David’s eyes widened. “What are you implying?”
“Nothing yet. I just want those two lists so that I can compare the movements of Sam Troutman and Saud Tariq.”
At that moment, Ana arrived with the bill, which she placed on the table. She had noticed that they were almost finished with their sandwiches and shakes. “ST and ST,” she said as she set down the bill.
“Thanks,” David said, taking a sip from his chocolate shake. “What do you mean, ST and ST?”
She laughed. “Oh, I just heard you say those two names. They have the same initials. I guess that is not very unusual, though.”
A look of smoldering fury appeared on David’s face. Noticing his change in expression, Ana hurriedly added, “Did I say something wrong?”
“No, Ana,” he quickly reassured her. “You are wonderful. I am angry with myself for overlooking the obvious. I am even more angry with an arrogant fiend who has been playing us for fools. He is soon going to find out who the real fool is.”
“Keep cool, David,” Jenny told him. “We don’t know anything for certain at this point. We need to compare those two lists.”
“Yes, but I know in my bones what the result is going to be.”
“I agree,” Charlie said. “The truth has been right there in front of us.”
After paying the bill and saying goodbye to Ana, the two detectives and the FBI agent went out onto the parking lot.
“This might take a while,” David said. “Getting the Saud Tariq information should be easy, but getting the information about Sam will be more complicated. I might have to call in one or two favors that are owed to me.”
“Charlie and I are heading to police headquarters downtown,” Jenny said. “Please let us know as soon as you get those two lists.”
“Right. I will try to get them to you as soon as possible.”
As Jenny and Charlie drove away, David made a call on his cell phone. “Hi, this is David. We have a problem.”
Chapter 14
Treachery
Charlie and Jenny drove east on Lindbergh Boulevard to Highway 55, which they then took north to downtown St. Louis. Sunset was approaching, and Jenny looked out the car window as twilight enhanced the beauty of the Gateway Arch and the Old Cathedral on the Mississippi riverfront.
Jenny had always found downtown interesting; she liked the combination of old, historic buildings sharing the same city blocks with gleaming, new skyscrapers. The best of the old and the best of the new, “The Best of Both Worlds,” Jenny smiled as she recalled a popular song from her teenage years.
When Jenny was a child, her father had occasionally brought her down to police headquarters, which were next door to city hall. The police officers and office staff always treated her like a little princess, so she always enjoyed her visits. She believed that these early positive experiences influenced her decision to follow her father into police work.
After going into the police headquarters building, Charlie went into Captain Vincent Perkins office in order to give an update to their supervisor. Meanwhile, Jenny went over to her desk in order to check the memos in her inbox.
“How is your father doing, dear?” Barbara Spencer asked Jenny. Barbara was a longtime secretary with the police department; she was approaching retirement age and had worked with Walter Halloran for ten years.
“He’s doing fine, Barb. I think that he liked all the excitement.”
“Well, he should be proud of himself for doing such a marvelous job defending that young woman. He was always an excellent police officer.”
“Thank you. I’ll tell him that you said so.”
Charlie emerged from Captain Perkins’s office and approached her. Jenny looked at him quizzically.
“How did it go?”
“Captain Perkins said that you and I are outstanding human beings and should be commended for our fine detective work,” Charlie said.
“So how did it really go?”
“He thinks that we are insane to suspect that an FBI agent is an Al Qaeda assassin. He said that if he gets any complaints about us from FBI officials, he might pull us off this case.”
“That sounds more like the Captain Perkins that we know and love,” Jenny said.
Charlie’s cell phone rang, and he glanced at the caller ID. “It’s David.”
“Let’s hope he has some information for us.”
“Hi, David.”
“Charlie, I have the lists!” Charlie could clearly hear the excitement in the agent’s voice.
“That’s great, David. That was fast work.”
“Getting the Saud Tariq list was easy. I mean it was easy to get the FBI records office to send me all of the information that they had about Saud Tariq. We don’t have a complete itinerary of all of his movements; there are weeks and even months when we have no idea where Saud Tariq was.”
“As you know, my guess is wherever Sam Troutman was, Saud Tariq was. A man doesn’t wander far from his shadow.”
“You’re right. At least I’m pretty sure that you are right. Getting the Sam Troutman list was more difficult since he is an active agent in good standing. I did need to call in a favor, but it paid off big-time.”
“How so?”
“There is a perfect overlap of some of the cities and dates on the two lists. Sam was in London the same week that Saud Tariq shot a moderate Islamic leader in London who encouraged peaceful coexistence with the West. Sam was in Berlin the same week that Saud Tariq killed an informant in Berlin who had been providing information to German intelligence about jihadists in that country. Sam was in Paris the same week that a sniper shot a counter-intelligence officer. The French police believe that Saud Tariq was the sniper.”
“Good work, David.” Charlie flashed a two thumbs-up sign to Jenny.
“I have both the lists downloaded onto my cell phone,” David said. “I can email the lists to you and your partner.”
“That would be great. Thanks.”
“Okay, hold on. I’m sending the lists now.”
A few seconds later the cell phones of both Charlie and Jenny signaled that they had received messages. The two detectives eagerly scanned the documents that David sent.
“Bingo!” Jenny declared. “It’s true. Sam Troutman is Saud Tariq. I can’t believe it!”
“We are going to take Sam into custody as soon as possible,” David said. “I’m on my way downtown now. I will meet you outside the local FBI office. We can get an arrest warrant and then take Sam into custody.”
After saying goodbye to David, Charlie and Jenny briefly stopped by their supervisor’s office in order to give him the latest information and show him the lists on their phones. They were both amused by the look of astonishment on Captain Vincent Perkins’s face. Although the man could sometimes be difficult, Jenny and Charlie both liked him and had a good relationship with him.
Captain Perkins grudgingly complimented them on their correct deductions. He stood in the doorway of his office and watched as they departed. Those are the two best detectives in the St. Louis Police Department, he reflected. Even before today, I thought so. I have never heard anyone say anything negative about either of them, and they solve almost every single case to which they were assigned.
In a million years, I would never tell them how much respect I have for them. I’m probably kidding myself. They probably already know how much I respect them. They figure everything else out -- at least almost everything else. Their own relationship is their only unsolved mystery.
All of the detectives, including myself, and the office staff are sure that those two will marry someday. They seem almost destined to be married to each other, but they don’t seem to realize that yet. Oh, well, I’m sure they will also figure that out eventually. Captain Perkins grinned and went back into his office.
While he was relaxing in his downtown hotel room, Sam Troutman’s cell phone rang. He did not recognize the caller ID.
“Yes? Troutman here,” he answered.
“Agent Troutman. This is Franklin Kincell from the Bureau’s data processing division. I assisted you with obtaining some information a few months ago.”
“Oh, yes, Franklin, I remember.” Sam recalled bribing the man in order to get unauthorized access to information about the FBI’s overseas intelligence sources. The information had been well worth the money that he paid Franklin. Several of those overseas intelligence sources were now dead.
“Good, I’m glad that you remember me,” Franklin resumed. “The reason that I am calling is that, when I helped you with that other matter, you asked me to let you know whenever someone electronically accessed your personnel records.”
Sam’s body tensed. “And someone did so?”
“Yes. I set things up so that I would receive an instant message if your personnel record was accessed. About ten minutes ago our data processing department accessed both your personnel records and the case records of an Al Qaeda agent named Saud Tariq.”
Damn! Sam closed his eyes and struggled to control his emotions. “To whom did they send those records?” he asked in a carefully-modulated voice.
“To Agent David Hummel.”
Sam maintained his control and asked, “Only to David Hummel?”
“Yes. The request for the information was sent by him as urgent and high-priority. I doubt that the data processing department staff even took the time to read over the records that they sent. However, I did, and it was very interesting. I compared the lists of where you have been with the list of the Saud Tariq’s activities. The comparison was fascinating.”
“I was pursuing Saud Tariq for quite some time,” Sam said.
“Okay, let’s go with that explanation. However, I still think that my information this evening is worth a lot more money than I received previously --- a lot more.”
“How much?”
“A hundred thousand dollars should be sufficient.”
“I will have that amount electronically transferred into your bank account. You have done well. I assume that I can count on your silence.”
“Of course, as long as I receive my money. However, if I’m not paid in the next day or two, I’ll have to have a conversation with some FBI officials.”
“You will receive your money,” Sam said tersely. “Now forward to my cell phone the same records that were sent to David Hummel.”
“I will send the records to you immediately.”
“That will be fine. I’m glad that you called. Goodbye.”
“Bye.”
I can’t believe that little twerp in trying to blackmail me, Sam thought incredulously. I was going to have to kill him anyway; he knows too much. However, blackmailing me absolutely necessitates that I kill him. His greed overcomes his common sense. Blackmailing an assassin --- not a good idea, Sam thought with a wry smile.
Others will have to die, too. I need to contain this breach so that I can continue to work for the FBI. David Hummel has probably told those two police detectives about what he has learned; all three will have to die.
He closed his briefcase in which the parts to his telescopic rifle were concealed behind a special lining. Sam carried the briefcase with him as he left the hotel room and headed for the elevator down to the lobby.
I know where David will be going, he reflected, and I need to stop him before he gets there. It is too bad that I have to kill him; on a personal level, I like the guy. The two police detectives are also amiable. I will also need to kill Fatima Cedars and Dennis Sandhaven. Unfortunately, this will be a very bloody week.
So it must be. In jihad, we do what must be done.
Chapter 15
Battle on High
Meanwhile, Jenny and Charlie emerged from the building and headed toward the car.
“Actually we could just walk over to the FBI offices,” Jenny said. “It’s just a few blocks.”
“It’s five long blocks,” Charlie said. “Although I could use the exercise, we need to resolve this situation swiftly. God only knows what Sam Troutman is doing right now.”
“Okay. You win. We’ll drive there.”
“You certainly didn’t need much persuading,” Charlie laughed.
“Well, you’re right about the importance of saving time.”
They drove five blocks west and parked on Market Street near the Milles Fountain, an elaborate fountain display called the “Wedding of the Waters,” symbolizing the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers, which merged a short distance north of the city.
It was almost completely dark as they crossed Market Street and walked alongside Union Station. The huge, Romanesque-style train station had been transformed into a shopping, restaurant, and hotel complex.
A few months earlier, Charlie had purchased his nieces and nephew a train set from the miniature railroad store in Union Station. Shortly before Christmas, Gregory, Violet, and the children had set up the train tracks around the base of the Christmas tree. While he ate Christmas dinner with them, Charlie had enjoyed watching his gift in motion as the train circled the tree.
On this evening, though, his thoughts remained focused on their mission. The local FBI offices were located in a building just west of Union Station. As they crossed the driveway and approached the lobby of the building, David Hummel and a tall, distinguished-looking man came out the front entrance.
“Oh, perfect timing,” David said as he spotted Jenny and Charlie. “Robert, these are the two detectives that I told you about. This is Lieutenant Charles Valentine and his partner, Lieutenant Jennifer Halloran.” He looked at them. “Detectives, this is Robert Webber, the assistant director of operations for this region.”
Charlie and Jenny shook hands with the FBI official.
“David tells me that the two of you are primarily responsible for cracking this case,” Webber told them. “Thank you for your help.”
“We are glad to be of service,” Jenny said.
“This is certainly a shocking situation,” Webber continued. “I can’t believe that we have another rogue agent. And this one is a killer!”
“Three agents are going to meet us at the hotel,” David said. “Hopefully we can take Sam by surprise there.”
“He is a very dangerous man,” Webber said.
As they walked toward David’s rental car, two gunshots rang out. Charlie and Jenny instantly had their pistols in their hands, and David was only a fraction of a second slower than the two police detectives.
Robert Webber, though, collapsed to the pavement, having been hit by both of the shots.
“We’re too much in the open here!” Jenny shouted as she and Charlie looked for the shooter. “Let’s get him behind that car!”
As David, Charlie, and Jenny dragged Webber behind a Monte Carlo, two more gunshots shattered the windows of the car.
“The sniper is firing from the rooftop of that building across the street!” Charlie exclaimed.
“Robert is dead,” David said sadly, looking up from the body of the FBI official.
“I’m very sorry, David,” Jenny said and added a silent prayer for Webber’s soul.
“Is Sam the sniper?” David asked.
“I can’t tell from this distance,” Charlie said. “At the moment he would have a hard time hitting us, but he is moving on that rooftop to a better angle from which he can hit us. We are going to have to get over toward that stairwell.”
“We will be in the open for several seconds if we try to get there,” David said.
“That’s the only option,” Charlie said, rising from his crouching position. “We will need to leave Robert’s body here for now. I will provide cover fire as we run toward the stairwell. Okay, let’s move! Now!”
With all three running at top speed, Charlie kept himself between the sniper and Jenny while he fired several shots toward the shadowy figure on the rooftop across the street. Charlie could see the sniper duck for cover, seemingly surprised by the return fire. He did not get any shots at the trio before they reached the temporary
safety of the stairwell.
“We should wait here for help to arrive,” David told Charlie while Jenny used her cell phone to call for back-up help from other police officers.
“We can’t,” Charlie said, pointing across the street. “Can you see him up there? He is already moving to a different spot from where he can hit us here.”
David squinted as he attempted to discern the identity of the sniper. “I’m fairly sure that is Sam! Damn him to hell!”
Charlie snapped a new clip into his pistol. “I might be able to get him,” he said with more conviction that he felt.
“I have a whole army of police on the way, Charlie,” Jenny said as she ended her cell phone call.
“We don’t have time to wait for them. You and David should stay here. Stay crouched down against the steps. These glass walls give him a clear view into the stairwell, but it is getting dark, and he might not spot you right away. And I’m planning on keeping him busy.”
“Be careful, Charlie!” Jenny implored him.
“I will,” he promised as he ascended.
Charlie went up the stairwell as high as he could; the stairwell did not go all the way up to the roof. He exited outside onto a mezzanine level, remaining crouched as he moved rapidly across the mezzanine.
For a brief time, Charlie thought that the sniper was unaware that he had ascended to that level. However, that idea was quickly dispelled when two shots smashed into the air conditioning unit only three feet away from Charlie.
The loud hum of the air conditioning unit instantly stopped, replaced by the hiss of escaping freon. The hissing sound reminded Charlie of the hiss of a viper.
His survival instincts prompted Charlie to keep moving. It occurred to him that the sniper was not very good at hitting moving targets. He probably has never had much practice shooting at a moving target, Charlie deduced, as he bobbed and wove amongst the cornices and buttresses.
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