by Vince Flynn
O’Rourke thought about killing the guards. He had killed several Iraqis during the war, but this would be more personal. “What type of men are they? Do they work for CIA?”
“No. They’re professional mercenaries. Probably men who have worked for him in the past.” Coleman scanned to the port and starboard sides, checking for any other vessels in the area. “Michael, the only way we can do it is to take the guards out. We can either take Arthur out, without knowing what’s going on, or we can grab him and find out what he and Nance are up to. . . . I say we grab him, but the decision is yours.”
33
IRENE KENNEDY WAS SOUND ASLEEP. AFTER arriving home from the Pentagon late the previous evening, she didn’t even have the energy to take off her clothes. She plopped down on the covers and was out in seconds.
Through her deep sleep she sensed that she wasn’t alone in her bedroom. Someone was watching her. She opened her eyes and saw the intruder. Looking back at her were a pair of little brown eyes. They belonged to her four-year-old son, Tommy. He was staring at her with a frown on his face and a juice box stuck in his mouth. Irene blinked her eyes several times and tried to rub the sleep out of them.
Tommy pulled the juice box away from his lips and asked, “Why are you sleeping in your clothes?”
Irene ignored the question and held out her arms. “Give Mommy a hug.”
Tommy set his beverage down on the nightstand and jumped up onto the big bed. Irene gave him a warm hug and kissed his forehead. “How have you been?” she asked as she rubbed her hand through his blond hair.
“Good.” Tommy liked to give one-word answers.
“How have you and Mrs. Rosensteel been getting along?”
“Fine. She told me to let you sleep.”
“She’s here?”
“Yep.”
Irene bolted upright. “What time is it?” She looked at the bedside clock and suppressed the urge to swear. She jumped off the bed and picked up Tommy. “Mommy’s late, honey. Go ask Mrs. Rosensteel to make me a cup of coffee, please.” Irene patted him on his little butt and headed for the bathroom. She showered in under three minutes and got dressed. Today would be a pants day. No time to shave the legs. With her hair still wet she shoved her makeup kit in her purse and headed for the kitchen. Tommy’s nanny handed her a cup of coffee in a large to-go mug, and Irene thanked her. She dropped down to one knee and kissed Tommy on the forehead. “I’ll call you from the office.” Standing, she added, “I love you.”
“I love you, too.” Tommy waved as she ran out the door.
Minutes later Irene was battling traffic on her way downtown. She reminded herself to call her mother and ask her to stop by and see Tommy. Since these assassinations had started, she’d been working some horrible hours and her time with her son had suffered.
She violated a half dozen traffic laws on her way to the Hoover Building and had still managed to put on her makeup. She appeared in Skip McMahon’s office less than thirty minutes after Tommy had awakened her, feeling better than one would have expected.
“Good morning, Skip.”
“Good morning, Irene. How are you doing?”
“Pretty good. I finally got more than a couple hours of sleep last night.”
“Good, because we’ve got a full day ahead of us. I just got out of a meeting with Harvey Wilcox and Madeline Nanny. They have solid surveillance set up on ten of the fourteen suspects and are hoping to have the last four taken care of by this evening. How are you and your people coming along?”
“Good. As of ten P.M. last night we had visual and phone surveillance initiated on all forty-five suspects.” Kennedy took a sip of coffee.
McMahon tapped his foot under the desk and looked at Kennedy, waiting for the good doctor to crack a smile and tell him she was joking. Kennedy gave no response, and McMahon realized she wasn’t kidding. McMahon wondered how in the hell the CIA could initiate surveillance on forty-five people in less than thirty-six hours. He was sure that, however they did it, civil rights were being trampled left and right.
The investigative side of McMahon wanted desperately to know how it was done, and the lawabiding federal-agent side wanted to be kept in the dark. After a brief internal struggle the investigative side won. “Irene, I have a hard time believing that you have the manpower to watch forty-five people around the clock.”
“We don’t.”
“Then how in the hell are you keeping an eye on all of these people?”
“It’s not about manpower, Skip. It’s technology.”
“What do you mean ‘technology’?”
Kennedy grinned. “I’d like to tell you, but it’s probably best if you don’t know. Just trust me that we can, and that we’ll pass whatever we learn on to you as quickly as possible.”
McMahon leaned back in his chair and frustratedly accepted Kennedy’s answer, understanding that it was probably best that he didn’t know. “I was thinking about your SEAL theory last night. The more I mull it over, the more intrigued I am. If these guys are as smart as we think they are, they would have tried to do something along the way to throw us off their trail.”
Kennedy set her coffee cup on the edge of the desk and stood. “I’m glad you brought that up. I need to call General Heaney and ask him about something. Would you dial his office and put it on speaker?” While McMahon dialed the number, Kennedy continued, “I was reviewing those personnel files last night and came across something a little unusual.”
One of the general’s aides answered, and a moment later Heaney was on the line.
“Good morning, Skip. What can I do for you?”
“General, I’ve got you on speakerphone. Irene is here with me and she has a question for you.” McMahon looked at Kennedy.
“Good morning, General. Did you get a chance to look at the file I left on your desk last night?”
“Yes, I read it over first thing this morning.”
“Did you know Commander Coleman?”
“Yes, I did. He was top-notch.”
“I noticed last night that out of all the files I reviewed, Coleman was the only SEAL who had been granted an early discharge. Is that uncommon?”
The general hesitated for a minute. “It is not a common practice, but the brass has been known to make exceptions.”
“Do you know why he was granted an early discharge?”
Again, the general paused. This time for a long enough period that Kennedy knew she had touched on something more than routine.
General Heaney cleared his throat and asked, “Irene, are you familiar with Operation Snatch Back?”
“Yes, I helped put the premission intel together.”
For a long period no one talked. McMahon had no idea what was being discussed, but by the tone of Heaney’s and Kennedy’s voices he could tell now was not the time to ask.
“Did you receive a postmission briefing?” Heaney asked.
“Not a formal one. I only heard rumors.”
“Coleman was the commander of the SEAL team we sent in.”
“His discharge was granted about a month after the mission?”
“Yes.”
“Did he crack up?”
“No . . . not really.”
“Did he request the early discharge, or was it offered to him?”
“I’m not aware of the exact circumstances. Admiral DeVoe, the force commander for the SEALs, and the secretary of the navy signed off on it.”
“Was Admiral DeVoe Coleman’s immediate superior in the chain of command?”
“Yes.”
“Do you think you could track the admiral down and call us back? I’d like to ask him some questions about Coleman.”
“I’ll get him on the line and call you right back,” responded Heaney in his quick, efficient, military tone.
McMahon looked up at Kennedy, who was still standing over the phone. “What was that all about?”
Kennedy sat down in a chair and closed her eyes. “Do you remember the Pan Am flig
ht that was blown up over Lockerbie, Scotland?”
“Yeah.”
“About fifteen months ago, the Agency located the whereabouts of the two terrorists responsible for the bombing. They were at a small military base in northern Libya. We sent a SEAL team in to take them out. . . . I’m not sure what happened. . . . All I know is that we lost part of the team.”
“How many men?”
“Ten.”
The phone rang and McMahon grabbed the receiver. “Hello.”
“Skip, General Heaney. I’ve got Admiral DeVoe on the line.”
McMahon hit the speaker button and placed the receiver back in the cradle. “Good morning, Admiral, this is Special Agent McMahon with the FBI, and I have Irene Kennedy from the CIA in my office. We’d like to ask you a few questions.”
With a noticeably unenthusiastic tone, the admiral said, “Shoot.”
Kennedy stood placing both hands on Skip’s desk and leaning over the phone. “Admiral, has General Heaney told you why we want to talk to you?”
“Yes.”
“Good. . . . Would you explain to me the events surrounding your granting of an early discharge for Commander Coleman?”
“Before I answer that, I’d like to know why you want to know.”
Kennedy looked at McMahon, and Skip leaned forward. “Admiral, this is Special Agent McMahon. We are involved in a very important investigation.”
“Is Commander Coleman a suspect?”
“No,” answered McMahon.
“Is that no, or not yet?”
“General Heaney, can you help me out here?” asked McMahon.
“Bob, this is some pretty serious stuff. I’ve been working with Skip and Irene for the last five days. They’re straight shooters.”
DeVoe thought about it and responded, “I will answer what I can.”
Kennedy rephrased her question. “Admiral, did Commander Coleman ask you for an early discharge, or did you offer it to him?”
“He asked for it.”
“Why?”
“He was unhappy about a certain issue.”
“Did that issue have anything to do with Operation Snatch Back?” asked Kennedy.
“I am not at liberty to discuss that subject.”
This time it was Kennedy’s turn to ask Heaney for help. “General?”
“Bob, Irene did the premission intel for Snatch Back. She has a higher clearance than you or I do.”
Kennedy repeated the question. “Did that issue have anything to do with Operation Snatch Back?”
“Yes,” answered DeVoe.
“Did he want out because the mission was a failure?”
“Not exactly. He was more upset about something that happened after the mission.”
“What?”
After a reluctant pause, DeVoe said, “Listen, I know where you’re headed with this, and I know the type of pressure you’re going to be under to make some arrests. I can tell you right now Scott Coleman has nothing to do with these assassinations. . . . None of my boys do. I’ve been having nightmares about this ever since I heard you showed up at JSOC five days ago. If you dig, you’ll find enough motive to indict every single one of my SEALs. None of them are really enamored of the behavior on Capitol Hill. Most of them have voiced opinions on the subject of who they think is fucking this country up—excuse my French—but that doesn’t mean they killed anyone.”
“Admiral, we understand that,” said McMahon. “We have already discussed this universal dislike of politicians with General Heaney, and we respect the sacrifice these men have made for America. I am running this investigation, and I’m not going to arrest anyone unless I have some solid evidence to back me up.”
“Special Agent McMahon, pardon my candor, but you are fooling yourself if you think you’ve got the final say in this investigation. You have another month, at the most, before those peacocks on the Hill start screaming for hearings, and when that happens, they’ll make the people in my profession look like a bunch of crazed killers.”
“Admiral, I don’t give a crap about what the politicians want.” McMahon’s voice grew louder. “I’m trying to find out who in the hell is behind these murders. We have a very strong reason to believe the assassins are American commandos. General Heaney, will you back me up on this?”
“He’s telling the truth, Bob.”
Kennedy placed a hand on her hip. “Admiral, why did Commander Coleman ask for an early discharge?”
“Is this conversation being taped?”
“No,” answered McMahon.
“I’ll tell you why, but this is completely offtherecord. If this thing turns into a circus trial, I’ll deny I ever said it.”
“It’s off-the-record, sir,” said Kennedy.
McMahon looked up at Kennedy and mouthed the word no. Kennedy shushed him with a wave of her hand.
“Are you familiar with the objective of Operation Snatch Back?” They answered yes and DeVoe continued, “We sent in a SEAL team. Coleman was the commander. He took half the team and went in first. They were inserted about two miles out from the camp, and they moved in and set up perimeter positions. They were to take out the sentries and provide cover for the second group that was to be vertically inserted by helicopter into the camp. The second group’s responsibility was to take the terrorists alive if possible.
“Coleman moved into position and then ordered the second group in. The choppers came in low and quiet. Right before they reached the camp, Coleman’s men took out the sentries as planned. The Black Hawk stopped above the camp, and before the second group could rappel to the ground, the chopper was blown out of the sky by a barrage of rocket-propelled grenades.
“Eight men and the two pilots, just like that. . . . Coleman and his team were extracted, and during their debriefing, every one of them stated that they thought the Libyans were waiting for them. They said everything looked good, and then within the blink of an eye a dozen rag heads appeared with RPGs. Coleman took it harder than the rest of us because he ordered the second team in. . . . He blamed himself for their deaths.
“We weren’t convinced the mission had been blown until several weeks later when I received word that the FBI had discovered a leak. I told Coleman the news, thinking it would help him put the blame elsewhere, but it didn’t work. He wanted to know where the leak came from, and I told him I didn’t know. A couple weeks later he came to me and said he wanted out. I asked why, and he said he’d lost faith. I tried to talk him out of it, but he wouldn’t listen. Scott was a good officer. He’d been a SEAL for almost fifteen years. I figured he’d given more than enough to the Navy, so I got him the early discharge.”
“Admiral, who told you that the FBI found a leak?” asked McMahon.
“I would rather not say.”
“Did this person say where the leak came from?”
“They said it was a prominent politician.”
“Did they tell you who that politician was?”
“No.”
“Did you tell Commander Coleman that the leak came from a politician?”
There was a moment of silence, then the admiral answered, “Yes.”
McMahon and Kennedy looked at each other. Both were thinking the same thing. McMahon looked back at the phone. “How did Coleman react to the information?”
“Like all of us did. He was pissed, but, gentlemen, I can assure you Commander Coleman is not your man.”
Kennedy raised her eyebrows in a doubtful manner and McMahon said, “Admiral, that’s all the questions we have for now. I’m going to ask that you not tell anyone about our conversation, especially Mr. Coleman. I promise that either myself or General Heaney will keep you informed about any part of the investigation that may involve you. General Heaney, we have a meeting with Director Roach that should last an hour or so. Could you meet Irene and me in my office around ten A.M.?”
“I’ll be there.”
“Thank you, gentlemen.” McMahon hit the speaker button and disconnected the line. He
looked up at Kennedy, who was still standing, and asked, “How many prominent politicians would have known about Operation Snatch Back beforehand?”
Kennedy shrugged her shoulders. “The way those guys gossip, you can never be sure, but according to law, the president and a ranking member of the Senate Intelligence Committee must be informed before we run a covert operation.”