The Toymaker (20 page)

“Two thousand feet.” Jake said. “The Red Sea is that deep?”

“You
did
see the volcanoes?” Wiley said. “There are spots that are over ten thousand feet deep. Now, let’s go check on Ms Hunt and find out what she knows.”

Jake and Kaplan followed Wiley down below deck to the medical bay. The medics had Isabella Hunt already hooked to an IV. Her face was pale and Jake could see she’d lost a lot of weight.

 “How is she?” Kaplan asked

“She lost consciousness as soon as the IV started working.” One of the medics said. “She’s dehydrated and they’d been drugging her for days. I drew a blood sample to see what’s in her system. She’ll need to sleep for now.”

“As soon as she’s conscious, I want to speak to her.” A familiar voice said from behind them.

Jake turned around.

CIA Director Scott Bentley.

CHAPTER 37

C
OLLINS LEARNED PATIENCE from the beginning of his life as an assassin. As a hit man for the Irish Republican Army, his first assignment required him to remain stationary for over twelve hours before his prey and the right opportunity to kill came his way.

It was cold in Ireland the night of that assignment. Wet snow bit at him for hours, chilling him to the point of shivers. Yet he waited. Waited and watched until his target drove up after a long night of ‘pub hopping.’ The explosives Collins had planted in the man’s detached garage were enough to bring down an office building, overkill for the small garage. But he accomplished the kill. Along with the garage, the man’s entire home was demolished by the explosive device.

Technology had come a long way since those days. And so had his expertise. He’d learned the tricks of the trade, far superior to others in his line of work. He learned tragic accidents
do
happen and he used that to his advantage. The more a target appeared to be a victim of random misfortune, the less attention it garnered from the authorities.

Collins calculated the response times from the local fire and police departments. He knew exactly how long he had to incinerate the home, return to his vehicle, and flee the scene before local authorities arrived.

Now was the time.

Collins removed the wireless device from his backpack and toggled the switch. If all went according to design, there would be no initial explosion, just a massive flame fueled by the owners’ gas line. The explosion would come later, after the fire was fully involved, the home ablaze, and he was far from the scene. He knew the heat from the pyre would destroy any evidence of arson.

He picked up his binoculars and studied the rear of the home, the kitchen below the master bedroom fully visible from his vantage point. A flicker of light grew larger. Flames shot upward from behind the stove engulfing the cabinets above. He smiled. The device had worked as planned.

He listened for any sounds emanating from the residence other than the sounds of the fire itself. None. He’d disabled every smoke alarm he could find. If he’d missed one, he would have known by now.

The downstairs filled with heavy black smoke, flames barely visible as they spread across the ceiling. The rustic beams made perfect kindling, ignited quickly and burned hot for long periods of time. The all glass prow-shaped rear wall blew outward, glass crashed onto the back patio. Flames curled around the roofline, crawling laterally from room to room, feeding itself on the old home.

Time to go
.

He stuffed his binoculars and the wireless device into his backpack, slung it across his shoulder and ran toward his car.

When he reached the edge of the woods he could hear the blazing roar of the fire behind him. The streets were empty. He ran to his car. In the distance he heard the faint sound of sirens.

He tossed his backpack on the seat, started his car, and drove to the edge of the parking lot. To his left he saw flashing lights rounding the curve a half a mile north of him on Shenandoah. He turned right just as a ball of fire ballooned over the tree line in front of him. The sound wave that followed rocked his vehicle. He turned right, west, on Lower Fayetteville Road and saw flashing lights ahead so he made another quick right on Stonebridge Boulevard and entered a residential subdivision.

An approaching fire truck had unexpectedly cut off his planned escape route on Shenandoah. His alternate route cut off by a police car. Meticulous planning is the key to success. Plotting several different escape routes had always been a requirement for Collins.
Plan for the unexpected
had been his axiom. It had kept him alive all of these years. And out of the hands of authorities.

Collins weaved through the Stonebridge subdivision until he reached Newnan Crossing Boulevard. He turned north. By the time he reached the traffic signal at Col. Joe M. Jackson Medal of Honor Highway, the night air was filled with sirens from all types of emergency vehicles responding to the blaze.

In his rear view mirror Collins could see the orange glow from the fire. He turned left when the light changed to green then made an immediate right onto Interstate 85 and drove toward Atlanta.

Collins hummed a John Prine song he heard on the radio, “Sweet revenge, sweet revenge, without fail.”

CHAPTER 38

8:00 a.m.

Herent, Belgium

K
YLI PLACED HER hand on her friend’s shoulder. “Kates. Kates, wake up. We need to get moving.”

“Come on, Kyli.” Kates whined. “It’s early and I have jet lag.”

“If you want to see Paris today, you need to get your ass in gear.” Kyli said.

“This is Europe, for crying out loud, how far can it be?”

“The drive is three hundred fifty kilometers.” Kyli ripped the sheets off Kates.

Kates was one of Kyli’s best friends from high school. She slept in gym shorts and a t-shirt. Her long brown hair tangled and matted. All Kyli could see were Kates’ long legs that seemed to stretch for eternity, a physical trait Kyli envied.

Kates opened her blue eyes as she grabbed for the covers. “Kyli. I don’t know what a kilometer is. Well, I know what it
is
, but I don’t know how far it is.”

“Fine.” Kyli ripped the covers off the bed again. “It’s like a hundred and eighty miles.”

“Three hours then.” Kates grabbed for the covers again. “And the way you drive, probably less.”

“Nope.” Kyli struggled with Kates over the covers. “Like you said, this is Europe. The drive is more like five hours. So let’s get moving. You can sleep in the car.”

Kates sat up in the bed. “Your grandfather’s Mercedes is a car.” She said. “A Mini Cooper is
not
a car, it’s a shoebox with wheels.”

“Maybe so. But it’s fun to drive.” Kyli opened the curtains. The sun highlighted the purple walls. “ So, what do you want to see first?”

“You know what’s on my list.” Kates grabbed a towel from the closet. “I want to see the Eiffel Tower, Champs Elysees, and the Louvre. Those are a must.”

“We’ll walk Champs Elysees tonight.” Kyli said. “It’s pretty at night with all the lights. The Louvre takes a lot longer than the Eiffel Tower so we can do the tower in the morning, it’s on the other side of the river, then we’ll head over to the Louvre and stay as long as you’d like.”

“Tell me about that guy your grandfather brought over with him.” Kates’ flipped the towel onto her shoulder. “Is he cute?”

“Jake?”

Kates nodded. “Is there somebody else?”

“No. Just the one. He’s cute and single.” Kyli said. “He has thick, wavy, dirty blond hair, and a good body. Sparkling blue eyes. He’s so serious. I had fun messing with him when he was here. He got blitzed when I took him to Oktoberfest so the next morning I told him he was a good kisser.”

“You kissed him?”

“No.” Kyli said. “Just told him that to mess with his head a little. I set him up. When he passed out on the bed, I stripped his clothes off, put my bra on the floor, left my nylons wadded on the couch, and looked unkempt like we’d slept together. When he woke up, he nearly freaked out. He couldn’t remember a thing. I almost felt sorry for him…but not enough to tell him it was a joke.”

“How old is this guy?” Kates asked.

“He’s older, maybe the age gap is too much.”

“How much older?” Kates asked.

“I don’t remember exactly.” Kyli said. “I think Grandpa said he was thirty-three or thirty-four. Something like that.”

“Kyli. You’re twenty-eight. That’s only six years.” Kates threw her dirty clothes at Kyli. “I’d say he’s a prime target. Hell, you’ve dated guys older than that.”

“Yeah, I know, but I didn’t really
like
them. Besides, I don’t think he’s
mentally
available.”

“What? Is he psycho?” Kates asked.

“No, not at all.” Kyli said. “Actually he’s very intelligent. I should have said I don’t think he’s
emotionally
available. His fiancée was killed in March and I don’t know that he’s ready to move on yet.”

“Kyli, you’re smart and like to have a good time. Maybe he needs some of that right now.” Kates said. “Where is he now?”

“He’s off with Grandpa on another one of those ‘top-secret’ missions.” Kyli made quotes with her fingers. “Somewhere in the Middle East. Grandpa’s probably already gotten him killed. That’d be my luck. But if he comes back—.”

“Watch out, Jake.” Kates laughed. “Here comes Kyli.”

† † †

Hashim Khan planned a busy day for the five men in the basement. He awakened them an hour before dawn. “Today will be a glorious day.” He said to them in their native tongue.

“Please accompany me to the men’s prayer room for morning prayer.” Khan said.

Khan and the five men spread their prayer mats in the Mihrab, a semi-circular niche in the mosque facing the direction of the Ka’ba in Mecca. Prayer was required five times a day. Their lives were centered on prayer. So important, prayer was designated the second Pillar. Islam has five obligatory acts or Pillars. The Qur’an presents these pillars as a framework for worship and a sign of commitment to the faith.
Shahada,
the reciting of the Islamic creed in Arabic.
Salat
, Islamic prayer.
Sawm,
fasting during Ramadan.
Zakat,
almsgiving. And
Hajj,
the pilgrimage to Mecca.

The first prayer must take place before dawn.

After prayer was complete and the mats placed in the designated area of the mosque, Khan called them together to explain the turn of events, the change in plans that moved their attacks to the next day.

Khan noticed four of the men eagerly awaited the mission. Their destiny in Paradise. The youngest, however didn’t react with the same enthusiasm as the others. He was somber and withdrawn. This one, Khan decided, he would watch.

After the meeting, the five men were sent to cleanse and purify their souls. Hair would be cut. Faces would be shaven. A necessary step before the glory of tomorrow. The remainder of the day they would spend in prayer in preparation for Paradise.

Khan left the men in the imam’s care while he drove into Paris. One last look at his targets. One last glimpse at the historic landmarks before their destruction. The evil West would get what it deserved—death and destruction—and it would be swift and without warning. Many would die, perhaps thousands. Many more would be injured. When the dust settled, the Infidel would again know the power of Allah.

They would know fear.

CHAPTER 39

Tadjoura Trough, Gulf of Aden

100 Miles East of Djibouti

4:30 P.M.

J
AKE WAS THE first to notice when Isabella Hunt regained consciousness. Her eyes distant, pupils dilated, and brow creased with a troubled look on her face. He nudged Bentley with his elbow, “Sir. Isabella’s coming to.”

Kaplan moved to her bedside and grabbed her hand. “How do you feel?”

One of the doctors examined her then turned to Bentley, “She’s all yours, sir. She’ll be a little groggy for a while but she should be able to answer questions. Just don’t push too hard, she’s been through a lot.”

Five minutes later Jake heard Hunt give Bentley news causing his pulse to quicken. Hashim Khan had planned two terrorist attacks in Paris. His mind was clouded with only one thought.
Kyli and her friend are going to Paris
.

Jake grabbed Wiley’s arm. “Sir, Kyli and her friend…uh Kate—”

“Kates?”

“Yeah that’s it, Kates. They are on their way to Paris now.” Jake said. “They’re planning on staying for a few days. We need to contact her and tell her to get out of there.”

“I’ll go to the bridge and use the satellite phone.” Wiley said. “You find out what you can from Ms Hunt.”

Wiley turned and left the small room.

Hunt revealed the information she’d gathered while working for the Hilal Shipping Company in Aden. Two simultaneous attacks were planned for high-profile Paris landmarks specifically chosen by Khan to guarantee a high body count. She didn’t know the landmarks nor did the man who owned the shipping company. Khan never shared his targets with anyone.

After twenty minutes, Hunt stopped talking. Jake, along with Bentley and Kaplan had absorbed and processed the information Isabella Hunt had shared with them. If the timetable Hunt laid out was accurate, Jake had ample time to avert the strike on the French targets. He needed to get to Paris as soon as possible. If Bentley couldn’t get him there, he knew Wiley could.

Wiley came back with a distressed look on his face. “I can’t get in touch with Kyli.”

“What do you mean?” Jake asked.

“I called her apartment, no answer.” Wiley said. “I called the office and they said she wouldn’t be back for a few days. So, naturally I called her cell phone next…”