Free Nine Lives by Tom Barber Page B

comes up whenever one of the names is searched in any databases we share with other agencies. That includes the CIA, NSA, FBI and foreign organisations we have close ties with. One of those groups is MI6, and this morning, Dominick Farha’s name came up. Straight away, I contacted Chief of Staff Rogers at 10 Downing Street. He informed me of the operation underway, of these nine suspects, all potential suicide bombers, and all led by Dominick Farha.’
    He looked at the coffee cup in his hand, preparing his approach.
    ‘Simply put, I want to help, Director. During my team’s operation, I have managed to accrue extensive knowledge of Farha and his family. I think I could be of great assistance to you and your detail.’
    Cobb nodded, but stayed silent. He liked the suggestion, but he knew there was also an ulterior motive here.
    Crawford hadn’t come all this way just to help him out.
    ‘But let me guess. If Farha somehow gets in contact with Henry in Paris, you want us to hold back until your operation is over,’ Cobb replied, putting two and two together. ‘If we move in, your cartel boss will realise he’s compromised and will disappear. And you don’t get him at the drug buy.’
    Crawford nodded slowly.
    ‘Correct.’
    Cobb went to speak further but paused. He noticed the American’s expression had changed. He seemed troubled. Cobb had sensed something wasn’t right ever since Crawford had walked in, but he had known better than to ask.
    After a brief silence, the blond DEA agent spoke again.
    ‘One of my men went missing last night,’ he said. ‘I’d left him running surveillance from outside Henry’s compound in Riyadh while four of us flew to Paris to get a head start on the scheduled drug buy. I tried contacting him from the plane and again when we touched down at De Gaulle, but there was no response.’
    He paused.
    ‘Before the operation, each member of my team had been chipped back in the US. It’s a transponder, tiny, small enough to fit in a syringe. It means if one of our operatives goes dark or gets in trouble, we can always track them down.’
    He licked his lips.
    ‘We located him by satellite an hour ago.’
    ‘Where?’
    ‘At the bottom of the Red Sea.’
    There was a long silence.
    ‘A diving crew are out there right now trying to retrieve him,’ continued Crawford. ‘Henry’s favourite method of killing someone is to knock them out and put their feet in quick drying cement. Then they get thrown overboard to drown.  And that’s exactly what happened to my agent.’
    A pause. Crawford shook his head.
    ‘His name was Faber. A good man, real solid. Two daughters and a wife back home. We’d been working together for over a year.’
    ‘I’m sorry,’ said Cobb quietly.
    Crawford nodded, his tanned face hardening.
    ‘Needless to say, I’ve had enough of this shit. It’s time to take Henry and his organisation down. It’s clear that our two cases are intertwined, so I wanted to come here in person and offer the DEA’s services myself. I promise my agency will assist you wherever we can, Director Cobb.’
    He paused as something else came into his mind.
    ‘By the way, has anyone discussed a motive with you yet?’
    ‘For the planned attacks?’
    Crawford nodded. Cobb considered the question, then shook his head.
    ‘No. I figured it was just fanaticism.’
    Crawford shook his head.
    ‘A year ago to the day, Dominick was actually high up in Henry’s organisation,’ he said. ‘Their relationship wasn’t always this fractured. Farha, as a trusted family member, had been sent to New York on a business run that we were tracking. He’d set up a meeting with a brother cartel based in Queens, providing them with samples of fresh, top-grade cocaine from Juarez. It was New Year’s Eve and Dominick had been drinking in a bar all day. The meeting was scheduled for a room inside the Four Seasons hotel. It must have turned sour.’
    ‘How so?’
    ‘Dominick ended up killing the two