Titus Ray Thriller Box Set, page 78
part #1 of Titus Ray Series
Vasco slapped him on the back. “Exactly. He appreciates a man who keeps his word.”
Although I was angry at the way Vasco had maneuvered things around just to make himself look good in the DDO’s eyes, I was determined not to let his behavior get to me. A few months ago, I would have lost my temper and lashed out at him, but, ever since Tehran, I’d found it a little easier to control myself.
I turned my back on Vasco and walked across the room to speak to Juliana. “Send the audio feed of Marwan’s interrogation to the Ops Center immediately and then alert Douglas Carlton about the transfer of Marwan to Gitmo.”
“The audio’s almost ready to go. As soon as I get it downloaded, I’ll inform Mr. Carlton.”
I leaned down, as if I were trying to get a closer look at the monitor, and whispered in her ear. “I’m going back inside the interrogation room now, but don’t record my final conversation with Marwan. I’d prefer it be kept off the record.”
She nodded. “Understood.”
When I straightened up again, I waved at Vasco and said, “I’m going across the hall to tell Marwan he’s about to take a little trip.”
Mitchell motioned toward the door. “You want me in there?”
“No, this won’t take but a minute.”
* * * *
Marwan was staring down at his hands when I entered the room, and, when he looked up, I actually thought he seemed relieved to see me. Once I’d dismissed Otis, he appeared to relax even more.
I decided to speak to him in Arabic, just in case Vasco and Mitchell were monitoring my conversation.
“Do you trust me, Marwan?”
He looked amused.
I wasn’t sure if it was because I’d switched over to Arabic, or if it was because of my question.
“Not really, but what choice do I have?”
“You actually have two choices. You can choose to believe me when I say I’m going to make it possible for you to see your family again, or you can choose to believe everyone else who will tell you you’ll never see your family again.”
He stared at me. “Is this some kind of test?”
“No, it’s not a test. You remember earlier when I mentioned an alternative? Instead of being subjected to the kind of treatment that went on at Abu Ghraib, in a few hours, you’ll be transferred to our military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. We call the place Gitmo. I assume you’ve heard of it.”
“Yes, of course.”
“If you agree to cooperate with me, then your stay there will be very short.”
“By cooperate do you mean answer your questions?”
“No, I won’t be asking the questions at Gitmo. However, within a few days, a Mr. Chessman will show up to interrogate you. When he does, you should tell him you’re willing to go to work for us. In exchange, we’ll—”
“You mean go to work for the CIA?”
“In exchange, we’ll agree not to harm your wife and daughter. But, even more than that, we’ll promise to do everything we can to keep them safe.”
He was silent for a few seconds. When he spoke again, he sounded subdued. “Are you saying if I act as your spy, my family will be safe, and you’ll let me go?”
I nodded. “It’s a little more complicated than that, but, yes, that’s what I’m saying.”
He closed his eyes as if he might be praying. I doubted that was the case. More than likely, he was thinking about how to use my proposal to his advantage.
A few seconds later, he opened his eyes and said, “Traitors are beheaded in Syria. I’m sure you know that.”
“I’ll be around to make sure that won’t happen to you.”
“How soon will I be able to talk to my wife and daughter?”
“Once you’ve agreed to return to Damascus as my asset, then I’ll see what I can work out about your wife and daughter.”
“You want me to attend the meeting with General Suleiman, don’t you?”
“That’s right. But don’t worry. We’ll work out all the details, and your risk will be minimal.”
He folded his arms across his chest. “I want to know those details before I make such a commitment.”
“You’re in no position to negotiate with me, Marwan. If you want to see your wife and daughter again, then you’ll agree to cooperate with us. That’s the deal. Take it or leave it.”
In the end, he took the deal.
Now, all I had to do was convince Carlton and the DDO to make the deal and let me go to Damascus and run Marwan as my asset.
How hard could that be?
* * * *
Vasco left the Bub’s Subs executive office suite with Marwan an hour later, and Mitchell and I rode with Juliana back over to our hotel.
As she pulled up to the front of the hotel, Mitchell asked her if she’d have dinner with us in The Red Room, one of the hotel’s restaurants.
She accepted his invitation immediately, but, since I was waiting for a phone call from Carlton, I told the two of them to go ahead without me.
Mitchell didn’t try to convince me to join them.
The moment he walked over to the concierge’s desk to see about getting them a table, I pulled Juliana aside.
“Mitchell and I will be heading out of here in a few hours, so this may be my last chance to say thanks for all your help.”
“I should be thanking you instead.”
“Why? Because I gave Ken a reason to fire you today or because Ben educated you on Sam Houston?”
She laughed, “Because you made me realize I’ve been missing the rush. I’m sure you know what I mean. It’s that feeling you get when you’re playing a game of cat and mouse with the bad guys.”
I nodded. “Or in some cases, the good guys.”
“Unfortunately, that’s also true.”
“Does this mean you’ve been reconsidering your love affair with having a routine?”
She nodded. “I think it might be time for me to apply for a change in status.”
Mitchell walked up and announced the maître d’ had a table ready for them.
Before they left, I said to Juliana, “You should do it. You’ll regret it if you don’t.”
“Regret what?” Mitchell asked.
“Regret not asking you to recite more of Sam Houston’s funny sayings. Juliana was just asking me if I thought you’d mind telling her more about the great man.”
Mitchell smiled, “Are you kidding me? I’d love to do that.”
I ignored Juliana’s dirty look and headed for the elevator.
* * * *
A few minutes after I entered my suite on the fifth floor, Carlton called me.
“Are you clear?”
“Clear.”
“Preliminary voice analysis of the interrogation tape indicates Marwan was telling the truth.”
“Even when he talked about the delivery system for the chemicals?”
“Yes, even then. I’m convinced he doesn’t know how they’re planning to disperse the sarin.”
I asked, “Has Keever been able to locate his asset in Damascus yet?”
“Unfortunately, we’ve just received confirmation the asset’s been killed. We’re flying blind now, but at least Marwan gave us a date when General Suleiman will meet with Naballah to go over the details of the operation.”
“I have a proposal, Douglas. It’s a bit risky, but—”
“Once you get back to Langley, we’ll discuss where we go from here. Right now, I’m about to walk into a briefing with C.J. Salazar about the arrival of those ships in Santiago de Cuba in a few days. C.J. is running the show, but since those ships are carrying some of Syria’s chemical weapons, the DDO wants me to sit in on the meeting.”
“Who’s been assigned to work surveillance on the warehouse?”
“You know I’m not about to tell you that.”
“I just thought if you needed an extra body, you might consider one of Ken Vasco’s operatives. Her name is Juliana Lamar, and she’s been running surveillance for Ken. Before she came to the Agency, she worked Narcotics in the San Francisco Police Department. That is sure to impress Cartel Carlos.”
“Sounds like she impressed you.”
“I’ve been impressed by how well she and Ben have worked together down here. The two of them would be an excellent addition to the team tracking those canisters once they arrive in Santiago.”
“I’ll see what C.J. thinks. Does that mean you’re not willing to work with Ben anymore?”
“No, it means it’s about time for him to be the primary on an operation. Running surveillance would be a good start, and if Rehman Zaidi shows up to supervise the weapons, there’s the added bonus Mitchell would be able to recognize him.”
“Did I miss something? Did Marwan tell you Zaidi is on his way to Cuba?”
“No, I’ve just been thinking about some possibilities, and I believe one of them is that Zaidi will show up in Santiago.”
“We’ll talk about all the possibilities when you get back to Langley.”
Once he hung up, I thought about the possibilities.
One of them included seeing Nikki again.
PART THREE
Chapter 26
Sunday, June 28
When Mitchell and I arrived back at Langley, we were immediately debriefed by Douglas Carlton and Nolan Wilson. Our session included a replaying of the audio tapes from our interrogation of both Roberto and Marwan, plus a quick video call from Ken Vasco about his continuing surveillance of Roberto.
When the debrief was over, C.J. Salazar sent word for Mitchell to join him in the RTM Center next door to the conference room, and I followed Carlton up to his office on the fourth floor.
Once he’d shut the door, Carlton said, “C.J. plans to give Ben his first solo assignment today. He’ll be leaving for Cuba this afternoon and heading up the surveillance team monitoring the arrival of those vessels at the port in Santiago tomorrow.”
“Was this Salazar’s idea?”
Carlton shrugged. “I nudged him a bit.”
“And Juliana Lamar?”
“He’s also agreed to have her assigned to Ben’s team. This is strictly a non-engagement mission. They’ll only be there to observe the offloading of the ships and to verify whether their cargo contains the gas canisters. After the weapons have arrived, Ben’s team will monitor how they’re handled and warehoused in Santiago. Once we’ve determined how Hezbollah plans to get the canisters to the States, the DDO will decide how to proceed.”
“Ben may not like the non-engagement part, but he should be happy about having his own assignment, and I’m sure he’ll enjoy working with Juliana again.”
Carlton walked over and sat down behind his desk, while I took a seat in one of his guest chairs. After straightening the stack of yellow legal pads in front of him, he looked up and said, “I’m ready now.”
“Ready for what?”
“To hear your risky proposal, the one you mentioned a couple of days ago when you were down in Buenos Aires.”
“Did I say it was risky? Maybe you misunderstood me. The way I see it, the risks are minimal compared to the reward.”
“If the reward consists of preventing an attack on Washington, then I’m ready to hear it.”
I gave him my spiel. “The best chance we have of stopping Hezbollah from using those weapons is for us to know what happens in that meeting between General Suleiman and Hassan Naballah in Damascus on July 4th. What I’m proposing is that we send Marwan Farage back to Damascus to serve as our ears in that meeting.”
Carlton nodded. “While I agree with your assessment, from what I heard, Marwan wasn’t offering the CIA his services when you were questioning him.”
“That’s true, but later on, when I told him he was being shipped off to Gitmo, he agreed to make the deal.”
“I don’t believe I heard that conversation.”
I smiled. “It was strictly off the record.”
He wasn’t smiling.
“Look, Douglas, he’s worried about his wife and daughter. That’s our leverage. I promised him I’d keep his family safe in exchange for his help, and he agreed to return to Damascus and attend the meeting with Suleiman.”
“And then what?”
“Once we get the intel, we’ll get him out of there and back into the loving arms of his wife and daughter in Caracas.”
Carlton shook his head. “I talked with Al Johnson at Gitmo this morning. He said Marwan isn’t being cooperative with our people there.”
“That doesn’t surprise me. Marwan is afraid of two things. He’s afraid of being tortured, and he’s afraid of losing his family. He knows he’s not going to be tortured at Gitmo, and I’ve already assured him I’ll keep his family safe if he returns to Damascus as my asset. Right now, he has no reason to cooperate with anyone at Gitmo.”
“So you’ve painted yourself into this picture now.”
“I know that doesn’t surprise you. Since Marwan trusts me, I’m the best person to run him in Damascus.”
Carlton looked skeptical.
“Okay,” I said. “Maybe trust is too strong a word. He tolerates me. But, believe me, the feeling is mutual, and we both know it.”
Carlton immediately pulled out his Cross pen and scribbled something down on his legal pad.
I couldn’t make out the words.
Once he put his pen aside, he said, “I’ll go upstairs and run this by the DDO. At this point, your proposal appears to be our most viable option, but, as usual, he may have a different idea. If it’s a go, you can expect a briefing tomorrow, and, after that, I’ll fly down to Gitmo and make Marwan the official offer.”
The fact that Carlton himself would fly down to Gitmo was standard operating procedure. Senior Agency officials were the only persons authorized to make agreements with known terrorists.
I’d already prepared Marwan for this eventuality.
I said, “I told Marwan a new interrogator would show up at Gitmo and offer him a job.”
“He gets a new interrogator every four hours. By the time I get there, he may have already told the Defense Intelligence Agency he’s willing to be their man in Damascus.”
“No, he won’t talk to anyone but you.”
“How’d you manage that?”
“I told him a new interrogator by the name of Mr. Chessman would arrive in a few days, and he should only offer his services to him.”
Carlton actually looked pleased at the name I’d chosen for him, but other than clearing his throat, he didn’t comment on it.
We talked for a few minutes about how we might handle getting some photos of Marwan’s wife and daughter to dangle over Marwan’s head, and, after that, Carlton suggested I go down to the cafeteria and get a cup of coffee while he went upstairs and pitched my proposal to the DDO and his staff.
I decided to go find Olivia instead of hanging out at the cafeteria.
* * * *
If Olivia was in the building, I knew she’d be in the basement level of the Old Headquarters Building where the Ops Center was located.
The maze of corridors, conference rooms, and RTM Centers was the hub of Agency’s operations, the place where America’s covert intelligence from around the world was assimilated, analyzed, and implemented. Briefings and planning sessions were held in the conference rooms, while ongoing operations were coordinated and monitored in the RTM Centers.
I found Olivia in Corridor C, outside RTM Center C. She was wearing a headset with a wraparound mic, and, as I walked up, I could hear her talking to someone, “We just got the video. You can stand down now.”
The moment she saw me, she pulled her headset down around her neck.
“What are you doing here?” she demanded.
“I just stopped by to say hello. I heard you were back at work.”
“You’re such a lousy liar. You came down here to check up on me.”
“Guilty as charged.” I pointed down the hallway toward the employee lounge. “Let’s get some coffee.”
She shrugged. “Whatever.”
Corridor C’s employee lounge was occupied by two other people. However, both of them left a few minutes after Olivia and I arrived. I attributed their quick exit to Olivia’s pointed stare.
Once I’d poured us some black coffee, I brought the cups over to the small round table where Olivia was seated.
I immediately broached the subject I knew she didn’t want to talk about.
“What’s happening with your surgery?”
She took a sip of her coffee before answering me. “It’s tomorrow.”
“What time?”
Her eyes narrowed. “Why?”
I shrugged. “Just a question.”
She shook her head. “You never ask just a question, Titus.”
I grinned at her. “If I’m around tomorrow, I thought I might drop in on you.”
“Don’t bother. I’ll be so out of it, I won’t even know you’re there.”
I dropped the subject, and we drank our coffee in silence for a moment.
I said, “I’ve heard Cartel Carlos is sending Ben Mitchell to Cuba to keep an eye on those canisters.”
She nodded. “He’s briefing him now. I’m surprised you didn’t get the assignment. You must be losing your touch with Douglas.”
“It’s a non-engagement surveillance op. Not my thing.”
She placed her cup down on the table, placed her chin in her hand, and proceeded to study my face as if I were a new species of animal and she were a biologist.
Finally, she said, “Douglas is sending you somewhere, isn’t he?”
“What makes you say that?”
“Aside from the fact you just implied you might not be around tomorrow, you would jump at the chance to run surveillance on those canisters. That is, unless you were headed somewhere else.”
I nodded. “Carlton’s working on it, but nothing’s been settled yet.”
“I know you’re not going to Cuba, so you must be headed to the Middle East, and, if I had to guess, I’d say it was Damascus.”
I just looked at her, refusing to confirm or deny her theory. When it became apparent I wasn’t about to talk about any upcoming op, she quickly snatched up our empty coffee cups and headed over to a trashcan. After she’d taken a few steps, she suddenly stopped and turned around.
