The Republic of Oz

by Ian Wisby

  “It’s very risky,” he said.

  “Listen, Boss. We know absolutely nothing about this guy. If we could get into his house, we can plant listening bugs and surveillance equipment. It will be our one best shot at preventing another attack,” said Ethan. He stood up, and started getting excited.

  “I’d have to get approval from the Attorney-General, not to mention an official warrant,” said Mick. Ethan rolled his eyes in detest.

  “We don’t have time to go through the proper channels, Boss. These guys are obviously professionals, and they will carry out another attack. But we can stop that from happening,” said Ethan. Mick didn’t know what to say after that, and he let out a sigh.

  He knew Ethan was right, but he just didn’t feel comfortable about it.

  “Okay, fine. But I want it dealt with discretely, and no one else can know about this operation, understood?” said Mick.

  “Understood. We’ll keep you apprised,” said Ethan. “Okay, team. Let’s get to it!” he and the others headed out the door.

  “Oh, Detective Faulkner, a word?” he called out. Diane stopped as she pushed open the door.

  “I’ll meet you at the car,” said Diane. She watched as Ethan walked off. “What’s wrong?”

  “So, how long have the two of you been seeing each other?” asked Mick. Diane became confused by this.

  “You mean, Ethan and I?” she asked.

  “No, I’m talking about you and Simon Harper,” he said. Diane’s heart almost exploded. Her face went as white as a sheet.

  “I’m not sure what you’re talking about, Boss,” she said, hoping that would work.

  “Don’t play games, Diane…I saw the way you looked at Simon earlier this morning…Plus, I also know that Simon is in fact your source of information, Malik Zahiri,” he said. Diane’s eyes closed. Her secret was out now, and she felt completely powerless.

  “Look, Boss…We were sleeping together, and I realize he is a married man, which is why I broke it off with him today,” she explained. Mick didn’t seem pleased at all, which was totally understandable, she did lie to him.

  “I won’t tolerate insubordination, Detective Faulkner…I find this kind of behaviour from you quite surprising. You’ve always been one of my best detectives,” he said. That hit her really hard in the stomach. She had never felt so disappointed with her self in her entire life. “I care about Ethan, he’s been through a lot, and I don’t want to see him get hurt…Make this right, Detective,” he said.

  “I’ll do my best, Inspector,” said Diane, solemnly as she got up to leave.

  “And Detective…Let this be a warning,” he added. She didn’t say anything, and just left.

  CHAPTER 5

  ERIC CARMICHAEL WAS still a bit overwhelmed by the fact that he was forced to steal personal information from his brother’s fiancée.

  He didn’t feel comfortable at all doing it, but it was the only way he could help his brother. The annoying thing now was the waiting game. He was waiting for a call back from his private investigator, Aaron Morgan.

  Eric was making himself a drink as his nerves were shot to pieces. As he took a sip, he jumped when his mother, Wendy Carmichael came in. “Sweetie, are you okay?” she asked.

  “Yeah, sorry Mum. You just startled me,” he replied.

  “Are you sure you’re okay? You just seem on edge,” said Wendy, resting her hand on his shoulder.

  “Honestly, I’m fine. Just think it’s the fact that my younger brother is getting married in a few hours,” he said. She didn’t know what to say to that.

  “Look, I know you miss your father, today of all days. But we need to be supportive of Danny. He’s getting married,” said Wendy, with a smile.

  Eric didn’t say anything at first and took a sip of his drink. Just then, his mobile started ringing.

  “Sorry Mum, I’ve got to take this,” he said. He answered the call and started walking away. “Hello?”

  “Eric, it’s Aaron Morgan. Are you alone?” he asked.

  “Yeah, what’s the verdict?” There was a slight pause.

  “I’m not going to sugar-coat it, because it’s not good…From the data we got from Ms. Denali’s hard drive, we uncovered multiple red flags,” said Aaron. Eric’s heart sank. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

  “What kind of red flags?”

  “We found out that Rana has been accessing a website that supports Muslim extremism. She’s accessed it multiple times over the past several months. We’ve even found her name referenced in several chat forums, as well as incriminating conversations about the Melbourne airport bomb attack.”

  “My God. So, what you’re saying is…Rana Denali is a terrorist?”

  “I’m afraid it looks that way…We also found out that Rana Denali has been depositing large amounts of money into Al-Hakim’s bank account,” said Aaron. “Listen, Eric. Because of this new information, I’ve had to report it to ASIO, as well as the AFP,” said Aaron.

  “What does that mean, are they going to arrest Rana?”

  “Possibly, but they’ll most likely question her first. It’s important for you to not discuss this with any one until she’s been questioned,” said Aaron.

  “You can’t expect me to not say anything to anyone.”

  “No, the last thing I want you to do is to tip her off that she’s being investigated. If she is working for this, Al-Hakim, it might trigger an attack,” he said. Eric didn’t reply to that. His heart was pounding.

  “Okay, fine. How long will it be before the AFP get here?” he asked.

  “I’ve already sent off the information packet to ASIO. They’ll review it and then pass it on to the AFP,” he explained. “It will probably be within half an hour.”

  “I can’t believe this is happening,” he said.

  “I know, and I am sorry about this. Just try to remain calm,” said Aaron.

  “How can I remain calm? I just found out that my brother’s fiancée is a terrorist,” he said.

  “I didn’t mean it like that, I’m just trying to help you, Eric,” he said.

  “I know, I’m sorry…Thank you for your help, Aaron.”

  “We’ll talk later.” Then the call disconnected.

  “Who was that?” asked Wendy Carmichael. Eric spun around quickly, almost dropping his phone.

  “Oh, it was no one important.”

  “Don’t give me that, who was it? Sounded important,” she replied. Eric closed his eyes.

  “Fine, you’ll find out sooner or later anyway.” She looked at him confused.

  “Find out what?” He walked up to her and took his mother’s hand. “Sweetheart, what’s going on? You’re scaring me.”

  “There’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you. It’s about Rana Denali,” he said.

  “What about her?”

  “I’ve been looking into Rana’s activities over the past couple of months and noticed some inconsistencies in the company’s books…At first I thought it was just a computer error, but then it kept happening. So, I decided to look further…I hired a private investigator to look into Rana’s activities. It turns out that the private investigator found something bad…She’s been in contact with a known terrorist,” he explained. Wendy just looked at him, with shock. Her eyes widened, and she gasped in disbelief.

  “Do you realise how insane that sounds?” she said. “Hiring a private investigator is one thing but suspecting Rana Denali is a terrorist is completely different!” she said.

  “I didn’t want to believe it either, Mum. But the fact is, the private investigator found out that Rana has been in contact with a wanted terrorist. She’s been financing him for the last twelve months,” said Eric. Wendy didn’t say anything. She started pacing the room in frustration.

  “How accurate is this information?”

  “It’s been confirmed. The private investigator sent it off to ASIO. They’re reviewing the information as we speak,” said Eric. “Mum, Rana Denali has been lying
to us…She’s a terrorist.”

  “Stop saying that, Eric!” Wendy shouted, and she started getting upset. “Rana has been part of this family for the past five years. I hardly believe she’s a terrorist!”

  “I can’t help what the private investigator found…And think about it, she’s from the Middle-East.” Wendy rolled her eyes.

  “Oh, come on, Eric. I raised you better than that!” she snapped. They fell silent after that.

  “Look, I’m sorry about this. But I just didn’t trust Rana from the moment I met her, and now I know why,” he said.

  “Well…I have no idea what to say to that,” she added.

  “You don’t have to say anything…It’s already done. The AFP will be here within the next hour to question Rana,” he said. Wendy just gave him an odd look.

  * * *

  An unmarked police vehicle pulled up on the side of the road. It was a silver Holden Commodore Omega. The occupants, Detective Sergeant Diane Faulkner, and Detective Sergeant Ethan Cooper, got out.

  Pulling up behind them was a white Transit van. It’d been decked out and transformed into a ‘Carpet Cleaning’ business, as a disguise. This was to not arouse suspicion with the neighbourhood, and for the AFP to conduct their surveillance properly.

  Before that could happen, the team had to install surveillance equipment. Both Diane and Ethan approached the front door.

  They had blue forensic gloves on and attempted to picked the door lock. “I take it you’ve done this before?” asked Ethan, as he stood next to her and kept an eye out.

  “Yeah, you could say that. Grew up with two older brothers,” she replied. It only took her a matter of seconds before she managed to pick the lock, and the door swung open. “Bingo,” she said. Then Diane and Ethan went in.

  “It would seem I hardly know you at all,” he replied with sarcasm. Diane just winked at him with a cheeky grin.

  They were soon accompanied by several other technicians, who were carrying bags and cases. “Okay boys. I want cameras in every room. Leave everything as it is,” said Diane. The technicians immediately went to work.

  Meanwhile, Diane and Ethan began a search of the house, trying to find anything unusual, or anything that would help with the investigation. Ethan was sifting through some paperwork left on the kitchen bench. They were bills and statements from the bank.

  “Looks like this guy’s been keeping to himself. No overdue bills, pays rent on time. Not even an overdue library book. Clean as a whistle,” said Diane.

  “That’s what these guys do. They blend in with society, and don’t draw too much attention to themselves before the main event,” Ethan replied. They continued searching through the house. Diane ventured into Mahmoud’s study, where she spotted his computer.

  Ethan followed her in. One of the surveillance technicians poked his head in the door.

  “We’re almost set up, Detectives,” he said, and Diane nodded. There was a brief moment of silence.

  “So, what did the Inspector want before we left the office?” asked Ethan, breaking the silence. Diane gave him an odd look. She let out a sigh.

  “This isn’t the appropriate time or place to be discussing this. We’ve got a job to do, now I suggest you do it,” Diane snapped, as she stood up. She’d been rummaging through a rubbish bin looking to see if Al-Hakim had thrown out anything important. Just then, her mobile phone rang.

  “Saved by the bell,” said Ethan, cheekily. Diane just rolled her eyes, and Ethan answered the call. “Detective Cooper,” he said.

  “It’s Inspector Greer. How’s it going over there?” asked Mick.

  “We’re almost set up here. We’ve done a search of his entire place. Nothing out of the ordinary that suggests he’s even remotely involved with terrorism,” said Ethan.

  “Well, obviously not too well…We’ve just received some Intel from Simon Harper. Apparently a private investigator has come across some interesting evidence,” said Mick. “He was hired by a rich family in Mosman to do some digging into the background of a potential terrorist suspect, Rana Denali. Apparently she’s marrying the brother of the PI’s client,” Mick explained.

  “So what’s her connection to Al-Hakim?”

  “That’s what we’ve got to find out. According to the PI, this Rana Denali is a Muslim, she’s been living here for the past ten years, but has recently shown signs of being radicalized,” said Mick. “The PI stated that she’s been transferring large sums of money to Al-Hakim’s private bank account.”

  “Bloody hell…We’d better go and question her then. You got an address?”

  “Yeah. They’re at 2 Kirkoswald Avenue, Mosman,” said Mick. “Felicity is sending you the coordinates.”

  “Okay, copy that. Detective Faulkner and I are heading over there now,” said Ethan, and then he hung up. He turned to Diane, who was still looking through stuff in the study. “Hey, Detective, we’re heading out. We’re following up a lead in Mosman. Let’s go,” he said, and they headed to the door.

  CHAPTER 6

  DETECTIVES ETHAN COOPER and Diane Faulkner arrived at the Carmichael family’s home on Kirkoswald Avenue, in Mosman.

  Ethan was immediately impressed by the sheer elegance of the house as he’d never seen anything quite like it.

  They pulled up outside the main entrance in their Holden Commodore Omega, and got out.

  Together, they walked over to the front door. “I feel a bit under dressed,” said Ethan, with sarcasm. Diane just chuckled. Of course, she was still very wary of the tension between them. She was being ever so cautious to not over step her ground.

  Ethan rang the doorbell. They waited for a few moments and then someone finally answered. It opened, and Wendy Carmichael answered the door.

  “Can I help you?” she asked.

  “Yes Ma’am. I’m Detective Sergeant Ethan Cooper, this is my partner, Detective Sergeant Diane Faulkner. We’re with the Criminal Investigative Branch, AFP. We’d like to speak with Rana Denali. Does she live here?” asked Ethan. They both showed her their CIB ID cards.

  “Yes, she does. What’s this about?”

  “I’m afraid it’s a matter of national security. We need to question her regarding an urgent matter,” Diane added.

  “Do you have a warrant to question her?”

  “As a matter of fact, we do.” Diane handed Ethan the warrant and she showed it to Wendy. She looked over it with her half-moon shaped spectacles.

  “Very well…Come this way,” she said, and showed them in. Wendy led them inside the mansion and showed them into the massive dining room. “If you’d like to wait here, I’ll get Ms. Denali,” she said. She closed the door and started to panic.

  “Who was at the door?” asked Eric Carmichael.

  “The bloody AFP,” she said, getting flustered. Eric’s eyes widened. “Where’s Rana?”

  “I think she’s in the kitchen sorting out lunch,” said Wendy.

  “Go and get her and make sure your brother doesn’t see this.” Eric scurried off to the kitchen. Rana was there and was helping the kitchen staff get lunch ready.

  “Hey Eric. I haven’t seen you all morning,” she said. Eric smiled. “What’s up?”

  “Ah, there’s a couple of detectives here, from the AFP. They want to talk to you,” he said. Rana stopped working, and her eyes widened.

  “Talk to me about what?” she insisted.

  “It’s a matter of national security. That’s all they said.” Rana didn’t reply straight away, and she walked over to him, not looking impressed.

  “Eric, what the hell is this about?” she demanded.

  “I don’t know any more than that,” he said.

  “They’re in the dining room.” Rana gave him an odd look and started walking out. As she walked over to the dining room, Wendy Carmichael was standing there.

  “Wendy, what’s going on? Why does the AFP want to speak with me?” she asked.

  “I don’t know, Rana. Just go in and talk to them. I’ll be waiting
out here,” she said. Rana paused. Then, she opened the door and went in. Diane and Ethan were sitting at the table and got up as she entered.

  “Who are you?”

  “Ma’am, we’re Detectives Cooper and Faulkner, Criminal Investigative Branch,” said Ethan. “We’d like to ask you a couple of questions regarding your connection to a terrorist group.” Rana just looked at them, shocked.

  “Excuse me?” she snapped. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

  “Ms. Denali…We have financial records that indicate you’ve been supporting a known terrorist by the name of Mahmoud Al-Hakim,” said Ethan.

  “I don’t understand, what records?”

  “Why don’t you take a seat, Ms. Denali?” She looked at Ethan, sharply. She paused for a moment and then went over to sit down. Diane showed her a computer file and had detailed financial records from Rana Denali’s bank account. She couldn’t believe what she was seeing.

  “There must be some mistake…I did not make these transactions,” she said, as she read over them.

  “These records indicate that you’ve deposited almost half a million dollars into Al-Hakim’s account less than two months ago,” said Diane. “We also found evidence on your computer that you’ve been accessing a Muslim extremist website…As well as instant chat messages with Mr. Al-Hakim through that website,” Rana was shaking her head in disbelief.

  “I’m telling you, there has to be a mistake. I did not make those transactions!” she shouted, with frustration. “Nor did I access that website!”

  “So, tell me…If you didn’t make those transactions, then who did?” asked Ethan. Rana didn’t know what to say.

  “I don’t know, but it definitely was not me!” she said, getting upset.

  “Ms. Denali, if you don’t start cooperating with us, things will go very badly for you,” said Ethan. He nodded his head at Diane. She got up and walked over to him. “This isn’t going anywhere. I think we need to bring these people in,” he added, in a whispered tone.

  “You think that’s a good idea?”