by Allan, Dale
Frustrated at the lack of information he was receiving, Luke turned to walk out the door. As he began walking down the hallway, he heard the imam say, “Father Miller, when you decide to tell me the real reason you need the information, perhaps we can talk again.”
Startled, Luke turned around and began walking back toward the office. Before he reached the doorway, it closed. He knocked several times to no avail. With people entering the mosque for prayers, he had no other choice but to turn back and leave through the same door he had entered just minutes ago. Once in his car, he entered the next address and sped away.
The other three imams had a similar reaction to his questions, although they were friendlier. As Luke entered each mosque, he had a sense that they were expecting him. It was almost as if the first imam he had met called every other mosque in the area and told them not to talk. Two imams said they had no idea who built the structures. The last one told Luke that he had only been at his mosque for a few years and that the construction was completed before he arrived.
While driving home, Luke realized that he already knew the best person to provide the information he needed. If anyone could get the name of the company that requested the building permits for these mosques, it was Lori Simpson. The governor’s office certainly had access to this data. Luke wondered if Lieutenant Governor Dick would question why someone would need this information. He also needed to figure out how he was going to ask Lori without giving her the full story.
As he pulled up to the house, he was glad to see that Lori’s car was still there. Hearing him enter, the children ran to the front door to greet him, and he lifted each one up in his arms. He carried them into the family room, where Deborah and Lori were talking. Deborah smiled and said, “Well, where have you been all day?”
Luke put Abel and Alessa down. “I had a few errands to run.” Changing the subject, he asked, “Were you two up all night?”
Lori answered, “No, why?”
“Well, when I saw your car here this morning, I figured you were probably up all night chatting about your new boyfriend from the restaurant.”
Lori looked at Deborah and said, “I think he’s jealous!”
They all laughed, and Deborah filled him in. “Richard is out of town at the annual governors’ meeting for the next few days, so I asked Lori to stay the night.”
Luke smiled and answered sarcastically, “Yeah, sure.”
Deborah playfully picked up a pillow from the couch and threw it at Luke. Not wanting to engage with her, he caught it and gently placed it on a chair before excusing himself.
LUKE LOGGED ON TO the computer again and printed out a new list of the mosques built around 2004. While it printed, he formulated a plan. He decided that the best way to give the information to Lori was to be nonchalant about it. He was happy that her husband was out of town, hoping that one of his assistants could handle the request without Richard’s knowledge.
Walking back into the family room, Luke asked, “Going shopping again today?”
Lori smiled and said, “Not sure, but we are definitely going back to that restaurant for lunch!”
Deborah replied, “We are not!”
With everyone laughing, Luke walked over and handed the mosque listing to Lori. “What’s this?” she asked.
“Nothing important. I’ve just been doing some research on mosques in the area. I was hoping you could ask Richard to find out the names of the construction companies that built them by looking up their building permits.”
Lori glanced at the list. “But he’s out of town for a few days.”
This was the opportunity Luke was looking for. “Maybe his assistant could help?”
She laughed. “That’s a good idea; she seems to be the only one in his office who works. When do you need it?”
Not wanting to appear overanxious but hoping to get the information as soon as possible, he joked, “Well, it can wait until after you visit your boyfriend at the restaurant.”
When they finished laughing, Luke was relieved when Lori said, “How about I just call her now?”
She went to make the call while Luke sat and talked with Deborah. Returning a few minutes later, she handed Luke his list and asked, “Can you fax or e-mail this information to her?”
Not wanting it to print on a fax machine where someone else might see it, Luke said, “I’ll e-mail it to her right now.”
Hoping to get a quick response, Luke typed a polite note to the assistant, ending it with the words: “Thank you very much for your help; your work ethic is inspiring! Lori.” After reviewing it with Lori, he sent it.
Luke decided to take a ride instead of remaining at the house, anxiously waiting for the reply to come. Pulling up to Aaron’s building, he saw his truck parked in the back. He smiled. John must have washed and waxed it. Luke couldn’t recall it ever looking so good.
He entered Aaron’s office, where he found Margaret and John in a storage room, trying to organize several large file cabinets. Luke helped them for a few minutes, until the phone rang and Margaret hurried to answer it. Putting down a box, John said, “Can I talk to you alone for a minute?”
“Sure, let’s go into Aaron’s office.”
Luke sat behind the desk and John pulled up a chair. “Father, I just finished talking with Jim Hathaway. He told me that he was going to add me to Deborah’s payroll.”
When he didn’t continue, Luke asked, “Is that a problem? I thought you already knew that.”
“Yes, but there must be a mistake.”
“Why is that?”
“He told me that I’m going to be paid sixty grand a year.”
Smiling to ease the tension, Luke asked, “What? It’s not enough?”
John laughed. “Are you crazy? I didn’t want to embarrass Jim, so I didn’t say anything. I wanted to talk to you first.”
“John, I’ve discussed this with Deb and she approved your salary. Did Jim talk to you about your house?”
“Yes. He asked me questions about the bank lien. I hope you don’t mind that I used the phone to call my wife to get some of the information he needed. When I asked him why he wanted the specifics, he said I should talk to you.”
“I want to see if there’s any way we can get your house back.”
John’s eyes filled with tears as he struggled to hide his emotions. When he started to speak, he couldn’t, so he looked down while trying to regain his composure. Luke saw a tear hit his shoe. With John still looking down, Luke said, “I can’t promise you anything, but if there’s a way to work with the bank, we will.”
Unable to control himself, John finally looked up with tears streaming down his face and said, “I can never thank you enough for what you’ve already done for me, but you have to promise me something. You need to promise me that whatever happens, you will let me repay you. I don’t want any charity.”
Luke stood and shook his hand. “You have my word.”
“OK. Now, let me get back to work!” Still emotional, he hurried out of the office.
After John left the room, Luke sat at the computer and signed into his e-mail account. He was excited to see a note with the subject line that read “Info requested by Lori.” Quickly clicking on it, he saw three construction company names and addresses. After sending a quick thank-you note to Richard’s assistant, he printed the list. Saying good-bye to Margaret and John, he headed to his car.
LUKE SPENT THE NEXT two hours driving by each construction company. He stopped in front of the buildings, watched, and waited, looking for trucks with crescent symbols or anything else that looked out of the ordinary. At the first two locations he saw nothing unusual. The employees all appeared to be normal, hardworking men, and the trucks looked as expected. The third company, which was the farthest away, had built two of the mosques.
Pulling up to this last location, Luke stopped the car and looked around. Seeing no sign of a construction company, he parked and verified the address with the car’s navigation system. Either t
he address was wrong or the company was no longer in business. Since this wasn’t in the best part of town, he waited in the car and thought about what he should do next. When he saw an elderly man walking a dog, he got out of the car and asked, “Excuse me, sir, was there a construction company somewhere around here?” The man moved closer, and Luke bent down to pet his friendly dog.
“Did you say a construction company?”
Luke smiled. “Yes, sir.”
“There was one here years ago. I’ve lived in this neighborhood for over sixty years. Seems to me that they’ve been out of business for at least five or six years. Corner Stone Builders, I think?”
Looking up from his list, Luke extended his hand. “That’s right, Corner Stone. You have a great memory, Mr.—”
The man switched the dog’s leash to his left hand and said, “Flanagan,” while shaking hands.
“Well, Mr. Flanagan, it’s a pleasure to meet you.” Before the man could ask Luke his name, he purposely continued talking. “Do you remember anything about their trucks or sign?”
The man looked puzzled. “What do you mean?”
“I’m just trying to verify that this was the company that worked on a building I’m researching.”
“Are you some kind of bill collector or something?”
Luke laughed. “No, not at all. I heard from a friend that this company’s trucks had a green moon on the side. Do you remember anything like that?”
The man thought for a few seconds and replied, “I’m sorry, but I can’t recall.”
Luke thanked him and got back into the car. Thinking that he may have missed something when he looked at the Yellow Pages, he dialed his mother’s number and, after a few pleasantries, asked, “Can you look something up in the 2004 phone book for me? In the Yellow Pages under construction companies, can you find the ad for Corner Stone Builders?”
She happily agreed. As he waited, he could hear her flipping pages. Finally, she said, “It’s not here.”
Disappointed, Luke replied, “Thanks for looking.”
She continued. “No, Luke, the page is not here.”
“What do you mean?”
“Someone tore the page out of the book that would have had that listing on it.”
Luke smiled and explained to his mom that he tore out the page.
Not understanding, she asked, “Then why did you have me look it up?”
He laughed. “Because I forgot that I had that page!”
He reached into his pocket and pulled out the pages. Looking through them, he found the one that contained the listing and ad for Corner Stone. He examined it closely but didn’t notice anything unusual. It looked like any other ad.
While he was still parked, his cell phone rang. Picking it up, Luke was happy to hear the voice of Jim Hathaway, the financial adviser. He told Luke about his conversation with John, adding, “When I told him the salary, he cried.”
“Did you find out anything about his house?”
“Not yet. Remember Mr. McMahon from the bank?”
“How could I forget?”
“Well, unfortunately, John’s loan is owned by another bank, but McMahon is friends with the president. I gave him the information, and he promised to see what he could do. I made sure to let him know that you and Deb were involved and have given John a job.”
“Did he say when he would get back to you?”
“He said he would give me an update sometime tomorrow. I’ll call you right after I talk to him.”
As Luke headed home, he drove past the Common. Thinking of Blade, he said a few prayers. He worried that the homeless man had used the money to drink himself to death. Luke made a mental note to ask John to try to find Blade and make sure he was OK.
In retrospect, he wondered if visiting the mosques was a good idea. He wasn’t completely surprised that the first imam he met recognized him; the entire country had seen his face by now. But he questioned why the man didn’t acknowledge that he knew who he was until after he found out what Luke wanted. Was it a coincidence that he was greeted almost immediately by the imams of every other mosque he visited?
He had a sobering thought. If Blade’s story was true and if the imams were somehow connected, whoever was responsible for the bombing probably now knew that Luke was onto them. Could his anger about Aaron’s death and his unrelenting need to find out who was responsible be putting his family in danger? Luke had seen what these extremists were capable of during his time in Africa: beheadings, amputations, whippings, and electrocution. These tortures that most Westerners in America couldn’t even comprehend were not only commonplace in many Islamic states; they were accepted as part of Sharia law.
AS LUKE PULLED INTO the driveway, he was surprised to see a black Town Car parked next to Lori’s Caddy. Worried, he hurried into the house to see what was going on. Hearing voices coming from the family room, he entered and saw a man in a dark suit sitting across from Deb and Lori. When he saw Luke, the man stood, and Deborah introduced him. “This is Mike Dempsey. He’s the lead investigator from the FBI.”
Luke warily shook his hand and asked bluntly, “Why are you here?”
The man laughed. “Deborah just asked me the same question right before you walked in. I’m visiting all the families that lost relatives in the bombing. I want to assure everyone that we are working night and day to find the people responsible.”
Distrustful as to why the FBI was showing up now, weeks after the bombing, Luke asked, “Who else have you met with?”
Again, the man smiled. “You’re the first family.”
Now suspicious, Luke continued his questioning. “I’ve met with some of the families; who’s next on your list?”
Mike’s smile abruptly disappeared as he stumbled. “Um, ah, well, it’s getting late and my list is in the office. This was the only meeting I had scheduled for today.”
Judging by the looks on their faces, Luke could tell that Deb and Lori were wondering why he was questioning the man so harshly. After reiterating his commitment to finding the bombers, Mike stood and lifted the newspaper off the coffee table. Looking at the Thanksgiving Day picture that Lori’s husband had leaked to the press, he said, “Great article. It’s nice to see that you think about the homeless.” When awkward silence filled the room, he sensed it was time to go. He shook everyone’s hands, then Luke led him to the front door.
Before leaving, he handed his business card to Luke and said, “Do me a favor. If you see or hear anything regarding this investigation, please call me.”
Luke wondered if the FBI already knew what he knew about the case. As Dempsey walked toward his car, Luke asked, “What would I know about the investigation?”
Turning, he stared at Luke and replied, “Only you can answer that question.” A few seconds later, the electric gates opened, and the Town Car pulled into the street.
Still standing in the doorway, Luke wondered why the FBI had really showed up. Why today? Could it have anything to do with the fact the he had visited the mosques? He hadn’t talked to anyone at the construction companies, so it couldn’t have anything to do with that. And why did he comment on the homeless? Did someone from the governor’s office call the feds? Jami?
Deep in thought, Luke was startled when the security gates opened again. Seeing his old pickup truck enter the property, he smiled and greeted John.
At dinner, Luke had a hard time concentrating on anything but the bombing, prompting Deborah to ask several times, “Are you all right?” Sensing that Luke had a lot on his mind, John excused himself shortly after eating. Before he could leave, Luke asked him if he could go to the Common the next day and check on Blade. John agreed and headed back to Aaron’s office building to sleep.
On the computer again, Luke decided to find out exactly who Mike Dempsey was. Searching his name, he was surprised to find that he had a distinguished background. Dempsey had gone from being a Navy SEAL to a CIA agent to the FBI, or, like the article said, “from spook to suit.” It was
interesting that he had spent a good part of his CIA career in the Middle East. There were pictures of him with the king of Saudi Arabia as well as the president of the United States. Whoever he was, he was no ordinary agent.
Next, he typed in the name Corner Stone Builders, hit Enter, and waited. There were several results but nothing really interesting. Not one word about who had owned the company.
Tired, confused, and worried, Luke said good night to Deb and Lori and then headed to bed.
LUKE WAS ANXIOUS TO see Jami and find out if she had any information. He parked his car, and as he approached the coffee shop, he saw her sitting on a bench outside, wearing sunglasses and holding two cups of coffee. Seeing him, she flashed her beautiful smile and said, “Good morning,” as she handed him a cup.
“Good morning to you, too, and thank you very much!” He sat down next to her and took a sip. “Have you been waiting long?”
“No, I just got here a few minutes ago.”
Getting right to the point, Luke told her what he’d been up to for the past twenty-four hours. When she heard about his visits to the mosques, she said, “You should have let me go. Maybe the imams would have talked to me.”
Concerned that she didn’t fully appreciate the seriousness of what they were doing, he stated, “I would never put you in a position like that. You have to remember that whoever is responsible for this bombing has tremendous resources. They killed a presidential nominee.” He went on to admit that he thought he made a mistake by visiting the mosques. After telling her about FBI agent Mike Dempsey’s impromptu visit and questioning, she began to realize the potential danger of their investigation.
“Maybe we should contact the police.”
Luke had thought about this also. But what would he tell them? And he wondered if this Dempsey guy already knew everything he knew. He made a mental note to get in touch with Detective Romo, then asked, “Did you find anything out from your friends?”