“I wasn’t being difficult before, Uzi. It really is need-to-know. The order came from Knox. And from what little I know, I agree with his decision.”
Knox. Why am I not surprised that all winding roads lead back to that man? “Do we have definite proof she’s with al-Humat?”
Shepard chuckled. “You bet, Uzi. You bet. Hard evidence.”
“I just ran her prints, they came up a big zero. We even pulled Batula Hakim’s prints and compared them visually.”
“Batula Hakim? That’s the woman who—”
“Yes.”
Shepard was silent a moment. “Leila’s real name is Leila al-Far, and her prints aren’t in the system because the CIA doesn’t post their counterintelligence agents’ identities anywhere. For obvious reasons, you know that.” They walked another few feet before Shepard said, “What made you think al-Far was Batula Hakim?”
Now it was Uzi’s turn to demonstrate some trust. “I met with Gideon Aksel last night.”
“The Mossad Director General?” Shepard appeared to chew on that one a bit. “He’s here for the terrorism conference. That explains part of it. But why would he seek you out?”
The conference. Only five hours left and I still don’t have answers for the president. He felt a surge of urgency in his chest.
“I don’t know,” Uzi said. “Maybe Knox had something to do with it. But it seems Aksel’s main purpose was to tell me that Leila was Hakim.” Cold wind ripped through his jacket. He shoved his hands deep into his pockets and brought them together, pulling his coat closed. “Aksel has his agendas, just like Knox. But the man’s a legend. He’s not often wrong.” It hurt Uzi to utter those words, but it was the truth.
Shepard turned to his friend and twisted his mouth. “As for having an agenda in telling you Leila is Batula Hakim… yeah, that’s probably a good assumption.”
“I told him I needed positive ID, and that I was gonna get it.”
“Then he knows that sooner or later you’re going to find out the truth.”
They both stood silent for a moment, each seeming to process the puzzle in their own way. Finally, Uzi said, “What intelligence were you passing to Leila?”
“She was assigned to be the counterintelligence liaison between the Bureau and the Agency. Shit hit the fan when some of the info she was entrusted with ended up in the al-Qaeda manuals we found when we took out bin Laden. Only a few people had access to that info, only a select few. But she didn’t know that. It took a long time to parse all the data and unwind the convoluted network of subterfuge, but Knox and Tasset narrowed it down to Leila. So Knox had us set up a flow of disinformation. When NSA intercepted some of that bogus intelligence being passed to al-Humat and al-Qaeda, we knew we had our mole.”
“Why didn’t you move on her?”
“Knox and his NSA cronies felt she was more valuable if we used her, controlled what information she passed on. Some of the security plans she’s got for the conference are bogus. An added precaution just in case they were planning something. But NSA said it’s been quiet. Which means our intel’s limited, so we’re blind. The conference is an obvious target, but it might be too obvious. Know what I mean?”
As Uzi’s shoes crunched against the pavement, he thought of the president’s clandestine peace talks. Shep didn’t bring it up, so maybe it was something the ASAC did not “need to know.” He shook his head. “Playing with fire, Shep. If this is true, Leila’s dangerous. Leaving her in place at the Agency, giving her access—”
“Tasset had all access codes changed as part of a system upgrade. She was pigeon-holed, locked out of essential systems. It’s all been taken care of.”
Uzi couldn’t help wondering if DeSantos, joined at the hip with Knox in so many ways and over so many secrets, knew about the covert op against Leila. And if he did know, why didn’t he tell Uzi about it? Was he under a similar gag order from Knox? For now, Shepard’s answer was the only available explanation as to why the information had been kept from him. And what did any of them know of Nuri Peled’s “suicide”?
“Would’ve been nice to tell me of all this.”
“Knox felt it would jeopardize the operation.”
Uzi bit his lip. Did Knox not trust him with the information because of his Mossad past? If so, why would he let him head Washington’s JTTF? Because of his Mossad past? “You should’ve told me all this, Shep. You should’ve trusted me with the info.”
“I couldn’t.”
“C’mon, man, I thought you were my friend. You either trust me or you don’t.”
Shepard grabbed Uzi’s arm to stop him. Though Uzi was sizable himself, Shepard’s heft dwarfed even him, and his grip on Uzi was like an offensive lineman grabbing a quarterback from behind. “‘You either trust me or you don’t’? What a freaking hypocrite. Don’t act so high and mighty. And don’t ever question my friendship, don’t ever do that.”
They locked eyes. Shepard’s were red with rage.
“ARM. Knox’s order.”
“Yes,” Shepard said, nodding his head animatedly. “Knox’s order. I know he told you to go after ARM. You may think I’m rusty around the edges, been behind a desk too long, but I’ve still got my instincts and my inside sources, Uzi, I’ve still got ’em.”
“Look, Shep… Coulter specifically said to leave them alone. You were there, you heard what he said. I didn’t want you taking any more heat for me. After I left, DeSantos told me Knox wanted me to keep on them. I couldn’t tell you, not without dragging you into it.”
“I asked you point blank about being on that compound, Uzi, and you flat out lied to me.”
“To protect you.”
“Bullshit. My ass is in the fire even if I claim I didn’t know.” Shepard rubbed his eyes with meaty fingers. “And why in hell would you defy the AG anyway? Knox tells you to break the law, so you just go and do it? You should’ve come to me, leveled with me, and let me handle it.”
Uzi turned away. He closed his eyes tight and hoped he could vanish into the vapor pouring from his mouth. “I couldn’t do that, Shep.”
“Trust, remember? You trust me, I trust you. It’s gotta work both ways.”
“Knox has something on me.”
Shepard tilted his head back and looked down on Uzi. “Is this another thing you should’ve told me about?”
“Shep, please don’t make me—”
“Damnit, Uzi, what other freaking surprises do you have for me?”
“Just this one.”
Shepard began pacing. “If this job doesn’t give me a coronary, I swear, you’re going to. Another seven years and I’ve got my pension. Another seven years. I’d hoped to go out an SAC, but with you under me, I’ll either stroke out before then or get canned.” He stopped in his tracks and turned to face Uzi. He folded his arms across his chest. “Well?”
Uzi stepped closer, then nodded in the direction of the street. They started walking. They’d gone a dozen feet before Uzi spoke. “I used to be with the Mossad.” Uzi felt Shepard’s angry stare on his back like the red laser beam of a sniper’s scope.
“You didn’t disclose that on your app.” Uzi didn’t reply. “Head of the Washington Bureau’s JTTF, and you were once— Jesus Christ, Uzi. I knew about Shin Bet, that was cool. But Mossad? Not cool, not cool at all. Jesus Christ.”
“I’m sorry, Shep. I really am sorry. I needed to — to make a new life. Escape my past.”
“I was there, remember?” Shepard kept his gaze forward. “But ‘sorry’ doesn’t cut it. This is bad, very bad.” He shoved his hands into the pockets of his overcoat. “Ohhh, man. If the press gets wind of this, we’re fucked. Congressional inquiry. Front page of the Post. Bloggers. Twitter. Politico. You think the director will take any of the heat? No way, it’ll be our asses.”