l-Qaeda-affiliated terrorist group. ”
Lonnie looked back at the screen as the video sequence played a second time. Farrah's face crossed the screen as he spoke with her. The words were not audible, but she remembered it all.
“ He spoke with a British accent, ” she said.
“ He is British, ” Hilde replied. “ I don't remember if he was born there or naturalized as an infant, but he grew up there. He changed his name to Steven Farrah as a teen in school to stand out less. There was a lot of racial violence in Manchester at the time. Since he was Caucasian, the simple name change worked to relieve him of the torture a lot of immigrants kids are put through . ”
“ Are you sure about this guy? ” Marcus asked. “ Maybe it ’ s just someone who looks like him. ”
“ No. It is him. ” Hilde shook her head as if expelling doubt. “ It's my job to remember people like him. I look at that list every day and supervise groups that compare the images to those picked up on surveillance cameras. I know the faces of all the current top fifty most wanted terrorists out there, and that man is one of them. ”
“ What's he doing here? ” Mike asked.
“ The president, ” Marcus said. “ Your friend the other day said the president was coming for the pipeline opening this week. ”
“ I've got to get hold of Tonia and let her know. ” Hilde pulled out her cell phone and thumbed through the contacts list until she found Tonia's number and pressed the dial button. It rang four times, and then went to voice mail. She tried again and got the same.
“ Let's go back to the hotel, ” she said. “ Maybe we can find her or her partner there. ”
They paid the bill and left the restaurant. At nearly nine p.m., it was still as bright as it would be at five in the rest of the country. Darkness would not return to the Alaskan nights until mid-August. As they walked the two blocks back to the hotel, Hilde's phone rang. She pulled it from her purse and answered.
“ Hello? ”
“ It's Tonia.” Loud rock music pumped in the background. “You finally calling for that drink, girlfriend? ”
“ No, we've got a situation. We just saw a watch list suspect here in town. ”
“ You what? ” Tonia shouted into the phone.
“ We just saw a man I recognized from the watch list. ” Hilde cupped the receiver.
“ Hilde, this connection is crap. I can't make out what you're saying. You're watching a band? ”
“ No, a terrorist! ”
The others gave her a look. Hilde remembered she was on the sidewalk and lowered her voice. The sound of a crowded night club filled the background on Tonia ’ s end of the line, and a burst of laughter exploded in the phone speaker.
“ I'll call you when I get to the hotel, ” Tonia shouted over the noise. “ Or you can meet me here at Humpy's Bar. Bring your man. I've got Lurch as a date. ”
“ I'll come to you, ” Hilde said.
“ Love you too! ” Tonia replied.
Hilde gave an odd look as the phone went silent. “ I don ’ t think she heard a word I said. ”
Marcus's truck was parked a few stalls into the Captain Cook's parking garage. They climbed in , and a moment later they were heading east on Sixth Avenue. The modern architecture of the Performing Arts Center loomed ahead, seeming massive amidst the scattering of building styles ranging from present state-of-the-art to post-World War I salt-box cottages that had been turned into tourist shops and fine-dining establishments. Just beyond the PAC, a small crowd milled beneath the cloth-covered awning of Humpy's Alehouse that jutted from above the sixties-style glass storefront near the corner of Sixth and F. The thump of electric jazz echoed through the canyon of tall buildings, booming into the open windows of Marcus ’ s truck when they stopped for the light at G Street nearly a block away. As they waited, an engine revved and a white Audi screeched around the corner just as the light changed from yellow to
Lonnie looked back at the screen as the video sequence played a second time. Farrah's face crossed the screen as he spoke with her. The words were not audible, but she remembered it all.
“ He spoke with a British accent, ” she said.
“ He is British, ” Hilde replied. “ I don't remember if he was born there or naturalized as an infant, but he grew up there. He changed his name to Steven Farrah as a teen in school to stand out less. There was a lot of racial violence in Manchester at the time. Since he was Caucasian, the simple name change worked to relieve him of the torture a lot of immigrants kids are put through . ”
“ Are you sure about this guy? ” Marcus asked. “ Maybe it ’ s just someone who looks like him. ”
“ No. It is him. ” Hilde shook her head as if expelling doubt. “ It's my job to remember people like him. I look at that list every day and supervise groups that compare the images to those picked up on surveillance cameras. I know the faces of all the current top fifty most wanted terrorists out there, and that man is one of them. ”
“ What's he doing here? ” Mike asked.
“ The president, ” Marcus said. “ Your friend the other day said the president was coming for the pipeline opening this week. ”
“ I've got to get hold of Tonia and let her know. ” Hilde pulled out her cell phone and thumbed through the contacts list until she found Tonia's number and pressed the dial button. It rang four times, and then went to voice mail. She tried again and got the same.
“ Let's go back to the hotel, ” she said. “ Maybe we can find her or her partner there. ”
They paid the bill and left the restaurant. At nearly nine p.m., it was still as bright as it would be at five in the rest of the country. Darkness would not return to the Alaskan nights until mid-August. As they walked the two blocks back to the hotel, Hilde's phone rang. She pulled it from her purse and answered.
“ Hello? ”
“ It's Tonia.” Loud rock music pumped in the background. “You finally calling for that drink, girlfriend? ”
“ No, we've got a situation. We just saw a watch list suspect here in town. ”
“ You what? ” Tonia shouted into the phone.
“ We just saw a man I recognized from the watch list. ” Hilde cupped the receiver.
“ Hilde, this connection is crap. I can't make out what you're saying. You're watching a band? ”
“ No, a terrorist! ”
The others gave her a look. Hilde remembered she was on the sidewalk and lowered her voice. The sound of a crowded night club filled the background on Tonia ’ s end of the line, and a burst of laughter exploded in the phone speaker.
“ I'll call you when I get to the hotel, ” Tonia shouted over the noise. “ Or you can meet me here at Humpy's Bar. Bring your man. I've got Lurch as a date. ”
“ I'll come to you, ” Hilde said.
“ Love you too! ” Tonia replied.
Hilde gave an odd look as the phone went silent. “ I don ’ t think she heard a word I said. ”
Marcus's truck was parked a few stalls into the Captain Cook's parking garage. They climbed in , and a moment later they were heading east on Sixth Avenue. The modern architecture of the Performing Arts Center loomed ahead, seeming massive amidst the scattering of building styles ranging from present state-of-the-art to post-World War I salt-box cottages that had been turned into tourist shops and fine-dining establishments. Just beyond the PAC, a small crowd milled beneath the cloth-covered awning of Humpy's Alehouse that jutted from above the sixties-style glass storefront near the corner of Sixth and F. The thump of electric jazz echoed through the canyon of tall buildings, booming into the open windows of Marcus ’ s truck when they stopped for the light at G Street nearly a block away. As they waited, an engine revved and a white Audi screeched around the corner just as the light changed from yellow to
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