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Back The Occurrence Save as PDF
Chapters (117)
  1. Cover
  2. Title
  3. Copyright
  4. Contents
  5. PART ONE: Up From Buried Light
  6. 1
  7. 2
  8. 3
  9. 4
  10. 5
  11. 6
  12. 7
  13. 8
  14. 9
  15. 10
  16. 11
  17. 12
  18. PART TWO: Re-Entry
  19. 13
  20. 14
  21. 15
  22. 16
  23. 17
  24. 18
  25. 19
  26. 20
  27. 21
  28. PART THREE: Convergence
  29. 22
  30. 23
  31. 24
  32. 25
  33. 26
  34. 27
  35. 28
  36. 29
  37. 30
  38. 31
  39. 32
  40. 33
  41. 34
  42. 35
  43. 36
  44. 37
  45. 38
  46. 39
  47. 40
  48. 41
  49. PART FOUR: Surrender
  50. 42
  51. 43
  52. 44
  53. 45
  54. 46
  55. 47
  56. 48
  57. 49
  58. 50
  59. 51
  60. 52
  61. 53
  62. 54
  63. 55
  64. 56
  65. 57
  66. PART FIVE: The Tablets
  67. 58
  68. 59
  69. 60
  70. 61
  71. 62
  72. 63
  73. 64
  74. 65
  75. PART SIX: The Trial
  76. 66
  77. 67
  78. 68
  79. PART SEVEN: The Cave of Memory
  80. 69
  81. 70
  82. 71
  83. 72
  84. 73
  85. 74
  86. 75
  87. 76
  88. 77
  89. 78
  90. 79
  91. 80
  92. 81
  93. 82
  94. 83
  95. PART EIGHT: Guardians
  96. 84
  97. 85
  98. 86
  99. 87
  100. 88
  101. 89
  102. 90
  103. 91
  104. 92
  105. 93
  106. 94
  107. PART NINE: Into Buried Light
  108. 95
  109. 96
  110. 97
  111. 98
  112. 99
  113. 100
  114. 101
  115. 102
  116. 103
  117. Acknowledgments

“The journalist and the soldier were in the warehouse with me. I wanted to kill them. That experience is not a basis for attachment. I’m told Catherine Book has some special ability, of which I know nothing.”

“What about the young boy, Nazir Siraj? He was in the warehouse with you.”

“I left him with his grandmother in Mosul. He was injured in the explosion.”

“You’ve not seen him since?”

“No, Your Honor.”

The two men studied each other.

“Do you know Sayyid Sarif?”

“Not personally.”

“Well, the FBI raided the local terrorist cell he fronted here in D.C., but no one was there. Do you know who might have warned him? Where he might be now?”

“I can conjecture where he might be now.”

“Then do that.”

“There’s a farm in Pennsylvania used as a safe house. I don’t know the address but if you give me a map I will point the area out for you.”

“Get me a detailed map of the state of Pennsylvania,” Littelton said to the Marshall.

68

68

Under cover of night, ten FBI agents made their way up the long dirt drive to a two-story red brick farmhouse on the outskirts of Pennsylvania.

SWAT, and an army of back up, waited behind the dense foliage surrounding the property. Drones had transmitted heat signature images of three persons inside the main house. The silo to the left was abandoned and empty.

One of the agents placed a charge by the front door, the others surrounded the house.

The charge exploded, the front door shattered, and within that noise rapid gunfire came from inside the house, but it wasn’t enough to stop the fusillade of return fire.

The agents made their way in as SWAT and backup followed.

The three inside were dead, their bodies riddled with bullets. The agents took fingerprints and sent the information back to FBI headquarters in D.C.

Within a few minutes they received confirmation that one of the men was Sayyid Sarif.

PART SEVEN: The Cave of Memory

PART SEVEN

The Cave
of Memory

69

69

Saturday, October 3

The transport flight Bruton had put Julian and Dominique on landed in Joint Base Balad at dawn. It was in the Sunni Triangle forty miles north of Baghdad. That left the remaining 180 miles to Mosul for them to travel.

The cab was thick with sweet licorice. “Yansoun,” the cabbie said when Dominique asked what the scent was. “Aniseed. Anise.” He spoke through more gums than teeth. “It is one of oldest spices from Egypt.” And it hung on him like perfume.

A CD played music from cracked speakers. The singer’s voice was beautiful.

Dominique asked what it was. The cabbie lit with joy. “The Qur’an,” he said.

It reminded her of the prayer Hashim had chanted in the warehouse.