Rick talked through all kinds of scenarios with the people on watch, but nothing was a home run. They were looking for Christmas presents on the biggest day to buy Christmas presents.
The plan was in place to get every LEO on the street looking for the white minivan. There was nothing left to do. There was no more intelligence to collect and analyze. The search of the storage unit revealed nothing else that might suggest a target. The search of Clay’s apartment found nothing. The search of Clay’s computer was ongoing, but the initial look didn’t reveal anything that might give them the next clue in the puzzle.
They were at an impasse. They’d gone from offense to defense in the course of a couple days.
Rick drove into his driveway exhausted. The emotional toll from the past three weeks was immense. His wife insisted on going shopping on Black Friday. For her, it was a tradition. For Rick, this year, it was a quandary.
Special Access Programs required those read-in to not change their routines. Rick was obligated to go with his wife as that is what he did every year. Maybe this year he wouldn’t carry any bags, but would exercise his right as a concealed carry weapons permit holder to bring his .380 pistol. The Glock 42 was small, and he carried it in a case that looked like a wallet. Its six-round magazine was full, but the chamber empty as he didn’t want any accidents.
Quandary solved. He hadn’t realized that he was parked in his own driveway, sitting there like an idiot while he had guests.
Maybe not an idiot, he thought, but a person with the weight of the world on his shoulders. He was parked next to a handicapped van. He looked at it for a second before the realization hit him.
Travis and Xandrie were here. He looked at the small red Audi sports car in the street. So was Becky. He had to let it go. It was Thanksgiving, a time to be thankful for what they had, not what tomorrow might bring.
Rick pulled himself together and walked in like he owned the place.
His wife took exception and immediately yelled at him to relieve Travis of the job of cutting the turkey. He gave her a kiss on the cheek, high-fiving his friends and family as he jogged past to go upstairs and change clothes. He had no intention of relieving Travis in the kitchen and every intention of leading the dish washing brigade following dinner.
“That smells incredible. I can’t wait,” he yelled from the second floor.
He returned in less than two minutes wearing shorts and a Pittsburgh Steelers polo shirt. It was his favorite Thanksgiving outfit, even though the Steelers weren’t playing, he couldn’t wear anything else. It would have been sacrilege.
He noted his JMU sweatshirt in the bottom drawer. He’d never wear that again, although he felt sorry for Clay. The young man got in over his head. He fell from grace, ending at the Enterprise counter as a clerk. He meets a charismatic man who offers him something. And away they go together, to his demise.
Rick wanted to talk more about it but now wasn’t the time.
“Travis, my man! You are doing a fabulous job at that, almost like you hack off body parts for a living. And who is this fine lady?” Rick bent down to kiss Xandrie’s hand, but she pushed him away before he got too close.
“I’d punch you, but it hurts too much,” she said smiling. Her wheelchair was parked in an open space so people wouldn’t trip over her. This was the first time she’d gone out in a wheelchair, and she was self-conscious. Everything was different, but the cozy, family setting helped.
Rick watched as she kept her eyes on Travis. He felt guilty, and all of a sudden understood why his wife wanted him to carve the turkey.
“I got this Travis,” Rick said as he muscled his way in. “Go on, get set up to eat. Looks like we’re almost ready.”
“We?” Sadie Banik asked sarcastically. Rick had put the turkey in the oven early this morning, but then he left.
“I mean you! Sadie’s saved the day for us while I was gallivanting around the countryside,” he quickly added. Although she initially tried to push him away, he pulled her into a long embrace. Everything he did was to give them a better life, but sometimes, that better life needed him home.
Yes, they’d go shopping tomorrow, and he’d be with them.
The Banik’s dining room table was big enough that no one had to suffer the embarrassment of sitting at the little table. They squeezed in, with Xandrie taking the head where her wheelchair sat like it belonged.
When they were seated, Rick didn’t say a prayer, but he gave thanks.
“For those who make our lives better, both friends and family, I thank you for being with us today. No one knows what tomorrow will bring,” Rick said, looking pointedly at Travis and Becky, “but if they did, they would celebrate today and our time together.” Rick bowed his head, then leaned over to kiss his wife. Travis and Xandrie did the same, but theirs lingered longer.
Becky cleared her throat while studiously avoiding the couples at the other end of the table. She looked at Rick and Sadie’s children who were only a few years younger than her. “So, are you guys Steeler fans, too?”
D-Day
Mohammed woke up early and went to the workout room for time on the treadmill, working his abdominals, and doing pushups to cap his workout. He caught the sly, appreciative glances of a middle-aged married woman. He hadn’t enjoyed time with a female on this trip, but there was no time now.
He was on the final leg of the journey.
Taking his time with the shower, he let the hot water cleanse him, almost as part of a ritual. He wore his nicest slacks and the expensive shirt he bought a week prior.
He looked every bit the suave business executive he pretended to be. He packed his bag and checked out, just like a normal person would. He planned to be on this evening’s flight from BWI, with a plane full of people going about their own business.
Mohammed went way out of his way to make sure nothing looked out of the ordinary.
He loaded his bag into the minivan and climbed in. He tripled his estimate for how long it would take to get where he was going because of potential delays from traffic or fender benders. It was okay. He’d given himself plenty of time. He hoped the zealots were on time as well. They were spaced apart, but little did they know that they all had the same target.
What they didn’t know was that Mohammed had a second remote for each of the devices. Why leave things to chance, he thought? It was a sound plan.
Mohammed smiled to himself. It was all very normal.
Just until it wasn’t. He couldn’t wait to see the terror on their unsuspecting faces.
Black Friday
With everyone including food and drinks packed into the minivan, Rick, Sadie, and their children, Rick Jr, and Kate, headed for Pentagon City where the Fashion Centre awaited. Sadie preferred it as she had a soft spot for music-boxes. They’d start and end at the music-box store. It was on the top floor, so they’d work their way down to the food court and back up again. It would take most of the day. Sadie knew that Rick would be fed up at the half way point, but he’d power through, and she appreciated that.
Today was different. Rick wore a bulkier jacket than usual so it hid the pistol he carried in its inner pocket. He knew he’d get hot, but that couldn’t be helped. His heart was pounding. He looked at his phone every fifteen seconds expecting the call that the attacks had started.
Before she left yesterday, Becky agreed to spend the day in the Fusion Center, be his eyes and ears. She’d call him directly if anything happened. They set up a few code words so he could get the gist of the issue without having to find a STU-III.
Travis was picking up his kids from Dulles today. It had been too long since he’d last seen them, so Rick insisted he stay away, even though Travis volunteered to stand watch until he had to go. Rick refused, knowing that if he got trapped by events, then his kids would be at the airport with no one to pick them up. Travis deserved better than that.
Rick knew well his family’s Black Friday routine. Drive to the top of the parking garage at the side o
f the Fashion Centre and find a spot on the roof. With the country’s recession mostly in the rear view mirror, it appeared that today might be a banner day if you were a retailer. If you were Rick Banik, not so much.
“Humor me, Rick. It’s not that bad. Relax. Expect to spend all day and when we leave sooner than that, we’ll declare victory,” Sadie said, using Rick’s terms and logic against him. Rick drove once around the roof before someone walked to their car. He followed them like a creepy stalker and took their spot when they pulled out.
“Here’s one for the early shoppers,” Rick said as he shoved a granola bar and his cell phone in his outer pocket.
They entered the mall walking into a crowd of people. It moved like river sludge after a flood. They stayed in one lane, generally going in the same direction. As Sadie shouldered her way into a store, Rick followed. He looked back, and his kids were gone. He asked his wife to hold up so he could find them, but she told him to let them go.
Rick’s heart jack-hammered his chest. If his wife knew what he knew, they wouldn’t be at the mall. He had to smile and act as if everything was okay. It was too much. He pulled Sadie into a corner away from other people.
He leaned close and whispered into her ear, “We think there’s going to be a terrorist attack today, at one of the malls in the area.” Her eyes grew as big as plates. She took a deep breath as if to yell something, and Rick clamped a hand over her mouth, then let go slowly. “Don’t say a word. Get the kids and keep them close.” He growled in a low tone.
He’d just broken the law, and that didn’t sit any better than knowing and not telling.
Rick’s wife frantically texted each of the kids and told them to meet them at the music-box store immediately. She added, “I don’t want any of your bullshit. Get there NOW!”
Rick chuckled to himself. His wife punched him in the arm. “Were you joking?” She was angry. It perfectly blended with her auburn hair and green eyes.
“No, not kidding, but,” he looked around, and they were still alone, “we’re still going to squeeze in a stop at the music-box store?”
“Even if the world was going to end this minute, you still have to embrace what you love,” she said as she gave Rick a quick hug and elbowed her way out of the store. Rick followed closely as they entered the slow moving mass of people.
D-Day – Executing the Plan
Mohammed followed the ramps into the parking garage as he had done when he came before, but everything was full. He circled and eventually ended up on the roof of the parking garage. There was one spot open, and he took it. He didn’t like how close it was to a camera but had no choice. The overwhelming number of people would help him blend in. He was no one, and the minivan was just one among many that filled the parking garage. The Americans needed their vans to haul piles of gifts away.
He’d take the metro to a taxi to BWI. After the explosions, there’d be initial panic, and then the whole area would shut down. He carried his briefcase, slung loosely over his arm. His overnight bag contained nothing that would identify him, so that remained in the van. At some point, parking authorities would tow the vehicle away, and someone would look through his bag, find nothing, and put it in the lost and found.
Mohammed moved with the flow of humanity until he reached the down escalator. He took it and followed the railing of what was labeled as the first floor of the Fashion Centre, although it was three stories above the courtyard. He looked down at the controlled chaos that was the Christmas display. Children and harried parents waited in line where an overpriced picture would be taken of junior in Santa’s lap. There was a small Santa’s village with a Christmas tree towering nearby. Under the tree, wrapped presents were stacked. From this distance, he couldn’t see the three that he himself had prepared. They should have been delivered at various times over the past six hours, along with other items the zealots brought to make it look like they were workers putting the finishing touches on Santa’s North Pole home.
He wanted to know, but could not risk looking suspicious. He found a coffee vendor with a long line, but he had time. It was another hour before the backpacks were to be delivered on the first and second stories above the ground at supports that Mohammed thought would collapse the entire structure. At that time, he would be waiting at the entrance to the metro. He’d see the zealots, activate their bombs simultaneously, and then run away with the screaming shoppers while activating the final three bombs under the tree.
It was a beautiful plan. Mohammed looked at the crowds of people on the balconies of each level and the mass of people in the courtyard below.
His goal was thousands dead, more than the twin towers. He would be rewarded greatly for this. He smiled pleasantly at an older man in line with him for coffee.
“What a day, huh? If it weren’t for the coffee, I don’t think I’d survive. Wife and two kids are running rampant in here somewhere. You?” The older man asked.
What’s with you Americans? Mohammed thought. Can’t I stand in line without being accosted by your nonsensical prattling? Mohammed assumed his alter ego as a business executive.
“Me, too. Mine are here somewhere as well. I shudder thinking what it will cost me,” Mohammed said smoothly. It was all part of the game.
“You and me both, buddy. You and me, both,” the man said in sympathy as he turned back to the line. Mohammed copied the man’s gaze as he looked around. Whether he was looking for his own family or at the well-dressed women, Mohammed couldn’t tell.
For God’s Sake – Go to the Car!
Rick’s children were none too pleased with getting their day’s shopping spree cut short. They showed up at the music-box store in foul moods. Rick was having none of it. Sadie saw his body language and put a hand on his arm. She stepped in front of him.
“Something’s come up, and we need to leave. I can’t tell you here, but we will make a weekend of it. The rest of the time, we will do whatever you’d like to do. Mom’s promise, and we’re dragging dad along, too, and he’s going to like it,” she smiled, placating them in a way that made sense to two teenagers. Rick calmed and motioned them toward the door. Sadie hadn’t purchased anything, surprisingly in Rick’s mind, but she felt the sense of urgency that shook Rick to the core of his being.
Rick was always driven. She’d never seen him at work, but she knew he had few friends. When it came to the job, she knew that he took it seriously and wouldn’t compromise. If there was work to be done, he did it, even if no one helped. His recent secret mission took him to the White House, but it made him sullen. She now knew he wasn’t shutting her out, but keeping a secret that the nation made him keep. He was trying to fix things, as he always did, so that she never knew they were broken.
She understood him better than he thought. He protected her without asking for any thanks but needing it nonetheless.
“Thank you, Rick, for watching over us. I hope your people are successful today,” she said without further explanation. He smiled at her and nudged her toward the door.
They swam into the flow of human salmon as they all struggled upstream. Rick elbowed his way to the front of his family and felt a hand on his shirt as he powered through the crowd.
The mass thinned as they approached the exit door. Few people left, and fewer entered. There were no parking spots on the roof of the garage. It took someone leaving before someone else could park. As they walked out, a vehicle followed them.
Rick looked around and saw a minivan that looked like the rest, but it also looked different. It was THE minivan. The license plate was on the Be On the Look Out, BOLO notice in every LEO’s car.
“Get in the van. Take them home, now!” Rick yelled as he pulled out his phone. He called the Fusion Center, and the watch commander answered. “He’s here. He’s at the Fashion Centre at Pentagon City!” Rick yelled into the phone. All he heard in response was the sound of the STU-III initiating.
The secure connection would fail since he wasn’t on a STU-III. He hung up and
dialed Becky’s cell phone. She answered on the first ring.
“I don’t care that we’re not secure. The faceless man’s van is here, rooftop parking of the Fashion Centre at Pentagon City. He’s here, Becky!” Rick tried not to sound frantic. His family was still slowly getting into his minivan.
Agonizingly slowly. He was standing right behind Clay’s rental vehicle, where he could see the bag inside. If Mohammed Marsook returned, he’d see Rick looking at it.
Rick realized how exposed he was. He hurried to the other side of the parking lot as his wife finally backed out to be immediately trapped between cars coming from different directions, both trying to steal the recently vacated parking spot.
The watch commander spoke into Becky’s phone. “Sorry about that Rick. That phone is still broken. He’s there. We’ll send everyone we’ve got, but it’s going to take time. The units are pre-staged at locations between the big malls. The roads are clogged, so I’m thinking ten minutes? Stay on the phone with Becky while we get the ball rolling.”
Rick looked helplessly at the traffic jam that kept his family from leaving. Neither car moved as both waited for the other to surrender. His wife and kids were hopelessly trapped between as more cars entered the parking level.
“I’m going to put the phone in my pocket, Becky. I need to deal with something here.” Without waiting, Rick put the phone away and jogged over to his wife, rolling his eyes at her when she saw him. The driver of the car, a mere two feet in front of Rick’s minivan, got out, leaned against his car and lit up a cigarette.
“Sir, would you please do something. My wife needs to go, we have a medical emergency!” Rick pleaded.
“I am doing something, and I don’t see no emergency,” the gruff man said.
“Merry Christmas, Asshole!” Rick blurted. The man smiled and gave Rick the finger. Rick reached inside his jacket for his pistol, then thought better of it. He took a deep breath and asked the woman behind Sadie to back up a little. She refused, politely, but would not yield to a man.
People Raged: and the Sky Was on Fire-Compendium (Rick Banik Thrillers Book 1) Page 23