Read Online THE SPANISH REVENGE (Craig Page series) by Allan Topol - Free Book Online

office, one tuned to CNN, the other to a Madrid station. Everything was unfolding exactly as he had hoped. The attack was a stunning success.
    The CNN screen showed Craig, looking weary, trudging from the train debris to a military helicopter. The reporter said, “There’s Craig Page, the Director of the EU Counterterrorism office.” He raced up to Craig blocking his way to the Apache and shoved a microphone in front of him. “Mr. Page, what can you tell us about how the bomb was set off? Was there a bomber in the area?”
    Musa leaned forward, straining to hear the answer, studying Craig’s face and trying to pick up the inflection. Ibrahami’s orders were to try and escape, then return to the base in Morocco. If not, to kill himself, but in no event to try and communicate with Musa. He wanted to learn something from Craig about Ibrahami’s fate. Craigreplied, “It’s an ongoing law enforcement investigation. I’m not at liberty to divulge that information.”
    “But can you tell us …”
    Craig pushed past the reporter nearly knocking him over and climbed into the chopper.
    Musa breathed a sigh of relief. If Craig had captured Ibrahami, he would have said he had someone in custody and he wouldn’t be flying off himself.
    Omar came into his office and pointed to the television. “What are they saying?”
    “Forty four dead so far. Another fifty seriously wounded.”
    “Any information about Ibrahami?”
    “From what Craig Page said, I think he either escaped or killed himself rather than be captured.”
    Musa refused to use the term martyred. He wasn’t an Islamic fundamentalist. Not a religious man. He was secular. He didn’t view himself as an agent of Allah. Rather, his course was worldly. Justice for Muslims in Europe.
    “Who are the media attributing the attack to?”
    “As we expected, speculation has focused on Al Qaeda and Basque separatists.” Musa checked his watch. Yasir should be standing in the center of the pont de l’Alma in Paris. “I’m about to end that.”
    Musa picked up his cell phone and dialed Yasir’s cell. “Now,” he said. No need to say anything more. Yasir knew what to do. He would go to a public phone booth in the heart of fashionable Paris, another world from Clichy. There he would call CNN and play for them Musa’s prerecorded message hoping it would be taped. Musa’s voice was garbled to prevent him from being identified. But the words would be understood: “This is Musa Ben Abdil. Our Group, the Spanish Revenge, is responsible for the Spanish train bombing. Our objective is to resume the war between Muslims and Christians in Europe.”
    Five minutes later, Yasir called back. “Done.”
    Musa turned up the volume on the CNN screen. He didn’t want to miss the broadcast of his recorded message.
    He heard, “The death toll from the Spanish train bombing has risen to fifty six, with many more in critical condition.” And nothing else. Must be too soon to get it on the air. He was confident CNN would never pass up a chance to broadcast something like that.
    “Fifty six,” Omar said, pumping his fist into the air. “Time to crack open the champagne.”
    “Absolutely. Get a bottle of Dom Perignon.”
    While Musa popped the cork, he smiled. He was struck by the irony of celebrating with a wine supposedly created by a monk, which it wasn’t, of course.
    As he and Omar raised their glasses and drank, Musa said, “To more successes.”
    The cold liquid tasted wonderful.
    “Did you ever have any doubt we’d succeed?” Omar asked.
    “Not for an instant.”
    “What’s next?”
    “I’ve been thinking about that. Has to be something even bigger.”
    “Blowing up an airplane?”
    “Not creative enough.”
    “The Eiffel tower or the Louvre?”
    “No real significance for the Christian world. We have to hit them at their heart. A target that has enormous symbolic and emotional value.”
    “But what?”
    “Don’t worry. I’ll think of something. We can’t