FORTY-NINE
Several of those troubling little pieces, the little worry tiles, that Jack had been turning over and over in his mind, trying to understand, were suddenly coming together to form a terrifying picture.
“An atom bomb,” Angela said. “Are you fucking kidding me?”
“No, I’m dead serious. Exploding bridgewire is difficult to purchase legally, so a terrorist organization wouldn’t want to try to buy it here for fear of raising a red flag with authorities. If they want to remain undetected, it would be far better for them to send it secretly.
“Terrorists operating in coordination with the Ministry of Intelligence for Iran will typically send critical items or messages through networks of agents—MOIS intelligence officers assigned to foreign missions and embassies in most countries. But that’s risky in the US because any of those people very likely would be under surveillance by any number of the US intelligence services.
“With something this critical, instead of using their own agents, they sometimes use a series of couriers—innocent, unwitting mules. Only the final courier in that web of couriers is provided the final destination. That’s why you were to be killed and your body disposed of where it wouldn’t be found. They didn’t want the final courier to be able to reveal where you took the package. At least, you were supposed to be dead.”
Angela leaned in toward him. “You mean to tell me you think these people posed as Mexicans so they could smuggle in the stuff they need to make an atom bomb? Do you seriously think that’s what’s going on?”
“That suicide bomber we captured—the one who said he was Mexican—had a small bit of plutonium-239 stuck in his shoe. Plutonium is used to make atomic bombs. Along with a lot of other parts, you need exploding bridgewire to detonate it.”
Angela held up a hand to stop him. “All right, but just because you have the plutonium, that doesn’t mean you could really make an atom bomb. If it was that easy terrorists everywhere would be doing it. It can’t be that easy. Lots of countries who would like a nuclear bomb aren’t able to build one. So, if they can’t, why do you think these terrorists can?”
“It’s not really the same thing. The bombs some countries are trying to build are different and for a different purpose. Their bombs need to be much more sophisticated. They need to have precise and predictable yields. They ultimately need to be small enough to fit in a delivery system like a missile. Most importantly, they need to have safety features and fail-safe devices. None of that matters to a terrorist. Because their needs are much simpler, it’s not out of the question that they might be able to build a crude device.
“It wouldn’t have the precision yield of a military device, but that wouldn’t be important to terrorists. What do they care if it ends up being a hundred kilotons, or two hundred kilotons? Any nuclear device in that range, pretty much regardless of size, would be devastating to America.
“They wouldn’t care all that much about the risk of accidental detonation, especially if they are building the bomb here, in the US, so they wouldn’t need those safeguards. A nuke going off anywhere in the US is a catastrophe.
“As for the plutonium and the necessary technical expertise, there are any number of rogue states—Iran, North Korea, Pakistan—who would be only too happy to provide expertise and materials. Crippling the Great Satan with a nuke would suddenly make them, and those rogue nations, dominant world powers to be reckoned with.”
Angela shook her head as she sat back. “I’m still not convinced I believe all this.”
“Why attack a border crossing?”
“I don’t—” Angela snapped her fingers with sudden realization. “Islamic terrorists know that they may not be able to blend in very well or go unnoticed, so having all their people pose as Hispanic would allow them to be practically invisible in America. They could come and go as they please. Blowing up a border crossing would destroy the detection equipment that surely must be able to detect nuclear material.”
Jack was amazed at how quickly she had made the critical jump to what was going on, and why.
He turned in his seat to face her. “Angela, if you delivered the EBW here, that means they’re probably building the bomb here before transporting it to a major city. If they wanted to use it in LA, they would have built it in on the West Coast. That means they likely intend to set it off in New York City.”
“Milford Falls isn’t that far from New York City.”
“Where was the place you delivered that package?”
“I’ve already been there looking for those four men. They’ve cleared out.”
“Take me there. I want to see it for myself.”
She looked out the windshield, almost as if she could see the place. “I was going there now anyway. I suppose I could take you along.”
“Why would you be going there now, in the middle of the night?”
“I made a promise. I intend to keep it.”
Jack thought he knew what she meant. “Is it far?”
“Not too far. But I wouldn’t get my hopes up if I were you. It’s in a massive, deserted industrial area. It’s easy to get lost in there. I suspect those men are still there, somewhere in those deserted buildings. Now I know why. I’ve been going there a lot, spending time learning the layout of the place.”
“Looking for those men?”
“Yes,” she admitted, “but so far I haven’t seen any sign of them.”
Jack rubbed a finger along his lower lip. Such a deserted industrial complex sounded like the perfect place to build a bomb without being disturbed or discovered.
“I need to find out if this is just a scary theory, or if we could really be on to something. There might be a clue at the place where you delivered the package.”
“I’m game.”
Angela turned the key, and the engine roared to life.