Compared to Dubai, London would be a cakewalk, Case thought. Hassan's daughter was a socialite who entertained friends and business associates of her father's in the office almost every day. Although the four-story building in Belgrave Square was under the watchful eye of Hassan's enforcer Zarif Safwan, it was also much more accessible by the public. Unlike Dubai, Amina entertained visitors often in her fourth-floor office.
Harry continued. "The fact that you and I were friends had nothing to do with the decision to recruit you. It was Amina's collection of antiquities coupled with your international prominence in the field of rarities that made it all work. It seemed simple at the time. I was already here, consumed with Operation Condor. I know you can't understand this, but when I was in the White House and had a hundred advisors at my beck and call, decisions were a lot easier to make than they are now. Now I have a handful of people I can bounce ideas off – all good, don't get me wrong – but it's just Don, Marty, Aaron, Bob and me. CIA, the VP, the Secretary of State and my Chief of Staff. Granted, the decisions I have to make now are one percent of what they used to be, but the ones now are more important than any I ever made back at home.
"So yes, I gave Don permission to discuss the plan with you – to recruit you, if I'm being honest. Yes, I asked my dad to call you, to convince you to cooperate. But I promise you, Brian – and you too, Nicole – if I'd realized where we would be right now, I wouldn't have done it."
Nicole yawned and glanced at her watch. It had been a long, long day and she was sinking fast. But this night couldn't end without the answers.
"So where exactly are we right now, Harry?"
"You two and Amina Hassan have developed a personal relationship, which I have no fault with. Brian, we used you in the beginning to get into her office. You played the part perfectly, but obviously you also were intrigued with her collection. That made things even more realistic."
"No kidding. In fact, she has something priceless –"
"Stop!" Nicole said harshly. "I'm sorry, sweetie, but we have to stay on the subject. I'm about to crash. Keep going, Harry."
"You became friends; she spent time with Nicole when she visited London –"
The CIA watched our every move, Nicole thought bitterly.
"– and now she's planning a trip to Dallas in a few days."
"Damn! I forgot all about that! We didn't cancel that trip, Brian. Harry, I need to call her!"
"Tomorrow. Don will meet with you tomorrow on how to handle that."
In her frazzled state she took Harry's response as flippant. She realized she was losing it, mostly because she was exhausted from lack of sleep and the stress of everything that had happened today.
She stood up and said evenly, "I need to call it a night. I have to hear the rest, but I'm getting angrier by the minute. I need to get some sleep and maybe I'll feel better in the morning. Let me just say this. We can make our own decisions on how to handle our personal lives. We're not spies or government agents. We're just people. I can call Amy and cancel the trip myself. Oh, I forgot. Actually I can't. You guys took away my phone."
Jennifer jumped up and hugged Nicole tightly. Saddened by the halfhearted hug back, she said, "None of us has phones anymore. It's just too dangerous. Except for Harry, that is, and his is an encrypted satellite phone. They'll let you call Amy tomorrow." She glanced at Harry, who merely stared back impassively. "I know you're frustrated, and I'm so, so sorry you're in the middle of this."
Nicole hugged her a little closer. "So am I. You can't imagine. But thank God you're all alive. That's the most important thing of all, and that makes everything else okay." She kissed her good friend on the cheek and said goodnight.
She and Brian walked through the house, waved at a small group who were eating popcorn and watching TV, and went to their bedroom.
CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
Sleeping naked the way they always did, Nicole snuggled down in the soft duvet next to Brian and listened to the sound of waves crashing against the shore. A light wind stirred the curtains on the French doors that were open all night, and the morning sunlight bathed their private patio in a warm glow.
She felt him stirring and whispered, "Ready to get up and get moving?" She reached out and ran her hand up and down his body. "Uh-oh, Something's already up and moving!"
"Something's been missing you!"
They pushed off the covers and made love slowly, easily and comfortably, enjoying something that made their lives seem normal again. Afterwards they lay in each other's arms for a few minutes and then they dressed and went to the exercise room.
The room was obviously a popular place. There were six people working out when they arrived and others came in later. Nicole recognized two as Secret Service agents and figured the rest were crew members.
Fox News was on a wall-mounted TV so they caught up on things as they worked out. This morning the talk was all about the race for the White House. The President and his opponent had faced off in a debate in Maine two nights ago. The commentator criticized both candidates, dubbing one Mister Meanie and the other Mister Weenie.
On the Republican side, the battle had become more complicated when the incumbent and presumptive nominee Harry Harrison, died on Air Force One. The newscaster pointed out a strange twist of fate in all this. Harrison had been serving the remaining term of his predecessor John Chapman, who himself had disappeared in an ancient tomb in Mexico two years before. With Harrison gone, there were two men and a woman vying for the nomination. A majority of delegates were already committed to Harrison, so no one could win on the first ballot. It looked as though there would be a battle on the convention floor.
Nothing made news people happier than a fight, Brian commented to Nicole as they exercised.
There was more news. At a press conference yesterday, Parkes had announced the replacement of the cabinet secretaries for Interior, Energy and Commerce. Those weren't the positions Brian would have expected him to fill first, but the rest would come soon enough. By the time Parkes started replacing the ones that mattered to Operation Condor – Homeland Security, Defense, Treasury and the attorney general – Brian hoped for Harry's sake this mission would be over.
What about the two Supreme Court vacancies, a reporter had asked the President. All in good time had been his response.
Forty-five minutes later Brian and Nicole strolled through the living room, where Fox News was also on. A reporter was asking the President when he would choose a new Secretary of State, since Aaron Clancy had also perished on Air Force Two with the Vice President. How bizarre is this, Brian thought as he waved good morning to a dead man. On TV, the new President's response was noncommittal; in his usual curt manner he said he'd make an announcement when he was good and ready. Clancy laughed out loud and said if Parkes would wait a little longer, maybe he'd apply to get his old job back.
They went to a sideboard loaded with breakfast food. Wes Moore, the CIA agent whom they'd met yesterday, told them it was like this every day. "We're all going to be as big as a house if we have to stay here much longer. The chef does a great job on all this food!"
They got coffee and a plate of fruit and went out onto the patio. Jennifer and Harry weren't there, but Marty Taylor, the former Vice President, invited them to join him. The weather was gorgeous; Marty said except for brief showers most afternoons, it had been like this every day.
"Harry's working on a few things in his office this morning, and I haven't seen Jennifer so far. We're all getting a little soft around here," he admitted. "I've never slept until nine in my life, but it's not so bad. I'm not the kind of guy who can read books and watch movies for very long. I never was very good at vacations, and this one's already beginning to take its toll. I'm itching to get back into things."
He and Nicole understood the comments about sleeping late. They were normally early to bed and early to rise, and neither dealt well with downtime. They were overachievers and driven individuals, although Nicole had been forced to lea
rn how to slow down after the wreck.
They wondered how the Vice President expected to get back to work. They didn't know him well enough to inquire, but for him there wasn't any job to go back to. There was a new Vice President now, the churlish Louis Breaux. Maybe Taylor was planning to become a consultant to the government like so many other former politicians did. Or maybe he had something else in mind.
"I can’t recall if you have children, Mr. Vice President," Nicole said. "I was wondering how the ones here who have families are dealing with their not knowing."
"Call me Marty, please," he said. "I was married twice and never had kids. The only one of us here besides Harry and Jennifer who has close family is Aaron. He has a daughter who's in her forties, I think, and lives in LA. She's single and has no kids."
"This had to be hard on her."
"I think Aaron's involvement was the hardest decision about this mission, but there wasn't any way around it. The Secretary of State had to go to China. Our trip had been announced for weeks and everything had to appear to be normal – just business as usual. He had to be along. He agreed, and that was that.
"We didn't know until a couple of days before our trip that Operation Condor was going to happen now. The day the guy planted a bomb on our plane was the day Aaron and I learned we would end up here instead of in Hong Kong. It's strange knowing the day you're going to die," he added wistfully.
Brian was interested to know more about Palmyra Atoll, the World War II airstrip in a remote area of the Pacific where the 747 still sat. Marty said it was surprising how well they'd gotten along for the two days they were there.
"The CIA agent who arrived ahead of us brought rations and bottled water, but we had plenty on the plane. The President's chef kept everybody satisfied until they brought us here."
As they were finishing breakfast, Agent Moore came to the table and asked if they would mind coming with him so Nicole could take a call from Director Case. She and Brian followed him down a long side hallway to a pair of tall double doors. They entered a large, bright room with a pool table in the center and a row of twelve-foot windows along the back. From a desk in front of the windows, Harry waved them over. He was on speakerphone with the CIA director.
"Don, I have Brian and Nicole with me. Guys, I asked Don to chat with you before Nicole speaks with Amina Hassan so we can all be on the same page. I know we're interfering in your private affairs, and I apologize for that, but this mission has to come before everything else. We've invested too much in Condor to be unprepared on any part of it, no matter how insignificant."
Nicole nodded. "I understand, and I apologize for losing my temper last night. I was tired and I'm completely ready to cooperate in any way you tell me."
Case suggested that she feign illness as the reason for canceling Amina's upcoming visit to Dallas this weekend. "You went through a traumatic event that still affects your everyday life," he reasoned, "and anyone should understand that you may suddenly decide you're simply not up to it."
"I couldn't agree more," Nicole replied. "That's exactly what I was going to propose."
They hung up and waited while Case's people created a phone call that appeared to originate from Nicole's cellphone in Dallas, in case Amy Hassan's security men could track it. Obviously Nicole would be calling from home if she were ill.
The phone rang on Harry's desk and he clicked the speaker. Director Case was also on the line from DC. He'd be listening, as would the President and Brian.
"I've preprogrammed Amy's number," Case said. "Are you ready?"
Five minutes later it was done. Nicole had apologized for the late notice, coughed and snorted appropriately, and Amy said she understood completely.
During the call, Amy wondered if she should say anything about what was bothering her, then decided she owed it to her friends.
"Nicole, before you go, I want to tell you something. My father is a very powerful man. He likes to keep an eye on me – I guess he still thinks of me as his little girl. He has a security man who works for him named Zarif Safwan. I saw a picture of Brian in Zarif's office and now Zarif's off on a trip. I don't know where he went, but I want to let you both know. My father may be wondering why Brian was so interested in my collection, but he hasn't asked me that directly. Sometimes he sends Zarif to poke around. It's just a heads-up, really. Nothing to be concerned about, I'm sure." Amy wished she really believed that.
When the call ended, Harry said he was glad Amy had revealed the information about her father. Her actions didn’t seem like those of a person who was involved in the plot.
"What she revealed just then is exactly why you and Nicole are here. If you all have time right now, let's continue our discussion from last night. In a few minutes you'll understand what's going on with Zarif Safwan."
Nicole grinned as she sat down. "We have all the time in the world. Since we're your prisoners, we'll do whatever you tell us to do!"
That made Harry laugh out loud.
"I told you about the government's concern over Hassan Group," he began. "We believe Amin Hassan has one primary agenda, and that's to dominate the world market for oil. Brian, I know you read about his attempt to take control of ExxonMobil not long ago. Hassan's largest minority partner is one of the wealthiest men in the United Arab Emirates. As soon as the SEC found out Hassan Group owned nearly fifteen percent of Exxon, the red flags went up. The FTC got involved and so did several members of Congress – all Republicans, I might add. Cham Parkes and his buddies didn't see anything wrong with Hassan's takeover at all.
"I assembled the cabinet Secretaries and we created a strategy that ultimately made Amin back down. Aaron got the State Department to announce that if Hassan Group continued to hold its shares in Exxon, they would launch an investigation. It's always been an incredibly private company and State said it was it in the interest of national security to find out exactly who was trying to take over the world's largest petroleum operation and why."
He stopped for a drink of water. "Well, that worked perfectly. The short-lived takeover attempt came to a screeching halt, and Hassan Group sold its shares for a modest profit. In case you're wondering what really caused the about-face, our ambassador to the UAE learned that Zayed al-Fulan, Hassan's wealthy partner, was livid at Amin’s actions. He was making a stock play that would allow the Americans to legally investigate Hassan Group. The partner pulled the plug on Amin's plan.
"All of us are betting Hassan's not done yet. With oil prices so low, Exxon's a bargain now. Something over fifty billion dollars would give him control, and his partner has that much in petty cash. Biggest news? The one major obstacle he faced – me – is no longer an issue."
Brian raised his eyebrows in astonishment. "You think he's tied in with Parkes?"
"Personally I'd bet the farm on it. It's going to be much harder to find out things if Don's replaced at the agency, but there are still plenty of people in Washington who'll fight to the end to keep Hassan from getting what he wants. What's interesting is to watch the cabinet appointments Cham's making first. He's not dealing with Defense or Homeland Security. He doesn't have to now. Marty and I are dead. So's the Secretary of State. Look at which ones he started with. Interior, Commerce and Energy. Do you see what he's doing?"
"I do now that I've heard your story. I never thought about it before. Those are the three posts that oversee the oil business, international trade and all of that. Cham Parkes is getting things lined up to approve Amin Hassan's next move. Is that how you see it?"
"Absolutely. One interesting thing is that Parkes has kept his personal cellphone active since he became President. That's not illegal, but I can tell you from experience it's not protocol. I gave mine up because I didn't want even a hint of impropriety. Every call of mine went through the White House switchboard. Cham doesn't know that the CIA began covertly monitoring his phone activity the minute Operation Condor began. Want to hazard a guess who called Cham within minutes after he became President?"
> Nicole jumped in. "I guess Amin Hassan!"
"Yep. His was the only call Parkes took that afternoon on his private cellphone, a phone that allows him to talk without going through the White House Communications Center. The call lasted two minutes and the agency couldn't monitor what they said. Was Amin giving congratulations? Was he just saying hello to an old friend? In my personal opinion, if the President of the United States takes one single call minutes after his inauguration, from a man whose burning goal is to take over the world's largest oil company, and this man is suspected of sponsoring terrorist organizations . . . see where I'm going here? Whatever the call was about, it doesn't make old Chambliss T. Parkes look good. Oh, and how about the convenience of two Supreme Court justices dying just after Parkes becomes President. Now he can appoint two justices right up front or just leave the court alone, swaying four-to-three on the liberal side."
"This is getting wilder by the minute," Brian said. "Do you guys really think Parkes was involved in murder?"
"There's nothing about Cham Parkes that's good for America, that's all I know. I hesitate to accuse a man of anything when I'm not sure, but all this is becoming a little too coincidental for the CIA's taste."
"So what does this have to do with me? You said there's a part of this story that involves me and that it has to do with what Amy just told Nicole. Do they know I planted the devices?"
"No one knows that for certain. The bugs are still there and they're still operating, but that room isn't her office. Did you see any other areas while you were there?"
"Only the hallways and that room. I did notice that her desk was bare and the place was set up more like a showroom than a functioning office."
"It's a reception area for guests, we think. Don says they've learned nothing of value from the devices, but what has us worried is Zarif Safwan."
"The guy Amy mentioned to Nicole. Hassan's security chief."
Harry shook his head. "He's far more than that. He's done Amin Hassan's dirty work for years. He's been arrested a dozen times, but he's never been charged. That's Hassan money at work, the CIA thinks. Don thinks he's a key player in Amin's drug and munitions deals and in moving funds to terrorist groups. All three of them – Amin, his daughter and Zarif Safwan – are on the CIA watch list. Zarif hasn't been to the USA in years, but he bought a ticket just hours before I authorized Don to bring you two here."
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