by CJ Roberts
Some interesting hits had turned up via facial recognition, nation-wide records searches, and the Homeland Security database. Matthew, along with a few other agents, had started putting the pieces together over the last five hours.
“I think Karachi makes the most sense given the intel,” Agent Williams said. She’d flown in from Virginia once the sensitive nature of the case became clearer.
“I agree. The boys at the FIA aren’t going to like what we have to say, but it looks like Muhammad Rafiq has been making use of military resources to cover up his human trafficking ring,” Matthew said.
Karachi was a coastal city, accessible by air and sea. It was an ethnically and socio-economically diverse area, capable of camouflaging rich and poor alike. According to information from SSgt Patel, who had access to the passenger manifests and air traffic control documentation, several high visibility persons of interest would be arriving in the next two days. Many were already in the city. Unfortunately, none of the names on the list were Vladek Rostrovich or Demitri Balk. Still, Matthew reasoned, he could be traveling under a different alias. One thing was certain though – Muhammad Rafiq would be in attendance.
He thought about Olivia Ruiz and everything she had been saying over the last several days. She had no idea how deep Rafiq’s involvement in the slave trade ran. Based on the pile of information on Matthew’s desk, he was beginning to suspect Caleb had no idea either. Rafiq had been in it for the money for a very long time. The evidence suggested he’d been a key player since 1984.
Matthew held up a picture of Vladek Rostrovich and Muhammad Rafiq taken in Pakistan that same year. Rafiq wore his military uniform and pointed to a table full of Russian weapons, his arm slung over Vladek’s shoulder.
Matthew’s best guess was that Muhammad Rafiq had acted as Vladek Rostrovich’s arms broker during his missions in other parts of the world, most notably in Africa, Turkey, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. Perhaps guns had begun the connection, but it hadn’t ended there.
Another photograph from 1987 showed Rafiq and Vladek at a Pakistani military dinner. Vladek sat at the officers table with Rafiq; also in attendance was Bapoto Sekibo. He was notorious for razing entire villages, killing men, women, and children in the pursuit of natural resources and valuable territories for corporate projects coming in from other countries. Some of the corporations even had roots in the U.S. In fact, all three men had been photographed at one time or another with U.S. Senators or CEOs of major companies.
Matthew wasn’t surprised sex, guns, and money were interconnected. Even Vladek’s African diamond mines didn’t come as a shock. No, the most shocking piece of information was an unsolved missing person’s case from 1989 sitting on the pile. He couldn’t resist picking it up and staring at the picture paper-clipped to the file.
“Pretty fucked up, huh?” Agent Williams whispered from across the desk.
The sick feeling in Matthew’s stomach flared and he rubbed his stomach. As he stared at the photo, he wondered what, if anything, he should do with the information. “Yeah. It is.”
“You okay? When’s the last time you ate?” Williams asked.
“Hours ago, and just a salad. Been on a steady stream of coffee since then,” Matthew said and offered a watery smile. It was nice working with someone, even if Agent Williams was a little too young and bright-eyed for his tastes. She still got excited about the job and didn’t hide it very well. Matthew didn’t really get excited anymore – solving cases was an obsession, locking the bad guys up, satisfying – but he’d stopped being excited a long time ago. No matter how many cases were resolved or how many villains were brought to justice, there were always new cases and new bad guys. It was a vicious circle.
“That stuff’ll kill you,” Agent Williams said through a smile. “I still have half a turkey sandwich in the fridge if you want it?”
“No, that’s okay. I’m not hungry,” he said.
“You keep staring at that picture?” she hedged.
Matthew couldn’t stop thinking about Olivia. She was mourning the loss of a man she didn’t really know, and for the first time, Matthew was beginning to understand why she fought for him so strongly. “The witness says he died helping her escape. I’m wondering if it should just stay there. I mean, I wish I didn’t know this. I can’t imagine how the mother would feel.”
“I try not to think about that stuff. Not really our priority, you know?” Williams said. “It’s going to be a bitch getting a team into Pakistan. I’m trying to just focus on one thing at a time. Some kidnapped kid who turned out to be a serious prick isn’t really on my radar.”
Matthew looked up at Williams. “How old are you, Williams?”
She stiffened. “Twenty-four,” she answered. “Why? Are you going to give me shit about my age?”
He held up the photograph. “James Cole was a few months shy of his sixth birthday when he was taken. Just try to imagine your life the past eighteen years and how different it was compared to the hell this little boy had to live through.”
Williams stared long and hard at the photograph before she turned away to mess with the files on her own side of the desk. “It’s sad, Reed. I know it’s sad, but there’s nothing we can do for that kid. And the man he turned out to be? He’s better off dead,” Williams said.
“I’m not trying to defend him. Trust me, I’ve spent the last week doing exactly the opposite. It’s just…she has a way of making me think about things. She basically talked her way out of being sold at the auction.” Matthew smiled. Olivia was certainly unlike any person he’d met in his thirteen years on the job. He would never forget her or Caleb, and the boy he’d been. He would never forget this case, and for whatever reason, he felt the need to take a moment and preserve the memory of it correctly.
“Pretty smart girl. Except for the falling in love with her captor part,” Williams said. “Although, if you’re going to fall for any kidnapper, good gawd, he should be as handsome as this son of a bitch.” Williams lifted Caleb’s surveillance photo from a few years back and waggled her eyebrows.
Matthew laughed. “You’re sick. You know that, right?”
Williams shrugged. “I don’t get out much.”
“Why’s that?”
“Eh, the job, I guess. I don’t really get off on dating other agents, and normal guys can’t deal.” She shrugged again.
“Do you think we should let his mother know we found him?” Matthew asked.
“It’s been twenty years, Reed. She’s probably thought he was dead for a long time. I don’t think telling her we found her son and he just so happens to be a human trafficking son of a bitch who died in a botched escape attempt is exactly consoling,” Williams said, wryly. She and Matthew sat in silence for a few moments before Williams added, “She’s better off believing her little boy died innocent, you know?”
Williams had a point. “Yeah. I just wish…I wish I’d been in the Bureau back then. Maybe I could have found him before it was too late.” He thought about Olivia and her grief. It was sad, knowing she was the only one who would miss Caleb. She was the only who would mourn him.
“Wait!” Williams said suddenly and startled Matthew.
“What is it?”
“Well, it’s not really relevant, but…” She handed one of her files over to Matthew. “Vladek went to college in the U.S. He went to the University of Oregon,” she whispered.
“So?”
“So, check the date,” she added grimly.
“He didn’t finish. He was there ’80 to ’82.” Realization was slowly dawning on Matthew, and he felt bile crawling up into the back of his throat. “James Cole was born in 1983. In Oregon.”
“You don’t think?”
“Olivia Ruiz mentioned Rafiq wanted revenge against Vladek, something to do with his mother and sister. Apparently, Vladek killed them, or so Rafiq says. I’m starting to think everything out of the guy’s mouth is bullshit.”
“Do you want me to pull James’ birth certifica
te?”
“Yeah, do that. Did you already call the Deputy Director to let him know we think the auction is taking place at the military cantonment in Karachi?”
“I told him an hour ago – figured he could get started on organizing the op. That SSgt Patel doesn’t seem like the cooperative type. Holy fuck, Reed…do you honestly think Vladek would sell his own fucking son?!”
Matthew wanted to start punching things. “No. I think he was collateral damage.” It was all starting to come together. The pieces of the puzzle were slowly forming in Matthew’s mind. There were still huge pieces missing, but Matthew thought he could make out the picture just the same.
“Well, we already know where the auction is. Everything else is just gravy at this point. Let me finish pulling these records, and then I say we pack it in for the night. If we get the green light, we could have Rafiq in custody in the next seventy-two hours. We can get our answers straight from the source,” Williams said.
Matthew could hear the anger and determination in Williams’ voice. He admired her fire, but he’d been around long enough to know fire could get you burned. “I doubt we’ll even get a crack at him, Williams. Be prepared.”
“What do you mean? We have a mountain of fucking evidence and a witness,” Williams spouted.
“What we have is a high ranking military official from a foreign government accused of crimes in a completely different country. I want this guy. I want him bad, but I’ve been here before, Williams. Sometimes…they get away.”
“Then why are you here, Reed? Why have you been working this case so damn hard?”
“Olivia Ruiz was the original perpetrator. She caused an international incident when she decided to cross the U.S.-Mexico border waving a gun. She didn’t become the victim until later. I had no idea this case was going to become the juggernaut it is. I’ve worked the case, Williams. It’s all any one of us can do,” Reed said.
“Yeah, well…it’s not over yet, Reed.”
“Never said it was, Williams.”
“Ugh!” Williams sighed.
“What is it?”
“I have James Cole’s birth certificate. His father is listed as ‘Vlad,’ with no known last name. There’s a death certificate here too, seven years after James disappeared. That’s pretty standard, I guess. Let me see what I can find on the mother, Elizabeth Cole.” Williams shook her head. “She died in 1997. Coroner’s report reads self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.”
Matthew’s heart felt like it was sinking. James Cole had been kidnapped when he was five and sold into slavery. It had most likely been an act of revenge against his father, Vladek Rostrovich. He’d been beaten and abused most of his life, and according to Olivia Ruiz, the only person he had ever trusted had been the one to ruin his life in the first place.
“This is depressing the hell out of me, Reed,” Williams whispered.
“Yeah.” Matthew cleared his throat. “Me too. I just thought I could give the poor woman some peace, but it looks like she found it on her own.”
“We should get some sleep. Chances are we’re going to have a full day tomorrow. If everything goes well, you’ll be on a plane to Pakistan to lead the raid. Do try to remember the little people when you’re promoted.” She smiled impishly and fluttered her lashes for effect.
Matthew managed a short laugh. “I’ll try, Agent…?”
“Williams.”
“Right. Williams.” Matthew continued to go over the stack of files on his desk as Williams got ready to leave. He knew he should be doing the same, but he couldn’t let it go quite yet.
“Why do I get the feeling I’m going to see you sitting there when I come back in the morning?” Williams said as she slung her laptop bag over her shoulder.
“I’ll be out of here soon. I just want to poke around a little more. I couldn’t sleep right now anyway – been drinking coffee all night, remember?”
“Yeah, yeah, likely story. I’ll be in around seven if we’re not called up sooner. I’ll bring you something to eat and maybe some coffee that won’t eat through your stomach,” she said.
“I like the coffee.”
“Suit yourself,” Williams said as she stepped into the elevator.
Matthew stood up and grabbed the files on Williams’ desk. He’d done his job. The rest would fall to the Bureau and the justice department. Regardless, the puzzle wasn’t solved, and he couldn’t stop putting it together. Olivia deserved to know the truth.
Three hours later, Matthew had a list of events and possibilities. He’d learned a lot of things about the major players in the case but had just as many new questions as he did answers:
1960 AKRAAN Arms Co. Est. in Russia - Vladek’s Father?
1961 Vladek Rostrovich, born - youngest child of 3
1963 Muhammad Rafiq, born - eldest son (younger sister?)
1980-1982 Vladek, U of Oregon (no major)
Meets Elizabeth Cole (could have been student? Next of Kin?)
Father and siblings die in car accident (Dec of ’82 - Vladek heir)
Aug 3, 1983: James Cole, born. Why not list Vladek on birth certificate?
1983-1988: Vladek and Rafiq - arms dealing, trafficking
Diamonds? 1987 (something happens between here and 1989)
Mar 14, 1989: James Cole, kidnapped from home. (No suspects)
Kidnapped by Rafiq? Why?
Look into Rafiq mother/sister death (revenge motive)
1992-1994: Rafiq, Desert Storm
Stash kid instead of kill? Ransom? Collateral? What the fuck am I missing?
James Cole kept in brothel (Narweh - deceased) Check years 1989-?
Narweh (no known last), death cert? Pakistan? Review Olivia statement for other possible countries.
1997 James Cole (Caleb) ‘rescued’ by Rafiq
Olivia statement: Caleb seeking revenge for 12 years.
Why would Rafiq come back for boy? “Caleb” age 14
2002 Balk Diamonds goes public
Why the delay 1987-2002? Vladek Rostrovich: reinventing or hiding?
Knows about son? No current offspring. James Cole sole heir?
2009 Olivia Ruiz kidnapped
James Cole “Caleb” deceased?
Balk suddenly interested in slave trade? Motive?
Balk - location unknown. ????????????????
Chapter Twenty-Two
Caleb swirled his scotch in his glass but didn’t take a drink. His thoughts were with Livvie. Felipe had gone upstairs, despite Caleb’s best efforts to stall him and get there first. Fifteen minutes had passed and he hadn’t heard a gunshot – or any screams. Good news, but his worries were far from dispelled. He wanted his wits about him if things suddenly took a turn for the worse. In many ways, they already had.
Caleb’s mind felt ravaged over how to deal with Rafiq. Their relationship had always been complicated, but it remained the closest Caleb had to family or friendship. Rafiq had been Caleb’s salvation and so many other things over the years…and now he contemplated killing him.
Caleb knew he couldn’t run away with Livvie. Rafiq would hunt them down to the ends of the earth, and while Caleb could take care of himself, it was no life for Livvie. She deserved better. He had considered separating himself from her, but he knew if Rafiq couldn’t find Caleb, he would find Livvie again and use her to get to him.
Rafiq deserved his revenge. Livvie deserved to live her life. That left Caleb thinking about what he deserved: nothing. He’d fought so hard to live, to survive, and he didn’t relish the idea of ending it all, but he would…for Livvie, he would. He’d lived a meaningless life that would culminate in him destroying every meaningful relationship he’d ever had. At the very least, he thought, he could have meaning in his death.
“What has you so troubled, Khoya?” Rafiq asked in Arabic, now they were alone. He had sent Jair away once he’d regained consciousness, and Felipe had used the opportunity to excuse himself from the room. Nancy remained, but she seemed unaware of her surround
ings as she huddled on the floor and supported Rafiq’s legs on her back.
Caleb gestured toward her with his drink. “Is that really necessary?”
Rafiq smiled. “No, but she’s here, so why not make use of her? Answer my question – what has you so troubled?”
Caleb’s heartbeat accelerated and heat traveled down his spine, but he attempted nonchalance. “Things are moving quickly now. I keep going over things in my mind.”
“Yes, it’s been a long battle. I don’t know which of us has sacrificed more to see Vladek suffer. The auction is only the first step. It will be up to you to earn his trust, but it will be worth it when everything he has belongs to us, even his very life,” Rafiq said. He took another drink of scotch and Caleb noted it was his third.
“Yes,” Caleb replied, but his tone hinted at his unease.
“You’ve been strange these last few months, Caleb. I would have thought you’d be happier to have your vengeance so close at hand,” Rafiq said. He sounded irritated.
“Why can’t I just kill him, Rafiq? I would do it. Gladly and in front of everyone, I would kill him. We’re wealthy men. We don’t need his company, or his money,” Caleb said and instantly regretted it.
“It’s not about the money, Caleb! It never has been. I want it because it’s the only thing he loves as far as I can tell. If you knew of the things he’s sacrificed for his precious billions, it would be all you could do not to find him now. Tonight! He has no wife, no children. He trusts no one! And he has taken everything from me. Death is not enough. Torture is not enough. I thought you of all people would understand!”
Hadn’t Caleb said something similar to Livvie? It seemed like ages ago, the night he’d rescued her from the bikers and informed her of her fate. She’d asked him why?