Enemy Among Us-A Jordan Wright Thriller (27 page)

DOWNTOWN PHILADELPHIA

Though he’d spent more time here than he would have ever wished, he was always impressed by the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul. Located just blocks from the center of Philadelphia on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, the Basilica was both imposing while at the same time subtle in its environment, surrounded by modern high-rises and situated amongst Philadelphia’s great cultural facilities. Under construction for eighteen years, with completion in 1864, its brownstone façade allowed it to blend in, while at over one hundred feet in height, it drew everyone’s gaze. Commander Choufani stepped out of his car and, as he walked up to the cast bronze doors leading into the vestibule, he paused and looked above him at the green patina of the copper dome which rose sixty feet over the top of the Cathedral. He took a deep breath as he entered. Inside, the church had been set up to seat two thousand people. The Commander knew it would be standing room only and arrangements had been made to have audio of the mass broadcast outside for those attending who would not be able to be accommodated inside. Members of the uniformed honor guard were gathered. They saluted Choufani as he approached; he returned the same.

“I want to thank each of you for your service. Unfortunately, it’s a service we have had to call upon way to often.” He shook each of their hands and moved into the church proper, again his eyes moved up to the eighty foot ceiling and the massive bronze chandeliers. Every surface in the church was either marble or black walnut. It was impressive and he could think of no finer place for a city to say goodbye to its fallen.

He spotted several members of his team in conversation with the representative of the diocese. One of the facets that had made his job easier was the cooperation between the Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia and his unit. The Church was always able to accommodate their requests and needs, regardless of the officer’s religion. Choufani had planned to do a walk-through with his team prior to the first casket arriving, so he moved over to the group, so they could begin.

Forty-five minutes later, with the walk-through complete and final details being checked, word came that the first hearse would arrive in front of the Basilica in ten minutes. With that announcement, Choufani and his team moved from the planning stage into their operational mode, where everyone had a specific role and place to be positioned. Members of his team were all ready with each family and would lead the escort to the Basilica. Each family would be escorted in behind the casket and taken to their seats. A member of his team, along with a senior officer from the deceased officers’ district, would sit with the family during the service and the burial.

Uniformed officers were already arriving. Besides the Philadelphia Officers who were lined up outside, there were representatives from over two hundred and seventy-three police departments and law enforcement agencies, representing all fifty states and six foreign countries. One of the logistical nightmares had been to find parking for all of the cars, which would bring people to the site, and then being able to match the right cars to the correct processional at the end of the service. His team seemed to have it under control.

Fifteen minutes from the time the first hearse and its procession arrived, the front of the Basilica was clear and the second hearse moved slowly down the boulevard. Seeing that it was in the area, Choufani headed inside to ensure all was ready.

Within the next ninety minutes, the city would return to normal and they would move to the two cemeteries.

Chapter Fifty-Two

Mustafa made one last pass through the house to ensure everyone was out and nothing was being left behind. He locked the front door and headed to his van. The children were loaded and the vans were at the curb, their engines idling. He opened the driver’s door to the lead van and, as he got in, signaled to the other two drivers that he was ready to go.

They headed down the street and the vans stayed together for three blocks. At that point, the last van turned left and headed into a side street, taking a different course. Three blocks later, the second van turned right and followed its own route.

Mustafa remained quiet throughout the trip and only a couple of times did he turn to look at the children. But, he remained quiet. The children were dressed as if they would be attending school or in this case, going on a field trip, with each one wearing a backpack. There was no indication they were about to carry out a terrorist attack on a major U.S. city.

Mustafa reached Third Street and drove through the Society Hill section of Philadelphia, a neighborhood where many homes and businesses had gone through a revitalization, which resulted in professionals moving into the city from the suburbs. Mustafa grinned, hoping that, by the end of the day, many of the residents would regret their decision to leave the quiet and safe suburbs.

He turned left on Walnut Street for two blocks and then turned right onto Fifth Street, he glanced into his rearview mirror and could tell the children still had not recognized where they were headed. Mustafa was not surprised. It was one of the reasons he’d decided to use cargo vans with no side windows rather than a passenger van. While he risked being pulled over by the police for having children riding unsecured, he felt it was a risk he would take, to ensure that the children couldn’t figure out where they were.

Between Chestnut and Market Streets, he pulled into a parking space and stopped. He picked up the radio.

“Unit one is in place. Units two and three, what is your status?’

“Unit two, I’m about one minute away.” They would park on Sixth Street, between Market and Arch Streets, diagonally across the mall from Mustafa’s van.

“Three here. I’m parked.” Unit three was also on Sixth, but one block farther away than team two. They were between Arch and Race Streets.

Mustafa smiled. Everyone had made it. He looked to his left, at what lay in front of him — Independence National Historical Park. Home of Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell and the National Constitution Center, it comprised a three block mall area of historical buildings, modern museums that stood as the birthplace of this nation. What better place to bring destruction and terror?

Grabbing the mike, Mustafa called the others. “We go in fifteen minutes.”

Both responded affirmatively. He turned to Aziz. “Are you ready, my son?”

“I am and my team is. We will bring you success, Uncle!”

“I have no doubt of that, my children. You will make me and your parents so proud today.” Mustafa looked at them, he knew it would be the last time he would see them. He could tell the young ones had no idea what would become of them. They did not realize it would be their last day alive and by the end of the day, they would be in the paradise promised to all martyrs. Allah would appreciate that it would be the children that would strike this blow to the Americans.

Jordan and Kate parked on the other side of the street, about a half block behind Mustafa’s van. They had arrived at Mustafa’s house just minutes before the vans left. They knew the other van had parked next to the National Constitution Center on the other side and two blocks from where they were.

No one had gotten out of the vans, so Jordan quickly explored the options. This was a target rich area, with any number of scenarios for what they might try to do or this might not even be the final target, but only a diversion, one which would force all of the limited police resources in Philadelphia this day to converge here while the group in the other van was at the primary target.

Though it was still early, there was already a fairly large crowd on the Mall. It was a school holiday, with pleasant weather so it seemed many families had decided to have an outing. If a couple of the kids moved into the large groups and detonated a bomb it would cause mass casualties and carnage, not to mention the larger crowds that would gather along with first responders, which allowed for a second detonation and a larger fatality count. While Jordan was keenly aware of these types of attacks in the Middle East and Asia, one hadn’t occurred in this country, but it drove Jordan crazy that even in a post 9-11 world, Americans largely believed such types of violent acts couldn’t happen in the USA. Jordan knew it was only a matter of time and possibly this was the day.

Chapter Fifty-Three

BASILICA OF SAINTS PETER AND PAUL

Commander Choufani had moved to the rear of the Basilica, when the aide to the Archbishop had signaled him that approximately five minutes remained in the service. Choufani sneaked a quick glance at his watch and was relieved to find they were on schedule. The choir would sing the ending Hymn and then a quartet of bagpipers would play as the caskets and then the families filed out of the church.

When he reached the rear of the Basilica, Choufani ducked outside to see if everything were staged for the procession to the cemeteries. This, again, was one of the logistical challenges with two processions headed to two different locations. His team had to ensure the right cars and the right people went with each hearse. He saw the two lines of cars behind the hearses, with discreet signs having been placed to direct people to the correct procession as they departed the church. He nodded at his two co-ordinators and gave thumbs up. Everything was as good as it could be.

As the great bronze doors opened, the wail of the bagpipes rose, filling the air with their haunting melancholy echoing and re-echoing off the surrounding building. Everyone outside immediately turned toward the doors and stoically looked on as the first casket appeared, the family following in its train. The pallbearers lifted the casket and carried it down the stairs to the waiting hearse. The family was helped to their assigned limousine, then turned and faced back toward the doors. They wanted to pay their respects to Sergeant O’Meara when his casket came out. A nice gesture from the family, Choufani thought.

Choufani felt a tap on his shoulder and he turned around. It was the Commissioner with his hand out. “Commander, you and your team have done another great job today. It was dignified and a beautiful service. I know we threw some logistical challenges to your team and, once again, they came through with flying colors. Please thank them for me.”

“Thank you, sir, and I’ll let them know. They’ll appreciate it, sir. They put their hearts into every one of these.”

The Commissioner nodded and turned away toward his car. Protocol required he attend the burial of the most senior of the officers, which he would do. However, when it was completed, he planned on calling on the other officer’s family at their home.

Choufani turned his attention to oversee what transpired as the second casket emerged from the sanctuary, followed by the family. In fewer than five minutes, the processions would leave and head toward their respective cemeteries. Within twenty minutes, they would both be clear of the Philadelphia city limits and, in two hours, the funerals would be concluded and the police department would be back to full strength. Choufani looked up at the cross on top of the Basilica and said a quick prayer.