The Minders (19 page)

Jason and Bobby would be stuck in the warehouse for several days waiting for Bobby’s documents and a clean car. Jason figured they could get to know each other better. They could share all sorts of stories about each other’s family, life in Iran as a child, and much more.

Meanwhile, Erdal’s brother was at the airport, for the car, and later to a local university, for a
Cart-eh-Meli
, for Bobby. The car was the simplest thing to get, but the national ID card was a bit harder. ID cards for girls were easy. It was easy because all were essentially identical photos, taken with the headscarf on, making every girl look like every other girl. For the men, the pictures had to match more closely. Usually they would have one made, but time was not on their side. They had to steal one and the best place for that was a university where all students had to carry theirs daily. If one was lost, they would take several days to report it, because the odds were they had left it somewhere on campus, at a friend’s, or god forbid at their girlfriend’s. Which meant a two to three day life span for each lost card.

Jason had his chores as well. He grabbed the satphone, looking Bobby over for some measurements. He stepped out of the warehouse for a shopping spree. He drove past several malls, stopping at a busy one with a multi-level outdoor parking structure. He parked on the roof, with clear skies above, for a satellite call to Henry.

Henry picked up with a, “What do you want?”

Jason could almost smell the Budweiser on Henry’s breath and a barrage of expletives ready to go in place of punctuation.

“It’s me, Jason.”

“What the fuck, man. Where are you? I heard from your dad. Good to know you fucking guys made it. I already gave the good news to Gordon and your honey.”

“We’re alive Henry. We can’t use our escape route, and had to give it up for the father and daughter we rescued. We’re going to try and get out through Iraq, by way of ….” and before he could finish, Henry piped in.

“What the fuck are you going that way for? Just have Baba find another ride, through Turkey.”

“Turkey will be well watched and they’re expecting a group of four. We just can’t take a chance. Besides, I’ve done this road trip from Iran to Iraq a bunch of times. I even have a great lunch place to eat along the way. Bobby will like it. I’m not calling about this. I need you to do something.”

“What the fuck do you want this time? And what are you going to pay? Just kidding, man, what is it?”

“You need to tell the FBI about the startup location. Please time it just right. First, take the minders out, both of them, then have the FBI hit the startup. Can you do that for me?” Jason asked in all seriousness.

“I already have a guy with your dad in Denver. Do you want them clean? And when?” Henry asked eagerly.

“The one in Denver should be super clean. The one in Palo Alto blew up my house, so I leave that up to you. Given the damage we caused here, I’m thinking 24 hours from now, give or take a little, will be just right.”

“I have my end covered. What about Copenhagen?” Henry asked.

“I’m calling Baba after this and asking him to get that loose end tied up for us. Wish us luck and hope to see you soon.” On that note, he hung up and went in to the shopping center for some clothing and other items.

Bobby needed to get some Iranian style clothing to blend in better with his surroundings. Jason visited a men’s clothier, a pharmacy, a cell store, and ended the shopping spree at a toy store. With bags full, he went back to the car, calling Baba before he drove back to the warehouse.

*  *  *

By late evening, everyone was back at the warehouse. Bobby was now looking as Iranian as any his age. The two teddy bears that Jason purchased became portable storage units, one with a satphone and car charger, and the other with a gun and extra ammo.

“Bobby, you’re going to have to leave the laptop behind or give it to Erdal to take back with him to Germany. And, stop shaving for the rest of the trip. I need you scruffy. Oh, by the way, if your Farsi is not up to par, I’ll have to wrap your head and jaw with bandages,” he said pointing at the first aid kit he bought.

“I’ll give my laptop to Erdal. He could bring it,” he said placing it near Erdal’s truck.

“And, as for my Farsi, check this out.” He recited some
Hafez
poetry in a perfect accent.

Hafez
was his dad’s favorite Persian poet. Mike raised Bobby, reading poems to him, discussing, parsing and dissecting them.

“Yeah, my dad killed us with that poet,” Bobby followed, smiling.

“Sure Bobby, that all sounds good at a party in Tehran. In the villages and outskirts, if you can’t recite the Quran, you’re toast. So give me some loving in that department.” Jason demanded.

To that, Bobby recited several
Surahs
from the Quran, this time with a perfect Arabic accent, as though he had been praying daily for years.

“See, I was trained well for this trip!”

“Yes, but do you know what you’re actually saying?” Jason asked sarcastically.

Erdal jumped in, “Do any of the peasants know what they’re actually saying? I mean, really!”

“So, true!” Jason and the little girl’s father both said laughing. The girl too laughed, for the first time. Seeing her dad smile and laugh made her happy.

*  *  *

Erdal’s truck was now ready for final loading. They went over the details with the father once more and then walked him to the back compartment, past a series of pallets, tightly squeezing against the inner wall as they walked by.

“O.K, here are the two seats, facing each other, this hole at the bottom can be opened like this, should you need to do your business. Here are your water and food compartments, enough for the whole trip and more, so eat when you’re hungry,” Erdal said. Pointing to everything and ending by pointing out the airflow inlets and light switches.

“Let’s get your girl in here and give you some time to adjust. We’re leaving in thirty minutes.”

The father and girl had their fill of water. They used the restroom one last time. The father then carried his little girl to the truck and through the tight side passage into the hidden compartment. He placed her in the built in seat and told her that they had to be there for the next two days, after which she will be so much closer to mommy. He handed her the backpack and stepped out of the truck. He walked over to Jason and Bobby, giving them each a big hug, thanking them both for all they did. Bobby handed him his laptop.

“Take this with you. Maybe she can play some games along the way.”

The father carried the laptop back to the compartment, followed by Erdal who locked them in. They then shifted the crates, covering all of the gaps. Several more crates were loaded in, and the outside doors locked. The father and daughter had a tight two to three day trip ahead of them.

Jason and Bobby were standing by the truck as Erdal and one brother got in. They were standing outside the cab, by the window.

“Thank you so much for all your help, and we’ll see you on the other side.” Jason tapped on the door slightly as Erdal turned on the engine.

“It was my pleasure, Uncle Jason!” he said. “I hope you don’t mind me calling you uncle? My father loves you like a brother.” He winked and started driving off.

“We’ll see you on the other side!” he yelled, closing the truck window.

It was nearing eleven at night.

*  *  *

After their first real nights’ sleep and well into the next morning, Jason and Bobby finally woke up to some commotion in the warehouse. Erdal’s brother was back. His eyes blood shot, with clothes wrinkly and well worn. He had slept in them, with lots of tossing and turning. His wrinkled shirt looked like a road map, with all highways, roads and side streets well marked.

“Breakfast is ready. Everyone get up. Time to eat, otherwise I’m eating it all.” Erdal’s brother coughed the words out. He then set the food down and went to brew some tea.

Jason got up, washed his face and changed his shirt. “Where have you been, my friend?”

“I was at a hookah bar, then a party, and then this dude’s house till three in the morning. With a group of his university friends and my Johnny Walker bottles. They all finally fell asleep around two a.m., after which I picked his pocket and got the perfect ID card. I thought it would take at least another day or two to befriend them, but the liquor closed the deal.”

“Great!” Bobby said, grabbing the ID card, “Sounds like you had fun.”

“Fuck no. I hate smoking cheap tobacco and the guy was a dumb ass. But not all was lost,” he said smiling, showing Bobby his new iPhone. “I found this laying around. It should pay for my time and whiskey.”

He then tossed Jason a set of car keys. “And here is your car, straight from the airport parking lot.”

Jason looked at the ID card. It was a damn good match for Bobby. He then took a piece of bread with some cheese and went to inspect the car. Devouring his bread and cheese, he popped the hood, looking over the engine. He turned it on, inspecting it in more detail, checking the fluids and such. Closing the hood, he checked the tires, the spare and the undercarriage. He came back for more food and some tea.

“How does it drive?”

“It drives great. Pulls ever so slightly to the right, but has great pickup, great brakes, and the clutch and gearbox are smooth. I tried to get the newest common car I could find. You have to dirty it up a bit.”

“The road we’re taking will give it all the dust it needs.” Jason sat back down, sipping his tea, reaching for more bread and cheese. He was famished.

Bobby washed up and joined him for breakfast. Erdal’s brother passed out on the couch never touching his tea or breakfast. Jason pulled out the map and went over the route with Bobby.

“It looks like we won’t get to bond like we thought. Now that we have everything, we have to get going. I’m sure we can chat on the drive.” Jason told Bobby as he stared at the map.

“We need to get to
Piranshahr
, where we’re spending the night. Then we’ll cross the border into Iraq, and work our way to Erbil. The first leg will take us about ten hours, and the second leg about four hours. By tomorrow evening, we’ll be at the embassy in Erbil. And, the best part is this kebab joint half way there, in
Zanjan
, with the best food I’ve ever eaten.”

“Then what?” Bobby asked.

“Then you’ll order some food and we’ll eat, man!”

“Seriously, then what?”

“Then we’ll get you home on a flight, and all will be good.” Jason filled his teacup with more tea, hoping it would really be that easy.

After breakfast they loaded the car with food for the road, the toys, a suitcase filled with their local garb, and placed two full twenty-liter gas tanks in the trunk. They woke Erdal’s brother up for a quick goodbye. He got up, blood shot eyes and head throbbing, wishing them luck. He then walked over to the desk, took out an envelope and gave it to Jason.

“Baba-Jan asked me to give you this, some money for the road, to bribe or to buy your way around things.” He then collapsed back onto the couch and was out for the count.

Jason and Bobby got in the car, said their goodbyes to the last brother who was working on a truck engine, and started their drive, leaving Tehran for the border.

*  *  *

In the car, Jason started divvying the money, giving some to Bobby, hiding some around the car, and placing the rest in different pockets. They planned their route carefully, sticking to the busy main roads. The trip would take them towards Turkey on highway 2 and once in
Tabriz
they would cut back, over the mountains, and down to
Piranshahr
.

“In another hour or so, Erdal and gang will be at the Turkish border. We’ll give them a call and see how things are. You study the map for now.” Jason handed the map to Bobby.

“I’ve marked all the stops, the main road, the secondary roads and major landmarks. Memorize. Then tear it up and throw it out the window.”

On the way to Tabriz, we are merchants. You are my apprentice and we’re going to
The Grand Bazaar
to purchase some materials, cloth and cotton inserts, to make teddy bears. On the way down from Tabriz, we just sold our teddy bears and we’re going to visit relatives.

“Keep it simple. Less is better. And, if you don’t know what to say, just point to me and say ‘ask my boss.’”

“Don’t
you
wish?” Bobby whispered with a smile as he began to study the map.

*  *  *

Slightly over an hour into the drive, Jason took out a cell phone and called Erdal. He wanted to know where things stood, if all was well and if he had to make any drastic changes in his plans.

“
Salam
!” Erdal answered on the first ring.

“
Salam Alaykum, Erdal Khan, khoobie
?!” Jason replied, suffering a long pause as he listened to the conversation in the background.

“O.K…” Erdal finally got back.

“The customs guy was collecting our paper work. He was standing at my window when you called.”