“In Alexandria, Virginia.”
“That’s right outside of DC,” Kelsey said. “Has anyone found the explosive in Richmond yet?”
Everyone in the room shook their heads.
“James said something about seeing the last attack happen,” Kelsey said into the phone while also speaking to the taskforce members in the room. “Most likely, he was going to say he was on his way to stop it but was too late.”
“I’ll contact the team we have in DC to see if they’ve found anything yet,” Lewis said. “I want an update in fifteen minutes. We’re running out of time.”
“I know.” Kelsey got off the phone and relayed the information Lewis had given her. “Salman will want a high body count. We need to focus on where there will be a lot of people at one o’clock.”
“I already have people working in Richmond, so I’ll stay on top of that one,” Ted offered.
“I’ll help you,” Skip added.
On screen, Manuel started tapping on his keyboard. “I’ll try to track down James.”
“That leaves us with DC,” Noah said, starting a search of his own on his computer.
Kelsey took a step toward the map and studied the targets. She took out the red pushpins for Philadelphia, New York, and Virginia Beach, replacing them with green ones. She then did the same for Baltimore. As she stared at the area around Richmond, she shook her head in confusion.
“Why would Salman pick Richmond?”
“What do you mean?”
“It’s the only city listed here that’s not on the ocean.”
“Norfolk isn’t on the ocean either.”
“No, but it isn’t far upriver.”
“Richmond is on the river too, and it definitely has water access.”
“I guess.” Her eyes swept up the map toward Baltimore and then down again. “DC has got to be the target.”
“You think the clue for Richmond is a hoax?”
“I think we have to consider that possibility.”
Noah pulled out his cell phone, and then Kelsey watched him open up a text message. Then his jaw clenched, and he quickly dialed a number. She felt his tension hike up another notch when his call went unanswered. “What’s wrong?”
“There was a text message on my phone from the agents with Justin.”
“So?”
“It said that Justin’s family was going into the city today. I heard my phone go off earlier, but I was on the phone with Lewis and I ignored it . . .” His voice trailed off, an unspoken apology lighting his eyes.
“That doesn’t make sense,” Kelsey said. “Alyssa hates going into DC on the weekends, especially in the summer when there are so many tourists.”
“I don’t know where they were going. The message only mentioned DC.”
She swallowed hard, and her voice filled with anguish. “If you’re right, my family might be right in the middle of this.”
“I’m afraid so.” Noah hung up his phone and dialed a second time. “The agents didn’t answer. Neither did Justin.”
“Keep trying.” Kelsey raced to her computer, instantly overwhelmed with the possibilities. So many monuments and events were located right on the water. She looked up at Noah, panicked. “This is hopeless. There are dozens of events going on today. It could be anywhere.”
“We can’t give up,” Noah insisted, dialing one number after another unsuccessfully. “We know that James was in Alexandria when he called Lewis. According to the coordinates, that would put him near Roosevelt Island.”
“That’s also near the Lincoln monument. My guess would be National Harbor,” Kelsey suggested. “Or maybe the airport.”
“I can’t stand just sitting around waiting.” Noah stood up. “We’re on an army base. I’m sure we can get a helicopter to take me up so I can try to spot the crowds.”
“I’m going too,” Kelsey said with determination.
She could see he wanted to argue, but instead, he called out to Ted. “We’re going to head over to DC.”
Ted waved toward the plasma screen where Manuel was still on camera. “The team in Richmond still hasn’t found anything. They’re searching other areas of the river just in case that city is the real target.”
“Devin and Skip can stay on top of that,” Noah suggested. “Let’s call in for a second chopper. We can split up and see what we can find.”
Ted grabbed his phone. “I’ll take west. You can take the east side.”
“Come on.” Noah led the way outside. “Let’s pray we can figure this out.”
Chapter 43
“I don’t see anything suspicious near the monuments, but there are dozens of boats near the Lincoln and the Jefferson,” Noah said over the headset. He didn’t want to think about his numerous friends who were likely in the city today, some visiting the museums and monuments, others enjoying the restaurants in Georgetown, and still others out boating on the river. He especially didn’t want to think about Justin and his family wandering around somewhere in the city.
He had sent text messages to both of the agents accompanying them, but so far, he hadn’t received a response. His guess was that they were in the IMAX theater at the Smithsonian and had silenced their phones. Either that or they were somewhere where the noise was too loud to hear their phones. He prayed it was the first scenario. If it was the second, it was entirely possible that Justin, Alyssa, Cody, and Bethany were right in the middle of the target area. Wherever that was.
“It looks like the park police are clearing the areas near both of those.” Kelsey pointed below them where authorities were indeed evacuating the Lincoln Memorial and pushing the tourists back to what was hopefully a safe distance from the Potomac River. “I wonder what story they’re using.”
“Probably the old suspicious backpack routine.” Noah shifted to see a similar scene unfolding near the Jefferson.
The pilot’s voice sounded, and he relayed a message. “DC Harbor Patrol and the Coast Guard both have boats out looking for any unmanned vessels.”
“There are too many for them to check them all.”
Kelsey checked her watch. Urgency filled her voice. “We only have thirty-seven more minutes.”
“We can’t do anything here.” Noah tapped the pilot on the shoulder and pointed to his right. “Let’s head up along the Anacostia.”
“There’s not much up that way.”
“Except for the Navy Yard.”
“The Navy Yard is already on high alert. Salman would know he couldn’t guarantee that his boat would make it through our defenses. He’d want a sure thing,” Kelsey insisted.
Noah couldn’t fault her logic. Still, he didn’t stop the pilot from engaging their new course. Overwhelmed and helpless, he stared at the scenery below as they flew over East Potomac Park and then past the National War College and started up the Anacostia River. He stared at the boats docked there as well as farther up the river at Buzzards Point Park. So many boats. So many possibilities.
They continued forward, minutes ticking by. Then he looked down and saw the steady stream of people walking down Half Street toward the center gate of Nationals Park. “Is there a game today?”
“Oh no.” Kelsey’s words were barely audible over the headset, but Noah instantly felt her tension rise further.
“What?”
“The one thing my family would go into the city for on a Saturday is a ball game.”
The pilot immediately altered their course and spoke through the radio to request a flyover of the stadium. “We’ll go take a look.”
Noah’s heart sank. They could see thousands of people already in the stands. He lifted his binoculars and saw that the pitcher for the Nationals was already on the mound.
“This could be it.” He looked over at Kelsey and could tell her mind was already racing with possibilities.
“And there’s a good chance no one was answering their phones because they were on the subway when we tried to reach them.”
“Or they couldn’t
hear their phones over the crowds,” Noah said, a new sense of determination pulsing through him. “We aren’t out of time yet.”
“The stadium isn’t right on the water. Do you think the explosives would even penetrate the structure?” Kelsey asked hopefully.
Noah wanted to ease her fears, but he had seen the weaponry firsthand. “With enough speed and the type of explosives we’re talking about, I’m afraid it could do serious damage.” He leaned forward and spoke to the pilot once more. “Take us down closer over the river. Let’s see what’s on the water here.”
“We’re down to sixteen minutes,” Kelsey said tensely.
“There’s a sailboat right there.” Noah pointed, motioning for the pilot to take them closer. He looked through the binoculars, disappointed when he saw a woman step out on deck. “Never mind. There are people on board.”
The pilot veered off and began a circling search pattern, using the stadium as the center point. “I’ll call over to the Coast Guard for some help in searching this area.”
“Has Ted found anything?” Kelsey asked.
“I’ll get an update,” the pilot told her. He radioed in and then told them, “All of the bombs have been disarmed except for the one in Richmond. That one hasn’t been found.”
“Maybe Richmond really was a fake clue,” Noah commented.
“It’s possible,” Kelsey agreed. “I wonder if James was going to say that he stopped that one himself. That would put him a hundred miles away from the attack in DC when it happened.”
“But you think he would really be here to see it?”
“I think so.”
“You know Salman best. Where do you think he would strike?”
Tears threatened, and she took a deep breath as though to steady her voice. “This is the biggest crowd we’ve seen in DC today. If he had any way of knowing that would be the case, this is where he would choose.”
Noah tried to choke down his own rising emotions. “Then we keep looking here.”
* * *
James parked his car at the side of Robbins Road near the bend in the Anacostia River. He looked around nervously, not because he worried that his involvement with Salman would be revealed but because of the dangers in this area of town. Anacostia wasn’t an area he was accustomed to frequenting, but this was the best spot for his purposes.
From this side of the river, he would be free of the chaos that was about to strike Washington, DC and would still be able to view the resulting damage. The attacks of 9/11 were about to be dwarfed in magnitude and importance. Today would set the new standard of just how severe a terrorist attack could be right here on US soil.
And from now on, people would know how important he was to their safety. Everyone in the intelligence community was about to know his name. He was the man who prevented the strike in historic Philadelphia. The person who had single-handedly uncovered the intelligence to prevent another attack in bustling New York, the one who had protected the harbor in Baltimore and the military base in Norfolk.
He would take credit, of course, for disabling the boat in Richmond, a boat he had staged for exactly that purpose. Then he would be here, just close enough to see the destruction but not close enough to prevent the damage.
And there would be a lot of damage. The death toll would be in the tens of thousands, much higher than the casualties suffered on 9/11.
The primary target was a relatively new building and was currently buzzing with activity under the cloudless blue sky. He looked across the river and relaxed enough to smile. He appreciated the symmetry of the moment. A new structure, an old pastime.
Admittedly, he didn’t know that much about explosives, but Medrano had assured him that the blast radius of this makeshift weapon was at least a half mile in every direction. That would definitely be enough to accomplish both Salman’s purposes and his own.
If all went as planned, the explosion would destroy at least part of the Frederick Douglass Bridge. Disabling any bridge in the DC area was bound to create havoc, but that was really just an extra benefit to making sure people got a taste of how bad the attacks could have been if he hadn’t decided to be a hero.
Salman still posed a problem to him, at least until he was eliminated, but that would happen within a matter of hours. James would send Salman the message himself about the success of the mission and then wait for the Navy SEALs to go in and get him. He had little doubt that Salman would die before he allowed himself to be captured. With Salman’s death, James’s involvement in the attacks would die too.
He smiled to himself when he thought of the surprise in Lewis Tate’s voice when he had called in the information about what Salman had planned. James had let Lewis propose the air strike against Salman even though he had been prepared to suggest it himself. After all, what better time to go after Salman Nassar than at his daughter’s wedding, when the whole family would be in one place?
He knew that Kelsey might have already passed along Salman’s location to Tate, but he wanted to make sure the Agency had good intel. After all, Kelsey wasn’t around to confirm the information.
His chest rose and fell on a sigh. It was a shame, really, that she had been the one undercover with Salman. He had actually considered marrying her at one time, at a time before she had gotten in his way. Unfortunately, she was the one person who had the ability to expose him.
Only a few hours after he had turned her over to Medrano’s men, Salman had called personally to inform him that a firefight had apparently taken both her life and Medrano’s. A few quiet inquiries had confirmed the facts and put his mind at ease. Medrano had been another loose end he hadn’t looked forward to tying up himself.
With another look around to make sure he was alone, he climbed out of his car. His eyes scanned the water’s surface, searching past the naval vessel down the river and the various ferries on the water. A nearby sailboat caught his attention before he realized it wasn’t the vessel of choice today.
Then he saw it—a spot of white on the blue water. A sense of anticipation shot through him, and he edged between two trees to get closer to the river. This was his moment. In fourteen more minutes, history would be made.
Chapter 44
“There’s so much activity on the water here; I don’t know where to look.” Kelsey glanced at her watch again, willing time to slow. Fourteen minutes and counting. They had already checked out a sailboat, an empty ferry, and two speedboats, but dozens of watercrafts were still visible in every direction.
She could see the harbor patrol clearing boats from the suspected strike area, but unfortunately, time was limited and resources were stretched thin as other patrol boats tried to accomplish the same task on the Potomac River.
“Wait.” Beside her, Noah shifted excitedly. “Look there.”
“What?”
“That boat over there. It’s a good size, and it’s heading toward the stadium.” Noah pointed downriver at what appeared to be a sport fishing boat. “Take us down closer.”
Kelsey adjusted her binoculars to look at the boat moving toward the stadium from the south. “I don’t see anyone on board.” She looked at her watch and gauged the distance. If it continued on its current course, it would likely reach the stadium in approximately fifteen minutes. “This might be it.”
The helicopter lowered over the boat. Kelsey pointed excitedly when she saw that the decks were empty. “That has to be it. We’ve got to get down there.”
“There’s a harness right back there.”
Kelsey grabbed for it as one of the helicopter crew started preparing to lower her down.
“Let me go first.” Noah stopped her.
“Are you trained to disarm a bomb?”
“Not really, but I can at least make sure there isn’t anyone down there to shoot you before you get the chance to try,” Noah told her. “Besides, if we can stop the boat, we can control the damage.”
Kelsey hesitated only a moment. Then she moved out of the way so he could go first.
The crewmember handed Noah a second harness, and he quickly put it on. Less than a minute later, he stepped out of the open door and was dangling in space over the boat. Two precious minutes ticked by while they lowered him down. As soon as his feet hit the deck, he unhooked his harness. The crewman assisting him immediately hauled it up and attached it to Kelsey’s harness.
“Okay, here you go.” He helped her to the door. “Keep your headset on so we can communicate with you while you’re down there.”
Kelsey tried to ignore the tremors working their way through her body. She swallowed hard as she forced herself to step into the open air and trust that the rope would keep her from plummeting down onto the boat below. Thoughts of her brother and his family in that stadium prevented her from caving in to fear. She had to find a way to stop this, and she prayed that this really was the right vessel.
Noah had moved to the wheel, but when she neared the deck, he hurried over to help her ease down onto the boat. He steadied her and then unhooked the harness himself.
“The navigation system has been disabled. Everything is being handled remotely.”
“Can you cut off the fuel supply?”
“It’s booby trapped. I might be able to but not without blowing us up.”
“Did you find the bomb?”
Somberly, he pointed into the pilot house. “In there.”
Kelsey looked through the window and swallowed hard. She quickly checked to make sure the door wasn’t also booby trapped. Then she approached the monstrosity inside. A missile had been fitted into the interior of the boat, the tip pointing toward the bow. Nestled around it were additional explosives with wires leading to three different control boxes.
She opened the closest one and stared at the dozens of black wires. She had been trained to disarm a bomb, but that had been in a controlled environment, with color-coded wires and an instructor standing right there for support.
“Can you disarm it?” Noah asked, his voice tense.
“I don’t know.” She looked up at him, panic and regret filling her. “Maybe with more time, but I really don’t know if I can do this.”
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