Fueling the Rage Page 15

  Before the evil killing made

  Men will make a murderous pact

  And slice the throats across his blade

  Chapter 12

  The ayatollah returned to Iran and set his plan in motion. For one year, he would be a tolerant religious leader and a cleric of peace. During this special time, he would have Henry develop new business for his American holdings. With an American investment portfolio of six billion dollars, Henry used the East West Fund to accumulate one hundred and twenty six businesses. The fund was a wealth management corporation registered in Antigua. The ayatollah told Henry to concentrate activity in four cities: Tampa, Atlanta, Houston and Topeka.

  Tampa’s largest business owned by the EWF was an international fertilizer distributor called Fast Grow. Houston headquartered Well Oil, which included several small refineries in Texas and Arkansas. Kansas Truck, a company that built ambulances and fire trucks, was located in Topeka. Atlanta was the home of Industrial Diesel, a large truck sales, repair and restoration center. Industrial Diesel specialized in the sale of new and refurbished ambulances and fire trucks. Its facility was located twenty-five miles north of Atlanta on Georgia Highway 400, in a 100,000 square foot building.

  Atlanta also headquartered Georgia Haulers, a coast-to-coast trucking company. GH Trucking was located in Douglasville, Georgia on Interstate 20, just west of Atlanta. The East West Fund’s companies commonly used it for shipping. Henry had a small office in Tampa, Florida to manage the funds of his businesses. Insurance replaced the crashed Falcon 50 with a new Falcon and Henry moved his African operations to the great home in Libya. He would often visit his Tampa office. He liked to fly to Cape Verde Island, refill the Falcon with tax-free fuel, and then fly nonstop to a private airport near downtown Tampa.

  He purchased property in a seedy part of Atlanta, and converted a burned out grocery store in a low-end strip mall into an attractive mosque. He also rebuilt the two buildings on each end of the mall. He used the buildings beside the mosque for a free restaurant and a clothing store. After careful interviews, he hired three clerics who supported the teachings of Ayatollah Meslem Ali.

  The clerics managed the two businesses and the mosque. They provided free healthy food and clean clothing to the poor community. The clerics filled all positions in the restaurant and store with paid Muslim staff. The mosque received community grants to open a free preschool. One of the clerics was a lawyer and a specialist in Islamic Shari law, and offered free conflict resolution to the Islamic community. He also hired a staff of young Muslim law students to offer legal advice to Muslim families with loved ones in jail.

  Henry also built and supported mosques in Tampa, Houston, and Topeka. He hired and trained local Muslims in as many jobs as possible. All of these cities had prisons and his clerics visited prisons and converted prisoners. His businesses offered jobs to freshly released prison converts, and the prison administrations appreciated the fact that employment and housing came with conversion. Henry called them his young stallion brigade, and they fit his new vision of a better world. Like the orphans, prisoners appreciated the opportunity that the he offered them. The businesses in Atlanta, Tampa, Houston, and Topeka each had training sessions to teach Islam according to the ayatollah and used the same motto, “The year of Peace.”

  Henry realized the job of building his four-city operation was too big for one man. He needed to find a manager for each of the cities, and he started with Atlanta. The Georgia State Prison is located in downtown Atlanta. Henry was looking for someone with special skills to manage the Atlanta operations. Walter Washington was that person. The twenty-nine year old had been in trouble with the justice system from the age of twelve. He had stolen a pistol from his neighbor’s house the day before his twelfth birthday, and on his birthday used it to rob a liquor store. The police officer that arrested the stocky six-footer for armed robbery could not believe that he was only twelve.

  They sentenced him to reform school and Walter remained locked up until his eighteenth birthday. On the day of his release, he stole a car. It took the police thirty minutes to end the dangerous chase. He was moved to the Georgia State Prison for five years, and he served every day of his sentence. They arrested him again two weeks after his release, and his new sentence was for seven years. The Muslim prison chaplain, Malcolm Ali, befriended the twenty-nine old, and Walter Washington turned his life over to Allah.

  Walter changed his name to Malcolm Akiff and overnight became a model prisoner. The chaplain was a gentle man, and preached peace. His instructions in the Muslim faith were exactly what Malcolm needed, and he calmed his crazy violent temper. The chaplain lived in a changing neighborhood in downtown Atlanta, but still took nightly walks. During one of his walks, he was murdered. The police were unsuccessful in determining who took the life of the chaplain, and one of Henry’s clerics became the new Muslim prison chaplain.

  Malcolm’s change in direction had impressed the warden, and he recommended the new chaplain work with Malcolm. This chaplain added an exciting twist to the peace and healing teachings of Chaplain Malcolm Ali. The new cleric taught Jihad as the mission of the Black Muslim. After his first lesson, Malcolm Akiff whispered to the cleric, “This is bigger than anything. I just heard secret word of God, and he called me to his Jihad.”

  Malcolm stood a full foot taller than the cleric, and he looked up at him, “I too have heard his voice. You follow me, and I will give you real freedom from your cell.”

  At twenty-nine Malcolm had no memory of not sleeping in a cell at night. He could not read or write, but with the clerics’ tutoring, he soon could read and write at a ninth grade level. The direction of Malcolm’s life changed, and he joined the Jihad of the ayatollah. With the support of the warden, the chaplain sponsored Malcolm’s parole and release. Parole required him to live at the mosque, learn a trade, and get his GED.

  He worked at Industrial Diesel during the day and trained on his GED at night. Within a few months, he was a skilled diesel mechanic and passed his GED. With the legal assistance of the cleric, and by meeting his requirements, Malcolm received a release from parole. Good Day Atlanta highlighted his rehabilitation and the Governor of Georgia saw the show. To help bridge the Christian and Muslim communities, the governor pardoned Malcolm Akiff.

  Henry met with his three Atlanta clerics, and learned that Malcolm Akiff had impressed them. During the visit, Henry asked to meet Malcolm, and the meeting made him realizes that Malcolm was special. They talked for two hours. The cleric told Henry, “Malcolm is no longer under the control of the Justice System.”

  Henry asked Malcolm a question, “Would you like to talk more in Tampa?”

  “I will do whatever you want.”

  Henry evaluated him as his key person. He trained him for a week on some of the businesses that the EWF controlled. While in Tampa, Malcolm Akiff received his first American passport. As time passed, discussions with Malcolm convinced Henry that he could groom this man. “Malcolm, I have a job for you, and not just to run some of the businesses.” Henry thought. If he is not enthusiastic about the plan, then I must kill him.

  ”I can train you to as the third man. You will understand my real plan for America.”

  Malcolm gave the same answer, “I will do whatever you want.”

  “It is too dangerous to talk in America.” Henry took him to the great home, where the ayatollah would join them a month later.

  The trip from Tampa to Muzuk, Libya was routine for Henry, but Malcolm had never been on an airplane prior to the flight to Tampa. From the age of twelve until his release from prison, he had never talked to woman, legally driven a car, or eaten at a restaurant. He opened a book for the first time at twenty-nine, and now knew the Qur’an by heart. If Malcolm wanted wives, Henry promised him some from Muzuk.

  His trip to Libya would stop in Antigua and his passport would show Antigua as his final destination. There would be no references to Africa, Libya, or Chad for investigators to connect him with Hen
ry or the ayatollah. He would check into a hotel in Antigua and pay one month in advance and then fly to Muzuk, Libya. The jet would stop for fuel on the Madeira Island and then complete the voyage. The Falcon 50 had two sleeping compartments and they used them for the next seven hours.

  They landed on the long runway next to the great home. It was mid-morning and about fifty local men, women, and all the security guards met them as the plane stopped at the end of the taxiway. The affection of the crowd for his new boss impressed Malcolm. They walked together to the great home. It was as big as the Georgia State Prison. The long trip from Tampa tired Malcolm’s mind and it twisted with random thoughts. He told Henry. “To go from my cell to this is overwhelming. Allah must be in charge. Jihad will likely lead me to paradise, but how much better can it be than this?”

  “When the Jihad is completed, all this will be yours.”

  During the next month, they studied all of Henry’s businesses and developed a detailed plan for Malcolm in America. Early in the visit, Henry revealed the details of the jihad. “Malcolm you will carry it out, fly back to Muzuk, and spend the rest of your life as the owner of the great home.”

  It was 2000 hours local time, and the ayatollah arrived from Iran. They ate together that night, and they talked for three more days. The ayatollah gave Malcolm resources for his dangerous tasks.

  The ayatollah had made a difficult decision. Henry and he would no longer plan attacks on American soil, but Malcolm would now have every resource he needed. Malcolm’s greatest resource was his hatred of everything American. It was now his Jihad and Americans would fight against Americans. Henry was a much better choice to be the new Prince of Africa. He and the ayatollah would again sponsor Muslim wars and gain wealth by buying resources. Henry was a man people could love when Africa tired of war, and then the ayatollah would make his move. They would model the New Africa after Iran. Allah would allow for peace in Africa, but the new Africa must follow Allah’s rules. The ayatollah knew all of Allah’s rules.

  Malcolm Akiff was now the only passenger in the Falcon 50, and the pilot and copilot worked for him. They refueled on Madeira Island, flew to Antigua, and reoccupied his hotel room. He was now the CEO of the East West Fund. There were no visible ties of ownership to the ayatollah or Henry, but below the surface of Malcolm’s control, a complicated invisible trust put Henry as the owner. One layer below that trust, revealed the ayatollah as the real owner.

  Tomorrow Malcolm would present himself at the bank and, with a secret account number, place his signature on a small white card that gave him full control of a multibillion dollar enterprise. In a very short time, he went from the lowest rung of society, to the owner of one hundred and twenty six businesses. In prison, he was never even qualified to work for thirty-three cents per hour, but his new job paid one million dollars a year. He knew that his support for Jihad was the reason behind all of his new success. He would truly wound America, and then receive his great gift. Allah would make him sole owner of the great home, and all of Muzuk, Libya.

  *****

  The Group had never been in better shape. The SOD promised them a new level of support and secrecy. The General moved Sam from training new Seals in San Diego, and put him in charge of his original Seal team at new facilities in Mac Dill. Test results found three new recruits, and they joined the survivors of the Columbia fiasco. Bill divided the new men into three teams. One hundred talented men gave the General flexibility. His plan was to structure mission requirements with the skill and numbers needed for economical victory.

  The Major once again worked with Ivan and the Mossad in Tel Aviv. The CIA agent turned to both Adella Ali and the Mullah Ahmed. Adella Ali revealed that he had received funds directly from Henry on three occasions. The agent obtained copies of the Green Family Trust and Paul Junior’s replacement trust from Chief Inspector Rene Gualt. A review of Junior’s trust clearly named the ayatollah as a recipient of the Green estate. Chief Inspector Rene Gualt had no doubt that the Prince killed his own family, and that the ayatollah had led him to the horrible choice. The CIA agent obtained a copy of the Prince’s trust from the Libyan Treasurer, and it proved the ayatollah profited from his death.

  The President and the DCIA reviewed all the evidence and made a decision. The ayatollah and Henry would pay the maximum price for their murderous actions against America. The DCIA called The Group to a meeting in Langley, Virginia at the CIA headquarters. They arrived from Tampa, and Tel Aviv, and met at Andrews AFB. They rode together to the DCIA’s office and met for an hour. The Group returned to Mac Dill and spent two weeks developing a plan. They returned to Langley and presented their plan.

  The DCIA addressed them, “It is obvious that Henry and the ayatollah must die in such a way as to give America complete deniability. The president must be able to look the world in the eye and claim that he had nothing to do with these killings. At the bottom of the food chain, you deal with physical danger, but at the top of the food chain, it becomes political danger. Physical danger can mean several deaths, but political danger can mean war between nation states.”

  The Group made the case for killing both of them at nearly the same time. Henry had recently made trips to America, but killing him in America was unacceptable. Sam and Bill must get close enough to understand the vulnerability of their targets. Sam would go to Tehran and once again use the dead Iranian worker’s name for his cover. The reliable identity included a job at the Embassy of Switzerland, US Foreign Interests Section.

  Bill would go to Aozou, Chad to get close to Henry. It was not much of a plan, but it was a plan for a plan. The purpose of these trips would be only to study the locations to determine if the next trip would be for killing. Extra careful preparation of their clothing and identification would reduce their risk of capture. Identification would be verifiable to at least two levels. They would begin their missions with transportation to an Embassy. They would both arrive at their Embassy with diplomatic coverage, but Bill would leave the American Embassy in N’Djamena Chad with no diplomatic coverage.

  Sam sported dyed black hair, a short beard, and clothing carefully suited for Tehran. He traveled on a commercial Swiss flight. Iran immigration accepted his Iranian documentation, and a private car transported him to the embassy. The US Foreign Interests Section was a major portion of the structure. A CIA agent briefed him on the recent activities of the ayatollah. He assigned Sam housing in the American section, and introduced him to a Swiss diplomat.

  The diplomat gave instructions. “Welcome to Switzerland. It is very important that your visit raise no attention. We officially consider you an Iranian national working at the American Foreign Interest desk. We have no knowledge of your mission, and it must stay that way.”

  Sam answered, “Thank you, I understand and appreciate the delicacy of my position. I will only gather information.”

  The CIA agent escorted Sam back to his office and added intelligence. “Your cleric has an apartment and an office in the Northern Tehran Residential Building. The building houses high-level Iranian officials, and serves as an apartment complex for many workers and diplomats. The Swiss have a six-person travel agency on the first floor office in the building. They clear foreign travel for Iranian diplomats. I got you a job in that office, and it is the perfect location to observe anyone entering or leaving the building. The problem is that we have not seen the ayatollah for weeks.”

  Bill flew into N’Djamena, the capitol of Chad. The American Embassy was located in the downtown area. The American Ambassador briefed him on the latest news from Aozou. “We believe Henry is not at his home. All you can do is to go there and wait for his return. The trip to Aozou is challenging. Tomorrow morning there is a bus that makes the trip. It will stop in front of your hotel. You have a reservation, and we have spread the word that you are a French Uranium buyer. The people of Chad are very friendly. Use that quality to get what you need.”

  He took the bus to Aozou. Passengers filled every seat and for most o
f the trip sand covered the pavement. Bill asked the man sitting next to him. “How does the driver know where to go?”

  “He keeps the bus between the sticks.” He pointed to an example. “The wind changes directions occasionally and blows the sand from the road.”

  Bill added, “I am going to Aozou to buy Uranium, and there is an important man named Henry that I would like to meet.”

  “He is at his palace in Libya, but he always returns to Aozou. Sometimes he dines at our fine hotel.”

  Bill soon realized how open Henry was to the natives. He was Aozou’s celebrity, and the residences openly discussed his coming and going.

  The hotel had an acceptable restaurant. Senior guards from the great house would occasionally eat lunch at the hotel restaurant. It was a very busy lunch hour and all of the tables were full. Bill thought. This is a friendly community. He asked if he could join the table of two uniformed guards. During the lunch, he made a friend of Henry’s senior guard, who lived with his wife and child within the walled complex. The guard invited Bill to have dinner with his family and he accepted the invitation. Bill asked, “May I bring a bottle of wine?”

  “Your generosity pleases me.”

  Bill purchased two bottles of a nice French red wine. One bottle was to drink with dinner and the other for the guard to keep. He followed the instructions of his new friend and took a taxi to the complex. The driver announced Bill’s name at the five-mile gate and stopped inside the main gate. Bill exited the taxi and paid the driver. The guard at the gate ordered the taxi driver to wait for Bill until he completed his visit. Bill told the driver. “The wait could be hours.”

  The taxi driver was accustomed to following the orders of the guards of the great house. “I will be here.” A gate guard walked with Bill to the senior guard’s home.

  The days were very hot, and the homes lacked air conditioning. Families waited for the cooler temperatures that came with sunset to eat dinner. It was 2000 hours local time and the temperature was eighty-five degrees. The house was attractive and modern, constructed of large white blocks of stone, and covered with a sheet metal roof. The senior guard greeted Bill at the door, and introduced him to his attractive wife and two-year-old son. She wore a simple white cotton dress, and no head covering.