Europa Conspiracy (Babylon Rising 3) (21 page)

214

exclaimed. "He might have called to warn them. We mustn't let them get out of Presidio."

As they approached the shack, they could see three men loading a van. The lights of their car caused the Arabs to run for cover. Abrams stopped about fifty yards from the shack, then he and David jumped out, leaving the headlights on.

One of the Arabs stepped from the shed with a rocket-propelled grenade launcher. With a stream of yellow light, the car was blown backward in a ball of flame.

Both David and Abrams drew their weapons and fired toward the shed. For a moment there was silence.

Abrams picked up an old bottle and tossed it. As soon as it hit the ground, small-arms fire came from the Arabs, aimed at the sound. David and Abrams responded with a volley of shots, and a man yelped in pain.

David whispered. "Do you think we got them?"

"We got someone," Abrams said firmly. "Either that, or they're trying to sucker us to expose ourselves. Let's crawl around and approach them from the rear."

It took the men about seven minutes to crawl behind the shed. As they took up their position, they heard a motor start: the van! They jumped up and started running. The shed was blocking their shot. By the time they had circled the building, it was too late. The van had sped away.

"Quick, David," Abrams called out. "We don't have much time. I can hear sirens in the distance. Someone must

215

have reported the explosion and the sound of gunshots. We've got to check out the shed."

The two men pulled out small flashlights and stepped inside. Two of the Arabs were on the floor, dead. They could see a cache of small arms and some RPG shells, clothing items, and food.

"They must have loaded everything else in the van," David said bitterly.

"I'll take a look at the outhouse and then we must leave. Stay outside and keep an eye out."

Abrams pulled open the door to the ramshackle outhouse and shined his light inside. The odor was repellent.

I hate these things
, he thought with distaste.

He stepped onto the wooden floor and looked about. As he turned, he heard a hollow sound under his feet. Shining his light down, he could see that one board didn't have nails in it. He reached down and pulled the board up. Underneath was a metal box. He grabbed the handle, thinking
Well, well, well! What do we have here? I hope it's something that will give some light on where they plan to strike.

"We've got to go, Levi!" David called. "The sirens are getting close."

Soon both were in the Rio Grande, swimming to the Mexican side, Abrams lugging the metal box.

216

THIRTY-EIGHT

ABRAMS AND DAVID LOOKED across the river at the remains of the burning car. They could see the fire engines arriving along with some police cars.

"Wait till they go in the shed and find the Arabs and the RPGs. That will cause a stir in quiet old Presidio." David grinned.

"Right now I'm more interested in what's in this box," Abrams answered. "Let's find a cantina where we can explore the contents."

"Right this way, senor," said the owner, staring at Abrams and David in their damp clothes. "Here's a quiet corner where no one will bother you."

"This will do fine," Abrams said, sitting down.

"Is there anything else I can do for you gentlemen?"

"Not right now. We'll order something in a few minutes."

217

Abrams was about to put the box on the table when he realized that the owner was not leaving. They both looked at him.

Smiling, he said, "Most of my customers are dry when they come in and then get wet later in the night. This is the first time they have come in wet waiting to get dry."

Making a motion with his hand, he continued. "To have a dry booth like this and to have wet Americans sit in it may add to my expenses. I want to keep you protected from catching a very bad cold, señors. I wouldn't want any of my customers to catch a cold either. For a little extra I will ensure that no one will bother you or catch a cold."

"That sounds like a good idea, señor," Abrams replied. "We wouldn't want to catch a cold either. May I add a little contribution for all of your extra effort on our behalf?"

Abrams reached into his wallet, took out two hundred-dollar bills, and folded them into his right hand. He then reached out and shook the owner's hand. Abrams tightened his grip, and the Mexican's smile turned to a look of pain.

"We appreciate all of your extra service, señor. I am sure that no one will catch a cold, aren't you?"

"Sí. Sí, señor. I am sure no one will catch a cold," the man said hurriedly, turning away.

"Come on, Levi. Open it," David exclaimed.

The box, Abrams discovered, wasn't locked. He pushed the button on the side and lifted the lid. The box was filled with stacks of twenty-dollar bills. On top was a plastic sandwich bag with a dollar bill sealed inside. Abrams began to examine the dollar bill as David counted the money.

218

"Look at this, David!" Abrams said thoughtfully. "Look at the markings on the bill."

David took the bill and peered at it. "That's strange. What do you think those markings mean?"

"I'm not sure, but I have a friend who may be able to help me."

Abrams reached for his waterproof cell phone and punched in some numbers.

It was one o'clock when Murphy heard his cell phone playing a musical tune. He groaned and flipped it open. "Do you have any idea what time it is?" he growled.

"Yes, Michael, I do," Abrams said, smiling. "I'm sorry to wake you, but this is most important."

"I hope it is, Levi. I was just starting into a good dream."

"You can go back to your dreams later," Abrams said with a laugh.

For the next few minutes Abrams recounted everything that had taken place in Presidio. By the time he had finished, Murphy was wide awake.

"Michael, you've always been good at breaking codes and solving mysteries. I need your help with the writing on the dollar bill."

"I'll do my best. What do you see?"

"As you look at the front of the bill, you see a picture of George Washington. To his right there's a green seal. Inside of the seal is a shield. At the top of the shield is a set of scales, and at the bottom is a key. Someone has circled the key in pen. In the open space next to the seal,

219

someone has drawn a crescent moon pointing downward. There are what look like three talons coming off the points of the crescent moon. And below the moon are two pyramids forming a six-pointed star. It is exactly the same as the tattoo on the Arab who fell into the alley."

"It sounds like Talon is again involved in this."

"That's why I called you, Michael. Below the green seal are three letters--R D D," Abrams continued.

"Hmmm. That doesn't ring any bells yet, Levi," Murphy mused.

"On the left side of Washington is a black seal with the letter 'L' in the center. Above the seal is the printed statement:
THIS NOTE IS LEGAL TENDER FOR ALL DEBTS, PUBLIC AND PRIVATE.
In between the printed statement and the black seal is someone's name: Lenni Lenape, with Lenni spelled L-E-N-N-I."

"I must still be asleep, Levi. This isn't making any sense."

"I've had this name run through all our sources and through Interpol. We've come up empty I called them just before calling you."

"Well, let's start with the obvious, Levi. The key is circled. It probably means that this dollar bill is the key or carrier of a coded message. The name of the person is another clue."

"Of course, Michael. We've gotten that far. We're stuck on this person Lenni Lenape. Who is he, and what's his relationship to these Arabs in Texas?"

Murphy ran his fingers through his hair. He got out of bed and began to pace. "That name sounds familiar, Levi.

220

Lenni is a common name, but the spelling you gave isn't, and Lenape is unusual."

"We can't find any Lenni Lenape who has done anything wrong or has been associated with any terrorist groups."

"Levi!" Murphy exclaimed. "I just remembered my history lessons. Lenni Lenape is not a person, it's a
group
of people."

"What are you talking about?"

"Lenni Lenape is the name of a tribe of American Indians. They lived in the wooded areas around Delaware, New Jersey, and New York. They were one of the most civilized and advanced Indian tribes in the United States. The Algonquin Indians called the Lenni Lenape 'Grandfathers' because they had been in the area for such a long time."

"But what does that have to do with the dollar bill?"

"I don't know for sure, Levi, but I can only make a guess. The Lenni Lenape Indians had a large encampment on the top of the New Jersey Palisades. It overlooked the Hudson River."

"I'm sorry, Michael, but you're not making any sense. The Lenni Lenape were Indians in New Jersey?"

"Hold on, I'm coming to it. The site of the original Lenni Lenape encampment is now called Fort Lee. It is from Fort Lee on top of the Palisades that you begin to cross the George Washington Bridge. You travel on highway 1-95 from New Jersey to Washington Heights in Upper Manhattan."

"That's it! That's it, Michael. The George Washington Bridge! It must be their target!"

221

"That would be a terrible target for us! It's one of the busiest bridges in the world. Three hundred thousand vehicles cross the span a day. It's the only fourteen-lane suspension bridge ever built, and it's the thirteenth longest main suspension bridge in the world. It's a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark."

"I knew you could do it, Michael," Abrams exclaimed. "I need to do some more checking and then we'll pass the information on to all of the agencies involved with homeland security. Go back to bed and try and get some sleep."

"Thanks a lot, Levi. You didn't exactly give me a sleeping pill."

222

THIRTY-NINE

DAVID LOOKED at Abrams when he finished talking with Murphy. "I got part of the conversation. You think the terrorists may be planning to attack the George Washington Bridge. Do you have any idea how or when?"

"That's still a mystery. The four Arabs in Presidio were part of the plan. Only one of them has escaped. I don't know how this will affect their operation."

"What did Murphy say the three letters under the green seal mean?"

"Oh, David! We got so caught up in the bridge scenario that we didn't pursue it. 'R D D.' I wonder if they're a person's initials?"

"Well, Lenni Lenape wasn't a person. Maybe the letters stand for something else?" David said thoughtfully.

"Let's try to put it together. We've got the George Washington Bridge starting at Fort Lee and moving toward Manhattan. The operation is being run by Talon and his Arab friends who have tattoos on their necks of a

223

crescent and a star. Their goal is to do something to the bridge."

"Maybe the 'R D D' is the something that they're going to do?"

"It could be. Let's start with the R. 'R' for rapid, or radio, or radical, or raid, or reconnaissance, or retribution, or rifle, or revenge, or--"

"How about radiation?" David put in.

"Now you're talking about a really bad 'R' word."

"Do you think they might have a nuclear device?"

"Well, we know they had a rocket-propelled grenade launcher. That starts with 'R.' Oh, no!"

"What?"

"I wonder if they might be going for a dirty bomb? They're called radiological dispersion devices, you know," Abrams said.

"Levi, I've been with Mossad for years and I still don't understand how a dirty bomb is different from a regular nuclear weapon."

"Well, David, dirty bombs aren't nuclear weapons. Let me try to explain," Abrams said. "A thermonuclear device, like an atom bomb, does tremendous damage. When it explodes it destroys buildings, equipment, and people with a massive fireball and shockwave of heat and pressure that levels everything for more than a mile in each direction. The blast creates radiation that can spread over the city. People in the vicinity of the bomb blast will be annihilated. Those who are a little farther away can be burned with the radiation; they will linger longer, depending on how close they were to the blast."

224

"You mean it will level an entire city like Hiroshima, Japan, in World War II?" David asked.

"Precisely." Abrams nodded. "The United States and Israel have been worrying about portable nuclear devices--suitcase nukes. They can be fit into a regular suitcase. They are filled with a single mass of plutonium or U-233. A single suitcase nuke could cause a significant explosion ranging from ten to twenty tons.

"The next wonder of war is called the neutron bomb, or ERW, for enhanced radiation weapon. It's a little different from the thermonuclear bomb. It is detonated
above
the battlefield or city being attacked. The central destructive blast is confined to a few hundred yards. However, a massive wave of radiation is sent out from the blast into a much larger area. It kills any living being inside of tanks or buildings without destroying buildings or equipment. The radiation from a thermonuclear bomb can last for a long, long time, but the radiation from the neutron bomb quickly dissipates. It kills the warriors but doesn't damage a country's infrastructure."

"It sounds like the weapon of choice to use in the future," David said in a worried voice.

"I'm afraid it might be. President Jimmy Carter halted the production of neutron devices in 1978. Production later resumed in 1981. It's believed that the Chinese stole the bomb secrets from the United States and exploded their own neutron bomb as early as 1986."

"What does all this have to do with dirty bombs?" David asked.

"Well, I have to lay a foundation so that you'll understand.