will be.”
There wasn’t a dry eye in the room.
Court’s phone rang, and he jumped. He looked at the caller id and announced to the room it was Tommy.
“Tommy, what’s going on?”
> “Court, I just got a call from the field office. The U.S. Attorney's office called the Marshall's office this morning. Someone hacked into the computers at the Memphis office yesterday. Do you know anything about that?”
Court glanced at Pierce, and then Frankie and made a judgment call he never thought he would make.
“Nope, I don’t know anything about that, why would I?”
“Okay friend, just checking, before things maybe go farther than I can help with.”
“I appreciate it.”
When the call ended. Court excused everyone from the conference room and they left to ready the dogs and order in lunch for everyone. Court then told his friends about the call from Tommy. Pierce was visibly nervous and Frankie said, “I know nothing, I was walking the dogs.”
It was a good thing that Court decided to conceal his friend’s involvement in hacking into Colleen’s work computer. If he had confessed, not only would Pierce be in some real trouble, but the investigation would have stopped there. And Pierce wasn’t the only one hacking the US Attorney’s computer.
Chapter 35
A fax machine whirred in the home office of former city councilman Quinn Miller, as page after page of information came from the computer hacker he hired to get the information on the Maden investigation. The files held detailed notes regarding all known associates of Maden’s. His suppliers as well as his top men. Information that Miller knew would be useful when he took over the drug and prostitution business in the city of Memphis.
While Quinn read each page as it came across his fax machine, he was unaware that his brother, Terry, was picked up by Tommy Dumas and Isabel Smith and taken to the FBI field office for questioning.
Court’s phone pinged signaling a new text message. In fact, there were two messages. The first message said, “If this one explodes a lot of people die, and your lovely wife loses her other arm.”
The second message was a set of coordinates: “35.0425 N 89.9767 W.” To save time Court forwarded both messages to Tommy, Pierce, Trent and Frankie. Pierce immediately ran the coordinates through Google and announced the new location was the Memphis International Airport.
Court called Tommy for instructions and hoped that he and his team would be able to assist.
“Tommy, can my team go? We want to help. The location is the airport, it’s big.”
“Yeah, your team can go. The MPD bomb unit is working a bomb threat at the Wolfchase Mall that came in twenty minutes ago. We're spread too thin. There is an ATF team that will meet you at the airport. I'll be there as soon as we drop this scum bag at the office.”
Court hung up, hit the intercom button and announced throughout the building, “Let’s Go! It’s at the airport.”
The MPD bomb squad evacuated and searched the mall. The call came into 911 that two bombs were at the mall and the caller stated, “You won’t find these bombs simple. Good Luck.”
The dispatcher wasn’t sure what the caller meant by that but relayed the information over the radio to the captain of the bomb squad. The captain wasn’t sure what it meant either but briefed his team.
Ron Strong, the TV6 news anchorman, was listening to the police scanner. He heard the comment and knew what it meant right away. He remembered using the word simplified in his morning news story about the two minor bomb incidents overnight. Ron placed a call to the MAG unit officer he quoted this morning and told the unit officers his concerns that the mall bomb was the work of the bomber associated with the warehouse and house bombs.
An hour and a half after beginning the search, agents found a bomb in the food court. Its construction was more complicated than the pipe bomb and the Molotov cocktail. This bomb consisted of C4 and a pressure switch placed inside a crock pot in a backpack, but the unit was able to disarm it without incident. Thirty minutes later agents found a second bomb in a restroom. It was the same type of bomb as the food court and was again disarmed without incident. The squad took the bombs to the lab to look for signatures and evidence. These bombs were definitely not the work of the Artist. They were more complicated than the DIY bombs built from instructions found on the internet but were not anything like the Artist’s bombs.
The rest of the mall was cleared and the bomb unit reported to the airport, where they believed they would face a much tougher challenge.
The airport was evacuated, all flights delayed and a command post was set up in baggage claim. Court assigned Trent to monitor all the radio traffic between the groups.
Frankie and Pierce would interview all the TSA employees to see if anyone remembered anything suspicious during their shift. Two handlers with dogs from Jake’s academy would search Terminal A consisting of seven gates and also the main terminal and lobby. Four teams would search Terminal C, consisting of eighteen gates and the baggage claim area. Six teams would search the forty-two gates in Terminal B. Court’s remaining two teams would cover check-in, ticket desks and the luggage waiting with skycaps. The ATF unit and the MPD unit when it arrived would check all the checked luggage and the planes that were in the gates. The FBI unit was checking all vehicles in short and long term parking.
Since Court was certain they were dealing with The Artist, they didn't take anything for granted. Court explained to his team how the Artist converted common everyday objects into deadly bombs, and that as such, it was completely within the realm of possibility that the bomb could have passed through a security screening.
It took hours as agents with explosives detecting dogs checked every gate, restroom, restaurant, gift shop, and elevator. Every trash can, hospitality room, supply closet, and pay phone was also checked. As people evacuated the airport several left carry-on bags behind. Each one was checked individually and then logged into a secure area where the owners could pick them up when the airport reopened.
Frankie questioned the TSA agents on duty in the security areas and Pierce took notes. Most of the agents were helpful and attentive, except for two who were surly and uncooperative with the questions. No one seemed to remember anything setting off alarms. Agents had not confiscated anything except the usual handful of lighters, several bottles of liquids, the same things they confiscated on a daily basis since 9/11.
Court and Jake were working in Terminal B. As they began working Gate forty-two, Court noticed a carry-on under a chair. As he approached, Jake alerted to explosives. Court radioed that he had something and waited until a team member could take Jake a safe distance away before he explored what looked like a typical laptop travel case. He couldn’t stomach the thought of another injured dog. Once Jake was a safe distance away, an employee stayed with Court to assist in exploring the case.
Chapter 36
Court slowly, gently and painstakingly unzipped the travel bag, proceeding with one zipper tooth at a time to look for any trip wires. Once the bag was open, he peered inside and using a flashlight looked at the bag’s contents, at least what he could see without moving anything. He could see a laptop, with a cell phone resting in the case beside it. The cell phone was connected to the laptop by its charger cord.
“It’s a laptop, but there’s a phone attached. That means the bomb can be detonated remotely, anytime. If the bomber realizes we are close all he has to do is call the damned phone. We must maintain radio silence. But we also need to let our people know it’s here.”
“How are we going to do that? It will take a long time for me to run all over this airport telling everyone personally.”
“Yes, it would and to be honest, we still don’t know for sure who we can trust. So here’s what we are going to do for now. I’m going to transmit a message that should clear everyone out of the building. Terminals A and C are already cleared. If the bomber is listening, he will think we missed the bomb. Then you and I are going to disarm this bad boy.”
“If the bomber thinks we missed it, won’t he detonate it to prove we were wrong?”
“Oh yeah, he will. But if he’s smart he will wait until the airport is full of people right
? He wants to hurt people, we know that from the Music Festival. He won’t set it off when he thinks there is no one around to harm.”
Court picked up his radio and transmitted, “Terminal B is secure. No target found. Everyone report to the command station at baggage claim. We will assist with checked baggage and the exterior if needed before the terminals will reopen. Trent, buddy, if you’re still there, make sure you have a head count of all personnel and where they are working. Thank you all, good job, see you at the command center in a few minutes.”
Walking over to the man who was holding Jake’s leash, “Go ahead down to baggage claim with Jake. Tom said he’s feeling a little ill, so he’s stopping by the restroom. I’ll stay and follow him out.”
“Okay boss, see you down there.”
Then Court and Tom began the work of disabling the bomb. They didn’t know for sure what they were dealing with yet. To anyone looking at the bag, the laptop or the phone, there was nothing suspicious. The only indication the bag was dangerous, was Jake’s nod that it contained explosives. From Court’s experience, both previous and lately, he assumed the laptop or phone interior would be lined with C4. Not knowing if there was a pressure or movement trigger, Court cut the bag away from the laptop instead of lifting the laptop out of the bag. Once he exposed as much as possible, it looked in fact like just a phone plugged into a laptop to charge. But no one would do that. The phone charging from the battery of the laptop would run the battery dead in no time, then the phone battery would discharge as well. The traveler would have no phone or laptop on arrival until they both recharged. The first order of business was to unplug the phone. After making sure there were no other wires attached, Court held his breath and unplugged the phone.
“Court? Where are you? I’m approaching,” called Pierce.