The government had been responsible for widespread corruption and was known to manipulate voting in an effort to thwart their democratic processes. Those who openly criticized the ruling family were either jailed or killed.
Baku thrived on its tourist trade. For a while, the city was filled with police impersonators who preyed on tourists, demanding bribes or payoffs for seemingly inconsequential misdemeanors. The Aliyev regime cracked down on the fake law enforcement officers and openly executed them in the center of the city. It was a message to all who might consider a life of petty crime in the Republic. As a result, Baku was one of the safest cities in the world to visit.
President Aliyev was incensed when notified of the attack upon the American embassy. It ran contrary to his efforts to maintain the façade of being a good world citizen while running his country in a dictatorial manner. The free flow of oil and natural gas from the region to Western Europe and interests was of tantamount importance to Washington. American petrodollars fueled the ruling party’s lifestyle and corrupt government. The combination of these financial interests meant the attack on President Alyev’s watch would not be tolerated.
Once the flight landed, Gunner and his team faced difficulties in retrieving their luggage. Under Azerbaijani law, authorized personnel of foreign states were permitted to carry and possess firearms with a permit. However, the permit must be obtained from the Minister of Internal Affairs with documentation provided by the nation’s embassy. In this case, the American embassy was not available.
The State Department had to be called upon to intervene, but it took over two hours while Gunner, Cam and Bear were detained at the airport with their luggage. In that time, with the use of a specially dispatched F-16, the footlockers recovered from von Zwick’s home had made their way to Fort Belvoir. Ghost informed Gunner by text that Jackal had already jumped in with both feet, eager to learn what she could.
Gunner was also advised the FBI team was already on the ground and the CDC had their epidemiologists en route to the scene to gather evidence. The British embassy had opened its doors and made space for the Americans to have a base of operations. As soon as their weapons were cleared, the three were to report to the acting U.S. ambassador, who’d been flown in from London.
They rented a car at the airport and drove directly toward the British embassy, which was located less than a mile south of the U.S. Embassy. The Azerbaijani military had set up roadblocks at all roads leading out of the city. People were seen dragged from their vehicles and thrown across the hoods of their cars while they were forcibly searched. Belongings were strewn about on the ground as the concept of civil rights and rights to privacy were apparently suspended, if they even existed.
Cam commented on the brusque tactics they’d witnessed. “If one of those guys thinks he’s gonna paw all over me like that, he’ll have two hands full of broken fingers.”
“I’ll be right there with ya, snappin’ ’em one by one,” added Bear.
As they turned west along the Caspian Sea shoreline, Navy patrol boats could be seen stopping every vessel within sight. Up ahead, the parking lot of the Hotel Baku, one of the most luxurious in town, was filled with guests who were being interviewed by uniformed soldiers.
Gunner shook his head in disbelief. “I’ve never seen anything like this, except for maybe in Boston after the Marathon bombing in ’13. The city went on lockdown, but the streets reminded me of a police state. That was a taste of militarized law enforcement. What we’re witnessing here is the weight of the military on everyone.”
While they were waiting in line to enter the British embassy’s parking lot, Gunner’s phone rang. It was Jackal. Gunner had barely said hello when her excited voice came through the device.
“Sir, you hit the mother lode. Professor von Zwick’s investigation spans decades.”
Bear, who was driving, rolled down his window and provided his identification to the Azerbaijani soldier at the gate. He leaned over and whispered, “Gunner, they’re gonna want us to exit the vehicle. It appears they all speak English.”
Gunner nodded, acknowledging Bear’s implication. If he wanted to speak to Jackal in private, he’d need to wait or wander off. He chose to wander away from the car while they conducted their search. As he did, he snapped his head back and smiled while Cam berated one of the guards for getting too handsy. He wondered if the altercation would result in another international incident.
“Sorry about that. Tell me the highlights of what you’ve seen so far.”
Jackal began to explain. “This may be the most complex ER model I’ve ever created.”
“English, please,” interrupted Gunner.
“Oh, yeah. Sorry. An ER model, or entity-relationship model, is something we used at the bureau to create a pattern of relationships, roles, locations, etcetera when attempting to solve a complicated case. A great example is when I used to be part of a huge RICO case involving organized crime. We’d have photos and strings and pushpins covering entire walls.” RICO was an acronym for Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations, a federal law designed to bring down the mafia and drug syndicates although many argued it was used to subvert the due-process guarantees of the Constitution.
“Are we talking governments or corporations? State-sponsored terrorism, or what?”
“Gunner, all of this is preliminary, okay? I’ve had these footlockers for all of two hours. Not to mention the fact that I’ve requisitioned experts from the State Department to decipher this mess.”
“Cam said his notes were in German,” Gunner added.
Jackal laughed. “Oh, no. It’s more than that. He’s intentionally written some entries in Standard German,
