The Forbidden Tomb

52

There is a simple tenet that has been drilled into United States Marines for as long as anyone can remember.

Improvise. Adapt. Overcome.

Cobb was Army, not USMC, but he believed in their mantra all the same.

In their struggle to recover Jasmine, it seemed that every hour brought new details needing to be factored into his plan. As the minutes ticked by, he knew the odds of finding her alive fell less and less in their favor, but he wouldn’t give up.

Cobb turned to Papineau for additional information about Manjani. ‘Can you show me where his team was last seen?’

‘Certainly,’ he said, ‘but I’m not sure what good that will do. There’s nothing to see there and no one to talk to. All traces of their expedition have been taken down or swept away.’

‘And yet I’d still like to know where he disappeared.’

Papineau nodded. ‘Yes, of course, how silly of me. I have a map in my luggage. I’ll get it for you immediately.’

Sarah waited for Papineau to leave before she took a seat next to Cobb. ‘Jack, in regards to Manjani, I think I know someone who can help our cause.’

‘Oh?’

She nodded confidently. ‘If there are any stories floating around about him, this is the guy who would know. I’m telling you, he’ll be able to separate all the bullshit rumors from those worth pursuing. Not only that, he’s one of the best I’ve ever seen at tracking down digital information. If it’s out there, he can find it. I’m talking Garcia-level skills in his realm of expertise.’

Cobb smiled. ‘Don’t take this the wrong way, but I think I’ll pass. Given your track record with assets, I’m more comfortable with the real Garcia doing the digging for us instead of Hector 2.0.’

Sarah refused to budge. ‘Do you know how the CIA finds people?’

‘Very slowly,’ he teased.

‘Jack, I’m being serious.’

Cobb sighed. He had a lot to do, but he could see the determination on her face. She wasn’t going to accept his decision without a fight. ‘I assume you send agents out into the field to track down your targets.’

‘Wrong,’ she assured him. ‘There aren’t enough spies in the world to track everyone who needs to be watched. Think about it: there are seven billion people on the planet, and a few thousand spooks to watch over them. That’s a serious lack of manpower.’

‘And a serious misrepresentation of the facts. I mean, the CIA doesn’t need to keep tabs on all seven billion, now do they?’

Sarah just stared at him.

‘C’mon,’ Cobb laughed, ‘you’re not saying—’

‘All I’m saying is that when it comes to finding targets, spies don’t pick up the trail on their own. It’s the bloodhounds that lead us in the right direction.’

‘Sarah, I’m not following. What bloodhounds?’

‘Like I said, the CIA only employs a few thousand people. That means they have to outsource a lot of the legwork. When the Agency needs to find a target, they turn to specialists who have spent their entire lives hunting for people. These guys are known as bloodhounds — or hounds, for short. And trust me, they don’t care who you’re looking for or what you do to the target once it’s found. All that matters is that you meet their price.’

‘How is that any different than Simon?’

‘Simon was a local asset. We used him because he was part of the neighborhood. He’s good-looking and sociable, which meant he could blend in with the crowd. He didn’t have to become one of them; he already was one of them. For an asset like Simon, that’s the biggest risk. Connecting to your environment means you start to personally identify with the community around you. It’s easy to lose perspective. And when something goes wrong, it can tear you apart.’

‘You’re talking about the girls in the slave ring.’

She nodded. ‘All I can tell you is that before that, he never would have worked with a man like Hassan. I think the experience six years ago broke his spirit. He saw evil win, and he felt it always would.’

‘If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em?’

‘Something like that,’ she said. ‘But that’s not my point. Bloodhounds aren’t burdened by the emotions that other assets have. They aren’t tasked with fitting into a community, and they aren’t concerned with making friends. They’re loners driven by one thing and one thing only: the almighty dollar.’

‘So you’re recommending that we reach out to an obsessed sociopath who doesn’t play nice with others?’

She didn’t laugh. ‘Jack, I know this source, and I’m telling you he can help. After we missed our shot at the sex slavery auction, we used him to find the bastards involved. To offset the impact of an opportunity lost, the director was willing to break the bank for information. This guy accomplished more in a week than our agents could have found in a year. He’s pricey, but he’s worth every penny.’

She lowered her voice to a whisper. ‘Listen, we have the money, but we don’t have the time. Jasmine is out there right now, praying that we’re doing everything in our power to find her. This guy can help. Trust me on that. And even if I’m wrong, shouldn’t we at least give it a shot? Don’t we owe her that much?’

Improvise. Adapt. Overcome.

Cobb turned to Garcia. ‘Hector, change of plans. Forget about Manjani for now. Focus your efforts on Jasmine and the Muharib — nothing else. You should have all of Simon’s surveillance footage from the city by later tonight. I need you to work through every frame. The camera doesn’t lie, so find out how the kidnappers disappeared.’

Papineau, who had gone to his room to fetch a map, returned and handed it to Cobb. ‘I marked the location of Manjani’s expedition, as you requested.’

Cobb looked into Papineau’s bleary eyes. He could see that he was running on fumes. ‘Jean-Marc, why don’t you get some sleep? You look exhausted. Hector will wake you in a few hours and fill you in on everything he’s learned about the Muharib. Until then, you’re not going to do us any good in your current state.’

Papineau nodded. ‘You’re probably right. And Jack — sorry about before. My behavior was totally unprofessional.’

‘Compared to whose? McNutt’s?’ Cobb said with a laugh. ‘No need to apologize for emotions. Stress gets the best of all of us from time to time. It lets us know you care.’

McNutt hustled over at the sound of his name. ‘Did you call me, chief?’

‘I didn’t, but I was about to.’

‘Wait,’ he said, confused. ‘I heard my name before you said it? How cool is that? I wonder if the blast made me psychic?’

‘I see your point,’ Papineau said as he excused himself from the conversation. ‘There’s no way I was worse than that.’

Cobb smiled. ‘Anything new on the Semtex?’

‘Nope,’ McNutt answered.

‘In that case, I’m giving you a new assignment. I know we’ve got a clear line of sight in all directions on the water, but it doesn’t mean I feel safe. I need you to make sure we can defend ourselves. Keep an eye on the radar, and make sure Hector and Jean-Marc know how to use whatever arsenal you’ve brought aboard. I don’t want the boat getting overrun just because we don’t know where to find the missiles.’

McNutt leaned in. ‘How do you know about the missiles?’

‘How? Because they’re in a crate marked “missiles”.’

‘Oops. My bad.’

‘Anyway, please make sure the ship is secure.’

‘Aye-aye, skipper.’

McNutt turned and headed for the door. He was halfway there when he stopped and turned back. ‘What about the two of you?’

Cobb glanced at Sarah, then McNutt. ‘What do you mean?’

‘You asked me to train Hector and Jean-Marc on our arsenal. Does that mean you’re leaving me alone with them?’

‘Maybe.’

‘Is this because of the bloodhound?’

‘Maybe,’ Cobb repeated. ‘If he can help.’

‘Chief,’ he said timidly, ‘may I speak freely on the subject?’

Cobb raised his eyebrows. ‘You may.’

‘I’m confused about something. If this hound is so damn good at finding people, why do we care about Manjani? Why don’t we hire him to find Jasmine?’

Although Sarah loved making fun of McNutt for his near-constant state of confusion, this was one of the rare times when it was justified. ‘May I?’

Cobb nodded. ‘Be my guest.’

‘Josh,’ she explained, ‘it’s a completely different kind of search. In Jasmine’s case, she’s been taken. That means looking at surveillance tapes for the smallest of clues, and trying to figure out who targeted her and why. Meanwhile, Manjani is hiding. He’s trying to stay off the grid, but there’s always a chance that he slipped up and made a mistake. We need someone who can find the digital footprints that he’s left behind and verify any rumors. With all due respect to Hector, we need someone with a vast network of contacts and a proven track record of success.’

McNutt nodded in understanding. ‘When you put it like that, it makes perfect sense.’

‘Thank you,’ she said.

‘Can I ask you one more question?’

‘Sure.’

‘Is your contact Bryan Mills?’

Sarah laughed. She had recently seen the movie Taken and knew ‘Bryan Mills’ was the name of the character played by Liam Neeson. ‘Unfortunately, no, but my asset is also blessed with a very particular set of skills.’

McNutt grinned. ‘Awesome.’

Meanwhile, Cobb was completely lost by the reference. ‘While you two chat about Bryan Mills — whoever the hell that is — I’ve got a source of my own to call. And trust me, he possesses a very particular set of skills as well.’