Page 41 of Chasing the Past

“I’m here, but I can barely hear you.”

“The weather is wreaking havoc with cell service.” Eli shared his fears about someone betraying his team. “Can you dig into McDowell and see if he’s connected to the CIA in any way?”

“Sure. You really think one of us is responsible for what happened to Sashi?”

The thought was unimaginable and yet . . . “It would make sense. I’ll check in with Gavin and see what he knows.”

“Good idea. Gavin was on the ground with you. He might remember something valuable. What about the rest of your unit from back then?”

Eli told Declan that he heard from several of them from time to time. Many had left the service. Those in the CIA and other intelligence agencies still worked in their prospective fields.

“Gavin would be able to reach out to the ones in the CIA. Maybe they know something, too.”

“It’s worth a shot.” Eli hesitated before telling Declan about the dream Asal shared with him.

“Do you think it’s real or just a dream?”

Eli couldn’t shake the feeling she was possibly describing what happened to her following the accident which troubled him because it didn’t make sense. “Is there any way you can check on Asal’s story about what happened in Kabul?”

Static filled the silence. “I can try, but records from that time are going to be difficult to get hold of with the Taliban’s control. I’ll start with trying to get information on One World Aide’s travels during that time. If they had planes flying out of Kabul to Cairo there should be a record of it somewhere.”

“I’m pretty sure that’s a lie. If Rafiq is from Turkey, why would he own a business in Egypt?”

“He wouldn’t. I’ll dig into the alias Omar and find out who the building is leased to.”

“Good thinking. Maybe we can connect the owner to McDowell.”

Eli sure hoped they’d be able to tie some pieces together soon. Because like the weather closing in on them, he was pretty certain whatever the Panther had planned wouldn’t hold off for long.

Chapter Twenty

The brunt of the nor’easter slammed onto the peninsula immediately plunging the house into darkness. Asal screamed and vaulted from her chair. She was halfway to the kitchen where she’d heard Eli’s voice when the lights flickered on.

“Hey, it’s okay,” Eli emerged from the kitchen and clasped her arms to keep from slamming into her. “The generator automatically turns on when the power goes out.”

“Oh, thank goodness.” Though it was late afternoon, the storm had turned the day to almost pitch black. The thought of losing power completely was terrifying.

“Let’s go back to the living room.” Eli kept his arm around her as they reclaimed their seats. Asal took a sip of her coffee that had gotten cold.

“Why don’t I get us some fresh?” He took both cups and headed for the kitchen.

“No, wait.” He stopped and turned back to her. “I’ll go with you.” She didn’t want to be alone.

Together, they went to the kitchen where Eli dumped the cold coffee and poured fresh. He pulled out one of the kitchen chairs for her. “Let’s sit.”

Asal sank to the chair sensing there was something he wanted to discuss.

Eli sat across from her and chose his words carefully. “I’m still trying to understand the Egypt connection and how it fits in with Rafiq’s plans. Do you remember if there were visitors at Rafiq’s business or his home that you didn’t know?”

She frowned and focused on his face. “I don’t remember visiting Omar’s business, but we did have dinner together several times and it was usually in his home.” She drummed her fingers against her cup. “There was no one specific that I recall . . . wait, there was someone.” Asal tried to remember their name and couldn’t. She told Eli about the time when a man she didn’t know showed up at Omar’s home. “I only got a quick look before Omar ushered him into another room.”

“Had you seen him before?” Eli asked, his attention on her face.

She hadn’t. “He looked familiar in some way although I can’t imagine how if I’ve never met him before.”

Eli brought out his phone and pulled something up on it. He turned it toward her.

The man in the photo was probably in his late thirties. Dark hair and eyes. He smiled at the camera. “That’s him. Who is he?”

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