The Empty Land (A Hunter Kincaid Novel) - Page 48

Holland and the others came out to greet them, then lead them into the house.

Holland said, “You have done the impossible. To cross that area, in such a vehicle, Allah was with you.”

“Allahu Akbar,” Samir said. “I hope we never to have to do it again.”

Holland ordered food and drinks, and had one of the men take Samir’s pickup into Ojinaga and leave it at the Alsuper market. Samir and Crystal could pick it up tomorrow, after their mission, thereby splitting and scattering the group quickly so they would be less identifiable. When the man left with the keys, the three terrorists talked while Samir and Crystal ate. Samir said, “You found the eavesdropper and destroyed the equipment, I hear.”

“Yes.”

“Any casualties?”

“We lost one.”

Crystal said, “Did he talk?”

“No. He died before they could interrogate him.”

Guereca listened to the conversation, but didn’t say anything. Crystal noticed his expression and said, “Speak up if something is on your mind.”

He looked at Holland, then at Crystal and said, “It’s nothing.”

Holland said, “He is worried because of our losses. We lost one during the test, and one yesterday. In addition,” he pointed at Guereca, “He is now wanted in the United States, so we cannot use him over there until the mission begins.”

Samir asked, “Will you have enough people?”

“Yes.”

“Good. Who drives the tanker?”

Guereca said, “I will. Won’t be no problems.”

Crystal stepped to Guereca and kissed his cheek. “Allahu Akbar.”

Samir said to Holland, “If we coat the tank here, are you sure that Guereca will have time enough to drive it where we need?”

“Yes. The distance from here to our target site has been calculated, and Guereca can ensure that things happen where and when they should.”

“Excellent.” The terrorists talked for several more hours, anticipating tomorrow, when the world would change because of their deeds.

***

Lucas Patino studied the intelligence reports from a dozen sources around the world, but was no closer to identifying or finding the one key name that had appeared four times in different locations that were all, in one form or another, talking about an attack on the United States.

The one name had been Asadullah. The Arabic translation was The Lion of Allah. Asadullah had been active for a decade in places around the world. Twice in Mumbai, where in 2006 he oversaw construction of pressure cooker bombs used on the Suburban Railway trains that resulted in over 900 people dead and injured, and in 2008 where he directed last minute changes in targets for the four days of shooting and bombing attacks. The 2008 attack resulted in over seven hundred people killed and injured. Asadullah also participated multiple times in Egypt, Pakistan, Turkey, Iraq, Israel, and more recently, in Argentina and Mindanao. England’s MI5 had information that he was peripherally involved in the London Subway bombings.

An FBI report mentioned a source of unproven reliability saying that Asadullah instructed brothers Dzhokhar and Tamerlan Tsarnaev on how to make the pressure cooker bombs they detonated at the Boston Marathon in April of 2013.

Nowhere was there a photo, description, or any information on his background, other than one brief mention that Mossad listed, saying Asadullah was not Arabic.

The information from CISEN’s intelligence division picked up two mentions of the terrorist being in the Ahlul Bayt Mosque in Mexico City, at the Dar es Salaam Mosque in Tequesquitengo, Morelos, and a single report from one month ago of a possible sighting in Juarez.

Asadullah seemed to be the key, then, for all the recent chatter on the airwaves and the Internet. He knew the FBI was interested in intelligence on terrorist activities in Mexico, but their full attention was not initiated until there was a threat to the United States, and he didn’t have that.

The recent violence in the Big Bend of Texas hadn’t been tied to terrorism, so other than increased violence there, in one of the least populated places in North America, the FBI did not focus on it.

Lucas thought he would contact Hunter Kincaid. He wanted to see her anyhow, so it would be a good excuse for them to meet. That way, he could at least get her take on what happened at the Terlingua fire and the murder of the prisoner. They could do that while becoming better acquainted.

As if on cue, his cell rang and he had a text. It was from Hunter and had one word: Meet? He answered, Yes. They both knew where.

Tags: Billy Kring Thriller
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