“Once we arrive in Monterrey, the tour helicopter will take us to a small airport ten miles from the compound. From there a truck will take us the rest of the way to the compound. Should we have complications, Sparks will be waiting offshore to pick us up on the beach at Carboneras. If there are no complications we return to Monterrey and fly back,” said Stryker.
“How sure are you Pedro will do what we want?” asked Dirk.
Dirk’s value just went up a notch, thought Sparks.
“DEA is aware of his daughter going to college in California and living with his ex-wife,” replied Sparks.
“Yeah, that works definitely,” Dirk grinned.
Herb thought it likely the group worried what would happen if caught and decided to address the issue.
“I’m sure you might be thinking what if we get caught? I want to leave you with this one thought. Who do you think maintains security for the president of Mexico’s children attending schools in the United States? Getting caught is the least of our worries,” he smiled.
Herb left the meeting heading for a conference at DOD. Stryker remained at Alpha finishing the meeting and discussing times for various members to go to the firing range. He wanted everyone ready for action in five days.
Rachel reported to the group that Mossad agents watching the mosque in Minneapolis had been recalled to Tel Aviv for reassignment, thus ending the surveillance. Only she and Sara would remain on the hunt for Ali after the raid on Cruz.
All focus was now on Pedro Luis Cruz.
_____
Steven Petloki waited at the Capitol Grill bar for Jason Branch to arrive for their dinner reservations. Branch resigned as vice president in order to distance himself from a very unpopular president on the verge of impeachment. He formed an election committee and announced his candidacy for president immediately. With the death of Tom Nichols, Senator Leyland Hodges proposed running mate, Branch had catapulted himself to front runner status for the nomination. Branch entered the Grill through the front door into the dining and bar area accompanied by two private security guards. He no longer had Secret Service protection until he became the Party candidate.
Petloki walked toward him signaling their reservations were in the back of the dining room. They walked to the table and were seated with the guards at another table.
“What is so important that I had to drop a fundraiser?” asked Branch.
“Our man in the south said his men did not return from their assignment and he is very uncomfortable. He wants a higher percentage.”
“Ok, we make a deal, but he has got to take care of Stryker first. I can’t have complications, the nomination is too close. Do you understand me, Steven?”
“Yeah, Jason, I get your message loud and clear. We sweeten the pot. I hope everything else is going as planned?”
“It looks good so far, people on the Hill are crazy scared and hiring security because of the murders,” responded Branch.
“Looks like your security detail is smaller as well,” said Petloki.
“Yeah, no Secret Service. Even with less protection I still made a good decision to step down,” replied Branch.
The two men finished eating and Branch and his security men left the restaurant. Petloki remained and never noticed the two women sitting at the bar talking. He downed several drinks before leaving.
Rachel and Sara planned to stop watching Petloki the next day in order to get ready for Mexico.
24
Atlanta, Georgia
2016
Cynthia Robins finished her nightly news segment for the International News Association. She had been doing political coverage for several decades, and was considered to be one of the best in the business. Her recent coverage of the Israeli Prime Minister got some of her best ratings ever. She had always been a friend of Israel and that had certainly helped her get the interview. At age forty, and a former beauty queen, many suspected her looks also played a part.
Tonight, Cynthia was meeting Republican Congresswoman Paula Smith to plan the fundraiser for Republican presidential candidate Senator Richard Boone to be held in July prior to the National Convention. The Jewish Political Action Conference was sponsoring the event and the former Israeli Prime Minister was giving the keynote address.
The congresswoman was picking Cynthia up from work and they planned to have dinner at an upscale restaurant in Buckhead. Cynthia, being a friend of Israel plus her popularity would make planning much easier.
The women arrived at the restaurant at 7:00 p.m. and parked Paula’s black Mercedes S55 sedan in the side parking area.
From his position down the street, the assassin watched the women exit the car and enter the restaurant. He wore dark clothing, shoes and a cap to blend in with the dark spring night. With no moon or stars and a light fog, he blended in perfectly.
The rear seat of the S55 was roomy and he slipped into the car without notice. He had disarmed the security system using methods taught to him while in the military. Once in the car, he attached the suppressor to his Makarov 9mm pistol. He spread a black plastic tarp partially in the rear seat floor wells and disconnected the inside light. He then rolled into a crouch behind the driver’s seat and waited.
Inside the restaurant, Cynthia and her friend Paula discussed ideas for the event and generally made plans. More detailed meetings would be necessary but tonight the basics were formed.
Both women had busy schedules and with the bad weather on the way, finished their dinner and hurried to the car, talking as they went.
Congresswoman Smith unlocked the driver and passenger doors, not noticing the interior light not working or the man crouched in the back seat.
It was over in seconds, as the man fired through both back seats hitting the women with multiple rounds. There was no flash and little sound as the women slumped forward, not moving.
He waited, making sure no one was watching then moved each body to the rear seat and wrapped them in the tarp. He retrieved the shell casings then took out his knife. The assassin was finished in minutes before disappearing into the darkness.
Later that night, a patron parked next to the Mercedes started screaming hysterically, while running back inside the restaurant. The police and EMS were called and arrived to find the woman in complete hysteria screaming about the heads. She screamed and screamed as EMS took her to the hospital.
_____
Farshid Farhadi aka Michael Posten waited for word of the second group of foreign fighters coming across the Mexican border. Since his arrival into the United States with Ali, Farshid had trained the first group readying them for the work of Allah. He used smuggled explosives to build backpacks according to Ali’s requirements. Three months passed and the second group had been delayed. Ali continued to travel, researching targets while waiting for the second group to arrive.
He called Farshid, reassuring him the second group was on the way and that he was returning to help Farshid make preparations to move the men to Georgia.
The fighters were gathered on a farm north of Minneapolis owned by Michel Posten aka Farshid Farhadi, an American citizen of Iranian decent. Michael fled to Canada when Iranian sleeper cells were rounded up after the church bombings in 2011. He was the sole owner of the farm.
_____
After killing the two women at the restaurant in Atlanta, Ali drove north to a warehouse he rented months prior. The facility was hidden away in an older industrial park. As in the past, warehouses were perfect places to hide and prepare for attacks. He had stocked enough supplies for six months, expecting up to twenty men. During previous trips, he had gathered equipment and ammunition from black market sources in several states. Making sure all was in order at the warehouse he departed the Atlanta area, heading toward St. Louis. He was headed to the farm, but wanted to visit St. Louis again on the way. He wanted to make sure nothing had changed now that warmer weather was coming. During his last visit, there had been talk of closing some streets and the possibility of curfews in so
me suburbs due to more planned civil unrest. With warmer weather protest planners scheduled times for their events in the area. Ali had copies of the times and places, so now one last pass through the area should do the trick. His eyes glowed, seeing the event take place in his mind.
Ali Shirazi would once again reign down death and destruction on the infidels.
He arrived in St. Louis and drove to the three areas where protests were planned. Nothing appeared to have changed. Burned out buildings from previous protests remained black and gutted. Another police shooting occurred, guaranteeing protests, most of which would be violent.
He finished looking around then drove nonstop to the farm, a plan developing in his mind.
25
Washington, DC
2016
The meeting was scheduled on short notice, after calls from Capitol Hill to the director started coming in at an alarming rate. Widespread panic, fueled by media speculation and conspiracy theorists, pushed the FBI to form a task force.
Riley Clark and her partner Mike Kelly sat on the third row from the front in the largest conference room in FBI headquarters. They were some of the first to arrive and picked the best seats in order to hear the speakers clearly. They had been told that only the best and brightest agents and analysts would be invited. Riley and Mike would be discussing with the group the status of two cases they were working. Riley was nervous since the director would be present in the meeting along with other top brass. She spoke at length with Mike about what they would report and concluded nothing would be mentioned about the possibility of Ali Shirazi slipping into the country. The present administration was not interested in the idea of foreign fighters attacking politicians or media since it went against their public narrative. Without proof, Mike believed mentioning Ali at the meeting would be counterproductive. Riley agreed with him, therefore, she would defer all discussion concerning the cases to Mike.
Slowly, the room filled with mostly men and a few women. Today’s FBI looked more like bankers and attorneys than the tough “G” men of the Hoover era. They were efficient but most never worked the mean streets before joining the Bureau. The exceptions were former military men who had seen violence up close and personal and now served in the tactical HRT and SWAT teams.
“Good morning everyone, we are here today to form a task force to find the killer or killers of reporter Paul Jackson, former Governor Tom Nichols and others. Special Agent Mike Kelly will update you on the Jackson and Nichols investigations,” said Director Lee Hamilton.
Mike Kelly approached the speaker’s stand and asked one of the assistants to pass out information. Once everyone had their copies, he began describing the murders.
“You will note in your brief the murders of Paul Jackson and former Governor Tom Nichols are similar in that both men worked for the same news organization. Nichols was a former politician and more recently a news analyst. Both were involved covering the 2016 elections. Paul Jackson worked for the International News Association at their headquarters in Atlanta. Tom Nichols was a news contributor for the same organization and rumored to be in consideration as the running mate with presidential candidate Senator Leyland Hodges,” said Kelly.
“The death of Paul Jackson occurred in December of last year near a restaurant in Georgetown. He was meeting with Tom Nichols for dinner. The purpose of the meeting was believed to concern Nichols possibly being the vice presidential running mate with Leyland Hodges. No one will ever know since both men are now dead,” said Kelly.
Jackson never arrived at the meeting, and was killed by a single bullet to the back of his head in close proximity to the restaurant. There was heavy snow falling at the time and the street was dark. To date, we have no witnesses and no motive. His billfold and watch were taken to make it appear to be a robbery. The killer left no forensic evidence at the scene, but what makes us believe robbery was not the motive was evidence which suggests the use of a suppressor,” said Kelly.
“Contrasting Jackson’s death and Governor Nichols, we find the only similarity is the use of suppressed weapons. Governor Nichols was killed while driving by a sniper firing from a wooded area. We did recover the rifle, which was a Russian Dragunov with a PSO-1 scope and a suppressor. Later the governor’s wife was found dead in their home. She had been beaten and died of blunt force trauma to the head. Once again, no witnesses and no forensic evidence except for the rifle found at one of the crime scenes.”
An agent in the rear of the room raised his hand and Kelly acknowledged him before continuing.
“The director mentioned other murders in his opening comments but I don’t see any information in your written brief,” said Special Agent Morris.
Jeff Morris was considered in the same league as Mike Kelly and both men respected each other immensely. Kelly had been ordered to keep the other murders out of his written brief by the director who would answer questions personally. The director stood and walked to the front and joined Mike Kelly.
“What I am about to share with you does not leave this room. Understood?” he said.
“Several weeks ago, Congresswoman Paula Smith and news anchor Cynthia Robins were found murdered inside the congresswoman’s car in Buckhead near Atlanta. There has been nothing in the press due to Homeland Security making the murders a national security matter. This story will no doubt become public but for now, it remains a secret. The cause for concern is not the murders themselves but the manner in which they were staged,” said the director, motioning to Kelly.
“The women were both shot from the rear seat of the congresswoman’s car. Both were hit with multiple 9mm rounds in their backs and died immediately according to the coroner’s report. The weapon again was suppressed and there were no witnesses. The attacks were at night with fog in a parking area behind a restaurant. Both women’s heads were severed and placed on the dash of the car. A significant link exists, in that three of the victims worked for the International News Association. Agents from our field office in Atlanta are here so feel free to visit with them about more details,” said Kelly.
Mike Kelly left the speaker’s stand and returned to his seat beside Riley, who touched his arm indicating a good job. The director returned to the stand and spoke about the task force in general and those agents responsible for keeping it directed and running. Kelly was not surprised when the director named Jeff Morris to run the task force. At the proper time, he could talk to Jeff about Ali and he would listen. First, Kelly needed some small amount of proof.
Jeff Morris moved to the speaker’s stand and thanked the director, then began discussing how the task force would operate. No agents would be allowed to speak to the press except through the news media agent, which was still to be named. The management of different crimes and information flow was to be directed to the analysts directly under Jeff’s supervision. All case agents would report directly to the task force and not through their line of command in the field Offices. A tight rein on information and case investigation was the goal. All information would be gathered in a room used only for task force business. The operation would run twenty-four hours a day until the killer or killers were caught.
The task force was now officially formed, but those attending the meeting realized it would take weeks to become fully operational.
26
St. Louis, Missouri
2016
Ali arrived at the farm in Minnesota to greet Farshid and the first group of men set to attack targets in America. All were Shia, trained with experience fighting in Syria. With Farshid’s help, Ali picked three of them to go with him to St. Louis. Farshid and the rest were headed to the warehouse in Georgia. The second group would be delivered directly to Georgia after crossing into Texas.
Ali checked the backpack bombs, satisfying himself they were built to his specifications. The backpacks contained Semtex wrapped with metal bolts and nails for maximum casualties.
He explained to the three fighters in Arabic that they were going into a civil p
rotest, which would occur late at night. The crowd might be three to five hundred people plus a large police and media presence. The police, he explained, would stay in front of the police station and not use aggressive force unless things turned violent. He warned that the police would also be on the fringes and along the sides of the crowd moving in and out arresting agitators. With the police would be hordes of news media with cameras to record the events.
“We will wear dark clothes with hoods and backpacks to blend in with the protesters. The weather will be cool so the clothes should be perfect. We need to time our arrival with the growth of the crowd. Since we will be walking into the area, we will come from several different directions. We will locate the news trucks and carefully toss backpack bombs under the International News Association trucks. After we finish with the trucks, we will slowly fade to the center of the crowd and drop what is left. Next, we slowly walk away and exit as we planned. Do not run but drop to the ground when you hear the bombs go off. You will later appear on camera as surprised victims. After you get back on your feet, you can run with others out of the area. Once clear, blend back into the side streets marked on the map and come to where the van will be waiting. Make sure you are not followed,” he finished.
_____
The police started gathering at 2:00 p.m. along with the media trucks. Police came from other jurisdictions along with the state police to lend extra help. A command meeting was held to discuss plans for crowd control and possible violence. General agreement was reached on what constituted the use of tear gas and other measures. Every officer was given an assignment and location. Some undercover officers would be in the crowd with radios acting like reporters. For the most part, they prepared for rocks and bottles and small arms fire similar to past protests. They would review all news media credentials and warn reporters not to get in the way or they would be arrested. All media vans had a designated area for parking next to the protest street. A special tactical channel was designated along with two special emergency channels. Radio traffic was to be held to a minimum to avoid scanners.
Deadly Resonse (The Jake Stryker Series Book 1) Page 8