“Welcome aboard, Congressman. It looks like we’re going to have a nice night for fishing. Stow your gear and grab us a couple of beers out of the cooler.” Spinning the wheel around, Coleman headed back through the channel.
Michael set his gear down and flipped open a red cooler. Grabbing two beers, he climbed the ladder to the bridge and handed one to Coleman.
Coleman smiled and nodded. A second later they passed the no-wake buoys, and Coleman pushed the throttles down, gunning the engines. As the noise increased, Michael whispered, “Are Dan and Kevin here?”
“Yeah, they’re below. I told them to stay there until we were out of sight. Did you have any trouble getting here?”
“No, as far as I could tell, no one followed me.”
Coleman looked at his watch. It was 5:21 P.M. “The sun should be down in another fifteen minutes, and then we have to stop and pick up some equipment. . . . We should get there around seven P.M.” Coleman hugged the coast as they headed south toward Thomas Point. The Bay was calm. A light breeze was coming in from the east, and the boat traffic was light. Most of the recreational boaters on the Chesapeake were done until next spring. The temperature was around fifty-eight degrees and dropping. He continued past Thomas Point for exactly 1.3 miles and turned due east, cutting across the main shipping channel of the Bay.
Stroble and Hackett, in the meantime, had changed out of their clothes and put on wet suits. Michael stood on the flybridge with a pair of binoculars and scanned their path for any ships. When they reached the other side of the channel, Coleman pulled the boat up next to one of the large red buoys that marked the shipping channel and dropped anchor. Stroble and Hackett had their diving gear on and were giving each other one last safety check, going over each other’s equipment like pilots doing a preflight instrument check. Coleman and Michael stayed atop the flybridge and kept a lookout for the Coast Guard while Stroble and Hackett went over the side.
About five minutes later, they came back up with a large trunk. Michael and Coleman lifted the heavy container into the boat. It was five by four feet and about three feet high and was made out of dark green fiberglass. Coleman popped the hermetically sealed clasps and opened the trunk. Set in foam cutouts on the top section were six pairs of night-vision goggles. Coleman grabbed four of them and handed them to Michael. Next, he grabbed two handles and lifted the top section out of the container, revealing a cache of weapons also set in foam cutouts. Coleman snatched three MP-5 submachine guns and a sniper’s rifle from the container along with silencers and ammunition clips. After closing the airtight trunk, he and Michael handed it back over the side to Stroble and Hackett. They took the trunk back down to the bottom and covered it with rocks.
When Stroble and Hackett were back on board, Coleman raised the anchor and headed back across the Bay on a southwesterly course. Stroble and Hackett checked all of the weapons to make sure they were clean and well oiled and then packed them into waterproof backpacks. When they were finished, Hackett took the helm so Michael and Coleman could get ready. Everyone was fitted with a waterproof radio and headset that was worn under their wet suits. About a half a mile from Curtis Point, Coleman took back the helm and slowed the boat to about ten knots. He pulled to within about a quarter of a mile from shore and turned south, counting the houses as he went. When they passed the sixth house in from the point, Coleman told Stroble and Hackett to put on their night-vision goggles and scan the ridgeline of the cliff and the docks for people.
The entire shoreline consisted of an elevated cliff that ranged from fifty to eighty feet in height. Arthur’s estate sat in the middle of a small swale. The cliff on either side of his estate was about ten feet higher than it was in front of his. Stroble and Hackett announced that no one was in sight. Coleman continued for another four hundred feet and pulled to within thirty feet of shore, cutting the engines and dropping anchor. Before leaving the bridge, he turned off all of the running lights.
It was a good night for reconnaissance. What little-moon there was, was sitting low in the night sky and partially obscured by clouds. Coleman gathered everyone close together for a radio check and quick briefing. He spoke in a low whisper. The acoustics of the water caused sound to travel much farther than people realized.
“All right, I’m Zeus; Michael is Apollo; Dan, you’re Hermes; and Kevin, you’re Cyclops.” Hackett smiled at the code name, which referred to the sight on his sniper’s rifle. “Everyone check your watches. I’m reading nineteen zero eight on my mark.” Coleman waited for his watch to strike 7:08 P.M. and said, “Mark.” Everyone synchronized their watches.
“Arthur’s estate is loaded with motion sensors, laser trip wires, and tremor plates. There is no way we are going to sneak in there without being noticed. What I want to do tonight is get a better look at the two neighbors’ yards and get a general feel for the layout. Kevin, I want you and Dan to scout out the neighbors to the north. As far as I can tell, their security systems are for their houses only, not the grounds. Make sure you check out the dock and the stairs leading up to the house before you use them. When you reach the top of the cliff, check out the fence that runs between Arthur’s yard and the neighbor’s. Kevin, as soon as possible I want you to find a spot in one of the big oak trees that run along the property line. If anything goes wrong, I want you to be in a position to give us cover if we need to bug out.”
“What are my rules of engagement?” asked Hackett.
“I want to get out of here tonight without anyone knowing we were here.”
“What if he steps out for one of his cigars, and I have him dead in my sights?”
Coleman pondered the question. “I’m tempted, but the answer is no. I don’t want to rush into anything. We are here to gather information and get out.” Michael, Hackett, and Stroble nodded. “If something goes wrong and one of his guards opens fire, take him out. Otherwise let’s keep our fingers off the triggers. . . . One more thing, the wind is out of the east. Keep that in mind if they start patrolling with the dogs.” Everyone nodded. “All right, be careful.”
Stroble and Hackett sat down on the diving platform and put on their fins and diving masks. They stuck their snorkels in their mouths and slid into the water, quietly swimming away. Before Michael and Coleman got in, Coleman asked, “Do Recon Marines know how to swim?”
“No.” Michael smiled. “I thought you were going to tow me in.”
“Good one. Let’s go.” The two slid into the water and headed for shore. They sliced through the water using only a leg kick, the large black fins making the task easy. The only thing showing were the thin black snorkels and the top of their masks. When they reached the dock of the neighbor to the south of Arthur, they swam ashore and took their backpacks and diving masks off. Coleman whispered into the tiny microphone hanging in front of his mouth, “This is Zeus, we’re ashore, over.”
“This is Cyclops, we’re almost there, over.”
Michael and Coleman knelt on the small strip of sand between the water’s edge and the cliff. Craning his neck backward, Michael looked up at the dark wall of rock. It looked to be about the height of a three-story building. Coleman tapped him on the shoulder. “Get your gear ready. I’m going to take a look at this dock and see if it has any security devices.” Coleman pulled the night-vision goggles down and waded out into the water. Without touching the dock, he looked underneath it to check for wires or cables. When he got out to the end, he swam under the huge yellow-and-white tarp where a thirty-six-foot Chris-Craft was docked. After checking the entire dock, he swam back to shore and grabbed his backpack. Michael had already put a magazine into Coleman’s MP-5 and attached the silencer. He handed the weapon to Coleman, and the former SEAL checked to make sure a round was in the chamber and the safety on.
Coleman looked at Michael with a grin. “Do you remember how to do this?”
“It’s coming back to me.”
“Good. Let’s go.” Michael followed as Coleman led the way up the stairs. The stairs zigzagged up the cli
ff, changing lateral direction about every twenty steps. Not counting the bottom and top, there were three landings in between. When they neared the top, Coleman held up his fist signaling Michael to wait while he checked things out. He crawled just short of the last step and checked the posts of the railing for a motion sensor. He knew there wasn’t a laser trip wire or it would have showed up on his night-vision goggles. Next, he scanned the large house for movement, and after several minutes of checking everything in and around the house, he waved O’Rourke up. They stayed low and scampered along a row of hedges that separated the lawn from the edge of the cliff. At the end of the hedges they reached a small patio and gazebo. Just on the other side of the gazebo was the ten-foot brick fence that separated Arthur’s yard from his neighbors’.
Coleman grabbed one of the patio chairs and brought it around the back side of the gazebo. He and O’Rourke slung their weapons over their backs and climbed onto the roof. They lay on their stomachs and looked over the fence. The view from atop the slightly angled, octagonal roof was perfect. Almost all of Arthur’s backyard was visible. Coleman spoke into his mike, keeping his voice barely above a whisper, “Cyclops, this is Zeus, are you in position, over?”
“That’s affirmative, Zeus. I found a nice little nest with a bird’s-eye view, over.”
“Have you seen any guards yet, over?”
“That’s affirmative. I count one man and a canine. They swept the back side of the house about two minutes ago, over.”
“Roger. I’d like you to do a check on my position. We are directly south of you just on the other side of the fence, over.” O’Rourke and Coleman lay perfectly still for about sixty seconds and then Hackett’s voice responded.
“I’ve got you. Just barely though, it took me four passes. Make sure you keep a low profile. The sky is pretty dark behind you, but your silhouettes will still show, over.”
“How high up are you, Cyclops? Over.”
“I’m a good twenty feet up, over.”
“Roger, let me know if the dog shows up along my fence line. It’s my only blind spot, over.”
“Will do, over.”
“Hermes, this is Zeus, what’s your position, over?”
Stroble was standing on the lowest branch of an old oak tree. He hugged the trunk and peered over the fence at the front of Arthur’s house. “I’ve got a good view of the front of the house, over.”
“What do you see, over?”
“I’ve got two guards by the front door, both are accompanied by a German shepherd, over.”
“How are they equipped, over?”
“They’re decked out in combat boots, dark jumpsuits, and combat vests. One of them is carrying a sidearm . . . check, make that both of them.” Stroble peered through his goggles and then lifted them up onto his forehead and grabbed his field binoculars out of his breast pocket. The guards were standing under the light of the front door. The detail was much better with the binoculars. “They are both carrying Uzis, and it looks like they’re wearing flak jackets, over.”
“How are they set up for communication, over?”
“They are both wearing shoulder mikes, and it . . . looks . . . like their radios are mounted on their upper back, left side, over.”
“Is one of them the guard that just finished the sweep of the backyard, over?”
“That’s a roger, over.”
Coleman looked at his watch. “All right, you guys know the routine. Announce any movements and mark the intervals. We should have one more guard at the front gate and one more in the house. Let’s see how good these guys are, over.”
For the next hour they watched the two guards and their dogs patrol the grounds. One of them always stayed by the front door while the other roamed the estate. There was no rhyme or reason to the intervals. A guard would leave for one lap around the house one time, and the next time he would wander around the estate for ten minutes. To the common observer it looked disorganized, and in a way it was, but by design. Set patterns and predictability were liabilities in this business, not assets. These guards were professionals.
Stroble was getting tired of standing, so he sat down on the large branch. He was just barely able to see over the top of the fence and into Arthur’s yard and could still see the two guards and their dogs at the front door. Both guards reached for their shoulder mikes and said something. Then they turned and headed in opposite directions toward the sides of the house. The unusual movement caught Stroble’s attention, and then without warning bright flood lamps illuminated the tree lines to the north and south of Arthur’s estate. Stroble leapt down from the tree and started running as quietly as possible for the water. He whispered into his mike, “I think they may have seen me, over.”
Coleman and O’Rourke instantly crept backward when the lights came on and were huddling on the other side of the roof. Coleman asked, “Hermes, where are you, over?”
“I’m making my way toward the cliff, over.”
“Roger, Hermes, stand by at the cliff and wait for Cyclops, over. Cyclops, I need some intel. What’s going on, over?”
“I’ve got both guards and their dogs working their way down the fence line towards the water. They are looking in the trees, but neither of them have their weapons drawn. It appears that they’re doing some kind of sweep, over.”
“Do you still have good concealment, over?”
“That’s affirmative, over.”
“All right, you are going to have to give us the play-by-play because we can’t see anything, over.”
“Don’t move or make any noise. The guard and the dog on the south side are coming up on your position. I have him in my sights.”
Hackett kept his voice below a whisper. “Good. Zeus, they are looking over the edge of the cliff down at the water. . . . The guard closest to you just said something into his mike and is heading back to the house.” Without warning, all of the floodlights were extinguished and darkness returned to the landscape.
“What in the hell was that all about?” asked Michael.
“I don’t know,” whispered Coleman. “Everyone sit tight for a couple minutes and see what happens next. Don’t talk unless something develops, over.” Coleman and Michael crawled back to the crest of the roof and looked over the fence.
Less than a minute later Hackett broke the silence. “I think I hear a car pulling up the driveway.”
32
NANCE STEPPED OUT OF THE BACKSEAT OF HIS limo and held his arms straight out. A guard approached and waved a sensor over his body. After he was done, the guard spoke into his shoulder mike, telling the controller inside the house that Arthur’s guest was clean. Nance’s bodyguard and driver waited by the car while the national security adviser was escorted into the house. When he entered the study, he found Arthur in his usual spot, waiting by the fireplace. Nance strode across the room and stopped a short distance away. Arthur’s lips showed the faintest hint of a smile and he said, “I hope you don’t mind standing. I’ve been sitting all day.”
“No, not at all.”
“Good. What is of such importance that you needed to come see me in person?”
“You will have to be the judge. I just wanted to keep you abreast of some developments.” Nance shifted his weight from one foot to the other. “Yesterday morning, Special Agent McMahon of the FBI received a phone call from the terrorists claiming that they had nothing to do with the killing of Olson and Turnquist.”
“Really.” Arthur pursed his lips. “I expected them to go to the media with the story, not the FBI.”
“So did I. Does this worry you?”
Arthur slapped the question away with the wave of a hand. “No, not really. Nothing can be traced back to us. No one other than you, Garret, and myself know who was behind those murders. The people we used were hired very discreetly. They made no contact with anyone. They picked up an envelope that contained Olson’s and Turnquist’s names and an account number at a very discreet bank in the Caymans. Even if the FBI were to c
atch the assassins, they wouldn’t be able to trace it back to us.”
“Unless one of us talked.”
Arthur stared at Nance with sharp eyes. “We both know that neither you nor I would speak to the FBI, so I would have to assume you are referring to Mr. Garret.”
“Yes.”
Arthur exhaled an even, long breath. “What has he done now?”
“He has a hard time hiding his emotions. During the briefing yesterday, when McMahon played the tape of his conversation with the assassin, Mr. Garret became very nervous and animated.”
“I don’t see that as being a problem. Nervous and animated fits his normal profile.”
Nance sighed. It was often tiring trying to convince Arthur of something. “While the taped conversation was being played, he broke out in a sweat and would not stop staring at me. He looked uncharacteristically nervous and afraid.”
“Did anyone else notice his behavior?”