Two Steps Forward

by Luana Ehrlich

  As he clicked through the videos chronologically, Geller kept up a running commentary on what Asan had done since arriving in Israel.

  “Last night, he drove from Tel Aviv to Ashkelon where he rented a room at an expensive hotel. This morning, he went for a walk on the beach. As you can see here, he was on his phone the entire time.”

  The next videos showed Asan walking around a clothing store picking out clothes—jeans, shirts, running shoes.

  Geller continued. “From the beach, he drove over to a shopping area where he purchased some clothes. After he finished there, he stopped at this outdoor café and ordered a coffee. About fifteen minutes later, two men joined him.”

  Geller clicked on the video of Asan and the two men I’d seen earlier.

  As soon as it started playing, Geller paused it.

  “Perhaps you’ve seen this video before. It was the one I was watching when you came in my office.”

  “Yes, I believe I did get a brief glimpse of it.”

  A fleeting smile appeared on his face, and then he looked down at his keyboard, entered some keystrokes, and another window opened on his computer.

  “We’ve identified the two men in the video. They’re both living in Gaza, and shortly after Asan was seen talking on his phone this morning, they crossed the border into Israel at the Erez crossing.”

  I studied the close-up images of the two men. Although it was impossible to tell where the photographs had been taken, the men were in profile and didn’t seem aware they were being photographed.

  One of the men was very thin, with a long narrow face, full beard and close-cropped hair. The other man was more muscular, with thick dark hair, a well-trimmed moustache, and deep-set black eyes.

  Geller pointed to the more muscular man and said, “We believe this man, Yousef Bakir, is the reason Asan made the trip to Israel. When I resume the video, you’ll understand why we came to this conclusion.”

  He lifted a file from a stack of documents on the right side of his desk. The word “CLASSIFIED” was stamped across it in Hebrew.

  Picking up the top sheet, he said, “Yousef Bakir is not a nice guy. I won’t bore you with all the details of his bio, but suffice it to say he’s a member of an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood.”

  “Which offshoot?”

  “Jamaat al-Islamiyya, but he’s not just a member of Jamaat; he plays an important role in their organization.”

  “I don’t see him as their money man.”

  “No. As an American, you’d probably call him a hit man. He carries out assassinations for the Brotherhood.”

  He gestured at the thin man on the screen. “This one is known as The Mediator. His real name is Hisham Elba, and his primary role seems to be just what his name suggests. He makes arrangements and initiates negotiations between various groups of Muslim extremists.”

  Geller clicked on the video of Baran Asan at the outdoor café with Yousef Bakir and Hisham Elba.

  “I’m sorry to say there’s no audio of their meeting, but if you watch closely, you can tell what’s going on.”

  He was right.

  At first, Baran Asan and Hisham Elba, The Mediator, did most of the talking, while Yousef Bakir sat back and sipped on his coffee. All the while though, Bakir was alert to every passing vehicle and any pedestrian who ventured too close to his table.

  After about five minutes, Asan reached inside his messenger bag and pulled out an envelope, placing it in front of Elba who quickly slipped it inside his shirt.

  Shortly afterward, he got up from the table and walked away, leaving Bakir and Asan to carry on the conversation without him.

  At this point, Asan pulled out his cell phone. Although it appeared he might be making a phone call, a few seconds later, he turned the cell phone toward Bakir and showed him something on the screen.

  Director Geller stopped the video once again.

  “Our analysts are enhancing this video, so it’s possible we’ll be able to see what Asan was showing Bakir on his phone. Of course, he could have been showing him anything, but I’m guessing it was a photograph.”

  I nodded but didn’t say anything.

  When the video resumed, Bakir and Asan continued their dialogue for perhaps another five minutes, after which Asan reached inside his messenger bag once again.

  This time, he pulled out a thick manila envelope and slid it across the table to Bakir. As soon as Bakir picked it up, he nodded at Asan and left the table.

  When the video screen went blank, Geller said, “This meeting took place around eleven o’clock this morning, and Asan returned to his hotel shortly after that. That’s where he remains.”

  “I’m more interested in what Yousef Bakir did after the meeting.”

  “He met up with Hisham Elba and the two of them returned to Gaza, where we have them under constant surveillance.”

  I pointed at the file Geller had on Yousef Bakir. “I know his affiliation with the Muslim Brotherhood means he’s an ardent Islamist, but what else can you tell me about him?”

  “I can tell you he was responsible for killing a member of Egypt’s Parliament last year, and we also have evidence he murdered Lebanon’s defense minister. His specialty appears to be taking out high-profile government officials.”

  “What’s his background? Is he from Gaza?”

  “No, he’s originally from Baghdad.”

  “He’s an Iraqi?”

  “That’s right. We’re not sure how long he’s been in Gaza. The last location Mossad had on him was Cairo, Egypt.”

  “With Asan’s reputation as a modir, I’m sure you’re concerned about the transaction you just witnessed between him and Bakir.”

  “I’m more than concerned,” Geller said. “Asan could have just hired Yousef Bakir to assassinate someone here in Israel, and since the Iranian regime has been threatening to assassinate the Prime Minister of Israel for years, there’s a good chance he could be the target.”

  “Frankly, I’m surprised you didn’t arrest all three of these men immediately.”

  “I hear you, but as Israelis, we’ve learned to be patient, especially when it comes to our enemies. Being patient has kept us from making mistakes, and by not acting with haste we usually end up gaining more intel.”

  “I hope you don’t have to pay a price for that intel.”

  “If we can verify this video shows Asan making arrangements with Bakir to assassinate someone here in Israel, then be assured, we’ll start making arrests immediately.”

  Geller pushed his laptop to one side.

  “Okay, Titus, I’ve shared with you what happened to Baran Asan. Now, it’s your turn. Tell me what intel the Agency has on him.”

  * * * *

  I began by briefing Moshe Geller on what I knew about Baran Asan’s background, but it soon became apparent he already knew a great deal about the man, perhaps even more than our own analysts did.

  As soon as I realized that, I decided the only intel he probably didn’t have was Baran Asan’s recent actions at the Arab Summit when he posed as a member of the Iraqi Prime Minister’s security detail.

  He looked genuinely surprised at this information, although I couldn’t tell if it was Asan’s actions that surprised him, or the fact that Carlton had asked me to photograph Prime Minister Madi’s bodyguards while I was in Marrakesh on my honeymoon.

  “Why would he do such a thing?” Geller asked.

  I assumed he was asking me why Baran Asan had gone to the trouble of becoming a member of Madi’s security detail, and not why Carlton had asked me for this favor, so I answered him accordingly.

  “I believe it was a way for Asan to evade the scrutiny of the intelligence community in order to carry out his mission in secret. Otherwise, if he’d come to the Arab Summit as part of the Iranian delegation, our people, and probably yours as well, would have been watching his every move.”

  He nodded. “Yes, I’m sure you’re right.”

  “If Douglas hadn’t discovered Asan was
a member of the Iraqi delegation, and I hadn’t noticed he was on our flight, then he could have arrived in Israel yesterday, been cleared through Passport Control as an American citizen, and you would never have known he was in Israel.”

  “I would like to believe that wouldn’t have happened, but Saul told me his fake passport appeared genuine, and Asan wasn’t the least bit nervous when he was questioned by our immigration officers, so I have to agree with you.”

  “I’m sorry, Director Geller, but that’s the extent of any new intel I have on Baran Asan. I wish I had more to give you.”

  “What you’ve given me is very helpful, Titus,” he said, getting to his feet, “and you can expect me to contact Mossad about assisting you with your visit to the kibbutz tomorrow.”

  After I stood up and shook hands with him, I gave him one last piece of information, hoping he’d give me one more thing in return.

  I said. “There’s one other thing about Asan I should mention. He’s very good at disguises. If he hadn’t been wearing the same pants, I might not have noticed he was on our flight. He’s also a chameleon when it comes to changing his personality to fit the circumstances.”

  “Okay, thanks. I’ll alert our agents to be wary of that.”

  I took a few steps toward the door before turning back around.

  “I am curious about one other thing, Director.”

  “What’s that?”

  “It’s about the flash drive I delivered to you; the one Abbas Alviri handed over to one of our operatives in Marrakesh. Would you be willing to tell me what was on that drive, or is that asking too much?”

  He let out a short laugh. “That’s pushing it a little, Titus, but I’ll give you the gist of it by asking you a question. What would you say our government is most concerned about when it comes to Iran?”

  “Their nuclear program.”

  “If that’s true, then what kind of data coming out of Iran would you say would interest us the most?”

  “I’d say it would be the status of their program, the location of their nuclear sites, and how close they are to developing a nuclear bomb.”

  “Exactly.”

  * * * *

  As I drove from Tel Aviv back to our hotel, I gave Nikki a call and told her I’d be there in plenty of time to take her to dinner, and I also mentioned I had some interesting news to tell her about Lisa Redding.

  When she asked me to give her a hint, I told her she’d have to wait.

  My next call was to Carlton, which I supposed proved Nikki’s point I couldn’t go twenty-four hours without talking to him, but even so, after meeting with Moshe Geller, there was no way I couldn’t brief him on what I’d learned.

  “I didn’t expect to hear from you again today,” he said.

  “And I didn’t expect to call you again today, but several things have happened here in the past twelve hours that I thought might interest you, and I assure you, none of them will be on the evening news.”

  “Okay, let’s hear it. I never watch the evening news anyway.”

  “First, tell me what you know about the Tzora kibbutz.”

  “Uh . . . let’s see. I know there’s a possibility Lisa Redding may be living there.” He paused. “But that’s pretty much the extent of my knowledge. Why? Did you go out to the kibbutz today?”

  “No, but a couple of Lisa’s neighbors verified she’s living there, so we plan to go see her tomorrow. They told us she’s been severely depressed, and she moved out to the kibbutz to receive treatment for her condition at a clinic there. However, some red flags went up when they told me about the kibbutz, so I phoned Moshe Geller and asked him if I could have a chat with him about those red flags.”

  “I’ll take a wild guess and say Moshe was open to having that chat with you after the intel you gave him yesterday on Baran Asan.”

  “You guessed right. I just left his office, and now, not only am I well informed about the Tzora kibbutz, I’m also well informed about several other things.”

  “Does your newly acquired information have anything to do with Baran Asan and why he made the trip to Israel?”

  “It does, but I learned a lot more than that.”

  “So let’s hear it. Tell me everything.”

  I did, except for the part about taking a peek at Geller’s laptop.

  * * * *

  I started off with the Tzora kibbutz. He didn’t have much to say about Lisa Redding working for Mossad, except when I told him Lisa was having some mental issues, he mentioned the Israeli spy agency had a reputation for taking good care of their people.

  He also said they resisted anyone, even family members, interfering in their care, so I should think twice before questioning the medical treatment Lisa was receiving.

  Once I’d finished telling Carlton about Lisa, I told him about seeing the surveillance videos of Asan’s meeting with Yousef Bakir and Hisham Elba. When I mentioned the two men, I heard the click of his Cross pen, so I knew he’d started taking notes.

  Carlton always had a stack of yellow legal pads on one side of his desk, and even though he was a dedicated computer user, he preferred taking notes the old-fashioned way. Later, he would retype the notes, save them to his computer, and then methodically feed the yellow sheets through his paper shredder.

  After I described the videos, I gave him Director Geller’s analysis of what Asan had been doing, and I told him about the concern Geller had expressed for the well-being of the Israeli Prime Minister.

  At the very end, I told him I’d been forced to share some intel with Geller as well.

  “Really? How did he force you?”

  “Well, let’s just say reciprocity demanded it. After Director Geller showed me the videos, I felt obligated to let him know what Baran Asan had been doing at the Arab Summit before he arrived in Israel. That seemed to be the only piece of intel Geller didn’t have on Asan.”

  “I thought that might be where you were headed with this, but don’t worry, Titus, sharing that bit of intel will be worth it to our analysts if it means you pinpointed the location of Yousef Bakir. I was told they’d lost track of him after he disappeared in Cairo.”

  “So you’re in agreement with Geller’s assessment of the situation? You believe the Quds Force has hired Bakir to assassinate the Israeli Prime Minister?”

  “Ask me that question when the Arab Summit’s over.”

  “What’s the Arab Summit got to do with Bakir?”

  “I’ll explain everything when you report for your briefing next Monday. Is there anything else?”

  “Yes. I asked Geller about the flash drive from Abbas Alviri.”

  When I heard Carlton take a deep breath, I knew my announcement had gotten his attention. “Okay, you’ve managed to surprise me, but I can’t believe Geller told you anything.”

  “He wasn’t exactly forthcoming, but in an indirect way he indicated Alviri had somehow gotten access to data showing the status of Iran’s nuclear program. He wouldn’t share the details with me, but I’m confident that was the information Alviri was passing along to the Israelis on the flash drive.”

  “That’s impressive.”

  “Thank you. I did my best.”

  “I was referring to Alviri’s ability to get that information.”

  Chapter 20

  Monday, May 20

  After having a late breakfast at our hotel, Nikki and I headed out to the Tzora kibbutz to see Lisa. The kibbutz was located about thirty minutes from our hotel in the rolling hills west of Jerusalem near the city of Beit Shemesh.

  Nikki didn’t have much to say on our way out there.

  Neither did I.

  When I’d returned from seeing Geller, we’d had a long discussion about Lisa’s mental state, her Mossad connection, and our upcoming visit to the kibbutz.

  What we hadn’t discussed was Eleanor’s future.

  However, all that changed during breakfast when I brought up what Eleanor and I had talked about during our phone conversation the night b
efore.

  When I began describing something funny she’d told me, tears suddenly appeared in Nikki’s eyes.

  “What’s wrong?” I asked.

  “Nothing’s wrong. These are tears of joy.”

  “They don’t look very joyful.”

  She reached over and laid her hand on top of mine. “It just makes me happy to hear you talk about Eleanor. Your whole demeanor changes when you mention her name.”

  “Is something wrong with my demeanor when I’m not talking about Eleanor?”

  She laughed. “No, but you’ve got to admit you’re a somber-looking guy.”

  “Serious? Maybe. Thoughtful? Certainly. But somber?”

  “Well, whatever you want to call it, when you’re talking about Eleanor your whole face lights up.”

  “I’m pretty sure it also lights up when I’m talking about you.”

  She leaned over and gave me a kiss. “Are you missing Eleanor as much as I am? Don’t get me wrong. I’ve loved having you all to myself, but I’ll be glad to get home and give her a big hug.”

  “Yeah, that sounds good to me too, but don’t forget I leave for Langley next Monday, so I’ll have a quick turnaround in Norman.”

  “That still gives you a few days to spend with Eleanor, and by the time you get back, she’ll be out of school. I guess that means we need to start making plans for what to do with her this summer.”

  She took a bite of her cinnamon roll. “I know she wants to go to camp with Bella in June. Do you think that’s a good idea?”

  I wasn’t sure this was the best time to bring up the deadline we were facing with Eleanor, but I couldn’t think of a better time.

  “When I talked to Ms. Brooks in the Casualty Assistance office last week, she reminded me the emergency certification giving me temporary custody of Eleanor was only good for six months. That means we’ll have to take her back to Virginia sometime in June.”

  “But won’t they just extend the certification for another six months if you tell them that’s what we want?”

  “No, according to her, the state requires a mandatory hearing six months after an emergency certification has been issued. At that hearing, a judge will determine what’s in Eleanor’s best interests.”