by Mark Donovan
The phone conversation went on for several minutes. As it did, Ahmad occasionally looked over at Abdul. Finally, he pulled the phone away from his ear and hit the red off indicator button on it to terminate the connection.
“We are to bring Ms. Cogswell to Tehran as soon as possible,” said Ahmad to Abdul. Aref said for us to drive from Germany to Istanbul, Turkey. He will work out the logistics for us so that we will have no issues crossing between borders. Once we get to Istanbul, he will arrange for a charter flight to fly us to Tehran. He is very anxious to meet Ms. Cogswell.”
“Drive from here to Turkey?” asked Abdul with an incredulous look on his face.
“Yes, we will drive non-stop to Istanbul, other than short breaks for fuel and food,” responded Ahmad.
Abdul glared back at Dana and slapped her hard across the face with the back of his hand. “For this swine?” he said in disgust.
Spencer instantly grabbed Abdul by the throat with the speed and force that Dana could never have imagined possible from him. In a gritty sounding voice, laced with vicious animosity he said, “Do not injure Ms. Cogswell or you will lose your head my brother. Aref wants her in one undamaged piece. He has plans to show her off to the world.”
Abdul stared back at Ahmad, his eyes bulging from the lack of oxygen reaching his brain. Ahmad held his firm grip on Abdul for several more seconds before he finally let go. Abdul grabbed his throat with both hands and gasped to recover from the near suffocation.
“Aref also wants us to call Dave Henson on her cell phone,” said Ahmad, still in a fit of suppressed rage. He shifted his head in the direction of Dana as he spoke. “He gave me a message for us to give to Doctor Henson.”
Dana looked at Spencer in silent disbelief. “Doctor Henson?” she said to herself. Dave was one of his closest friends in college.
“Go in and order us some food from that restaurant,” said Ahmad to Abdul. “When you return, you will make the call while I hold a knife to Ms. Cogswell’s throat.”
While still clutching his throat Abdul opened the front passenger car door, stepped out of the Mercedes and began walking to the restaurant’s front entrance. When Abdul had entered into the restaurant, Spencer turned to Dana and said, “You do what I say and I will do my very best to keep you alive.” He then turned back and looked out the front window staring at no particular thing.
Dana stared at Spencer for a few seconds before responding. “Why? Why are you doing this Spencer? What changed you? Dave and I are your friends.”
There was a moment of silence before Spencer turned back to face her. “Because the U.S. government continues to kill my people on a daily basis. Your government indiscriminately kills our children, mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, and wives, while the people of the United States, like yourself, simply look the other way and go on with your self-centered lives.” Spencer then turned his head away from her and looked out the Mercedes’ front windshield again.
Dana did not speak as she tried to absorb what Spencer had just said to her. A few seconds later he turned to her again and continued to talk. She noticed tears were now in his eyes.
“Aaila and I had only been married just over a year. We were visiting her family in Ankara, Turkey. It was the first time we had been back to visit them since our marriage a year earlier. It was a mild spring day and Aaila, along with her mother and sisters, were preparing a feast for that evening for the entire family. Most of the men, along with the children, were outside enjoying the outdoors. The men talked and relaxed under shade trees, while my nephews and nieces played with each other.”
Spencer went silent again. Dana could tell he was trying to gain strength to continue.
“I, however, was visiting Ankara University at the time. I was meeting with a friend of mine who was currently working as a visiting professor there. We used to be colleagues when we worked for the same company in San Jose. This friend was also the man who introduced me to Aaila, who also worked with us. After he introduced us, we quickly fell in love. To show my love and devotion to her, I converted to Islam so that we could marry. Previously, I had been non-religious due to my parents mixed religious backgrounds. My mother being of Turkish decent helped in my decision to convert.”
Dana noticed that Spencer was becoming increasingly agitated as he spoke.
“While I was at the University...” Spencer paused before continuing. “While my wife and her family prepared a feast for a joyous evening, a United States F/A-18 Hornet, launched from the decks of the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier, released a smart bomb over Ankara that obliterated my in-laws home in the blink of an eye. Aaila, along with her entire family, were virtually vaporized in a fraction of a second.”
Spencer drooped his head and went silent.
“It must have been an accident,” whispered Dana.
Spencer looked up at her. She could see the hatred in his eyes again.
“Yes, that is what the United States government said as well,” said Spencer in a slow and seething voice, punctuating every word as he spoke. “But it would never have happened if the United States Marines and Navy were not constantly present in the Middle East. And if it were not always meddling in the affairs of other countries, and particularly the ones in that region of the world.”
Dana dared not respond to Spencer’s last comments as he appeared to be on the verge of exploding in anger.
“And with the loss of my precious Aaila, as I walked through the rubble of her parents’ home the next day, I swore an oath to Allah that I would seek justice for her, and her family. That I would do everything in my power to bring the Great Satan of the West to its knees, along with all of its allies. And as a final act, I would sever the head of the monster that has tortured and killed my people of the Arab world for decades. And only when I hold the monster’s head in my hands will I rest. For it will be at that moment that I know I have finally brought justice to my wife and her family.”
Spencer’s eyes had welled up with tears, but none spilled down his face, though Dana would not have noticed. She had turned her head away from him as he spoke, partly out of fear and partly from shame. When Spencer had finished speaking he turned away from her to collect himself before Abdul returned. Dana remained silent and stared out the window. She knew at that moment that she would not be released, despite what Spencer had said to her. Though she understood and could sympathize with Spencer’s feelings and motives, she realized that he had become a psychopath, and that ultimately he did not have the final say on her destiny. Whether it be directly by his hands, or indirectly through his partners, such as Abdul, she was not going to walk out of this situation alive.
Dana jumped with a start when Abdul yanked the front passenger door open and flopped down in the front passenger seat. From the smell of the food, she guessed they were having some type of vegetarian sandwiches. She also smelled the aroma of strong coffee.
Abdul began to pull out the food, but Ahmad stopped him abruptly.
“We need to make a call before we eat.” He glanced back at Dana. “You will keep your mouth shut while Abdul speaks to your husband. Say one word that I don’t ask you to say and I will cut your throat from ear to ear.”
Spencer pulled out a large eight inch blade hunting knife and flashed it in front of her face. Abdul grinned at her when he saw Ahmad raise the knife.
Spencer picked up Dana’s cellular phone from the front console and quickly scrolled through it until he found Dave’s number. He looked at Abdul, and told him what to say.
“What if he asks to talk to her? To know she is alive,” asked Abdul.
“We will allow her to speak to him,” responded Ahmad. He looked back at her. “But if you say anything to give me away or what our plans are, the last thing your husband will hear is the blood gurgling in your throat after I slash it.”
Dana nodded her head slowly in understanding as Spencer punched the speed dial number and handed the phone over to Abdul.
Chapter 20 (April 15, Fri
day 1:00pm, Yemen)
“Who is this?” demanded Dave, as he held the phone tightly to his ear to try and hear the man’s voice over the din of the Toyota Land Cruiser and the road noise.
Ben could see Dave was struggling to hear the voice on the other end of the connection so he slowed down and pulled over to the side of the road to stop the Toyota.
“This is Dana’s newly found friend,” responded Abdul in a thick mocking accent. “You need to listen very carefully to what I have to say Doctor Henson as your wife’s life depends on it.”
“What have you done to my wife?” asked Dave in a controlled and commanding voice, as he mentally assessed the man’s voice. The hair on the back of Dave’s neck suddenly started to bristle as the man’s accent registered in his head. It immediately brought back painful memories. He was clearly talking to a Middle Eastern man with a Persian sounding accent. Based on the particular dentalized sound in the man’s voice, he suspected the man was a native Farsi speaker. Probably from Iran, Dave mentally noted.
“I have done nothing to her yet Doctor Henson. However, if you do not do what I ask, you will severely regret your decision.”
“Where is she? I want to speak to her.”
“You will get a chance to speak with her in a moment, though I will be unable to share with you where she is presently.”
“What is it that you want from me?” demanded Dave. Dave glanced over at Ben and Murad. They were intensely focused on Dave as they tried to hear the man’s voice on the other end of the line.
“You have recently killed my brothers, one of whom was my blood brother, in Alaska. For that, I guarantee you, in time I will hunt you down like a dog and you will pay the ultimate price for your deed. However, I will spare your wife’s life if you do exactly what I am about to tell you.”
“Go on. What is it that you want?” demanded Dave, ignoring the man’s threat.
“You will immediately cease and desist your efforts to interfere with what my colleagues and I are working on.”
“And what is it that you and your colleagues are working on?” feigned Dave to keep the man talking.
“You know exactly what Doctor Henson,” responded Abdul in seething anger, spittle flying from his mouth as he spoke into the phone. “Do not tempt fate if you want your wife to live. You killed my brother and you know why you did so. We both do. I repeat. You will stop what you are working on immediately, and will in no further way assist the United States Central Intelligence Agency or the Department of Homeland Security in their efforts.”
Dave listened intently to the man’s voice, absorbing the warning and his message, but also assessing how he was going to rescue Dana and hunt down this man and his animal friends. Terrorists like this man took his parents from him years ago. He would not let them now take his wife from him too. He would die finding her before he would sit back and trust the word of a terrorist. He knew how they worked. How they operated. Terrorists can never be trusted. They have a sick mind and a perverted view of reality, and particularly those who have a twisted perspective of the Islamic religion.
“Do you understand me Doctor Henson?” repeated Abdul into Dave’s ear.
The sound of Abdul’s voice shook Dave from his concentrated analysis. “Yes, I understand, but I want proof that Dana is alive and in good health.”
Abdul looked over at Ahmad who gave him a nod. Spencer and Dana had both been listening to the conversation. Dana had to hold her tongue not to cry out to Dave until she was told to speak.
Ahmad gave another nod back to Abdul to have him position the phone next to Dana’s mouth so that she could speak to Dave. He also gave Dana a look with his eyes that made it vividly clear what would happen to her if she said anything to give him or their position away.
Dana hesitated to speak. “Talk to him,” said Spencer in a commanding but slightly hushed voice. A voice that did not go unnoticed by Dave.
“Dave, Dave, I am here and I am fine,” said Dana with a wavering voice, while still attempting to steel herself to show strength to both Dave and her captors.
Thank God, thought Dave to himself when he heard Dana’s voice. “Dana, do exactly as your captors ask. Do not do anything to upset them that will put your life at risk.”
“I won’t, but as the man just said to you please sever any work that you are doing for the CIA or DHS.”
Abdul looked at Spencer and grinned. Even their captor was telling Doctor Henson to back off.
“I love you,” said Dave. “Take care of yourself.”
“I love …..” Abdul pulled the phone away from Dana’s mouth before Dave could hear her complete her sentence.
“We have eyes and ears everywhere,” said the man on the other end of the connection. “You do as you are told, and she will live.”
“But when and where will you release her?” asked Dave.
“You live up to your end of the bargain and in two weeks we will release her. Where? She will tell you when she contacts you after her release. Until then back off if you truly love her.”
The phone connection went dead.
He looked up to see Ben and Murad staring at him intently. They had heard both sides of the conversation and were speechless.
“What do you want to do?” asked Ben.
Dave was quiet for a minute as he gathered his thoughts and formulated a plan. Finally he said in a calm and determined voice, “I am going to track them down, rescue Dana, and then make sure that mouth on the other end of the phone never utters another word again. And while I’m at it, I plan to also silence as many of his terrorist brothers as I can.”
Dave hesitated a moment before speaking again.
“Ben, get us back to the airbase as quickly as possible after we drop off Murad. In the meantime, I need to make a couple of phone calls.”
Ben put the Land Cruiser’s shift lever back into drive and pulled back onto the road to Mocha. Ten minutes later they dropped Murad off, thanked him for his help, and paid him a handsome bonus.
Once they were back on the road to the airbase, Dave called Ron who was back in Idaho. He knew it was very early in the morning there, but he knew Ron always kept his cell phone on and by his side, even when he was sleeping. Five rings later Ron answered the phone in a tired sounding voice.
“Why are you calling me at this crazy hour of the day?” asked Ron in a semi-serious, half joking tone.
“Ron, I am sorry to wake you up, but it’s Dana. She has been kidnapped.”
Ron sat up in his bed, slid his legs over the edge of it and rubbed his eyes. “Kidnapped? When? By who?”
“I just spoke to her and one of her captors.” Ben looked at Dave with a questioning look. “Captors,” he mouthed at Dave questioningly? Dave nodded his head.
“I don’t know who her kidnappers are at the moment, but we are going to find out. I need you to get over to NSurv headquarters and review the recorded conversations on Dana and my phones for the past twenty-four hours. I’ll also need the GPS coordinates associated with each call.”
In the past year Dave had installed a software app on Dana and his security-enhanced smartphones that NSurv had developed. The app recorded all conversations that occurred on their phones and automatically backed them up on a server located at NSurv headquarters.
“I’ll get right on it,” said Ron as he was already slipping on a pair of jeans. “Anything else you need from me?”
“Yes, please hurry and keep this information private. Not even Doctor Gillian needs to know about this situation. I know he has a strong fatherly affection for Dana, but there is nothing more that he can do right now except to stay focused on what he is working on. We may need his services later.”
“Roger that. I won’t say a word about this conversation to anyone.”
Dave terminated the call and immediately began to look up John Bates’ phone number.
“You have all your cell phone conversations recorded?” asked Ben Harper in a surprised and somewhat concerned tone.<
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“Yes, you shouldn’t look so surprised,” responded Dave. “One of NSurv’s primary product segments is surveillance hardware and software.”
“It is not that I am as much surprised, as I am concerned what CIA Director John Cote would think about that fact. You have regular conversations with CIA headquarters.”
Dave looked over at Ben. “Who do you think sponsored NSurv’s development of the software?” asked Dave.
Ben gave a weak smile as Dave punched the call number to John Bates. As he waited for John to pick up he said, “CIA has Dana and my conversation recordings as well. However, Ron can process them much faster, and more securely, than the CIA.”
“Hello, Bates speaking.”
“John, this is Dave Henson. I, we, have a problem.”
“What’s the problem?”
“Dana has been kidnapped by the same terrorist group that we have been pursuing, and that most likely poisoned the water supplies in Yemen and Germany.”
“How do you know Dana has been kidnapped?”
“Because I just received a call from her cell phone, and instead of her answering my greeting, a man with a thick Persian accent did. After threatening me with an ultimatum to either back off helping the CIA and DHS or my wife would die, he briefly put Dana on the phone so that I could hear that she was alive and okay.”
“Dave, we will get her back alive and in one piece,” responded Bates with a personal determination in his voice. “Do you have any idea where they may have her captive?”
“No. All I know was that she was headed to Eberswalde, Germany to report on the sudden epidemic that had broken out there. Up until a few minutes ago, that was the last time I had heard from her.”
“Most likely she was abducted there,” commented Bates, “but the question is by who.”
