“What’s the difference between ‘fact’ and ‘suspect’?”
“The facts are biometric data from the border crossing. The suspicion is based solely on a ticket purchased with a Lebanese passport, no biometrics. It could be him, or it could just be some rando that we swept up.”
Mark Oglethorpe said, “Or it could be a diversion to draw us off of his real destination.”
I was impressed he had that much imagination, because that’s what I suspected.
President Hannister said, “So next steps? Wolffe, you on?”
“Yes, sir. I have Pike’s team consolidating right now in Tucson. They can deploy worldwide on the Council’s orders.”
“Is that necessary? Do we have any indication that this Ghost is on the warpath, or is he just fleeing to go to ground for the rest of his life? Maybe we just put his biometrics and passport information out in the world and box him in. Let him get rolled up by one of our partners.”
“Sir, we don’t know what his intentions are, but we do know he had significant help. Someone very sophisticated managed to break him out of our classified detention facility, cross the Mexican border, and provide him with travel documents to leave that country.”
Alexander Palmer said, “So he has friends. We already knew that. What’s your point?”
I really wanted to punch that asshole through the screen. Wolffe said, “My point is friends write you letters in prison. Only someone who wants something bad goes to this much trouble. In my opinion, the Ghost is on the warpath whether he knows it or not. There’s going to be a payback for the effort.”
President Hannister said, “We looking at Iran?”
“They’re the most likely suspect, but as you know, they’ve really taken a beating lately. I’m not sure they’d have the balls to do something at this point. The last thing they’d want is Israel or us to ratchet up the pressure because of something they instigated.”
Kerry interjected, saying, “That’s true, but on the other hand, they’ve been beaten so badly on all fronts lately that they may feel theyhaveto do something to reestablish deterrence. To prove to us and their proxies that they’re still in the fight. I think it could go either way here.”
“Why Argentina, though? What’s there that would accomplish those goals?”
Oglethorpe said, “That’s why I think it’s a diversion.”
Secretary of State Amanda Croft said, “Maybe it’s my visit. I’m going next week for the anniversary of the AMIA bombing.”
President Hannister said, “I forgot about that. Thirty-year anniversary or something?”
Palmer said, “Anniversary of what, exactly?”
“The Hezbollah bombing of the Argentinian Israeli Mutual Association in 1994. It’s actually the thirty-first anniversary, but the Hamas attack in Israel prevented them from attending last year, so they’re going this year. Before October seventh it was the deadliest terrorist attack in Israeli history,and still is the deadliest attack in Argentina’s history. They invited us and I’m traveling as the United States representative.”
Kerry said, “Wait, who’s going from Israel?”
“A big delegation, including Freidman.”
“The prime minister of Israel is going?” Kerry looked at the president and said, “That’s a juicy target. Iran was implicated in the first attack, but it could never be conclusively proven. It would be just like them to try again a second time. They’d see it as poetic.”
“Does Iran have any infrastructure for a complex attack in South America? I thought Argentina ran Hezbollah out after that, and you just said Iran was on the ropes.”
“Argentina did run them out, but the tri-border region is ripe with Hezbollah. It’s called the Triple Frontier because it’s the wild west there. Very little border controls and rampant criminal activity. It also has the largest diaspora of Lebanese outside of Lebanon. The Hezbollah associates mostly do criminal work, running drugs and other things for financial support, but they’re there.”
I could feel the tide turning. I saw Creed enter the room and whisper in Wolffe’s ear.
Palmer said, “So we need to get this information into the system ASAP. Let the Argentinians round him up. Didn’t he have to provide where he was staying when he entered?”
Wolffe said, “Sir, if you do that, you’ll lose him. There’s no way he gave a correct address. If the police go searching for him, it’ll just trigger an alarm, and he’ll disappear. Creed just informed me that—”
Palmer cut him off, saying, “You always want to launch a force to solve every problem. Just because you’re a hammer doesn’t mean every issue is a nail. We don’t even know if the Ghost flew there.”
Wolffe said, “May I continue, without interruption?”
President Hannister said, “Go ahead.”
