Bailey Mae was still sitting next to Hassan. The man was weak and had started shivering. I wasn’t sure what else to do, so I draped a blanket over him. The cabin was getting busier as more blankets were brought in for the other men. No one had been transported yet, and there was a great deal of confusion about what to do with everyone.

I leaned in close to Hassan and said in a low voice, “What the hell is going on?”

He shook his head. “I live in Marblehead, just outside of Boston. About a month ago, two men questioned me at my convenience store. They said I was aiding terrorists by donating money to a relief fund. That same night I found myself here, being interrogated.” He looked around the room and said, “The man over there”—he pointed to a figure on the floor with a blanket over him—“lives in Yonkers and was brought here just last week. We were all questioned over and over.”

Natty had crept up behind us and said, “By Americans?”

The man nodded solemnly.

Natty said, “The FBI?”

The man shrugged. “The bald man on the kitchen floor is in charge. He used the table and water hose to scare us. It felt like I was drowning. He would ask the same questions over and over. He’s the one all of my friends want to kill right now.”

Right then I realized the people doing this were private contractors. Most of them had been in the military and were hired by some firm contracted by the US government to handle the interrogation and housing of potential threats to national security.

This was bullshit.

Chapter 38

Chapter 38

Even though it was the middle of the night, more emergency vehicles had come up the path. There was no doubt the truck with the snowplow had kept this path clear.

I stood at the cabin’s front door and watched as a string of vehicles rolled into the open space by the narrow road. They were all black SUVs, and I knew something was up.

A tall woman slid out of the rear seat of the second SUV and I heard her say to a deputy, “Who’s in charge here?” She was directed to Timmy, who was standing near me, helping figure out how badly each prisoner needed medical attention.