by Bryan Murray
The young agent took a deep breath. “Thank you, sir. Now this is really getting personal!”
Sarah was already thinking ahead. “Have there been any claims of responsibility, Minister?” she asked.
Ari nodded in confirmation. “Yes, ‘Circle of Death’, a Turkish terrorist group.”
Daniel was thinking out loud. “My poor sister Mary!”
Sarah put her hand on his shoulder. “We’re so sorry, Daniel!”
He nodded, still numb. “Thanks.”
Jake was curious. “And did they e-mail the claim in, Minister?”
Ari nodded. “Yes, it came in three hours ago.”
Sarah shook her head from side to side. “Something’s wrong here, gentlemen, I wish the heck I knew what it was!”
Ari nodded. “I agree. So, what do you want to do now, Daniel?” he asked.
Daniel thought for a moment. “Well, sir, I’d like to stop by and see my sister before we head back to LA.”
Jake and Sarah nodded in agreement.
“Of course,” Ari replied as he walked them to the door of his office. “Go ahead and Daniel, please convey our sincerest condolences to your sister and her family.”
Daniel nodded, still in a daze, “I will, sir and thank you.”
Walking back to the car, Jake was even more convinced that something deeply sinister was going on. He put his hand on Daniel’s shoulder. “I’m so sorry about your nephew, Daniel, your sister must have been devastated, and especially if she was watching it live on TV?”
Daniel nodded sadly. “Thanks, guys, that’s where I’m going now. Can I drop you on the way? We’ll try and get a flight back to LA around noon, okay?”
Jake nodded. “Sure, just tell us the time and we’ll be ready.”
After dropping Jake and Sarah at their hotel, to freshen up and re-pack, Daniel drove up to a neat house in the suburbs, parked and went up to the door. He took a deep breath, knocked and his sister Mary, slim and attractive, answered the door.
Her eyes were red and she had been crying. She dissolved into tears in Daniel’s arms when she saw him. “What’s going on, Daniel?” she wailed.
Daniel escorted her to the sofa, holding her hand tenderly. “I wish I knew, Mary,” he began. “Now these terrorists have made it personal!”
She looked lost. “So, what are we going to do?”
Daniel held her tenderly by the shoulders. “We grieve for our dead, bury them with honor and then we hunt down these dogs and kill them!”
She grabbed him by the shoulders. “You promise this, my brother?”
He nodded solemnly. “Absolutely!” they hugged each other tenderly as she looked out of the window, a lost look in her eyes.
“I can’t believe it,” she sighed. “He called yesterday, telling me how much he was looking forward to the game, the next thing I know, he is dead! Who are these animals, Daniel?”
He hugged her. “I don’t know,” he replied. “But believe me, I’m going to find out!”
* * *
Jake and Sarah were grabbing a quick snack in the hotel, waiting for Daniel to pick them up to take them to the airport. Sarah looked at Jake, an affectionate look in her eyes. “What do you think, Jake, you’ve been very quiet so far?”
He thought for a moment. “I’m like you, Sarah. Something just doesn’t jive here. Different terrorist groups, apparently operating in LA, one from Turkey, one from Lebanon and then we’ve got that movie company attack with no claim of responsibility whatsoever!”
She nodded in agreement. “Exactly, and I still don’t buy these e-mailed claims of responsibility, that’s been bugging me from the beginning.”
He sighed. “Yeah, this is an unbelievable assignment for us, but I feel so sorry for what the Israelis are going through and totally helpless to take some positive action to try and solve the problems!”
She touched his arm tenderly. “Perhaps we’ll get a lead when we get back to LA.”
He smiled. “Let’s hope so. Pity we aren’t getting frequent flier miles, the inside of that plane is beginning to look very familiar!”
CHAPTER 12
It was another sunny morning in LA and traffic was moving smoothly in the areas away from the usually strangled freeways. On an elegant street, a white bakery truck, with the name ‘Bloomberg Bakery’ on the side, drove round a corner and down the block. It turned left into the gate house of an elegant building with a large fence surrounding it, where the sign showed that it was the Israeli Embassy.
The truck pulled up to the gate and an armed Guard came out. The Driver wound the window down and handed out a basket of freshly-baked, delicious-smelling unleavened bread, a regular delivery that the Guard was obviously used to receiving. He looked at the Driver, a surprised look on his face. “Where’s Ibrahim?” he asked. The Driver was the dark-haired guy, last seen loading the bomb on the ill-fated flight at LAX!
“He’s at the maternity ward,” the Driver answered casually. “This is his sister’s big day!”
The Guard smiled. “Give him our best wishes!”
The Driver smiled. “Of course, he should be back on your route next time. I’ve got to get back to my route across town. Bye!”
The Guard took the basket that was loaded with the delicious-looking loaves. “Bye.” he walked into the gate house, smelling the fresh-baked bread as he went as the truck backed out and left the way it came. Inside the gate house, one of the female staff took the basket of bread into the cafeteria inside the embassy.
Inside the truck as it drove away, the Driver had a wicked smile on his face as he reached into the glove compartment and grabbed the electronic detonator. He held it in his hand and looked in his wing mirror at the embassy disappearing behind him. He pressed the detonator and suddenly, he saw the massive explosion behind him as rock, debris and flames from the embassy, shot into the air onto the quiet street.
An unemotional look on his cruel face, he drove into a side street and stopped. He dusted off the wheel and dash for prints, stepped down from the truck and climbed into a car at the curb before driving off. In the back of the truck, the body of Ibrahim lay there in a pool of blood, a bullet between his eyes!
* * *
Back inside the embassy, it was total chaos, dead people were lying on the floor, and others, badly injured, were staggering around as other people were looking on, screaming in anguish at the mayhem caused by the explosion. Emergency vehicles were already arriving, followed by a CTCIB sedan being driven by Nick. He had been in the area when the call concerning the attack came through.
He got out and looked at the havoc, now being barricaded off by the emergency crews. “Holy shit!” he mumbled to himself. “What did these poor guys do to get this kind of grief?” he showed his ID to the new guard on the gate who waved Nick inside.
Nick quickly ran into the building, to see if he could help. There were still people alive, but also many dead. He clicked on his phone and dialed a number.
Peter Davies answered. “Davies?”
Nick explained quickly. “Nick Peters, Deputy Director, we took another hit!”
Davies was shocked. “Jesus! Where?”
“Israeli Embassy - here in L.A.!”
Davies was alert, thinking quickly. “Casualties?”
Nick replied. “A goddamned bunch!”
The Deputy Director was already grabbing his jacket. “I’m on my way. Did you let Israel know?”
Nick looked at the phone as if to say ‘Are you kidding me’? He replied. “It’s their embassy, Peter, don’t you think they’ll already know?”
Davies apologized. “Yeah, right, sit tight, I’ll be right there.” he rang off as Nick went in search of people to help.
* * *
Ari was eating lunch with Miriam in her home when his phone rang. He answered. “Golchen?” It was his office on the line. He listened for a second, a shocked look suddenly appearing on his face. “Oy vey! Set up the video link to the Prime Minister, I’m on my way!” he go
t up to leave, apologizing to Miriam. “I have to leave, Miriam.”
She looked curious. “More trouble, Ari?”
He nodded. “Yes, I’m afraid. Now they’ve bombed our embassy in Los Angeles!” Miriam put her hand to her heart as Ari was already heading for the door.
* * *
The charter jet landed in LAX with Daniel, Jake and Sarah aboard, all three unaware of the latest attack. Nick was waiting for them. He greeted them in a friendly way, shaking hands first with Daniel. “Welcome back, guys. I was so sorry to hear about your nephew, Daniel.”
Daniel nodded. “Thanks, Nick.”
Before Daniel could say any more, Nick continued. “Now for more bad news, I’m afraid.”
Daniel looked concerned as Jake and Sarah exchanged a brief glance. “What happened?” Daniel asked.
Nick explained quickly as they walked through the terminal. “There’s been another attack!”
Jake was in shock. “Where?”
Nick explained. “They hit the Israeli Embassy in broad daylight!”
Sarah was incredulous. “What happened?”
Nick was trying to be helpful. “We’re still trying to put the pieces together,” he began. “It seems that a bogus delivery of unleavened bread from the regular kosher bakery contained a load of C4 and it was remotely detonated to take out half the front of the embassy. There were many dead and injured!”
Daniel’s face was ashen colored. “Does Minister Golchen know, Nick?”
Nick nodded. “Yes, they are devastated!”
Jake looked at Sarah. “Well, the pattern’s still there, same city and Israeli targets. You need to check with Tel Aviv, Daniel, to see if anyone claimed responsibility?”
Daniel nodded in agreement. Nick had a pensive look on his face. “Attacks on Israeli embassies on US soil, this is definitely a first!”
Jake was trying to keep Daniel focused, a young man with the troubles of the world on his young shoulders. He patted him on the shoulder. “Let’s go take a look, Daniel?”
Daniel nodded. “Yes, can you please drop us off on the way, Nick?”
Nick nodded. “No problem, I’ve got my team there as well!”
CHAPTER 13
Outside the embassy, it was still complete chaos, with the entire LA media circus in attendance, as well as the continuous convoy of emergency vehicles coming and going. All along the street, local TV reporters were giving their reports with other world media also there.
The SUV, driven by Nick, bringing Daniel, Jake and Sarah arrived and they were quickly allowed through the massive security cordon around the beleaguered embassy. They climbed down and surveyed the scene, totally aghast at the degree of damage inflicted by the explosion.
Jake and Sarah walked through the rubble, looking for clues on what could have caused the explosion, but with little success. They joined Daniel inside, where the embassy staff, who were still alive, were trying to piece together what had happened. A Senior Official was already talking to Daniel as Jake and Sarah joined them. The Official explained. “It seems the explosives were brought in disguised in a shipment of unleavened bread from the local kosher bakery They’ve been supplying the embassy for years.”
Sarah was already sizing things up. “And is the guard who accepted the delivery still alive?” she asked.
The Official answered. “Yes, he’s injured, but able to talk.”
Daniel was alert, ready to go. “In that case, let’s go see him!”
The Official nodded. “This way.” he led them to an office still standing, where the paramedics were finishing bandaging the head of the Guard. They looked up as the party entered and Daniel spoke to the senior paramedic. “Do you mind giving us a moment, please?” The paramedics nodded and left as the Guard looked at Daniel with a lost, haunted look in his eyes. Daniel tried to relax him. “What’s your name?”
The Guard swallowed nervously. “It’s Zachary, sir.”
Daniel continued. “Relax, Zachary, just tell me what happened?”
They sat and listened as Zachary described the drop off and the driver, who he thought was legitimate.
Jake turned to Daniel. “Perhaps we can get a police artist on the job, so we can get an idea of what this guy looked like?”
Daniel nodded. “Good idea,” he turned back to Zachary. “And you’d never seen this man before, Zachary?”
“No, sir.”
Sarah was thinking out loud. “Have we checked with the bakers, Daniel?” she asked.
The Official with them replied. “Yes, ma’am, they say they didn’t have a delivery scheduled for today.”
Sarah nodded her head up and down, still thinking. “In that case, they must have stolen a truck off a different route.”
The cell phone of the Official rang and he answered it. “Yes?” he inquired. He listened a second and replied. “Thank you,” he clicked his phone shut and looked at Daniel. “That was the bakery, sir. More bad news. They just found the abandoned truck with the original driver dead in the back, a bullet through the head!”
Jake turned to Sarah. “These bastards are good!” he turned to Daniel. “We need that artist on the job quickly, Daniel?”
The young agent was already leaving the room. “I’ll get it moving.”
Jake put his hand on Daniel’s shoulder as he was leaving. “Whoever it is, Daniel. They’ll make a mistake soon and then maybe we’ll get a clue what the hell to do. These guys, whoever they are, are damned smart!”
Davies arrived and they quickly brought him up to speed inside the embassy on what had happened. He advised them of a phone call he had just received from Minister Golchen. “Apparently, there’s been another claim of responsibility for the embassy bombing,” he began. “Would you believe al-Qaida?”
Jake and Sarah exchanged glances. Sarah was the first to speak. “Let me guess, the claim was e-mailed in?”
Davies looked at her. “How did you know?”
She answered. “It’s a pattern that I find hard to believe!”
Davies surveyed the devastation. “Can we look around outside?” he asked.
Daniel nodded. “Of course, follow me.” he led the party outside, into the grounds of the embassy.
Outside the embassy gates, the crowds of onlookers, relatives of the injured and dead and the worldwide media, were peering through the fence, hoping to get a glimpse of what was going on. Among them, looking like a casual bystander was Akeem. He was scanning the activity behind the fence, when suddenly his face changed to a venomous scowl.
Through the fence, he could see what looked like a group of Feds walking through the debris of the explosion. Among this group, his eyes were glued unwaveringly on two people - Jake and Sarah! His mind was in turmoil. What were they doing here? He was wishing that he had his rifle with the scope with him.
Putting a bullet in both of them would have put the icing on the cake of what had been an outstanding day. Now that he knew they were in town, maybe a little deviation from his meticulous game plan would be in order, if it meant eliminating these two individuals permanently. By the time that Davies and the others got closer to the fence, Akeem was long gone into the surrounding crowd.
CHAPTER 14
When they returned inside the embassy, Davies held a counsel of war with Nick, Daniel, Jake and Sarah. He looked at Sarah. “You’re the behaviour specialist, Sarah, what’s your take on this saga so far?” he asked.
She thought for a second. “There’s still something that doesn’t fit, gentlemen.”
Davies was curious. “How d’you mean?”
Sarah explained. “I’m finding it hard to think of these as terrorist acts against the US, even though they’re taking place here, when all the targets are Israeli owned, even the movie company, where the stars were murdered.”
Daniel was following her logic. “So, you think we’re looking for someone, who’s trying to bring down Israel, but on foreign soil?” he asked.
Sarah sighed heavily. “I don’t know
, Daniel and that’s what’s driving me crazy! Especially since every attack is apparently being carried out by a different terrorist group,” she looked them all in the eye. “My goodness, is the entire Arab world, who can hardly agree among themselves on anything, suddenly ganging up on Israel? Especially when they are all getting ready to sign a new peace accord?”
Jake was pensive. “I agree, it’s totally out of character and more than just a coincidence that every claim of responsibility has come in by e-mail. To my knowledge, this hasn’t happened before,” he carried on thinking out loud. “You said ganging up on Israel, Sarah, could it be Israel or could it be the Jews generally. Let’s face it, seventy five per cent or so of the Israelis are Jewish.”
His comment was interrupted as Daniel’s phone rang and he answered it. “Weismann?” he motioned to the group that it was important. “Yes, Minister?”
Ari came on the line. “The strangest thing just happened, Daniel.”
Daniel looked curious. “What was that, Minister?”
Ari continued. “In the last hour, I’ve had three phone calls from known leaders of the three terrorist groups who claimed responsibility for the airline disaster, the soccer team disaster and the embassy bombing, and they all said the same thing.”
Daniel was listening. “And what was that, Minister?”
“That they didn’t do it!” Ari replied.
Daniel was still surprised. “And do you believe them, Minister?” he asked.
Ari replied. “That’s just it, I don’t know, but we’d better find out soon before the economy starts to react!”
Daniel got the message. “Yes, Minister. I’ll let the team and our US friends know and we’ll take it from there.”
“Very well, keep me informed.” Ari rang off and Daniel turned to the people around him.
Davies was the first to speak. “So, what was that all about?”
Daniel looked at Sarah. “Maybe Sarah has a point about all the claims coming in by e-mail. That was the defense minister. He’s had three phone calls from the terrorist groups in question and every one denied making the hits!”