Page 79 of Out of Control

“Good idea.” It didn’t take long to copy the email file onto a portable drive and pass it to Spencer. Drago opened the next document.

He and Spencer sat side-by-side on the bed, leaning back against the wall. They each had a laptop balanced on their thighs and were plowing through the copious files Khoury had left behind. Somewhere in all these documents, there had to be a clue as to where to find Jabril Hamza.

They worked in silence for several minutes before Spencer said, “This set of emails takes a different tone than all the others. Khoury is deferential. Respectful. Hell, he’s sucking up to whoever he’s writing to.”

“Hamza, maybe?”

“No names are used.”

While Spencer typed away, Drago continued browsing the documents in a file ominously titledPlans.

“Jeez. Here’s a plan for setting off a series of bombs at the International Court of Justice in the Hague,” he announced. A few minutes later he added, “And here’s one for blowing up the Lincoln Memorial.”

“Lincoln? That’s cold, man.”

Drago and Spencer traded grim looks and went back to work.

About a half hour later, Spencer said in alarm, “Umm, Houston, we have a problem.”

Drago looked up quickly from an outline of a training program for wannabe terrorists. “Whatchya got?”

“Check out this email.”

Spencer passed the laptop to him, and he scanned the correspondence on the screen.Leader of JCS will be in Bagram springtime next year. Will relay specific date when available. Be ready.

He looked up at Spencer in horror. “JCS as in the Joint Chiefs of Staff?”

“That would be my guess. This, in combination with the plan you found for attacking a military base while a high-value target was visiting, could be a problem.”

Drago checked the date the email had been sent. A little over a month ago. Same time frame as the date stamp on the notes for blowing up an American military base. “Any idea where this came from?”

Spencer shrugged. “Lemme see if I can track the email address. At least it’s not just a string of numbers this time.”

Drago sat back, thinking. “Here’s another question: Who knows the chairman of the Joint Chiefs’ schedule in advance?”

Spencer frowned. “I would think only members of his immediate staff.” He made a sound of disgust. “Email address is a dead end. The source was encrypted and run through a dummy site.”

“I can think of one other group of people who’d know about a JCS visit to Bagram. The CIA officials who watch the threat environment over there and who will clear the area of hostiles just before the chairman is to make the visit. Given how far in advance this mission appears to have been greenlighted, the CIA would have to be in the loop so they can run a disinformation campaign—and possibly military strikes—to disguise the visit starting well in advance.”

Spencer met his stare with a grim one of his own. “So there’s a mole inside the Joint Chiefs’ staff or the CIA.”

“My money’s on the CIA,” he replied.

“Why?”

“Not to put too fine a point on it, but it takes years and years of high-profile military service to earn a position in the JCS office. But in the CIA, we routinely hire analysts and experts with dodgy backgrounds and foreign connections that can be exploited to the agency’s benefit. It would be a lot easier to slip a mole into the CIA and have him or her go undetected than someone who’s served in the military for twenty years.”

Spencer grimaced. “That makes sense.” His face lit with an idea and then darkened. “Is it possible that this mole is the source of the rumor that you killed Fayez Khoury?”

The notion had occurred to him. “If that’s the case, we can presume the mole is in the employ of Jabril Hamza.”

Spencer’s voice went hushed. “Oh, that’s not good.”

“No. It’s not. But my gut tells me we’ve got it right. What’s your gut saying?”

“The same.”

Drago swore quietly.

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