‘What do you mean?’ Habib Nassour hissed at the restaurant manager.
The man clasped his hands nervously as his eyes darted between the Quds major and Karim Golzar, both of them in their uniforms.
‘Two women returned that night. After that attack,’ he spoke quickly when his visitors frowned. ‘The same women you were with, agha. I had just two or three workers with me. We were tidying up, after the police had taken our story and—’
‘What did they do?’ Nassour asked with clenched teeth.
‘They burst into my office and took my computer. They didn’t ask permission. I tried to stop them, but one of them said it wouldn’t be good for my health.’
‘What was on the computer?’ the major asked with a sinking feeling in his chest.
‘The security camera videos, agha. What you were asking. Everything was on that computer.’
‘Don’t you have backup?’ Golzar narrowed his eyes and looked at the ceiling where the devices were mounted.
‘We are a small restaurant, agha,’ the manager did his hand-wringing thing again. ‘We can’t afford all that. My computer has everything. It has even my financial records. I lost everything.’
Nassour swore and turned away, ignoring the man’s babbling. The camera footage could have helped him identify who the other attackers were. He could have passed their details to all his informers. Parvin and Mahya, he cursed and promised himself he would deal with them slowly and savagely when they were captured.
‘We’ll have to sit with the sketch artists,’ he told Golzar when the operative joined him outside, in the alley. ‘Get everyone’s likenesses and circulate them among our people. That fat man,’ he cursed, remembering the way the attacker had moved so swiftly, ‘he took me by surprise. I want all of them.’
‘Why don’t we involve the police, agha?’
‘Not yet. This is our problem. We’ll capture them on our own.’
Quds Force outranked the police, but there would be bureaucratic tape to cut through if the cops captured the Mossad operatives. No, he glared angrily at shoppers as he strode down the Grand Bazaar. I’ll deal with this myself.
‘I’ll drop you off at your accommodation,’ he told Golzar as he climbed into his waiting vehicle. ‘Freshen up and be ready. The commander will interview you today.’
An hour later, Nassour had showered, trimmed his beard, had changed his uniform and was heading back to the Presidential Administration Building.
He cleared security and made his way to Mostofi’s office. Knocked on it and entered.
His boss finished reading a file, signed a document and handed it to a flunky. He leaned back in his chair and crossed his hands behind his head. ‘Paperwork. There’s more of it,’ he sighed. ‘Did you sleep well?’
They had returned late in the night from Kharg and hadn’t had the opportunity to debrief.
‘Yes, agha.’
‘What’s bothering you, Habib?’
‘I went to the restaurant, agha, to recover the security camera videos. That would help us identify the other attackers. But those women,’ he bit his lip to hold back the curse, ‘they had taken everything away.’
‘Mossad moves fast. You should have thought of that before them.’
Nassour accepted the rebuke with a bowed head. ‘I will capture them, agha.’
‘I am sure you will. Show me those photographs.’
The major brought out a large envelope and shook it on the table. Several glossies slid out.
‘You printed these in the morning?’
‘Yes, agha.’
‘The shops were open that early?
‘For me, yes.’
Mostofi smiled absently. Nothing was shut for Quds. He examined the printouts and selected a few. ‘I will take these to the Supreme Leader. I have to give his physician the vaccines. What about the paint flakes?’
Nassour handed him another envelope.
Mostofi examined its contents cursorily and dropped it into a drawer. ‘We’re going to the lab in the afternoon. Bring Golzar with you.’
‘I thought you would interview him here.’
‘I will do that on the way.’
‘Have you spoken to the others, agha?’
‘No. I have read their files and—’ he broke off and rang a bell. ‘Ask my other aides to come here. Immediately.’
‘You all,’ he addressed Nassour, Tehari, Vahdat and Miri when they were lined up in his office moments later. ‘I have made my decision. I have selected Golzar for this mission.’ He raised his hands when Miri made to protest. ‘Your men were good. Yes, Golzar had some more combat experience than your operatives, but that wasn’t what influenced me. Habib’s man has one skill that none of your operatives possess and that influenced me. He speaks English with an American accent. Your men don’t.’
‘But, agha,’ Vahdat objected, ‘we can train our men in the language.’
‘No, Babak, not in such a short time. Fourth of July is just two weeks away. A lot needs to be done by that time. My decision is final. However,’ he said appeasingly, ‘Golzar has to pass one last test today. If he doesn’t, then I have a second choice. I will reveal who that is only if Habib’s man fails.’
‘My man won’t fail,’ Nassour said confidently.
Tehari swore at him under his breath and then flushed when Mostofi looked at him sternly.
‘I know you are disappointed,’ the Quds leader said, ‘but there is something you can help with. Nassour, why don’t you use them in capturing the Mossad operatives?’
Habib thought about it swiftly. He had enough soldiers on the ground and had planned to deploy Golzar on the ground.
‘Your man,’ Mostofi guessed his train of thought, ‘we need to minimize his exposure. Those Mossad operatives have already seen him.’
‘You are right, agha. But their men,’ Nassour nodded at the other aides, ‘will have to work under me.’
‘They will.’
‘Agha,’ Miri said angrily, ‘Fathi is my best man, I can’t hand him over just like that.’
‘Fathi, Radan and Jehangir will be assigned to Habib,’ Mostofi said coldly. ‘There’s no debate on that.’ He softened his voice. ‘You and them will get credit for the Mossad killers’ capture.’
He straightened and reached for a file, a signal that the meeting was over.
Nassour couldn’t help the grin spreading across his face the moment he and the other aides were out in the hallway. ‘I told you, it would be no contest,’ he chortled.
‘You are the commander’s golden boy,’ Vahdat said bitterly. ‘What can we say?’
‘I don’t get any special treatment,’ Nassour confronted him angrily. ‘You have read Golzar’s file too. Tell me, if you were in our boss’s position, who would you choose. My man or yours? Exactly,’ he said triumphantly when the man’s face fell. ‘And don’t forget, we drew straws for the Kharg visit. Don’t say that again,’ he waggled his finger in warning and stomped off.
He stopped thinking of them the moment he had turned a corner in the building. ‘Golzar,’ he rapped out in his cell phone, ‘Come to agha’s office at two pm. And bring Salar Tehari, Reza Jehangir and Ali Fathi with you. I’ll send you their details, where you can find them.’
He hung up and searched for the nearest unoccupied office, plugged in his laptop and hooked up his cell phone.
Plans had to be made for capturing the Mossad killers.