The Eye of Shiva

CHAPTER 4

Elizabeth Harker was a small woman. More than one self-important politician or general had learned the hard way not to underestimate her because of her diminutive size. Most people guessed her age at around fifty, but it was hard to tell. The stress of the job had left premature streaks of white in her black hair.

Harker wore one of her favorite combinations, a tailored black Prada suit and a crisp, white blouse with a Mao style collar. A butterfly-shaped emerald pin edged with small diamonds rested over her left breast. The pin and a pair of emerald earrings brought out the green color of her eyes.

Harker ran the Project, a small intelligence unit that acted in the shadows. Elizabeth's unit was the hidden point of the president's sword. Invisible compared to the giants at Fort Meade and Langley, the Project operated under the radar and outside the conventional rules. The free hand given to her by the president made her unpopular in the fiercely competitive world of Washington's intelligence community. Nick and his team did things the others couldn't or wouldn't, but freedom of action came at a price. Everything Harker and the unit did was deniable. If things went wrong, her head would be laid on the chopping block. There were plenty of people who wanted to see it there.

From the outside, Project headquarters looked like an upscale ranch house. The house had been built after the Cold War by a civilian millionaire over a decommissioned Nike missile site. The computers, armory, gym, emergency living quarters and operations center were underground. There was even a swimming pool. Harker's office was on the ground floor. It was a large, pleasant room, with a wall of bulletproof windows graced by French doors. The doors opened onto a flagstone patio and looked out over a green lawn and beds of flowers. A large, flat screen monitor was mounted on the wall across from Elizabeth's desk. A row of clocks showing world time zones was mounted over the screen. A comfortable leather couch and two chairs were grouped in front of the desk.

An enormous orange tomcat named Burps slept on his back on the couch, paws in the air. He snored and drooled. Nick had brought him from California to Virginia.

Nick and Selena came in and sat down. Nick's hair was still wet from the shower. He rubbed his left ear, where a Chinese bullet had torn off most of the earlobe. He had gray eyes flecked with gold and a face women thought of as rugged. No one looking at him would mistake him for someone who worked 9 to 5 in an office.

Selena had changed into jeans and a loose, dark blue top. Her Sig pistol was tipped forward in a quick draw holster at her waist. On her, the gun was a fashion statement.

"I've got the breakdown on the Philippine operation," Harker said. She gestured at a file folder on the top of her desk.

"Who was the guy with the beard?" Nick asked. "He wasn't Abu Sayyaf."

"His name was Abu Khan," Elizabeth said, "and you're right about him not being Abu Sayyaf. He was second in command of a terrorist group called ISOK."

"Eye sock?"

"Short for Islamic State of Kashmir. They're based in Pakistan."

"Kashmir is a long way from Mindanao. What was he doing hanging out with a bunch of Philippine terrorists?"

"That's what we're trying to find out. If it's an alliance between ISOK and Abu Sayyaf, it means trouble. Whatever they're up to, it can't be good. "

"I've heard about ISOK," Selena said. "They set off bombs in Srinagar a few years ago. Didn't they kill a bunch of people at the train station?"

"That's them," Elizabeth said. "It almost started another war between India and Pakistan. The Srinagar attack was pulled off with the help of Pakistan's intelligence agency. It got settled with a little arm-twisting diplomacy, but a lot of people weren't happy about it. There are factions in both India and Pakistan that don't want peace and it wouldn't take a lot to trigger another war. They hate each other too much."

"And they both have nukes," Nick said.

Elizabeth nodded. "That they do. The nukes, and the missiles to deliver them."

"Gee," Nick said. "Why can't we all just get along?"

Selena rolled her eyes.

Elizabeth reached into her desk drawer for the coin Nick had taken from the dead man's neck. She handed it to Selena. "What do you make of this?"

Selena was one of the world's leading experts in ancient languages, especially those from the Far East. Before she'd joined the Project she'd lectured on the university circuit and worked as a consultant with NSA. She spoke more than a dozen foreign languages. Her skills were a major asset for Elizabeth.

Selena studied the coin, turning it over in her hand. She was silent, her focus intense. After what seemed like a long time, she said, "Fascinating."

Elizabeth picked up her Mont Blanc pen and began tapping it impatiently on her desktop.

"What, exactly, is so fascinating? Would you care to enlighten us?"

"Sorry," Selena said. "I've never seen one like this before. It's from India. The writing is a form of Arabic current in the time of the Mughal emperors. It's the Shahada/Kalima, the affirmation of Allah as the only God and Mohammed as His last messenger. That could explain why a Muslim might wear it."

"How does an Indian terrorist end up with an ancient gold coin for a good luck charm?" Nick asked. "And who were the Mughal emperors?"

"I don't know how he got the coin, but the Mughals ruled India for over three hundred years," Selena said. "It was one of them who built the Taj Mahal."

"What happened to them?"

She shrugged. "What usually happens. A succession of weak rulers, lost battles and decline. It finally ended when the British co-opted the last ruler in 1857."

She looked at the coin again. "This is an odd thing to find in a terrorist camp."

"There were a dozen more," Nick said. "The Filipinos have them."

"A dozen more? One would be unusual. That many seems beyond belief. A coin like this has to be worth thousands of dollars."

Ronnie Peete came into the room. He was wearing a Hawaiian shirt with scenes of Kilauea erupting in vivid reds and yellows.

"Sorry I'm late," he said.

Ronnie was Navajo, born and raised on the reservation. He'd lied about his age, joined the Corps when he was seventeen and retired twenty years later with a Gunnery Sergeant's stripes. He had broad shoulders and narrow hips and stood about two inches below Nick's six feet. His eyes were a sleepy dark brown. He and Nick had been in the same Marine Recon unit.

"Glad you could join us," Elizabeth said.

Ronnie didn't seem embarrassed about being late. He sat down on the couch. "What did I miss?"

"Selena was telling us about the Mughals," Nick said.

"Mughals? Sounds like the title of a movie. You know, like Meet the Mughals."

Nick sighed. "They ruled India a long time ago. Selena thinks that gold coin I brought back from the raid in the Philippines comes from the Mughal Empire."

"Those coins could explain the sudden flow of money for weapons," Elizabeth said.

"Where would they get the coins?" Selena asked. "They're very rare."

"I'm hoping Abu Khan's phone will tell us more. The memory chip is encrypted. Stephanie's been working on it."

Stephanie Willits was Elizabeth's deputy and the Project's computer guru. Elizabeth had recruited her from the NSA. Steph had never met a computer or a chip she couldn't hack into. Sometimes it just took a little longer.

"When is she going to be done?"

"Let's ask her," Elizabeth said. She punched a button on her intercom. "Steph, could you come in here, please?"

In a moment Stephanie came through the door.

Selena thought Stephanie looked radiant these days. She was in love with Lucas Monroe, a long time agent with the CIA. He was on track to become Director of National Clandestine Services, one of the four major directorates at Langley.

Steph had the kind of average face you wouldn't pay much attention to if you passed her on the street. Her hair was full-bodied, a gleaming dark brown. Her eyes were the same color as her hair. She liked dangly earrings. Today they were large, gold hoops.

"Nick was asking if you'd gotten anything from Khan's phone," Elizabeth said.

"That's a heck of a phone," Steph said. "As good as what we use. It was a real challenge to get through the encryption. There were three calls in the log. Two went to a throwaway cell somewhere in the Quiapo District in Manila. That's right in the center of the city where most of the Muslim population lives. It doesn't help. "

"And the third call?"

"It came from a number assigned to the American Embassy in Manila."

"Who would call a terrorist from one of our embassies?" Ronnie said.

Elizabeth said, "Whoever it was, I don't think they were talking about getting a visa."

"They must have a plant working inside," Nick said. "Someone local. Part of Abu Sayyaf."

"We don't know that," Elizabeth said.

"What else could it be?"

"It would help if we knew what was said. Can you pull the calls out of the data banks, Steph? NSA tracks everything overseas. They have it somewhere."

"I've been looking but I haven't found them yet. Do you know how many calls there are in that database?"

"Why would Abu Sayyaf get involved with ISOK?" Selena asked. "The Philippines have nothing to do with Kashmir."

Harker's pen beat a rapid tattoo on the desktop. She looked at it and set it down.

"ISOK is led by a jihadist named Abdul Afridi. He's Indian, but he doesn't do anything without permission from Pakistan's intelligence service. Whatever he's doing with Abu Sayyaf, ISI is behind it. It means trouble for sure."

"What are you going to do?" Nick asked.

"All we have is a phone call and speculation," Harker said. "I'll pass the info to Langley and let them follow up. Steph, after you check out those calls in the NSA data banks, see what you can find out about this coin."

She handed it to Stephanie. "Anybody have anything else?"

"When is Lamont coming back?" Steph asked.

Lamont Cameron was the fourth part of Nick's team. A few months before he'd gone down with an infection, the result of a wound he'd taken in Jordan. It had almost killed him. Lately he'd seemed depressed. Nick was worried about him.

"I'm not sure," Elizabeth said. "I'm letting him have as much time as he needs to heal. I shouldn't have sent him on that last mission, it was too soon."

"It wasn't your fault, Elizabeth," Selena said. "He's the one who wanted to get out of the hospital."

"I know," Harker said. "But even so…"

"He'll be okay," Ronnie said. "Lamont is one tough cookie."