by Nancy Mehl
CHAPTER
THIRTY-NINE
“Doesn’t anything look familiar?” Tony asked. He was getting frustrated with Martin. They’d been over and over the same area many times. Martin couldn’t recall the names of the streets around the warehouse where they’d kept him. And he couldn’t remember the name of the bus he rode when he’d made his escape.
“I’m really sorry, Tony. I thought I could find it, but all these blocks look the same to me.”
“Is there any particular business you can remember? A coffee shop maybe, or restaurant?”
Martin sighed and shook his head. “I was so drugged up, I barely remember anything.”
They’d been driving for a couple of hours. Tony pulled the rental car over to the side of the street and parked. His cellphone had been going off for a while. He knew he was in trouble, but he thought they’d find the warehouse by now. He felt strongly that their people were in need of help. He’d texted Tom right after they left to let him know what they were doing, but he hadn’t communicated with him since. He checked his watch. Almost five a.m. His phone rang again.
“Look,” he said to Martin, “I may have already tossed my career away. One more time around the block and I’m done. We have to go back.”
At that moment, a large truck pulled up in front of them and stopped. A man hopped out, went around to the back, opened the big doors, and started pulling out piles of newspapers.
“Newspapers . . .” Martin said softly. He turned to look at Tony. “Newspapers. I walked past a guy loading up one of those newspaper racks right before I got to the bus stop.”
Tony got out of the car and asked the man with the newspapers where there was a rack next to a bus stop around here.
“Only one in this area,” he answered. “Go up four blocks, turn right. Three blocks more and you’ll find the stop for the MLK East Busway. P Line. P for purple.”
“Thanks!” Tony said. “I really appreciate it.” He ran back to the car. “We’re close,” he said, thumping Martin on the shoulder. He picked up his phone and called Tom. When Tom answered, Tony started to explain, but Tom shouted him down. He was so angry, at first Tony couldn’t even understand what he was saying.
Tony listened for a moment as Tom repeated himself a little slower. Tony was shocked by what he heard. “Okay,” he said. “But I think we found the warehouse. If we move fast enough, maybe we can catch them before they leave.”
There was a long silence before Tom said, “You’re still in big trouble, but give me the address.”
“I don’t have an address, but I have directions.” Tony looked around them and then read the street signs back to Tom. “We’re halfway up the block on the east side of the street. Why don’t you meet us here and then you can follow us?”
“Okay. You stay right there—do you understand me?”
“Sure. No problem.”
“Did you get fired?” Martin asked when Tony disconnected.
“I don’t know,” he said. “It seems they’ve heard from one of our deputies. He wants to meet the FBI in a few hours and turn Valerie over to them.”
“Well, that’s good news, isn’t it?”
“Not really. First of all, it doesn’t make sense. I mean, he shouldn’t be telling the Feds where he plans to take their witness. Secondly, he used a coded phrase as a way to let his boss know something’s wrong. Sounds like a trap.”
Martin looked at Tony through narrowed eyes. “Are they still going to check out the warehouse?”
“Yeah, but they think our people are already gone. It’s almost five hours from here to the FBI headquarters in D.C.”
“We missed them?”
“Probably.”
“It’s my fault,” Martin said. “I’m sorry.”
“You’re not to blame. You helped us find it. Don’t beat yourself up. You’ve done more to help find Valerie and our people than anyone else.”
“Thanks, but I feel like I’ve been a chump from the beginning. I started all this.”
“That’s not true. Just hang in there a bit longer, and we’ll get this all under control. I know Valerie will be happy to see you.”
“Or she’ll want to kill me for getting her involved with Warren . . . and Al-Saud.”
“We’ll see,” Tony said with a smile, “but I bet I’m right.”
They sat there silently in the dark, waiting for their backup. Finally they could hear the whine of sirens. Soon a car pulled up next to them. Tony rolled down his window. Tom was looking at him, his window down as well.
“Where is it?” Tom asked.
Tony relayed the same information the newspaper carrier had given him.
“Okay, lead on,” Tom said.
As soon as the police car and two black SUVs had lined up behind them, Tony pulled out into the street. They were on their way to the warehouse. Tony prayed their people were still there.
And alive.
It was almost four-thirty in the morning when Mattan marched out of his office, Valerie in front of him. Sam was next to Mattan, and the big guy trailed all of them, his gun drawn.
Casey had felt better after the last pill, though the pain was coming back in waves. She didn’t want to keep taking pills, yet she was determined to protect their witness. She’d do whatever she had to.
“Here they come,” E.J. said.
He’d told her about the call he’d been forced to make. At least they would finally get some help, but she really didn’t want them to leave. She couldn’t read Mattan, couldn’t figure out what he might do next. In her opinion, he was bordering on the edge of a complete breakdown. She was afraid he might kill Valerie and E.J., and she certainly didn’t want to be left behind with the man they called Waseem. No matter how tough she was, she probably didn’t stand a chance against a coldhearted giant with a gun.
She realized then that Valerie was wearing a coat. Some kind of thick winter jacket. It was way too big for her and quite unnecessary in this kind of heat. Although Casey wasn’t feeling well, she knew immediately what was going on, and even in the stifling warehouse, a chill ran through her.
“We’re going to leave now,” Mattan said to E.J. “You will come with Ms. Bennett and me. And you will stay here.” He was looking at Casey.
“I should go with them,” Casey said quickly. “It’s my job to deliver our witness. Please let me carry out my assignment.”
Mattan bent down until he was nose to nose with her. “No, I don’t think so,” he said. “Ace tells me our friend Deputy Queen is sweet on you. So . . .” Mattan signaled to the huge man with the frozen expression. He came over and put the barrel of his gun right on Casey’s temple. “If Deputy Queen disobeys any of my commands, I will punch a code on my phone.” He took another cellphone out of his pocket and set it on the floor in front of Casey. “It will alert Mr. Bati to shoot you. No questions asked.” He straightened and smiled at E.J. “So, Deputy, if you really do care about this woman, you will do exactly as I tell you. Do we understand each other?”
Casey was horrified to see E.J. nod. She was certain Sam had told Mattan that E.J. cared for her as a way to save her life. She was grateful but angry to be sidelined. “You put our witness first,” she told E.J. “Don’t you dare let him get away with this just because he threatened me.”
“It will be okay,” E.J. said. “Just pray for us.”
“Well, how sweet.” Mattan laughed. “Those better be some powerful prayers.” He pointed at Valerie. “Maybe you’re wondering why the lovely Ms. Bennett is modeling my winter jacket. Please, Ace, show them.”
Sam carefully pulled Valerie’s coat open. Even though she was prepared for what she knew she’d see, Casey gasped at the reality. Valerie had been forced into a suicide vest. It was loaded with enough explosives to take out a city block.
CHAPTER
FORTY
Tony and Martin followed the other cars to the warehouse.
“Yeah, this looks familiar,” Martin said when they pulled up.
Tony noticed the look on his face. “It must have been terrifying.”
Martin nodded. “I really thought I was going to die. It makes you reevaluate your life.” He pointed at the other vehicles. “What now?”
“First we’ll try to see what’s going on. You wait here. And stay down.”
Martin swore under his breath and slumped down in his seat.
Tony pulled his gun and got out of the car. All the sirens had been turned off as they’d approached the building, but that didn’t guarantee those inside didn’t know they were here. The FBI was obviously taking over the operation. He was thankful they’d finally decided to storm the warehouse. They signaled everyone to stand down until they could ascertain the location of Mattan’s men and the people they’d come to rescue. The windows at eye level had all been boarded up, so one of the agents jumped up on top of a large trash dumpster. Then he slowly stood until he could peer into one of the windows at the top of the wall. When he jumped down, they all gathered close to him.
“Three people,” he whispered. “A woman tied up. Long blond hair. Small.”
“That’s our deputy,” Tom said quietly. “Who else is there?”
“A black guy, tall, well-built, short cornrows.”
“That’s our undercover officer,” one of the detectives from Pittsburgh PD said. “Sam West. Is he armed?”
The officer shook his head. “Only one man is armed. Middle Eastern. Large guy. And I mean huge. He seems to be keeping an eye on both of them.”
“Did you see any other way in?”
The question came from Officer Holman, who had demanded that representatives of the Cranberry Township PD be on hand for this takedown. No one in law enforcement would deny that request. Their brother had been murdered, and they had the right to see this through.
“There are some rooms in the back. I have no idea if we can get in that way. We need to take a look.”
Agent Taggart waved his hand toward the back of the building, and several LEOs followed him to check it out. Tony, Tom, and one of the FBI agents stayed at the front entrance in case someone made a run for it. A couple of minutes later, everyone who’d left came back.
“Everything’s padlocked,” Willis, the other detective, said. “This is our only way in.”
“Okay,” Tom said, “just don’t get our deputy killed. Please.”
“We’d like to have Sam make it out in one piece too, if you don’t mind,” Captain Ramos added. “And try not to kill the other guy. He might be an important witness.”
“We’ll do our best,” Agent Taggart said. “But if he fires on us—”
“Take him out.”
“What made you change your mind about going in?” Tony asked Agent Taggart.
“Everything’s different. We have no idea what Mattan has planned in front of our building in the morning, and we can’t have citizens getting caught in the crossfire. Mattan has changed the playing field—and the game. We’re willing to take what we have so far and call it good.”
Although Tony was grateful the FBI was with them now, Agent Taggart’s concerns were chilling. Just what was Mattan up to?
The other guy from the FBI brought a battering ram from their SUV. Everyone got behind him, weapons drawn. Agent Willis held up his hand, counting to three. When three fingers went up, he yelled, “FBI!” and the other man struck the door. It splintered immediately. They all ran inside to find the large guy holding a gun to Casey’s head.
“Put the gun down!” Agent Willis ordered. “Now!”
The warning did nothing. The man with the gun just stared at them as if he didn’t understand. His face showed no expression whatsoever, and his dead eyes gave the impression that no one was home inside this behemoth.
“Put it down now!” Willis yelled again.
The man turned to look at Casey. It was obvious he was getting ready to shoot, but before anyone could respond, Detective West jumped out of his chair, a knife in his hand, and slammed into the huge man, trying to throw him off his feet. It was like a butterfly attacking a brick wall. Though the move had no effect physically, it did confuse the man for just an instant, and he swung his gun toward the detective. It was the last thing he would ever do. A hail of bullets brought him down.
Tony and Tom ran to Casey, who seemed too calm for the situation. “You’ve got to stop them,” she said. “Mattan. He’s meeting with the FBI in D.C. He took E.J. with him, and Valerie’s wired with a bomb!”
Everyone was silent as Casey’s words soaked in. Tony took a small knife from his pocket and quickly cut the fishing line off her wrists. She was getting ready to explain when she caught sight of someone over Tony’s shoulder.
“Doug!” she cried. “I thought . . .”
“You were supposed to,” he said with a smile. “Tony wanted Mattan’s men to think I was dead. When you all left, I called for help. Thank God they arrived before Mattan’s cleanup crew.” He nodded at the sling supporting his arm. “Some broken bones, but I’ll be okay.”
When her hands were free, she got up and wrapped her arms around him. “I’m so glad you’re alive, Doug.”
“Casey, we need to know more about this bomb,” Tom said. “What’s going on?”
“Mattan is acting alone,” she said, stepping away from Doug. “Al-Saud has cut him off. You know that Al-Saud is Mattan’s father, right?”
“Yeah, we know,” Tom said.
“Well, Mattan is drugged up and insane. I think he believes that if he blows up someone from the FBI, his father will forgive him. I know it doesn’t make sense, but that’s what he’s doing. He might also be thinking that if Valerie dies, there’s no one left to testify against his father.”
“Does he plan to be near the bomb when it goes off?”
Casey didn’t know the man who asked the question, but it was clear he was FBI. The real FBI. “I have no idea. I kind of doubt it. He’s a coward. Used men like this one”—she pointed to the dead man on the floor—“to do his dirty work.”
“Where in the world did Mattan get this bomb?” another man asked.
“He’s got all kinds of drugs and weapons here,” Sam said. “Putting together a suicide vest is easy with everything he’s amassed. It’s possible he’s even got chemical weapons. Might be a good idea to get this stuff secured.”
Agent Willis immediately pulled out his phone. “We need to get the bomb squad and hazmat team out here now. I’ll let them know we may also be dealing with chemical weapons.”
“He’s supposed to meet them at ten in the morning, sir,” Sam said to one of the men. Casey assumed this was his boss.
“We’ll be ready for them,” Agent Willis said.
Casey tried to stretch her sore muscles.
“How about some water?” Sam asked.
“You’ve done enough for me,” she said, tears filling her eyes. “You saved my life. I’ll owe you forever.”
“You don’t owe me anything,” he said softly. “Just doing my job.”
“I know this isn’t professional,” she said before leaning over and hugging him. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” He turned to Tom. “She’s been shot, and there’s infection in the wound. She should be taken to a hospital right away.”
Casey shook her head. “No way. I’m going with you.”
“No, you’re not,” Tom insisted. “You’re going to the hospital.”
“Please, Tom. I want to be there. I need to make sure E.J. and Valerie are okay.”
“Sorry.” He smiled at her. “I know you think I’m being unreasonable, but I’m not. With everything going on, I don’t need to be worried about you too. If your gunshot is infected, it could be serious. Don’t worry. I’ll keep in touch with you.”
“But—”
“Sorry, being acting chief means you gotta do what I say. Period.”
Another man stuck out his hand, and Casey shook it. “I’m Arthur Claypool from D.C. I think you worked for our service before I came
on.”
She nodded, then frowned. “How did you know about our code for assistance?”
Claypool grinned. “Your chief, Terry Osborne, told me about it. Thank God he did or else I wouldn’t have known you were in trouble.”
Agent Willis walked over to them, sliding his phone into his pocket. “I’ve advised the D.C. office about Mattan.”
“Can you just take him out?” one of the police officers asked.
“No. The problem is we have no idea how this bomb is set up. Mattan could have the trigger. If we shoot him—”
“He might set it off,” Sam finished. “You know, if you can keep him alive, he might turn on Al-Saud. I realize it’s a long shot, but he’s the one person who could bring an end to Ali Al-Saud. Even with everything I’ve found out here, I still can’t prove a direct link between Mattan’s operations and Al-Saud. He’s very clever when it comes to making himself look clean.”
“We’ll do what we can,” Agent Willis said. “Right now, though, I’m more concerned with how we’re going to keep these people alive and protect anyone else near that bomb.”
CHAPTER
FORTY-ONE
A few minutes before ten a.m., Mattan ordered E.J. and Valerie out of the car. E.J. was certain Claypool had picked up on his warning, but what had he done? E.J. didn’t dare try to overpower Mattan. He had a phone in his pocket that could be used to detonate the vest strapped to Valerie. It was way too risky.
Valerie was quiet. Too quiet. E.J. kept trying to reassure her that everything would be all right, but she didn’t seem to be responding. She’d been through so much, he wasn’t certain how she was still moving. He was determined to save her and hoping to save himself as well. E.J. was furious with Mattan. This stupid dopehead had hurt too many people and caused too much destruction. E.J. wanted him to face justice. He realized the FBI might want him alive, but E.J. was past caring about that. Next to seeing Casey again, he wanted to watch Mattan receive the justice he deserved.
As they walked up the street, E.J. could see the massive J. Edgar Hoover Building. Many considered it a monstrosity with its odd angles and sections that didn’t seem to fit with the rest of the structure. As they neared the entrance, E.J. looked around, trying to see if there were sharpshooters on the roofs of nearby buildings. He couldn’t be certain, but he thought he saw slight movement from a tall building across the street. Even if he couldn’t see the snipers, he knew they were there. But this was still chancy. One touch on Mattan’s phone could take out the whole block.