Sniper Elite: One-Way Trip

CHAPTER 22

Deputy Director Cletus Webb was sitting at his desk talking with Robert Pope when Director Shroyer came stalking into the office unannounced. The director was obviously somewhat surprised to see Pope sitting before Webb’s desk, but that didn’t deter him.

“What the hell happened at the ransom drop, Cletus? And why the hell am I having to come find you again? The old man just reamed my ass over the phone because I didn’t have a goddamn answer. I looked like a fucking idiot! If Sandra Brux is dead, the president needs to get out in front of this.”

Webb maintained a placid demeanor. Men like Shroyer and the president were not interested in the complicated logistics of collating reliable intelligence over thousands of miles and multiple time zones. They wanted the information instantaneously. He glanced at Pope. “Bob?”

Pope looked startled to have been passed the ball. “Oh, well… Sandra isn’t dead, George. The body wasn’t hers. That’s what I came over to tell Cletus. The girl was the married daughter of the president of the Central Bank of Afghanistan.” He turned in the chair to face Shroyer more directly, straightening his corduroy jacket and pushing his glasses up onto his nose. “From what we can put together so far, it looks like Jackal was the head of his own kidnapping ring. Turns out nobody in the Afghan government knew the poor girl was even missing because her father kept it quiet. Since he was slow to make the payment, Jackal followed through on his threat to have her beaten to death. Her general appearance, size, and hair color are all very similar to that of Sandra Brux, and with her face beaten to a pulp… well, it was the natural assumption for Tom and Jerry to make, given the circumstances. CID has interrogated the men taken into custody, and they all say the girl’s body was to be dumped in downtown Kabul later in the day. All indications are that Jackal had every intention of delivering the ransom in exchange for Sandra — minus his cut.”

With great effort, Shroyer held his temper. “And now that’s not going to happen. So Tom and Jerry fucked up.”

Pope shook his head. “No. No, they did everything by the numbers.”

“I read the transcripts from Creech.” Shroyer said. “Tom and Jerry were told to clear.”

Pope shrugged. “Unimportant.”

“Unimportant?!” Shroyer flared.

Pope sat scratching the back of his hand, speaking in an almost bored tone of voice. “The analysts here in Langley couldn’t see what was happening in that warehouse. Tom and Jerry were sent in with orders to grab Sandra, eliminate her Taliban captors, and secure the money. Strictly speaking, they performed perfectly. They did, indeed, secure a kidnap victim, and every afghani dollar has since been accounted for by the Central Bank. They also broke up a major kidnapping ring that’s been terrorizing the city.” He glanced between the director and the DDO. “This is one of those times when a lab experiment yields an absolutely logical yet entirely unanticipated result.”

Webb cleared his throat, wanting to draw Shroyer’s ire away from Pope. “I wanted to get the details from Bob before I came to brief you. I apologize for not being quicker. I had no idea the president was going to be all over this so early in the morning. I thought we had an hour or so to work with. I accept complete responsibility for the lag.”

Shroyer understood Webb’s reasoning, but shit ran downhill, and the president had made it all too clear that he was not pleased by the lack of forthcoming information. “So that’s it, then? No ransom, no pilot — no nothing.”

Pope kept his face devoid of expression. “Jackal was the only known contact. All we can do is wait for another.”

Shroyer jammed his hands into his pockets. “Which, sure as hell, will come in the form of another unholy rape video — this time all over Al Jazeera. The crazy bastards will probably double their demand as well. I’m going to advise the president that we should go public now. Can either of you think of a reason we should not do that?”

Webb looked at Pope.

Pope looked back at the two of them, disliking the need for political considerations. “Well, keep in mind… if we go public, the HIK has no reason to stay quiet, either. As things stand now, they still have the option of negotiating a financial resolution without the rest of the Muslim world knowing they’re out to make a buck. But if we take the story public — turn it into a moral pissing contest — we leave them no choice but to forfeit profit in favor of propaganda. My recommendation is that we allow the situation to develop further. Allow them to make the next move. The ball is squarely in their court anyhow, and we risk making a mistake by attempting to preempt their next move. It’s important we not forget Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle.”

Shroyer cut a glance at Webb, who stared back, a faint smile crossing his face.

“Which is?” Shroyer asked blandly.

“Simply stated,” Pope replied, “we can never know anything for certain. For us to anticipate the HIK’s next move could put Sandra in even more danger. The chances are good to excellent they’re every bit as unsure of what to do next as we are. Let’s not force their hand.”

“You’re saying it’s the HIK now?” Shroyer said. “A second ago it was the Taliban. Exactly who the hell are we dealing with, Bob?”

Pope smiled. “It can get confusing. The entire history of Afghanistan reads the same way. Present intelligence indicates that the HIK has struck some sort of tentative alliance with the Taliban. What I believe is happening — more or less — is they’re using the Taliban to do their flunky work.”

Shroyer lowered his head in resignation, taking the other chair in front of Webb’s desk. “Well, let’s move on, then — since you’re here, Bob. I’d like for you to explain what the hell happened with Operation Tiger Claw. As you know, the president gave clearance for a black operation inside of Iran. He did not, however, give his blessing for the abduction of an Iranian national — the potential political ramifications of which I’m sure need no explanation.”