Surrept (16 page)

COLORADO
COMMERCIAL
PROPERTIES
LLC
9942
CHAMPA
STREET
SUITE
100
DENVER
COLORADO
80010
END
CORRESPONDENCE
.

***

The FBI emergency response team (ERT)—all in black—hits David Bloomfield's downtown condominium forty-six minutes later. The lobby of the building is secured, as well as his condominium unit on the fifth floor.

Special Agents Taylor and Davenport are heading the investigation of David Bloomfield and his fiancé, Dana Underwood.

Davenport is searching the walk-in closet and says to her partner, "This girl has some nice clothes, and a shoe collection that matches Imelda Marcos's. She certainly has great taste."

Taylor replies, "Leslie, we're here to collect evidence, not critique the suspect's fashion sense, let's keep it focused."

Davenport holds up an empty gun case and an empty ammo box of 45 caliber shells. "Is this focused enough?"

Taylor pulls an evidence bag from his jacket pocket and Davenport drops the evidence in. "Did the background show any carry permits on Bloomfield?"

"I don't think this is Bloomfield's." He looks at his partner. "And why is that?"

She smiles and holds up the gun case. "Because of this here. There is an engraved message, right here on the leather case."

Agent Taylor turns over the bag and reads the inscription.
"For my Baby Girl."

The FBI emergency response team seals the condominium with federal evidence tape and leaves with boxes of evidence and David's computer. They head to the offices of National Ad Media Group in the Denver tech center eight miles away.

The FBI team leaves the office of National Ad Media Group as a security guard watches them cart off evidence boxes and computers from David's office. The team heads to Dana's offices to do the same. It has been three and a half hours since the FBI received notification of the warrants.

Taylor and Davenport are disappointed that they have found nothing so far to aid in their case against their suspects, Bloomfield and Underwood.

The FBI team arrives at Dana's building. They are met by the security guard at the door.

Special Agent Taylor comments, "I don't think we are on the right track here, I think that someone is grabbing at straws on this one."

Davenport answers, "It all could be in computer forensics, Mike. We don't know yet."

The guard opens the door as Taylor shakes his head. "I'm telling you, this is so far from the profile that we might as well be in the Yukon looking for palm trees."

Thirty-five minutes later, the FBI team leaves the building with little evidence and gathers in the cold night air in the parking lot.

Special Agent Davenport says, "We will hit the Underwood residence next. Let's keep in mind that this is an affluent estate community and the suspect's father's residence. We have no intelligence as to how many occupants are present, and this will be a soft knock and announce entry, there may be dogs on the premises. There is a security gate at the property entry that we will disable for our approach, ERT, that's your job to get us in quietly."

The team all piles into their vehicles. An hour later, David wakes to the screech of the jet plane's tires.

The Kiatsu jet touches down in Vancouver, British Columbia. The attendant tells him that he was sleeping deeply as they approached and would not respond to her trying to wake him. He goes into the restroom and returns to his large leather seat as the plane taxies. The attendant hands him a hot towel on a silver tray to wipe his face.

David departs the plane and there are four men awaiting him as he descends the stairs. The men immediately take him into custody and escort him into the customs area. They announce that he is under arrest and of his immediate transfer of custody to the United States Marshall's Service. One of the marshall's handcuffs him as the other searches his bags and then places them into an evidence bag.

David yells, "What the hell is going on? Are you people, nuts?"

The marshall answers him, "Mr. Bloomfield, you are being detained under the Patriot Act statutes of the United States of America, with the cooperation of the Canadian government under our treaty with them." David looks at the marshall wondering what the hell is happening as he speaks.

"David Bloomfield, while in the custody of the U.S. Marshall's service, you have the right to remain silent, you have the right to have an attorney present during questioning, if you give up that right anything you say can and will be used against you. You have the right to have an attorney appointed by the government, if you cannot afford one. Mr. Bloomfield, do you understand these rights I have explained to you?"

David looks at the men in the room and realizes by their expression that this is no joke. "I understand. Can I call an attorney?"

The marshall answers him, "That will be determined by the FBI once you are in their custody in U.S. territory. Let's go Mr. Bloomfield."

The men walk him down a corridor and back outside to a waiting unmarked small jet aircraft, a man appears in the doorway wearing a JPAT cap and helps the marshall with David as the other signs off with the Canadian official.

David looks at the man with the JPAT hat as he searches him again then places his legs in shackles as well.

"What does JPAT stand for?"

The man looks at him as he rises from securing him. "Justice Prisoners Air Transport. Now, that is the last question you get on this flight. Listen up. Keep your mouth shut unless you're dying or having a major medical problem. We are not supposed to judge our prisoners, but my nineteen-year-old daughter is dead. She just got gassed on the 'L' in Chicago, and everything about your status tells me that you may have something to do with it, so shut your mouth and we might make it to where you are going without incident."

The marshall behind the man chimes in, "I think that about covers the politics for this journey."

The JPAT agent retreats to the back of the plane and takes a seat.

The plane lifts off. David is confused and frightened by what is going on. He knows he has done nothing. He wonders if the whole world has just gone insane.

He has never been arrested other than a spring break incident with his friend Matt Cohen while they were in college. He needs to get a hold of Matt as soon as he can.

The marshals are eerily quiet as the plane levels off and David asks the one across from him for the time. The marshall does not respond and David's fear that any rights he may have had are gone. His fear is now validated, quietly in his mind.

***

In the upscale suburb of Cherry Creek, the FBI team works quietly on the private security gate at Richard Underwood's home. The area is dark other than the other private residents' exterior lighting. There are two lights on in the Underwood residence.

The team sets the gate aside and the radio in Special Agent Taylor's hand squawks, "Barrier breached, you call the ball."

Taylor responds, "Roger that, now verifying suspect one, in Marshall's custody. Stand by."

Taylor dials a number on his cell phone. "This is Special Agent Taylor; do we have Marshall's confirmation of David Bloomfield being in custody yet?" He disconnects as he gets confirmation and raises his radio. "It's a go. The ball is rolling."

The ERT team slides into the darkness around the Underwood house as Taylor and Davenport pull up the driveway with their headlights off and approach the door as the team is set.

Inside, Dana is asleep with Moose in her bedroom upstairs and her dad is watching Fox news in the den with Sassy.

Sassy jumps up next to Richard Underwood and growls, putting him on alert, and then there is a knock at the door and a doorbell chime at the same time. Moose rushes out of the bedroom door and barks wildly as Sassy rushes the front door with Richard Underwood as the FBI announces their presence from outside. "FBI search warrant, open the door."

Richard Underwood gives commands to the dogs and they lie down in the foyer. Dana, half asleep, emerges at the top of the stairs looking down to the entry as her dad opens the front door to the blue jackets of the FBI agents.

"Yes? What is it?"

Agent Davenport speaks first. "Richard Underwood, we have an arrest warrant for Dana Marie Underwood, and a search warrant for this property."

He looks at them shocked as Davenport hands him the search warrant and moves into his foyer entry with Taylor and two team members; the giant dogs are alert in their standing position and begin to growl.

One team member points to his weapon as he stops. "Can you place the dogs in a secure room, sir?"

Richard Underwood complies as he looks up at this daughter on the stairs.

Davenport moves up the stairs to place Dana in custody. She is still half-asleep and terrified by the FBI intrusion at her father's home.

Richard Underwood is angered, "What the hell is this about?"

Taylor responds, "Sir, we need to speak with your daughter. She has not been charged with anything yet but is being detained for questioning at his time."

Dana is handcuffed, then led into her bedroom by the female agent. She surrenders her purse and bag to agent Davenport who finds her gun loaded in her bag and announces, "Suspect weapon secure."

Richard Underwood and agent Taylor look up as Davenport announces, "Now wait a damn minute here. What the hell is this all about?"

The other team members announce clear from each room as they methodically move throughout the Underwood home.

Dana says to the female agent, "What did I do, is this something about work?"

The agent answers, "You will find that all out when we get to our offices, Miss Underwood. You should change into some comfortable street clothes."

The agent removes the handcuffs while Dana grabs some sweat pants, her bra, and a sweatshirt and quickly dresses. Agent Davenport places the cuffs back on her.

Dana begins to cry. Special Agent Davenport leads Dana down the stairs.

"What's going on? Daddy, what's happening?"

Richard Underwood moves toward his daughter and agent Taylor stops him. "Mr. Underwood, please do not move so quickly."

He looks at the FBI agent with the glare only a father has. "Get your fucking hands off of me. I have served and fought for this country and pay more annual taxes than all of your salaries combined, and have done so longer than you have been alive."

The agent removes his restraint. Dana is led out of the house to the car.

Dana yells to her father, "Daddy, call Matthew and tell him what's happening."

Underwood watches as the FBI team leaves with his daughter and notices the team replacing his gate at the bottom of the driveway. As he closes the door, he hears the dogs whining in the laundry room and lets them out. Moose searches for Dana and returns looking to him as he reads the warrant, one phrase stands out: "UNDER THE UNITED STATES PATRIOT ACT STATUTES."
He goes into his den to look up Matthew Cohen's phone number, and makes the call.

Colfax Avenue is quiet with a few street people making their way in the early morning hours, Ahmed looks out the front window of the market in the dark thinking of the poverty his people have suffered for centuries. He remembers the faces of the passengers as he left the Metro as he walks into the kitchen. Ahmed disarms the fire suppression system above the grill.

He places his laptop into a large twenty-quart stockpot along with some notes and other items, which could be used as evidence, against him; the cap he wore, the sunglasses and his gloves and the dark jacket.

He pours in some gasoline over the contents in the pot and ignites them with a napkin he lights on the commercial stove. He drops the flaming napkin into the pot. The flames erupt, follow the draft of the exhaust hood above the grill, and escape into the night air above the market.

He watches as the plastic and fabrics melt in the blaze that reflects in his eyes as he remembers the flames in his family home as the western troops stormed the neighborhood he once lived in.

Ahmed reaches in his pocket and drops the flash drives he received with the laptop in as the flames climb and then subside. The fuel eaten by the blaze melts into black gooey plastic that resembles the oil that caused the western exploitation of resources that belonged to the people of Islam and fueled the greed of Middle East leaders.

Ahmed realizes that there will be no more tears after he unleashes the final plaque of his mission. Maybe then he will find peace in his heart knowing that he did his part for Islam and his family he missed so much. He now understands the rage he witnessed in others and it felt good to let it out.

***

Dawn is breaking over Denver and the streets are barren of activity, an eerie calm envelopes the entire city, as well as the nation.

Inside the FBI offices, Dana sits at a table with Special Agents Davenport and Taylor. "No, for the fifth time. I do not know who all of David's clients and acquaintances are, or who e-mails at work. And I have never heard of the screen name starflower09." Dana continues, frustrated and angry. "I do not want an attorney. I do not need an attorney because I have never done anything wrong. David has never said anything regarding the questions you are asking me, other than he sometimes takes the Metro to work and, yes, he is Jewish. I am positive. Ask his parents. He had his Bar Mitzvah. He goes to the temple on the important holidays, but it's not as if he is a religious fanatic or anything. He is a good man."