Enemy Among Us-A Jordan Wright Thriller

by Randy Reardon

  It took Sharif twenty-five minutes to get there. He found a parking place and when he exited the car, he took a few minutes to look around to see if any other members of the team had arrived. He headed up the steps and opened the door. Once inside, he climbed a second staircase and entered the second door on the right.

  “Good Morning Deputy Commissioner.” His assistant called out as he entered.

  “Hello Alice. Why did I know you would be here before anyone else?”

  “It’s a big day, sir.”

  “Yes, it is. I hope we’re ready. Do you have the latest itinerary we could review?”

  “Right here, sir.”

  Alice and Deputy Commander Choufani entered his office. Choufani was a fifteen year veteran of the Philadelphia Police Force. He’d started as a patrolman and had quickly moved up the ranks, having been promoted to the Deputy Commander role two years prior. He was in charge of all administrative services for the force. One of those duties was the planning of the funeral for any officer killed in the line of duty. While he hoped it would be a duty he would rarely have to perform, the last year and a half had given him more opportunity than he ever would have cared to have.

  This day, he would be burying two more of Philadelphia’s finest. No two funerals had been alike, so it wasn’t as if he and his team could just pull a file and repeat the steps of the last one. Families had specific requests and there were always needs based on the decedant’s religion. Logistics were a challenge, depending on where the funeral home was for the viewing and where the burial would take place. Commander Choufani and his team had to have every detail and contingency planned and coordinated.

  While the responsibility rested solely within his command, an officer’s death brought out a large number of people who felt they had the right to offer input. Choufani took as his responsibility, as any good leader should, to shield his team from the politics of planning an officer’s funeral. He would hear from the officers in the patrol district of the deceased, the Mayor’s office would have “suggestions,” typically with the attempt to politicize the event to their advantage. The Police Union would also want to be at the table. Since Choufani was a union officer before his promotion into the command ranks, he was usually able to minimize their interference.

  This day, he was faced with an different challenge. Two officers who were partners were being remembered on the same day. Two different funeral homes on opposite sides of town had held the viewings. The officer’s families, who were surprisingly close, even for partners, had asked to have the service together. While at first Choufani had embraced the idea as one which would streamline the process, he found it actually had led to more significant issues, making this one of the most difficult funerals he’d planned.

  The officers’ bodies would receive a full escort from the funeral home to the Cathedral Basilica. A full escort involved five police units plus a motorcycle squad for traffic control. In addition, there were on-duty officers who had served with the deceased, wishing to escort their fallen comrade to the Cathedral. This was now times two, which caused a severe depletion in officers on duty, and would be repeated at the end of the service when the two bodies would be taken to separate cemeteries in two processions, leaving the city with a greatly understaffed police force for a good part of the day.

  The Commander and his team had created and reviewed every conceivable scenario to avert the shortage in coverage, but had not been able to develop any better solution. Commander Choufani would keep his fingers crossed that the criminal element of the city would be respectful of the day and keep their activities to a minimum.

  Chapter Forty-Nine

  Mustafa had all of the children awake by five a.m. After prayers, he had the older children fix breakfast for the others. He’d purchased eggs, bread and cereal for the children the previous day. He didn’t tell them, but he assumed that for most of them it would be their last meal. He gathered the leaders in the garage and they went over the plan one more time. The garage was filled with the backpacks each of the children had packed yesterday. Mustafa instructed each of the team members to ensure they had the packs for their team and to do a final check to make sure they had all of the equipment and supplies they needed.

  At that moment, two vans pulled into the driveway. One was the van used to pick up the supplies at Akmed’s store and the other was a City of Brotherly Love Company van.

  Mustafa asked the boys to gather around him. “I have assigned your teams to one of the vans. As I give you your number, please start putting your team’s bags into that van. You do not need to be concerned with the two drivers. You don’t need to know their names and they will not know yours. Get everything loaded and then join your teams inside. We will leave in thirty minutes.”

  Each of the boys nodded to Mustafa as he was handed the number. The boys went to their group of bags and started moving them to the vans. Mustafa motioned for the two drivers to go with him to the back yard.

  Once in the back, Mustafa spoke quietly, so they wouldn’t be overheard. “Are you ready, my brothers? Today is the day Allah has planned great things for us.” Both of the men nodded. “After you drop off the children, you will then come back to the house and pick up the supplies we need from the shed. Then, you will go to work. You must be at work on time. We cannot afford any suspicion. Our mission is critical. We must be successful. Remember the children believe they are the mission, so you must not let them know anything any different. Is that understood?”

  “Yes, Mustafa.” Both men responded in almost perfect unison.

  Mustafa smiled. The day had come. By the end of it, he knew he would bring honor to his country and his family but, he also knew he would provide a wonderful life for himself. He was excited, albeit he realized there was much, much work ahead.

  “Go back to your vans and wait for the children.”

  Chapter Fifty

  Jordan and Kate arrived at the command center at the same time. Most of the task force would either be in attendance or assigned to work the funeral. It made Jordan uncomfortable to be so understaffed, but they still needed to gather more credible data in regards to the target or the timetable.

  “Anything happening at the store?” Jordan inquired as he entered the room.

  “No, just a typical day. Benny just arrived to open. Akmed is already in the store. We know Aziz is still with his Uncle and two vans just arrived at the house and the boys are loading the backpacks into them. All the kids seem to be up.”

  “So they may be moving?”

  “It looks that way; but, we have no indication where or when.”

  “How about the other two drivers?” Kate inquired.

  “We got pictures and sent them to your team to see if we get any hits. They weren’t familiar to us.”

  “Jordan,” Kate said as she turned her attention back to him, “we were thinking that if we don’t pick up any activity today, it gives us an indication they aren’t moving soon. So, we thought it might make sense to move the command post. It’s seems Akmed’s store has served its purpose. He met Max last night at the Starbucks. It was crowded, so they had a chance to talk. He really doesn’t know anything more since Mustafa showed up and took all of his supplies. He hasn’t heard from Aziz.”

  “It probably makes sense. There’s no reason to stay here,” Jordan agreed. “If they continue to stay at Mustafa’s, maybe we could get closer to there?”

  “I think we could be more efficient if we just set up at the local office,” William offered. “We would be more efficient. All the resources are there and it’s easier to move in and out.”

  Jordan shrugged, indicating that he didn’t really care and his mind was on other things. “I think they’re going to pull this off before we we get moved. I have a feeling Mustafa’s getting them ready to go. Of course, I don’t have any idea where! Which really sucks.”

  They were all over by the window, looking out at the street below. Akmed appeared outside, sweeping his sidewalk and m
oving several displays out in front of the store.

  Max spoke without turning her gaze away from Akmed. “He’s ready to come in. He’s afraid he’s vulnerable, since Mustafa doesn’t need him anymore. He believes there is a plan to eliminate him and possibly the other parents, so they can’t go to the authorities once the plot is carried out.”

  “That makes sense. Even if we move from here, we should leave an extraction team to take care of Akmed. We can let him know where they will be. We can have a car around the block that he could either walk to or could get to him in a hurry.”

  Stan nodded. “Let’s put that in place. Max? Can you get to Akmed tonight?”

  “Yes, if I put a plant in the kitchen window, he knows to go to Starbucks at two o’clock and at eight o’clock. I’ll do it now and can catch him at two.”

  “Kate and I are going to run over to Mustafa’s and check in. I can’t sit here all day,” Jordan told Stan.

  “Okay, but keep in touch.”

  Chapter Fifty-One

  DOWNTOWN PHILADELPHIA

  Though he’d spent more time here than he would have ever wished, he was always impressed by the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul. Located just blocks from the center of Philadelphia on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, the Basilica was both imposing while at the same time subtle in its environment, surrounded by modern high-rises and situated amongst Philadelphia’s great cultural facilities. Under construction for eighteen years, with completion in 1864, its brownstone façade allowed it to blend in, while at over one hundred feet in height, it drew everyone’s gaze. Commander Choufani stepped out of his car and, as he walked up to the cast bronze doors leading into the vestibule, he paused and looked above him at the green patina of the copper dome which rose sixty feet over the top of the Cathedral. He took a deep breath as he entered. Inside, the church had been set up to seat two thousand people. The Commander knew it would be standing room only and arrangements had been made to have audio of the mass broadcast outside for those attending who would not be able to be accommodated inside. Members of the uniformed honor guard were gathered. They saluted Choufani as he approached; he returned the same.

  “I want to thank each of you for your service. Unfortunately, it’s a service we have had to call upon way to often.” He shook each of their hands and moved into the church proper, again his eyes moved up to the eighty foot ceiling and the massive bronze chandeliers. Every surface in the church was either marble or black walnut. It was impressive and he could think of no finer place for a city to say goodbye to its fallen.

  He spotted several members of his team in conversation with the representative of the diocese. One of the facets that had made his job easier was the cooperation between the Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia and his unit. The Church was always able to accommodate their requests and needs, regardless of the officer’s religion. Choufani had planned to do a walk-through with his team prior to the first casket arriving, so he moved over to the group, so they could begin.

  Forty-five minutes later, with the walk-through complete and final details being checked, word came that the first hearse would arrive in front of the Basilica in ten minutes. With that announcement, Choufani and his team moved from the planning stage into their operational mode, where everyone had a specific role and place to be positioned. Members of his team were all ready with each family and would lead the escort to the Basilica. Each family would be escorted in behind the casket and taken to their seats. A member of his team, along with a senior officer from the deceased officers’ district, would sit with the family during the service and the burial.

  Uniformed officers were already arriving. Besides the Philadelphia Officers who were lined up outside, there were representatives from over two hundred and seventy-three police departments and law enforcement agencies, representing all fifty states and six foreign countries. One of the logistical nightmares had been to find parking for all of the cars, which would bring people to the site, and then being able to match the right cars to the correct processional at the end of the service. His team seemed to have it under control.

  Fifteen minutes from the time the first hearse and its procession arrived, the front of the Basilica was clear and the second hearse moved slowly down the boulevard. Seeing that it was in the area, Choufani headed inside to ensure all was ready.

  Within the next ninety minutes, the city would return to normal and they would move to the two cemeteries.

  Chapter Fifty-Two

  Mustafa made one last pass through the house to ensure everyone was out and nothing was being left behind. He locked the front door and headed to his van. The children were loaded and the vans were at the curb, their engines idling. He opened the driver’s door to the lead van and, as he got in, signaled to the other two drivers that he was ready to go.

  They headed down the street and the vans stayed together for three blocks. At that point, the last van turned left and headed into a side street, taking a different course. Three blocks later, the second van turned right and followed its own route.

  Mustafa remained quiet throughout the trip and only a couple of times did he turn to look at the children. But, he remained quiet. The children were dressed as if they would be attending school or in this case, going on a field trip, with each one wearing a backpack. There was no indication they were about to carry out a terrorist attack on a major U.S. city.

  Mustafa reached Third Street and drove through the Society Hill section of Philadelphia, a neighborhood where many homes and businesses had gone through a revitalization, which resulted in professionals moving into the city from the suburbs. Mustafa grinned, hoping that, by the end of the day, many of the residents would regret their decision to leave the quiet and safe suburbs.

  He turned left on Walnut Street for two blocks and then turned right onto Fifth Street, he glanced into his rearview mirror and could tell the children still had not recognized where they were headed. Mustafa was not surprised. It was one of the reasons he’d decided to use cargo vans with no side windows rather than a passenger van. While he risked being pulled over by the police for having children riding unsecured, he felt it was a risk he would take, to ensure that the children couldn’t figure out where they were.

  Between Chestnut and Market Streets, he pulled into a parking space and stopped. He picked up the radio.

  “Unit one is in place. Units two and three, what is your status?’

  “Unit two, I’m about one minute away.” They would park on Sixth Street, between Market and Arch Streets, diagonally across the mall from Mustafa’s van.

  “Three here. I’m parked.” Unit three was also on Sixth, but one block farther away than team two. They were between Arch and Race Streets.

  Mustafa smiled. Everyone had made it. He looked to his left, at what lay in front of him — Independence National Historical Park. Home of Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell and the National Constitution Center, it comprised a three block mall area of historical buildings, modern museums that stood as the birthplace of this nation. What better place to bring destruction and terror?

  Grabbing the mike, Mustafa called the others. “We go in fifteen minutes.”

  Both responded affirmatively. He turned to Aziz. “Are you ready, my son?”

  “I am and my team is. We will bring you success, Uncle!”

  “I have no doubt of that, my children. You will make me and your parents so proud today.” Mustafa looked at them, he knew it would be the last time he would see them. He could tell the young ones had no idea what would become of them. They did not realize it would be their last day alive and by the end of the day, they would be in the paradise promised to all martyrs. Allah would appreciate that it would be the children that would strike this blow to the Americans.

  Jordan and Kate parked on the other side of the street, about a half block behind Mustafa’s van. They had arrived at Mustafa’s house just minutes before the vans left. They knew the other van had parked next to the National Const
itution Center on the other side and two blocks from where they were.

  No one had gotten out of the vans, so Jordan quickly explored the options. This was a target rich area, with any number of scenarios for what they might try to do or this might not even be the final target, but only a diversion, one which would force all of the limited police resources in Philadelphia this day to converge here while the group in the other van was at the primary target.

  Though it was still early, there was already a fairly large crowd on the Mall. It was a school holiday, with pleasant weather so it seemed many families had decided to have an outing. If a couple of the kids moved into the large groups and detonated a bomb it would cause mass casualties and carnage, not to mention the larger crowds that would gather along with first responders, which allowed for a second detonation and a larger fatality count. While Jordan was keenly aware of these types of attacks in the Middle East and Asia, one hadn’t occurred in this country, but it drove Jordan crazy that even in a post 9-11 world, Americans largely believed such types of violent acts couldn’t happen in the USA. Jordan knew it was only a matter of time and possibly this was the day.

  Chapter Fifty-Three