The Exchange: After The Firm

Chapter 14

Nothing changed in the twelve hours it took KLM to fly Mitch from Rome to Amsterdam to New York. There was one seat left on a direct flight to JFK, but it was back in coach and Mitch needed the legroom up in business class. He also needed easier access to the restrooms. His stomach was rumbling again and he feared a sudden eruption. After what his system had been through over the past four days, he left nothing to chance. Along the way he called Abby twice and caught up with family matters and neighborhood gossip. He called Roberto Maggi to check on Luca, who was resting. There was no word out of Libya, nothing from the kidnappers. He called his secretary and reorganized his schedule. Over the Atlantic, he took a sleeping pill that barely knocked off the edge but eventually led to a fitful thirty-minute nap. When he woke up, he made calls to his paralegal and two associates.

He tried not to think of Giovanna, though it was impossible. How were they treating her? Where were they hiding her? Was she getting food and water? Was she being interrogated, injured, abused? The law of the jungle accepted the torture and murder of armed men who had been trained with weapons and expected to do their own killing, but not an innocent civilian. Especially a young female lawyer who was just along for the ride.

The ride? Mitch simmered at the hubris and foolishness of dashing off to a country known for its instability and danger, and including Giovanna as a favor to her father. Of course, Luca had suggested the trip and assured him they would be safe, but Mitch was no rookie and could have insisted on other arrangements. He had asked himself, more than once, if a visit to the bridge was actually necessary. The answer was: probably not. Had he been overly excited about the adventure? Yes. He had never been to Libya and had been too eager to add it to his list of countries he’d visited.

Killing time in the Amsterdam airport, he had called Cory Gallant, Scully’s chief of security. When Mitch joined Scully eleven years earlier he was unaware that it had its own little army of security experts. He learned that most firms in the world of Big Law spend a fortune not only to protect their partners but to investigate their enemies, even their own clients. Before leaving for Rome and Tripoli, Mitch had been briefed by Cory on the situation in Libya. Gallant had traveled to the bridge with Luca a year earlier. In his opinion, the trip was only slightly risky. It was in the best interest of the Libyans to protect all foreign businessmen and professionals.

Cory was waiting outside the baggage claim at JFK with a driver, a thick young man who took Mitch’s bags and hauled them to a black SUV parked illegally near the cabs. He got behind the wheel as Mitch and Cory settled into the rear seats. A plexiglass panel separated them from the driver.

It was almost 8 P.M., Sunday, April 17, and the traffic out of JFK was brutal as usual.

After describing the joys of a twelve-hour journey, Mitch asked, “Any news from over there?”

“Not much.”

“Not much? That sounds like more than nothing, which is what we had a few hours ago.”

“There’s been a development.”

“Go on.”

“There’s another video. We found it about an hour ago on the deep web. The kidnappers videoed the decapitations.”

Mitch exhaled and looked out the window.

Cory continued, “Live and in color. Horribly graphic. I saw it and I wish I had not. These are nasty boys.”

“I’m not sure I want to see it.”

“You don’t, believe me, Mitch. Please don’t watch it. It has nothing to do with Giovanna, other than the fact that she’s being held by some sick and sadistic people.”

“That’s supposed to be comforting?”

“No.”

The traffic was moving and they did not speak for a moment. Mitch asked, “Can you maybe describe it without going into too much detail?”

“They used a chain saw and made the others watch. The last one, a man named Aziz, saw his three buddies lose their heads before he lost his.”

Mitch threw up both hands and said, “Okay, okay.”

“It’s the worst thing I’ve ever seen.”

“I knew Aziz. I knew all four of them. We met the day before at the Lannak office in Tripoli and they briefed us on the trip. They had no worries at all, said they went to the bridge and back all the time.”

Cory nodded sadly and said, “I guess they were wrong.”

Mitch closed his eyes and tried not to think about Aziz, Haskel, Gau, and Abdo. He tried not to think about the image of them hanging by their feet. His stomach flipped again as his pulse went haywire. He mumbled, “Sorry I asked.”

“I’ve seen a lot, but this is something else.”

“Got it. Any word out of Washington?”

“Our people there have talked to contacts at State, the CIA, NSA. Everybody’s scrambling and nobody’s hearing anything. For a lot of reasons we don’t have a lot of good sources in Libya. Gaddafi has never been too friendly. The Brits have stronger contacts, as do the Italians, and, of course, she belongs to them. The Turks are raising hell. The situation is extremely volatile and unpredictable and no one is in charge. We can’t just go barging in, as we so often do.”

“How valuable is she?”

“Depends on who has her, I guess. If it’s really some splinter group of terrorists or a renegade militia with big plans, then it’ll be a demand for ransom. A few million bucks might be sufficient. But if it’s Gaddafi, then who knows? He might use her as a bargaining chip to settle the lawsuit.”

Mitch said, “Sure, she could save him some real cash.”

“That’s your department, Mitch.”

“If it’s Gaddafi, it’s a pretty stupid move because Lannak will not settle. The company has been furious for two years because of non-payment. Now, with four of its security guards murdered, they’ll want even more money. And the court will give it to them, in my opinion. Giovanna, of course, gets caught in the crossfire.”

“Well, the early speculation out of Washington is that it’s not Gaddafi. He may be crazy but he’s not stupid. Anyway, we have a briefing at seven in the morning with our guys in Washington, a teleconference. Jack Ruch’s office.”

“I’m not going to be there at seven in the morning, Cory. Rearrange the schedule.”

“Mr. Ruch said seven.”

“I’m taking my sons to school in the morning and I’ll be in the office around eight-thirty, my usual time. Sure, this is an important matter, but holding an urgent meeting at seven tomorrow morning, here in New York, will not do a damned thing to help Giovanna.”

“Yes, sir. I’m sure Mr. Ruch will call you.”

“Oh, he calls all the time and I usually do what he says.”

Carter and Clark were in their pajamas and enjoying an extra hour of television as they waited for their father. Mitch walked through the door shortly before nine and they raced to greet him. He picked them up, tossed them on a sofa, and went for their ribs. When both were laughing and yelling, Abby finally intervened with her usual concerns about the neighbors. When things were quieter, Carter seized the moment and asked, “Hey, Dad, can we stay up until ten?”

“No sir,” Abby said.

“Of course you can,” Mitch said. “And let’s make some popcorn.” Both boys raced toward the kitchen as Mitch attempted to kiss his wife.

“Popcorn for dinner?” she asked.

“It beats airplane food.”

“Welcome home. There’s leftover manicotti in the fridge.”

“Rosario Brothers?”

“Yes, they were here last night. It may be the best manicotti I’ve ever tasted.”

“We’ll save it. I’m not that hungry and my system is, shall we say, unstable again.”

“We have a lot to discuss.”

“Indeed we do.”

When the boys were wrapped in quilts and stuffing popcorn in their mouths, Mitch and Abby eased away and went to the kitchen. She poured two glasses of wine and gave her husband a proper kiss. “Any word?” she asked softly.

“Nothing on Giovanna.”

“I assume you’ve heard about the video.”

Mitch closed his eyes and grimaced. “Which one?”

“You know Gina Nelligan? Teaches art at the upper school.”

Mitch was shaking his head. No.

“Her son is a junior at Purdue. He called home an hour or so ago, told her about the video on the deep web.”

“The beheadings?”

“Yes. Have you watched it?”

“No. Don’t plan to. Our security guy described it for me. That’s enough.”

“Did you know those men, the guards?”

“Yes, I met them the day before they were murdered. They were going with us to the bridge, along with two Libyan drivers and Giovanna. All of us in one secured vehicle.”

“I can’t believe it, Mitch. And that poor girl. They have no idea where she is?”

“Nothing, not a clue, but we expect that will change. She’s worth a lot of money and her kidnappers will make contact at some point.”

“You hope.”

“Yes, no one is certain of anything right now.”

“Well, I’m certain that you’re not going back to Libya. Agreed?”

“Agreed.”

“Let’s go sit with the boys.”

By nine-thirty the boys were yawning and Abby hustled them to bed. Mitch helped tuck them in and said good night. He turned off the television as she topped off their wineglasses. They sat together on the sofa and enjoyed the quiet.

She said, “As you might know, there’s a lot of press, especially in the U.K. I’ve been online for hours trying to find whatever I can. Plenty of stories here and in Rome. Scully and Pershing is mentioned over and over, but so far I have not seen your name.”

“Nor have I. My secretary and two paralegals are also searching.”

“So you’re worried?”

“I’m worried about Giovanna, of course. I take some of the blame for what’s happened, Abby. It was my trip, my little fact-finding mission, one I asked for and was in charge of.”

“I thought Luca told you to go.”

“He suggested that I go but the decision was mine. He wanted his daughter to associate on the case because she was bored in London and looking for something more exciting. Looking back, the whole idea made little sense.”

“Got it, but I was thinking more about us. Are you worried about the law firm?”

“Our safety?”

“Well, yes, I guess.”

“No, not at all. More than likely the kidnappers are members of a tribal militia that roams the Sahara looking for trouble. They are far away and not that sophisticated.”

“You hope.”

Mitch took a sip of wine and rubbed her leg. “Sure, Abby, we’re very much in the dark here. We should learn more tomorrow, and the next day. When it’s time to worry, I’ll let you know. Now, it’s too early.”

“I think I’ve heard that before.”