Tangled Mark

by Becky Harmon

  “This was Daniel Abbott’s father and little sister,” Nikki said, turning the laptop back around. The search engine had retrieved five files, and Nikki opened each file until she located the one marked Tel Aviv. She read the report for the incident with Angela leaning over her shoulder. Then they turned the laptop around for Mr. Flagler and Bowden to read it as well.

  Mr. Flagler nodded. “I had forgotten the details, but reading my case report brings them back. Denny Cohen was suspected of being the bomb maker behind several civilian targets. We went in to conduct surveillance but found him in the act of making a bomb. If we had had thermal imaging, I would have been able to see two heat signals. I’m sorry the little girl was killed, but her father killed and injured a lot of innocent people.”

  “That’s it,” Nikki said, looking at Angela. “So, if we assume the coffee-shop man is one of Daniel’s brothers, then maybe the other brother is using the same last name, even if it’s not their real names.”

  Angela nodded and walked over to Todd. She spoke to him for several minutes while he asked questions and then began typing. Angela returned to the table. “I’m going to check on the cell phone Josh gave us and see if the technicians have pulled anything from it.”

  Mr. Flagler stood. “I’m going to talk with Josh and see if he can give us any more information.”

  Nikki waited until she was alone with Bowden before speaking. “I assume someone is running checks on everyone who works at the Pensacola office again.”

  Bowden nodded.

  “We know someone there was calling Daniel Abbott. And maybe that someone is the third brother.” Nikki took a deep breath before looking Bowden in the eye. “I want to go back to Israel. We’re getting close, and I want to be there to help in the search.”

  Before she could respond, a technician Nikki had not met arrived at the table. Bowden nodded her okay for the technician to speak in front of Nikki.

  “Agent Russo was correct. Daniel Abbott has another residence in Tel Aviv. It’s a house on the edge of town.”

  “Send a team to search it.” Bowden said immediately. The technician nodded and hurried away. “Let’s get the details and then I’ll consider allowing you to return.”

  Nikki nodded. She knew she would return, and, for the first time in her life, it didn’t matter if she had her boss’s approval or not. Mel needed her and she would not let her down.

  Bowden read the determination on Nikki’s face and she spoke again. “Do not do anything stupid, Agent Mitchell. You’re under my command now, and I’ll make the decision when it’s time.”

  Nikki nodded again, but they both knew when the time came she was going with or without permission.

  “Mrs. Bowden,” Todd called from his workstation.

  “What did you find?” She walked toward him with Nikki on her heels.

  “Coming up on the big screen now.” Todd continued to type. “There’s a janitor at the Pensacola office who has only been there for a little over a year.”

  “That time period fits,” Nikki added unnecessarily.

  “He has a computer science degree from the University of Jordan. The agent who did his background grilled him about being overqualified for a janitor job, and he gave a sob story about needing to send money home and no one would hire him in his field because he was from the Middle East.”

  “What’s his name?” Nikki asked.

  Todd frowned. “Well, that’s the weird part. He is employed as Warren Levee, but when I track him back to Israel he comes up as Warren Levy.” Todd pointed to the big screen. “See the two different spellings.”

  Nikki stepped closer to Todd. “Can you compare facial recognition for the coffee-shop owner with all Israeli individuals with the last name Levy?” She sat down at the workstation beside Todd. “Is it okay if I use this computer?”

  Todd nodded, already absorbed in tracking her request.

  Bowden stepped behind her. “What are you thinking, Agent Mitchell?”

  Nikki spoke while she typed. “Angela said the coffee-shop owner had no background older than five years so we know he had a different name. Maybe Todd can find his real name.” She looked at Bowden and shrugged. “I want to see what Daniel Abbott’s mother’s surname was before she married Denny Cohen.”

  “I was tracking the brothers earlier, and Abbott is the foster family name that adopted them after their parents died,” Todd explained as he typed. “Oh, wait. Here’s something. Akim and Warren Abbott were killed five years ago in a car accident.”

  Nikki took a deep breath. “So Daniel Abbott’s brothers were killed and then came back to life as Akim and Warren Levy.”

  “They didn’t bury them too deep but just enough to pass first glance,” Bowden murmured.

  “And we have a match.” Todd displayed Akim Levy’s driver’s license photograph on the big screen.

  “That’s him,” Nikki said. “That’s the man from the coffee shop and the one in the van at the package pickup.” She turned to Todd. “What about Warren Levy? Can we send someone to pick him up?”

  Todd typed for a minute. “He hasn’t shown up for work the last three days, and his cell phone is pinging in the Middle East. That would be Israel, to be exact.” He continued to talk while his fingers flew across the keyboard. “He’s on the move.”

  “Todd, are we sure we have all the residences for Daniel Abbott now?” Bowden asked.

  “Yes, he has two. The apartment and a house on the edge of Tel Aviv.”

  “Okay. Then let’s see what property the two Mr. Levys have in their names.”

  “On it,” Todd advised without looking up.

  “Yep,” Nikki said excitedly, reading from the computer screen in front of her. “Pamela Levy married Denny Cohen and gave birth to three boys and one girl.” She looked at Bowden. “It’s only a matter of time until we have our hands on one of these three guys, and then we’ll have a location to where they’re being held.” She stood. “I need to be there.”

  Bowden leaned against the computer console and stared at the ground before making eye contact with Nikki. “Against my better judgment, I’m going to let you go. Give me an hour to coordinate things. Angela will take you home to shower and pack. I’ll call her with the details.” She turned and walked away.

  Nikki breathed a sigh of relief and looked at Todd.

  He smiled. “Not many people get their way with her. You must have said something right.”

  Nikki nodded, afraid to speak. She didn’t want to say or do anything to change Bowden’s mind. In her head, she calculated the time it would take them to get back to Tel Aviv. Flying time alone would take fourteen hours. She wondered how fast the tactical team already in place would be able to coordinate. She took a deep breath. First they had to get their hands on one of the three guys to find out the location Mel was being held.

  Angela returned giving Nikki a smile. “Ready?”

  “Yep.”

  Nikki followed Angela to the elevator and they returned to the parking garage. As soon as their seat belts were secured, Angela gunned the Charger’s engine and the tires squealed as she maneuvered around the tight corners getting them back out on Parker Street.

  Nikki leaned her head against the back of the seat rest. “Guess I don’t have to give you directions.”

  Angela chuckled. “I think I can find it.” The silence stretched between them. “Can I come in this time?”

  Nikki laughed and some of the stress released from her body. She would have enjoyed a hard workout tonight, but getting on that flight was the most important thing in her mind right now. Her body would be keyed up until she was looking at Mel again, and there wasn’t anything she could do about it.

  Angela turned into her driveway and Nikki dug her keys from her bag before throwing the strap over her shoulder. She unlocked the front door, leaving it open for Angela to follow. “There’s bottled water in the kitchen and not much else. Help yourself to anything you can find.”

  Angela nodded a
nd Nikki took the stairs two at a time. She opened her bag and dumped everything onto the floor of her bedroom. The suits would need the dry cleaners so she would have to separate things later. She stuffed clean jeans, several shirts and undergarments into the bag before stripping off everything she was wearing and tossing it into the growing pile of dirty clothes. The shower was refreshing, and she stood for a few moments letting the warm water beat down on her tired muscles. Dressed and carrying her freshly packed bag, she returned downstairs to find Angela browsing her bookshelves.

  “Ready?” Nikki asked.

  “Sure.” Angela headed for the door. She waited until they were back in the car before relaying details to Nikki. “I have a ready bag in the trunk, so we’re headed straight for the airport. A Flagler jet has been fueled and is waiting for us. With one refueling stop, we should arrive by fifteen hundred tomorrow.”

  “That’s about what I had calculated. That’s almost midnight Israeli time. Do we have any new information?”

  “Daniel Abbott’s house was empty. Warren’s phone is on, and Todd is trying to locate him. I’m not sure why the difficulty, but it’s something about a bouncing signal.”

  Nikki nodded.

  “It looks like the other two have turned their phones off. Probably picked up burner phones. We’ll get another update when we get closer. Hopefully they’ll have an address by then and be preparing to make a grab.”

  “Yeah, hopefully,” Nikki said softly before laying her head against the back of the seat.

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  The jet was idling on the tarmac when they arrived at the airport. Nikki followed Angela up the stairs and tried not to stare at the elegantly decorated private jet. The seats were white leather and placed here and there throughout the cabin. Angela stepped to the side and motioned for her to pick any location she wanted so Nikki chose a double seat about midway back on the left. She liked that it faced the cockpit instead of the rear or one of the sides. She tossed her bag on the seat beside her and reclined in it. Resting her head against the soft leather, she tried to settle her racing pulse. She closed her eyes to organize her thoughts. The last week had been a whirlwind.

  Angela reviewed data on her laptop and left Nikki to rest. About five hours into the flight, Angela sat up straighter and the squeak of the leather chair caused Nikki to open her eyes.

  “Is there something new?”

  Angela nodded. “Akim has a house in Jordan and tech traced Warren’s cell phone there. A two-man team has been dispatched to get a visual.”

  Nikki nodded. “When are they going in?”

  “Before daybreak tomorrow morning. The tactical team is still waiting for eyes on the ground to confirm their presence.”

  “I want to be there when they go in. Can you get us to Jordan?”

  “I’ll work on it.”

  Nikki nodded again and turned her gaze to the darkness outside her window. Her head hurt as she thought about Mel and Liam being held captive for almost forty-eight hours now. She closed her eyes and said a silent prayer that they were okay. It wouldn’t be long now until she would know their status. For the first time since they had boarded the plane, Nikki dozed off. She awakened as Angela secured the cabin door.

  “We’re refueled and ready to depart.” She placed a bag on the chair beside Nikki. “Eat.”

  Nikki opened the bag and removed a muffin. She broke off a small piece and stuck it in her mouth before taking a drink of water. “Thanks.”

  Angela opened her own bag and they ate in silence. Nikki chewed each bite thoughtfully before washing it down with water. Her mouth was dry, and she couldn’t taste the muffin. Halfway through, she dropped the remaining portion back inside the bag and laid it aside.

  “What’s bothering you?” Angela asked after watching her for several minutes.

  “I don’t understand why they would transport them all the way to Jordan when Daniel has a house in Tel Aviv. The risk seems too great.”

  “Maybe they felt the risk of keeping them in Tel Aviv was too great.”

  Nikki sighed. “What’s their end game?”

  Angela nodded. “That’s been bothering me too. What were they trying to accomplish when they captured them?”

  “Before Carter got shot, they were playing their surveillance really close. Maybe he was just trying to get them off his tail.”

  “And now that he has them?”

  Nikki shook her head. “I can’t think about that.” Several seconds of silence stretched between them. Nikki sat up straighter. “I have to believe they’re trying to escape.”

  “I like that thought.”

  Nikki rested her head against the seat again and closed her eyes. In four hours they would arrive in Tel Aviv and she would need to be focused. There was nothing she could do between now and then but mentally prepare.

  * * *

  Mel attempted to swallow again. Liam had poured a small amount of water into her mouth earlier when it was clear it would take him longer than he thought to release her hands from the ropes. They had shared a croissant and her mouth felt like it was filled with cotton. She longed to down the entire bottle sitting at her feet. The four croissants and two bottles of water that had been left for them wouldn’t last very long. The urge to go to the bathroom had increased and lessened several times over the hours. It was increasing again and she tried to hold still so Liam could saw at the ropes. Her muscles were numb and no longer ached from the inactivity as they had in the beginning.

  “Almost, Mel,” Liam said hopefully. He pulled hard with each hand and she felt the play increase. He yanked again and the ropes broke, releasing her hands.

  She rubbed her wrists. They didn’t hurt nearly as badly as her fingers, where the blood had finally dried in her cuts. She stood. “I’m sorry, Liam, but I have to do this.”

  He stood, too. “I know what you’re going to say and I’ll dig us a hole.” He used the wall to find his way into the farthest corner. When he finished, Mel followed the sound of his voice, shuffling slowly. She used the corner to help balance herself and managed to alleviate the pressure on her bladder before filling in the hole.

  Shuffling back to where Liam sat, she collapsed down beside him and opened the water bottle. Taking baby sips to curb her thirst and prevent her downing the entire bottle, she alternated with small bites of a croissant. Beside her Liam worked silently on the ropes wrapped around his legs. She searched the floor until she found all the pieces of the broken flashlight. Her fingers played with each piece as she examined it. Now that their hands were free she started working on the next plan. “How are your lock-picking skills?”

  “Did you find something we could use as a pick?” he asked hopefully.

  “Not yet, but there has to be something in this flashlight.”

  Liam held up the piece he was working with. “Maybe I can break off a strip of this piece.”

  “We’ll give it a shot when our legs are free.” She rubbed her face and it tingled. “Dammit. I think they tampered with the water.”

  “Sorry, I forgot to mention that. My head is so fuzzy. Just sip and maybe we can avoid getting too much of it at one time.”

  Chapter Forty

  Nikki and Angela were off the plane as soon as it touched down. They entered the main terminal and cleared customs quickly before renting a car. Angela gave Nikki the address where the tactical team was preparing and Nikki pulled up directions on her iPad. As they raced through the crowded streets, it was hard to tell it was almost midnight. People of all ages lined the streets waiting for the most popular clubs to open.

  “Makes New York City look lame, doesn’t it?” Angela asked as they watched a raucous group of partiers pass by their car.

  “Another city that never sleeps.”

  “I’ve been to other cities in Israel but never Tel Aviv. I’ve heard the beach is beautiful.”

  “It is.” Nikki was glad for the idle conversation. It took her mind away from the delay in getting to their des
tination.

  Angela accelerated through the intersection. “Much more welcoming to English-speaking tourists than I expected.”

  “It’s definitely more westernized than most cities in the Middle East.”

  They drifted back into silence as the speed of traffic increased. The lights of the city dropped behind them and soon the white stone of their destination stood above them. They were cleared to access the building by an armed young man holding a clipboard.

  Angela asked for Tom Sperry, and they were directed to a tall, dark-haired man in black tactical clothing. Seeing them arrive, Tom motioned them over to the table where he stood alone looking at the plans for a house.

  Introductions were made and Nikki stepped up to the table. “Is this Akim’s house in Jordan?”

  “It is.” Tom pointed to the plans. “Here’s the front and this is the main road for approach. Unfortunately, there is no nearby road to access the back so we plan to bring men in on foot through the neighbors’ backyards.” He glanced at both of them. “I understand that you guys want to be present when we go in?”

  Both women nodded.

  “The tactical team had to cross the bridge before it closed two hours ago so they have already departed. I knew you guys wouldn’t be here in time, so I’ve chartered a flight for us that will depart in about three hours. You can crash here until then. We have showers and a few cots set up.”

  “Any news back from the surveillance team?” Angela asked.

  Tom nodded. “There are lights on inside the house, and heat sensors pick up at least two individuals moving around inside.”

  “We’ll follow you to the airport and return our rental car.”

  “Sounds fine,” Tom agreed. “I’ll be around if you need anything before then. We should have another briefing update in about two hours.” He pointed out the showers before disappearing down the hallway.

  Angela looked at Nikki standing silently beside her. Her displeasure evident on her face. “What’s going on, Nikki?”

  “I just can’t wrap my head around the distance. To move them that far takes coordination. They wouldn’t have passports to clear the checkpoints, so they would have to pay someone off. That would take planning.”