Acts of Sedition

by Dennis Stephan

He swore to her that he didn’t know Ronnie’s whereabouts but was concerned that something had happened to him. He prepped her for a visit by the FBI.

  “They picked me up yesterday, and I spent 3 hours in center city at their offices. They kept asking me questions about what Ronnie was doing and who his friends were. Shit like that.”

  “What did you tell ‘em, Tina?”

  “Nothin’ much.”

  “What do you mean nothin’ much? Did you tell them about me?”

  “Only that you guys were friends but nothin’ else. I didn’t even give ‘em your last name. I told ‘em that I didn’t know nothin’ else. Honest Nick.”

  “You have to play dumb, Tina. They got nothin’ on me but now they may think I’m involved. I’m just a middleman here helping a friend with a good deal. That’s all. If they ask you again, just tell ‘em the truth that you’ve known me a long time and that Ronnie and I were in the Army together. But that we aren’t close. Tell ‘em you ain’t seen me in ages. You know stuff like that. That’s all, okay? And don’t tell ‘em about the dough. Are you ok with all of this, Teen?”

  She didn’t like that he kept calling her “Teen.” Only Ronnie called her that. But she nodded in assent. Until Nick’s visit she held out hope that Ronnie was alive but now she knew better.

  “I’ll tell ya what. I’ll keep my mouth shut, Nick, but I want my money. I deserve it. So as long as I’m gonna get my money, I’ll be the good soldier. Capisce?”

  After he had left, Tina shook as she sobbed aloud for her husband. She didn’t believe for one minute that Nicky didn’t know what had happened to Ronnie. He knew. He was a big fat liar. She had prepared herself for years for this news, and yet she couldn’t stop crying; knowing that she would never see her husband again.

  Chapter 55

  Nicky had knots in his stomach as he made his way back to his car. His hands were shaking. Why had he driven the lousy seven blocks to see Tina? Lazy lump. He could have walked and then he wouldn’t have to worry about driving and finding a parking space.

  He was worried about Tina. She seemed pretty upset after her visit with the FBI. She told them about him. And his showing up out of the blue didn’t help. She was coming unglued.

  He started the car, turned on the radio and just sat there for what seemed like an hour but was only about 10 minutes.

  He had to go back to Tina’s house. He couldn’t leave things that way. He turned off the engine and took the keys.

  He was only a half a block away, but it seemed like a mile. His bad knees were aching. The doc told him to lose weight. He should have listened to him. Maybe he would sit on her step for a while to rest, give himself time to think.

  No. That wouldn’t do any good. He had to see her. He had to face this. He climbed the five steps and gave a soft knock on her door. There was no answer. He looked around. He knocked harder, and that too went unanswered, so he tried the door knob. Damn it. It was locked. “I know your home Teen. I was just here” he whispered.

  He rang the bell repeatedly and again looked around. He heard her coming to the door.

  “Ok for Christ’s sake. I’m coming.”

  Tina opened the door. “Oh no.”

  Chapter 56

  The day following the final briefing in New York, Josh drove up to Boston to brief Qasim and Makim as he had promised to do.

  He had previously explained a part of the plan in minute detail so that each would understand what was going to take place.

  Qasim was going to remain in Boston on the 4th to oversee the protests in the Muslim communities. Like other major cities, there were several Christians and Jews in Boston who had agreed to do the same with their people. Those groups didn’t like the idea of reporting to Qasim but Josh explained the logic of his being the point man. It wouldn’t be an efficient use of his time, he told them, to have that many people calling him at home. This way each city would have one point person who could brief Josh. After some grumbling, they reluctantly agreed.

  “What should I do on the 4th?” asked Makim.

  “Makim, I understand that you are pretty good with firearms. Is that so?”

  “It is,” said Makim. “I’ve been using pistols since I was a young boy in Syria. I used to be really good with a rifle as well but having one arm limits me to some degree.”

  “I understand.”

  Josh laid out his plan for Makim.

  “I need you to be in DC on the 4th. I hired a first-rate sniper but we haven’t heard from him since the first part of his mission was completed a few weeks ago. I’m afraid he’s either dead or been imprisoned. I don’t know another reliable sharpshooter. Do either of you?”

  Qasim and Makim both shook their heads no.

  “I need someone who can wreak havoc on DC at the very beginning. It may be dangerous. We need you outside the Capitol in the early morning hours to keep watch on what is happening.”

  Seemed simple enough, thought Makim.

  Makim had the feeling that there was more to this, but he just nodded to show his consent.

  “Good. We may need to get you inside of the building at some point. I haven’t figured out how but once inside we need you to prevent anyone from leaving. There will be a joint meeting of both houses so they’ll be together. You have to be willing to threaten them. We’ll send others who will help you totally seal off the building.”

  “I can do that,” said Makim excitedly. He was sure that this was his chance to finally become a great man, like his father. “I know someone who works in the building. His name is Saadi El-Mofty. He will help me gain access. I am sure of that.”

  “Can he be trusted?” said Josh

  “Yes. He is a good friend, and he owes me.”

  They discussed the plan in some detail, and Josh felt comfortable with Makim’s part and that he knew exactly what to do.

  “Do either of you have any concerns?”

  When they shook their heads indicating that they didn’t, Josh ended the conversation.

  “Great it’s settled then.” If you have any problems or questions, use the secured phone lines, ok?”

  They both nodded in agreement. “Good luck,” said Josh. The meeting had been straightforward. There were no pleasantries and, when he had finished, he picked up his briefcase and left, without so much as a handshake. They were not friends. This relationship was all business.

  On the drive back to New York, he got a call on his cell from Nicky telling him that Tina knew about Ronnie’s deal. He said the Feds had been talking to her and that she was a nervous wreck.

  He started to cry.

  “She ratted me out, General. What else could I do? I had to kill her.”

  Josh realized that now he didn’t have to come up with the rest of the money but all he said was “I’m sorry, Nick.”

  Chapter 57

  Tarif was sitting quietly outside the oval office. For some reason, the president had more pressing business and had instructed Julia to put Tarif off for a short while. He would have gone back to his office to do some work but Julia told him that it wouldn’t be but a moment, and the president specifically requested that he wait.

  The two men approached the secretary and said something to her.

  She pressed the button on the bottom of her phone.

  “Mr. President,” said Julia over the intercom, “I have the Ambassadors from Syria and Iran here to see you.”

  “Thanks, Julia, send them in.”

  They nodded as a courtesy as they passed Tarif. He nodded back.

  He fidgeted in his seat wondering why they were here. Hell, he didn’t even know why he was here. He knew the president had been increasingly disturbed about the dissension in the country. But he was always disturbed about something. Tarif feared that Abbas might question him and being a little paranoid and on edge himself, that the president might even think that he knew something about it, he had prepared answers. But now he wondered what was going on. Maybe he was totally off base. What could possibly
necessitate an urgent meeting with these two men?

  “Hey, Julia. What’s the story? Why are Anas Al-Hamsi and Pooria Shahrestaani here?”

  “You know that I couldn’t tell you even if I knew. I’m sure the president will clue you in if it’s something he feels you should know.”

  Stonewalled.

  Tarif sat there for about 20 minutes after which the door to the oval office flew open.

  “ma'a as-salaama,” all three said in unison as the two men left the oval office. They walked passed Tarif without so much as a nod this time, and they didn’t look happy.

  “Tarif, come in.” said the president.

  Chapter 58

  Josh watched the TV with growing concern.

  NBC reporting: “The news out of the White House today confirmed the VAPT rumors that have been circulating across the country for the past week. In a prepared statement, President Abbas announced that he has entered into an agreement with Syria and Iran to conduct joint military exercises, first in the United States and later in the year in the Middle East.”

  “Here is the video of the president speaking from the Rose Garden.”

  “First off I want to dispel any rumors and alleviate your fears that foreign warplanes entered US airspace this afternoon unexpectedly. I want to ensure you that nothing could be farther from the truth. In fact, I’m excited to announce that The United States will be participating over the next month or so in joint military exercises with our friends from Syria and Iran. These exercises demonstrate a growing desire by our countries to embark on a new journey, one marked by a spirit of cooperation. While I was hoping for a large scale deployment for more long term exercises, we have jointly decided that this first step would not include any significant undertakings but merely joint firepower demonstrations by a few hundred troops from each country. The Irani troops and a light armored division have arrived and will be based out of Ft. Belvoir, VA. Our Syrian guests will be stationed here at Andrews AFB, at Ft. Bragg, in NC, Ft Dix in NJ, and Hanscom AFB near Boston. We asked our guests to arrive earlier than originally planned so that they might become acclimated to our customs here in the US and so that we can finalize the demonstration plans. At this time, we expect these exercises to begin on or about July 15th and end within a one-week timeframe; at which time all of the foreign troops will redeploy to their homelands.

  Josh turned off the TV. He couldn’t help but question the timing of these exercises. When had there ever been a joint firepower demonstration with foreign troops on US soil? The answer was never. Generally, the US only participated in CONUS operations. Joint military exercises with foreign forces were, until now, conducted overseas and typically involved a lot more than a few hundred troops.

  Does this sly fox know more than we think he knows thought Josh? And to what end would he invite Syrian and Irani troops? Josh could not accept the reasons that were running through his mind right now. But he would have to stay vigilant and ensure that he was prepared even for the unthinkable.

  Chapter 59

  Victor Sanchez sped through the city realizing that he was late for his meeting with the president. There are just some people you should not keep waiting.

  Naturally traffic in DC would be a mess. Whenever Victor had to be somewhere in a hurry, he hit horrendous traffic. It started on I-95 in Delaware where he found traffic backed up for miles as a result of a tractor trailer accident. Then he hit the typically heavy rush hour volume going through the Fort McHenry Tunnel near Baltimore and approaching I-495 around DC. He had left the Four Seasons Hotel in Center City Philly in time to make his 10 am meeting with thirty minutes to spare, but his cushion had degraded to about five minutes as he entered DC. As he turned off of New York Avenue onto 14th Street, he realized that the last mile and a half would take him another 15 minutes which precipitated his call.

  “Call White House,” he said to his car’s dash.

  “This is the White House, how may I help you?”

  “This is Special Agent Sanchez. Would you connect me to the president?”

  After a few seconds of music on hold: “This is the president’s office.”

  “Hi Julia, this is Agent Sanchez. I have a meeting scheduled with the president, and I’m running a little late. I should be there in about 15 minutes.”

  “I’ll let the president know.”

  As he pulled up in front of the White House, Victor hoped that the president would forgive his tardiness.

  He checked in with Julia and had a seat in one of the chairs in the corridor outside of the oval office. Julia buzzed in on the president and he heard Abbas tell her to “show Agent Sanchez in.”

  “Good morning Mr. President. I’m sorry that I’m late, but I hit a lot of traffic driving down from Philly this morning.”

  “I don’t care about that,” said Ahmad. “I understand that you have some news.”

  “Yes sir, I do,” said Victor.

  “I’ve spent the last week in Philly trying to track down this Nicky Killer character. I believe that he has either fled the area or, knowing that we are looking for him, is in hiding. This is certainly a disappointment. But while we’d still like to find him, we’ve followed another thread that has provided some insight into what has been going on.”

  “As you suspected, Mr. President, there is a group of people in Philly who want to see you out of office. In speaking to some of Nicky Killer’s neighbors, we learned that he had mentioned that at least on one occasion he had met with a group of local priests.

  “Finding a priest isn’t as hard as it once was. The Catholic Church, after years of hiding its priests, has streamlined its worldwide communications. We assumed, Mr. President, that the closest 2 or 3 parishes to Nicky’s home would be most useful, so we were able to get a court order to monitor all emails and tap the phones of the rectories of these parishes in South Philly.”

  “Agent Sanchez, I don’t have time nor do I care about all of this. I just need the important details of what you found out.”

  “Yes Sir, Mr. President. During one of the taps, we heard a conversation between a Father Richard Delaney from the Parish of the Holy Innocents and Father Edwardo Garcia from the Parish of the Lord’s Nativity in Northeast Philadelphia. During the conversation, we heard Father Delaney describe meetings he had attended up until about six months ago where several members of the clergy were trying to find a way to have you impeached. According to the conversation, though, things got too far out of hand as talk shifted to taking action that Father Delaney said were unsavory to the other clerics who were involved. He told Father Garcia that he stopped going to the meetings because of this.”

  Victor paused to catch his breath and to give the president a chance to ask any questions he might have, but quickly continued.

  “One of the old women with whom we had previously spoken confirmed that Father Delaney was the name she had heard from Nicky, and this woman told us that he was once assigned to the Annunciation Church. For some unknown reason, Father Delaney has moved around more than one might expect, even for a Catholic priest. Even so, finding him proved a relatively easy exercise. He’s a resident of The Parish of the Holy Family rectory.”

  “And I assume that was a good lead. Does this story have an ending, Agent Sanchez I have an important meeting coming up?”

  “Of course, I’ll try to be brief. We brought this Delaney in for questioning. To be honest, he doesn’t look much like a terrorist. He’s a short 5’5” and skinny as a rail with short red hair. He looks like a strong wind could blow him over.”

  “We told him that he was a suspect in terrorist behavior and had witnesses putting him at secret meetings. The priest, at first, denied it but after some individual persuasion, he admitted that he had attended a couple of meetings but stated that he had not done so in several months. He said that some thugs had replaced the small group of clergy that had been meeting in South Philly and that they all had joined with others from New York. Father Delaney insists that he bailed
early on, but he told us that he heard about the group planning some activities for Independence Day.”

  Now the president interrupted. “Did he say what types of activities or does he know the names of any of the leaders here or maybe in New York?”

  “He says he left the group before the meetings in New York started because he is not a violent person and was afraid that it might involve protests in the streets. He claims that when he was a pastor in North Philly, he saw firsthand how protests like these, could get out of control. He admitted to not liking you, Mr. President, but he didn’t want any part of bloodshed. He did give up the name of the woman who was hosting the meeting in Philadelphia. She’s a former businesswoman who is apparently bitter about the turn her life has taken under your leadership, Mr. President. Others have mentioned her before, Sir, but now we have her full name; Angela Marie Mastronardo. We’ve learned that she recently married a man named, Tony DiPietro. We’re looking for them both, Sir.”

  “Excellent. Keep me posted on your progress. And, good work, Agent Sanchez.”

  “Thank you, Sir. Goodbye, Mr. President.”

  After Victor had left, the president decided it was time to plan his course, now that he was reasonably sure that it had not been just paranoia setting in. He didn’t know everything, but he knew that something was up in at least a couple of the major cities and that July 4th was the date that he should expect some “Anti-Abbas” activities. What he had learned so far was enough information to enable him to put the machinery in motion to defend his presidency.

  Chapter 60

  Angela was taken by surprise when the two FBI agents, Sanchez and Ferguson, visited her and asked if she would be willing to come up to the office because they believed that she could help with an investigation being conducted. She wasn’t sure what was going on but she agreed to go with them.