Exit Plan (22 page)

“Yes, Major.” Rahim had not told the agent why he wanted the information, or who Mehry Naseri was. Traitor or witness, it didn’t matter. Officers in VEVAK did as they were told.

It was still a few minutes before ten, but Rahim didn’t wait. They’d changed their car. That was suspicious. Yes, there was an innocent explanation, but he’d need some convincing before he bought that story. He cursed his own complacency for not checking the tracker’s location. It would have shown they’d changed cars. They’d given no sign of knowing they were being watched.

The office in Bushehr was less helpful. “Computer records show nobody has checked into a hotel in Bandar Kangan or anywhere else along the coast under either name. We have dispatched an investigator to Kangan with photos to make inquiries. It’s a two-hour drive, and we expect him to arrive—”

Rahim interrupted. “Enough. Send their pictures to the local police in Kangan and tell them to search for the couple, with haste. And have them look for the car.” He told the Bushehr agent about the Peykan.

“Yes, Major.”

“This matter is urgent. I want hourly reports.”

“Yes, Major.”

Rahim hungup impatiently. So, a young couple, off on an excursion. They tell her mother they’re going one place, and then they go somewhere else. They could have changed their minds en route, or gotten to Kangan and decided to go elsewhere. It could happen.

Or they could have lied to her. But Rahim didn’t think so. Naseri was arrogant and far too intelligent for her own good, but she was close to her family. And she had no reason to lie to her mother. So if there was a lie, it was meant to deceive others.

A trip to the coast was innocent enough, but Rahim didn’t see the gulf as scenic. Its waters had been a highway for smugglers and spies since time began. Had they met with a foreign agent? Were they trying to defect?

He made another call, this time to the VEVAK liaison at the Mobile Communications Company of Iran.

“Electronics.”

“This is Major Rahim. What is the status of Yousef Akbari?”

“One moment.” Rahim could hear taps on a computer keyboard.

“Subject Akbari, Yousef, Pasdaran Captain.”

“That is correct.”

“The subject was nearest to tower 1709, at Bandar Kangan, until the signal stopped this morning at 0810.”

“Stopped?”

“The most likely cause is the cell phone being turned off or the battery running low.”

Rahim searched for an explanation. “Is there any possibility he simply moved out of range of a cell tower?”

“He was receiving a call when the phone went dead.”

“Who was calling him?”

The operator read the number. “It’s assigned to a telephone at the Natanz Facility, an office assigned to a Major Sadi.” Anger flashed through Rahim, and he fought to control it. He wasn’t finished with the phone call.

“Send me a map with the area that the tower covers.”

“I’ll send it right away, Major.”

“And notify me instantly if his phone turns back on.”

“Yes, sir.”

With the connection broken, Rahim placed the receiver back in its cradle gently, exactly the opposite of what he wanted to do. Sadi had called Akbari on his cell phone ten minutes after he’d had Sadi call the mother’s house.

Rahim tried to build scenarios and possible courses of action. What did Sadi know, or suspect? A cautious man considers . . .

Screw caution.

~ * ~

Sadi was out inspecting the light antiaircraft emplacements when Rahim found him. Each twin 23mm or 35mm gun was emplaced on an earthen mound to give it a better field of fire. On top of the mound, the gun was protected by a ring of sandbags, and a ramp led back to ground level, where there was stowage for ammunition and a dugout shelter for the crew.

Sadi’s jeep was parked next to one of the emplacements. The gun crew was lined up next to their weapon, at attention. Sadi was talking to them, while the captain in charge of the light antiaircraft guns stood to one side, taking notes.

Rahim’s driver roared up next to the mound, the noise making Sadi stop and turn. When he saw who sat in the back, he spoke a few words to his subordinate and trotted down the ramp.

Rahim got out and started walking away from the jeep and the gun emplacement. The gun line was spaced several hundred meters out from the facility, and the individual emplacements were also several hundred meters apart, separated by open, bare ground. He walked quickly, forcing Sadi to run to catch up. They were forty or fifty meters away when he finally slowed and turned to face Sadi.

Purple with rage, Rahim spat, “You called Akbari! What were you thinking? Explain yourself!”

Sadi, horrified, reflexively came to attention. He didn’t speak immediately, and Rahim could see thoughts flow across his face as the major tried to decide what to say. “Answer me!” Rahim demanded.

The other man swallowed, and said softly, “I... I remembered that I had Captain Akbari’s cell phone number. I thought that if you were trying to reach him, I should . . . tell him.”

“You mean warn him.” Rahim’s voice was made of metal. “You moron, you mistake of God! Don’t you think I have his cell phone number as well?”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t understand.” A pleading tone filled his words. “I only wanted to help you find Akbari.”

“And by calling him, you’ve interfered in affairs greater than you can possibly imagine. Matters of life and death for many, including yours, are at stake.”

Rahim could see that it had finally sunk in. “I’m sorry, sir,” Sadi repeated. “What can I do?”

“Nothing.” Rahim spat out the word. “Attempting to correct your mistake will only increase the scope of the catastrophe. Since it wasn’t clear before, I will say it now. Do not speak of either call you made to Akbari, now or later. Do not speak of my interest in Akbari, or repeat anything I ever have or will say to you in the future.”

“Yes, Major.” Sadi’s face was as pale as milk. His breath was a shallow rasp, and his entire body trembled.

“Don’t ever involve yourself in my affairs again!” Rahim turned and walked off without waiting for an answer from the terrified officer. Reaching his jeep, he looked back to see Sadi still standing, unmoving, where he’d left him.

It would have given him great pleasure to arrest Sadi, to question him until he admitted to being the Twelfth Imam, then execute him for blasphemy. But arresting the major would have drawn attention to Akbari’s actions, and possibly to other events in play.

It didn’t really matter. Moradi’s plan was moving forward. In a short while, Sadi would either be killed in the raid or executed for mounting an incompetent defense. He would make a convenient scapegoat.

Part of Rahim’s anger was also directed inward. Again, he’d depended on technology. The cell phone tracking had been so reliable that he’d taken it for granted. Technology was useful, but it couldn’t replace human intellect. Returning to his office, he told his deputy, “Get me a helicopter for a flight to Isfahan, and then a plane to Bushehr. As fast as you can.”

~ * ~

They’d tried sleeping to pass the time, and were still worn out. Jerry had dozed, but it wasn’t restful. In fact, he felt restless and uncertain. He’d spent much of the morning going over the logic of the cell phone call. What if it had been an innocent call? But answering would have allowed VEVAK to track the signal. It was also possible that their location was known anyway. In which case, turning the phone off might tell the authorities something as well.

Jerry watched Ramey, and knew he was working through the same process, with the same results. By rights, the two senior officers should be sharing their thoughts and looking for other options, but the SEAL lieutenant’s demeanor made Jerry reluctant to approach him.

There was little to do, and a lot of time to do it in. Jerry remembered times on
Michigan
when he would have leapt at a chance to sit quietly and let his thoughts roam. Now they raced ahead, urging his body to follow. He wasn’t bored. There was too much at stake. But the best course was the one they were following—hunker down and wait out the day.

They’d shared a breakfast of MREs. The SEALs had expertly prepared theirs. Fazel had tried to explain the package’s contents to Yousef and Shirin, but it had not gone well. Jerry could not understand Farsi, but he’d seen Yousef almost snatch the rations away from the medic, then gesture impatiently at Fazel’s explanation.

Fazel’s expression had darkened, and he’d spat out something that left both Yousef and Shirin frowning.

An argument wasn’t going to help anybody. But as Jerry had started to stand, Lapointe was already next to Fazel. He had one arm around the medic, resting on his shoulder, and spoke softly. Fazel’s posture sagged a little, and the two SEALs retreated to their own side of the cave, where Ramey joined them. All three looked solemn, and spoke to each other with quiet voices.

After a while he caught Lapointe’s eye and the petty officer came over. He didn’t wait for Jerry’s question. “Harry’s just pissed, XO. He’s pissed about Higgs and about being cooped up here in this cave, and right now he’s especially pissed about having to breathe the same air as the captain over there.”

“We’re all cooped up, Pointy.”

“Remember what I said about sympathy, sir.” Lapointe grinned.

Jerry nodded, smiling. “I get it, but what about Akbari? The guy’s on our side.”

“Harry told me he considers the captain a double traitor, first to the Iranian people, then to his own service.”

“That’s a little harsh.”

“I’ve known Fazel for a long time, and I’d heard about him before that. He’s obviously the perfect man for this mission, but it’s tearing him up. He told us about his family back in Cincinnati. How his parents got out of Iran, and what they’d lost. His family really suffered, and they didn’t hide this from their children. Coming here is making it all too real for him.

“He’s got a lot of relatives up north, near Tehran. They try to keep in touch, but too much contact and the secret police will come for them, too. That Pasdaran officer over there is exactly what he’s been taught to hate.”

“What about you, Pointy? Does your job include referee?”

“Priest, counselor, and batting coach, as needed, XO. You know the drill. The problem is, we’ve got too much time to think right now.”

~ * ~

Jerry wasn’t sure how much Ramey had slept. He’d been on lookout when Jerry fell asleep last night, and had been awake already when Yousef’s cell phone had rung.

Whatever his fatigue, Ramey was full of pent-up energy. Jerry watched the team leader check the cave’s camouflage and lines of sight. Then he double-checked his gear and each team member’s equipment, one after another. He’d even explored the cave itself, which took an unsatisfyingly short time.

Finally, he’d sat down facing Shirin and Yousef, who’d stayed huddled under the thermal blanket, in spite of the day’s warmth. The two had spoken softly, perhaps planning, or praying, for all the Farsi that Jerry understood. As he approached, they watched him silently.

“Ma’am, I think you should give us the encryption key.”

Shirin’s expression hardened. “What reason could I have for giving it to you?

“So that if anything happens to you and your husband, we can still get the information you have to our people.”

She nodded. “And that is exactly why we will keep it. Without us, you have nothing.”