“Why have we never heard of this before?” Ashby asked.
“The Internet has been alive with rumors for years,” Larocque said. “Les Echos, a quite reputable French financial periodical, published an article on the subject in 2007. Several American newspapers have hinted at the story. People whom I know close to the U.S. government tell me that the entire matter has been stamped classified. I don’t imagine the Americans want those rumors confirmed. Officially, the Securities and Exchange Commission has stated that there was no insider trading.”
Ashby chuckled. “Typical Yanks. Slam a lid on things and hope it goes away.”
“Which this did,” another in the group said.
“But we can learn from that effort,” Larocque said. “In fact, I’ve been studying it for some time.”
MALONE LOWERED HIS WEAPON AS THE SECURITY MEN SWARMED over the woman. Her arms and hands were restrained and she was hauled from the Court of Honor.
“How did you know to call her bluff?” Stephanie asked.
“That bomb out front was nothing. They could have blown the entire church away. Lyon was counting on a loose net and took advantage of it.” He motioned with the Beretta at the controller on the pavement. “That thing activates nothing.”
“And what if you’d been wrong?”
“I wasn’t.”
Stephanie shook her head.
“Lyon didn’t lead us here to kill us,” he said. “He knew Ashby was playing both sides. He led us here because he wanted us here.”
“That woman had no idea. The look on her face said it all. She was ready to blow something up.”
“There’s a fool for every job. Lyon used her to buy more time. He wants us busy, at least until he’s ready for us.”
Inside the courtyard, surrounded by the Invalides’ four-story buildings, they could not see the Eiffel Tower. What was happening there with Sam and Henrik. He thought back to the dome and the transponder. “My guess is, when we shut that homing device off we signaled for the show to begin.”
Stephanie’s radio sprang to life.
“Are you there?” The voice was a deep baritone and instantly recognizable. President Danny Daniels.
Surprise filled her face.
“Yes, sir. I’m here,” she answered.
“Cotton there, too?”
“He is.”
“Staff wanted to handle this communication, but I thought it better that I speak to you myself. We don’t have time for translations and interpretations. We’ve been monitoring things here and you’ve got one squirrelly mess over there. Here’s a new wrinkle. Six minutes ago a small plane diverted off its flight path and bypassed a scheduled landing at Aéroport de Paris-Le Bourget.”
Malone knew the field, located about seven miles northeast. For decades it was Paris’ only airport, famous as the landing site for Charles Lindbergh’s transatlantic crossing in 1927.
“That plane is now headed your way,” Daniels said.
All of the dots connected in Malone’s brain and he said, “That’s what Lyon had been buying time for.”
“What do you want us to do?” Stephanie asked.
“There’s a NATO helicopter landing, as we speak, to the north of the Invalides. Climb aboard. I’ll contact you there.”
ELIZA WAS ENJOYING THE MOMENT. THE EXPRESSIONS HER words inspired on the faces of her audience confirmed that she’d chosen this group correctly. Each one was a bold, intrepid entrepreneur.
“Bin Laden failed because he allowed fanaticism to overtake good judgment. He wasn’t careful. He wanted to make a statement and he wanted the world to know he made it.” She shook her head. “You can’t generate long-term profits from such foolishness.”
“I’m not interested in killing people,” Robert Mastroianni said.
“Neither am I. And it’s not necessary. All you need is a credible threat that the public fears. Within that fear is where we will operate.”
“Isn’t the world scared enough?” one of the others asked.
“Indeed it is,” she said. “All we have to do is use it to our advantage.”
She reminded herself of something her mother had taught her. The best way to gain listeners’ confidence is make them think you have trusted them with a secret.
“We have the wisdom of the papyri. They taught Napoleon a great deal and, believe me, they can guide us as well.”
She settled her face into a thoughtful expression.
“The world is already scared. Terrorism is real. None of us can alter that. The issue is how that reality can be used.”
“Cui bono,” one of them said.
She smiled. “That’s right. Who benefits. That Latin principle describes this endeavor perfectly.” She raised a finger to add emphasis. “Have you ever considered who does benefit from terrorism? There’s an immediate increase in airport and building security. Who controls all those facilities? The flow of air traffic-not to mention data. Profits are made by those who provide these essential services. The economics of the insurance business is directly affected. The militarization of our air, land, water, oceans, and space is occurring at increased levels. Nothing is too expensive to protect us from a threat. The business of logistical support, engineering, and construction services related to the war on terror is staggering. This war is fought more by private contractors than the military itself. Profits made there are almost beyond comprehension. We’ve seen shares in companies that supply war-support services increase in value by five to eight hundred percent since 2001.”
She smiled, offering a lift of her brow.
“Some of that is obvious, I realize. But there are other, more subtle ways to profit. These I want to speak with you about after lunch.”
“What are you planning?” Ashby asked her. “I’m bloody curious.”
She did not doubt that observation. She was curious, too. Wondering if Ashby was a friend or foe.
“Let me explain it this way. In the late 1990s South Korea, Thailand, and Indonesia all experienced near financial collapse. The International Monetary Fund eventually bailed them out. Our own Robert Mastroianni was working with the IMF then, so he knows what I’m referring to.”
Mastroianni nodded in assent.
“While that bailout occurred, investors ransacked all three economies, reaping huge profits. If you possess the right information, at the right time, even in the risky derivatives and futures markets, millions in profits can be made. I’ve made some preliminary projections. With the nearly three hundred million euros we currently have on hand, a return of between four point four and eight billion euros can reasonably be expected over the next twenty-four months. And I’m being conservative. All of those amounts would accrue tax-free, of course.”
She saw that the group liked that prediction. Nothing appealed to a person with money more than the opportunity to make more money. Her grandfather had been right when he said, Make all the money possible and spend it, for there is much more to be made.
“How would we be allowed to get away with this?” one of them asked.
She shrugged. “How can we not? Government is incapable of managing the system. Few within government even understand the problem, much less how to fashion a solution. And the general public is totally ignorant. Just look at what the Nigerians do every day. They send out millions of emails to unsuspecting people, claiming that a huge return can be made on some sort of unclaimed funds, provided you forward a small administrative fee. Countless people around the globe have been bilked. When it comes to money, few think clearly. I propose that we think with crystal clarity.”