Rasheed nodded frantically as Ethan jabbed a finger at the computer before Rasheed, the start button lighting up as the hard drive began to boot.
‘You’re going to bring up all of the records for flights into and out of Africa hired by this company. I want to know who flew where, and you’re going to start by telling me all about your uncle and a man named Abrahem Nassir.’
Rasheed frowned. ‘I don’t know anybody by that name.’
‘You will,’ Ethan promised as he handed Rasheed another piece of paper with a tail registration written upon it. ‘This aircraft, who hired it?’
Rasheed frowned.
‘Nobody,’ he said.
‘You and I both know that’s a lie,’ Ethan growled.
‘No, it’s not! That aircraft belongs to my uncle. It’s not been hired by anybody for some time.’
Ethan glanced at the screen as it lit up with Rasheed’s access details.
‘Your Uncle is called Tariq, you said?’
‘Yes, Tariq Adel. He is from Iraq, but mostly lives in Dubai after the wars.’
‘He owns a private jet?’ Ethan asked.
‘He owns twelve of them,’ Rasheed replied. ‘Tariq made his money in oil before the first Gulf War in 1991. Tariq did not agree with Saddam Hussein’s antagonizing of the West and feared that his plans to invade Kuwait would place the country’s economy in danger, so he sold his oil company and went into aviation hire. He moved to Dubai in 1989.’
Ethan turned to the police officers.
‘Take the place apart and have technical get in here and go through the computers.’
As the police officers whirled to undertake their duties, Ethan turned back to Rasheed.
‘Tariq, where is he now?’
Rasheed shrugged helplessly. ‘I don’t know. I haven’t spoken to him in weeks and…’
Ethan grabbed Rasheed’s collar and shoved him forward. The man’s nose impacted the desk with a dull crunch and a squeal of pain. Rasheed’s blood spilled across his crisp white shirt and was smeared on the desk as Ethan yanked him back up and glared into his eyes.
‘You’re right, I’m not a police officer and the law doesn’t apply to me, so either you start talking real fast or by the end of this you’ll wind up in Cook County Jail for a few years while I ensure that your case goes through real slowly. I’m guessing that sharing a cell with a couple of killers who like pretty young guys isn’t something you want to check out?’
‘You broke my nose!’ Rasheed coughed in futile rage.
‘Prison will break your will,’ Ethan hissed. ‘You got that broken nose resisting arrest, Rasheed. You shut the door in my face and dashed in here, and I pursued and detained you at your desk as you were trying to delete all of the files on your hard drive.’
‘That’s not true!’
‘Nobody else cares, Rasheed. Your uncle Tariq is involved in something that could result in him being shot dead on sight, so if you want to stay out of jail and perhaps save your uncle’s life then start damn well talking!!‘
Ethan shouted his last into Rasheed’s ear and the younger man suddenly collapsed into sobs as he slumped in his seat.
‘Okay, okay! Tariq flew from Morocco to Italy yesterday, and then to the United Kingdom. From there, he flew here and arrived in the early hours of this morning.’
‘What’s he doing here?’
‘I don’t know, honestly I don’t know! He’s not visited America in years! I only know that he’s here because he called and asked me to arrange the necessary paperwork for his flight with customs!’
Ethan shoved Rasheed to one side and pulled his cell phone out as he turned away and dialed a number. Jarvis answered within seconds.
‘Talk to me.’
‘Tariq Adel, Iraqi national now living in Dubai. He’s not on our radar but he’s got money from Iraqi oil and a high — class aviation business. He’s in the country, arrived last night. My guess is that he’s the benefactor behind Abrahem’s travel plans and funding. We find Tariq, we might find Abrahem.’
‘We’re on it,’ Jarvis promised, and the line went silent.
Ethan shut the cell off and turned to two of the armed police waiting nearby and gestured them over. The two men strode into the office and aimed their rifles at Rasheed. Ethan looked down at the terrified young man.
‘You really want to earn yourself some brownie points? Tell me where your uncle would stay while in the country. I want the location of every car hire, building rental and vacation resort he’s ever stayed at in the United States, with emphasis on recent locations in the DC area, understood?’
Rasheed bobbed his head up and down, his eyes wide with panic, and Ethan allowed himself the thought that perhaps the young man was innocent of any involvement in what his uncle had been doing. He pulled a tissue from his pocket and handed it to Rasheed, softening his tone slightly.
‘Get it done and you’ll be free to go soon.’
Rasheed took the tissue and used it to stem the flow of blood from his nose as he turned to the computer and began typing.
Ethan turned to the window and was surprised to see a Lincoln parked across the street and an auburn — haired woman sitting watching the building from behind sunglasses. Despite himself, a smile curled from the corner of his lips as he recognized Special Agent Hannah Ford watching him. To his surprise he realized that he was glad that she was okay and had obviously returned unharmed from Hong Kong.
‘He’s got something,’ an officer said from behind him.
Ethan turned back to Rasheed and saw on the computer screen a digital receipt.
‘A lock up, near the east side,’ Rasheed said, his voice now somewhat distorted by the blood clogging his broken nose. ‘It was rented a few weeks ago, but nothing’s stored there and it’s the most recent purchase made in DC by my uncle’s company.’
Ethan scanned the address and nodded.
‘Good, take him to get some medical attention,’ Ethan said as he pulled his cell out again. Jarvis answered even more quickly this time.
‘Bethesda, District Container Storage, Lot Four,’ Ethan said as he read off the screen. ‘I’m heading there now.’
‘I’ll send back up,’ Jarvis replied.
XXXVIII
‘They’re on the move.’
Hannah watched as Vaughn slipped the Lincoln into drive and moved smoothly into the flow of traffic headed north. Ahead, three SUVs and two unmarked police pursuit vehicles had just departed the site of Vantage Aviation Hire, which had been ringed with police cordon tape and a couple of patrol cars parked outside to prevent prying eyes.
Even then, two TV cameras had been showing up just as they had left the scene.
‘Traffic’s going to be hell within an hour or so,’ Vaughn pointed out as they drove, keeping a reasonable distance behind the police convoy. ‘Once the dignitaries start showing up on Pennsylvania Avenue the whole city will go into gridlock.’
It was a good point, and one that had been occupying Hannah as they had waited for Ethan Warner and his team to make their next move. With the Capitol on lockdown due to the imminent Trans Pacific Partnership event at the White House, rush hour to begin at the same time as the President’s arrival at the ceremony and with so many tourists, patriots and sightseers all keen for a glimpse of the President and his entourage on the South Lawn, getting anywhere fast was going to present a major headache.