Countdown - Iris Johansen [65]
“And how could Reilly help Grozak?”
“Reilly had a special interest that made him invaluable. He was a brilliant psychologist and would pick up dissidents and kids who could be easily influenced and brainwash them into doing almost anything he wanted. They’d take crazy chances and several times they were killed planting bombs at his orders. Later he was rumored to be training suicide bombers at a terrorist camp in Germany. I know he approached al Qaeda at one point and tried to make a deal.”
She stiffened. “Al Qaeda?”
He shook his head. “No, they’re not involved in this. Al Qaeda doesn’t like to deal with non-Muslims. They didn’t greet Reilly with open arms years ago when he offered his services. And Grozak doesn’t want to deal with al Qaeda right now. That would send up a red flag and tip his hand. He’s more interested in another sideline Reilly’s been exploring. Reilly’s rumored to have recruited a team of American ex-GIs who have a grudge against the U.S. and to have been training them.”
“You mean brainwashing.”
“That’s right. The potential is very attractive for Grozak. Americans with American papers and backgrounds who are willing to kill themselves to get back at the U.S. government.”
“I can’t believe they’d do it.”
“I had my doubts. Reilly sent me a film clip of one of the GIs blowing himself up in front of the U.S. embassy in Nairobi.” His lips tightened. “He made sure the kid wasn’t too near the embassy and didn’t have enough firepower to do any damage and get Reilly in trouble. After all, it was only a sales presentation.”
“Sent you the clip?”
“He wanted me to know how much power he had. He doesn’t trust Grozak to be able to deliver. He said that if I can come up with Cira’s gold, he’ll call off the deal with Grozak. He’ll even help me trap him.”
She stared at him in bewilderment. “You don’t have Cira’s gold. And what difference would it make to a slimeball like that anyway?”
“Even slimeballs have their weaknesses. He’s an antiquity collector and has a passion for anything connected with Herculaneum. I’ve run into him several times over the years while he was trying to acquire stolen artifacts. I bought Cira’s statue before he could get his hands on it, and he was mad as hell. He probably knows more about Herculaneum than most university professors. He’s acquired ancient letters, ships’ journals, documents, supply lists. Anything that would give him the Herculaneum experience. His collection has to be mind-boggling. He has a particular passion for antique coins. He’d give his eyeteeth for the gold from Precebio’s tunnel.”
“How did you know that?”
“I got a list from Dupoi of the people he’d approached to sell the scrolls. He told me that Reilly was near the top of the list of people he knew would be interested. He didn’t notify Grozak; he was on the second rung to be contacted.” He paused. “To Dupoi’s surprise, Reilly didn’t make an offer. But Grozak approached Dupoi almost at once after he’d contacted Reilly and started negotiations.”
“Reilly sent Grozak?”
“That was my guess. And I hadn’t expected it. It made me damn nervous that Reilly was in Grozak’s camp. Grozak was small-time as long as he couldn’t put a total package together. Reilly could supply the missing links.”
“Christ.”
“According to what Reilly told me later, he was going to supply suicide drivers for Grozak’s trucks in exchange for Cira’s gold. I told Reilly that Grozak didn’t have a chance in hell of coming up with it and agreed that I’d give the gold to him if he’d cancel the deal with Grozak.”
She shook her head in disbelief. “You’re both nuts. Neither of you has it.”
“But I told him I knew where it was, that the location was in the scrolls Grozak didn’t get his hands on.”
“He believed you?”
“I’m a pretty good poker player. He gave me until December twenty-second to deliver if I could