“You are not under any circumstances to unpack your suitcase before you are in your room at the Bamburi. I packed it in a particular manner to keep certain items hidden. Mr. Smith is a frequent flyer and is pre- cleared through TSA, so you shouldn’t have any issues. If you need to contact us, use the satellite phone. It is encrypted, but you should still be discreet.”
“Yes, mother. We’ve been over all of this a dozen times already.”
“Hiding your nervousness in sarcasm, I see. I was the same way when I was your age.”
“I’m not nervous.”
“I would be worried if you weren’t. It’s normal. Did you ever get nervous before a big game?”
“Sometimes, but it always went away once I had the ball in my hands.”
“This will be the same way, but magnified. What are you going to do once you check in?”
“I’m going to unpack and put everything back together, and set up the microphones. Then I’m gonna confirm that he’s there. After that I’ll probably look for food.”
“Normally, you would have a lot more training, but you’re a smart kid. You have to be discreet. If he figures he’s being watched, he could disappear. Try to figure out if he has any routines. He might let his guard down.”
“You think the microphones’ll pick up anything big?”
“Probably not, but you never know. At the least, you’ll know when he’s in the room. The main thing is to determine what his routine is as much as possible, and wait for Ken to get there.”
“How will I find Ken?”
“He’ll find you, but believe me, you can’t miss Ken.”
Ken Omondi was halfway through changing the oil on his 1980 Mahindra Bolero when his pocket began vibrating. “Dumb buggers always callin’ at the worst time,” he said to himself and ignored the phone. After ignoring it three more times, he finally wiped his hands on a rag and pulled the phone from his pocket.
“Hallo?”
“Ken, how you doing?”
“Avi, my friend. I’m doing okay. Adjusting to retirement.”
“Somehow I doubt that. You’re probably as retired as I am.”
“I read your paper last year, the one nobody agreed with. Fascinating.”
“You know how I am, Ken. Have to keep the mind busy. How’s Nyangumi? Doing well I hope?”
“She’s getting old like the rest of us, but still going strong. Gettin’ the full treatment over at Kenyatta, have her back good as new in a few days.”
“Full treatment?”
“You know, annual engine maintenance, airframe overhaul, new prop blades. Every girl likes a makeover.”
“That has to set you back a few shillings.”
“More than a few, but she earns her keep.”
“I thought you were retired.”
“Everyone needs a hobby.”
“Lot of guys our age take up golf or something.”
“We’re not like most guys our age. I’m not your age anyway. You got ten years on me, old man. You should be taking up Bingo by now.”
“So, I take it you and Nyangumi still keep busy?”
“Odd jobs here and there. Nothing major.”
“All completely above board I assume?”
“As much as everything else in this country.”
“You got anything else lined up?”
“Got a new Bingo hall over in Nakuru. Been thinkin’ about checkin’ it out.”
“How about the other direction. Check out the beach. Nothing makes an old man feel younger than the beach.”
“Wrong. Nothing makes me feel older than the beach.”
“You never know. Couple days of sand and sea air could set you up wonderfully.”
“Or the payment could set me up, if I know you. You never call just to say hi.”
“You know me too well. You interested?”
“Interested in what?”
“Friend needs a ride out of town. Might have a guest with him. The guest might be reluctant to leave.”
“How far out of town?”
“It’s a good thing Nyangumi got that makeover.”
“Long haul huh? Need a co-pilot for that. Gotta keep things legal.”
“How many guys are there qualified on that bird?”
“Half dozen that I know, but you need someone who knows how to keep his mouth shut, right?”
“That would be ideal.”
“Elijah Kimathi’s the man for the job then. He knows Nyangumi well.”
“Do you need to give him a head’s up?”
“Is this a paying job?”
“Yes, quite well.”
“He’s on board.”
“How do you know? You haven’t asked him.”
“He’s a Kikuyu, isn’t he?”
Casey knew he should be sleeping on the plane, but he was too excited. This was his first time leaving the country and that, coupled with the nature of the mission, had him on edge. Now he knew why Avi was trying to drill so many things into his head in such short time. It was one thing to have a plan, but sometimes the plan broke down and you had to improvise. No different than calling an audible, he thought to himself. He hoped he would see what he wanted when he looked over the defense, but he needed to be ready to change the play.
‘Just like at the Fiesta Bowl’, he thought, but hopefully this time he wouldn’t get blindsided. That’s what Avi’s friend was there for, to watch his blind side. A lot was riding on this mission, if they had connected the dots right. Ahmed was sure there was a connection. If he was right, a lot of lives were hanging in the balance. Another point Avi had made more than once was the need to always be sharp and the best way to remain sharp was to be well rested. “You need to be able to get rest whenever the time allows it,” Avi said, “You never know when you’ll need it.” Maybe the old guy was right.
He woke up when the plane touched down at Heathrow and went back to sleep when he got settled on the next plane. He slept half that leg as well and landed in Mombasa at 2:00 pm local time, well rested and wanting breakfast.
“Hey guys,” Miriam said, “Just got word from Casey. He’s checked in, all luggage arrived intact.”
“Has he spotted Ansari yet?” Jenny asked.
“He’s having lunch. Says the restaurant has a wonderful view of the beach and Dad’s gone swimming.”
“Open the secure chat. Hopefully he’s got his tablet on him.”
A minute later a chat window appeared on Miriam’s screen.
Hi guys, what’s up?
Jenny here. So, you’ve spotted him?
Sitting in his chair sipping a drink. Swimming earlier.
You’re on the beach?
Restaurant on the beach.
Keep us posted. Ken show up yet?
Not yet. Left a message at the desk for me, meet for dinner.
And you’re eating now?
Wanted breakfast, lunch time here. Messed up. Nice beach if you’re into astronomy. Later.
“What do you figure he meant by that last part?” Jenny asked.
“That’s rather funny,” Ahmed said.
“What’s funny?”
“The last part. What do astronomers do? They gaze at heavenly bodies.”
“I should have caught that,” Miriam said, “I’ve been to that beach.”
“He’d better keep his head in the game,” Jenny said.
“He can’t do anything other than keep an eye on Ansari until Ken gets there anyway,” Avi said.
“I’ve been wondering,” Ahmed said, “What kind of intel you think we’ll get from this guy? Let’s say our hunch is right and he slipped this Wolf guy a bomb. How much is he gonna know anyway?”
“He might have a way to contact Al Thi’b,” Jenny said.
“Or he could be in the dark, the whole thing through third parties.”
“You found a fifty- million- dollar deposit into his account. Any luck tracing the origin of the wire?”
“You would think that would be easy, but i
t isn’t. We’ll have it eventually, but someone covered his tracks well with that one.”
“Keep working on that angle. Anything more from that cartel?”
“Quiet as church mice at the moment. There’s a lot of border to watch and a lot of it is unwatched. We would do well to intercept it before it gets there.”
“What if it’s already in Mexico?”
“No way of knowing that for sure until we get some more information. Hopefully Ansari can help with that.”
“Even if things go well, it will be a while before we get to talk to him.”
“Didn’t take Casey that long to get over there.”
“Getting back will take longer,” Avi said, “We can’t fly the guy commercial and we don’t have the assets the CIA does with jets at their disposal. Plus, we don’t know who there can be trusted. The new interim director seems cooperative, but is there another rat there?”
“What’s he gonna do, take a boat?”
“Well, not exactly.”
Casey sat at his table at the Imani Dhow restaurant looking over the menu and waiting for Ken. He had no idea what Ken looked like, only that he was a Kenyan and that he lived a few hours away. The menu had a little bit of everything and since he didn’t know what some of the dishes were, he would wait for Ken before ordering. Right on the appointed time, Casey looked up to see a large very dark man come through the front door. The man was an African and appeared to be in his early 60s and about the size of a middle linebacker. ‘Dude looks fit, remind me not to get on his bad side,’ Casey thought to himself.
The man walked right to the table and Casey stood up and extended his hand which was immediately engulfed.
“You must be Ken.”
“Yes, Ken Omondi, at your service, and you must be Casey…or should I say Troy?”
“Casey will do for us. Avi thought the alias would be good for travel, or in case I need to do the undercover thing.”
“You have a lot to learn, son. All in due time. But you have a good teacher.”
“You and Avi go back a ways?”
“You could say that. He saved my life once. Figure I owe him one.”
“Wow, what happened?”
“It’s a long story. How about we get a bite?”
“Good idea. I was hoping you could help me decipher the menu. Few unfamiliar items.”
“This place is a favorite of mine. I can make some recommendations.”
“I’m open.”
“They have a good beer selection here as well.”
“I’ll stick with a soft drink. Don’t much care for the stuff.”
“You’re young, American, and just out of college, and you don’t drink beer? I wasn’t aware such a creature existed.”
“I’m not your typical young person.”
“That’s what our mutual friend told me.”
“He didn’t tell me much about you.”
“Not much to tell really. I live about 500 kilometers from here and Avi and I have…worked together…a few times. He said you could use my help.”
The waiter arrived and Ken placed an order.
“Now where were we. I gather our friend is not playing the old retired guy game too well.”
“Not exactly. He seems to have found the fountain of youth.”
“Maybe working with you has done that.”
“I don’t know. He seems to be pretty spry for his age.”
“You should have seen him when we were young. Stuff you only see in movies.”
“I’ve heard some rumors.”
“More recent rumors? Have to be careful believing rumors.”
“I think some of them aren’t rumors, but that’s another topic for another day. So, you’re here to help me out with a little problem?”
“I believe I can be of assistance. We can take the scenic route back to the hotel and discuss that then. For now, let’s forget about work for a few minutes and enjoy an excellent dinner.”
14
“Casey, that was extremely careless of you back there,” Ken said as they walked along the beach toward the hotel.
“What was careless?”
“How did you know who I was?”
“Well, I had a photo, checked it out before you came.”
“You stood up to greet me like it was our first time. Hardly inconspicuous if someone was watching, which nobody was by the way. Then that business about your alias. Either you’re in character or you’re not. Remember that for the future. If I were someone looking to do you harm or blow your cover, I could not have succeeded better. Consider this a lesson learned, one that you learned the easy way. You don’t want to learn that one the hard way. You might not get a second chance.”
“Thank you for going easy on me.”
“I did kind of set you up. Avi said you are a quick learner, and he also said he didn’t have nearly the time to teach you that he would rather have had.”
“I wish I had more time too. He’s a good teacher. So, he was a real James Bond back in the day?”
“No, James Bond is a real Avi Zielinski. Kid, the James Bond stuff…there’s a reason that’s in movies and not real life. You don’t go around announcing who you are at every turn and bedding every girl you come across. The best are those who are never noticed, the ones who blend right in anywhere and aren’t remembered clearly by possible witnesses. Avi was the master. Who would suspect the dumpy little Jewish guy? He’s the smartest guy I know and he looks it, or looks like the absent- minded brilliant professor. People overlook those types and think they’re harmless. That’s when he got dangerous, when people overlooked him and didn’t think he was as dangerous as he was.”
“So, he told you why I’m here?”
“He told me enough. I’m here to help you in any way I can, and to drive the getaway car.”
“For some reason, you don’t strike me as the kind of guy who blends in well.”
“Not really. I’m plan B. Things go south, I can come in handy.”
“You look like it. You gotta have 40 years on me and I wouldn’t want to mess with you.”
“Believe me kid, I’ve taken my share of lumps.”
“What do you do with yourself these days, when you’re not helping the new guy?”
“I’m a courier.”
“Just a courier?”
“Yep. I ship things for people.”
“Like a trucker?”
“You could say that.”
“What’s with that boat? Is that common, this time of night?”
“Deep sea fishing boat. Lot of those around here.”
“Just hanging out close to shore? What kind of fishing they doing there?”
“We’d best get back to the room.”
When Casey inserted his room key, he heard a deep rhythmic snore from the adjacent room, proof that Tariq Ansari was in his room. The snoring was still audible from their room, even after closing the door.
“Seems like our neighbor is not a night owl. Had too much to drink with dinner maybe?” Ken said.
“I didn’t think Muslims drank.”
“That’s what they want you to believe. I’ve got a couple Muslim friends could put an Irishman to shame.”
“We could just about take him right now and be done with it.”
“Kind of early for that. Lot of guests still about. We’ll get our chance later. You got a lot of gear set up here. Hoping to record something?”
“Avi thought he might say something, might take a phone call.”
“A long shot, but worth a try.”
Ken picked up a pair of night vision binoculars and stood to the side of the window, looking out at the fishing boat.
“The old guy gave you some serious gear. Take a look at the boat. Don’t stand directly in front of the window. Someone might be…”
The window shattered and the binoculars flew out of Casey’s hand before he got them to his face. He instinctively dove to the floor as three more rounds came in through the wind
ow, missing him by inches and thudding into the far wall.
Ken stole a glance out the window and saw a black- clad figure moving up the beach and ducked again as another burst of fire tore up the window frame.
“They got a sniper by the palm trees, and another guy coming by the pool. We gotta move now!” Ken said.
Casey shoved his passport and credit cards into his pocket and retrieved his pistol, screwing the suppressor on as he crawled toward the door. An elderly woman was leaving the room across the hall just as Casey was exiting and she went back in and slammed the door at the sight of him. Ken came out of the room and walked calmly to the front desk.
“Is there something I can do for you?” the desk clerk asked.
“Locked my key in my room, room 205.”
“Here you go sir,” the clerk said as he handed Ken a key.
“Well, I didn’t expect that to work,” Ken said as he inserted the key in the door to Ansari’s room. As he was about to open the door, he froze and listened for a second. There was a sound coming from inside the room, more precisely from the balcony. Someone was climbing to the balcony and would be there any minute.
“Cover me,” he said as he opened the door and dropped to a crouch upon entering. Casey trained his pistol on the interior of the room, but there was no one in the room except for Ansari sprawled on the bed sound asleep. Ken slapped him hard to wake him up and said in Arabic, “Wake up, we gotta go now.”
Ansari woke up, but didn’t move right away, his brain not processing the danger through the slowly dissipating fog of sleep. Ken rolled him off the bed and hit the floor just as a figure came over the balcony railing and fired two suppressed rounds into the bed. Casey fired twice in the direction of the balcony as Ken pushed Ansari toward the door. The assailant on the balcony got off two more rounds, one passing through Ansari’s shoulder and the other striking the door frame an inch from Casey’s head. He stuck his hand around the corner and fired another shot toward the balcony just as the man rolled into the room and crouched behind the bed. He popped up from behind the bed and fired three rounds, two hitting the door frame and the other hitting a guest who had come out of a room across the hall. Pandemonium ensued as other guests saw the wounded man trying to crawl out of the line of fire, leaving a trail of blood down the corridor.
Wolf Trap (Casey Reddick Book 1) Page 10
