Page 104 of Elusive Promise

"Who set up the kidnapping? Who contacted Ben?"

"I believe it was Isaac. He knew of Ben's connection to the Kumars, to the consulate."

"Did you know what Ben was going to do?"

"I didn't even know about him and Sara until the day after the kidnapping. When Jasmine disappeared, Ben confided in me. He said only the diamond was supposed to be stolen, but Isaac got greedy. He wants more control, more money. I went looking for Isaac. Ben said he might be at a café in Queens, but he wasn't there. While I was gone, you found Ben and you turned him in."

"And you wouldn't let Ben talk—even with Jasmine's life on the line. That café could have been raided by the cops days ago. Jasmine could have been rescued earlier."

"Elizabeth's life was also on the line, and Ben's, too. There were no good choices."

"There were a lot of choices better than the ones you made. What is the plan now? Are there others here on the campus—wearing explosive vests? Are there more bombs? More targets? You have to tell me, Neil. Was the diamond stolen to finance a massive bombing here in the city?"

"Not here—Bezikstan. The diamond paid for weapons. The group is on their way back home. Isaac and Sara stayed behind to squeeze more money out of the Larimers."

She was relieved that the action was not going to be here in the city. There was still time to head off an attack in Bezikstan. "If everyone is gone, then why are you doing this here?"

"It's the price I have to pay for Elizabeth's life. If I don't die, she will. The men who put this vest on me said Isaac has her."

"What men?"

"I don't know their names. They showed up at my office an hour ago. They brought me up here to the roof and told me what I had to do."

"Isaac does not have Elizabeth. Isaac is in FBI custody and so is Sara. We found Jasmine. She's alive. It's all over, Neil. You don't have to do this."

Neil turned his head to look over the roof. "The police are here. You called them. The students in the courtyard are being evacuated."

"I told you—it's over. All you have to do is take off the vest. If you turn evidence against the group, you can be put into protective custody. No one will find you."

He turned back to her. "You don't understand, Parisa. I don't control the bomb. It's on a timer. It's going off in…" He checked his watch. "Six minutes."

She swallowed hard. "We'll get a bomb squad up here."

"They won't get here in time. I will stand on the ledge, give the students a chance to see me, and they will run faster. I don't want to hurt anyone. You need to leave. I'm going to jump so that the bomb goes off in the air, and, hopefully, no one else will die."

She couldn't believe what he was saying. "I can't let you die, Neil. You saved my life when I was sixteen."

"If you want to repay me, take care of Elizabeth and Ben. That's what you can do for me." His gaze filled with sadness. "This is all my fault. I liked the adulation, the kids looking up to me. I wanted to be their mentor, their guru. It was my ego that brought me here. And now they are in control."

"Which is why we need you alive to help us stop them."

She pulled out her phone and punched in Damon's number.

"Parisa, where are you?" he yelled. "Jared and I are in the parking lot."

"It's the language arts building, the tallest building on campus, right by the courtyard. I'm on the roof with Neil Langdon. He's wearing a suicide vest. It's remote controlled. It's going off in about five minutes. Where are you?"

"Running in your direction. We should be there in five. The buildings are being evacuated. Get the hell out of there."

"Is there any way we can defuse the bomb?" she asked, already knowing the answer.

"Not in the next five minutes. Get off that roof, Parisa," Damon said, pausing, as he yelled, "Dammit, give me back the phone."

"Parisa," Jared interrupted, obviously having grabbed the phone from Damon. "Don’t let him take you down with him."

"He saved my life, Jared," she said, logic and emotion colliding inside her. "I have to try to save his."

"There's nothing you can do, is there?"

---