Hell's Corner

CHAPTER 62

They left Adelphia’s apartment without the question being answered.

Chapman said, “How did you figure they weren’t going after bin Laden? And that Fuat Turkekul was meeting with someone else that night?”

“I suspected each was true. Adelphia confirmed both for me just now.”

“But she didn’t say anything.”

“That’s what confirmed it.”

“But why were you suspicious in the first place?” persisted Chapman.

“You don’t task a man to chase Osama bin Laden and then plunk him in a teaching position in a university in the West, unless you believe bin Laden is hiding out on the East Coast somewhere. It makes no sense. That’s why I had Harry tail him. Not really for protection, but to see what he was doing. Or rather not doing.”

“And the fact that Adelphia wasn’t at the park to meet with him?”

“You don’t arrange a meeting like that and then just not show up. They had a message board arrangement. The meeting was late at night. It’s a ten-minute cab ride from Georgetown to the park. Turkekul could have checked the board right before he left. If she couldn’t make the meeting, Adelphia could have posted that message up until a few minutes before he would leave for the rendezvous. She answered my post promptly, which tells me she checks it often. There was no need for him to stand around in the park waiting for her. That is inefficient and stupid. And potentially lethal.”

“But if not her, who? And did he meet with anyone?”

“Not that I saw, no.”

“What does that tell you?”

“That the meeting might have been off-schedule.” He added, “Not something his superiors knew about.”

“If that’s the case, why cover for him?”

“If Turkekul is a valuable asset he would be protected after the fact. And even if the meeting was off-schedule that doesn’t mean it was off-mission and thus could have been important to his superiors.”

“Could he have been set up, then?”

“They didn’t kill him. They could easily have done it by firing a few minutes earlier. No, he wasn’t the target.”

Chapman touched her temples. “My poor head is literally swimming with possibilities and none of them unfortunately make any sense.”

They returned to the park. Stone walked it from north to south and east to west while Chapman dutifully followed looking alternatively curious and bored.

She finally said, “Are you thinking if you walk the scene of the crime, inspiration will strike?”

“I’m not looking for inspiration, just answers.” He gazed back at the building where the shots had presumably come from. “Shots fired. Everyone runs. Padilla jumps into the tree hole. The bomb detonates.”

“The bomb was detonated prematurely. And we need to find out who the actual target was. It keeps coming back to that. That bomb was really supposed to go off when this park was filled with VIPs. If we can determine the target we can reverse engineer it back to the people behind the plot. At least hopefully we can.”

Stone shook his head. “We’re still missing something. The picture is still off. Way off.” He paused. “Okay, let’s change direction for a minute and do a simple process of elimination.”

“How?” she asked.

“If Turkekul wasn’t meeting with Adelphia, who was he going to meet with?” Stone looked around the park. “Not your security man. Not Alfredo Padilla obviously. Not me.”

Chapman gasped. “Wait a minute. You mean the woman?”

Stone nodded. “Marisa Friedman.”