The Imam of Tawi-Tawi

by Ian Hamilton

  They watched the variety show, then a quiz show that was mainly about famous Filipino singers and actors, and then a local talent show that originated in Manila but featured amazingly talented young female singers from the provinces. The singers all seemed to come from poor families, and the show’s hostess spent countless minutes describing their dire circumstances. Nothing seemed to make her happier than getting the contestants to cry before they had a chance to sing.

  “I think we can get going now,” Dulles said as the show ended. Led by Wahab’s flashlight, they walked back to the pit. Captain Reyes and his officer were sitting in one of the Jeeps. The earthmover was where they’d left it but had been turned off.

  “The technician will be arriving at the airport in about half an hour,” Dulles said to the captain. “Would you mind taking us there to meet him?”

  “I’ll be pleased to,” Reyes said.

  They took one of the Jeeps. The captain drove, Wahab sat in the front passenger seat, and Ava and Dulles sat in the back. When they reached the airport, Security allowed the captain to drive onto the tarmac. They were told the incoming plane was only five minutes away. As they waited, Wahab turned to the captain and said something in Tagalog; she figured that he was trying to get the captain’s support. Despite her assurances and her best efforts, she couldn’t see this ending well for the Brotherhood. Dulles could tell the CIA how important their co-operation had been, but it wouldn’t matter if the government wanted to use the college as an excuse to run roughshod over the Brotherhood.

  “There’s a plane approaching,” Reyes said.

  Ava saw flashing lights against the black sky. It was just past eleven o’clock on the longest night after the longest day in her memory.

  The plane landed smoothly and taxied in their general direction. It stopped about a hundred metres from them and Reyes eased the Jeep towards it. The door opened and a small, thin man bounced down the steps. Dulles left the car and walked towards him. They chatted while the pilot exited the plane, and then they joined him at the baggage hold. A moment later all three men walked towards the Jeep, carrying large leather boxes.

  Reyes got out of the Jeep and opened the tailgate. Dulles introduced him to Alan Dawson. After the boxes were loaded, Dulles escorted Dawson to the rear passenger door. The technician seemed surprised to see Ava sitting in the back seat.

  “We’re a bit cramped, but it isn’t a long trip,” Dulles said.

  He finished making introductions as they drove away from the airport. “So what am I doing here?” Dawson asked after everyone was acquainted.

  “You don’t know?” Ava said.

  “I was told I might be looking for a body, but my boss was a bit vague about it.”

  “What do you normally look for?”

  “We’re a mining company. I look for metals, for ore, veins of ore.”

  “But you’ve looked for bodies before?” Wahab said, turning around.

  “Sure I have, and I’ve done it for your government and for my own.”

  “You’re American?”

  “Yeah, I am.”

  “How does this radar thing work?” Reyes asked.

  “Well, it doesn’t matter if you’re looking for a body or a vein of ore — it’s the same process. I push my equipment, the radar, over whatever site you want examined. As I cross the ground, I send electromagnetic waves from the antenna. The waves reflect off whatever is in the ground and transmit the results back to a monitor I carry. The results are stored in the monitor’s computer until I’m ready to display them.”

  “What are its limitations?” Reyes asked.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Can you work at night?”

  “Of course, or I wouldn’t be here now.”

  “What if there’s more than one body?”

  “We’ll find them.”

  “What if there are twenty?”

  “That wouldn’t be a problem.”

  “How about two hundred?”

  Dawson turned to Dulles. “Is he serious?”

  “We’re dealing with a lot of unknowns. You’re here to give us a number.”

  Dawson nodded. “I’ll find whatever is there.”

  Reyes sped through the empty streets until he reached the turnoff to the dirt road. As they bounced along the ruts, Dawson looked increasingly uncomfortable.

  “Are you feeling okay?” Ava asked.

  “I’m worried about my equipment.”

  “Captain Reyes, could you slow down please,” Dulles said.

  The police officer was at the gate when they arrived at the college. He saluted and swung it open. Reyes drove the Jeep to the back of the buildings and then eased over the ground to the pit. He stopped short of it and turned on his high beams.

  They helped Dawson unpack his gear, then gathered around him while he assembled it in the light cast by the car. It didn’t look particularly impressive, just a square box joined to a rod that led to a monitoring device. The three pieces were connected to a wheel that held the box off the ground.

  “How long will this take?” Dulles asked.

  “That depends on what’s down there and how much detail you want.”

  “Be as thorough as possible, but try to finish before daylight.”

  “Yes, it’s better to be sure,” Reyes added.

  “How wide an area should I be examining?”

  Dulles took one of the flashlights. “The treeline marks the outer edges. We want all the ground between the trees to be examined.”

  “I’ll work from the outside in,” Dawson said. “I’ll need light so I can keep track of my path. The headlights aren’t bad, but it would be better if someone walked beside me with a flashlight.”

  “We’ll take turns,” Dulles said. “I’ll go first.”

  Dawson rolled his equipment to the northwest corner. With Dulles alongside and the flashlight pointing down in front of them, he started walking at a steady moderate pace. Everyone watched his face, but it remained expressionless. He pursed his lips and retraced his steps from time to time. After fifteen minutes, Wahab replaced Dulles. Then Reyes and Ava took turns with the flashlight.

  Dawson held the monitor in front of his chest. The temptation to look at what he was recording was almost irresistible, but Dawson seemed to be aware of their interest and kept the screen angled so they couldn’t see anything. His progress was slow. An hour turned into two and then three. The only time Dawson reacted visibly was when he reached the finger and the hand that were sticking out of the soil. He tiptoed around them.

  When he finally reached the middle of the pit, almost five hours had elapsed and sunrise was closing in. Dawson stared at the monitor, looking up only briefly as the others approached.

  “What did you find?” Wahab asked.

  “Just a minute. I’m still doing the calculation,” Dawson said.

  “So you’ve found something other than the two body parts we can see?” Reyes asked.

  “There are bodies in the ground.”

  “How many?” Wahab said.

  “I’m having trouble getting an accurate count,” Dawson said.

  “Why?” Dulles said, his voice on edge.

  “They’re so tightly packed together in some places that it’s hard to separate one from another.”

  “Can you give us an estimate?” Dulles said.

  “More than 120 for sure, and I wouldn’t be surprised if there were twenty or thirty more.”

  Even in the uneven light, Ava could see Wahab’s face turn pale. Reyes shook his head.

  Dulles turned and walked away, taking his phone from his pocket. “Where are you going?” Ava called after him.

  “There’s a call I have to make.”

  “We need to talk.”

  “After my call.”

  ( 39 )

/>   Ava stood next to Wahab and the captain. Reyes was speaking to Alan Dawson. He kept looking at the monitor, as if hopeful that the findings would change.

  “Where’s the American?” Wahab asked her.

  “Making a call. He’ll be back in a minute.”

  “I hope he’s not phoning Manila without discussing it with Captain Reyes and me.”

  “I expect he’s talking to someone in the U.S. They’ll be anxious to know that the terrorist threat wasn’t real.”

  “Are you one hundred percent sure that’s the case?”

  Ava touched him lightly on the arm. “Wahab, who do you think is buried in the ground?”

  “I know it appears obvious that it’s the students, but that doesn’t mean it makes sense,” he said. “Why would they bring them all the way here and then spend three months indoctrinating and training them before killing them?”

  “I know it isn’t logical,” Ava said. The name Murdoch kept resonating in her head.

  Dulles emerged from the dark to rejoin them. He had a grim look on his face. “Let’s all talk,” he said, and walked past her and Wahab towards the captain and Dawson.

  They followed him to the side of the pit. Just as they arrived, the first glint of morning sun appeared.

  “It’s been a long night and we’ve done the best we can under horrible circumstances,” Dulles said. “I’ve just spoken to my people in the U.S. and given them a report on what we think we’ve found here. I’ve been told that unless there’s evidence to the contrary, we’re going to regard this as a Philippine domestic matter —”

  “Did your people talk to the authorities in Manila?” Wahab interrupted.

  “No, I haven’t and they haven’t. We believe that under these circumstances Captain Reyes should be the one to report these crimes. He’ll obviously make his own decision about who to contact.”

  “You’re just going to walk away from this?” Wahab said.

  “As it stands, there’s no reason for us to be involved. The deaths took place on Philippine soil. There is no U.S. interest at stake here.”

  “What about helping to identify and find the imam and his people?” Wahab said.

  “I’m sure my government would respond appropriately to any request from the Philippine government.”

  “The brushes we sent to Manila?”

  “I’ve just been told that the lab wasn’t able to get a clean set of prints from either of them,” Dulles said.

  “There’s no reason to question Mr. Dulles about what the Americans are going to do,” Reyes said. “He’s right — this is our problem and we’re capable of handling it.”

  “And no one on our side doubts your capability,” Dulles said.

  Reyes nodded. “I’ll make a call to the National Police headquarters in Manila. I wanted to do that last night, but I’m glad I waited for Mr. Dawson to conclude his work.”

  “Speaking of Mr. Dawson, we paid his way here. I’ve been instructed to tell you that, as a courtesy, we’ll continue to pay him for as long as you think you need him,” Dulles said.

  “I’ll pass that offer along to my superiors.”

  “Captain,” Ava said, “I have some information that might also prove useful.” She saw Dulles’s eyes widen and his body stiffen. “I did some work with your Bureau of Immigration and I think we were able to identify most of the students. We have landing cards with their names and other particulars on them.”

  “That will make things easier,” Reyes said.

  “I can arrange to have them sent to you.”

  “Please wait until I get direction from Manila. I’ll tell them what you have and then they can decide who they should be sent to.”

  “Thank you. Wahab knows how to get hold of me.” The sun was partially above the horizon now, and its light was starting to find its way across the terrain. “Maybe we should go,” she said to Dulles. “Unless there’s something you want to clarify?”

  “No, I think we’re done here,” he said.

  “Just one moment,” Captain Reyes said. “I think I need to make it clear that, if not me, someone on the force will have questions for you. Can I assume you’ll both make yourselves available and be co-operative?”

  “I don’t have any objection, as long as I’m not required to stay in the Philippines,” Ava said.

  “When do you intend to leave?”

  “As soon as possible.”

  “That shouldn’t be a problem,” Reyes said. “But you should expect someone to contact you within the next few days.”

  “You sound like a man who doesn’t expect to be heading up this investigation,” she said.

  “I’m a realist, but not entirely a pessimist.”

  “And I won’t be leaving the Philippines, although I can’t give any assurances about availability or co-operation,” Dulles said.

  “I didn’t expect that you could.”

  “Jurisdictional politics are my reality.”

  Ava shook her head. “But they aren’t mine. Wahab, I want you to know that I’ll continue to do everything I can for you and the Brotherhood. I have tremendous respect for the way you’ve handled all this.”

  “The respect is mutual. And that sentiment is shared by Juhar and the Brotherhood’s other senior officials. We appreciate all that you’ve done.”

  The conversation stalled and Dulles filled the gap. “Thanks to all of you,” he said briskly. “Ava and I have a plane waiting. Can we get a ride to the airport?”

  “Sure,” Reyes said, and turned to his officer. “Take them to the airport.”

  The first word that Ava and Dulles exchanged after leaving Zakat College was in the plane after takeoff, and it was only one word.

  “Why?” she said.

  “Why what?”

  “Murdoch. Why didn’t you tell them about Murdoch? Why did you lie about the fingerprints?”

  He grimaced. “I need to thank you for not calling me out on that.”

  “Believe me, I wanted to, but I figured there has to be some kind of compelling reason.”

  “I don’t know how compelling it is. I was simply told that we aren’t ready to tell the Filipinos about him.”

  “But the Filipinos have no chance of capturing him unless they know his real identity.”

  “It appears that we don’t want him caught, at least not just yet.”

  “Because you don’t want anyone to know who he is?”

  “That could be the case.”

  “Because he’s an American and a former agent?”

  “I think there’s another reason at least as strong as that.”

  “What?”

  “Tom Allison.”

  ( 40 )

  Ava turned away from Dulles. She was surprised but not shocked that Tom Allison’s name had re-entered the conversation. However, her primary reaction was disgust.

  She looked out the plane window and saw that they were crossing the northern tip of Tawi-Tawi and heading over the Sulu Sea. What landmass will we see next? she wondered, struggling to find a distraction while she gathered her emotions. She conjured up a mental map of the Philippines. It would be the southwestern tip of the island of Mindanao; then they’d continue northwest across Negros and Panay Islands. She’d done collection work in both places, in fact twice on Panay, in the less than enthralling cities of Iloilo and Roxas. Mindoro was next, she thought, and then they’d reach the island of Luzon and Manila. As Ava connected the islands that marked their progress, another part of her brain was connecting Tom Allison to Zakat College.

  “Are you okay?” Dulles finally said.

  “I was thinking about Allison’s performance in his hotel suite,” she said, without looking at him. “I thought it was contrived at the time. And then, of course, he didn’t want to talk or meet with you yesterday morning.”

&n
bsp; “That’s simply an opinion on your part, a reaction to a man who’s not particularly likeable,” Dulles said. “And he had an explanation for why he wouldn’t talk to me.”

  “Are you making excuses for him?”

  “Of course not. Besides, your opinion of him and my being snubbed by him don’t matter very much. In fact, they don’t matter at all,” Dulles said. “What does matter is that Wallace Murdoch, Fileeb al-Touma, and the cast of characters that surrounded them are linked to a company called Glenda Investments.”

  “When did this Glenda Investments enter the picture?”

  “Delvano mentioned it to me late last night. It came up during his initial chat with al-Touma.”

  “Al-Touma was co-operative?”

  “He said he had done nothing wrong and had nothing to hide. Delvano didn’t press him too hard on that. He thought it better to hear what he had to say first.”

  “Is this Glenda Investments an Allison company?”

  “Officially it’s an investment company based in Tel Aviv that is wholly owned by a woman named Glenda Marshall.”

  “And she is…?”

  “According to al-Touma she’s a wealthy American businesswoman with strong ties to the Middle East,” Dulles said. “But we’ve discovered that she’s actually a lawyer who works for Tom Allison. We’re still waiting to confirm whether she’s on his payroll as an employee or works for him on a retainer and fee basis.”

  “Either way, it connects him to al-Touma and Murdoch.”

  “Yes, we’re sure it does.”

  “Which means you’ve got him connected to the college through the casino and through Glenda Investments. Those aren’t coincidences.”

  “We don’t think so either.”

  “And how are al-Touma, Murdoch, and the others tied to Glenda?”

  “Delvano said they’re all employed by the company. Murdoch was the first hire and runs the show. He gradually recruited the others from various security organizations in the Middle East, including Israel, and in the U.S. It’s logical to assume that Murdoch knew them all from his time in the field.”