Legacy and Redemption (18 page)

“Bend over at the waist, spread your cheeks and cough.”

“A-hek, a-hek”

“Now stand up, turn around and lift your nuts.”

Murad Zein again did as he was told. Standing naked in front of three FBI agents didn’t bother him. Normally, he would never submit to such a degrading procedure as the strip search, but he knew that if he complied and the agents saw that he didn’t have any concealed weapons, they would allow him to speak with Police Officer Keegan.

The yellow tiled floors were cold against Zein’s bare feet causing the rest of his body to slightly shiver. The area used to conduct the strip search reminded Zein of a bathroom, except it didn’t have a toilet or shower. Still, the tiled floors and dull tan tiled walls were a typical décor for a bathroom. It was, however, considerably larger than most bathrooms, but of course, the three guards standing in the room with him seemed to close the gap considerably.

The largest of the officers approached him with a flashlight in hand. “Tilt your head up slightly and lift your tongue.”

Once Zein complied, the agent inspected the inside of Zein’s mouth with the flashlight. “Turn your lips inside out. Upper lip first.”

He did. Zein couldn’t imagine what they thought he might be hiding in his rectum or in between his teeth and gums that could possibly bring harm to Keegan. Did they think maybe he was concealing a razor blade or a cyanide tablet? Regardless, if they were being this cautious, he knew that he would face the man who had caused Nazeem to lose his focus—the man who had caused the entire plot to unravel.

The guard threw Zein’s clothes at his feet—minus his belt and shoelaces. “Get dressed,” he commanded as he withdrew a pair of handcuffs from his belt.

*

After having been briefed by Richard Feller, the FBI’s Assistant Special Agent in charge of the Chicago field office, Castillo and Keegan waited in an office for the prisoner to be brought to an interrogation room. Castillo was on the phone with Bob Wolf explaining everything that they knew up to the second; which was not very much. Wolf and Frank Balentine were already airborne on a flight to Chicago coming from Washington DC, but Wolf had given Castillo instructions not to wait for their arrival to speak with Zein.

Once Castillo hung up the phone, Keegan took the opportunity to ask him some questions. “Hey Louie, how long have you been assigned to the Joint Terrorist Task Force?”

Castillo, who admittedly had been abrupt with the young officer on their initial encounter, decided that Keegan was too important right now than to let his personal feelings get in the way of the investigation. “Almost twenty years now.”

“Did you know my dad? He was killed March 19, 1995. I’m sure you know that he worked there as well.”

Castillo would have preferred not to answer the question, but didn’t want to put Keegan off. “Our paths did cross on an investigation, but that was before I was assigned here.”

“Really, I’d love to hear about it someday. It’s weird, he was my father and all, but I don’t know much more about his career than anyone else who goes through the academy.”

Castillo could sense that Keegan was uneasy as he continued. “Can I tell you something weird, Louie?”

“Sure.”

“When you guys showed up at my house this morning and told me what was going on, the craziest thing popped into my mind. I thought about how my father took down a terrorist cell and now I have a chance to help to do the same thing. It’s almost as if it were destiny. Maybe I’ll have a chance to fill his shoes…you know…be just like he was.”

I sure hope not
immediately popped in Castillo’s mind, but thankfully he showed enough restraint not to let the words cross his lips. Before he had the chance to verbally respond to Keegan’s comment, there was a knock on the door and Richard Feller entered.

Feller spoke directly to Castillo. “The prisoner’s in interrogation room one. I’ll go in there with Keegan and you can watch the interview from behind the one way mirror with the rest of my guys working the case from our office.”

Castillo nodded in agreement.

Feller turned his attention to Keegan. “Are you ready?”

“Sure am.” Keegan tried to mask his apprehensiveness by sounding confident, but Castillo could see right through it. He hoped the terrorist wouldn’t also pick up on Keegan’s trepidation.

As Keegan stood up, Feller needed to clarify something. “Officer Keegan, this is a matter of national security. I’m sure that I don’t have to remind you of that. Is there anything that we should know before we go in there?”

Keegan shrugged his shoulders. “I’m just as confused as you guys why this guy wants to talk to me.”

“You’re sure? We don’t like surprises if we can avoid them.”

“I’m sure, Mr. Feller.”

Castillo figured Feller to have his doubts, and he could understand why. None of this seemed to make any sense. As Feller and Keegan left the room, Castillo knew they would all have their answers in a matter of minutes.

Castillo entered the adjacent room. It was dark and small; approximately five feet by seven feet by Castillo’s estimation. He stood next to four FBI agents who had all been watching the interrogation earlier. The agents silently nodded at Castillo, acknowledging his presence. Castillo returned the gesture. One of the agents adjusted the pull down shade used to cover the one way mirror. He raised it to its maximum height allowing for a totally unobstructed view. Once the shade had been lifted, Castillo focused on Murad Zein. He was shackled to a table on the other side of the glass. One of his eyes was swollen and he looked very tired.

The door opened and the prisoner looked up to see Feller and Keegan enter the room. Castillo’s eyes darted back and forth between Keegan and the terrorist looking for any faint hint of recognition from either man. There was none. Keegan pulled out a chair as both men sat. The chair scraped across the floor as he did so. While the noise may have been unpleasant, it made Castillo very happy. Clearly the sound quality was not going to be an issue; he would be able to hear every word.

*

Richard Feller made the introductions and neither man spoke for nearly a minute. Zein seemed to be looking Keegan up and down with a scowl on his face. His eyes narrowed and hardened with each passing second. Castillo looked at Keegan who was clearly uncomfortable. Finally the silence was broken.

“Did you bring your gun in here, Officer Keegan?”

Keegan glanced at Feller, seemingly unclear what to say.

This seemed to irritate the prisoner. “Don’t look at him. You’re a grown man. Now please answer my question.”

Feller nodded and Keegan finally responded. “No. I came in here unarmed.”

There was a knot forming in Castillo’s stomach as he watched.
Where the hell is this going?

“That was very wise of you, Officer Keegan.” Zein lifted his hands demonstrating that he was chained to the desk. “Officer Keegan. I am chained at the ankles and chained at the wrists, but I am a loyal man to my friend. My heart and soul can never be chained.” His eyes narrowed before he continued. “If you, or any other cop in here, had brought a gun, I would’ve done my best to get it and kill you…chains or no chains.”

Feller was quick to interrupt as Keegan seemed slightly taken aback. “Murad, is this really what you had us fly this cop all the way from New York to say to him?”

Zein’s eyes never left Keegan’s as he responded to Feller. “No. It is not.”

“So let’s get to it then.” Feller seemed to be losing his patience knowing a terrorist attack may be imminent.

“Officer Keegan, your father arrested my friend Nazeem many years ago. But I’m sure by now you know that, as he tried to kill you last night in retribution.”

“So I’ve heard,” Keegan responded, his voice not quite as unsteady as it had been earlier.

“You may also feel that your father was murdered by friends of Nazeem many years ago and that should have settled the score.”

Keegan listened but did not respond.

The knot in the pit of Louis Castillo’s stomach intensified as he listened. Castillo was probably the only cop still on the NYPD that knew the truth about Lieutenant James Keegan’s assassination; nobody had ever questioned the cover story that the NYPD and Castillo put out there to protect the reputation of the department. He had a bad feeling that Murad Zein was about to muddy the waters somehow. He didn’t know how, but in his gut, he knew that he would.

“Your friends, your co-workers, your own police department have been lying to you for two decades. It was not my group, or any other mid-eastern group who killed your father.”

Keegan shook his head dismissing the claim. “What bullshit that is. Okay, if it wasn’t you guys then who was it?”

It seemed clear to Zein that he was starting to get under Keegan’s skin. A slight smile came to his lips for the first time since he was in custody. “This I do not know; perhaps a jealous whore that he was fucking. The only thing that I know for sure is that it was
not
us.”

Keegan shot back, “Okay, I’ll play your game. How can you be sure? It was twenty years ago. You were just a kid.”

Zein had been waiting for the question. “Because, Officer Keegan, the man they blamed on the attack was my uncle. Yes, he was killed in a drone strike as your government claimed, but it was not him who planted the bomb. My uncle was a cripple since an accident in his younger days. He couldn’t walk for almost fifteen years before you Americans killed him.”

Castillo’s heart raced faster as he listened. He hoped that Keegan didn’t believe the story. The last thing Castillo wanted—and he was sure the last thing that the NYPD would want—is for someone to start digging into the case of a cop who had all been canonized by the department. The last thing the department would need is for the public found out the truth about the assassination. It could ruin the reputation of the department for years to come.

Keegan continued to shake his head angrily and even offered a sarcastic sneer. “Why would I believe any of this?”

“Maybe you will and maybe you won’t. That is up to you, but what I am telling you is the truth. Why don’t you look into it for yourself? Your foolish government wasn’t even smart enough to blame it on a man who could walk...or was even in your country at the time your father was killed. Go through the old case if they will show it to you. My guess is they will say it was lost in a fire.” Zein laughed to himself as he spoke.

Keegan’s face reddened. It was clear to anyone watching, including Castillo, that Keegan at very least was considering what the terrorist was saying.

“Officer Keegan. I want you to suffer.” He once again lifted his shackled hands. “But physically, I cannot harm you. However, I pray to Allah that you will find the truth, and that it will be the most painful emotional thing that you ever go through. I hope that it leaves you with torment for the rest of your life, just as my friend Nazeem lived when you Americans put him in prison and murdered his only son.”

He looked Keegan up and down and his nostrils flared. “I hope it was a whore that killed him, or he was working with the mafia and they killed him, or something else a whole lot more sinister than him dying a hero. He was no hero.” Zein defiantly turned his head and spit on the ground before going on. “If he had really been a hero, your police department and government would have had no reason to lie to everyone.”

Castillo ran a hand roughly across his face, nervously giving his chin a tug as he did. He wished there was a way for him to stop this and shut the man up, but he knew that was not possible. Not only would it be too obvious, but there was still the big picture to consider—if he spoke the truth, there was an immediate threat to the safety of many Americans. He refocused as Zein continued.

“I want you to consider another thing.” Zein motioned with his head toward Feller. “I have made a deal to tell your partner here about a large scale Jihad on American soil. Why would I do that for a lie? I will answer that question for you; I wouldn’t. When you see the newspapers tomorrow and watch the news tonight, you will see that I was telling the truth about everything. You will see that my word is the truth as I stand here before judgment of Allah. I am telling you the truth…and you will see this for yourself.”

Feller who was apparently unmoved by the entire speech began, “Okay Murad, now you’ve had your say. Keep up your end of the bargain and tell us what we need to know; if for no other reason than to prove to Officer Keegan here that you
are
telling the truth.”

Zein nodded. He looked down at the table, praying for forgiveness from Allah for betraying the Jihad. He looked up at Feller. “I will tell you.” After a period of silence, “there will be attacks within the next twenty-four to forty-eight hours; all suicide bombers. They will be in San Francisco, Arlington and Bloomington.”

Arlington and Bloomington?

Castillo quickly moved past the issue with Keegan and on to the task at hand. Keegan could be dealt with down the road. The suicide bombers could not. He was shocked to hear about the additional targets, believing New York, a city in the mid-west (presumably Chicago since that was where they apprehended Zein with a suicide vest), and an unknown city in California were to be the only three. Apparently that city in California was San Francisco.