“Well yes … and no,” said Kevin.
“Do you blame them?” Toby and Kevin both sat down on the sofa, and Toby took out the burgers, placing them on the coffee table.
As the men settled in with their burgers and beer for what they’d hoped would be a quiet Sunday afternoon, Kevin was thinking about Katie. He hoped he’d done enough to ensure Katie and her son’s safety. No one knew where she was going. Check. She had a cell that couldn’t be traced. Check. She was drilled in some basic precautions against being tailed. Check.
His mental checklist reassured him. He’d now wait until word came that Katie and William had arrived safely.
Chapter Fifty
Washington, D.C.
Nothing out of the ordinary happened on Sunday or Monday. Kevin and Toby occupied themselves with reading, watching TV, cleaning their weapons, and taking short walks in Dupont Circle, where the bustle kept their minds off their mission.
On Monday night, it all changed. Around ten p.m., Kevin heard something unusual while watching TV. He motioned for Toby to be quiet and lowered the volume on the TV. Then the lock on the front door started jiggling.
Kevin signaled for Toby to turn off the lights. Each of them retrieved their pistols. Kevin motioned to Toby to get on the far side of the front door, while Kevin positioned himself on the other side. They waited until the lock clicked open.
From his vantage point, Kevin could see the hand on the doorknob as it opened into the room. The light in the hall framed the silhouette of a man. Kevin didn’t wait. He grabbed the intruder by his arm and yanked him into the room. The man stumbled to the floor and Kevin whacked him with his gun on the side of the head.
Toby looked out into the hallway to see if the intruder had friends. No one. He slammed the door shut and joined Kevin, pointing his gun at the man on the floor.
“Get up!” Kevin ordered, kicking the man in the legs.
The man rolled over, his eyes full of fear. “Who … who … are you?” he asked.
“Funny guy,” Kevin said.
“Kevin?” Jimmy stammered. He stared at two gun barrels poking in his face. “I’m … I’m Jimmy Stein, Katie’s boyfriend.”
Kevin and Toby looked at each other, shook their heads in disbelief, and put their guns away.
“Get up, Jimmy,” Kevin said, exasperated. “Now tell me what brings you ‘unannounced’ to Katie’s apartment?”
“What kind of priest are you?” Jimmy asked, rubbing his head where Kevin had struck him. It hurt like hell.
“The kind that hits people who break into apartments,” Kevin said. He pointed at Toby. “And this is Toby Beck. He doesn’t like intruders, either.”
Toby exaggerated a fake smile.
Jimmy got up and brushed himself off with his hands. He looked nerdy, wearing a dark gray suit and yellow bowtie. “I came to check on Katie,” he said. “I haven’t been able to reach her. I was concerned.”
“She’s fine,” Kevin said. “She’s gone out of town.” “Why?”
“None of your business.”
“I’m engaged to her, for Chrissake!”
“We know that, dufus,” said Toby.
“Sit down, Jimmy,” Kevin said. “It’s my turn to ask some questions.”
Toby pushed Jimmy down on the couch, then sat in a chair across from him. Kevin sat down in the other chair and said, “Who do you work for, Jimmy?”
“I’m an account executive as Wellesley Ferrer, an investment firm. I told you that in Sarajevo.”
“Not what I meant, Jimmy. Tell me what you know about Greg Maggio and Opus Mundi.”
“Opus Mundi? What’s that? Maggio is a client of mine. He was a walk-in at my firm.”
“Don’t play games with me,” said Kevin. “I’m in no mood for fibbing. Think again. What do you know about Opus Mundi?”
“Something about it being the right-wing Catholic group that wants to take over the Church … If I’m not mistaken, I read about them in the New York Times Magazine and—”
“Cut the crap!” Toby said loudly.
Startled, Jimmy jumped in his seat. “I don’t know why you’re asking me about Opus Mundi. I have nothing to do with them. I only know what I’ve read!”
“Let me try something else, then,” Kevin continued. “Have you been spying on me and digging up dirt on my background?”
Jimmy Stein’s jaw dropped. He stammered before realizing that lying would do no good. “Yes,” he whispered.
“Now, why would you?”
“I love Katie,” Jimmy said softly. “And I … I … guess I was jealous. She loved you, Kevin. Now she loves me, but there were times … I don’t know. I’m sorry.”
“What did you find out about me?”
“That the U.S. Army whitewashed your record, covering up your killing of an American soldier who’d assaulted an Iraqi girl, not an al Qaeda terrorist who you said you’d killed. I just wanted Katie to know you’re not as wonderful as she thinks.” Jimmy looked pathetic, really.
Kevin glanced at Toby. At this point he didn’t know what to do.
“Let him go, Kevin,” Toby said. “He can’t help.”
Kevin motioned for Jimmy to get up.
Leaning over, Toby whispered in Kevin’s ear. “I meant to tell you I finally got word from my investigative contacts. They looked into this guy. He’s clean. There’s almost no chance he’s working with a foreign group. And it’s true that Maggio just walked into his firm and asked for him. Maggio used him to get to Katie. And we’d know if he had any overseas contacts. He didn’t.”
Kevin nodded and followed Jimmy to the door. “I’m sorry, Jimmy,” Kevin said. “I know Katie loves you, not me anymore. But don’t try to contact her for a few days, okay? This is a safety thing. She’ll explain more in due course.”
Jimmy nodded and opened the door. As he left, Kevin called out to him. “And Jimmy, you were right. I’m not so wonderful.”
Chapter Fifty-One
Washington, D.C.
Another uneventful day passed for Toby and Kevin. They woke up, had breakfast, and hung out in the apartment.
In midafternoon, Toby’s phone buzzed. He checked the caller ID and took the call. He nodded a few times, asked a couple of questions, and hung up.
“We have visitors, buddy,” Toby said.
Kevin put down the Washington Post he was reading. “Who?”
“According to U.S. Customs, one Carlos Alameda and two male travelling companions arrived at Dulles last night. We have no trace of where they’re staying. They lied about where they’re headed.”
“That means we have to cancel our dinner reservations,” Kevin said. “We wouldn’t want to miss anything.”
Toby plopped down on the couch with the TV remote in his hand. “No problem, I’m getting kind of attached to this soap opera,” he said. “Let’s order in pizza.”
“Okay, but none of that squiggly stuff you like on it, okay?”
“They’re called ‘anchovies’ and every pizza connoisseur savors them.”
Kevin grimaced. “How’ll we track Alameda and his gang?”
“You’ve got to assume they have fake U.S. identities, like South Dakota drivers’ licenses or something,” Toby said.
“Probably.”
“Kevin, let’s go through the instructions you gave Katie.”
“Sure.” Kevin explained that he’d given Katie a quick lesson in anti-tailing strategies; he replaced her cell phone and gave her a secure one; gave her instructions not to contact anyone, and Kevin was certain she’d comply.
“Shit!” Toby stood up.
“What?”
“Those guys have cohorts here. Did you sweep her car for a GPS tracker?”
Kevin’s face turned white. “My God.”
“Likely Maggio took care of that. We’ve got to get to Fredericksburg,” Toby said.
“Anyone with her at the house?”
“She’s got security—but it’s all electronic; they can get there in m
inutes if needed.”
“Looks like we need it now,” Kevin said.
Toby grabbed his jacket. “Get the weapons,” he said. “We need to get on the road.”
Chapter Fifty-Two
Fredericksburg, Virginia
Kevin had never been to Fredericksburg, Virginia. This sleepy, bucolic town had seen little of the kind of feverish activity it was about to witness. Kevin had often thought of taking a Sunday afternoon drive there to stroll the cobblestone streets and visit the historic houses. Not on this visit.
While on the road, Kevin called Katie. “Katie, this is Kev. I want you to go right now and make sure all your doors are double-locked securely.”
“Yes, of course they’re locked. But I’ll double-check. What’s going on? You’re frightening me, Kev.” She was in the upstairs bedroom, reading, with a glass of Merlot. The day had been uneventful. William was sleeping soundly in an adjacent bedroom.
“We’re on our way there. I don’t want to alarm you, but be on the lookout for anything unusual.”
“Why, Kevin? What’s going on?”
“Nothing for sure. We’re just being cautious, OK? I’m on my way with Toby. We’ll be there in less than half an hour. Is your phone charged?”
“Yes.”
“Stay on the line with me.”
“What about the baby?” asked Katie.
“Go get the baby, and hide him in a closet,” said Kevin. “Do it right away.”
While keeping the phone line open, Katie ran into the bedroom and grabbed William. He barely moved. Thank goodness he was a sound sleeper. She took him into her bedroom and opened the closet door. Inside were several cardboard boxes. She placed him in one of the boxes, covering him with one of his blankets. Then she closed the door. William gurgled and cooed, and went back to sleep.
“OK, he’s hidden,” Katie said. “He’s asleep, he should be alright.”
“Good,” said Kevin.
In a couple of moments, she screamed, “Kevin!”
“What? Katie. I’m here.”
“Someone’s ringing the doorbell!”
Shit.
“Can you see the front door?” Kevin asked.
“Yes, out the bedroom window.”
“Okay, look out. But make sure your lights are out.”
Kevin looked helplessly over at Toby, who was already calling CIA security and the local police.
“There’s a man in dark clothes out there.”
“Stall, Katie,” he said as calmly as he could. “Toby’s calling the authorities. We’ll be there in a few minutes.”
“How do I stall?” she asked nervously.
“Stay in your bedroom. Lock the doors.”
While Kevin was speaking, Katie heard a thunderous crash downstairs. The back door had been kicked in. She heard footsteps at the front door. Someone was opening it, letting someone else in.
“Oh my God! They’re in the house! Hurry!” Katie said.
Kevin heard someone pounding on the door to her bedroom.
“Miss O’Connell!” The voice was deep, throaty, and accented.
Katie shook and her teeth chattered. Her heart thumped in her chest. Could they hear her heartbeat? Now in the distance she heard police sirens. Where was Kevin? The sirens grew closer and louder.
“I’m crawling under the bed,” Katie whispered into the cell, hoping Kevin could hear.
The next sound Kevin heard on the phone was the bedroom door smashing open. It didn’t take the intruders long to figure out where she was hiding. One of them kicked the bed aside.
“Get up,” the deep voice ordered. He grabbed Katie’s arm.
Kevin could hear as she struggled to her feet.
“What do you want with me?” Katie asked. Now William began to cry from the closet.
“Well, well … what have we here?” One of them had opened the closet door, and saw little William squirming in the box.
“Please don’t touch him!” Katie yelled.
“Shut up.”
There was the sound of someone slapping Katie’s face.
The phone went dead.
Toby and Kevin’s car screeched to a halt in front of the house. Two police cars arrived seconds later, sirens blaring. Red, blue, and green lights were flashing throughout the neighborhood. The neighbors were fully awake and clusters of people were gathering in their pajamas in their yards and on their wraparound porches.
Kevin rushed into the house. “Katie! Where are you?”
He spotted the open back door and ran back out.
Toby told the police chief, “They’re gone. They kidnapped a woman and her baby. You need to form a perimeter around here immediately.”
The police chief wasted no time. Rushing to his car, he spoke into a microphone, giving orders. He went back to Toby and Kevin. “I’ve got a helicopter taking off and we’ve got a security perimeter of a half a mile. They don’t have a chance.”
“We’re going out after them, too,” Kevin said. “Give me a radio and make sure we get clearance.” Kevin gave him the description and license number of his car. A young officer came over with a portable radio tuned to the police frequency.
Toby and Kevin ran to his car. “I’ll drive,” Kevin said.
Tires screeched as Kevin maneuvered around a blockade of police cars with spinning multicolored lights. Police barricades were being set up everywhere. The sound of a police helicopter thumped overhead, its two spotlights circling the surrounding streets. Kevin drove at high speed back toward the main road into town, the one leading to Interstate 95, the only viable escape route out of Fredericksburg.
While Kevin drove towards I-95, Toby listened to the portable radio. It squawked endlessly with chatter about every car they were seeing and what the helicopter was observing. Finally, there was something significant. The helicopter tracked a vehicle traveling at high speed out of the neighborhood. It was a blue Ford Taurus. The order boomed from the helicopter bullhorn to stop for questioning.
Kevin listened and noted the route the Taurus was taking. He checked his GPS screen and immediately changed course to pursue it.
Kevin screeched and twisted through the side roads, and quickly spotted the suspect Taurus. It was about to take the ramp to I-95 when the driver suddenly veered away, heading toward the river. Kevin was following at a safe distance. Near the Rappahannock River, the road running parallel to the highway had a series of small parks shaded by tall trees. The bastard did his homework, Kevin thought. The only way to escape the helicopter was to get undercover where the chopper couldn’t see them.
But the helicopter hung close. As the Taurus veered along the dark streets around the corner, the chopper stayed with them and the spotlights circled closer.
Kevin and Toby still could hear sirens in the distance.
The Taurus tore into a parking lot next to a bank with a railroad-crossing style gated entrance. At this time of night, the entrance wasn’t manned, and the gate was down.
Kevin continued to follow, wondering why the Taurus had picked this spot. He saw an old-fashioned wooden riser at the gate house that wouldn’t stop a runaway baby carriage. The Taurus driver approached the barrier slowly and ran the car right through it, sprinkling shattered wood fragments in its path. Then the Taurus pulled into the vacant lot and moved under the parapet covering the drive-in teller machines.
Kevin slowed, following them, staying far enough behind not to be noticed. When the Taurus stopped, the driver got out and opened the trunk. Kevin stopped a hundred yards behind and turned the car lights off, out of their line of vision. The driver unzipped the duffel bag and removed a submachine gun. He pulled back the lever and chambered the first round.
Lights way above were circling around the bank. The helicopter had found them.
In the empty parking lot, the gunman walked out into the open, waiting for the lights to find him. The spotlights continued to circle, zeroing in on their target. He was ready. Now the lights were on the bank and the teller
machines. The front of the car was visible in the bright spotlight. The other light came around and shone on the gunman. He waved and kept the gun hidden behind his back.
A blaring voice came from the helicopter. “Drop to the pavement, spread eagle!” The helicopter was slowly descending.
In one swift motion, the gunman jerked the machine gun around, pointed at the helicopter and started firing away, spraying bullets right and left.
“He’s going to down the chopper!” Toby said.
“We can’t go in now, Toby,” Kevin said. “I can’t risk Katie and the baby getting hit by the guys in the car.”
The spray of gunfire hit the helicopter, glass shattered, the engines sputtered and smoked, and the helicopter gyrated wildly. The pilot swerved the control stick right and left, trying to regain control, but to no avail.
The man on the ground kept firing. Now the rotors stopped and the helicopter started its descent, very slowly at first, then accelerating. It finally hit hard on top of the bank. Moments later, the deafening crash gave way to a series of explosions. Flames spewed out from the roof and down the sides of the building. The copter’s rotors came loose, rolling and tumbling to the ground. Seconds later, all that was left was a torrent of fire.
“Call it in!” Kevin shouted.
The gunman jumped back in the car. The Taurus took off. Kevin started up his engine and pursued.
Dear God, if I ever needed you, it’s now.
Doing eighty miles per hour on the empty road, the Taurus screamed past them. Kevin braked and spun his car around in heavy pursuit. Toby held his pistol, aiming at the car. “Stay with them, Kevin.”
They followed the Taurus at breakneck speed, until reaching the entrance to a recreation park marked by a row of tall trees clustered together. The park entrance welcomed visitors with a wooden sign: CLOSED AT DUSK.
The Taurus sped faster and Kevin’s Toyota followed in hot pursuit.
Toby radioed the police chief. “We’re going in.”
“I don’t want you guys to get in the way, ya’ hear? Stay in your car and let the police handle this. We’ll be there in a few minutes.”
Kevin and Toby looked at each other, knowingly. No way would they just let the police handle this!
The Secret of Fatima Page 28