Chapter 25
The students had finals and business was brisk, so Sameer told the staff to keep deliveries running till 2 a.m., the regular university delivery cut-off. Jihad or no jihad, money was money, and he had to keep his image up.
Sameer felt it was right to take the money of the decadent student youth of the nearby colleges. Alcohol, marijuana, and pills to help them learn — it was all contrary to the teachings of Mohammad as well as the sinful music they listened to, so loud it shook the front windows of Castle Pizza as they pulled up in tiny Asian imports with high pitched engines.
He walked around the front of the store and pulled down the sun shades as he expected Murad any moment now. They had gotten word of the ambush in Afghanistan, and worse, that El Sharrad had been not been found among they fallen. They could only assume he had been captured but it was understood he would die first before he told of any of their plans. And Murad had called minutes earlier to say they had been unable to find Dr. Evans after sitting watch outside Photon for the last two days and keeping disciples on watch outside her apartment.
Desperate for any information, that afternoon, they even took the risky action and called the gym she went to and had her paged. On the call, Murad used no names and referred to Jarrard and Evans as delivery employees. After El Sharrad’s disappearance they had every reason to believe the NSA, DHS or FBI was listening in on their calls. Sameer hated the U.S. Government for this. He imagined every Middle Eastern inhabitant in North America was being spied on and it infuriated him.
Murad arrived within five minutes of the call and expected all the others he had called in. “It is time,” he commanded Sameer, “no more deliveries, and no more pizzas! I hate pizza!”
When the three came in, the vans drove around back behind the building to make it seem like they were picking up for delivery runs. Murad was still using one of Sameer’s old vehicles, a gigantic Dodge Ram Charger of which he complained every day that he felt stupid driving, but they couldn’t have him renting a car and leaving an electronic trail. Sameer had explained he needed the truck for the building materials he used in continuing to upgrade the indoor training facility, but once again Murad accused him of going overboard and warned he would pay for his sins in the afterlife. Murad also suspected Sameer was doing everything in his control to make him look ridiculous.
Sameer and Murad locked themselves in the office having put everyone to work cleaning the restaurant before closing the door behind them. When he was ready, Murad would speak to them as well.
“Sameer, you have lost her! We have sought out Evans for two days, she is not to be found,” Murad began. “We have had our brothers near her family home to see if she is there, but this scientist has disappeared. We must find her! If we have to, we will bring this Jarrard man to your home and get what we need from him.”
“Wait Murad,” Sameer suggested, “We have a connection at airlines, let me make a call to a friend. He has access to flights and passengers, and he works from home so if he is there, I can drive to his house to search. In this way, we won’t have to use the telephone or computer.”
“Go then and if you learn anything, message me and then return at once. Find out where she has gone, she is not in this city. In the message, state only you are planning a time away from your pizza store, a vacation, and say the city only. Pretend you are excited. I will stay here with these three and we will create a plan for when we do find here. Go now, we are not to waste any time!”
Murad slammed down the cell and stormed into the kitchen. “Your leader is a coward, and a fool. From now on, you listen only to me. You will all have a chance soon to kill non-believers. When Sameer uncovers where this Evans whore has gone, we be leaving at once!”