The operatives were moving quietly through the hills, and the scenes on the myriad of screens in the room came from body cam and helmet cam feeds. She could hear radio chatter, some in English but most in Arabic.
Personnel in the room were communicating with the agents in the field, issuing orders and coordinating the operation.
Ludlum watched, nervous and worried.
She leaned over to whisper to Agent Brown. “What should we expect to see?”
“They’re moving on the camp soon. We’re seeing our guys, but Egyptian operatives are surrounding the site. From what I’ve heard, Ra’id Sarraf’s men have everyone in the camp locked down, basically hostages. So they’re having to do this very carefully.”
“Any sign of Dan? Or Roland?”
Brown shook her head. “Not yet.”
On the main screen, things started moving. Ludlum watched the jostled, shaking image as the operative behind it sprinted down into the valley, sliding at times down gullies in the hillside. He took cover as another man appeared on screen, carrying a rifle and wearing the uniform of the Egyptian military.
“How do they tell them apart?” Ludlum asked. “The bad guys from the good guys?”
“Good guys are wearing insignia on their sleeves,” Brown replied.
Onscreen, the Egyptian soldier passed by without noticing the American operative, and within seconds the operative sprang out of hiding and took the man down. There were no shots fired, and not even a peep out of the enemy. He was gagged and trussed up, and then dragged back into the hills.
The view switched to another helmet cam, and a similar attack was in progress.
The plan, as far as Ludlum could determine, was for the Americans to be the initial incursion force, cutting into the enemy like a scalpel so that the Egyptian contingent could come in and clean up with minimal risk to the civilians. The action they’d just witnessed was just one of dozens along the perimeter. The operation was well under way.
Reports were coming from all directions, as far as Ludlum could determine, and she was impressed that anyone could follow and coordinate it all. It seemed to her to be chaos. Her training, her temperament, made her want to straighten out all of the lines and narrow things down, to find a single cause at the root of everything. This was a different way of thinking, like solving puzzles in parallel. It was exciting but exhausting to her.
“Agent Brown, Dr. Ludlum.” Assistant Secretary Dale Craft approached from the floor. He was coordinating the cooperative operation, on behalf of the State Department, and had arranged for the two of them to be here. “We have some news. The raid has been successful in removing the rogue element. The camp has been reclaimed.”
“Any casualties?” Brown asked. “Any sign of our people?”
Craft shook his head. “There are some injuries, but we’re still getting the reports. No sign of Agent Denzel or Dr. Kotler. However, we’ve gotten word that Ra’id Sarraf and some of his men left the site in a military transport about an hour ago, before our team arrived.”
“Left?” Ludlum asked. “Where did they go?”
Craft shook his head. “No idea yet. We’re checking satellite footage now. Shouldn’t be long. The Egyptian government is being very cooperative. They’re not happy about one of their own being behind this. They’ve allowed us to bypass a lot of the red tape.”
He left, and Ludlum turned her attention back to activity onscreen. She had secretly held on to the hope that she would see Kotler’s face appear there, as he was rescued. Now she wasn’t sure if she’d ever see him again.
“Come on,” Brown said, tugging at her arm.
“Where are we going?” Ludlum replied, following reluctantly.
“Commissary,” Brown said, holding up the visitor’s badge. “It’s one of the places we have access to. And it has donuts.”
They took an elevator to the ground floor, and into a corridor ending at a set of glass doors that opened into the commissary. The space overlooked a courtyard of lush, green plants. The commissary encircled the courtyard with seating and a serving area. Brown went straight for a cart of donuts, followed by the coffee station.
Ludlum usually avoided donuts, but this was a special case. She chose something with nuts on it, in an attempt to at least pretend she was eating something healthy.
They sat at one of the tables overlooking the courtyard, coffee and donuts before them. Ludlum picked at hers, eating small pinches at a time.
“Call me Dani,” Brown said to her as she dunked a chunk of donut in her coffee.
“I’m … what?” Ludlum replied.
“Dani,” Brown said. “Short for Danielle.”
“I know, I just … why are you telling me to call you Dani?”
Brown shrugged and popped the coffee-soaked bit of donut into her mouth. She swallowed and smiled. “It just seems like you need a friend more than an FBI agent. So …” she patted her chest. “Dani.”
Ludlum blinked, and smiled, then mimicked the gesture. “Liz,” she said.
Brown nodded. “They’re going to find him, you know.”
Ludlum nodded. "I know. I'm just prepared for finding in him in bad condition."
Brown sipped her coffee, blowing on it to cool it a bit. “Good. Because honestly, that’s a likely outcome. It’s hard to hear, I know. But we may not be able to save them.”
“I know,” Ludlum said.
“But we stopped the bad guys,” Brown said.
Ludlum thought about this. The truth was, they hadn't entirely stopped the bad guys. Not yet. Sarraf was still out there, with a contingent of armed men and an agenda they could only guess at. No one knew for sure what he was really after, or how far he would take things. He may already have gotten what he wanted and escaped, for all they knew.
“It’s out of our hands for now,” Ludlum said, sipping her own coffee. She hesitated then, and said, “Can I change the subject? I mean, it’s sort of related.”
“Shoot,” Brown replied.
Ludlum nodded. “Ok, I’ve been thinking about the question you raised. About Historic Crimes. About Dan. You were wondering about the department.”
Brown was watching her and didn't speak, but nodded.
“I’m wondering, too,” Ludlum said, her voice involuntarily going quieter. “I’m wondering who approved all of it. Who is behind it? So … I started looking.” She glanced away as she said this, looking to the green of the courtyard.
Brown was dunking another bit of donut into her coffee. “And … did you find anything?”
Ludlum shook her head. “Not yet. This took precedence,” she waved a hand, encompassing the State Department building. “I was looking over our charter, trying to find who wrote it and who commissioned everything. But so far, nothing.”
“I’m not surprised,” Brown said. “These things usually go through so many channels, there’s no way to know who came up with the initial idea. For all we know this was sitting there waiting to be approved when Denzel and Kotler came along. Right place, right time.”
Ludlum nodded. “I can see how that might be it. And maybe it is. But I can’t get it out of my head. Something about all of this isn’t quite right. I had always thought of Historic Crimes as a sort of task force. But a task force has a specific objective and a timeline. Historic Crimes … it's a whole new division of the FBI. The charter is broad. The conditions a case has to meet to be considered under our purview … well, they’re pretty wide open.”
“So what do you think that means?” Brown asked.
Ludlum shook her head. “I’m not sure. Not yet. But … I was hoping maybe you could help me find out.”
“Me?” Brown asked. “Why me?”
“It was your question, originally. You found all of this suspicious. You had the gut instinct. And, well, you have more reach than I do, when it comes to accessing records we’ll need.”
“So you want me to help you get into FBI files, above your clearance.”
Ludlum sighed and leaned
back. “No, I guess not. You’re right, that’s probably a bad idea.”
“I didn’t say that,” Brown replied. “I’m just making sure I’m defining the roles properly.” She leaned forward, her voice just above a whisper. “I can’t investigate this myself,” she said. “Not the way I need to. But I’ve wanted to dig into this. I don’t think Denzel or Kotler are into anything here, but my gut tells me that someone out there is playing a game. The boys aren’t seeing it. Maybe they don’t want to see it. So it’s up to us.”
Ludlum listened and watched. "And what about you?"
“What about me?” Brown replied.
“I want to uncover this, whatever it is, because I care about Dan, and about Agent Denzel,” Ludlum said. “What’s driving you?”
Brown shook her head. “I care about them, too. But you’re right. I have my own reasons. I want to know who pays my check, and who calls the shots I take. I want to know that I’m working for the good guys, and that I’m not part of something … I dunno … dark? Sinister?”
“The good guys,” Ludlum said, thinking. She sipped her coffee again and nodded. “Ok. So we’re going to assume that we’re on that side. And that Roland and Dan are, too.”
“Maybe,” Brown said. “We can’t just make assumptions. We should vet them. Clear them. Then keep digging.”
Ludlum considered this, then nodded. “You’re right. If I were investigating this as a forensics case, that’s exactly what I’d have to do. Ok, we’ll start there.”
“And I’ll get you any information you need. As much as I can,” Brown said. “I’ll do some digging on my own, but I’ll have to be a bit more careful. I think you can make more progress on this than I can. No one will be watching you, if you limit how you dig. Plus you have contacts outside of the FBI, from your NYPD days. You’re perfect for this.”
That made Ludlum pause. She put the coffee cup on the table and pressed the palms of her hands against the flat surface, leaning forward. “Dani,” she said, “was this your plan all along? Get me intrigued? Get me working on this?”
Brown leaned back and brought her coffee to her lips. She popped the last of her donut into her mouth and washed it down. She nodded to Ludlum’s partially eaten donut.
“You going to finish that?” she asked.
Ludlum shook her head. Brown picked up the donut and started breaking it into chunks, and Ludlum thought that maybe she had her answer.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Egypt
Kotler and Denzel were both cuffed and secured in the back of a military transport—one of two vehicles on their way to the Otherworld site. Their truck was filled with armed men, presumably Sarraf's most trusted soldiers. There was no chance to speak, much less make an escape, and so the two of them rode in silence.
The second truck had fewer personnel. It was loaded with the equipment they might need, once they got to the site. The location was remote, and the terrain was rough. There was some indication, from the rough map they had, that they might have to do some climbing and excavation.
Ammon and Nesahor were in the second truck. Sarraf was in the cab of the one Kotler and Denzel were in. They were all on their way to a spot that would be the perfect location to dump the bodies of two Americans.
The ride was rough, and they were jostled quite a bit as the truck drove over terrain that would cripple most vehicles. They were rising higher into the mountains here, and there were no roads.
Even if he and Denzel managed to escape, Kotler thought, they might never make it back to civilization.
They’d been traveling for a couple of hours, by Kotler’s estimate, when finally the truck slowed and stopped, maneuvering into position through a series of turns and reverses. When the engine stopped, the soldiers filed out, closing the door behind them.
Kotler and Denzel were left chained to their seats as Sarraf’s men exited the truck. The soldiers would do the work of setting up equipment and preparing the site. Kotler could hear Sarraf shouting orders in Arabic.
“Any ideas about how we get out of this?” Denzel asked.
Kotler shook his head. “Not a one. I was counting on us opening the Credne door, back at the camp. I was hoping to buy us time.”
“Time for what?” Denzel asked.
“For rescue,” Kotler replied. “I’ve been in contact with Liz and Agent Brown. They were arranging for the Egyptian authorities to send help. But I didn’t count on us moving from the site.”
“Any idea what their ETA was?” Denzel asked.
Kotler shook his head. “They were just making the arrangements when Sarraf and Ammon arrived back at camp.” Kotler thought about Maalyck, laying on the ground in a pool of blood. Kotler’s heart ached for his friend, but at the moment he had troubles enough of his own.
He looked up to see Denzel staring at the floor.
“What about you?” Kotler asked.
Denzel shook his head. “No ideas about escape, but I’m thinking your plan to stall and buy time might still be a good one.”
“How so?”
“If Brown managed to get the Egyptian authorities moving, it means she went to the State Department. They’ll likely use satellites to track us from the Credne site to here. And …” he tapped one of the pockets of his pants. “I still have the satellite phone. So …”
“So if we can keep progress to a minimum, they may still get here in time,” Kotler said.
“Think you can make it look like you’re working on this and stall at the same time?” Denzel asked.
Kotler considered. “With Ammon and Nesahor here, it’s going to be tricky. They’re both archaeologists. They’ll be able to tell if I’m blowing smoke. I think I may have more insight into Druidic customs, which may help. But it’s dicey.”
“Do whatever you can,” Denzel said. “I’ll see if I can help drag us along.”
“Be careful,” Kotler warned. “Sarraf is pretty intent on using you as leverage against me.”
Denzel locked eyes with him. “It may come down to letting him do what he’s going to do.”
Kotler shook his head and was about to say something when the door to the truck swung open. He and Denzel turned to see two of Sarraf’s men climb inside. They unlocked the chains and shoved Kotler and Denzel out of the truck.
They managed to get safely to the rocky terrain outside without falling face-first from the truck, and Kotler looked around to get an idea of the place. They were high in the mountains, on a flat ridge that overlooked a sheer drop into a crag below. He pictured the map from the Credne vault. This place was several miles east of the main camp, and the mountains became more predominant here. There were no signs of paths or other means of egress. They would have to rappel from here.
"We have located the most likely entrance," Ammon said. He was holding a map, folded to display their current location and marked with grease pencil. "Here," Ammon said, pointing with one finger. He looked to Kotler. “There is a large stone there, on a ridge. It appears similar to the entrance to the Credne vault.” He said this last with a grin, and his demeanor was that of a colleague, rather than a captor. Kotler despised the man, but for the moment he would have to play into his delusions.
“Remarkable,” Kotler said, filling his voice with awe.
He turned to Dr. Nesahor. “When the vault was discovered, what methods were used to open it?”
Nesahor was quiet, watching Kotler, and for a moment Kotler wondered if the man recognized that this was all a distraction. Could he read through Kotler’s ruse?
Nesahor shook his head. “It required a crane and several workers. The entry was then widened by hand, to allow for equipment to be brought in.”
Kotler considered this and shook his head. “I don’t think we could get a crane down there, though we might be able to reach it from up top, lift the stone out of the way.”
“We do not have a crane,” Ammon said, then smiled. “But we do have another way.”
“What’s that?” Kotler asked
.
Ammon nodded to the transport. “There is a winch on the front of this truck. We will attach it to the stone and pull it free.”
Kotler’s eyes widened. “That stone has to weigh at least a thousand pounds! Can the winch handle that?”
“It will handle it,” Sarraf said, stepping forward. “We need only move it a few inches, and then allow it to fall.”
Kotler wanted to object, to suggest some other plan, but he couldn’t think of a way to justify it. He worried that it would become apparent he was stalling. Instead, he nodded, and Sarraf turned and ordered his men to get to work.
Kotler was kept away from Denzel during this time. His cuffs were removed, but Denzel's remained, and he was held under close guard.
Kotler was working an angle that had its drawbacks but might give him more opportunities. He was annoyed by Ammon and despised both him and Nesahor, but he kept his feelings in check. Kotler talked to them as colleagues, discussing potential risks to both the workers and the site, offering suggestions for how to proceed, once the stone was removed. He even engaged in animated discussions with Ammon about what it meant, that the Druids had such a strong presence in this region. How had their culture influenced the locals? Had they even made contact? There were mysteries and questions here that Kotler had a legitimate interest in uncovering, and so it made it that much easier to continue the ruse.
In effect, Kotler was ingratiating himself to them, to get them thinking of him as an ally, and to lower their guard.
It seemed to work with the two archaeologists, but Sarraf was a tougher sell. He was naturally suspicious, and never let Kotler forget that he was their prisoner. He was belligerent at times and quick to fall back on menace as his tool of influence. The threat to Denzel’s life loomed over everything.
Even Sarraf started coming around, however. In small doses, at least. Kotler found that as he pushed the limits of his latitude at this site, he had fewer and fewer restrictions. He was able to move freely, and he had access to tools and resources that would have been forbidden to him earlier. The strategy was working.
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