by Allan, Dale
Knowing that his brother had built one of the most impressive homes in the area, Luke smiled, but he didn’t respond. When they reached the driveway, the only guard that was left to watch the empty house stepped out of his car and approached the Jeep. Seeing Luke, he waved and quickly opened the gates.
Speechless, Vincent followed Luke through the front door. Once they entered the foyer, he said, “This is incredible. Do you mind if I look around?”
“Not at all, but we don’t have much time.”
Luke went to his room to get some clean clerical clothes for himself and an outfit for Vincent. He opened his closet and pulled a few items from the top shelf, including his Bible. Wanting to make sure that Aaron’s gun was still there, he placed his hand under a stack of sweaters and moved it around until he felt the cold steel barrel. As Luke walked into the hallway, Vincent emerged from the basement and said, “This house is awesome.” Before Luke could respond, he continued, “Do you know your brother had a Lamborghini?”
Luke smiled. “Is that what that is?”
Vincent shook his head. “How many bedrooms are there?”
“I think there are seven bedrooms and ten bathrooms.”
As they walked toward the front door, Vincent felt compelled to say, “I’ve built and been inside some really nice houses, but I’ve never seen anything like this.”
After waving to the guard, they were on their way to see Blade for the last time. Turning into the crematory parking lot, Luke asked, “How many miles have we gone?”
Looking at the odometer, Vincent replied, “Almost seven.”
The stone-and-brick building looked like a small church. On top of each roof peak was a metal cross, and the sides were lined with elaborate stained glass windows. Luke pointed toward John’s truck and said, “Park over there.”
As they walked inside, Luke noticed Blade’s bicycle propped up against the building. John was waiting in the hallway. “Hi, John,” Luke said, extending his hand. As they shook, he could see that most of John’s attention was focused on Vincent. Releasing his grip, John immediately turned and introduced himself. When Vincent said his last name, “Russo,” Luke could see the concern in John’s eyes. In an attempt to put him at ease, Luke said, “John, Vincent is trying to help us find his adopted brother Fatih. I’ll explain everything after the service.”
An older, white-haired man wearing a dark suit approached. Recognizing Luke, he said, “Right this way, Father.” He led them to a quiet room that contained Blade’s casket with two candles burning on either side. As Luke’s eyes adjusted to the dimly lit room, he saw Margaret sitting in the front row. He hugged her and thanked her for coming. In the back of the room, he saw a woman who he assumed was Star. She looked younger than he expected, and she was dressed in dark clothing. He walked back and squatted down in front of her while she sat. “I’m Luke Miller. I’m truly sorry for your loss.” She didn’t speak, but she nodded, acknowledging his presence. When she looked directly at him, he realized where she had gotten her nickname from: She had a blue star tattooed under her left eye.
Luke went back to the front of the room and knelt in front of Blade’s casket. After saying a few silent prayers, he turned and began the service. Knowing that Blade had lived a difficult and tortured life, he focused on the forgiving nature of God. Luke paged through his Bible until he found the parable of the prodigal son. After reading it, he explained how it related to each part of Blade’s life. He concluded by saying, “Franklyn Hennessey has found his way home, and Jesus has welcomed him with open arms.”
Everyone present paid their final respects by kneeling and saying a silent prayer at the casket. Luke asked John and Vincent to go outside, as he waited for Star to exit. After about fifteen minutes, she walked out. Seeing Luke, she nervously looked up and down the hallway as he approached.
Truly concerned, Luke asked, “Do you need a place to stay?”
She didn’t speak but shook her head no.
Luke quickly reached into his pocket and took out a piece of paper. He jotted down his cell phone number and said, “Please call me if you need anything.”
When he tried to hand her some cash, she finally spoke. “I don’t need any money, but thank you anyway.”
Respecting her wishes, Luke put the money back and asked, “Did you see what happened to Blade?”
Her bloodshot eyes filled with tears. Again, she didn’t speak, but this time she shook her head yes.
“Please, can you tell me what happened? I want to help.”
No response.
Luke decided that he would ask her yes and no questions, so she didn’t have to say too much.
“How many men were there? One?” He paused. “Two?”
She nodded.
“Did you see their faces?”
She shook her head no.
Painting the full picture, Luke said, “The two men held Blade down, rolled up his sleeve, and put a needle in his arm.”
A tear fell from her eye as she nodded yes.
“Did they see you?”
She shook her head no, and she began to cry harder.
With his heart breaking, Luke walked close and hugged her. She didn’t return his embrace but stood with her arms at her side.
Exiting the building, Luke asked Star, “Did you ride that bicycle all the way here?”
Again, she nodded affirmatively.
Realizing that Star had traveled several miles, Luke asked, “Can I give you a ride home?”
She shook her head no. Before leaving, Star said very softly, “Can you wait here for a minute?”
“Of course.”
She walked toward the back of the building and returned carrying a small puppy. As she reached Luke, John and Vincent walked over to see what was happening.
“After Blade got the money, he bought the dog. He always wanted one but knew that he couldn’t afford to feed it. Can you bring him to the pound? I can’t take care of him.”
Abruptly, she handed the dog to Luke and got on the bicycle. As she rode away, Luke raised his voice and said, “Star, please call me if you need anything.”
She didn’t respond.
VINCENT TOOK THE PUPPY from Luke and placed him in the back of the Jeep. Luke asked John to meet him at the local Verizon store so everyone could get their own phones. The dog, who looked like a baby German shepherd, whined while lying on the backseat. Trying to comfort him, Luke reached back and rubbed his belly. Before they had reached the store, the puppy was sleeping on Luke’s lap in the front.
Vincent parked and rushed around to the passenger door to help Luke get out. Picking up the sleeping puppy, he held him in his arms as they entered the store. When a pretty girl rushed out from behind the counter to pet the snoozing pooch, Vincent looked at Luke and said, “Maybe I should keep him.” They both laughed.
John was already inside, checking out the phones with a salesperson. When Luke approached, he heard John asking about the least expensive phone and plan that he could purchase. “John, pick any phone you want. I’m going to add you to my plan; it’s a requirement of your new job.” John smiled, but not wanting to waste money, he continued questioning the clerk.
Once John and Vincent had selected their phones, Luke asked the clerk to add them to his plan. Vincent protested, but Luke insisted. “It’s really inexpensive to add a phone when you already have an account.” When Luke requested that another phone be added, John asked, “Who’s that for?”
Luke looked at him and replied, “Star. Tomorrow after we pick up Blade’s ashes, we’re going to try to find her.”
John agreed to follow them to the boat so that Luke could tell him all that he had learned while he was away. When they settled down on the yacht, Luke and Vincent explained everything to John. He was amazed at their story, and all three of them were convinced that Blade had been telling the truth.
“So what do we do now?” asked John.
“We wait to hear from Arnold,” answered Luke.
They ordered pizza, played cards, and watched television on the boat for the rest of the afternoon. During one of the card games, they made a bet that whoever won the game could name the pup, who was now sleeping on Luke’s bed. When Vincent won, he announced that the dog’s name would be Justice. Luke and John nodded in agreement.
Growing bored, they decided to take a ride to the local pet store to get a collar and food for Justice. As they pulled into a parking space, Luke said from the backseat, “I’ll stay here with the dog. I really don’t want to be recognized.” While he waited, his phone rang. Answering it, he was elated to hear Arnold’s voice. “Father Luke, can you talk?”
“Yes.”
“I just got a hit on the website.” At that moment, Vincent and John returned and opened the car doors. Luke hushed them and put his phone on speaker. They sat in the Jeep with the engine off, waiting to hear what Arnold had to say.
“He just signed on a few minutes ago.”
“Hi, Arnold, this is Vincent. Which site did he access?”
“The porn site.”
Vincent cursed and said, “I knew it!”
“Where is he?” Luke asked.
“Riyadh.”
Luke looked at Vincent and said out loud, “Saudi Arabia.” He glanced at his watch. “It’s close to midnight there.” Thinking quickly, he continued, “Did you get an address?”
“Not yet. That’s the next step in the sign-on process. But I do have a password.”
“What is it?”
“Ismail.”
“That was his father’s name,” Vincent exclaimed.
Arnold explained, “OK, here’s what you need to do. Wait until you are fairly sure that your friend in Saudi Arabia is sleeping. Go to the website for his e-mail hosting service and sign on to his ID using the screen name from the e-mail you showed me and the password I just gave you. But remember, if you read any of his unread e-mail, there’s a chance that he will know. Some e-mail services change the status of an e-mail once it’s been read. If this happens, I’d suggest that you delete the e-mail so he can’t tell. Also, if you log on while he is logged on to the system, some providers send notifications that multiple users are on the same ID. As you already know, I work nights, so call me and let me know how it goes.”
Luke thanked him, and they headed back to Aaron’s house so they could use the computer. They decided to wait until seven that evening to log in, knowing that Riyadh was eight hours ahead. Even if Fatih was a night owl, he would most likely be sleeping by 3:00 a.m. But that meant waiting for hours, so they settled in and tried to watch TV. Luke found himself looking at his watch every five minutes. The anticipation of finally confirming his worst fears was killing him.
Ten minutes before seven, he decided that they had waited long enough. Signing on, he pulled up the main e-mail screen and typed in Fatih’s user name and password. When a small box appeared at the center of the screen, he knew it wasn’t good news. He read out loud, “Invalid password, try again.” Luke carefully retyped the password again. When he pressed enter, the same message appeared. Vincent cursed. Knowing that if he entered the wrong password too many times the system would lock him out, Luke cleared the screen.
Dejected, he quickly dialed Arnold’s number and told him what happened, concluding, “It’s over. We’ve hit a dead end.”
“Don’t be so sure,” Arnold replied.
LUKE WAS ROUSED FROM a deep sleep by his ringing cell phone. He looked at the clock and saw that it was 3:16 a.m. He mumbled, “Hello?”
Arnold said quickly, “OK, he just signed on to the website again. Do you have a pen and paper?”
Luke fumbled through the nightstand drawer. “Go ahead.”
“Try this password: infidel66.”
“Why did he create another password?” Luke asked.
“He didn’t. A lot of people automatically type their most-used password when they are prompted to enter one online. Knowing this, I had the application capture all passwords that had been typed. A few minutes ago, your friend in Saudi Arabia typed infidel66 and received a message that it was invalid. Remembering, he immediately entered the old one, Ismail.”
Before ending the call, Luke promised to let Arnold know what happened. He wanted to sign on now, but since it was already late morning in Saudi Arabia, he restrained himself, wanting to ensure that Fatih wasn’t signed on to his e-mail account. As much as he tried, Luke couldn’t sleep. He wanted to figure this out now. Lying in bed, he had a startling thought. The time zone difference between Boston and Saudi Arabia made it almost noon in Riyadh. Fatih would be on his way to midday prayers. He rushed to wake Vincent.
He peered into Vincent’s room and saw him sitting up in bed with Justice at his side. “What are you doing up?” asked Luke.
“I told you, I’m a very light sleeper. Why? What’s going on?”
Luke excitedly recounted his conversation with Arnold, and they agreed that now was the time to sign on to Fatih’s account.
They sat side by side as Luke entered the password. Before he could press Enter, Vincent asked, “What does infidel mean?”
“It means one without faith,” Luke replied soberly. He pressed Enter, and they held their breath as the screen returned and displayed a list of e-mail messages. Vincent yelled, “Oh my God, I can’t believe it.”
Luke’s heart was pounding as he quickly scanned the list of e-mail. To be cautious, he decided to start with the ones that had already been read. After reading the first twenty, he grew disappointed and saw that this was leading nowhere. Fatih’s e-mail were mundane—notes from friends, comments on the local camel and horse races, and so on. Admittedly, a thirty-year-old man’s social life was different in Riyadh than it was in the United States. There was no nightlife to speak of, alcohol was forbidden, and there was no dating before marriage. The big nightly activity was walking the main streets after prayer services.
After continuing to search for an hour, Luke said, “It doesn’t look like we’re going to find anything here, but I have another idea.”
“What’s that?”
“In the morning, I’ll find out if my friend Jami knows someone in Riyadh who can look up where Fatih is living.”
Not willing to give up, Vincent took control of the keyboard, insisting, “Let’s try a few more.”
Luke watched as Vincent navigated to the “sent” items list. He paged down and started reading e-mail after e-mail. Luke had closed his eyes and was dozing off in surrender when he heard the typing stop. Opening his eyes, he was surprised to see Vincent staring at him. Vincent didn’t say a word but pointed to the screen. Luke scanned the note and didn’t see anything interesting until the bottom, where it said, “Give my regards to Ismail.”
Vincent looked at Luke in disbelief of what he was seeing and said, “That bastard!”
Luke didn’t know what to say. After rereading the e-mail, he reassured Vincent, “Ismail is a very common Arab name; I wouldn’t jump to any conclusions. For all we know, he could have a son named after his dead father.”
Vincent thought for a few minutes and then began typing again. They scanned every e-mail folder but found no other clues. Noticing that Vincent was visibly upset, Luke said, “Let’s go back to bed. I promise I’ll call my friend first thing in the morning. We know a lot more than we did yesterday, and we’ll know more tomorrow. You should know by now that I’m not giving up until I figure out who killed my brother, and if Fatih had anything to do with your parents’ deaths, he’ll pay for both.”
“You’re damn right, and I’ll make sure of it,” Vincent said through clenched teeth.
Vincent again brought up getting the police involved. Luke was adamantly against it, since they still had no real evidence. He added, “And I don’t think the police would be too happy to hear that we hacked into Fatih’s e-mail account.” To prove his point, Luke took the keyboard and typed into the search engine, “What’s the penalty for hacking into an e-mail account?” When the screen refreshed, ther
e were thousands of hits. Luke scanned down the list, and it didn’t take long to confirm that this was a serious offense, with huge fines and jail time measured in years.
Both men returned to their rooms, but neither slept. Luke again was tortured with the thought that someone was evil enough to plan a vicious attack years in advance. If his worst fears were confirmed, he would be uncovering one of the most devious terror plots ever. One thing was sure. He was going to catch Aaron’s killer even if he had to go to Riyadh to do it.
LUKE AND VINCENT WERE still awake as the sun began to rise. Knowing that it was too early to call Jami, Luke suggested that they go downstairs to the gym for a workout. Luke ran on a treadmill for several miles. Watching in the mirrored walls, Luke saw Vincent pick up a few weights, hit the heavy bag a few times, and ride the exercise bike for a few minutes. Eventually he sat on a bench and stared out the windows. Understandably, Vincent was traumatized at the realization that his adopted brother might also be his parents’ killer.
After showering, Luke dialed Jami’s number. She answered, “Hi, Luke.”
“Good morning, Jami. I hope I didn’t wake you.” She laughed. “No, I have my last class before the holiday break this morning.”
“I really need to talk to you. When will you be free?”
“Class ends at ten thirty. What did you find out?”
“Can you meet me in front of your apartment complex at eleven?”
“Yes.”
“I’ll be in a bright orange Jeep. Since I don’t want our picture to be in the newspaper again, I’ll be sitting in the back, and a friend of mine will be driving.”
Jami said, “OK, I’ll look for you.”
Luke knew what he wanted to do before meeting Jami, and he asked Vincent to take a ride. Once on the road, he called John to see if he could go to the Common and try to find Star. John agreed, and Luke and Vincent drove back to the crematory in Forest Hills with Justice in the backseat. They parked in the lot, and Luke said, “Wait here. I’ll just be a minute.” Walking inside, he was greeted by a man in a dark suit who went into the back office and returned holding a black wooden box. When Luke asked about the bill, he was told that Margaret had sent a check in advance.
