people outside a very few in the Mossad who know we have this technology. Tristan knows that I have things to tell you that no-one else can hear. After our first meeting, I had asked for your father’s name to be included as a trigger on the watch list. I just got a call to say they got a hit. A conversation was picked up between two highly secure phones. Unfortunately, one was significantly more secure than the other. However, it appears that somebody is planning to kill your father in the prison.”
“When?” Tom managed to push the question out as his whole body quaked. Somebody was behind this, it was all a set up.
“From the conversation, before tomorrow night and it may be more than your father. The conversation was only picked up when they mentioned your father and they only heard one side, the other line was too secure to get. All they got was…Donald Kennedy is one of the dead… scrambled… Does it matter…scrambled…OK by tomorrow night they’ll all be history.” Daniel had recited the message verbatim, nothing had been written down.
Tom and Lela looked at each other, neither knowing what to say. They sat staring at each other, motionless and speechless as the news sank in. After a few minutes, Daniel broke the silence.
“I’m so sorry to be the one to give you this news,” said Daniel but neither seemed to be listening. “Unfortunately, we can never discuss this again and you can’t tell anyone what I’ve just told you. The person who input your father’s name would be in a lot of trouble for doing what he’s done. Also, we can’t ever let anyone know about our listening system.”
Tom was about to agree but stopped himself. He suddenly realised the significance of what Daniel had just told them.
“But it proves they’re innocent! And that somebody else is involved!” he protested.
“I know. But nobody can know this, not from this information. You’ll have to do this another way. No evidence exists anyway, nothing is written down.”
Daniel was right.
“Do we know who they were?” asked Tom realising he hadn’t mentioned names.
“No. The voice which could be heard was digitised and untraceable. The only thing we do know is that the communication system is very advanced and only available to a small number of NATO countries.”
“So we can narrow it down?” asked Tom hopefully.
“Perhaps, I have some guys working on it but if any units have been stolen or gone missing, it could be anybody.”
“Try Rolf. If it’s made it onto the black market, he’ll know about it,” suggested Tom.
“Good idea, I’ll give him a call. What about your parents? What will you do?” asked Daniel.
“Go and get them of course,” replied Lela matter of factly. “I’ll be back in five minutes. Tom, get ready. I’ll call Kano and Kisho.” She walked off to her room.
Both Tom and Daniel were still looking at the door as she disappeared.
“She’s not joking is she?” asked Daniel.
“She doesn’t joke. I better get ready. It seems I’m going to Equatorial Guinea in five minutes.”
“Can I come?” asked Daniel.
“What?”
“Can I come? It’s only because of me that you know to go and surely the more people on your side the better.” He was almost pleading.
Tom thought for a moment. What the hell, if he wanted to come who was he to stop him? “OK, but be back here in five minutes.”
Five minutes later, everyone was back in Tom’s room. Lela had been dubious about Daniel’s involvement and told Tom that he couldn’t come until he had reappeared completely dressed in black, including balaclava and a belt around his waist which contained various implements and weapons.
“Good god Daniel, what are you doing with all that?” asked Tom.
“Standard issue my friend. Covert mission equipment,” replied Daniel proudly.
“Do you know how to use it all?” asked Lela.
“Doh, of course. This isn’t a fancy dress outfit you know,” replied an offended Daniel.
“Ok. He can come,” said Lela to Tom, surprising Daniel who hadn’t realised he might not have been. He now knew who wore the trousers in the Kennedy household.
“I just need to do one more thing before we go,” said Tom.
“What now?” asked Lela desperate to leave.
Tom looked at her and said, “you know very well what we need to do before we go.” She nodded. They had discussed the possibility earlier. Tom picked up the receiver and called Jonathan, he had become their link into the Alba empire.
“Hi Tom, how’s things?”
“Not good. I’ve just heard that the story will break tomorrow.”
“Oh no! What do you want to do?”
“I want to do what we discussed. Break the story now.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.” Tom put the phone down.
Within the next ten minutes, the full might of the Alba empire would break the story that evidence linked its owner to the recent assassinations.
Chapter 39
Beaumont was standing next to the podium where the White House Press Secretary was taking his morning briefing. As expected, there were a lot of questions regarding the shocking events over the weekend and the arrest of Donald Kennedy. What was the US Government doing to help him, etc. etc. Beaumont was bored. When he had booked himself into the briefing on Friday, he had expected an entirely different scenario. ‘Donald Kennedy, an assassin?’ ‘Surely not?’ blah blah blah.
He now wanted to get out of the press briefing but after making such a fuss to be there, he thought he had better stay, particularly as he wanted to be there when it broke the following morning.
He began to think about any loose ends they may have missed but there was nothing. Smith’s team would start the riot in the prison and then assist the guards in stopping it. Of course, only after the Kennedys were pumped full of bullets. He had placed Jones and his team as back up. If anything did go wrong, they would be standing by to take care of things. In fact, every eventuality was covered.
Beaumont was suddenly aware that the briefing had stopped, not because it had finished but because the room had filled with the sound of ringing phones. Everyone had their phones on silent, but emergency numbers for reporters overrode this feature. What was happening, thought Beaumont. He looked across at the press secretary who looked as lost as he was.
“Mr Press Secretary?” one of the reporters had finished his call. “Does the Whitehouse wish to comment on the story currently being run by Global Media?”
“If you’d like to tell me what the story is, I’ll be happy to comment.”
“Are you saying therefore that the Whitehouse does not wish to comment or won’t comment on the story?”
Beaumont had a feeling of dread. This had all the signs of another disaster about to happen.
“John, will you stop being obtuse and tell me the damn story you’re referring to?” said the Press Secretary to a reporter he had known for years.
“You really don’t know? Global who are owned by Alba International have just broken the story that Donald Kennedy, their owner and CEO, is the number one suspect in the recent spate of assassinations.”
“They’ve what?” blurted Beaumont a little too loudly and found himself under the media spotlight. He quickly stepped back and left the room, leaving the press secretary to deal with it. He needed to see the report. Why would they buy a channel to kill a story and then break it first? He burst into his room and selected the Global channel. He immediately went to their interactive area and selected the ‘Top Story’ banner. The story played from the beginning and Beaumont had to congratulate whoever had pulled this one off. They had given the details but in such a way to
