Mis-directed email

Chapters 21 - 22

CHAPTER 21

A couple of hours later the hotel cleaning crew reported that a sack had been found in the lower hallway leading to the maintenance room for the hotels ventilation. Carefully the sack was isolated. They had called in a special bomb squad to handle the sack. A check of the sack had revealed the full horror of the assault the cell was preparing to make on the Center. The woman had not been pregnant but had used a false stomach to cart in enough Anthrax to kill everyone in the Center and if it was not contained it would have spread for miles in the strong Texas winds. Luckily the hotel had been on a high security alert and the package was not disturbed. The Bomb squad had taken over and the threat had been averted. Now so much of it made sense to Dominic. The woman had not been pregnant. Their plan had been very, very clever and would have worked if not for Rosa. His pride in her, knowing her strong sense of responsibility made him love her even more. Now he just had to find her to know that she was safe. She had to be safe he prayed.

Trying to concentrate and not think about Rosa, about how much he loved her, Dominic began going back over the tape of Rosa's abduction. He compared the women from the abduction and the airport surveillance tapes. Yes they were definitely similar. Related? She had been part of the original terrorist cell. The other woman she had been with on the abduction tape was probably someone they had as a backup in the states. The relief that there was not another group that he should be tracking helped Dominic to refocus.

Later the local police finally reported several stolen cars from near the hotel and Roger had his team checking out the various leads. Could they have any connection to Rosa's disappearance?

Roger soon called with a report from the local bureau office.

They had the Russian woman's name Misha Navrotova. She was a purist fanatic but also very Anti American. Her father had been one of a cell that had been caught two years ago and he had died in the attempt to car bomb a New York theatre.

They had also received identification from Washington of the other woman.

She was Madame Aileya Navrotova. Madame was the widow of Victor Navrotova who had attempted the bombing last spring, and the mother of Misha. She had come to America 7 months ago and had been hired as a maid at the hotel. She apparently had been a sleeper waiting for the right time to get her revenge for the death of her husband. When Victor's cell had been captured, he'd blown himself up rather that be taken into custody. Now it looked as if his widow and daughter had decided to make him a hero.

Dominic knew that the tracking of the stolen cars would take some time and he was usually very patient about the time that it took. But for some reason the pace felt ungodly slow. Why couldn't they come up with some kind of substantial lead? Someone had to have seen Rosa leave. She kind of stood out in a crowd. At least she had for him.

He had paced and fretted while he waited for some word of Rosa's where abouts. They had a team working on the case and he knew that they would find her. He had never had such a personal interest in an operation before and could sympathize with the families of victims now that he was one. Yes she was his family. He needed her.

Dominic had gone to the SSD holding cell and had unsuccessfully interrogated the Captain about the purpose of the cell. Asking if there were any other operatives involved. The Captain refused to speak. Then he'd tried to gain information from Rudy. Trying to play on the man's vanity he'd asked him why he'd let a woman give him orders. Wasn't he man enough to be in charge? The ploy had almost worked until Rudy had suddenly clammed up with a dark look at Dominic. Sending him back to his cell Dominic had the Husband brought into the interrogation room. The questions that Dominic directed at him were treated as if the man couldn't hear. There was no response or any emotion as far as Dominic could see to the questions or the taunts that Dominic had directed at him. Dominic left more frustrated that when he'd arrived. It had been a waste of time.