The Templar Reprisals (The Best Thrillers Book 3) by James D. Best

Author:James D. Best [Best, James D.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Queen Beach Publishing
Published: 2021-04-01T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter 46

Was this scenario plausible or an imagined horror? Evarts felt anxious. The plane’s engine noise was the only sound as the three of them became lost in their own thoughts. Unless they found verification it was unlikely anyone would listen to an off-the-wall theory. Especially, since the powers-that-be had already landed on a pet hypothesis. Even if they were right, they might not get anyone’s attention; if they were wrong, they might convince people to divert resources away from a real plot at Reagan International. Lots of ways to lose. But one thing was certain, the three of them couldn’t do this on their own. Before seeking help, they needed to convince themselves first.

Evarts thought through the logistics of a book-bomb. The content could be written quickly or even left blank if opening triggered detonation. Offshore printing and binding? No problem. An explosive cover? Evarts knew the Islamic world had labs with enough sophistication to devise such a devilish product. Nor would a representational metal vault present much difficulty. There were plenty of tin benders in the Middle East. The vulnerable point was logistics. Getting the book-bombs to the right place at the right time. Six hundred or more copies would require fifty boxes, each loaded with twelve bulky books. They could be stored in any basement but probably were housed in a commercial warehouse. How did they get into the US? Despite the speed of cobbling together a makeshift book, Evarts bet time became short, too short for shipping by sea. That meant air freight. The FBI had the resources to investigate air cargo shipments to the East Coast. If they could discover how they arrived, they might be able to discover where they went.

A shipment of a predicted size would substantiate that their theory might have merit. Not absolute, but enough to get the attention of the ad hoc team O’Brian had set up to thwart this attack. Would they need more? Probably. Especially if resources were to be diverted to this scenario. It takes a lot to change the course of a government agency.

The most vulnerable logistics point would be Friday when the Ikhwan would need to transport the boxes to UPS, FedEx, or another delivery service. If delivered all at once, fifty cartons would require at least a bobtail truck. What if they split them into separate loads, say one for each congressional office building? Then something frightening occurred to Evarts; modern express companies were so efficient that the Ikhwan didn’t need to drop the books off in Washington. They could hand over the books tomorrow in almost any city. Damn. And each book could be shipped separately. How could they trace that down?

Evarts felt a bounce and heard the screech of tires as the plane hit the tarmac at LaGuardia. After they taxied to a stop, Evarts jerked their bag from a closet by the door, and stood there, tapping his foot, as he waited to deplane.

“What’s got you agitated,” Baldwin asked, as the co-pilot came back to open the door.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.