Noah Wolf Box Set 4

by David Archer

  “I am so sorry,” Ibrahim said. “Please believe me, I had no knowledge of any of this. I am a faithful servant of Allah, and seek only to serve you faithfully, as well.”

  Tushar waved a hand in dismissal. “Have no fear, my friend,” he said. “I am confident of your faithfulness, but we live in a world where even those closest to us can be used against us. Let us discuss our business, and then arrangements will be made to return you to your family safely. If you are questioned about where you have been, I trust you will be able to come up with a convincing explanation.”

  “I shall certainly do so. Now, tell me, how may I serve?”

  Tushar smiled. “Tomorrow, during your investiture, you will be brought before the queen to be given your medal and credentials. At that time, I should like you to do something very simple. I should like you to offer to the queen a simple chocolate, and then eat one of your own. When you do this, you should hold the chocolate up for everyone to see, and then suggest that they all join you and the queen in partaking of such a delicacy.”

  Ibrahim smiled back. “Of course,” he said. “I had been thinking that you were going to ask something far more difficult of me, and I spent much of last night praying that I would be capable of serving in whatever capacity you desire.”

  Tushar chuckled. “But as you can see, I only need you to do this one simple thing. It is a form of salute to the queen, and no one could take exception to something so harmless, could they?”

  “Of course not. It will be my pleasure.”

  “I’m certain that it will,” Tushar said. He opened a small box and removed a few chocolates from it, passing them to Ibrahim. “I would not be surprised if someone tries to convince you not to do this,” he went on. “It is very important, however, that you do exactly as I ask. To show you just how important it is, I would like you to take a look at this.”

  He reached down beside his chair and picked up a tablet computer, touched a button on the side and then turned it around so that Ibrahim could see the screen. His eyes at first showed delight when he saw his wife and youngest daughter, but then they shifted to an expression of confusion, just before reflecting sheer terror. There on the screen, the image of his wife and daughter was crystal clear, but it was shown from an angle that should not be possible. The camera would’ve had to have been inside the wall, because there was nothing in the room where it could possibly have been mounted.

  He looked up at Tushar. “I do not understand,” he said. “How can you have this?”

  “I have it,” Tushar said, “because I have men working for me who can place hidden camera devices anywhere I want them. There are several within your home as we speak, and all of them are constantly monitored. In addition, there are a number of explosive devices in your house. If at any time in the next twenty-four hours anyone tries to remove your family from the home, or if they attempt to leave for any reason, those explosive devices will be detonated. If you fail to do as I have instructed you, they will be detonated. If, on the other hand, you do exactly as I told you to do, the cameras and explosives will be deactivated. You will be provided with instructions on how to remove them safely, and you and I will remain friends forever. Do you understand me, Mr. Ibrahim?”

  Ibrahim stared at the monitor and swallowed. “I understand perfectly,” he said. “Please let me assure you, this is not necessary. I am honored to serve you, and to do as you wish me to do.”

  “And I believe you,” Tushar said with a smile. “Alas, as I said a moment ago, we live in a world where it is difficult to trust anyone. This is only my way of ensuring that you will do what I need done. When it is finished, you and your family will be perfectly safe, and you will have a place high in my councils.”

  He snapped his fingers and one of his men came into the room.

  “Please take Mr. Ibrahim home,” Tushar said. “He needs to rest for his exciting adventure tomorrow.”

  Ibrahim took one more look at the monitor, then rose slowly from his seat. He followed the man who had been tasked with driving him home and forced himself not to look back. The words that were trying to climb up his throat would almost certainly get his family killed, and that was the last thing he wanted.

  The drive did not take long, but Ibrahim felt that he had an eternity to think about what to do. Unfortunately, no matter how loyal he might be to his new homeland, his loyalty was first to his family. It was possible that Charles and his people might devise a way to keep his family safe, but Ibrahim was not willing to take the chance.

  After all, all he had to do was offer the queen a piece of chocolate. What could be the harm in that?

  Of course, he knew that something terrible was in the offing. He only hoped that his wife and children would be safe, no matter what happened to him.

  When he arrived at home, Rashad Ibrahim entered his house with a smile. He waited until all of the younger children were in bed at night before he took his wife into their bedroom and told her that she would not be able to attend the investiture the following day.

  She was a good wife. Even though it hurt her feelings, she would do as her husband told her to do.

  * * * * *

  “Have you got it?” Harry asked. Lenny mumbled something, but the small flashlight clamped in his teeth made it impossible for Harry to understand. He watched as Lenny twisted a couple of wires together and then removed the flashlight from his mouth.

  “There it is,” Lenny said. “These people have one of the cheapest alarm systems I’ve ever seen. Hard to believe they can get contracts with the royal family, isn’t it?”

  “It’s not the family,” Harry said, “it’s the bloody government. They let everything out for bids, and the lowest bid gets the job. Well, you can’t make the lowest bid if you’re spending a fortune on security, now can you?”

  “Suppose not,” Lenny said. He picked the lock on the back door of the gift shop and then they were in. Harry carried the two boxes of chocolates and stood aside while Lenny shut the door behind him.

  The gift bags were everywhere. There were thousands of them, lined up on shelves that filled the entire back half of the building.

  “Well,” Harry said. He set down the boxes and opened the top one, then took a large, red plastic cup out of his pocket and scooped up the chocolates inside. “Let’s get to work, then, shall we?”

  Five hours later, after dropping chocolates into every bag, they were finished. They’d actually run out of chocolates before they ran out of bags, but there he decided that wasn’t their fault. Surely there were enough to do whatever it was old Billy wanted done, so they picked up the now empty boxes, slipped out the back door, and Harry waited while Lenny locked up and removed his jumper wire from the alarm system.

  They got into Harry’s car and drove away, and then Harry took out his phone. He hit the icon to call Billy, and was delighted when the man answered on the first ring.

  “All finished already?” Tushar asked.

  “Yep, all done,” Harry said. “You got the money ready?”

  “It’s like I told you,” Tushar said, “I already had it ready for you. In fact, you can pick it up now. It’s taped to the bottom of the seat back in the chip shop. There’s two envelopes, one for each of you.”

  “In the chippy?” Harry asked. “But it’s closed now.”

  “What’s in the chippy?” Lenny asked.

  “Billy put our money under the seat, where we were sitting. We can go by and pick it up in the morning.”

  “In the morning?” Lenny demanded. “That place has no security at all. Come on, then, I can have the door open in twenty seconds. Let’s go get our money now.”

  Tushar chuckled into the phone. “Sounds like Lenny has the right idea,” he said. “Go on and get it. Like we talked about, you probably want to be as far away from London as possible before everything starts tomorrow. If you go get it now, you can get out front of everything.”

  Harry nodded. “Yeah, I suppose it makes sense. All right, then, bu
t you’re sure it’s there, right?”

  “Every penny,” Tushar said. “It’s all there waiting for you.”

  Harry ended the call and the two men headed for the chip shop. It was getting close to 4 o’clock in the morning, but the shop didn’t open until ten. Lenny picked the lock, almost as quickly as he claimed he could, and then Harry rushed in and felt under the seat.

  Sure enough, there was the envelope. He grabbed it quickly and hurried out of the building, and the two of them jumped into the car again. Lenny didn’t even bother to lock the door behind him.

  Harry passed the envelope to Lenny, and he tore it open. “There’s that beautiful money,” Lenny said. He pulled it out and started counting the notes, laying one on his lap and then putting one into Harry’s hand, until they were evenly divided.

  And then he looked up at Harry, who was crushing his own wad of notes and shoving them into his pocket.

  “Harry,” he said. “I’m not feeling so good. It’s like—it’s like I can’t catch my breath…”

  Harry looked back at Lenny, and saw the way he was laboring to breathe. He pulled the car over quickly, looking closely at his old friend’s face.

  “Blimey, Lenny,” he said. “You look like you’re having a coronary.”

  He tried to speak for a second, but then seemed to faint. Harry reached over to shake him, but that’s when he realized he was having trouble breathing on his own.

  He had stopped the car on a deserted side street, in a rundown neighborhood that was mostly empty. No one noticed the car until late the following day, after all the excitement was already over.

  * * * * *

  Everything was set, and Tushar was certain that this time, his plans would meet with success. Between the deaths at the investiture, which would be televised and seen by many thousands, and the drifting death that would blanket most of the city shortly thereafter, the world would know that things had changed.

  If only Tariq were here to bask with him in the glow of success. Too bad about the old man, but Tushar didn’t truly need him. Once this day was over, he would never actually have to use the Touch of Death again unless he wanted to. The fact that it would deliver so much death in ancient, fabled London would be enough to make the rest of the world fear any attempt at resistance.

  The old man had been correct; CNN had reported that numerous packages of the poison were unaccounted for, and it would only take the rumor that one of them was somewhere within the city to make the population panic and flee. Such a panic would result in significant loss of life on its own, and spread terror throughout every nation. As far as the people of the West were concerned, there would be nowhere they could hide.

  As for those of his own people who were going to die in London, Tushar almost envied them. They would be martyrs, and would be among the most favored in Paradise. Allah was always generous and grateful to those who died in his service.

  It was time. Even though the sun had barely risen, it was time for Tushar to take his place. He walked out the door of his safe house and got into the car, already wearing the mask in uniform he would need for the day. He checked the leather bag on the front seat beside him to make certain the protective mask was undisturbed, then closed it up again as he started the car.

  It was time to go and watch the show.

  TWENTY-SIX

  Everyone was at headquarters early the following morning, but Albert had beaten them all by three hours. He had come in early to check on the interrogation of Tariq, but the man had not given up anything. Albert tried talking to him personally, but the old man simply looked into his eyes and yawned.

  “We’ve got nowhere with that old bastard,” he said when everyone arrived. “We still believe Tushar is going to try something at the investiture, but we have no indication of what it might be.”

  “What about Mr. Ibrahim?” Sam asked. “Did he ever turn up last night?”

  “Yes,” Albert said. “He was dropped off about nine thirty and Charles spoke with him shortly after. He was taken somewhere to meet with Tushar, but he says the man never showed up. After a while, the guy who drove him just brought him back home and let him out. We think the capture of Tariq might have scuttled his plans to use Ibrahim, but we’re keeping a close eye on him, just in case.”

  “And we’re still no closer to knowing where Tushar is,” Sam growled. “What’s the game plan, then?”

  “MI5 is in charge of security for this event, but we will be assisting. We are putting everyone possible inside Westminster Abbey today, including all of you. The ceremony begins at noon, so we’ll all be in place at least two hours before that. Sam, Denny, only the two of you have ever actually laid eyes on Tushar. We want you to be watching closely, and if you see anyone you even think resembles him, notify one of us immediately. We’ll all be equipped with radios, so communication will not be a problem.”

  He started handing out specific assignments then, as more than three dozen MI6 operatives stood in the conference room. There were more in the hallway outside, and Sam was impressed at how well Albert handled the situation. In less than thirty minutes, every one of them knew exactly where they were supposed to be and what they were supposed to be doing.

  And then it was time to go. They loaded up into several cars and headed out, with Sam and Denny told to stay close to Albert and Catherine. Only Sarah and Renee were left out, staying back at SIS HQ. Noah had insisted.

  They all walked in together and then began going to their individual assignment locations. Sam and Denny were placed very near the dais, where they had a clear view of the entire gallery, all the way to the front doors.

  Noah was also near the dais, ready to move if Sam or Denny indicated that Tushar was present. He reminded them to concentrate on physical shape and gait, certain that Tushar would be in disguise and wearing one of his many masks. He intended to make sure the man didn’t get away this time.

  “You think there’s any chance we can catch him here?” Jenny asked Noah as she slipped past him to go to her own place.

  “I doubt it,” Noah said. “If he actually intends to strike here, he won’t be present. I’m just trying to figure out how he could introduce the powder. The air handlers are all secured, and I can’t imagine any other way to spread it around and infect everyone.”

  “But if he does have a way,” Jenny said, “we’re all going to die along with everyone else in here.”

  Noah nodded. “Yes,” he said. “That is a distinct possibility. Watch for any sign of people getting sick from the stuff, and be ready to help us get the queen and her family out of here.”

  At eleven, all of the staff who would be working to help make the event a success arrived, and preparations were begun for when the Abbey would open. The investiture was set to begin at noon, with the queen arriving shortly before that time. The decorations were all in place and had been carefully inspected, the gift bags were installed near the entrances to be passed out to every guest as they entered, and all of the candidates for investiture were waiting in the room at the back of the building.

  “Hey, babe,” Sam said. He had slipped off by himself for a moment to call his wife, even though it meant waking her from a sound sleep. “I just needed to hear your voice,” he said.

  “Sam?” Indie asked sleepily. “Is everything okay?”

  Sam forced himself to smile. “I think it will be,” he said. “I actually get to see the Queen of England today, can you believe that? I’m sorry to wake you up, but I probably won’t get another chance to call before late tonight.”

  “It’s okay,” she said. “I love hearing your voice, too.”

  “I love you, Indie,” Sam said. “I have to go, but I just needed to say that to you.”

  Indie yawned. “I love you too,” she said.

  Sam hung up and turned back to watch the gallery. He knew there was a good possibility that everyone he was looking at was going to die, and that he might even die with them. If he did, he wanted Indie to know that she was
one of the last things he thought of.

  The queen was brought in, along with her husband and her son, as well as her youngest grandson. They took their places on the dais, and a few moments later, the doors were opened and guests were allowed to enter.

  “All right,” Albert’s voice came through the earpieces they all were wearing. “This is it, let’s all stay alert.”

  They all watched closely as the guests entered and found their seats, each of them carrying the gift bag they were handed as they came through the doors, and Sam pointed out three or four men who could possibly have been Tushar. Other operatives checked them out, but all of them turned out to be legitimate guests. Every once in a while, Sam would look around anyway, just keeping track of them, but they were not a problem.

  * * * * *

  In the room behind the dais, the Lord Chamberlain was explaining to the candidates what would happen during the investiture ceremony.

  “In just a few minutes,” he said, “we will begin to call your names. When your name is called, simply get up out of your chair and walk through this doorway, which will lead you onto the front of the dais. When you step out, you will see the queen standing there, so you simply walk directly to her, then turn and face her. She will give you your warrants, touch you briefly on the shoulders with the sword if you are being knighted, and then will affix your new insignia. The insignia simply hangs on the pin that you are given earlier, and I see that everyone has the pin already in place. After the insignia is affixed, the queen will usually speak with you for a moment, and then you will be dismissed. At that point, you will take two steps backward, and then turn and proceed in the same direction across the dais to the other side. There is another room there, where you will wait until the rest of the ceremony is completed, and then we will lead you all out for the photographers.”