The Innocent

An instant later the right-side window of the hangar blew open, shattered by massive rounds from a thirty-millimeter chain gun. Next, rifle rounds fired through this opening slammed into the remaining guards. The shots were fired so fast and with such spot-on accuracy that the men had no chance even to fire back. One by one they dropped until the only one left standing was Talal. When two more men appeared at the door of the jet, they were immediately shot. Their bodies fell to the floor, making dull thunks on the cement.

Outside the window the chopper hovered, its thirty-mil chain gun mounted between the front landing gears now silent. It was a stealth aircraft. And the rain had covered any sounds it had made. Until the chain gun had opened up, that is. There were few things on earth that could cover the noise a thirty-mil made.

Shane Connors slid his self-loading sniper rifle off the metal support and kissed the hot barrel, his longtime ritual. He gave Robie a salute from the chopper and then signaled to the pilot. The chopper slowly moved off.

Robie came out from behind the landing gear and approached Talal. Abdullah rose from behind the van and joined him.

Talal gazed at Abdullah in disbelief. “You betrayed me?”

“How do you think we got on to you in the first place, Talal?” said Robie. “And if you can buy off our people, we can buy off yours.”

Robie lifted his gun. Talal stared at him. “So you kill me now?”

“No. It’s out of my hands. I’m sorry.”

“You’re apologizing for not killing me?” Talal said slowly.

The hangar door opened and a gold SUV pulled in. Inside were five men, all in robes. All armed. They got out of the car, lifted Talal up, and carried him to the vehicle. He screamed and tried to break free, but he was a man of little muscle and he soon gave up.

“You’re going back to Saudi Arabia, Talal,” said Robie. “The Americans have officially turned you over to your countrymen. I think you would have preferred the bullet.”

The SUV drove off and Robie beckoned to Vance and Julie.

“There’s a chopper outside that will take us to our ride home,” he said quietly. “And there’s a medical crew on board.”

Vance and Julie crept out from behind the landing gear.

Vance hugged him and said, “I don’t know how you managed all this, Robie. But I’m sure as hell glad you did.”

Julie looked at the departing truck and said, “What will they do to him?”

“There’s no reason for you to waste a second of your life thinking about it.”

“Why did he kill my mom and dad?”

“I promise you that once we make sure you and Agent Vance are okay, and we put a few miles between us and this place and get some food in both your stomachs, I will answer all your questions, okay?”

“Okay, Will,” said Julie.

Robie put one supporting arm around Vance and held his other out to Julie, who took it. They walked over to the waiting helicopter, which had set down in front of the hangar. Within the hour they would be winging their way home.

After that, Robie didn’t know. He just didn’t care to look that far ahead anymore.

CHAPTER 99

Blue Man and Shane Connors were sitting at the small table in the conference room when Robie walked in.

Connors and Robie made eye contact, exchanged a brief nod, and then Robie sat next to him.

Blue Man said, “I’ve just congratulated Agent Connors on a job well done.”

“Got me out from behind a desk,” said Connors. “That was reward enough.”

Robie eyed Blue Man. “What did Van Beuren tell us?”

“Pretty much everything.”

“Why did he turn on his country?”

“Basically money and morals.”

“The money I get. Explain the morals.”

“Well, the money was not exactly what you would have imagined. It was going to pay for medical bills, with plenty left over for Van Beuren to retire on. Even though they had insurance through the government, it didn’t cover some of the experimental treatments that they used to try and save Elizabeth Van Beuren. Without this money, they were going to have to declare bankruptcy. And without the money she wouldn’t have gotten the treatments. Unfortunately, they didn’t work.”

“And the morals?”

“George Van Beuren blamed the U.S. government for his wife’s cancer. He said it was exposure to the toxins in the battlefield that led to her illness and death. He wanted his revenge. And the president and one of the leaders of Saudi Arabia were excellent targets for his rage.”

“He must’ve talked to Gabriel Siegel,” said Robie. “He thinks the same thing.”

“It doesn’t excuse treason,” commented Connors.

“No, it doesn’t,” agreed Blue Man.

“And Van Beuren’s daughter?”

“Knew nothing about any of it, her father said. And we believe him. Nothing will happen to her.”

“But she’s lost both her parents now,” said Robie.

“Yes, she has.”

“Why was Van Beuren knocked out?”

“The original plan had been to leave him completely blameless. You discovering what you did made this impossible, of course, but they didn’t know that. So Lambert knocks him out and steals his gun. Van Beuren was going to hang around for a while longer in his job, then retire, and go live somewhere else.”