Artist drawings of the three men appeared on the monitor.
"Those are pretty generic," Nick said. "Could be any three men from anywhere in the Middle East."
"They're better than nothing. Sometimes they get it right," Elizabeth said. "Watch the videos and tell me what you think."
"We got any popcorn?"
Elizabeth gave Lamont one of her looks.
"Sorry," he said.
"We'll start with the garage," Elizabeth said. "I'll run it in slow motion."
They watched as the white van came into view. The video was grainy and badly lit. The camera was angled to capture the license plate as the vehicle passed. You couldn't see who was sitting in the front, only someone sitting on the passenger side as the van passed the camera. The license plate was clearly visible as it went past the camera and into the garage. The video clip came to an end.
"That's it?" Nick asked.
"The next one is longer," Elizabeth said.
The video from Silverton's phone began playing on the monitor. The image panned over three of the agents. The audio quality was poor, but they could make out what was being said.
"The tall one is Matthews," Elizabeth said. "He was in charge."
The video zoomed in on the license plate and then swiveled to follow Matthews as he walked to the driver side door. They saw him take disposable gloves from his pocket and put them on before he tried the door.
"Locked. It figures."
"How about the back?"
"That's Dodge speaking," Elizabeth said.
On screen, Matthews walked to the back of the truck and tried the handle.
"We're in luck," Matthews said.
He moved to open the door. The screen went white.
"Some luck," Lamont said.
"Let's see those videos again," Nick said. "Something's off."
Elizabeth ran them again.
"You see it?" Nick asked.
"Where's the sign?" Ronnie said. "When it came into the garage, it had a sign on it."
"I'll be damned," Elizabeth said. "You're right."
"No one's commented on the sign?" Selena asked.
"No," Elizabeth said. "If they had, I would've heard about it. I can't believe I didn't see that."
"How do you get rid of a sign painted on the side of a truck?" Nick asked.
"Maybe it was one of those magnetic signs," Ronnie said. "People use them all the time to advertise their business. It's cheaper, and if you change vehicles you can take it with you."
"A magnetic sign would make sense," Selena said. "They wouldn't risk taking a rental to a painter."
"How many people make those kinds of signs?" Ronnie asked.
"You can buy them at a lot of places," Nick said. "But most of those don't manufacture them. They have to be ordered."
"Someone had to make it and they'll have a record of who ordered it," Elizabeth said. "It's a lead. I'll let Clarence know."
CHAPTER 49
Dayoud paced back and forth in the small apartment, while Hamid and Amin watched.
"It was bad luck," Hamid said.
"We failed," Dayoud said. "That is all Tehran will see. We will never have another opportunity like that. Months of planning, gone, with no results."
"It's not our fault," Amin said.
Dayoud scowled at him. "You are a fool."
"You don't have to be insulting."
"Do you understand nothing? Yesterday, you were talking about going home. That is no longer an option."
"What do you mean?"
"He means it is necessary to redeem ourselves in the eyes of Allah," Hamid said.
Dayoud nodded approvingly. "That is right, brother. You see clearly to the heart of the matter."
Amin looked from one to the other. "What are you saying?"
"Explain it to him, Hamid."
"He means we must now become shahid."
"Martyrdom?" Amin was shocked.
Hamid's voice was gentle. "Think about it, brother. It was never certain we would return home. We always knew it might be necessary to give our lives for the cause."
"Yes, but…"
"We took the oath, you know we must honor it. If we had succeeded in killing the Jew and the American president, things would be different. Now we will use our lives to sow death among the unbelievers."
Amin bowed his head. "You are right, brother."
Hamid patted him on the arm. "Allah will welcome us to Paradise."
"I have already thought about our targets," Dayoud said.
He went into the bedroom and took a folded map from the dresser. He came back to where the others sat and spread the map out on the kitchen table. Three areas were circled in red.
"This is a map of Manhattan," Dayoud said.
He tapped the map with his finger. "This is Times Square. It is always crowded at night, with thousands of people. The Americans gather there like mindless cows in the field. I will take the gas into the midst of them and release it. Many will die."
Dayoud pointed to a second spot.
"This is Penn Station. It is a major transportation hub for the city. Subways and trains and buses all come here. Hamid, you will take a vest and find a central spot. When you are satisfied that you can do the most damage, you will fulfill your oath. You will be the first to gain martyrdom."
"God willing," Hamid said.
"What will I do?" Amin said.
"You and I will go to Times Square together. The explosion at Penn Station will confuse the police and draw them away. Your target is a theater on 48th St. where a popular play is being staged. The play glorifies the deviant sexuality of this decadent country. It is a perfect statement that the infidels cannot ignore."
"I will wear a vest?"
"Yes. You will wait outside until the play is over. When the stream of people leaving is at its peak, then you detonate the vest."
"What if I'm detected?"
"The vest will be hidden under your coat. No one will notice you."
"When do we attack?" Hamid asked.
"Today is Thursday. Tomorrow is a day for prayer. We will attack on the evening of the next day."
CHAPTER 50
It was Saturday, and unseasonably warm on the East Coast. People were out taking advantage of the freakish sunshine and warm weather. Weekends were usually a time when Elizabeth could relax. This weekend, relaxation wasn't an option.
There wasn't much she could do without more information. Everyone knew there could be another attack. The three Iranians had failed to kill the Israeli prime minister and President Corrigan, but that didn't mean they were done. She'd sent Nick and the team back to New York, on the off chance something would turn up. Something to give them a chance at finding the terrorists before they could do any more damage.
Elizabeth's phone signaled a call from Langley.
"Hello, Clarence."
"Elizabeth. I have some news."
"Good news, I hope."
"We've tracked down the New York manufacturer of the sign that was on the van. The Bureau is sending someone there now."
"You don't think the terrorists are done, do you,?" Elizabeth said.
"No, I don't. That device was sophisticated. These aren't your average suicide bombers. They were too well-equipped to give up if the first attempt didn't work out."
"So far, they haven't made any mistakes."
"Sooner or later they will," Hood said. "There's always a mistake. It will probably turn out to be something simple. Hang on, I'm getting another call. Right back."
Hood put her on hold. Elizabeth looked at the sun shining on the patio outside and thought again about how nice it would be, to be lying on a beach somewhere.
"I'm back," Hood said. "The Bureau got the address of the store where the sign was ordered. It's in the city."