explosives. The driver, without much more than leaning down into a concealed area beneath his seat, could set in motion an explosion that would level the nearest building at a minimum, and send tremors throughout the entire commercial district.
Now it was time to repeat the process with truck number two.
Manning, who had watched the preparation of the first truck with rapt fixation over several hours, now pushed himself off the balcony railing. It was exciting, no doubt. It was finally happening. But it was tempered by a threat that had presented itself.
They’d planned this over eighteen months, carefully selecting and recruiting men from underground hate groups, purchasing the necessary materials, planning and rehearsing this operation, without a single bit of attention from the outside world-with the exception of that paralegal Rubinkowski, who had started asking her boss, Bruce McCabe, some pointed questions about ammonium nitrate and nitromethane. But they had taken care of that. They had outsourced her murder to the Capparellis, and their performance had been bravura. Not only did they get away with it, but someone else was implicated in the murder. An Army veteran, which was truly regrettable, but life wasn’t perfect.
Still, that minor hiccup aside, everything had gone astonishingly smoothly.
And now, with a week remaining-this. This lawyer Kolarich. First asking questions, getting closer than anyone else had.
And now his two best men, Cahill and Dwyer, whom he’d dispatched to take out the lawyer, were in custody on weapons charges. Manning had the money, naturally, to afford any bail, and he’d worked cash through the channels so that someone unconnected to him could post the bond. But the bond hearing had gone badly. Each of these men came from the White Aryan Nation, and that background, coupled with possession of high-powered assault rifles, knives, and a body bag-a body bag, for Christ’s sake-while in a city that was two hours from their homes, had given the judge pause. Bond was denied. Cahill and Dwyer would remain locked up pending trial.
His two best men-the two men he was going to use for the most critical facet, the part nearest and dearest to Manning’s heart-were now out of the picture.
Manning and Stanley Keane walked into the conference room for some privacy. They walked sluggishly, their minds heavy with anticipation and responsibility.
“What are the odds Cahill or Dwyer give us up?” Stanley Keane asked, once they were inside.
Manning shrugged. You learned not to predict too much about human behavior. These men, he was informed by the lawyer he hired for them, could soon find themselves transferred to federal custody, where weapons charges could land these men in prison for ten years. What would they be willing to do to shave off some or all of that time?
“Cahill, hard to see,” Manning said. “Dwyer, I guess I don’t know.”
He looked up at the diagram on the wall. It showed the city’s commercial district, including the government buildings north of the river. The federal building, housing federal law enforcement, other agencies, and the federal courts, was three blocks from the river over the Lerner Street Bridge. One block north and one block west was the state building, which held virtually every state agency and the offices of the governor, attorney general, secretary of state, and the like.
And to make it even better, the county building was immediately across the street from the state building and held dozens of county agencies and the civil courts. Connect the buildings on a map and they linked together in what looked like a squared-off number seven. The civil engineers who designed the city in the early 1800s never thought about terrorist attacks. They had no clue about the impact of truck bombs like the ones they were assembling.
The Pearl Harbor Day procession, led by Governor Trotter, U. S. Senator Donsbrook, and Mayor Champion, would arrive at the federal building for the outdoor commemoration at approximately 12:45 P.M. to one P.M. That was when the trucks would hit. One at the federal building, one at the state building. The impact would be felt throughout the downtown, but particularly in the government buildings. If timed properly-and the team had spent countless hours and days on this point-the blasts would hit simultaneously.
Thousands would be killed, including the chief executives of the state and city, plus one of the two U. S. senators. It would make the Murrah Building in Oklahoma City look like kids throwing firecrackers. It would dwarf even September 11 in terms of casualties.
It would finally get the government’s attention.
“We’re not going to get away from this clean, are we?” said Keane.
Manning studied him for a moment. This question might sound like cold feet, but he didn’t think so, not with Keane. McCabe had proven weak, and Keane had his faults as well, but commitment wasn’t one of them.
“I don’t know what Kolarich is going to accomplish before December seventh,” he said. “But I know I can’t afford to send anyone else after him.”
“And now they have Cahill and Dwyer,” Keane noted. “Cahill is one of your employees. They’ll sweat him like it’s Guantanamo Bay.”
Manning had considered that as well. “They’ll tie him back to me. Not necessarily you, Stan. What did you do, after all? Your company sold nitromethane to Summerset Farms. That’s no crime, and there’s no evidence you were a part of this.”
“We have our men,” Stanley said. “Not just Cahill and Dwyer but the six downstairs. You’re that sure we can ensure their silence?”
Manning gave him a patronizing look. “You think these men expect to get out of this alive? They’re not going to survive, Stanley. On the surface, they’re soldiers aware of the risk of death and accepting those risks. But deep down, I think they know the odds are well against them. They’ll be damn lucky if they even make it into the subway tunnels. And they’d be even luckier if the tunnels don’t implode, too.”
Keane didn’t respond. This couldn’t be a surprise to him.
Manning put his hand on Stanley’s shoulder. “I’d hoped to continue this fight beyond December seventh,” he said. “I won’t be able to do it. I hope that you can. Nobody’s going to find our additional supplies. There will be enough for several more December sevenths.” He nodded to Stanley. “Stay away from this. Go to work. Whatever. Just make sure you stay away from the city’s downtown. I’m counting on you to carry the mantle going forward.”
Keane nodded gravely. The two men shook hands. Given the threat that Kolarich, and now Cahill and Dwyer, posed to the operation, it was no longer safe to house the trucks in this dome or anywhere on the property. Tonight, the crews would scatter into designated remote locations. The crews wouldn’t communicate with the others. They would lie low and prepare for the attack.
Manning and Keane would never see each other again.
“God bless, Stan,” said Manning, cupping his second hand over Keane’s. “Don’t ever forget why we’re doing this. No matter what happens, don’t waver in the face of doubters. We are changing the course of this nation, my friend-you, me, and those six martyrs down there.”
Manning walked to the doorway of the conference room, looked back once at Stanley Keane, and disappeared.
68
I sat on the hotel room bed and read over some notes I’d made on the witnesses the prosecution would call tomorrow, the first day of the trial. I liked to outline my cross-examinations by topic matter only. If I write down specific questions, I become wedded to them. Regardless, the endeavor wasn’t a difficult one. I didn’t have much I could do with the prosecution’s case. The responding police officer, the forensic pathologist, the ballistics expert, the detective in charge? Those were probably the only four witnesses Wendy Kotowski would call. They would be all she needed before she punted the case to me.
It was a circumstantial case. But it was a pretty decent one. Tom was found with the murder weapon and the victim’s possessions. He ran when the police confronted him, though it wasn’t particularly hard to explain away. He admitted the gun belonged to him and, according to the state, at least, he confessed to the murder. And the place he carved out as his home in Franzen Park was nearby, so it’s not like he had to travel long and far to commit
