~ Ben ~
Ali Farouz finally left Ben alone in the laboratory. There was only one clean suit in the place and it did not meet hazmat standards. But, Ben slipped into it with Habib waiting in the office area. Ben used the security code that Farouz had shared with him. He proceeded to check the building for security cameras and listening devices and found only cameras, which could be easily jammed when the time was right. Comfortable now, he made himself intimately familiar with the anthrax storage area. The canisters were yellow, the highest grade of the deadly bacterium, and it was definitely from China. He mentally made notes while noticing that nothing in the makeshift laboratory was being carried out with the proper protocol. Ben surmised the previous scientist that died mysteriously probably contracted anthrax. It was a disaster waiting to happen. The good news was: no scanning electron microscope was in this laboratory. It was rudimentary, at best.
After a week of planning, the thought that went through Ben's mind first was the safety of the women and children living on the compound. And, of immediate concern was the expectation that he would poison three of the woman because Ali Farouz ordered him to do so. He had a scheme devised to get the women and children off the grounds for a few hours as a distraction along with an escape plot for the three unwanted wives and their respective children. Ben's Dark Horse team had surreptitiously arranged a farmer's market to be set up just outside the compound, a half-mile down the road. There was Middle-Eastern music and treats for the children and lots of kitchen items and food to draw the women out. All of this was designed to get the women off the grounds. Habib acted as a messenger and encouraged all of the women and children to attend together. To keep the men busy, Ben had a phony arms dealer set up an appointment to make a presentation on the latest weaponry he was peddling. With his perfect Arabic, Nate did an excellent job with the presentation. Of course, he took a large security deposit from Ali Farouz promising delivery in six weeks.
At the farmer’s market, Ben methodically marked the three women whom Ali Farouz wanted dead. He passed the information to the waiting team. The din of the music and the chattering amongst the women created just enough chaos in the marketplace for a few people to conveniently go missing. Being ostracized by the other women in Farouz's harem, the three women and their children huddled together as they wound their way through the market. Finally, the perfect opportunity presented itself. The targets and their children entered a tent on the perimeter where an opening had been carefully constructed by the team. Inside were toys and simple musical instruments to attract the children and a special display of colorful hijabs for the women. Only a handful could be admitted at one time. The Dark Horse Guardians dressed as women in burkas, silently gagged and bound the three women along with their children. An unmarked van hidden on the opposite side of the tent whisked them away to a safe house far from the compound.
An hour passed before anyone noticed they were missing. Ben made it appear as if the women escaped on their own volition. Ali Farouz ordered a group of his men to search for the missing women and children. For hours they combed the area surrounding the compound, but the unwanted wives and their brood were nowhere to be found. While Ali Farouz was distracted with the search, Ben slipped away.
Ben told Farouz he had to do some work in the lab and he made his way to the cinder block building. Working calmly in the laboratory, he dressed in the clean suit and carefully took the yellow canisters from the storage locker. The anthrax was sealed and he broke the seal on each canister. The UPS package he earlier sent to Habib was now on the countertop. He needed to work quickly before anyone noticed the one security camera in the room with him was scrambled. With the clock ticking for this nerve-wracking task, Ben felt the sweat dripping into his eyes inside the clean suit. He took a moment to marvel at his own handiwork. The color and texture was perfect. No one would be able to tell the difference. Chanel translucent face powder was inserted into the yellow canisters. The real anthrax was being saved for another purpose and was carefully stored in the Chanel face powder jars with screw-top lids. This was not the safest way to store the live anthrax, but it would have to do for now. Within forty minutes the transfer was complete and he slipped out of the clean suit and into a shower. His breath was still ragged and his heart beat like a drum with the fear of being discovered.
The next few days were harrowing as Ali Farouz confronted Ben asking about the disappearance of the three women he wanted poisoned. Ben explained in Pasto dialect, "Somehow, these women knew you didn't want them anymore. Did you ever tell them you did not want them as your wives? Did you say anything to them to make them think they were no longer useful? Did you threaten them?" Ben waited for the answer. Farouz spoke angrily, "Yes, of course I did. I told them I wanted more children and beat them when they refused to bend to my will. I took their daughters and raped them. I forced their mothers to watch me. These girls are twelve years old and ready to bear children now. When finished, I spat upon their mothers. I told them they were not doing the bidding of their husband! By refusing me, they were dishonoring me, their husband. This is a great insult for me to bear."
For a moment, Ben nearly gasped. But, outwardly he forced himself to act like this was acceptable behavior and he spoke calmly. "Then we have to assume the women took the opportunity to leave during the farmer's market. It was you, Ali Farouz, who told them they were useless to you. They felt they had no other choice. It is your fate. You must accept this. You have beautiful women coming from Syria who are younger." Ben knew the more he argued the worse the situation would become. Using Ali Farouz's own crazy reasoning he had a better chance to control the madman. But he also knew there was no controlling a psychopath. The only answer was to put a bullet in his head, and Ben dreamed of doing so.
Although Ben was thankful at least three women and their daughters escaped the horribly abusive life Farouz was imposing upon them, he was painfully aware there were many other women and children living an existence akin to slavery. Innocents were being tortured and they saw no other way than to submit to the brutality every day just to stay alive. It was at this moment Ben recognized the feeling of pure hatred that swept over him. He wanted so much to kill Ali Farouz and all of his henchmen on the compound, he could taste it. But, first he'd let them go through with their Sparrow plan. Let the idiots sprinkle Chanel translucent powder all over Boston stadium. Only then would Ben exact revenge and enjoy every moment of it.
~ Lara ~
As she savored a delicious picnic dinner on the back porch with Eliot Stone, Lara was enjoying the view from Clearwater Farm. She drank only one glass of champagne remembering how potent it could be. She was tired enough already. Eliot was filled with questions, "Where is the Lieutenant? I'm surprised he wasn't here to help during the big moving day. Isn’t he on vacation from the university?" Lara answered carefully, "Yes, he is on vacation, but he had other business to attend to. He's in Boston, his mother is not well…" Lara didn't like to make up stories, but she couldn't say that Ben was in Massachusetts on a Dark Horse mission. Eliot seemed to buy it for now. Lara felt he was testing her with his questions, "Don't you feel lonely here all alone in this big house?" It was as if Eliot read her mind, but she said, "No, I'm not alone. I have Einstein here to keep me company…and my mother and Rusty helped today…and Don and Olivia. They’re only a phone call away. And, I have you as my helpful neighbor!"
Lara sensed that Eliot was making passive aggressive remarks about Ben just to draw her out. It was as if he wanted Lara to try to defend him. She decided to change the subject. "So, have you gone out on any more blind dates, Eliot? What was the guy's name that set you up on the last one?" She watched Eliot's demeanor change. He didn't want to talk about it, but he gave her a little snippet of information. "That was Stewart Clifford who set me up; he's an old college buddy of mine. Oh God, Lara, the date didn't go so well. Beauty but no brains, if you know what I mean…we went to a movie and had a snack afterwards, but I never called her back." Lara was confoun
ded as to why Eliot Stone remained single. She knew for a fact that plenty of women were falling over themselves to get a date with him, but he remained aloof. There were times she actually felt sorry for him. Living in a mansion alone must've gotten very lonely for the past few years. He didn't even have a dog or a cat to keep him company.
~ Bettencourt ~
To get more distance from Ali Farouz's henchmen, Bettencourt accepted the transfer to the Falmouth Police Department and assumed a new identity with the help of the FBI. His new name was now Randall Harrington. The whole process was quietly and hastily done. It just so happened, his beat was the waterside area of the stylish, expensive Falmouth Foreside neighborhood where Lara's Clearwater Farm resided in all its glory. Today was supposed to be her moving day. He cruised down Route 88 past well-manicured estates until he came to the turn-off for her saltwater farm. Bettencourt was weary from moving his residence yet again…this time to an apartment that was in a former carriage house in Falmouth. An elderly couple owned the place and gave him a favorable lease. It was a relic, but he would receive a discount on rent if he made a few improvements. He wanted Lara to take a look at it and make a few suggestions. Plus, he wanted to see Clearwater Farm for himself. After all, he would be the police officer assigned to her neighborhood now.
As he drove down the long driveway the farm came into view and nearly took his breath away. His eyes swept over the beautiful estate with its private beach and the late afternoon sunlight cast a golden glow on the landscape. As he got out of the police cruiser, he stretched and started to walk toward the house until he saw two figures sitting on the screened porch. He slowly walked toward the couple recognizing Lara immediately. She was perched in a chair with her legs tucked underneath her laughing at whatever the guy across from her was saying. The moment she spied Bettencourt, Lara jumped out of the chair and ran toward him, "Bett, oh, it's so good to see you!" Bettencourt wasn't prepared for her exuberant welcome. Lara wrapped her arms around him and kissed his cheek. "I've got to introduce you to Eliot Stone…Officer Bettencourt, this is Eliot Stone, my neighbor. He brought me a picnic dinner for my first night in the new place. Wasn’t that sweet?" Bettencourt instantly felt he was intruding. He shook Eliot Stone's hand and looked him in the eye trying to get a read on the guy. He noticed Eliot didn’t hold his gaze for long. The officer smiled and said, "I don't want to interrupt. Lara, I'll swing by another time to see the house." He excused himself, "Don't let me interrupt your meal." And, Bettencourt was on his way. However, he had an odd feeling about Eliot Stone. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but he felt the guy was a little too interested in Lara. There was nothing to substantiate that, it was just a feeling.
~ Lara ~
Lara enjoyed watching her first sunset at Clearwater Farm with Eliot. But as it got dark, she realized she was exhausted. Eliot walked inside the house with Lara and excused himself to use the bathroom. Lara strolled through the house turning on a light here and there to eradicate the darkness. There were no street lights nearby and the only outside light on the two-acre property came from the porch light and the moon and stars. Lara made a note to get motion-detection lights installed around the property and a lamp post that stayed on all night. When Eliot came out of the bathroom he thanked Lara for her good company and gave her a little hug, "I'll pick up the dinghy tomorrow. I can walk home from here." She accompanied him out to the screened porch and waved goodbye as he made his way up the long driveway toward the road.
As she watched his figure recede into the distance, Lara felt it was a thoughtful gesture on Eliot's part to bring her a picnic dinner tonight. He seemed to always be in tune with her need for food. When she worked at the firm, he'd often split a wonderful deli sandwich with her, sharing his lunch. It was always a working lunch at the firm and together they'd plot out the next job or talk about a potential client. Sometimes she even missed his dry sense of humor. But mostly she enjoyed the long talks they'd have about design and architecture. Eliot was a compendium of information and she would draw all that she could from him.
~ Eliot Stone~
He waited until Lara moved back inside the house before he doubled back to her property to get his binoculars out of the dinghy. He noticed there were no drapes or window coverings yet. He nestled into an outcropping of rocks surrounded by overgrown wild raspberry bushes. He was looking directly into her master bedroom on the first floor from that vantage point. Waiting for what seemed like an eternity, he finally saw Lara walking through the bedroom. His breath quickened and he instantly became alert. He was fixated on watching her undress. He brought the small pair of binoculars slowly to his eyes. He tried to be as quiet as possible so her dog would not bark.
As she slipped off her shirt, he examined her perfect breasts and imagined caressing them. Then she turned and slipped off her shorts and he could see her lovely feminine bottom. He could only view her back as she reached for her robe. She moved closer to the huge bedroom window and he watched as she slipped into the robe but didn't tie it. In his mind, he kept willing her to turn toward him and look out at the view so he could see her nudity from a frontal perspective. She removed the clasp from her hair and was running a brush through her heavy mane for a moment. It was as if she could hear his thoughts when, once again, she walked closer to the window and opened it so the sea breeze could enter. The robe was open and he caught a glimpse of her perfect body. Eliot felt a sudden urge of excitement flow through him. He could not stop himself. He remained there with the binoculars watching her until the bedroom went dark.
In the darkness he walked home with the image of Lara's naked body in his mind. As soon as he arrived at his Tudor mansion, he dialed Cassandra's phone number. Her sultry voice answered, "I somehow knew it would be you."
~ Lara ~
Exhausted, Lara plopped into bed but not before gazing through the back window in the black night toward the ocean. Einstein had barked several times. He usually did not bark unless there was someone there. Not seeing anyone when she gazed out, she went about her business preparing for bed. Breaking the rules, she allowed Einstein to sleep in his dog bed on the floor of the master bedroom that first night. She was afraid of being alone in a big house that was unfamiliar to her. She had her leather sack with the loaded Glock ready, as well as pepper spray and various other weapons, just in case she had to defend herself. But, she felt silly for a moment as she thought: I live in one of the safest communities in Maine. There are wealthy families surrounding me. Lara talked herself into feeling secure even though she set several booby traps downstairs at every door. She installed shopkeeper's bells…they made a loud noise when a door was opened. And she placed items in strategic places where an intruder would trip over them. She would remove the items once the security system was in place the next day.
~ Ben ~
Finally, after several fretful days, Ali Farouz gave up his search for the runaway wives and their daughters. He was, however, still searching in Maine for his own daughter, Nadia, who had been removed from his custody. Farouz ignored the court appearance and the judge ruled to keep Nadia out of his care until the case wound its way through the legal system. In a meeting at the mosque, Ben engaged Farouz in conversation about his daughter. The fat man seemed eager to tell Ben the sordid details. With his girth parked in a chair that could hardly bear his weight, Farouz waved his arms about like a lunatic when he spoke, "Do you have daughters, doctor?"
Ben nodded and spoke, "Yes, I have three daughters. I am very proud of them." This angered Farouz even further, "Well, I am not proud of my daughter, Nadia. I never should have introduced her to Western ways. Once in America, she attended a private school and met an American boy named David. I beat her, as any good father would. She had an arranged marriage to an Iranian sheikh coming up as soon as she graduated from school. But she would not listen to me. I never should have sent her to school. She defied me! When the beatings did not work, I stopped allowing her to eat. I only gave her water. Even that didn't work.
I had to resort to locking her in the bedroom. She pounded on the door until exhausted. But, she wasn't with that American pig. She was safe in my house. The police in Portland took her away from me. I have issued a fatwa to get her back. My men are tracking the police officer who took her, but he is well protected. I will have his head!" Ben thought the screaming man might have a heart attack and drop on the floor right in front of him. His blood pressure must've been through the roof. A vein bulged in his forehead when he ranted. Ben hoped Farouz would just burst an artery, collapse, and get it over with.
The next day the women and children of the compound were lining up at the medical building and Ben dreaded what he would find. Performing medical examinations on the women and children was one of the most gut-wrenching moments of his life. Trained as a medic in the Navy, he was familiar with standard medical exams. Ben lined the children up and gave them numbers. A woman stayed in the room to act as his medical assistant. The first few children he examined were young boys. Several had head lice and all were malnourished. One boy had a broken hand. When Ben asked what happened, the boy told him that one of the guards struck him with a baseball bat. Many of the young boys had scars from severe beatings. As if that wasn’t bad enough, when the girls started filtering in one by one, they wouldn’t speak to him. But, as he examined their bodies beneath a white sheet covering them, he held back tears of anger.
Encountering Evil: Dark Horse Guardians Book Two Page 19