by Bryan Murray
He squeezed her shoulder affectionately. “Of course, c’mon let’s go,” he turned to Joseph. “Keep working on the CCTV, Joseph, we’ll be in touch later.”
“Of course,” Joseph replied. “Please give my condolences to your family, Sarah.”
She nodded ‘Thanks.” as she and Jake rushed back to the car. Jake drove in silence back to Miriam’s home, quietly dreading the scene that would await them on their arrival.
Due to the fact that Helen and Paul, had stayed on after Abraham’s funeral, both Helen and her sister-in-law Miriam were able to comfort each other after Sarah broke the tragic news of Ari’s assassination. The two older women were also able to console Sarah, when they saw how deeply saddened she was.
Jake looked on helplessly, an inner anger burning as he vowed that somehow, some way, no matter what it took, he would have his day of reckoning with the men that had perpetrated these evil acts.
* * *
In Aunt Miriam’s house, Sarah looked wistfully out of the window, as the family mourners were still arriving, absorbing the deadly news of Ari’s death. She couldn’t help but think how a death in the family always had a way of bringing families together. She looked around the room, marvelling at the way that all her cousins, second cousins and their offspring had gathered to pay their respects, people she wouldn’t have even met on her current visit, if it hadn’t been for Ari’s unfortunate death.
She was disturbed from her reverie by Helen, who came over and put her arm around Sarah’s shoulders. “Are you okay, honey?” she asked.
Sarah was thinking out loud. “He was so sweet, so dedicated, how could anyone be so cold hearted to do what they did to an elder statesman like Ari?”
Helen squeezed her shoulder, a determined look in her eye. “You know, I was never in favor of you taking this job in law enforcement, darling, but after this, I want you and Jake to do all you can to take these terrible people down.”
Sarah patted her mother’s arm affectionately. “Don’t worry, mom, they have no idea who they’re dealing with in Jake Harrigan. When he gets his teeth into taking the bad guys down, he makes the British Bulldog look like a pussy cat!” This brought a wry smile to Helen’s face as she sadly re- mingled with the other mourners.
CHAPTER 28
So far, everything had gone so well for Akeem. His intel concerning Defense Minister Golchen’s visit to Jerusalem and the location of his hotel room had been absolutely correct. Although it had been a little difficult to get over the balcony, luckily the door had still been unlocked from where the target had gone out onto the balcony for a breath of air before retiring for the night.
One more step in the master plan was now complete and as Akeem drove out of Jerusalem into the mountains, he was feeling considerably more relaxed. He couldn’t wait to see the evening news when the death of Ari would be announced to the world. He could then sit back and watch the Israelis reel once again as a result of his team’s infinitely detailed planning.
As he drove into the outskirts of the desert, he checked the gas gauge on the car and decided he needed to fill it up before the next leg of his trip. Had he known what was to happen in the next two minutes, the smug look would have disappeared off his face immediately.
Having pumped the gas, he went to pay cash at the bulletproof window of the gas station and he slid the cash under the clear bulletproof ledge. The attendant quickly checked the pump his car was parked at and then looked at Akeem. The latter smiled back disarmingly as the attendant gave him a receipt. Akeem walked back to his car, but what he didn’t see, was the picture of himself and the dark-haired guy, tacked on the wall facing the attendant, where Akeem could not see it!
Back in the kiosk, the cashier was already on the phone. “I need to speak to the Mossad!” he stated to the person on the other end. When the agent came on the line, he was immediately alert when the cashier told him that he thought he had seen one of the terrorists. He even described the car and with his binoculars in one hand, normally used to check out unusual activity at the pumps, he read out the number plate of the car that Akeem was driving away in, the latter totally unaware that he had been spotted.
Instantly, back in Tel Aviv, the Mossad machine clicked into action. All agents in the area of the gas station were immediately alerted and within minutes a chopper was in the air on its way to pick up Jake and Sarah, with Joseph standing by to be picked up at the train station.
To be called away from the tragic scene at Miriam’s house was almost a relief for Jake and Sarah, since it took their mind off the sadness in the family. The chopper took off quickly, picked up Joseph in the train station forecourt and sped off towards the mountains.
The Mossad machine was already moving swiftly and efficiently as Jake was already on the phone from the chopper to Agent Glickstein and his team, who were shadowing the unsuspecting Akeem as he headed out towards the mountain village.
Within minutes, the Mossad chopper landed on a deserted road above a ridge leading down into the village below. Jake, Sarah and Joseph quickly climbed down, where they were met by Agent Glickstein, a tall, young agent with his second-in-command. They all shook hands as Joseph took the lead. “So, what do we have Ezekiel?” he asked.
Glickstein quickly brought them up to speed. “The car with the suspect in drove into the village below the ridge,” he pointed to the ridge. “My men are still keeping it under surveillance!”
Jake nodded his approval. “Well done, where is the suspect now?”
Glickstein replied. “He went into a building at the back of the village, with a white pick-up on the driveway.”
Sarah looked at Glickstein. “Do we know who lives in the house?”
The young agent nodded negatively. “No, ma’am, we’re still checking.”
Jake looked at Sarah. “Let’s take a closer look.” they all climbed into Glickstein’s Hummer and drove down the road a short distance. They parked out of sight, up on a deserted ridge, from where they could see the whole village below. One of the young agents passed Jake his binoculars and pointed at the house in question.
Jake scanned the house, focussing on the curtains at the front and as he looked, the curtain moved and for a brief second, he saw a face at the window, a face he recognized. It was the guy with the dark hair. He quickly passed the binoculars to Sarah and pointed. “Take a look,” he added. “Both the bastards must be there!”
She was looking closely. “You’re right!” she turned to Jake and Joseph, as the other Mossad agents looked on. “So, what now?”
Jake thought for a moment. “Well, we don’t know who else is inside the building, so we need to watch closely, without causing suspicion.”
The Mossad agents nodded in agreement. Jake turned to Glickstein. “So, now we know where they are, we need to be able to follow them immediately when they make a move.”
Glickstein nodded as Jake continued. “We’ll need the chopper for discreet surveillance once they move out and a fleet of inconspicuous vehicles if we need to follow them in convoy, because one thing’s for sure, they’re not going to hang around!”
Glickstein agreed. “Yes, sir, I’ll get things organized.” he signalled to his second-in-command to follow him and he was already on the phone.
Back at the vehicles, Jake, Sarah and Joseph had another counsel of war. Jake was curious, he felt he needed to mention a delicate matter. “So, with Ari unfortunately not with us, who do we liaise with for senior confirmation on what we want to do, Joseph?”
The young agent already knew the answer. “The Mossad Chief of Staff, Zeke Safin worked very closely with Minister Golchen and he called me this morning as soon as we got the sad news concerning the Defense Minister, to confirm that he is taking a personal interest in our investigation.”
Jake nodded. “Thanks, Joseph. Now we really need to dig in, watch these guys like a hawk and hopefully, they still haven’t a clue we’re on to them.”
Joseph nodded. “I agree.”
Jak
e continued. “So, let’s check out the pick-up truck more closely. It looked like it had a logo or something on the side.”
Joseph nodded in agreement as he instructed some of his colleagues in his native tongue.
Sarah, now a little more composed, after the shock of Ari’s death, was more focused on the major breakthrough they had just made. “Like you said, Jake. They would make a mistake sooner or later and this could be it!”
He nodded. “Right, all we’ve got to do, is stick to them like glue, be ready to move when they do, because believe me, for what they’ve achieved so far, they had to have more than two of them working on this and every stunt they pull is going to get bigger than the last!”
He looked down at the house below and suddenly, his expression changed. He quickly grabbed the binoculars from Glickstein for a closer look and spoke to Joseph, who had just returned. “Check this out?” he passed the binoculars to Joseph who quickly looked at the house in the village below, where the garage door opened and a group of four men, including Akeem and the dark-haired guy, emerged carrying a large box. They loaded it into the back of the pick-up.
Jake spun round on the Mossad guys. “Okay, are we ready to roll?” he asked.
Glickstein nodded. “Yes, the chopper is ready and the convoy with agents on board is ready for your signal, sir.”
These guys were good. Jake was impressed with their efficiency. “Great!”
CHAPTER 29
Back in LA, Peter Davies and Nick were comparing notes on their unsuccessful attempts to identify the two terrorists, when the news came over the wire concerning the assassination of Ari Golchen.
Both men were in shock, Davies was the first to speak. “My God, Nick, this shit is getting really serious!”
Nick was in agreement. “You got that right, now these bastards are into assassinations of senior diplomats. There doesn’t seem to be any goddamned pattern at all!”
Davies heaved a huge sigh. “Right, commercial then civilian hits and now senior government officials and what’s pissing me off is that none of our mega-computers are giving us a match for these two bastards!”
Nick shrugged pensively. “You’re right, Peter. I feel sorry for those poor guys Jake and Sarah. My God, the Defense Minister was her uncle, for Christ’s sake!”
As he spoke, his phone rang and it was Jake. “Hi, Nick,” Jake began. “It’s Jake.”
Nick looked at Davies and pointed at the phone. “My God! Talk of the devil! Hi, Jake, I’m here with Peter Davies and we just got the news about Minister Golchen. We’re so sorry, Jake, please give Sarah our condolences.”
Jake thanked them. “Thanks, guys, it’s a nightmare over here, but that’s the reason I’m calling.”
Nick was curious. “It is?”
Jake continued. “Yes, we actually spotted these bastards and we have them under surveillance in a small village outside Jerusalem.”
Nick was pleased. “That’s the break you were looking for. Well done, guys! So, what’s your next step?”
Jake continued. “Wait and see, I guess, one things for sure, they’re up to something. Any more luck on their detailed IDs?”
Nick was despondent. “Not so far, Jake, but keep us posted and let us know if we can be of help.”
Jake replied. “Thanks, talk to you later, bye”.
“Bye.” Nick put the phone down and turned to Davies. “Well, at least they found the bastards and have them under surveillance.”
Davies thought a moment. “D’you think they’ll take them out?”
Nick nodded negatively. “I doubt it. They’ll need to watch what they’re doing, because Jake’s convinced that something big is going down and they don’t want to grab them before they find out what it is. He said he’d let us know.”
Davies got up to leave. “Well, good to see you again, Nick, let’s stay in touch?”
Nick smiled. “Will do.” as Davies left.
CHAPTER 30
Jake and Sarah were discussing the situation in the back of the Mossad vehicle, when they were suddenly alerted on the intercom by Joseph who was down the road. “Jake, Sarah, this is Joseph. Things are moving down below!” They were already rushing outside, towards the vantage point.
Down below, in the village, Akeem and the dark-haired guy, with two other Arabs, were getting into the white pick-up with the box in the rear. The pick-up moved out and Joseph was already on the intercom to his men. “Okay, everyone, the target is on the move. Come in chopper?”
In the air, in the distance, the Mossad chopper was hovering behind the mountain ridge. “Chopper, airborne and ready.” came the reply.
Joseph spoke to the team again. “Everybody be ready to move out, stay a discreet distance apart and be prepared to intervene on my command.” they all moved out at intervals, in a wide variety of vehicles, even including an old, beat-up bus.
In Jake and Sarah’s vehicle, they were talking with Joseph. Sarah began. “That logo on the side of the pick-up, Joseph. It looked like it had the word ‘power’ or something like it on the door?”
Joseph nodded. “Yes, we checked all large commercial and civilian installations down the valley and the only one that could perhaps be a target is the Power Plant up ahead!”
Sarah looked at Jake. “D’you think that could be the target?”
He thought a moment. “What area does this power plant serve, Joseph?”
Once again, Joseph already had the information at his fingertips. “It serves most of the Jerusalem grid.”
Sarah was pensive. “So, if that box in the back is a bomb, we’ve got more problems!”
Joseph nodded. “Exactly!” he clicked on his intercom. “Come in Chopper?”
Up in the air, the Pilot was following Akeem’s pick-up at a distance, watching the road ahead. He replied. “Chopper here, the truck is about 2 miles from the turn to the power plant.”
Joseph was thinking fast. “Very well, attention all vehicles, on the signal from the chopper that the target is heading for the power plant, I will issue new instructions. In the meantime, stay alert.” he clicked off the intercom.
Jake turned to Joseph. “If they do intend to blow up the power plant, that would immobilize the entire City of Jerusalem and we can forget the upcoming signing of the peace accord!”
Sarah was in agreement. “Exactly, no self-respecting head of state is going to risk his life in that scenario!”
They were interrupted by the Pilot. “Chopper here. The target is turning left on the road to the power plant!”
Joseph answered. “All vehicles, listen carefully, the first two vehicles will follow the suspects into the plant, assuming they get past the gate. The rest of you stand by out of sight.”
They were interrupted yet again by the Pilot. “This is the Chopper again, you’re not going to believe this, the truck sailed straight through the gate, wasn’t even challenged!”
Sarah looked at Jake. “Something’s not right here!”
Jake turned to Joseph. “Sarah’s right, we need to follow them in and get a lockdown, okay?”
Joseph nodded. “Exactly, let’s go,” he clicked on the intercom. “Chopper, we’re going in after them, continue surveillance out of sight.”
The Pilot replied. “Roger that.”
The vehicle with Jake, Sarah and Joseph inside, all now fully armed, approached the gate followed by another vehicle containing fully armed Mossad agents. The surprised Security Guard came out at the gate and Joseph quickly showed his credentials. “Mossad, who were those people who just entered without being checked?”
The Guard looked surprised. “Just contractors, they come and go all the time.”
Joseph looked him in the eye in disgust. “Is this what you call security? Okay, no one leaves without my approval and no one enters unless they are Mossad agents. Is that understood?”
The Guard nodded sullenly. Joseph was back on the intercom. “Come in Chopper, where are they heading?”
The Pilot came b
ack on. “Looks like they’re heading for the turbine building, ahead on the left.”
Joseph continued. “Thanks, continue surveillance,” he clicked off the intercom and turned to the driver and pointed. “Ahead on the left!” the vehicle surged forward, followed by the second vehicle.
Up ahead, unaware they were being followed, Akeem and his men pulled up outside the turbine building, slid open the door to a small annex and started to unload the heavy box from the back of the pick-up and carry it inside. The two Mossad vehicles screeched to a halt and the occupants, fully armed, jumped out. Joseph screamed across at the terrorists. “Hold it right there. This is the Mossad, put your hands in the air!”
Suddenly, all hell broke loose as Akeem and his men opened fire, Sarah was shot in the arm and Jake pushed her to the ground for safety. “Stay down!” he screamed as the Mossad returned fire. Jake looked on in shock and as if by magic, three more armed men came out of the building to join Akeem and his men as the shoot-out continued. The armed men with Akeem were falling fast to the Mossad fire and Akeem and the dark-haired guy realized that discretion was the better part of valor. They ran off, around the corner of the building out of sight, with Jake and Sarah in pursuit.
When Jake and Sarah turned the corner, Jake continued firing as they continued to chase after the two men. They were suddenly surprised to see a chopper appear about 100 yards ahead and the two men sprinted towards it.
They returned fire at Jake and Sarah, the latter still holding her arm, before the two men dived into the chopper. It took off immediately as further shots from Jake bounced off the fuselage.
Jake was angry. “Goddamnit!” he screamed as he went back to Sarah to make sure she was all right. “Are you okay?” he asked.
She nodded affirmatively. “Yeah, tell Joseph to get the Mossad chopper in pursuit.” He nodded and raced back round the corner, but he needn’t have worried.
Joseph was already on the intercom to the Pilot. “Follow them,” he screamed. “And don’t let them out of your sight.”