Contents

The Gutenberg Rubric

Twenty

FRY CONFIRMED that Keith and Maddie had arrived in Turkey as he was being driven to the Wiesbaden Army Airfield not far from Mainz. He could move much more quickly than the two librarians by flying directly from Wiesbaden to Incirlik Air Base near Adana. He would join the two in the morning with the driver he sent to meet them. For the first time since he’d become involved in this mess, Agent Fry felt he was in control and one step ahead of the game. In sparsely populated southeastern Turkey, it would be easier to spot trouble before it was on top of him. He had contacts—relatives—in this region who would provide cover for the expedition. Having Kurdish parents might finally prove an advantage.

He twisted the cypher ring on his finger and contemplated the other angles of this case. His first task was the security of the United States. He would stop this terrorist threat once and for all. But beyond that, Keith had hooked him with the connection between the Guardians and the typesetters’ guild. How deep did that connection go?

Fry’s initiation had been little more than learning the pattern of an elaborate dance and the chanted instructions that went with it. To his knowledge, that information was not written down anyplace. His father’s Kurdish tribe passed the information from generation to generation through the coming of age ritual. Somewhere, Fry knew those steps would cross paths with the rituals of Keith’s guild. He was determined to find out where.

He had spent the day in the Gretchen’s company working with a German forensics team attempting to identify the remains of the suicide bomber. He was sure she was the same as the girl in the security tapes of the Kane Memorial Library and now his team in Washington was comparing all available footage from the Indianapolis attack as well to see if she showed up anyplace. The student ID used to check out books on the day of the first library attack was stolen. There was no ID on the suicide bomber. Identifying her would simply take time.

Police had also located the camera used to film the attack, located on a rooftop across the platz from the explosion. It was set to broadcast on a closed channel, but there was nothing that indicated who had received the broadcast. The camera had been wiped of prints. Trying to trace its origin could take weeks Fry didn’t have.

Gretchen slept a few hours during the night while Fry was online with his office and on the phone with his cousins in Turkey. He spoke quietly as she slept stretched out on his bed. Her presence was distracting, but Fry had not permitted himself to lose focus or to collapse beside her. The security camera disks from the Kane Library confirmed Drucker’s suspicion that the document was recognizable from the IR camera. Fry sent a computer expert to the library to search for traces of an external hack into the library system. Another agent was questioning the man who monitored the security cameras during the day.

The downside of leaving for Turkey was that he had no need of a German translator there and therefore no official need for Agent Holtz. Fry liked working with Holtz and could see possibilities beyond the office. She had certainly left the door open for him to contact her “anytime” he was in or near Germany. Fry had already decided that he would be in or near Germany sometime in the near future. His encounter with her left him a little more understanding of Keith’s inability to suspect Madeline Zayne of anything. Nonetheless, time would tell if Zayne was an active or passive participant.

Fry’s phone rang as he was boarding the U28 utility plane.

“Rob. Change of plans,” his chief barked into the phone. “We have a hit in Alexandria, Egypt. It looks like you were right about the phone being tracked. Leroy Anderson went in with pri-zero clearance according to plan. The Egyptian Al-Mukhabarat Al-’Ammah have been remarkably responsive and cooperative since we brought them the intel. They’ve confiscated the phones and have asked the old man to remain in his hotel room as their guest. Anderson checked in on him and he’s fine. Three suspects carrying explosives near the new Library of Alexandria were arrested. The Egyptians haven’t been cooperative about letting Anderson in on the interrogations, though. We need someone in there who speaks their language. I want you in Alexandria stat.”

“Not all the Mideast speaks the same language, Chief,” Fry shot back. This was going to delay his rendezvous with Drucker and Zayne. If the terrorists are following Zayne’s phone location, the two scholars should be safe for the time being, Fry thought. He knew that the local bombers would only be foot soldiers, but perhaps they could lead him to the money behind these attacks. It was probably good that Anderson wasn’t allowed in the interrogations. The Egyptians might be using techniques that Homeland Security wouldn’t approve. “Do we know the location of Zayne’s half-brother?” Fry asked.

“Negative on that,” the Chief responded. “We’re comparing all the records of flights landing in Egypt with those taking off after the bombing. That should give us a short-list of possible suspects, but it will still be a few thousand possibilities to sift through. We’re giving top priority to those who flew from the U.S. and those who leave for the U.S., Iran, or Turkey. If he’s using a false passport we’ll find it, but it will take time. Manpower is a problem, as usual.”

“I’m just about to board. Can you get a message to command that we need to reroute?”

“It’s already done. I just wanted to let you know you’ll be landing at Cairo West instead of Incirlik,” the chief said. “A helicopter will take you from Cairo to Alexandria. Nail these fuckers, Rob.”

“You’ve got it, Chief.” Fry boarded the plane and fastened his seatbelt as the plane taxied to the runway and was off the ground in three minutes.

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