to her right, saying, "Do any of you have a warrant issued from a federal judge that specifically states that you can bully your way into an intensive care unit on this particular United States air base?" She continued her sweep, looking each man in the eye for a second time. When she made it back to Wilson, she said, "I didn't think so." She stepped forward, shooing the herd of men toward the staircase. "So get the hell off my floor right now, and don't you dare come back until you have that warrant."
Chapter 30
JALALABAD, AFGHANISTAN
KASSAR attempted to remain calm as he studied the twenty-three-inch color monitor. The hostage was limp, his arms stretched above his head, his knees buckled, the two dimwitted interrogators trying to figure out what to do. Kassar looked calm, but inside his stomach was turning flips. If he botched this in any way he might as well put a bullet in his own head and save himself from the misguided hope that they might let him live. After calming himself with a few deep breaths, he pushed himself away from the table and grabbed his mask. Before entering the room he pulled it down to make sure none of his face was showing.
The door opened to reveal the two fools checking Rickman for a pulse. They had pulled their masks up so they fit like winter caps. They looked like a couple of common criminals in a Hollywood movie. Kassar filed past the camera and went straight to the extremely valuable Rickman. He shooed the other two men away and checked Rickman's neck. He spent almost a minute searching for a pulse. Two separate times he thought he felt a weak pulse but then he lost it. Next he tried the wrist and there was nothing.
His anxiety growing with each passing second, Kassar finally placed his ear over Rickman's heart. Again there was nothing. Kassar stepped away from the lifeless Rickman and looked at his men.
The two simpletons couldn't have looked more ashamed. "He was doing fine. The doctor said he could take more."
"We didn't hit him that hard," the shorter one said.
Kassar was more nervous than angry. "I forbade you two to kill him, yet that's exactly what you did."
"We are sorry."
"Not as sorry as I am." Kassar turned to leave and while facing the camera he drew his pistol from under his tunic. A long silencer was attached to the end. Kassar stepped to the side and spun around, facing the men. "I told you I would kill you if anything happened to him."
"I'm sorry," the bigger one said in a pleading tone.
Kassar squeezed the trigger five times in quick succession and then turned the weapon on the other man, who was cowering with his hands over his face. Kassar was amused that this idiot thought covering his face could somehow stop a bullet. Kassar placed the tip of the silencer against the man's palms and started pulling the trigger. He didn't bother to count this time. He let his rage flow.
When the pistol was empty, Kassar turned to face the camera. They could still make it look as if Rickman was alive, at least for a while. All they had to do was release some propaganda on the Internet showing Rickman when he started to break. The Americans would fear the worst. Kassar kept telling himself that it would work. He'd been telling himself the same thing for days, even though he had his doubts.
He would have to move quickly, though, or all would be lost. Kassar swung his empty pistol at the camera, knocking it to the floor. The camera broke into several pieces, the red light blinking several times and then going out. Kassar stuffed his pistol back in his waistband and yanked off the stifling black hood. He walked from one wall to the other and back, going over what had to be done. With his nerves calmed just enough to allow him to carry on, he approached Rickman and with a knife cut the rope that was holding him up.
Kassar caught the body over his left shoulder, and after moving him around a bit he had him balanced just right. The stench of urine and feces was awful. Kassar almost retched twice before he even got him out of the room. He stopped in the next room and closed and unhooked the laptop that had recorded all the sessions. He then started up the stairs and