The Watchman of Ephraim (Book Club Edition) by Gerard de Marigny Page B

him?”
    “ No, there’s no reason. Thanks Joe, for taking time out of your busy schedule to meet with me on such short notice.”
    “ Never a problem Cris, tell the boys I was asking about them.”
    “ Will do. Say hi to your wife from me.”
    De Niro patted on the hood of the limo as Carbone raised the heavily tinted window, signaling that the driver could pull out.
    De Niro and Tompkins started walking up to West Broadway on their way to Ground Zero as a man sitting in a van parked across the street punched an auto-dial button on his cell phone.
    (In Farsi) “This is Payam. You wanted to know of anything unusual. There was a limo here with three men in it. We’ve taken pictures of each and are running them through the facial recognition software now. The limo is rented.”
    The reply was in English with a slight British accent.
    “ How long will it take you to identify the men?”
    Payam replied in American English, “It could take some time. We had the limo followed but two of the three men are on foot now. Should we follow them?”
    “ Yes, follow them and send me the photos now of the three men.”
    Payam spoke in Farsi to the two men in the back of the van.
    “ The photos are being sent to you now.”
    “ Good, I want to know where all three men go.”
    As the photos appeared on his iPhone, the man on the other end of the phone immediately identified one of the three men.
    “ Payam, which two men are walking?”
    “ The tall black man and the man in the blue suit are walking, they turned south on West Broadway. The older man remained in the limo.”
    The man on the other end of the phone thought for a moment; then replied.
    “ I think I know where they are heading. Follow them anyway but keep your distance. Call me on my cell phone when they arrive at their destination.”
    The man ended the call by simply hitting the disconnect button. Then he hit an intercom button.
    “ Have my car brought around.”
    Aref Sami Zamani stood up from his desk in his lower-midtown office and headed for his private elevator, followed by his aide, Bahman Fard who used a keycard to open the doors to the elevator. Fard was curious.
    “ Sir, our plane is being readied for takeoff in less than two hours. Shall I notify the flight crew that we will be delayed?”
    Zamani smiled at the tact his aide used. He knew that Fard was curious as to where they were going but knew better than to boldly ask. Bahman is even cunning with me. He looks like an accountant but he will kill on my command without a hint of remorse.
    “ That’s not necessary, this won’t take long.”
    Zamani saw the look of frustration on Fard’s face and decided not to keep him in suspense.
    “ You are wondering what I saw in those photos, Fard, and where we are going now?”
    “ Sir, I—“
    Zamani held his hand up to quiet his aide, then he handed him his iPhone.
    “ Do you recognize any of those men?”
    Fard looked closely at the small screen and used his finger to move between each photo.
    “ This one looks like … that hedge fund manager …De—“
    “ De Niro, you are correct Fard. It is Cris De Niro and we are going downtown so that I may meet him before we leave.”
    The doors opened to the elevator and both men walked out of the building and straight into their waiting limo. Fard was still confused.
    “ But sir, do we not have to wait for Payam to call back to tell us where he is?”
    Just then Zamani’s phone rang, Fard handed it back to him.
    “ Yes … I figured he would be there, what about the other? And the one who remained in the car? You are sure? Very well, return to Park51 and resume your watch.”
    Zamani placed his phone in his suit pocket, then answered Fard’s question.
    “ I know where he is. He is at the Ground Zero site paying respects to his deceased wife. What I do not know is why he was parked in a limousine outside of Park51 with an activist fireman and an advisor to the former mayor.”
    Fard’s curiosity turned to