Interdiction - W.Addison Gast (great novels TXT) 📗

the door at the top of the stairs and motioned for them to come onboard. Badra was first and started up the stairs her brilliant flowing robe flying in the breeze. Again they were all seated in first class but this time they were joined by the two Arabs that had greeted them at the Delta
Terminal. The two new additions to the group seated themselves at the rear of the first class cabin and promptly took out two laptop computers and started work. One of the men in the suits that had been in the limo in front had come onboard the aircraft and approached Badra and started a conversation that made Badra constantly shake her head in the affirmative. After the conversation he left the aircraft with the other suit. The flight attendant then closed the cabin door and announced their departure. Haydar saw Goat motion to him that he needed to talk. When they came on the aircraft, Goat had been given the first seat in the front of first class and Haydar was in 3b back two rows. Haydar motioned for Goat to wait until they were airborne and he would be there. Continental 1405 left JFK on time and as soon as the seat belt light went off, Haydar moved forward to see what Goat wanted.
The seat beside Goat was empty so Haydar sat there and leaned over to talk to Goat. This aircraft was noiser than the Delta and Goat had to talk into Haydar’s ear.
“They kept our passports!” Screamed a wide-eyed Goat.
Haydar looked over at Goat. He was sweating and his Throbe was soaking wet at the neck down to his middle chest.
“It is part of the plan I am sure my brother. Do not worry. Relax and look out the window. Have you ever imagined that there would be that many forests of trees in this devil’s homeland?”
Haydar was about to continue to calm the friend that he had come to think of as a younger brother when one of the Arabs came up the aisle and leaned into the area between Goat and Haydar.
“Please listen to what I have to say and do not interrupt me.” Said the man. He was faking a smile as he spoke which made it appear to anyone watching that the man was just having idle conversation with the two young men.
“In the luggage compartment in the overhead directly above you is a suitcase with your name on it. Your new passport is in this case in the front pocket. When we reach Houston Texas, you will leave the airplane and go into the first men’s room in the terminal and change into the clothes provided. In the suitcase is a folded brown paper bag with the printed words in red SALVATION ARMY. You are to put all the clothes you are wearing now into these bags and leave them in the men’s room when you leave in a neat pile by the door. Do not keep any of the items. There will not be anyone at the terminal to meet you or any of our party. You will ignore Badra as you move through the terminal. She will also change into American casual clothes. You will go to the baggage claim area and wait for her there. Do not leave the baggage claim area until she is with you. She will go to the Alamo Car Rental and obtain the SUV that you will use in the coming week. When she has the car she will come and get all of you and you will leave for San Marcos together.”
The man did not ask if they had any questions and just returned to his seat.
“You see my brother the Goat, you worry too much. Relax as I told you and we will be fine. Allah has given us providence again and we shall succeed.” With that, Haydar returned to his seat. In just four more hours, they would be in Houston.

Chapter 31
Lackland AFB Texas 0645
A Tiger Woods golf shirt and casual Perry Ellis gray slacks and Allan Edmond low cut shoes made DJ look like he was either one of the students or maybe a young professor. McBean picked him up in front of the BOQ. In her gray pants suit and black Susan Monroe low cuts, Charlene McBean looked like just what she was-an FBI agent.
“What is your choice for breakfast Agent McBean? Officers club over there or I Hop or McDonald’s,- what?
“I’m a milk and cereal girl Captain. Anyplace we can talk is fine with me. I have some plans and some questions to go over with you.”
“Let’s do the O club then. Maybe we can find a relative secure conversation area there.”
“Works for me.”
DJ had just pulled the chair back from the table for McBean to sit on when his satellite phone gave a ringtone that indicated a secure call from Danny.
“We have a new member of the bubble team, Captain. Wait till you hear the results of his first assignment.” You could almost see the smile on Dan’s face over the phone.
“You are talking code again Nero what new member?”
“I gave that chat room assignment to your room- mate Abdul because we didn’t have an analyst that we could brief rapidly and that spoke Pashto.”
“And?”
He hit a home run. Matter of fact out of the park. He has you set up to meet the Tango cell member in the University library tonight at 20000 hours.”
“Fax me the entire chat room conversation to McBean’s office ASAP. We’ll have to set up a net and get ready to drop it on these guys. Anything else I should know?
“Your Nexus report awaits you Captain but I don’t want the government to have to pay the cost to fax that to you. I have put them in your agency database under the code name Guadalupe. That’s the river that runs through the area there.”
“I know Dan.”
“Penny has some data for you. Hang tight.”
“DJ good morning. We have something that may put a closer track on our traveling cell. A young lady suffered a fatal breathing attack on a flight from New Delhi to JFK last night. We didn’t think much of the incident until one of the analysts found a similarity in the medical report with that of the cases on that river in Pakistan. She died from the same depravation of oxygen in her cells. “
“You think there is a connection between this group and the killing?
“It gets closer. She was a student at Nawabshsh University about the same time as the demise of Professor Sadqua.
“You think that she spotted Sadqua’s killer on the plane and they did her in to cover their entrance to the US.?”
“On target Captain.”
“I know that you are looking at the surveillance tapes of everyone getting off the aircraft but has anyone talked to the flight attendants?
“Another cigar Captain. The flight attendant said that they had a group of Saudi royalty in first class that made her think a bit.
“About?”
“The woman in the group—and get this there were three young men and this woman--- were speaking in a foreign language.”
“What is different? Arabic is a foreign language as I recall Penny.”
“Right but they were speaking a dialect of Pashto .”
“Shit--. Excuse me Penny”
“My words exactly Captain.”
“Now tell me that we have the connecting flight this quasi royalty family connected to?”
“That is a real embarrassment to the TSA guys at JFK DJ. They have no record of any special escort for a royal family in the last three days.”
“ I can’t believe this. You mean that these people set up a fake TSA escort under diplomatic immunity, cleared security AND customs, moved either off the base or to another flight using the airport tarmac?
“I just got a quick alert from our agent in New York. They have been reviewing the surveillance tapes of the control tower that cover aircraft movement and ground handling around the airport. They tell me they were escorted to a Continental flight bound for Houston.”
“And that flight is due in Houston—when?”
“Landed an hour ago, DJ”
“Shit.”
“You are repeating yourself DJ.”
“Charlene lets get the net in place. This is going to be a race between us and the people that were in that aircraft to make contact with the students. Let’s hope its not going to be a tie, time wise.”
“Operations have fifteen agents in San Marcos right now DJ. We need to brief them and set the tactics for tonight. Have you talked to the University about this little party we are going to have in their Library tonight?”
“We have four hours to set this in place and review all possible engagement strategy. I need to do this face to face with the Dean or Chancellor at that campus. Can you set it up for me while I scout the library area?”
“We will be on campus in about forty five minutes DJ. I have told the force to meet us at the ROTC armory on campus. My thinking is that a few extra federal black SUV s and a tactical command van won’t cause that much attention if they are in that area around the armory.”
“Check that.”
Charlene was driving and as DJ looked out the passenger’s side of the SUV, something caught his eye. It was a sign that read alongside I-35 ---. Tube and raft on the Guadalupe in Gruene. Special Forth of July rates on all tubes and rafts.
“You have a meeting with Dean Wilkins as soon as we come on campus DJ. I’ll give you his background on the way to his office.”
“Thanks Charlene. Tell me something-this Grue-eenee tube floating thing they do here. Why does it tweek my memory for some reason.”
“First of all, DJ its pronounced GREEN. G-r-u-e-n-e is the German spelling of the town. It’s a place where all the kids come for the hot summer holidays and float down the river in inner tubes and rafts and drink beer, play their boom boxes and just generally have a good time. Sometimes there are over a thousand tubers on the river strung out from where the water comes out from Canyon dam down through Gruene to New Braunfels.”
Then Dj’s mind flashed back to the conversation that he had with the Colonel Nagel. During the telecom account of the last interrogation of Raj Kaev Nagel had said the name or word GREEN had come out several times. They just could not make the connection. Holly cow! These assholes are going to do the same thing to this Guadalupe that they did to that river in Pakistan!
In the following fifteen minutes drive time required to make the turn off exit 206 of I35 and head for the TU admin office, DJ told Charlene what he thought was the plot involved for the attack. They would poison the river on the Forth of July when all the rafters and tubers were there just as they did to the river in Pakistan. Charlene had just parked the car and looked over at DJ. She was white and pale as she uttered
“My God DJ we have to stop this some way.”
“Needless to say, Charlene, this is our secret. If this got out in the next few days, it could cause a really big problem. We have to crush the plot and get these tangos before they have a chance to do this. One thing for sure—this changes the operation here tonight.”
“In what respect?”
“We can’t take these sleepers out until we know who they are. That could kill the operation