“You not mention anything about Ellen Bellamy,” advised Ahmed as he set up the video cam. “Tell camera that weather is beautiful in Yemen. Also say how nicely you are being treated and that your husband should not worry.”
He then grabbed my arm and led me down a hallway. One of the ways I stay in shape is karate. I’ve even earned a black belt. If that scumbag wasn’t carrying a gun, I’d have loved to get some kicking practice on his nuts. He shoved me into a small room and closed the door without even turning on a light. I groped my way along the wall until I found a light switch. When I turned it on, my eyes smarted from the sudden light. Then I noticed something in the corner under a small table. Could it be? I looked around the room, checking out every wall and the entire ceiling. There were no cameras or bugs. I walked over to the table and reached under it. There was an AK-47 with a full clip and an extra clip next to it. Obviously one of the gentlemen of the desert misplaced it. I had no plan, but I realized I had some firepower at my disposal. I opened the door to a small closet that was packed full of junk. Apparently they used the closet to hold stuff that they didn’t know what to do with. I put the AK-47 behind a couple of boxes. I stepped back to make sure it wasn’t visible. Now there was only one person who knew the location of the weapon, and that was me. I had no idea what I was going to do, but I had an option I didn’t have a few minutes before.
Chapter 53
After about 45 minutes, the delightful Ahmed walked into the room.
“How is you are finding light?” he inquired.
“I am finding switch by feeling along wall,” (dipshit) I said in my finest English-Arabic.
“You are coming with me.”
When we got back to the MacPherson suite, I noticed that the video cam was still on its tripod.
“You go now,” he said to the MacPhersons. Another guy escorted them down the hall.
“Now you are making video for to make your husband happy. Here, read this.”
He handed me a printout with my speaking lines written out.
“Do you just want me to say this, or should I talk normally to my husband?”
“Yes, read it and also be saying nice things, but nothing about where you are, and nothing about MacPherson people.”
I read from my script, trying not to laugh at the skill of the screenwriter.
“I am liking Yemen much. Food is good, and weather nice. I am guest of nice peoples who are treating me with respectings. You not be worrying about anythings. I am staying in such a nice place. I hoping come see you soon, Rick.”
Then I added, “I miss my dog Fiddles. Fiddles is such a good dog.”
Ahmed walked back into the room and dismantled the video cam. My “message” to Rick would soon be on its way.
Chapter 54
Buster and I were talking when my phone buzzed, indicating I had just received a message. It showed there was an attached video. I walked over to a desk and took out my iPad – better for Buster and I to see the video.
My heart missed a beat. There was my beautiful Ellen, sitting on a stool and wearing a long black burqa, her hair totally covered.
“I am liking Yemen much. Food is good, and weather nice. I am guest of nice peoples who are treating me with respectings. You not be worrying about anythings. I am staying in such a nice place. I hoping come see you soon, Rick. I miss my dog Fiddles. Fiddles is such a good dog.”
“Holy shit!” I yelled. “Ellen has an AK-47.”
“Can we replay the video, Rick? I didn’t catch anything about an AK-47.”
“It’s a code between Ellen and me. We’re writing a novel together. Nothing serious, but a lot of fun. It’s a crime thriller, naturally. In the draft so far, we’ve created an elaborate set of code phrases that the hero of the book uses to communicate with his people. ‘My dog Fiddles,’ means ‘I have a gun.’ ‘Fiddles is such a good dog’ means ‘the gun is an AK-47.’ ”
“Rick, do you have a list of the codes in the book?”
“Sure, it’s right after the table of contents.”
I walked over to the desk and withdrew the manuscript.
“Here are all of the codes we’ve come up with so far.”
“My God,” said Buster, “there must be over a hundred. Do you think Ellen remembers most of them?”
“Ellen has a photographic memory. Besides, she dreamed up most of the codes.”
“Rick, I need an electronic file of these codes to email to my man inside. I’m sure the place is bugged, but with these codes, my guy can communicate with Ellen. That means we can communicate with Ellen. Look at this one: ‘What’s for lunch,’ meaning ‘we’ll be there in less than an hour.’ Or this one: ‘I’m tired,’ meaning ‘take cover, things are about to get hot.’ Rick, this is the fucking Rosetta Stone. It’s as if we have a microphone in Ellen’s ear. Please copy and email this to me and I’ll forward it to my guy.”
Just what the hell is she going to do with an AK-47? I wondered.
Chapter 55
Bob McLaughlin and his nephew Andrew finished their photographic safari and flew back to New York. After dropping Andrew back in Yonkers, McLaughlin exchanged pleasantries and swapped some stories with his brother and sister-in-law. He continued on to Manhattan, where he was scheduled to meet with Ali Bashara. Shit, McLaughlin thought to himself. I’m supposed to refer to Brother Ali as Phillip Murphy, his infidel name.
***
“Peace be with you, brother Phillip.”
“I’ve told you to knock that off, Bob. My name is Phillip Murphy, not brother Phillip. And I don’t want to hear ‘peace be with you.’ ‘Hello’ will do just fine.”
“Sorry, Phil. I have to get used to these new rules.”
McLaughlin handed a flash drive to Murphy that contained all of the photos of the nine critical electric substations across the country.
“Your next assignment, Bob, will be a pleasant one. I know you like fishing, so round up your gear and tackle. You’re going to visit a few reservoirs around the country and photograph the best access spots for anyone who wants to, let’s say, fish.”
McLaughlin’s first destination was the New Croton Reservoir in Westchester County, New York. Along with the other reservoirs he planned to visit, combined they supplied 1.2 billion gallons of drinking water to New York City every day.
Chapter 56
Watching Buster work the phone is like watching a cat eat a sardine. The man knows how to get things done, and he’s got to have the world’s mother lode of a contact list. Buster sat in a corner of the room with his phone in one ear and his laptop in front of him.
“Okay, good news, Rick. I’ve just talked to Baqir Siddiqi on a secure phone. I get nervous as hell talking to him that way, but the guy is a pro.”
“Who is Baqir Siddiqi?” I asked.
“He’s my guy on the inside. We call him Smitty. He’s as cool an operator as they come. I emailed him the code list from your novel, and he told me that he’ll memorize the codes tonight, and will start to ‘talk’ to Ellen tomorrow. This little game that you and Ellen played with your book could be the breakthrough we need.”
Ellen and I had a lot of fun coming up with our fictional codes. Neither of us thought they might be useful to save her life someday.
“It’s getting late, Buster. You should go home and hit the sack.”
“I’m crashing here tonight. What did you think my bag was all about? I know you didn’t invite me, so I’m inviting myself. If you wake up in the middle of the night with some revelation, I want to be here.”
“Are you concerned that I shouldn’t be alone?”
“Yeah, that too.”
Buster’s not just a good spook, he’s a good friend.
Chapter 57
A man named Baqir Siddiqi carried a tray of breakfast foods into my room after knocking on the door. I had a small apartment off the suite that I shared with the MacPhersons. I really couldn’t complain about the surroundings, but I’d just as soon blow the place up.
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“I hope springtime arrives soon,” said Siddiqi, in only slightly accented English.
“What? Say that again.”
“I hope springtime arrives soon,” (‘Don’t worry, help will be here soon’) he repeated, staring into my eyes and smiling.
“I’m hungry as a bear,” I said (‘Are you on my side?’).
“It looks like it’s going to be a nice day,” he said (‘Nothing could be more true.’). A friendly little dog wagged its tail at me this morning (‘Your friend says hello.’).”
Holy shit. Rick’s talking to me through this guy, I thought. Obviously he has the code from our novel.
“I have chores to do,” said my newfound friend. (‘We’ll talk soon.’)
So this guy must be an inside mole, somebody put there by Buster, no doubt. Like Rick said, Buster’s an amazing spook. I’m actually able to communicate with my husband and the outside world. This changes everything. I may actually live through this. But that’s getting ahead of things.
Chapter 58
I woke up automatically at 5:30 a.m., even though I didn’t sleep well. Something must be on my mind, such as my wife being violently kidnapped.
I walked into the kitchen to put on a pot of coffee. Buster (no surprise) was sitting at the table with his laptop.
“So, Mr. Action Figure, what’s new since I last saw you a few hours ago?”
“Smitty has communicated with Ellen in code. It’s working, Rick. Ellen said, ‘Where did I leave my notebook?’ meaning she sends her love. Smitty says everything is okay. He and Ellen have no problem code talking. Ellen and the MacPherson women are being treated well, and Smitty will make sure of it. I just got a message from Director Carlini. He wants to meet us at 26 Federal Plaza this morning at nine. FBI Director Watson will be there as well, along with Bennie Weinberg and Barbara Auletta. This is going to be an important meeting.”
Chapter 59
A car picked up Buster and me in enough time to wrestle with early Manhattan traffic. We arrived at Federal Plaza at 8:55, just in time for our meeting. Bennie was already there.
We all shook hands, feeling like we were old friends. Well, I guess we were.
“Bill, please begin the meeting,” said FBI Director Watson to CIA Director Carlini.
“Folks, things are starting to move incredibly fast, which is the normal speed for Buster over here. I’m going to ask Rick and Buster to bring us up to date on what’s going on. Buster briefed me already, but I want everyone to hear it.”
Buster and I gave a play-by-play of the previous two days, starting with Ellen’s kidnapping. We told them about the code Ellen and I had developed, and Buster discussed Smitty’s involvement on the inside, although he wouldn’t mention his name, either in English or Arabic.
After we were done, Sarah Watson turned to me and said, “Rick, I’m sure you understand that I have to relieve you of any operational management of this case. It’s a standard policy. If an agent has a family member who’s been compromised, not to mention kidnapped, you can’t serve on the case.”
I was about to speak when Buster chimed in.
“Madam Director, if I may. Rick and I discussed this last night, and I believe Rick fully understands, although he’ll speak for himself. But I can’t suggest more strongly that we put a limit only on Rick’s operational involvement. We need him on the inside with us. If Rick hadn’t told me about the code he and Ellen came up with for their book, we’d all be standing around with our heads up our asses, if you pardon my bluntness.”
“I couldn’t agree more, Buster,” said Watson. “If guns come out, Rick stays put. Other than that, he’s still on the case. So now we have to turn our minds to exactly what we’re going to do. Bill (turning to Carlini), do you agree that this is what we’re up to this morning?”
“Yes, Sarah, I agree. I’d like to hear Buster’s opinion.”
“It really isn’t complicated,” said Buster. “We have to attack and hit them fast and hard. As I told you, I’ve got a guy on the inside, a good guy. Rick convinced me that if we just sit and wait, his wife Ellen and the MacPherson women will be killed. We can’t come up with any reason al-Qaeda would want them to live. They may keep the MacPherson women alive until after the Black Friday operation, but then they’re not only worthless to al-Qaeda, they’re a big security risk for them. We can’t figure out any use Ellen may be to them once they’ve gotten all the information from her that they can. Unless we want to see these three women killed, it’s time to lock and load.”
“Assess the level of danger for us, Buster.”
“It will be dangerous but doable. Attacking a hostage location is always a tricky operation. We’ve had the place under surveillance for two days, and we have satellite reconnaissance and a 24-hour video recorder in a van up the street. We’ve identified ten men, counting my guy, which means we have nine people to worry about. In her video, Ellen indicated to Rick, in code of course, that she has access to an AK-47. I think a dozen SEALs in the middle of the night should do the trick. My guy can communicate with Ellen to let her and the MacPhersons know when to lay low. We know exactly where they are in the house, so we know where we have to avoid shooting. Ellen can keep her AK-47 trained on the door to the suite she shares with the MacPhersons. The SEALs will have a code to identify themselves.”
“Does Ellen know how to use an AK-47, Rick?” asked Sarah Watson.
“Yes, Madam Director. After I convinced Ellen to get a pistol permit, I insisted she get checked out on an AK-47. I gave her some intensive training. She’s also a black belt in karate. My pretty, feminine wife is one tough lady.”
But she’s not bullet proof, I thought.
“Buster, call your SEAL contact in Little Creek and set up a preliminary meeting. I’ve already cleared it with the chief of naval intelligence.”
“Done already, sir. I’m meeting him this afternoon.”
Carlini laughed. “With you on our side, Buster, I almost feel sad for the jihadis.”
“We’ll meet back here in two days,” said Carlini. “Is that okay with you Sarah?”
“As Buster said, Bill, it’s time to lock and load.”
Chapter 60
The morning’s meeting did nothing for my nerves. We were actively planning a shootout at the house where Ellen was a hostage. I agreed that it was the only choice, but that did nothing for the knot in my stomach, a knot that reminded me that the woman I love would soon be in danger of her life.
I looked at the caller ID on my cell phone. I didn’t recognize the number, so I expected it would be one of Ellen’s captors with another message. A heavy Scottish brogue greeted me on the other end.
“Good afternoon, lad. It’s Angus MacPherson. It appears you and I share a bond that we wish we didn’t. Would you please meet me at my house this afternoon at three?”
***
My rental car pulled under the porte cachere at the back of the mansion. Angus MacPherson was waiting for me in the doorway.
I walked up the two steps and extended my hand. He grabbed me around the neck and gave me a bear hug.
“Welcome to the brotherhood of kidnap victims, lad.”
“I wish neither of us belonged to that group, Angus. I hope our membership will lapse sooner than later.”
He led me into the den and poured two tumblers of brandy.
“So have they contacted you, Rick?”
“Yes. Take a look at this video I got yesterday.” I showed him my iPad, with Ellen reciting her lines.
“I am liking Yemen much. Food is good, and weather nice. I am guest of nice peoples who are treating me with respectings. You not be worrying about anythings. I am staying in such a nice place. I hoping come see you soon, Rick. I miss my dog Fiddles. Fiddles is such a good dog.”
“It’s obvious, lad, that Ellen didn’t write the lines herself,” said Angus with a chuckle. “So she misses her dog as well as you.”
“Uh, yes.” I wasn’t about to let Angus know that she was spe
aking in our private code.
“Margo and Jane are in Yemen, too,” said Angus. “Or so I’ve been told.”
“Well, the only thing we have to go on is what we’re told, right?”
“Do you really have a dog named Fiddles?”
“Why do you ask?”
“Let us be frank with each other, Rick. I have my sources, good sources. Even though I don’t control my security company any more, I still keep some of my best people, former employees, on my personal payroll. So tell me, do you really believe they’re in Yemen? Or could it be much closer, perhaps as close as New Jersey?”
“Angus, you asked me to be frank, and I will. There are things that you don’t know, and things that you shouldn’t know. In the FBI, we have a doctrine that we follow called a ‘need to know.’ It has nothing to do with a person’s trustworthiness, and God knows we trust you. But there are some matters that that only a few people should have access to. Leave this up to us, to the FBI and the CIA.”
“So it is New Jersey, then. Tenafly to be exact?”
“Angus, I don’t know how you came across that information, but please leave this to us. We know what we’re doing and how to do it.”
“Rick, I asked you to come here for a reason. Let me share my thinking with you. I have no reason to believe that Margo and Jane are in danger until the day after Black Friday. After that I believe they will be killed. But your lovely wife, on the other hand is more expendable, shall we say. You may be ahead of me on this, but I think that the only reason they kidnapped Ellen was to open a conversation with Margo. They want to find out what Ellen knows. Once that is accomplished, they have no reason to keep the poor lass alive.”
“We’re on the same page, Angus. All I can tell you is that we’re aware of the situation, and we’re planning to, well, intervene. That’s all I can tell you.”
The Shadows of Terror Page 11