counted them. They signed off on the lading and let me through. When I left ten minutes later, they figured the van was empty. They do that again today, we’re home free.”
“What about the plane?” said Herman.
“It’s taken care of,” said Adin. “An Israeli Air Force KC-130 will be waiting for us. It’s a flying gas tank, used for aerial refueling. It has the range to reach Europe, North Africa, or, for that matter, South America. I hope we’re not going that far?” He looked at Herman who wasn’t saying anything. “When we get to the side of the plane, you’ll be loaded aboard with the freight. Don’t move until I tell you. When I do, move fast. There’s a ramp at the rear of the plane under the belly. It will be down. Get up the ramp as fast as you can. There won’t be much room inside. The cargo area is taken up by two large stainless-steel fuel tanks. There is also a very large wooden cargo crate up front. Don’t go near it! You will have to move between the two tanks up toward the front of the plane. Get in front of the tanks and stay there. Make sure you can’t be seen from the open cargo ramp. And don’t go up into the crew compartment until I get on board. We don’t want any of the military guards to see you moving around in there. They may stop the flight and decide to search it. Any questions?”
“No,” said Herman.
“Sarah, do you copy?”
“Yes.”
“Can you handle the dog? You’re going to have to keep him on a tight leash. If he gets loose and takes off, we’re dead.”
“I can do it,” said Sarah.
“If you want me to take him, I can,” said Adin.
“I assume you have other things to do,” said Sarah.
“I’ll be trying to keep the air force loadmaster busy while you guys get on board. After you’re on, we’ll bring the boxes.”
“Just out of curiosity,” said Herman. “What’s in them?”
“Nothing. Blank paper and binders,” said Adin.
“So the flight is just to get you down to Mexico?” said Herman.
“That and a few other things,” said Adin. “I’ll tell you more when we get in the air.”
Israeli intelligence had known for some time that Bruno Croleva was hired by the Iranian Foreign Intelligence Service to perform logistics on the final theft of Project Thor.
The Mossad took one of Bruno’s people and sweated him for information. Isolated and confused, sleep deprived and tormented, over a period of days the man was reduced to a pitiable set of basic human requirements, all of which were rationed out by those questioning him. They soon learned that Bruno had decided to make an offer to a man named Liquida, someone with connections to the Mexican drug cartels to join him on Project Thor. The man didn’t know if the Mexican had accepted, but the offer was generous and the assumption was that he would.
In the meantime, Bruno had disappeared. They had to assume that he had gone to ground in preparation for the mission.
Adin had been planted at the FBI to gather information on U.S. surveillance surrounding Thor. The Israelis had assumed that the bureau would be the lead agency on counterespionage efforts surrounding the program. What he discovered was that the FBI knew nothing of the project. The Mossad was about to break off Adin’s assignment and bring him home when he picked up rumors of an attack by a man named Liquida on a woman named Sarah Madriani. They sent him back to work, and within days Adin discovered that the bureau was using Madriani’s father as bait to lure Liquida into the open.
Adin had no idea of the connection between Madriani and Liquida. What’s more, he didn’t care. All that mattered was following the food chain: Madriani to Liquida, Liquida to Bruno. Adin could only hope and pray that he was getting close, and that he had enough time.
Chapter Forty-Nine
It’s possible he was a double agent,” said Janda. “We don’t know.” The general and Fowler finally decided to throw Thorpe a bone, what information they had on Raji Fareed. “We had him under surveillance. We thought we had him covered, but we lost him in France.”
“Who were you using on the ground?” said Thorpe.
“Military intelligence and CIA,” said Janda. “We thought we had plenty of resources. Somehow they both got away.”
“Funny how that happens,” said Thorpe. “Who were you using here in the States, for surveillance, I mean?” This was a sore point, and Thorpe knew it. Neither the CIA nor the military could be used legally within the territorial borders of the United States to conduct intelligence against U.S. citizens.
“We’re not discussing that,” said Fowler. “Suffice it to say that we were doing our job.”
“We knew what we were doing,” said Janda. “The reason I say Fareed could have been a double agent is not only his background, Iranian father and Israeli mother. We have photographs of him meeting with handlers from both embassies.”
“Did it ever occur to you that maybe he knew you were following him?” said Thorpe.
“He was playing a dangerous game,” said Fowler. “That’s probably why he’s dead.”
“How long did you have him under surveillance?” asked Thorpe.
“Two years,” said Janda. “We have reason to believe he was a deep plant, a sleeper. He could have been activated more recently by radicals, but we don’t think so.”
“Why wasn’t the bureau informed?”
“That’s above your pay grade,” said Fowler.
“Yet you allowed this man to have access to highly classified information and to leave the country,” said Thorpe.
“That’s enough,” said Fowler. “Your job is to find Leffort and to make sure we get any and all classified information back, including this flash drive. What about computers? Did the French police find a computer in Fareed’s hotel room?”
“No. We checked. If there was anything there, whoever killed him took it,” said Thorpe.
“Find that flash drive,” said Fowler. “Do you understand?”
“Yes.”
“Then, unless you have more information for us, we won’t detain you any longer.”
Thorpe got up, took his briefcase, and left.
They waited for the door to close behind him. “I don’t trust him,” said Fowler. “He’s not a team player.”
“He’s old enough to remember Watergate,” said Janda. “If you recall, all the team players in that event went to prison.”
“You’re not getting cold feet, are you?”
“No,” said Janda.
“In case you’re worried, let me remind you that we’re not stealing money and we’re not trying to fix elections here. You know as well as I do that this was our one chance to take down the major terrorist cell in Europe. We know they were the people one notch above Bruno Croleva in this thing. They’ve been the eyes and ears of more terrorist acts than we can count. What we were doing was on a need-to-know basis, and Thorpe didn’t need to know.”
“I agree,” said Janda. “I’m on board.”
“Good!”
“It’s just that if the media gets wind of any of the details of Project Thor, it’s going to be more than just a major international embarrassment. These are serious treaty violations. You know and I know that the president’s gonna be looking for cover, claiming that he never authorized anything. They’re going to be looking for a fall guy,” said Janda. The way he said it made Fowler wonder if he was auditioning for the role. The thought had crossed Fowler’s mind more than once.
Project Thor was a direct violation of international treaties prohibiting the militarization of space and the
