The Istanbul Conspiracy

by Lynda Filler

  “Not really. But partially. I’m still concerned that Cruz might be in danger. Also, there’s something else going on.” Yunus looked worried.

  “Spill.”

  “I don’t know if it’s important or not. Cruz works for me, and she’s damn good at what she does. She’s trained in many areas. But she’s never worked in the field.”

  The waiter chose that moment to deliver their drinks. All talk was suspended until he left.

  “As Himanish can tell you, we’ve spent hours and hours listening to intercepted phone calls when we were working on trafficking. You get to know things that are not being said.”

  “Look, Yunus. What are you talking about?”

  “I love Cruz. She’s amazing, my team leader, but.”

  “But what?” Luke looked at Himanish. Zach and Rachel stayed silent.

  Himanish spoke first.

  “You think she’s in over her head? We can pull her right now.”

  “Yes, there’s that. But worse. I think Cruz has got feelings for Abdul.” The Turk looked worried.

  “And you’re afraid she might not be as focused on her own safety as she should be?”

  “Yes. I’m worried about Cruz.”

  The waiter placed appetizers at the center of the table. The team picked at their food, but their minds were elsewhere.

  Himanish looked down at his vibrating phone.

  “Yes? What have you got, Fatimah?”

  The team held their collected breaths.

  “What?? Are you and RB sure?” He nodded towards the group.

  “Okay, we’re on it.” He closed his cell.

  “That bio-chemical attack?”

  Luke stood immediately. As did the rest of the team. Yunus said something to the waiter in Turkish.

  “We need to get out of here right now!”

  64

  RB watched the evening’s events. Cruz had discreetly installed hidden cameras in both the kitchen and the living room. Nighttime wanderings have multiple purposes. Until these events were over, Yunus couldn’t take a chance to send in a techie to do the job nor to check out if the apartment was wired or being visually monitored. They had to assume they were not the only ones watching the evening’s events.

  As cocktail parties go, this was relatively mundane. Cruz was a knockout. He doubted many of the politicians would remember much about Abdul, but they wouldn’t forget Cruz. It was a good thing that this girl had never been operational before last night. She was the Turk’s lethal weapon in a sexy exotic Bond girl kind of way. Maybe they could steal her away from the Turk when this was over.

  His computer pinged. He opened a window from Kuala Lumpur.

  “RB!”

  “What is it?”

  “I just heard back from my friend. There’s no bio-chemical attack. Look!”

  She sent through a message that ran across his screen.

  “Does Himanish know?”

  “Yes!”

  “Okay. Let me think.”

  “Good luck, RB, they are going to need it.”

  Luke tapped in RB on his cell.

  “Did you hear?”

  “Yes. Fatimah just called.”

  “Okay. We are near the flat. We’re on our way. The Turk says we will be there in 7 min. Contact your source at MIT, Turkish Intelligence. Have him call the front door security to let us in immediately. Tell him you will make him a hero, but you can’t answer any of his questions right now.”

  “Okay. How many are you?”

  “Six. Plus, the agent to send police that can be trusted to the service entrance of the building.”

  RB overheard Luke explaining to the team.

  “You know the address. And no sirens. Let them go in quietly and wait for instructions. No one enters or leaves the staff entrance. Got it?”

  “Yes, Luke.”

  The night was alive with colored lights, tourists, and locals drinking, laughing and dancing to Turkish music. The team wove in and out of the crowds quickly and efficiently.

  “Who’s got weapons?”

  Five voices answered in unison. “Me.”

  “Samaar, take point. You look local, non-threatening. I’ll go second. Himanish, take the front of the building, and get to the roof.” Everyone had checked the schematics of the building and knew precisely where to go.

  “And me?”

  “Zach, you and Rachel come in the back with me. Turk, stand down. We can’t afford to expose you here. But watch the back. Shoot, but not to kill if either of Abdul’s superiors escapes our net. Let’s move.”

  65

  The residence at the Grand Bazaar

  Cruz read her cell message and tried to remain calm. She turned towards Abdul, who was across the room standing beside a tray of appetizers. Cruz smiled as if nothing was going on, and prayed, he would see the intensity in her eyes. She pulled herself away from a boring half-drunk minister of something-or-other and moved quickly towards Abdul. He picked up a kebab from the tray and raised it towards his mouth just as Cruz tripped and spilled her drink down the front of his crisp white shirt.

  She apologized to the question in his eyes.

  “I’m so sorry. Come quickly so I can wipe it.” She pulled him into the washroom. She locked the door and pushed him to the floor. Abdul was in a state of shock, more so when Cruz pulled a weapon from her purse.

  “Don’t move and don’t talk.”

  Luke chose that moment to storm the servant’s entrance at the back of the suite. He shot his gun into the air and screaming ensued. Rachel yelled in Turkish for everyone to drop what they were doing and hit the floor hands on their heads.

  The two execs who were supervising the work in the kitchen rushed through the door to the living area. They took in the chaos of men trampling each other in their determination to get out of the apartment. But the front entrance was blocked by Turkish special forces holding sub-machine guns. The two fugitives turned towards the stairs to the rooftop garden, their SIG’s in their hands, prepared to shoot anyone who came after them.

  Himanish was positioned on the roof, one step ahead of the guys. Both were immobilized but not dead, by the expert marksman. Within minutes they lay bound to each other a potted tree trunk between them.

  Himanish pulled his cellphone out of his pocket and dialed a local number he’d memorized that afternoon.

  Twelve ambulances emergency lights flashing, loaded guests to take to a trauma center not far from Sultanahmet. Each person was questioned and checked thoroughly, even though the distribution of appetizers had just begun. The kitchen staff, who had handled the poison, were admitted directly into quarantine, where trained staff could administer the necessary treatment. It was assumed that their exposure would be topical. But until each person had been thoroughly questioned, Turkish National Intelligence agents could not be sure they hadn’t ingested the poison. The kitchen was quarantined, awaiting a specially trained group in Hazmat outfits to scour the area.

  Fatimah was responsible for finding the connection.

  “After careful investigation, RB and I found the bio-chemical attack link to be a hoax, started somewhere in the Republic of Georgia. The hacker was fed the information on the dark web by a now-defunct site that we traced back to a business center in Washington, DC. The physical address matched the political group that hired Abdul. We compared the two invited guest lists and found that the one thing they didn’t have in common was cryptocurrency accounts. We hacked into the cell phones of the first night’s guests. They all had MAGE accounts, even though they thought their payoffs were untraceable. The second group was the incorruptible element. They were not invited to the wedding, so the terrorists-for-hire had to find another way to eliminate them for the plot to move forward. This group didn’t have large amounts of suspect funds in the banks, nor MAGE accounts.”

  The team sat in the war room of the estate on the Asian side. It was close to midnight. Cruz and Abdul were both under the protection of the Raven Group until everything
settled down. Abdul was taking a shower, and Cruz sat beside Yunus listening to Fatimah give her statement.

  Luke summarized what they knew at this point.

  “RB and Fatimah saved many lives tonight. It was quite a brilliant plan, actually. Who would think of arsenic—a low-tech age-old poison used by Kings and Emperors for over 2400 years? Everything in the kitchen will need to be tested. And now that Turkish Intelligence is involved, we can back off.”

  Yunus added his own conclusions.

  “This was a plot by the Iranian power players to get their candidates in charge of the key departments of the Government of Turkey. There’s a cult movie When a Stranger Calls, “The call is coming from inside the house.” Get the right people in position inside the country, so a quiet revolution could take place. The Iranians thought the payoffs were untraceable. And they would have been if MAGE, the brainchild of Himanish, wasn’t right there to launder their funds and unravel the mystery. It seems they killed Sude’s father because he tried to play both sides. He took the money but had no intention of betraying his country. Once we understood what was happening, his deleted emails made sense. That’s why they killed him.”

  Yunus was tired. He hadn’t had any real rest since his wedding night turned into a nightmare.

  “Thank you all for your help.”

  “Now, what happens with the “executives” of the PR firm? Or does anyone in this group really care?” Samaar smiled at the tired team. They were all mentally and physically burnt out.

  “We don’t really know too much yet. Once Turkish Intelligence gets them talking, we may know more, and then again, maybe we won’t. They have US Passports; the Americans will likely take over. That’s not going to be a good thing for the ‘executives.’ RB, do you have anything to add?”

  “Yes. I don’t know about you guys, but I’ve been up for 48 hours straight. If we’re out of danger, I’m going to sleep.”

  “Not a bad idea. Let’s all turn in. We will know more in the morning.”

  66

  The Raven group met the next morning to further debrief. Luke Raven summarized their findings.

  “Of course, Iran would love to be in control of Turkey. As a NATO country, the USA has nuclear weapons stored in Turkey at the Incirlik military base. A few years ago, a US security team tested the locks on the bombs at the base and insisted they are satisfactory. But the Turks own the base, and the President of Turkey has balls. If he kicked the Americans out, the Turks could break the locks and declare the bombs to be theirs. In the meantime, Turkey is talking about building their own nuclear weapons. We know from past experience, where there’s smoke, there’s fire. And that means if Turkey says they are going to ‘start’ building their own weapons, more than likely, they’ve already started. Turkey is in a strategic location and seems to be wandering away from NATO which makes it so tempting for Iran to take over and control.”

  Samaar added, “When Washington intelligence gets briefed on this situation, I bet they will take another look at how they handle Turkey, and Turkey’s current President. Look how easily the Turkish government might have been taken over by the leading country of terrorism in the world today.”

  Yunus spoke up, “I can’t thank you enough, first for coming to my side in my hour of darkness. I don’t think I could have made it through this alone. Sude sends her love, by the way. She is up and around today. Himanish, as the Americans like to say: We are brothers from another mother! And, Luke, offering the support of your team to help us save my homeland is something I can never repay.”

  “No need, Yunus. You would do the same for us.”

  “But I do have an idea that might show my own and my country’s appreciation. Samaar, we need to talk.”

  Luke Raven thought about the group he had formed after the murder of his wife and child years ago. If he believed in God, he would say that Luci—his lovely Samaar, had been sent to remind him that love does exist in this sometimes cold and unforgiving world.

  Would he always be a gatekeeper? The Universe was changing rapidly. Throughout the centuries, there have always been a few good men—and women—for whom it was their destiny to save the world from itself. Luke was one of them. And he was surrounded by the best of humanity who gratefully will live to fight another day.

  “At noon today, the President of Turkey issued a Top-Secret internal memo to his key government staff. We received a copy shortly after that.” Himanish shared what had arrived from his latest source of information, one of Turkey’s key power players. “I will let Yunus read it.”

  I am proud to announce that our distinguished Turkish National Intelligence Organization MIT has once again uncovered an insidious plot to overthrow the government. As of this moment, we are no longer under attack. If you have been approached or threatened, bring it to our attention. You and your families will be protected. Every conversation will be held in complete secrecy.

  Yunus continued, “The public statement is quite different.”

  I am proud to announce that our distinguished Turkish National Intelligence Organization MIT has uncovered and wiped out a plot at the highest levels to destabilize our nation and enslave its’ people. Remember our flag and the words of our great Anthem:

  Fear not!

  For the crimson flag that proudly waves in these dawns, shall never fade,

  Before the last fiery hearth that is ablaze within my nation burns out.

  And that, is the star of my nation, and it will forever shine;

  It is mine and solely belongs to my nation.

  Frown not, I beseech you, oh thou coy crescent,

  But smile upon my heroic nation! Why the anger, why the rage?

  The blood we shed for you will not be worthy otherwise;

  For freedom is the absolute right of my God-worshipping nation.

  67

  On a quiet evening, four days later, Hagia Sophia, initially constructed in 537AD as a Greek Orthodox Cathedral, was closed to the public.

  The President of Turkey made a speech.

  “This remarkable monument is considered the epitome of Byzantine architectural expertise and for nearly a thousand years was the seat of the Patriarch of Constantinople. In 1453 it was turned into a mosque for the next 500 years. Today this museum which has housed both worshipers of Christianity and Islam seemed a fitting place for a private wedding for the saviors of the Republic of Turkey, Luke Raven and Samaar and Yunus and Sude.”

  Soft applause whispered throughout the cavernous space.

  “Tonight, we celebrate the love of two couples who, through their bravery and prowess, have performed a patriotic service for Turkey. We honor the losses both have incurred over a lifetime of service. Thank you on behalf of Turkey and your prospective countries. You perform an invaluable service to the safety of mankind.

  It is with great pleasure that I will now join you both as man and wife.”

  Sude stood beside her lover, tears welled up in her eyes.

  “Ssh, my love. I know your parents are with us now in spirit. I promise to love and care for you for the rest of our lives.”

  Sude kissed Yunus with the passion of a woman who almost died. She was grateful for a second chance to live her dreams.

  Yunus’ mother stood shyly by Sude’s side. She would now have a daughter to mother as well as her sons.

  Himanish walked over to the couple. He smiled at Sude, whom he had formed a lasting friendship with during her recovery.

  “I have someone I would like you to meet, Sude.”

  A young boy in a Superman outfit and his nervous mother stood off to the side. Sude looked confused but smiled politely.

  “This is Zayan.”

  Sude looked into the eyes of her father. Could it be?

  “Is it possible?”

  “Yes.”

  Sude leaned down and took the little one into her arms.

  “My mommy says, I can ask you if you want to be my sister.” The darling child opened his heart to the beautiful wo
man. She responded through tears of joy.

  “Yes, I would love to be your sister.” She looked over at a woman who stood off to the side, wiping her tear-filled eyes.

  “Please?” Sude then opened her arms to Afra, her father’s other wife, the woman Sude pretended didn’t exist out of loyalty to her mother. She knew in her heart that without Afra, her father could not have gone on while Sude’s mother was dying. And now Sude had a little brother.

  Across the room, another couple smiled and toasted with their friends.

  “Well, RB, see, we waited for you to show up. We tried to get married once before, but it never happened because you were stuck in Seattle looking out for the world!”

  “As you know, Luci, or I guess we must call you Samaar now, your husband doesn’t let me out of my Raven cave very often.”

  Himanish caught the last part of the conversation. He smiled to his friends while his mind wandered to the simple wedding, he and Cara had with their lovely adopted daughter Yu Yan. People in this line of work shunned relationships. He and his friends often hold the world’s secrets and carry the pain within their heads and hearts. But we all have human needs. And now Himanish couldn’t imagine what his life would be like without his two girls.

  Zach and Rachel were both silent, each lost in their pasts. Zach, his mind drawn to his first love, the woman who said she’d wait for him after his first deployment to Afghanistan. She didn’t. He’d been hurt and shy of love, a sworn bachelor, until he met Rachel.

  It was as if Rachel was reading his mind. She squeezed his hand to remind him that she was by his side wherever this relationship would take them. And in the meantime, they would do what they both did best. They’d fight for the underdog and make the world a safer place.

  Maggs stood with Alice and David. They laughed and joked about life and admired the stunning surroundings of this magnificent structure.

  “I didn’t know this place was once a Greek Orthodox Church, then a mosque and now a museum. There’s a message for humanity in all this. Life is fleeting, and change is inevitable. Conquerors and the vanquished will always exist. But we have one life to live. And it will give you a wild and wonderful ride if you just stop being afraid to experience all that life has to offer.” Alice took Magg’s hand.