Bobby and Billy were the only ones with him. This close to full launch of the operation, everyone knew what their role was. Everyone knew the targets and the timetable. Bobby and Billy had compiled the results of their second simulations and had all the details in their reports. Billy had the best news for him.
“Harding and Vance knew Zemar and his sister when they were posted in Kandahar. They went back as civilians, smuggled them out of there and into the US.”
“And Zemar has the connection we need, is that confirmed?”
“According to our intelligence, he was involved with the Taliban when he was sixteen. With Harding and Vance’s help, he managed to get out and flee the country.”
“You never get out of something like that. His escape was a ruse to get him here. He’s set up countless cells since his arrival. The stuff has been planted where it can be found?”
“It’s hidden in his room.”
“Good. Harding and Vance will go down with their terrorist orphans. At the least, they will be seen as patsies.” He took out a cigar. “I know exactly how to get this information to the right person.” He looked at Bobby. “The fire?”
“It was within specifications. They found the bodies. Once they are all identified, Hill will be linked to Los Demonios. They will assume Wiley’s lackey just got caught up in some turf war over drug dealing.”
Colter got up. “It’s time.”
He led Billy and Bobby out of his office and over to the converted cargo containers. He went in first.
Three men were sitting at consoles. Two of the men were RPA pilots. The other one, Legion, provided mission guidance and collated the data received. The two converted containers were the only places on the farm with air conditioning, needed to keep the equipment from overheating.
“What about our three spies from this morning?”
Legion pressed a button on his console and the recording started on the 40” Sony monitor in front of him. From overhead, they could see three teenagers crouching at the edge of a cliff. Two had their phones out recording the activities on the farm.
“That’s a good picture.”
Legion said, “Sir, we’re at five thousand feet with telephoto and four-k resolution. We can detail everything.”
The teenagers talked together for about another minute before they all ducked back from the cliff’s edge. The tallest of the three suddenly started pushing at the other two.
“That’s likely when they heard Stripes growl, sir.”
The trio ran back to their bikes and raced away.
“That one,” Legion said, “is the McGowan girl. She’s very attractive, nice skin.”
“And the other two?”
Bobby said, “Wiley’s daughter and that Korean kid.”
“This is synergy at its best.”
“They might have just been out for a ride. It’s a popular trail. I’ve used it myself.”
“And they just stopped to check us out? I don’t think so.”
“We’re ready for them if they come back.”
He asked Legion, “The Harding-Nyland farm?”
Legion pointed to the pilot immediately to his right. “Eagle one is over it now, sir.”
“Let’s have a look.”
Legion pushed a series of buttons that replaced the three teenagers with a live feed of their surveillance of Harding’s facilities.
“Zoom in.”
The pilot maneuvered the drone to swing around and come at the farm from the south. The feed closed in from a panoramic shot to focus on the main compound. Colter spotted the building he was looking for.
“Stay on that. Give me your best shot.”
The camera zoomed in to reveal the weathering on both the clapboard siding and the roof of the old tool shed.
“We’ll get a big splash, sir,” Legion said. “We’ll paint them all over the ground.”
He patted Legion’s shoulder, then the shoulders of each of the pilots. “I am proud of all of you.”
He and the Cotton twins returned to his office. He poured each of them a drink of bourbon.
After finishing his, he said, “Where are we with Wiley?”
“He was taken care of this morning. He told Madsen nothing yesterday.”
Billy looked over his clipboard. “Three elevators detonated. There were two casualties in San Francisco, three in Detroit and three in Seattle.”
“We do have one potential problem. Madsen is likely bringing McGowan into his investigation.”
He had thorough assessments of the Dominion Sheriff’s Department under Joan McGowan, even under the old one, plus the taps on their phones and the malware on their computers. She was looking into him using her contact at the FBI, Colin Foster. She was also looking into Harding, and had discovered discrepancies regarding those two illegal immigrants he was harboring. McGowan wouldn’t discover anything incriminating about him because there was nothing for her to discover; he had taken care of that. Once the operation began, it would be too fast and too multifaceted for anyone to keep up with or anticipate before the goals had been achieved. By then, there would only be that terrorist left to apprehend. Everything had been measured, assessed, calculated and considered.
“She’s right where she needs to be. We just have to point her in the right direction and she will take care of the rest for us.”
“We still haven’t been able to find Stripes even after he got close to those kids.”
“Call off the search; he has a different role to play now.”
Billy continued with his part of the report. “The digging is complete.”
Bobby said, “Necrosis and Vigilante are both ready and will be launched Friday at midnight. Everything they do will look like incursions from the Chinese, North Koreans or Iran. The other RPAs are finished and also ready for launch. We have sixteen assets and a mobile unit ready for deployment in the field.” He lowered his clipboard.
Billy lowered his clipboard. “Everything is a go, sir. They won’t know what hit them.”
“But we want them to know. That will only make it easier for us. Dominion is going to be Firetown one last time.” He lit his cigar. “If you will excuse me, I believe my dinner guest has arrived.”
Billy and Bobby walked out of the office as Mattie walked in.
Wearing the same black dress she’d worn at the banquet, she came to his desk, sat on the corner of it and handed over the flash drive.
He handed her the perfecto.
“What’s on that?”
“The key to every lock on every door I want opened.”
“Doors to what, sweetie?” She exhaled smoke as she spoke and handed back the cigar.
He took two long puffs. “That would be telling.”
“Look at all I’ve done for you, and let you do to me. You owe me something extra for all that.”
“In truth, I do. I may even owe you more than I owe anyone else. You have been invaluable to me this past year and a half.”
“I’m glad we agree. What do I get?”
“First, a delicious dinner and then I have something very important to tell you. Then, as they say in those old gangster movies, I’m going to see that you get your piece of the action.”
He handed back the cigar, stood up and offered his arm to her. They exited the office and headed for his house. Mattie hugged his arm and puffed on the cigar as they walked across the grounds.
With the perfecto clenched between her teeth, she said, “You have a lot of hunks working here.”
“Yes, I do, and I’ve been considering what I might give them as a special treat for all they’ve done.”