Collateral Damage - Marc Cerasini [8]
Jack blanched. "Our government granted asylum to this guy?"
"The Imam received political support from several powerful individuals. The Saudi Arabian Ambassador made a personal appeal to the President — probably because he didn't want al Sallifi and his followers stirring up unrest in his own country."
Jack briefly closed his eyes. He liked to believe elected officials had the best interests of its country's citizens at heart. But when a Federal agent had to ask himself what side his own President was on, it was a bad day.
"By far the Imam's biggest sponsor is New Jersey Congresswoman Hailey Williams," Layla continued. "She's a close advisor to the President. Anyway, six years ago, the Imam established a community called Kurmastan, then renamed his flock the Warriors of God."
"Warriors of God." Jack folded his arms. "So now it's a paramilitary organization?"
Layla nodded. "A core group of Middle Easterners live inside the compound with the Imam, but most of the people in Kurmastan are former prison inmates converted by the cleric's followers. Some of the clerics minister to the prisons in New York and New Jersey. Others are inmates themselves."
"And these activities are permitted?"
"Under the banner of religious freedom, the Warriors of God openly recruits new members through various social service organizations, including the prison system," Layla replied, yanking a file from the drawer.
"Why hasn't CTU launched a full-scale investigation?"
Layla raised a dark eyebrow. "The District Director of the Northeast Region nixed it."
Jack processed that bit of information, and he had to admit, he wasn't all that surprised. The District Director for the Northeast was Nathan Ulysses Wheelock.
Wheelock hadn't worked his way up through the Agency, served in the military, or done fieldwork of any kind. The man was a political appointee of the current Administration; and his wife — before she'd retired to write legal thrillers — had been a civil rights attorney with a client list that included high-profile anti-defamation organizations.
Jack faced Layla Abernathy. With Brice Holman and his Deputy Director, Judith Foy, out of the office, Abernathy was the ranking agent in New York. He wanted to get a handle on her.
"You're Iranian, aren't you, Agent Abernathy?" Jack asked pointedly. "Did I recall that correctly from your file?"
Layla glanced away, obviously uncomfortable. "I was born in Iran, but I left with my mother before I was two years old. I don't remember anything..."
"But you speak Farsi?"
She nodded. "My stepfather saw to that. At one time, he was the U.S. Associate Ambassador to Iran. Back in the seventies, he knew the Shah..."
"Your father was Richard Abernathy."
"My stepfather. He married my mother after my real father was executed by the thugs in charge of Iran. With the help of Canadian friends, my mother came to America. And just for the record, I'm also fluent in French, Spanish, Italian, and German."
Jack fell silent a moment, regarding her again. "So why are you posted here? With your security clearance and linguistic skills, you should be on the fast track at Langley, or in a job at the DOD, maybe even the White House."
"I'm not interested in listening to Iranian intelligence chatter from thousands of miles away or analyzing the speeches of its current ayatollahs. I made that very clear on threat of resignation, frankly. I want to do fieldwork, Agent Bauer. And my language skills are just as valuable here in New York, where hundreds of languages are spoken..."
The door opened and Morris O'Brian entered. "You called, boss?"
"What's the status on security?" Jack asked.
An hour ago, Bauer had hit the roof when the guards downstairs had told him the exterior cameras weren't working, which was why they'd never noticed the firefight on the street. Jack had dispatched Morris to fix