Red Horizon

by Bernard Lee DeLeo

  Nick bound the groaning Eliah while enjoying Cala’s recitation on their skills. “You are a very sick young lady, Cala.”

  “Yes… I have been corrupted. You said you had a plan for our scene. Will it still work?”

  “Oh yeah. We’re on our way out, Payaso,” Nick finished his call for their ride and propped Eliah against a wall. He dipped his finger into the blood of a dead man nearest the wall. He finger painted: As-salamu alaykum in Arabic script. He added ‘Isil is jihad, Al-Qaeda is the devil!’ - all in bloody script.

  “I have the slugs.” Cala made a face. “These two men stink. Perhaps we should pepper spray them before we go.”

  “Good one.” Nick lifted Eliah onto his feet. He fired off an arc from his stun-gun where Eliah could see it. “I will have this pressed against your ball sack. If you make one sound while I’m guiding you to our vehicle, I will burn your balls off. Understand?”

  Eliah nodded fearfully as Nick held a plastic bag open for Cala to dump her protective clothing into. Nick went to Eliah’s closet, picked out a light windbreaker, and threw it over Eliah’s restrained hands. He then wiped down everything they touched with Cala’s help. They bagged the electronic devices to take with them. Nick held the door for Cala so she could walk in front of Eliah with a solemn pose while wearing her headscarf. Nick locked and closed the door behind them. At street level, Nick held the door for Cala before jamming the stun-gun into Eliah. Johnny held the door open for them to get into the back. In seconds, they were on their way with Eliah blubbering between Nick and Cala. Nick stripped off his gloves.

  Nick elbowed Eliah in the ribs. “Silence!”

  Eliah quieted, glancing fearfully at Nick. “You are McCarty.”

  “Yes. You’ve called for me by sending killers after my family and friends, including your own niece. Here I am. I tried warning your family many times. Most of them are all dead now. Ishmael knew you sent him to his death by blackmailing him into trying to kill me. He left a last message with his wife, naming you, and telling me exactly where to find your stupid ass. He reached out to pay you back for sending him on a suicide mission. I promised his wife I would make sure you never caused another death. Besides, I wanted Cala to have a chance to beat the shit out of you.”

  “Let me go! I will make sure… I give you my word… no one will bother you again!”

  “Lying to the infidel, huh?” Nick smiled as his three companions enjoyed Eliah’s pleas which they all knew to be false. “I’m afraid that ship steamed out of port. Your family surprised me with the depth of its stupidity. Did you ever wonder why so many of your idiot relatives disappeared when sent after me? I figured when I killed that old zombie who turned down my five million dollar dowry, Ishmael might be able to make you all see the light, and leave me the hell alone. I called the old zombie, Yoda. What the hell was his first name?”

  “Mohammed,” Gus answered.

  “Yeah, that’s it,” Nick acknowledged. “He looked like a raisin baked in the sun on a hot sidewalk. Anyway, that was your family’s chance to be reasonable. Soon, your family will be reasonable. We have business to discuss though before I send you to join the rest of your missing family in hell.”

  “But…but is there no way I can live in this deal? Why would I help you if I cannot buy my life?”

  “Heh…heh… I don’t think you understand,” Nick said. “We’re going to stop somewhere quiet for a question and answer session. Cala will be our visual lie detector while her husband will be transferring funds and checking your information. Unfortunately, on a road trip like this one I’ll have to use my old school interrogation method. I wanted to try my new acupuncture technique on your feet, but frankly, I don’t want to cart your ass all the way to California. I have a spot in Pennsylvania where we can have our talk. It’s in the Allegheny Forest. If you’d like to start being cooperative now, maybe by the time we get to your final resting spot, I’ll simply put you to sleep for good.”

  Eliah began to sob. “I…I don’t know anything.”

  “There’s no crying in terrorism! Cut the crybaby crap. Sure, you know all your accounts and passwords. We have your laptop, tablet, and phone. You’re going to help us transfer everything to us. These trips cost money, and I made sure Ishmael’s wife received a substantial amount of money to free the women and children from the Kader curse.”

  “Wha…what curse?”

  “That would be me. Are you fired up and ready to go, Johnny?”

  “Yes, Muerto. He can give me his account numbers and passwords now. I have his laptop booted to the desktop too. We can make all the transfers. We have a clear satellite signal. He has Norton 360 Security System with an identity safe. If I get in there, I can take care of everything.”

  “Okay, Eli, get talkin’. Most people, even terrorists, have one of those password vaults, Johnny mentioned. Do you keep all your account places listed with passwords in your identity safe?”

  Eliah nodded. He knew these people would torture him to death. Anything could happen between now and when they stopped, he thought. If he could stay alive long enough, he might somehow be rescued. The transfers could be reversed in his mind if he stayed alive. Eliah Kader recited his password for the security vault, and the file listing his account numbers and banking information on a spread sheet.

  “Oh my, Muerto,” Johnny exclaimed. “Eliah has done very well for himself even though he’s never held a real job in his life. He has nearly eight million dollars in accounts I do not think his Kader herd know anything about. I have been able to lighten this monetary burden from his shoulders. That was a good investment with Ishmael’s widow. His main financial additions have come from… wait for it… Saudi Arabia and Qatar. The deposits, funneled through a corporate account linked to both nations under a joint venture fund titled Al Alef Global have made Eliah Kader a partner with Saran Al Kadi. Imagine that.”

  Nick pinched Eliah Kader’s cheek. “Why you little conduit, you. This explains the merger you were planning with Omar Fontaine. You bunch of cockroaches launder money, influence, and serve as halfway houses on both coasts for infiltrators. No wonder you could scoff at my dowry offer for Cala. Does Al-Kadi have the largest money holdings?”

  Eliah cringed but remained silent.

  “Don’t be afraid. Saran won’t be alive much longer. Why do you think he helped me out with a phone call to you as backup? My friends convinced Saran to help me in a very painful way I hope to help you avoid.”

  “You… have Al-Kadi?” Eliah lowered his head, shaking it negatively from side to side slowly. “We are lost. How has this been done? He had a near army of the faithful built to strike. It…it does not seem possible.”

  “Yeah, we’ve been busy repairing breeches. Some of us darker elements of America decided to act on behalf of our citizens instead of the Islamic ass kissers in DC. Our efforts are beginning to make some major inroads, such as annihilating that army Al-Kadi was building.”

  “No!” Kader jerked upright, staring with horror into Nick’s smiling face. “They…they are dead… all of them?”

  “All but Saran, whom my friends are questioning. I heard he was shocked all of his troops went virgin hunting too. I found him hiding out in his bedroom hoping the ambush he planned for us worked.”

  “You people are monsters! You cannot just execute us like dogs!”

  “We don’t execute dogs. I like dogs. I would never hurt a dog. I have a dog named Deke. He’s worth a hundred of you ass-wipes,” Nick lectured. “You wouldn’t like him though. He drinks beer, never hurts children or women, and he hates the followers of the death cult. That last discriminatory feeling is my fault. I told him Muslims think dogs are unclean. Deke was very incensed over my revelation. Excuse me for a moment. I have to call the Monster Squad and make sure they know about Al-Kadi’s funds. Johnny… entertain Eliah with the compound video or as I like to call it: the Isis Snuff Film.”

  Johnny chuckled. “Yes, Muerto.”

  Lynn answered on the thir
d buzz. “Muerto? How you doin’. We were wondering if you’d be checking in.”

  “Everything went well, Lynn. That phone call was priceless. We have Kader with us now. He’s been very helpful. It seems Al-Kadi was the main money launderer and financier of the funds funneled into the states from a joint venture between Saudi Arabia and Qatar called Al Alef Global. I wanted to make sure you had that information.”

  “Did you just insult me, Muerto?”

  Nick laughed appreciatively. “Sorry… just checking.”

  “I’m glad you called. We have a problem Claude clued us in on. It’s an important personal matter with him. It seems a cousin of his was kidnapped in Paris during the Arab Spring riots. Al-Kadi had a hand in the Arab Spring debacle and he knows where the cousin is. I don’t know where you are, but she was sold to a man named Haris El-Amin. He lives in Schenectady on Union Street near Union College in a very nice looking multi-story home. I’ll text Johnny the address in case you’re interested.”

  “I’m interested. We’ll be nearing Schenectady in a couple of hours. Is Al-Kadi capable of another phone call on our behalf?”

  “Great minds think alike,” Lynn replied. “He is indeed. Claude and I think this El-Amin would allow a phone call between Felicia and Claude if Al-Kadi asks him. It would mean telling El-Amin the truth about the connection between Claude and Felicia, but also make it a trade for Claude’s services by Al-Kadi. We’ll have him call right away to introduce you to the meeting.”

  “Nice plot, Lynn. That might work very well. Let me talk to Claude.”

  “Absolutely.”

  “Nick?”

  “Lynn explained a little about your cousin. I’ll be glad to look in on her but maybe you better spell it out for me as to the parameters of the visit. I like the phone call ploy.”

  “Of course, my friend. Her name is Felicia Martel. She would be in her late thirties now, nearly a decade in El-Amin’s control. Al-Kadi hosted them in New York two months ago. Felicia wore a black burka, so he could not tell what condition she was in. She kept her head down and trailed El-Amin like a dog. I just need to know if she can be rescued or if she has been turned into a forever slave. Lynn thought I should ask for your help instead of going myself. She believes you could perhaps find out if Felicia is okay without making things worse for her if we force Al-Kadi to make a personal plea to El-Amin before you arrive there.”

  “I will find out. What would you like done if she appears willing to leave her life?”

  “I would leave it to her. If you are willing, I would be grateful if you could carry out any fate she would like for El-Amin.”

  “That’s plain enough. If I have a question when I’ve investigated Felicia’s situation, or she does, I would like it to be on Facetime so you may see her. Keep your iPhone with you. If our ploy works, I will have her Facetime with you.”

  “I will await your call. Thank you, Nick. This means a lot to me.”

  “I hope the visit will be a good one for your cousin. I will talk to you soon.” Nick disconnected. “It appears we have further business in New York. Can anyone think of anything else they’d like to ask our buddy, Eliah?”

  Silence. Nick gave Eliah Kader a pat on the back of the head. “I think you did quite well. Do you have anything else you’d like to tell us, Eli?”

  Eliah began to speak, but the syringe Nick stuck into his neck worked quickly. “There you go. We need to have you go sleepy time for a while, Eli. Pull over in a quiet spot so we can put Eli in cargo and cover him, Gus.”

  Nick explained the situation after they deposited the sedated Eliah in the back cargo area with a tarp covering. “I’m thinking me, Johnny, and Cala, all dressed in our Muslim costumes, could ring the doorbell, check on Felicia, and proceed from there. If we get a lot of flack from this El-Amin, I may have to insist. This is volunteer only. Claude is no saint. John Harding stopped him from assassinating Samira and maimed him while doing it. They recruited him from the dark side. We can agree Johnny and I have monster credentials from our past. If we’re allowed to see Felicia and the years belonging to this El-Amin have put her beyond our reach mentally, then we’ll just leave. She may have six kids and be happy as hell for all I know.”

  “I’m in,” Johnny stated.

  “And I,” Cala added. “She was kidnapped from her home and sold into slavery. As you say, Muerto, if she wants out, we should help her.”

  “What about El-Amin,” Gus asked.

  “We have room in the cargo area for one more. Eliah will have company on his Allegheny resting place trip.”

  “I want you to do a Kabuki dance with my Uncle, Muerto.”

  “Cala!” Gus nearly drove off the road as Nick and Johnny enjoyed Cala’s request.

  “He deserves it, Payaso,” Cala stated. “I hope Felicia is okay. I can only imagine what it was like for her. I am glad Lynn has punished that Saran Al-Kadi who stole Felicia’s life.”

  “Remember to keep your feelings in check. Lynn will have Al-Kadi make a very enticing phone call introduction I’m sure. We have to be calm through this no matter how it comes out. This has to be Felicia’s decision without our input, whether she’s brainwashed or not. This will be either a visit or a rescue. It will not be an intervention. Is that clear, Cala?”

  “Yes, Muerto.”

  Nick’s phone buzzed an hour later. “Hi Lynn.”

  “The phone call worked. I had Saran state he needed Claude for a contract in Yemen and the call was the only way Claude would consider it. We learned during the interrogation that El-Amin has participated in the money laundering enterprise Al-Kadi worked with his overseas conduit. It was suggested by El-Amin, Claude could talk with Felicia immediately. We anticipated that and had Saran tell him Claude demanded people he trusted see her while he was calling.”

  “Interesting. I will let you know how this proceeds. Tell Claude we will not make things worse for Felicia no matter what. With Al-Kadi gone, we can put this El-Amin on our watch list to make sure he doesn’t hook up with another cell.”

  “That’s our thoughts on it too, Muerto. Talk again soon.” Lynn disconnected.

  “We’re on,” Nick said.

  * * *

  Nick and Johnny wore their white kufi head coverings with clothing neatly arranged. Cala, again with conservative clothing and headscarf, walked demurely behind the men as they approached the door to El-Amin’s huge well maintained home. Nick rang the doorbell, stepping back slightly with hands clasped in front of him. A thin bearded man in a dark three piece business suit answered the door with a scowl. Without a word, he motioned the visitors inside.

  “I have been told to greet this intrusion on my life,” El-Amin muttered in guttural Arabic. “If not for my business associate this meeting would never take place. What name do you go by?”

  “I am Momar Bati, sent by Saran Al-Kadi,” Nick stated in Arabic when they were inside the house. “My companions are trusted friends of Claude Chardin. They will be observing the phone call and will speak with your wife, Felicia.”

  “She is my property, not my wife,” El-Amin retorted suspiciously. “Saran knows this. Why do you not?”

  “I am merely an emissary on behalf of my employer. I did not wish to offend and I have no knowledge of your personal life.”

  El-Amin grunted. “Let us get this farce over with. Follow me.”

  In the spacious living room, a woman wearing a black burka knelt near the leather couch. El-Amin walked over and sat down near the woman. “These are the people I spoke to you about. They wish for you to speak with a cousin of yours. Do you know this Claude Chardin?”

  The woman kept her eyes on the floor. “Yes. He was my cousin. I have not seen him in many years.”

  “Saran wishes for you to speak with him. This man will put you on the phone with him.”

  Nick Facetimed Claude. When he established a good signal and audio, Nick handed the iPhone to Cala. She went over to kneel next to Felicia, put the iPhone on speaker, and held it where
the two could see each other on the screen.

  “Felicia? I am so happy to see you alive. I tried to find you after Paris.”

  “It matters not, Claude. I am dead to you now. I…I am glad you are well. You look much older, my cousin, and thin.”

  Claude chuckled. “Yes. I had an accident which forced me into a healthier lifestyle. What of you, my dear one. Do you have children?”

  Felicia hesitated, glancing up at her now scowling companion. “I had something happen after Paris… which prevented my ever giving birth. I wanted… I mean…” Felicia began to sob. “I’m sorry… my cousin. I cannot-”

  “Enough!” Haris El-Amin reached for the iPhone, only to have Nick’s hand snatch his. A second later Haris was on his knees. The bones in his hand began to crackle.

  “I do not think you understand the purpose of this call, Haris,” Nick continued in Arabic, unsure at the moment if Felicia was upset because she didn’t want to talk with someone from her past life, or upset that she couldn’t speak plainly.

  “Let go of me, dog! I will have Al-Kadi kill you for this outrage!”

  “I doubt it.”

  “Please!” Felicia clasped her hands together as she dropped the phone in pleading fashion. “Let him go. He will surely beat me to death after you leave if you go any further with this!”

  “No… he won’t.” Nick snapped El-Amin’s wrist. When Haris fell forward with a scream, clutching his wrist, Nick stun-gunned him into unconsciousness. He picked up the iPhone as Felicia cringed away from him into Cala’s arms. “Did you hear all that, Claude?”

  “Yes! It is as I feared.”

  “Here’s Felicia again.” Nick handed Felicia the iPhone again. “You can take off the face covering to speak. No one will harm you again. Are there any others in the house?”

  Felicia took off her face covering headdress with shaking hand. “Yes. There are two other women upstairs. One is only twelve.”

  “We must repay this man, Muerto,” Cala said. “He needs a good cleaning.”

  “I think you may be right.” Nick gestured at Johnny. “See to the others, Johnny. Take Cala with you. Take no chances until the situation is clear.”