by Suzi Weinert
In her room, Khadija thought about Ahmed. How was it possible for a practical, rational person like herself to fall in love this fast? She couldn’t explain their instant attraction or how she seemed to know from the start that he’d play an important role in her destiny. And her genuine affection superseded smug retaliation against her father. Mamud’s departure on the extended trip clarified that for her. This relationship with Ahmed would last. She could tell. Life was looking up.
In the basement, Heba smiled. Her life had changed again with the last of the cruel, insensitive men in her life gone. Ironically, in the process she’d found a family and become an accepted member. Her admiration for Zayneb grew daily. She knew Mahmud didn’t go on a trip. She didn’t know how he died but she watched him buried. The day Mahmud left, something else had happened, something she practiced in her room, something new and wonderful. Life was looking up.
In the study, Ahmed and Abdul coped with their situation. Their greatest bafflement lay in Allah’s reason for subverting their heroic, selfless efforts to glorify Him. Why wouldn’t he smooth their way rather than destroy every effort? Questioning the Supreme Being amounted to blasphemy, but how could God’s will lead them to this inglorious end?
“Summarizing,” Ahmed said at last, “our cell of sleepers is reduced from ten to the two of us. Our funds are gone, we don’t know how to get them back and we haven’t manpower to implement our mission. Without our original cell’s unique skills and connections, the mission we envisioned is unworkable. Worse, the enemy captured all seven freedom fighters alive. What might they reveal during interrogation?”
“Thanks to the Great Leader’s wisdom, each of us knew only what you told us. In that respect, you are most valuable to the enemy, for you know the most about this mission, the connection with the Russians and the Great Leader himself. Have you told him our situation?” Abdul asked.
“Not yet, but I will tonight.”
“At the very least, the two of us can perish in glory. We can arm ourselves, hide our weapons and explosives beneath our coats, go to the shopping center and earn our path to Paradise in a glorious blaze of infidel deaths.”
“Yes, we can,” Ahmed agreed, but he seemed to have a dreamy, far-away expression.
“You said such spectacles will occur all over America, in every state on the same day at the same hour. So beyond our explosions here will flow a ripple of terror to frighten their whole nation.”
“To frighten them or unite them against us?”
Abdul stared aghast at his companion. “You are joking, right?”
Ahmed forced a smile. “Of course, I am joking.”
86
Monday, 10:33 PM
Jason felt old and weary as he extricated himself from his car in the garage. The three-hour drive in each direction plus hectic merger meetings in Delaware took their toll. Staying overnight made sense, but the diamond danger pressed him to hurry home instead—to protect his loved ones.
“Hi, Dad. Glad you’re home.” Becca greeted him as he poked his head into the family room where she watched TV.
“Anything exciting happen today, Becks?”
Becca gave him “the look.” She sighed. “Where to begin, Dad. Mom’s asleep. She had several glasses of wine and took a pill besides, so I guess I’m the one to tell you.”
“I’ll get a glass of wine myself and then let’s talk. Would you like one?”
“Sure, a wee chardonnay before bed would taste good.”
He returned with two glasses. “Okay, let’s hear it.”
“Do you want the big news first or the little news?”
“Start me with the little news and work up.”
“Mom had lunch today with the psychic. Mom handed her a diamond from the ones in the doll, which burned the psychic’s hand—not a real burn but a mental burn, whatever that is. The psychic confirmed the diamonds are part of the danger. Well, duh! We knew that. But she impressed Mom enough to get invited to our Thanksgiving dinner.”
Jason felt nervous already. “So…ah, what’s the big news?”
As she described the break in, the bank and the kidnapping, Jason grew pale and clenched his fists. “That’s Part One,” Becca said. “Part Two is even better.”
“Before you finish, skip to the bottom line. Is everybody okay now?”
“Yes.”
Jason drained his glass. “Then pause a minute. I’m getting a refill.”
When he returned, he paced the floor with growing dismay as Becca described brushing off the police, arranging the cell-phone directions, Veronika’s alert, Milo’s 911call, Adam’s involvement and the final police rescue. “Dad, are you all right?”
“Of course I’m not all right. How could I be all right, knowing my wife and grandson were nearly murdered tonight? I… ‘overwhelmed’ hardly covers it. True, I’m always leery to ask about a day in your mother’s life, but this…” He sat on the edge of the couch, his head in his hands, cursing his absence when this family needed his protection.
Becca strolled over and gave him a hug.
Getting his anxiety under control, he changed the subject. “And what about you? How are you handling all this?”
She giggled. “Actually, it’s kinda fun being home for the holiday. Nothing this exciting happens at college.”
He kissed her cheek. “Sleep well, Becks. If nothing crazier happens yet tonight, I’ll see you tomorrow. Be sure to lock all the doors and set the alarm before bed.”
“Okay. Night, Dad. Love you.”
“Love you, too, Honey.”
87
Monday, 11:03 PM
“Blessings upon you, Great Leader. It is I, your servant Ahmed.”
“May Allah smile on you and all your endeavors, Ahmed. What have you to report?”
“Alas, calamity changes our plans. We need your guidance to find a new path to the oasis.”
“Yes, my son, speak.”
Ahmed told his mentor what he needed to know, ending with the undeniable fact their cell was reduced to two men, entirely inadequate for the plans. “Without funds or freedom fighters, how can we complete our task?”
“Ah, my son, these are indeed grave problems. But Allah smiles on you and your mission. You did well to consult me. Did you make successful contact with the Russians?”
“Yes, Great Leader.”
“Then I will deal directly with them myself, arranging another way to pay them for what we need. You need only coordinate where it is stored, when it is used and how.”
“But Great One, how can I fulfill our mission with no men?”
“My faith in you is strong. I will send you ten new men tomorrow morning. They are sleepers in nearby states, eager to play roles in this wondrous mission. Now twelve instead of ten, this team exceeds your previous force. They will arrive in a van at the house where you stay, the home of Mahmud Hussein. The van will drive into that garage tomorrow morning at 10:00. Tonight you make arrangements for them at a nearby motel. Get six rooms, two men per room. When the van arrives, take them to the motel and describe their assignments for Friday.”
“You say six rooms with two in each room?”
“Yes, you have two men left. You and the other man stay in one of those rooms. All of you in one place simplifies logistics and bonding in the short time remaining.”
“But we can’t reproduce the specific talents and contributions of our original cell members, access to trains and metro, to HVAC, janitorial service, computer hacking, explosive laden semi-trucks in tunnels, chemical lab toxins, heavy construction equipment and knowledge of explosives.”
“Ah, then you improvise; that was one of the skills for which I chose you to lead this assignment.”
“Thank you, Great Leader. I did not fully appreciate your limitless vision and resources.”
“How could I fail to make your glorification of Allah a reality?”
“Blessings upon you, Great One.”
“And upon you, my son. Oh, and one more t
hing.”
“Yes.”
“This woman responsible for taking our diamonds and the arrests of our men?... Kill her.”
“It shall be as you wish, Great Leader.”
Ahmed lay back on his bed and moaned. He did not want to kill Jennifer Shannon, who had the diamonds only because of his mistake. He didn’t want to push forward this murderous plan at the mall to kill unarmed innocents, despite their being non-believers. He didn’t want to leave this house where Khadija lived, or the family atmosphere he enjoyed, the first he’d known since childhood. He didn’t want to live out his remaining few days with men he didn’t know in a motel—a lonely place like the other impersonal surroundings he’d recently learned to hate.
DAY FIVE
Tuesday
88
Tuesday, 4:58 AM
Jason spent a tormented night agonizing about the kidnapping. Trying to fall asleep, he looked often at the clock to mark his progress. At last he turned off the alarm just before it rang at 5:00. Why disturb Jennifer so early after what she’d been through? Slipping out of bed, he gazed at her peaceful expression as she slept. How close he’d come to losing her.
To guard his family, he longed to scratch today’s hunting trip, but with Tony’s life in shambles and this trip so important to him, he hated to disappoint his old friend. They’d need only six early hours and when they returned at 11:00, the bulk of the day lay ahead for his family. Even before yesterday’s kidnap shocker, Jason had asked Adam for extra surveillance due to the threat. Adam said neighborhood patrols would give their house special attention and he’d drop by himself. According to Becca’s account last night, police arrested seven of the diamond owner’s men, a feat that must have put a dent in their operation.
He tiptoed across the bedroom and closed the door. Donning the hunting clothes he’d assembled the night before, he crept downstairs. When Tony’s pickup backed out of his driveway, Jason crossed the circle to pile his gear into the truck.
“Good morning. Takes focus to get up before dawn to shoot deer.”
“But worth it, and a clean shot beats seeing the animals ripped to pieces on the road.”
“And, if we’re lucky, we bring home dinner. Going to that same place out past Great Falls?”
“Yeah. The farmer has so many deer on his land now that instead of us paying him to shoot there, he said he’d like to hire us. Bottom line, we hunt today free with his blessing.”
“Want coffee?” Jason offered.
“Sure. Cream and sugar, if you have some. I brought breakfast and snacks for later.
Jason laughed. “You covered the bases.” As he handed Tony a mug, he patted the cell phone in his jacket’s outer pocket, a handy location if needed in a hurry. “About an hour to get out there?”
“Right. Little traffic this early so we’ll move right along.”
Not wanting to single out Tony’s grief, Jason asked instead, “How’s the family doing?”
“Glad the funeral on Sunday is behind us. The kids left Monday. They miss their mother and are taking her sudden death hard.”
“Again, let us know if we can help out,” Jason offered.
“Hey, see that doe on the side of the road? They’re herd animals so when you see one, expect more. Without natural predators to control the deer, Fairfax County has 5,000 DVCs a year; 54,000 in Virginia.”
“DVCs?”
“Deer Vehicle Collisions.
“And deer aren’t the only casualties; people are killed or injured, too.”
“Yeah, I know it’s a big problem. You’re up on this stuff, aren’t you?”
“Well, vets get the literature and the public brings us the hurt ones. Right now in November, during the rut, the White Tails are fearless and crazy. You’d be surprised how many road-injured deer are brought to vets’ offices.”
They drove awhile in silence. Tony looked preoccupied. Why not, burying his wife only two days ago? Jason yawned. “Forgive me if I doze off before we get there. Insomnia for hours plus leaving so early this morning made it a pitifully short night.”
“Go ahead and grab a few winks.”
The truck’s rocking motion lulled Jason to sleep quickly, and he didn’t wake up until Tony turned off the motor at their destination. Outside looked pitch black.
“We’re here. You take the closer stand this time and I’ll use the one about 150 feet further. We’ve been here before so you’ll recognize it. We can’t shoot until sunrise at 7:00. If we bag a deer, we field-dress it right here and drag it back to the truck later. Like before, if we hear the other one shoot, we stay put in the stand in case the noise steers deer your way. If we get no shots, I’ll pick you up here about 10:00 and we’ll head for the truck. Three daylight hours should be enough if we’re waiting for them at dawn. Here’s a sack with breakfast. Got your flashlight?”
“Yeah.” Jason turned it on. They walked together to the first stand. Jason climbed up and Tony continued on.
Jason liked the woods—a contrast from northern Virginia’s urban life. Still warm from the heated truck, he relaxed in the stand, rifle across his knees, and waited. Late November nudged winter in Virginia. The longer you sat in a deer stand, the colder you got.
An hour later he felt quite cold as he peered out from the stand, again scanning the farmer’s field and the clearing below him. And then he saw it.
A doe appeared in the clearing beneath him, followed by a buck focused on mating. Jason lifted his rifle, sighted one through the scope and gently squeezed the trigger. The shot’s loud crack echoed in the quiet morning. The doe skittered away but the buck fell in his tracks, motionless on the ground. Jason descended with his bag of equipment. He liked this part least, but knew field-dressing a deer was necessary to put venison on the table.
When he climbed back into the stand, another hour passed, during which he heard three shots from Tony’s direction. Shots weren’t necessarily hits, but he hoped his neighbor downed at least one.
By 9:30 Jason had had enough. Only thirty minutes until Tony’s proposed departure, but Jason felt half frozen and ready to roll. He climbed down and dragged his deer to the truck. He loaded it and his equipment bag before starting toward the second stand. He had a pretty good idea where it was but used his compass as backup. Morning sun lighted the area. When he spotted the big rock, he knew the second stand lay just ahead.
He moved forward slowly. “Tony,” he shouted. No answer. “Tony, it’s Jason. If you’re as cold as I am, let’s go on home.” As he spoke, the compass slipped from his hand. When he bent over to get it, a bullet whizzed over him. What the… He stood. “Tony,’” he bellowed, “don’t shoot. It’s me. We need to talk.” As he heard a second gunshot, a bullet pinged off the big rock and ricocheted into the bushes. “Tony, stop shooting,” he yelled, slipping out of his neon orange vest and crawling away from it. Spotting a long branch, he hooked the vest with it and bobbed it up and down. A third shot rang out, this one puncturing the vest.
My God. He’s trying to kill me!
What were his options? He had no keys to escape in the pickup. Should he run for his life from the man shooting at him? Attempt a citizen’s arrest? Call 911? He reached for his cell phone, startled not to find it in the jacket pocket. He patted other pockets in case he forgot where he put it. Had Tony slipped it out while Jason napped en route?
Just then a buck exploded out of the bushes into the second stand’s clearing. Tony fired. He must have operated on instinct, Jason thought, with his rifle already up in position firing at me!
He heard the deer whoosh out of the clearing. Tony had missed.
From behind a tree, Jason shouted a command. “Tony, enough. It’s over. I’ve got you square in my sights. I don’t want to hurt you, man. Throw down your weapon and get down here.”
He peered cautiously around the tree. He saw Tony’s rifle barrel edge out of the stand, turn toward Jason, waiver uncertainly and fall out of the stand onto the ground.
Nothing st
irred for a moment. Finally Tony dropped his equipment bag and slowly descended the ladder. Avoiding eye contact, he mumbled, “Sorry, Jason, didn’t see you. Made a mistake. Glad you’re okay.”
Jason had already scooped up Tony’s fallen rifle, ejected the last cartridge and hung it over his shoulder. He held his own rifle in both hands, prepared to shoot defensively. “You walk ahead,” Jason instructed.
Back in the truck, Jason held his rifle across his knees in the passenger seat, safety off, hands positioned to fire. Both knew the carnage such a short-range blast inflicted. They drove in silence a few miles before Jason cleared his throat. “Do you want to tell me what’s going on, Tony?”
Silence. Jason stared at this man who’d been his neighbor and friend for over twenty years, now an unpredictable, lethal stranger. Was he mistaken or did Tony’s eyes glisten with tears?
With morning rush hour over, they barreled down Old Dominion Drive toward McLean. Tension filled the truck. Tony seemed in a trance as Jason warned him several times of sighting deer along the roadside. Suddenly one hurtled from nowhere directly in front of their vehicle. The truck slammed it hard at full speed. The animal flew upward, smashing their windshield and peppering them with small glass chards. One end of the deer’s body pushed in on the driver’s side, striking Tony in the face. Jason felt the vehicle whip around in a semi-circle as it careened off the road and flipped. He saw a huge tree rushing closer…then blackness…
89
Tuesday, 9:58 AM
Kaela and Owain arrived to pick up the Grands at ten as promised. Jennifer asked Becca to distract the children while she told them a sanitized version of the weekend’s events from the doll to Milo’s rescue.
Her daughter and son-in-law sat thunderstruck. “Just another happy ending,” Jennifer summarized cheerfully, “but I thought you ought to know in case the girls talk about finding diamonds or Milo mentions his adventure.”
Owain glanced nervously at his wife. “We thought this the safest place we could imagine for the kids while we were gone….” His voice trailed away.
“And you were right. We took wonderful care of them—except for the unexpected parts—and now they know how to call 911, so that’s a plus.” Jennifer smiled, hoping her positive attitude was contagious.
