But damn it, there’s no time. The delivery systems are ready!
Around the room everyone was silent.
***
******
Chapter 35
Tuesday, November 30
Jeannine Ryan and Aileen Harris were once again at their temporary office and refuge, the Best Western Hotel in Rockville Maryland.
Jeannine looked up from her laptop.
“Aileen, I’m going nuts. I can’t stand inactivity. I have to search through Vaclav’s files again. What am I missing.”
“Maybe it’s a ‘Who’ you miss. Why hasn’t Bill come to see you?”
“You know he’s guarding that informant for the CIA.”
“Informant? You mean Ivana. Isn’t Donald Trump’s ex named ‘Ivana’? Wasn’t she a model?”
Aileen raised her eyebrows and continued.
“‘Ivana,’ such a mysterious exotic name, ‘Ivana!’”
Jeannine frowned.
“That’s enough, Aileen. Yes, I want to see Bill, but you know we aren’t married. We don’t have a real commitment to each other.”
“You could fool me. I think you do. And if Bill ... Oh well it’s your life.”
Jeannine looked away. She tapped furiously on her keyboard.
Aileen stared out the window at the parking area below. Her face brightened to see a familiar car drive into the lot.
“My mother’s here with Mary Catherine. I’m going for a ride with my daughter. See you in a while.”
Jeannine heard the door slam behind her.
***
Karel Moravec stared out the window of Fiala’s (formerly Ivana’s) apartment. Fragile white flakes floated by the window only to melt and disappear on the lamp-lit street below.
He was in a reflective mood. The news from North America irritated him, but overall the plan was moving forward. He had no complaints there.
Hamm, Ryan, Zeleny and Simek, and even Ivana were disgusting gnats who got into his eyes and buzzed his ears. His men had swatted them but the creatures had evaded the blows. They were major irritants!
But soon it would be too late for them to affect the project. Nonetheless, their luck in evading his blows astounded him.
The phone in the pocket of his robe vibrated. Karel answered.
“What is it, Erik?”
“Chief, we have finished half the big tanks.”
This was not one of Karel’s enforcers, but a trained engineer and a skilled manager. Erik Holub was older than Michal Pacak, but like him, was a graduate of the Technical University of Brno. Erik ran a small company that produced fire-control systems.
“Good, Good. Is there any sign of Hamm or Harrigan?”
“No. No one knows us in Warrenton. Virginia is not on their radar.”
“Keep it that way. I told Hrubec to manage your security. Is he there yet?”
“Tomorrow. He was busy sanitizing the Maryland plant. It’s clean. There’s nothing to find there now. Maybe some pesticide by-products. Nothing else.”
Karel hung up.
Outside, white flakes began to stick to the streets of the old city.
His eyes drifted to Fiala’s sleeping form. He climbed back into bed.
***
Jeannine’s eyes ached. She had been staring at her screen for hours.
Aileen had not returned. Jeannine was alone. She stood and stretched her arms, and gazed out. To the west, the sky shone violet as a red sun flirted with the horizon.
She sighed. The phone on the stand buzzed. Jeannine picked up.
“Ms. Ryan, this is the front desk. A Mr. Harrigan is asking for you. May I give him your room number?”
“Please do, and send him up.”
Jeannine drew back the chain and waited by the open door. Jim approached from down the long hallway.
“Jim, where is Bill?”
“He’s at a safe house with his informant. He’s not free to leave. You know that.”
“And you?”
“I’m no longer active with the Agency. I can go where I please.”
“So why are you here?
“Bill told me to fill you in on the latest findings. Can I come in?”
“Oh, sorry. Of course. Looks like you’ve had a long day. Would you like a beer?”
She did not wait for an answer but went to a small fridge and popped two bottles. She handed one to him. He took a swallow and sat. He told her about Michal Pacak and Elena and that the stock of nerve agent was as potent as ever. He added their thoughts about the delivery of Novichok-H using small tanks for suicide attackers, as well as with large tanks by means as yet unknown. He did not mention Ivana.
After a while Jim’s speech slowed. He was exhausted. Jeannine pointed to a well-stuffed chair.
“Jim, why don’t you sit there and shut your eyes. A nap would do you good. Afterwards I could make coffee.”
“Thanks, maybe I will grab some sleep before I go back to the safe house. I’ll skip the coffee.”
He fell into the chair. His eyes shut, but reopened immediately.
“Wake me up in an hour.
“I will and when you get back to the safe house, tell Bill we need to talk.”
“Will do. He misses you.”
Jeannine frowned. Sure!
Jim’s eyes closed. In minutes he was fast asleep.
She went to her laptop.
Vaclav, I know you hid more information on this drive. Where is it?”
She flipped the hair off her forehead while her fingers rapidly drummed the keyboard.
***
Jim Harrigan was long gone when Aileen returned to the Best Western.
Jeannine was asleep, slumped at her computer. At the sound of the door closing, she looked up.
“Aileen, where have you been. It must be the middle of the night.”
“I put Mary Catherine to bed, but I fell asleep next to her. She needs a mother. But what about you. Why are you still up?”
“Jim Harrigan was here. The CIA knew about Hus-Kinetika’s Maryland facility, the one that you Googled. They had an agent, Elena Krkova, planted there. Hus-Kinetika security found out, and she barely escaped with the help of a chemist, Michal Pacak. It was a close call. Elena’s at the safe house now, with Bill and that Czech woman.”
Aileen bit her tongue at the reference to “Ivana.” Jeannine continued.
“It looks like the main stock of Novichok-H is somewhere in Virginia, and Jim thinks there are two plans for distributing the gas. One is by suicide attackers with converted twin breathing tanks, one for each precursor. Without a mask, the sprayer has a minute or two to aim the spray before dying, but the nozzle will lock open. With a mask, he could continue to spray until the tanks are empty.”
Jeannine paused to take a breath.
“The other way is more puzzling. Large tanks that might fit in the back of a pickup truck. Trouble is, best info is that the tank is without explosives. The tanks might be pressurized for delivery.”
“That’s interesting, but I know you, Jeannine. You’ve found something beyond what Jim said. Tell me.”
“You’re right. I did find something.”
“Well?”
“I think I know how the plotters will use the large tanks.”
“Jeannine, stop teasing. Tell me.”
“OK, Hus-Kinetika’s home office in Prague required delivery invoices for a certain kind of shipment to list a contact phone number in the U. S. Vaclav made a list of phone numbers from those deliveries for the last two years.”
“Why would he do that?”
“That was my question too. Why the last two years? I made a graph of the activity by area code, comparing the previous year with the current one. Look.”
Jeannine handed a printout to Aileen. On it was a bar graph.
“Look, at the graph. This year, four area codes have more than 100 deliveries of this type of materiel from Prague, including Area code 443. I checked the phone numbers with that area code. The numbers are f
or that Maryland plant you found on the internet, the one where Michal Pacak worked. It has a 200% increase in deliveries over the previous year. And we know the conspirators were using that plant.”
Jeannine kept on.
“Next I wanted to know what facilities Hus-Kinetika had in these four area codes, so I went on the internet. I found this.”
She handed Aileen a second paper. It had a table printed on it. Aileen looked quickly and spoke.
“So the two largest percentage increases for the current year are for Aberdeen, Maryland, Michal’s plant, and for Warrenton Virginia.”
“Right, but the Warrenton code is not associated with a Hus-Kinetika facility, yet it has a huge increase, almost 500%, in deliveries. So I did reverse searches on the numbers. The Warrenton phone numbers are for a small manufacturer and supplier of fire prevention equipment. They produce and distribute SCBA’s, self-contained breathing apparatus’, as well as fire extinguishers.”
Aileen gasped.
“Such as could be modified for suicidal fanatics with nerve gas!”
“Yes, and that’s not all, the company makes and installs fire prevention sprinkler systems. And in some cases where the water pressure is less, they install large backup tanks to maintain the pressure in case the supply lines fail.”
“So that’s their plan. Start a fire and then spray nerve gas from the large tanks through the ceiling sprinklers.”
“I think so, but Aileen, do you think the nerve agent would be soluble in water, if it’s water pressure that drives it through the pipes?”
“That’s hard to say. Organophosphates are all over the map when it comes to solubility in water, as well as fat-solubility. The fat-soluble ones have a delayed toxic effect because the agent is first absorbed in human fat and then released slowly.”
Aileen paused.
“The real question is how well does Novichok-H mix with water. Let me use your laptop.”
Aileen Googled several key words. She looked up from the screen.
“Here’s an organophosphate pesticide, Phosphamidon that is completely miscible with water at 20 degrees Celsius, that’s 78 degrees Fahrenheit. If Novichok-H mixes nearly that well, there should be no problem getting it through the water pipes.”
“Then this could be their way of distributing the nerve gas.”
“Jeannine, you have to call Bill, now!”
Jeannine looked through the window blinds. The sky to the east was light. Sun rise was near.
She reached for her cell phone.
***
The large warehouse, located some miles off of Lee Highway near Warrenton, Virginia, was filled with activity. At the loading dock, Erik Holub watched his men load the 18-wheeler under the spot lights.
Erik pulled his jacket tight around him. The lights were bright but the air was cold. Still he was pleased.
The destination of this shipment was well-concealed. It had a falsified paper trail. And after this only one more shipment of mixing tanks needed to be “fixed.”
Erik sighed. This task was almost completed.
***
The village of Dethorens, Virginia is a “populated place” designated as Code U6 by the U. S. Census Bureau. Some distance away, the similarly designated village of Delaplane is located. Both entities are known for expensive estates and fox hunting.
It was near Dethorens that William Masoud Jones’s benefactor had rented a three million dollar mansion located on over one hundred rolling acres of woods and meadows.
A thick growth of white oaks, hickory, black gum, tulip poplars and other hardwoods screened the house from the road and provided needed privacy. On this date, the branches were mostly bare, except for the oaks whose dry twisted leaves refused to fall. No matter, winter or summer the extensive woods blocked all view of the house and its spacious front lawn.
To the sides and rear of the mansion, expansive acres of woodland and alternating meadows stretched to posted boundaries marked either by old fashioned rail fences of locust and cedar, or by overgrown low lines of piled stones. In those fields, Masoud had completed the training of his “volunteer firemen.”
Masoud occupied a second-floor bedroom located to the rear. He looked out the window and smiled. Since his arrival in October, no nosy neighbors had visited.
His domain was intact, the training activities had gone undetected. The “volunteer firemen” were ready. All that remained was the final command to complete the mission.
Allahu akbar!
***
******
Chapter 36
Wednesday, December 1
At a booth in the IHOP in Warrenton Virginia, Josef Hrubec and Erik Holub faced each other. Erik sipped his coffee and scrutinized the face of his new Chief of security. Erik had never encountered eyes as dark as these. Perhaps it was the contrast with those pale cheeks?
Hrubec’s harsh voice broke into his consciousness.
“Are you through looking? Talk to me.”
“Excuse me, I was thinking. What did you want to know?”
“I was asking how many men I have for security?”
“Right now, only two of my welders. When they’re not busy, they double as guards.”
“From now on, they have no other work than mine. Understood?”
Erik frowned.
“Of course, Karel told me to help as much as I can. But the work cannot wait. We need to modify these tanks. The ‘buyers’ are impatient.”
Hrubec spoke.
“What did you mean when you said ‘Right now.’”
“Karel is sending you the North Carolina team. They’ll be here this afternoon. Three men.”
Hrubec grimaced. Always Karel, the generous Karel. One day I’ll ...
Erik added.
“When they get here will you still need my welders?”
“First, tell me why your security is so weak?
“We’ve never had any of the nerve agent here. The modifications of the SCBA’s and those of the large tanks are innocent enough. And we can’t be traced to Hus-Kinetika.”
Hrubec stared at the engineer. You idiot! The Americans beat me, twice. They’ll wipe the floorboards with you. He held his tongue a moment, then he spoke.
“Karel is too cocksure of himself. The people investigating Hus-Kinetika are not stupid. Trust me, they will find you.”
He changed gears.
“Do you know Ivana Novotna?”
“Karel’s mistress? I met her once in Prague.”
“She betrayed him. The CIA has her. They got her away from Karel, and when I caught her in Belgium, they got her away from me. In fact, she’s somewhere here in Virginia.”
This got Erik’s attention. Hrubec added.
“They will find you. It’s only a matter of time. That’s why you must speed up your time table. You will fix and deliver this last batch of tanks in two days. Your men will work all night. When my men get here from North Carolina, you can have your two welders. You will need every worker.”
Hrubec was not done.
“Here’s a photo of Bill Hamm. He’s CIA. Show it around to any men you can trust. Notify me the moment anyone sees him.”
He added.
“It’s not a question of if he’ll show, only when.”
For the first time Hrubec lifted his coffee cup. He swallowed and spoke.
“I’m going to finish my coffee. You go back to the shop. You need to schedule double shifts for your men.”
***
The car left Route 66 at the Gainesville, Virginia, Interchange and headed south on Route 29, Lee Highway. Bill Hamm drove at the speed limit. On the seat beside him sat Jeannine Ryan. She wore jeans and a sweatshirt. The casual clothes could not hide her feminine appeal.
Outside the wind was chill.
It was the end of the morning rush hour, and on the other side of the highway, the northbound traffic was still “stop and go.” In their direction, southbound, cars were few.
Jeannine pushed auburn ha
irs off her forehead and directed her eyes straight ahead as she spoke.
“Where’s your package? I’m surprised you could leave her.”
“First, the package is named ‘Ivana.’ Second, I have to stay with her. It’s my job. Either I or Tom Fletcher, my partner, has to be with her. He’s there now. That’s why I’m here.”
“Thanks. It’s clear you’re not here to see me. You’re here to check out this suspicious Warrenton plant.”
“That’s true, I am working, but it gave me an excuse to see you.”
His eyes left the traffic and turned towards her.
“Aren’t you glad I’m back in the States?”
She smiled.
“Of course I am, but you’d better keep your eyes on the road.”
He had drifted over the line. He guided the car back into his lane and lowered his voice.
“Look, I wanted to see you. It’s been a long time.”
She smiled and waited. Bill kept on.
“We need time together. Forget the fire-equipment plant. There’s an IHOP in Warrenton. We can catch a quick breakfast there before I check out the plant. How about it?”
Jeannine smiled and touched his arm.
“That sounds great. I’d like that. Don’t worry. I’ll eat fast.”
Bill pressed down on the accelerator.
***
Erik Holub, who ran the Warrenton plant, had seen to it, that none of his workers knew the purpose of the tanks they were modifying. All the fixes and alterations were easily explainable as improved devices for fire control systems. Their job was primarily to machine parts and assemble them, mostly by welding.
As a manager, Erik knew people. He had seen instantly that Josef Hrubec, in spite of his short stature, was danger itself. And their superior, Karel, was far away across the ocean. There was no time to launch an appeal to him. Besides, evidently, Hrubec was not afraid of Karel.
The Prague Plot: The Cold War Meets the Jihad (Jeannine Ryan Series Book 3) Page 24