Ghost Detectives Bk. 02: Virus 14-16

Chapter Fourteen

They arrived at Tenerife South-Reina Sofia Airport late afternoon and by the evening had booked into their suite of rooms in Los Cristianos. The following day they hired a car and drove around the area familiarising themselves with their location as James had told them the area the terrorists used in the other dimension. The terrorists were already on the island and the three of them needed to be careful and act as tourists by meandering along the road taking pictures seemingly in no hurry. They needed a place to observe undetected and found a room in a small guest house overlooking the location and set up a camera directed at the building of interest. Checking the rear of the same building they identified two other entrances and knew there was a basement. James hid two small cameras where John could monitor them from the room taking note of any people entering and leaving and after a few days, a pattern emerged and he recorded the time when people entered and left and the number of boxes and other materials being delivered, some late into the night through one of the back entrances. They had face recognition software which identified who entered and left and the time. Within the week they had their pattern and were ready to move to the next stage.

They checked who had recently leased the premises and narrowed it down to three companies one being from Saudi Arabia, the other two in off-shore tax havens. Identifying potential targets, they followed likely individuals and had a name, Ghaziyah and the hotel she stayed at and established the others were staying at a rented villa. It soon became apparent that other individuals from their face-recognition surveillance cameras entered and exited, and the jigsaw of random events was fitting together. Other names soon came into the mix, and they were sure they had the right people in their sights.

John searched the names and identified two other women often found in the company of Ghaziyah, Eiliyah, a dentist, and Kanval, an infectious disease specialist. All dressed in expensive western clothes and, when by the pool, wore bikinis, not what one would expect from Islamic terrorists. Later, when the names of Hadi and Sadeen cropped up and turned out to be epidemiologists the picture coalesced.

"Should we try and get into their offices?"

She looked at James and shook her head. "We go nowhere near, from what we know it's a laboratory and that means they are doing something with the Ebola virus so we keep away."

"We could tip off the authorities and let them sort it out," suggested James.

"We stay under the radar and observe. We have only identified a few individuals, there looks to be others and we need to place names to faces. To mount an attack of this magnitude takes considerable resources and a lot of organising so at this stage, we need to focus on intelligence gathering."

"I've seen how the violence, distrust, heartache and sheer terror affects people. Let's give out the warning and stop these criminals before it goes any further."

"We will catch a few individuals here but it will rise again in another country. This is the start of the war and we need to cut off the head of the snake, not the tail or it will shed its skin and come back bigger and stronger."

James was exasperated. "We can't allow them to set the virus loose and don't know how much time we have. Is that what you want?" Knowing he'd just made a foolish remark.

"Love, I'm not deigning that remark with a reply."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to say that. I see destruction and death before us. If this virus becomes airborne here, within a few weeks... you know what I'm saying."

"These are not your standard terrorists. They have wealth, education, knowledge and people in positions of power who are helping and protecting them. It wouldn't surprise me if already other active cells are gearing up around the world."

"They must have developed a vaccine," suggested Carolyn.

"They may well have, but it would make little difference either way; as a country implodes, they'll be ready and waiting to take power."

"That makes it more important to get into their laboratory and take the vaccine and have it analysed."

Carolyn looked at John. "Still no," moderating her voice. "We haven't got the protective clothes. Even wearing them, we'd be so restricted we'd be unable to protect ourselves against attack."

James wasn't happy but what they said made sense. He trusted them and would do it their way. They were a team and by majority, he would comply. He had made his protest and aired his view and now it was time to bed down preferences and act as a united team. They brought William's investigative team into the mix, a few arriving out the following day; they watched and collected evidence, matched names to faces, identified backgrounds, family members, educational levels and professions. Planted listening devices when safe to do so, learned about the vaccine, the kidnappings, human experiments and the perfection of a canned virus.

The more the evidence built the more they realised the danger facing the world. The leader's name was Abisali, a doctor; Dr. Jul and Dr. Yar, chemists, Taban, a pathologist, Abyan, Adham, Diya a Dir, Fatik trained killers, and equally educated and the list lengthened. Money never seemed a problem. They stayed at the best hotels, had rented a villa and mixed in effortlessly with western lifestyles and when talking with anyone outside their group were tolerant of other's viewpoints, but when alone with their fellow soldiers in Allah their true colours showed. Inured, uncompromising, with a repugnant hatred of infidels, more so against homosexuals, lesbians and adultery, believing the only just sentence was death by stoning or thrown off towers. They believed in the glory and power of human suicide bombers; martyrdom was the greatest gift a true believer could donate to change the world into their distorted image of the good life.

James was resting on a lounger near the pool in the hotel where some of the terrorists stayed. Normally a few of them lunched together and he occasionally lunched in the same place. He had a small recorder that could pick up voices outside the distances of human hearing and listened as Eiliyah and Kanval talked together directing the small listening device towards them. To any casual observer, it seemed James was listening to music, but these were trained professionals and paid attention to anything that remotely looked suspicious. Soon they were joined by another woman, Yafiah; she was new and had just flown in from Turkey. James, thinking the best form of defence was attack, stood up and walked over to them and introduced himself; two women greeted him with a smile but Yafiah frowned at him and he noticed Ghaziyah move her foot towards her giving her a little nudge which got a forced smile out of her.

"I been watching you; I've seen you around before. How long are you staying?"

"Another few days, and you?" replied Kanval.

"A few days then back to work in the UK." He smiled, evading specifics.

"We are here another five days," Ghaziyah added, realising she had already said too much.

"Can I join you?" If what she said was correct James needed to move fast. They were preparing to leave the island which meant they were about to unleash their terror but James didn't know it was to be the next day.

Their body language said no. "Yes, of course, be my guest," said Ghaziyah pointing to a lounger.

"Would you ladies like a drink?"

"I am not staying long," said Yafiah a little over abruptly but quickly checked herself.

Another man joined them, who James recognised immediately. "I see you have caught a new friend, directing his remarks towards the women," he said in perfect English, looked at James and extended his hand. "I'm pleased to meet you," his voice affable giving James a disarming smile.

He reciprocated and shook his hand. "The feeling is mutual, I'm Tony."

"Abisali, are you, like us, on holiday? I'm here with my fiancé," looking at Kanval but unfortunately, we're leaving tomorrow. My time on this beautiful island is at an end I'm sorry to say."

Alarm bells rang in his mind. "Where are you going next?" he casually asked but there was tension in his voice, noticing the lack of any ring on Kanval's finger. He knew the instant he looked he had made a blunder and Abisali had noticed.

"London, I work there, a medical doctor. You?"

"Psychologist with the government, but I don't want to think about work until I get home."

Abisali's eyes narrowed a little then his smile returned. "Are you alone or have you a woman hidden away somewhere?" making light of the remark but he'd already clocked that this stranger could be trouble.

"He returned his smile. "Now that would be telling," James laughed.

"Well if you're looking for company, I'm sure Yafiah or Ghaziyah or both would oblige." His smile now forced.

James had to carry on the game. They weren't sure of him but he knew how detailed and careful they'd been in their planning and he had been careless in his discussion with Abisali.

"What music do you like?" pointing at James' earphones hanging loose around his neck, but there was something in his manner that didn't jell right with him and knew they'd not hesitate in killing him if they thought he posed even a slight danger.

"I better be on my way. Nice meeting with you."

As he left, he noticed Yafiah stand and knew he was being followed. They were mobilising to leave. He tried to convince himself killing or kidnapping him with so many people around was not feasible. There was no way he could go back to his hotel and he text Carolyn he was being followed and would stay in public places and keep on the move.

She checked his location using the GPS on his phone and sprang into action annoyed he had let his guard down. She needed to get to him before other members of the terrorists had a chance to marshal against him and to take out whoever was following him and get him into safety.

Abisali's instruction to Yafiah was to kill him, he still had doubts about Tony being anything but a tourist, but why take even a slight chance, and for her to get off the island as soon as possible. Originally, she was drafted in to make sure, with Ghaziyah, that the three selected to distribute the virus kept very much to the plan and to meet with paradise soon after, either by their own hands or from theirs, but Tony had created doubt. Abisali changed the plan at the last minute to leave only Ghaziyah to clean up any loose ends and made arrangements for them to immediately leave the island on the next available flight out.

Carolyn, wearing dark glasses, hair hidden under a hat, and dressed casually soon located James, but did not approach him sending a text message to carry on moving so she could assess the situation. It didn't take her long to spot an attractive, black-haired woman wearing a yellow top and shorts following him. She followed for over an hour and noticed another woman meeting up with her, handing her a backpack and leaving. This had her on edge, thinking it could be a gun, a knife, poison, or even a bomb but whatever it was, it wasn't something nice and she needed to act fast to take this woman out of the arena.

She text James telling him to find a shop and purchase a cap and dark glasses, to walk around for a while then go into a nearby hotel, take a seat in the lounge and wait but to not let the woman or anyone get anywhere near him. He sat in the corner of the lounge and had to look twice to recognise Carolyn sitting in another corner reading a magazine. Yafiah also looked different. Wearing a headscarf and large glasses with a long dark dress covering her whole body and she took a seat outside in reception.

James picked up a paper and started reading. Ten minutes later a text from Carolyn told him to go into the toilet and Yafiah followed, placing a sticker on the front saying, do not enter cleaning in progress and entered. These people left nothing to chance. Carolyn followed. James stood at the far end of the sinks, saw the woman in black and shouted to her to stay back.

From under her dress, she produced a gun, pointed it at him and walked toward him. The gun would stop him from attacking but it was very much for show, intending to get closer and then use a knife to complete what she was there to do. "Who are you and..."

Carolyn was upon her, the thin-bladed knife she held slashed down on the arm holding the gun and it dropped to the floor. She spun her round jabbed her a few times with her hand all within a few seconds. James looked on in awe at the way she struck with such speed and accuracy.

"Check the door make sure no one enters." He went to the door and stood outside. A few minutes later she came out, grabbed his hand and they both walked out of the hotel.

"What did you do to her?"

"I returned the favour she had planned for you."

"They are planning to leave the island in the next few days."

"We knew their plan was nearing completion." She sent a text to John to get a message out warning the World Health Organisation and other authorities that a pandemic was about to sweep across the Canarias starting in Tenerife and to prepare for the worse, under their code CBGD299299, and prepare to act immediately. Half an hour later the three sat together, needing to get off the island as soon as possible but the earliest available flight out was in two days.

From earlier surveillance, they had an idea what had been planned, to export the airborne virus around the world. "I know the UK is next on their list along with Europe. They have sleeper cells in most countries."

"Knowing is an embracing word sis, I prefer to use the term suspect. We are almost sure."

"I do know, and am absolutely sure, madam black dress I left taking a permanent siesta in the toilet cubicle said before I sent her to become one of the seventy or so virgins in heaven that nothing will stop them. She also said the pure in heart will not be infected and started to shout the normal denunciations but I never let her diatribe finish. I also found a phial on her.

"Pure bloody evil is nearer the mark," James scorned, "and what is all that about not being infected?"

"They have developed a vaccine," she said. "The scorn and hatred in her voice and the way she contemptuously smirked at me... so much evil in one so beautiful. How can these people live with themselves?"

"You were lucky this time, James," chastised John. "You are not trained for this type of work."

"I know. It shouldn't have happened, I was careless. Do you think the virus has already been released?"

"No," she sharply retorted, still a little irked about James' near brush with death. Thinking, she was right to be worried every time he went into the other dimension. "We need to get off the island and plan our counter-attack as soon as we get back. Our work here is complete."

Abisali with the others left Tenerife leaving only Ghaziyah and Yafiah behind and when he learned of her death, he knew his instincts about the stranger had been correct. He took a sabbatical from his consultancy at the hospital and went to a clandestine flat in London he had rented. The others disbanded and either left the county or sank back into obscurity. Ghaziyah left Tenerife for Saudi the following day not waiting as originally planned and went to ground to watch developments.

Chapter Fifteen

They arrived home three days later, John stronger, but not yet fully recovered from his stabbing. The authorities were taking the warning of a potential pandemic seriously but needed more time to get everything into place. That evening they watched the television in silence until James broke the ice. "I need to go back."

Carolyn had already resigned herself to the situation but the uncertainty still showed in her eyes. "I've got a bad feeling about you going back. John, is there any way you can get me to go with him?"

"We've had this conversation before, you know there isn't."

"It is no longer about us, it's about stopping a third world war where billions would die and if it happens there, it will happen here. We know who the terrorists are and I can pass that information forward and about the vaccine."

"You need to be careful with that bottle you took from her; it could contain the virus and to let it into the environment here... you know what I'm saying."

"I think it's the vaccine."

"Thinking and knowing are worlds apart, love. We need to be sure and there's no way we can be at this stage."

She thought for a few moments and knew what she needed to do. "If I make a list of what I need, can you set up an isolation room here for me?"

John wasn't expecting that, but when he thought about it further it was an obvious way forward. "A week, ten days should see it sorted," shrugging his shoulders but not sure. "Tell me what you need and I'll get right on to it."

"I'll have a list for you by the morning." She turned to James and placed her hand on his shoulder. "You must go back but I feel useless that I will not be able to be with you but stay hidden this time." Taking a dig at letting his guard down.

"This is bigger than us, bigger that our country, world-changing. We must stop it from spreading no matter what the cost even at the risk of our own lives. If this virus could speak it would quote the words of Julius Robert Oppenheimer, and say, now I am become death, the destroyer of worlds. I will go through tonight while you and John focus on the vaccine."

That evening James went through the window and was soon in his flat making himself a cup of tea. The day had been stressful. He text Jennie and Debra that he was home and asked if he could meet with them as soon as possible and contemplated what was to be his next move. They had collated a lot of valuable information in the game of death their antagonists had brought into play in a deadly avocation of, ring a ring o'roses, a pocketful of posies, atishoo, atishoo, we all fall down. He washed up his cup and went to bed.

The following morning when he tuned into the news, he knew it would be bad but seeing it up close and personal made him flinch. The infected were in the thousands with more falling victim every hour, a substantial proportion being children. The Canaries were designated a disaster area and had been quarantined. The world community had united in a joint effort to stop the spread into other countries, but already a few cases had been reported in Morocco. There were still disagreements, heated discussion and debates but every country had grasped the significance and urgency of the situation and acted accordingly. Naval war ships and civilian ships were anchored off-shore, flights were stringently controlled with all personal going through strict protocols before entering and exiting parts of the island and ships. Doctors, nurses, specialists, experts in many diverse fields together with the International Peace Keeping Force were all drafted into the fight, either directly onto the island or to off-shore ships. Armed army personnel roamed the island. People were instructed where possible to stay indoors and not to assemble. A curfew was imposed from ten in the evening until six the following morning. Work ground to a halt, the economy had been strangled and everyone was afraid. Violence escalated; a few looters had been shot all adding to the chaos where neighbour distrusted neighbour. Orphaned children roamed the streets with lifeless eyes, looking for they knew not what.

The virus now king, holding sway over who should live and who should die. Cries of agony locked their infected bodies into unrecognisable shapes, contorted faces freezing the horror mien into permanence, the virus proud and laughing. Inside houses harrowing screams from the living resounded. Wailing cries filled the streets. People stumbled. Grief raw and red as dead bloated bodies, of children, fathers, wives, relatives were taken away and burnt in temporary cremation centres. Food and water, despite best efforts, were in short supply as panic took hold and fear tightened its dreaded grip on the island people.