Talib considered all this to be significant enough for immediate relay to his leaders in Afghanistan. Phone calls were made and emails were sent.
Talib then waited to hear back. His team was standing by. However, no actions would be taken without getting word from higher authority.
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When John and Tracy climbed into bed that night it was very, very late and they were thoroughly exhausted. As much as Tracy wanted to express her appreciation to John for the devotion he had pledged that day, she knew their libidos were not able to handle any vigorous lovemaking and she contented herself with merely climbing into John’s warm embrace and snuggling up close. She decided there would definitely be some sexy times the following morning but, for right now? Falling asleep with his arms around her was all she needed and she quickly drifted off to sleep, feeling all was right in the world.
Oliver and Candace also fell asleep right away, almost before their heads hit their pillows. They too had experienced a very satisfying day.
Amanda was keyed up with excitement but, once she and Gene went to bed, they too went right to sleep with her blissful happiness quickly ebbing into peaceful slumber not long after Gene had kissed her goodnight. It had been wonderful seeing her family once again.
For Jesse and Linda, however, things were a little different. They went up to their room together and quickly got ready for bed, with Jesse undressing down to his underwear and climbing under the covers while Linda changed into her nightgown in the bathroom. She left the bathroom light on when she came out, as he had done the night before, and made her way over to her bed. The lights in the room were already turned out.
As she placed the clothing she had removed on top of the suitcase next to her bed and then climbed under the covers, she whispered, “Good night, Jesse.” They had talked on and off for hours that day and she somehow felt she needed to say something.
“Good night, Linda,” replied Jesse in a normal voice. He too wanted to say more and was very much aware of her being right there, in the room with him. In her bed. In her nightgown. After a long pause, he said in a much softer voice, “Sweet dreams!”
There was a short pause. Then she too whispered, “Sweet dreams, Jesse!”
Chapter Six
Wednesday, Mar 18, 2020
When Tracy joined the others for breakfast, she was feeling great. She had promised herself some sexy times when she woke up and John had not disappointed; far from it. She was aglow and ready for whatever the day might bring. She had dressed in one of her best outfits, appropriate for touring Berlin, and knew she looked good. She greeted everyone warmly as she approached their tables and, since John was following along behind, she added just a little extra sway to her hips which she knew he would appreciate.
Apparently, they were the last to arrive; even Lieutenant Saunders was there with a couple of his men, although they weren’t eating but merely sitting at another table nearby. Amanda said, “I love that dress, Tracy! Come sit next to me and tell me where you bought it.” She gestured to the empty seat next to her. She was alone at a table for four and had just sat down with her breakfast.
John said, “Go ahead … I’ll bring you some food. I know what you want.” He headed over towards the buffet dishes.
“Bring me some juice and coffee first,” Tracy called out to him. Then she sat down and told Amanda, “John and I were at Quincy Market last Saturday. I found this dress at a little boutique there but I’m not sure what the store’s name is. But you can’t go wrong if you just check all the shops in that area. I saw lots of great buys.”
“Oh, I’ve heard that,” acknowledged Amanda. “Gene and I haven’t been there yet but it’s high on our list of places to see.”
Tracy glanced around and was amused to see how interested Linda seemed in whatever Captain Bonomo was telling her. They were seated with Candy and Oliver at another table for four nearby. Candy was looking glamourous, as usual, with Oliver proudly at her side.
Gene was just returning with his breakfast and sat down opposite Amanda. Tracy leaned in closer and said in a conspiratorial whisper, “I don’t have any enhanced senses like you guys do but, even so, I’m definitely guessing the good captain’s plan for keeping things platonic with Linda might not last the week.” She wiggled her eyebrows up and down and was clearly inviting them to gossip.
Gene chuckled and said, “You are incorrigible, Tracy! Amanda and I don’t betray secrets. Whatever we might notice about them, or you and John for that matter, will not be shared.”
“Darn! Not even a raging pheromone alert, huh?” giggled Tracy, with no embarrassment whatsoever that he and Amanda could certainly scent what she and John had been doing that morning. “That’s okay. John and I have a little bet going.Ve haf our vays of finding out!”
John placed a glass of orange juice and a cup of coffee in front of Tracy and did the same for himself opposite to her. Hearing her last sentence where she was faking a Russian accent, he asked in a similar manner, “Darlink! Vat mischiev are you up to now?” Then he left to get their breakfast dishes. He returned a few minutes later with heaping plates for Tracy and himself and then took his seat.
“Thank you, thank you, thank you!” said Tracy, obviously pleased with everything he’d brought. Looking up she said, “I’m really hungry this morning and we need a good meal to start off with.” She and John were taking a half-day walking tour of Berlin while the others would all be touring the embassy again.
They’d be meeting their group and an English-speaking guide at the Neue Prominade 3 which was in the center of the city’s Mitte district. Lieutenant Saunders had arranged transportation for the thirty-minute ride to get there. According to Amanda, there were many historic highlights and landmarks on this tour which ought to provide them an excellent understanding of German history in relation to significant monuments, sites and buildings.
Amanda said, “As I told you yesterday, you’re going to really appreciate seeing Checkpoint Charlie, the Berlin Wall, the Holocaust Memorial and all the other things on that tour. But I’m betting you’ll love seeing the Brandenburg Gate the best. Then, once you’ve seen all those places, if you have more time? There are these hop-on, hop-off red buses where you can create your own sightseeing itinerary. These buses all have audio commentary available in English, of course.”
“Yes, that’s what we originally were planning on doing,” said John. “But you convinced us we should start with this Discover Berlin walking tour first. Having an actual person as a guide will definitely be great.”
Tracy said, “Depending on how things go after today, if we have any time here in Berlin for more sightseeing, we definitely will use those buses.” They were all hoping, of course, that the terrorist group would reveal something about itself and they’d be busy following up on leads rather than merely sightseeing.
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Talib Mansoor was getting more and more complaints from the members in his group. Most had only come to Germany recently after extensive training in Afghanistan. He and three others had established both their terrorist cell and liquor store business in Leipzig two years earlier, getting financial assistance from WIJO for that purpose.
Leipzig had a population of six hundred thousand and was a good central location about a hundred miles southwest of Berlin, two hundred fifty miles northeast of Frankfurt and two hundred seventy miles north of Munich. In addition to his store, he now had a large warehouse and several vehicles for making deliveries throughout Germany. He had worked hard to build up his distribution since it made an excellent cover for the attacks which he intended to carry out. The recent members of his cell were easily absorbed into the business as warehouse workers and deliverymen. Keeping all their various munitions hidden away had been easy. The nightclub bombing in Munich had been executed exactly as planned. Mansoor was certain his ambitions for advancing in WIJO would all be coming true.
