Treason (31 page)

Lieutenant Colonel Gabe DeMoss interrupted Brooke's reading. “Waiting for one of those egg breakfast sandwiches I told you about?”

“What are doing here so early?” Brooke asked, smiling.

“Agent Parker said I'd find you here. I wanted to give you some great news.” He took a seat next to her. “Walks Many Miles has surfaced in Kenya.”

“Where? Has he been captured? Is he okay?” Brooke asked, clearly alarmed about his fate.

“Hey, I can only answer one question at a time. Yes, he's fine, and no, he's not been captured. We got a call from a Kenyan woman who said Miles asked her to notify us. He's been hiding in a hut with this woman and her father. They're goat herders near a town called El Wak on the border with Somalia.”

“When is the agency sending a team to get him out of there?”

“Miles didn't ask to be rescued. He's going to complete his SAD mission.”

Brooke's initial smile was replaced by a frown. “How can he complete a six-man assignment by himself without getting caught or killed?”

“He's proven he can take care of himself,” DeMoss said admiringly.

Brooke glanced around them. Only two other couples were in the dining room waiting for the grill to open, and neither of them was within listening distance. “I'm not doubting his abilities, but he's not safe as long as someone here in Washington is betraying him by sending reports back to the Falcon and Al-Shabaab.”

“The Viper,” DeMoss replied. “Don't worry. As soon as her call came in, it was compartmentalized for security reasons. Only select members of the NSC at the White House were informed on a need-to-know basis, as well as Agent Parker.”

Brooke sat silent for a moment thinking before she asked: “Did Agent Parker tell you why I'm up so early—that I came here after examining Mary Margaret Delaney's body at the Three Sisters?”

“Yes. He said you were angry because he won't let you drive over to Mohammad Al-Kader's mosque, throw some cuffs on him, and haul him in for questioning about Jennifer and Akbar.”

“I don't see why we're not doing that.”

“Have you considered the FBI and CIA might have an ulterior motive for not wanting you barging in on the Imam?”

“What possible reason would they have?”

“They could be intercepting communications between Al-Kader and the Falcon, if they're in touch with each other, or between him and the Viper. God, I hate these bird and reptile aliases,” he said. “But my point is that they might have a higher priority.”

“Higher than getting Jennifer back alive and safe?” she asked, clearly insulted.

“I'm just saying the agency and NSA might be keeping a close eye on him for reasons other than finding Jennifer. Have you ever heard the term ‘a wilderness of mirrors'? It's from an old poem, but James Jesus Angleton, the famous mole hunter at the CIA, used it to describe the intelligence business where everyone uses everyone else and people double- and triple-cross each other.”

“What do you know about Al-Kader that I don't?”

“Nothing. I really don't have some inside information on this. I'm just urging you to remember that at one point Al-Kader was recruited and worked for the agency. Now he's working for the other side. Or is he?”

DeMoss noticed the gate that separated them from the hospital grill was being opened. “Let's grab some of those egg sandwiches,” he said enthusiastically, rising from the table. “I'll buy.”

Brooke followed DeMoss into the grill, but she picked a yogurt and banana instead of the greasy sandwich that he was craving. As she was standing in line at the cash register to pay, she noticed a plump woman hurrying toward DeMoss, who was still waiting for his sandwich.

“Funny seeing you here, Don,” the woman chirped, addressing DeMoss. “It's Rhapsody from the Bean and Bagel.”

“I'm sorry,” DeMoss replied. “You must have me confused with someone else. My name isn't Don.”

“Honey, I may have the name wrong, but I never forget a customer's face, especially a handsome one. You're Mr. CM/CR—café misto with a cinnamon raisin bagel—remember? You used to stop at the B and B while making your sales rounds.”

“I've never been to any bagel shop in northern Virginia,” he answered good-naturedly. He glanced over at Brooke, who was standing close enough to hear their conversation.

“Then, honey,” the woman continued, “you got a twin out there. What do they call it? A dobble-something.”

“Doppelgänger,” he quietly volunteered.

“I apologize. I must be losing my mind, but then what do you expect? My mother's upstairs recovering from a kidney operation and they just told me the bill is going to be nearly a hundred grand. She's got insurance but that ain't going to cover half of that. Sorry to have bothered you.”

“No problem,” he replied, his eyes still watching Brooke. “I get confused with other people all of the time.”

Al‘alam lays masir: bal hu khiar.

Pain is not a fate: It is a choice

—popular Arab saying

Rayburn House Office Building

Capitol Hill

Washington, D.C.

R
epresentative Thomas Edgar Stanton asked Robert Hazlett to meet with him privately in his congressional office in the Rayburn House Office building instead of the House Permanent Intelligence Committee's suites. Hazlett was considered
the
nation's most vocal critic of Islam and ranked number one on
the
OIN's list of Islamophobic Americans. Having Hazlett saunter
thr
ough the always-bustling U.S. Capitol Visitor Center and regis
ter
as a guest at the committee's underground offices would needlessly inflame critics who already were accusing Stanton of being anti-Muslim.

For more than two decades, Hazlett had worked as a Middle Eastern expert at the State Department, but he'd been fired after he published a report called
Creeping Jihadism
. In it, Hazlett warned that the steady migration of Muslims into Europe was creating a subtle but important shift in political power away from democracy toward Islamic Sharia law, which he described as being both totalitarian and repressive. The OIN had unleashed a maelstrom attack against Hazlett with Omar Nader demanding his firing. But Hazlett couldn't be let go for expressing his opinion. Under mounting pressure from the OIN, his politically sensitive bosses found a loophole. They noted that he had given an interview to a newspaper reporter without first clearing it with the State Department's public information office. While that happened frequently, it was enough of a technical violation to justify firing him. After losing his State Department post, Hazlett had used his savings to create a website also called
Creeping Jihadism
, which he now operated as his own private Islamic watchdog group.

Stanton got right to the point when Hazlett settled into an overstuffed chair. “My staff is divided about whether the Intelligence Committee should call you as a witness at the hearings that I plan to soon conduct. Some members have said they'll protest if you're included.”

“That's hardly surprising,” Hazlett replied nonchalantly in a nasal voice. “Predictably, your call for hearings has prompted the OIN and Omar Nader to attack you personally and call for a million-man Muslim march on Washington, although they're also inviting other religious groups to join them.”

“Yes, they're angry with me, but I'm not nearly as high on the OIN's enemies list as you are.”

Stanton eyeballed his guest. Hazlett was in his early seventies, thin, and mostly bald. What was left of the gray hair on the sides of his head was pulled back into a ponytail that dipped down to his open-collared shirt. He was wearing a worn navy blazer with leather patches on the elbows and a pair of denim jeans, which made him appear more like a 1960s hippie than the Rhodes Scholar he had been.

“The OIN and Omar Nader are just getting started on you,” Hazlett warned. “Trust me, they are relentless and they never forget. I read that you already have an opponent campaigning for your congressional seat. Scratch the surface and I guarantee you'll find Omar Nader's fingerprints.”

“My opponent is the same college professor who campaigned against me before.”

“Maybe so, but if you have your people go through his financial reports as soon as they're made public, I'll wager you'll discover that he's getting contributions from a slew of newly organized PACs with patriotic sounding names. It won't be easy to trace, because the OIN is highly skilled at hiding its tracks, but if you dig deep enough and long enough, you'll find those PACs are being funded by straw men who are using OIN funds.”

From the skeptical look on Stanton's face, it appeared that he seemed unconvinced, so Hazlett added, “I read on the Internet that you're having a rally this weekend in South Carolina, aren't you?”

“Some of my supporters are hosting a little get-together for me. It's backlash to the OIN's call for its million-man march on Washington.”

“You should expect OIN protesters to show up.”

“I've never had protesters at one of my rallies, even when I've made unpopular decisions.”

“Nader and the OIN will pay them to be there waving signs accusing you of being an Islamophobe.”

“Is that even a real word?” Stanton asked, smiling. “I imagine quite a few voters in my conservative district probably are Islamophobes.”

“You shouldn't take this so lightly, Congressman. The OIN will be looking for your supporters who are Islamophobes. They're going to be playing to the national media, hoping for angry interactions with your people that will make for good television. You're already being cast as a new Senator Joe McCarthy. I don't mean to be rude, Congressman, but you are underestimating the OIN and Omar Nader. They cost me my federal career and they're out to destroy you too.”

Continuing, Hazlett said, “The OIN will not tolerate any criticism of Islam or the Prophet Muhammad. None, and that is not the norm with other religions. The Roman Catholic Church under recent popes has been open to discussions within its ranks about such formerly taboo subjects as divorce, homosexuality, and the role of women. But no such talk is permitted inside the OIN. It's immediately called blasphemy. Can you name any other organization in the world affiliated with a religion that publishes a list of persons who it considers evil? That's what the OIN's Islamophobia list is all about—accusing anyone who dares criticize Islam of being a bigot and then going after them. The OIN refuses to admit it, but it represents Islamic supremacy. Anyone who disagrees with it becomes the enemy. Now that list includes you. Tell me, Mr. Chairman, have you ever read the Quran?”

“No, I'm Southern Baptist.”

“Most Americans assume it's a book like the Holy Bible or the Torah, a collection of smaller books written by different prophets or historians that are meant to guide us through our lives. But the Quran was written by only one man, Muhammad, and it is meant to be taken literally—every word. And those words are very specific about how a person is supposed to live his life.”

“I don't see how that's much different from most religions. Christians have the Ten Commandments and my Jewish friends tell me the Torah is filled with laws.”

“But the Quran
is
different. It says that all other religions are an abomination and there's no divide between state and church. According to the OIN, devout Muslims are obligated to follow Sharia law and Sharia law says anyone who criticizes Allah or the Quran or Muhammad or Islam should be put to death. You've got to understand that Sharia law is not just a religious code; it's the law. It's meant to replace all governments. Jihadists don't believe in any form of societal authority or government except Sharia law, and they demand that their followers adhere to it or they will burn in hell fire.”

“There's no ‘Render therefore unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's and unto God the things that are God's' caveat?”

“You know your Bible.”

Stanton chuckled. “I'm a forced graduate of Miss Murphy's Sunday school classes as a kid and she was a stickler for memorization.”

“There is no separation of church and state,” Hazlett replied. “Attempts to establish any other form of government
is
a sin.”

“Mr. Hazlett, there are millions of law-abiding and peaceful Muslims living in western democracies. They aren't trying to overthrow those governments.”

“Muslims move into a country and are accorded the same religious protections as everyone else. But the radicals among them demand adherence to Sharia law and that law requires a totalitarian lifestyle. As soon as their numbers start growing, jihadists begin persecuting Muslims who aren't adhering to Sharia law. Dissent is squelched, often with violence, and then jihadists begin striking out against non-Muslims. The Quran says there will never be peace until only Islam and Sharia law have been established in every nation.”

“The Muslims who I know personally are not fanatics and don't fit what you are describing,” Stanton replied.

“Not all Muslims are jihadists, but their leaders have done little to stop the radicals among them. Why? Because they're afraid. They're afraid of their own people because they are fanatics willing to blow themselves up. Everyone knows that these extremists will kill anyone—famous authors, cartoonists, and politicians—anyone who dares to criticize them. Drawing an unflattering picture of Muhammad is enough to get a death sentence. There's something else about the Quran that you need to understand. Other religions are based on honesty. But Islamic leaders say it's okay to lie to non-Muslims when it helps promote the spread of their religion. It's called
taqiyya
and it's why radical Islamists in Iran and other Arab states can tell us one thing to our faces without ever having any intention of actually doing it.”

After their meeting ended, Stanton wasn't certain what to think about Hazlett. His initial reaction was that his guest was both obsessed with Islam and paranoid about the OIN, but what he'd said was definitely chilling. While he was mulling over Hazlett's warning, an aide entered Stanton's office and said that Representative Rudy Adeogo was calling.

Stanton picked up the line. “Mr. Adeogo,” he said, “I'm happy your daughter has been returned safely to you. I know her kidnapping and your public revelation about your brother have made this an extremely difficult time for you. It's certainly not how most freshman congressmen envision spending their first months in office.”

“Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for your concern; the matters you have just mentioned are why I am calling. I've heard you're having a rally in South Carolina this weekend, and I am wondering if you would be willing to invite me to appear on stage with you?”

“For what purpose?” Stanton asked.

“The last time we spoke—when my daughter was still being held hostage—I promised to support your call for committee hearings. I can speak freely now that she's been rescued, and I have a lot to say about the insidious spread of radical Islam.”

“Having you attend would certainly stir things up in the media. You haven't appeared in public since your statement about your brother, am I correct?”

“I have remained sequestered inside my house, that is correct, but it is time for me to speak, which is why I am asking to appear with you in Smithville at your rally. As you just noted, it would be my first public appearance since my statement about my brother and my daughter's rescue.”

“Tell me, what do you hope to accomplish coming to my rally? What sort of statement would you be making in Smithville?”

“I would condemn radical Islamists and explain how extremists, such as Mohammad Al-Kader, are corrupting the minds of our youth. I know this personally because my own brother was seduced by radicalism. I would repeat that I never supported what my younger brother did, and I certainly never betrayed our country.”

“I gather you think appearing on stage with me—the so-called new Joe McCarthy—would send the public a clear message. If I think you cut muster as a Muslim, then you must be okay, is that what you're after?”

“I would not put it that way, but yes, I believe appearing with you would reinforce to the public that I am not a radical like my younger brother.”

“In essence, I'd be giving you my seal of approval, so to speak.”

“And my appearance would give you my so-called seal of approval as a Muslim,” Adeogo replied. “The OIN and Omar Nader are accusing you of being Islamophobic. Having a Muslim standing shoulder-to-shoulder with you, saying you are not an Islamophobe and your hearings are not anti-Muslim but merely an examination into whether political correctness is hampering our country's efforts to ferret out radicals—yes, that could help your cause, as well, at the rally.”

“What happens if reporters accuse you of hypocrisy?”

“Because I didn't tell authorities about my brother?”

“That has been a hot topic in the media. Commentators are condemning you for not speaking out earlier about him, for not identifying him during the Somalia embassy crisis.”

“And what would that have accomplished? I now regret my silence, but I had no real information to provide, other than to tell authorities that Abdul Hafeez had changed his family name. Let's not forget that radical Islamists abducted my daughter and are still holding Jennifer Conner captive. I am not only the one member of Congress who is a Muslim, I am also the one member whose daughter has been threatened and terrorized by these animals. Fighting them is personal to me
because
they corrupted my younger brother, stealing him from our family with their radical teachings, and
because
they later kidnapped and beat my only child. I believe that takes precedence over the fact that I didn't mention that Abdul Hafeez and I once shared the same last name.”

“I've been warned that Omar Nader and the OIN will be sending protesters to my rally. Are you prepared for what they will throw at you?”

“I have never cared for Omar Nader's bullying tactics and I will tell the media that the OIN squelches dissent. I will read a personal e-mail that Omar Nader sent me. In it, he tells me specific words that are acceptable for me to use as a Muslim when discussing terrorism and words that the OIN actually forbids Muslims from saying about Islam. Of course, I will also condemn the OIN for its attacks on you. This is America. No group should ever be able to censor anyone simply because it doesn't agree with what you are saying.”