Page 19 of Chasing the Past

Eli ran a hand across his weary eyes. “I did. He was my asset in Kandahar until he was murdered.” Getting the words out was next to impossible. Asal had been telling the truth. Sashi was most likely dead.

“I know this isn’t what you were hoping to hear, but there’s still a lot of things we don’t know yet,” JT told him. “First priority is finding out what Haddad is doing here in the US. If he is the one our people were hunting back in the day, then he’s here for a reason.”

“Where’s he been hiding for so long? The last reported attack that the Panther claimed credit for was shortly before 2015,” Declan said. “Right before Kunduz fell.”

Eli tried to push aside the devastating pain and think clearly. “Everything is connected with Kunduz somehow. And that building that was bombed when Sashi died.” His voice caught over the words.

“I’ll see what I can dig up on the building’s owner,” Declan told them.

Janine came into the room. “Oh, thank goodness.” She came over and hugged Eli close. “When I saw the front of the house, I was terrified.”

“We’re both okay,” he assured her.

“What do we know so far?” Janine waited while Eli updated her on what had been discussed. “So, this isn’t Sashi but her sister?”

He managed to nod while those moments played through his head where Asal seemed to recognize him. Was it possible Sashi had told her twin about him? “Declan, I hate to pile more on you, but can you check on the story Omar told Asal about her being part of an explosion while leaving Kabul?”

The ask was a big one and Eli could tell it wouldn’t be easy from Declan’s facial expression.

“I’ll try, but with the Taliban’s control over the country, there isn’t much information available.”

“I get that. Maybe we can track down the doctors who were with Asal there.” Eli realized it was a longshot, but it was all they had right now.

“I’ll do my best.”

JT noticed Will in the doorway and motioned him in. “Was she able to shed any more light on the shooter?”

Will shook his head. “She didn’t get a good look either. My people weren’t able to find him. I’m sure once he heard the sirens, he fled the area. We’ll canvas the neighborhood.”

“Meanwhile, you two can’t stay here any longer.” Janine looked Eli in the eye. “And unfortunately, they’ll be expecting you to stay with one of us, so that’s out. To keep Asal safe, you need to move her to a safehouse.”

Eli had no idea where that might be. “If Omar tracked us here, he’ll be able to search any house associated with us.”

“He’s right,” JT told them. “But I have a suggestion. My sister has a house listed on the north end of the island along Driftwood Beach on the peninsula. The owners moved out of the country. They want to sell the place quickly. I can ask Liz if she will let us use the place for a few days.”

Eli released a breath. “That would be great. I’ll let Asal know.” He remembered what she’d said about her passport and other information and told Will about it.

“I’ll take some of my people and check out the place. We’ll get her things back.”

Eli didn’t believe it would be that easy. “Be careful, Will. If this man is the terrorist we were hunting back then, he’s extremely dangerous. He killed Sashi and her husband and hundreds of others that we know about.”

“I’ll keep that in mind. We’ll need to let intelligence know what we suspect at some point.” One of his men made an appearance and Will excused himself.

“I’ll call Liz now. We need to get you both moved quickly and if we’re going to work this case, we all need to be able to get to the house without being spotted,” JT said.

“We’ll need a vehicle that can’t be traced to us.” Declan frowned.

“I know of one. Gavin is on his way here now. I’ll have him diverted to a secure location and wait for us. He can give us a ride from there.” Eli grabbed his phone. Gavin answered on the first ring. “Where are you now?”

“Almost on the island. Has something happened?”

Eli moved to the living room where Asal still sat in the same place with her head leaned back against the sofa, her eyes closed. “Yes, something has happened.” He gave Gavin a quick rundown before telling him about the change in plans. “Do you still have that large SUV?”

“I do. Sounds like I have a lot of people to transport.”

Eli smiled. He and Gavin were always good at reading each other. “You do. There’s a church on the opposite side of the island.” Eli gave the address. “We’ll meet you there in one hour.”

“You got it. So, are you still convinced this is Sashi?” Gavin asked casually.

---