Thanks for the reviews of Ch. 34! The out-pouring of grief for Rudy is very touching. So here's the next installment...

...

THE DATE

CHAPTER 35

Within six hours, Peter Quinn was at a Military Airbase and waiting for a plane to take him to Lebanon. Earlier, he'd successfully convinced Danny Galvez and Saul that a certain Mrs Nadiyah el-Zaid that he'd furiously researched that morning, warranted some closer scrutiny and investigation.

Remembering what Brody had said about Abu Nazir sending his regards to a Nadia via Abdul el-Zaid, Quinn had deliberately chosen a random woman with a similar name. She resided near Rachaiya in Lebanon which was reasonably close to to the Syrian border. It was certainly not a coincidence that it meant Quinn needed to take a flight and go to the exact region where Rudy McCoy had gone missing.

Additionally and fortuitously for Quinn, Nadiyah's deceased husband had been called Abdul and give or take a few loose interpretations, he was actually a reasonably suspicious character who had appeared on their original Abdul el-Zaid list, until Galvez had found out that he was dead. The bottom line was that none of the el-Zaid's they'd scrutinised really needed a personal visit just yet, until more evidence was gathered, but Quinn had exaggerated the urgency and the need to move fast.

…

Four hours earlier

Saul hadn't looked convinced at all. "Why do you need to go? Tell me this has nothing to do with some hare-brained scheme to secretly look for Rudy McCoy's body?" he growled, threateningly. "I've just heard from Dar Adal. He told me that you called him a selfish old bastard, Quinn... or should I be calling you Frosty Pants...?"

Quinn gave Saul a piercing steely glare and showed him the evidence that he'd cobbled together to justify his trip. Most of it was genuine. He'd only faked about forty percent of it.

"I'm going to see Nadiyah el-Zaid, she's the widow of Abdul el-Zaid who died several months ago. There's evidence that Abdul travelled internationally and regularly to the United States with his son. He was a very wealthy businessman. Made his money buying and selling stocks and shares apparently, but that's not confirmed." Quinn remained composed. As far as he knew, it was all true so far; now for a little white lie or two. "There's some evidence of money laundering. He might have been funding something... like Al-Qaeda."

Saul stroked his beard and assessed Quinn uncertainly as he read through the rest of the detailed notes. There were a few anomalies, but it did look like it was worth a closer look. "I'm going to let you go out there on one condition..."

Quinn cocked his head and waited.

"You look for Rudy McCoy first... for forty eight hours maximum, then go check out Abdul el-Zaid's widow, Nadiyah and her son." Saul took his glasses off and cleaned the lenses with his shirt sleeve.

Quinn sighed with relief and nodded.

Saul put his glasses back on and smiled. "You were right. Dar Adal is a selfish old bastard..." He patted Quinn on the shoulder.

Quinn shrugged, "Not necessarily. I lost my temper. I was upset..."

"I'm upset too. I've lost enough Agents over the last few months and I'm praying I haven't lost Rudy, my most charismatic one," Saul grimaced. "It's not looking good though. From what I can see, Dar Adal's intel was flawed and incomplete... he was an impatient idiot and sent those men to their deaths on that secret mission over the border into Syria."

Quinn swallowed. He was trying not to think about it.

Saul handed Quinn a pile of papers. "Keep this safe. It's a list of agents, handlers and local assets in both Lebanon and Syria, in the region from Rachaiya to Damascus. They might be able to help you find information about Rudy, particularly if Hezbollah have got his body."

Quinn clutched the papers tightly, "Thanks."

"You can ask the appropriate Lebanese contacts about their knowledge of Nadiyah and Abdul el-Zaid too. If Abdul was a wealthy big shot who dealt directly with someone like Abu Nazir, then he might have had a reputation out there." Saul passed Quinn a map. "It's sometimes more fruitful to meet assets face to face, than speak by telephone."

Quinn nodded, "I hope so."

"If Dar Adal finds out what you're up to, it's nothing to do with me. I'll tell him you went rogue to look for Rudy's body and he's to fire your deceitful ass immediately." Saul wagged his finger.

Quinn strained a thin half-smile.

Saul gave him a fatherly hug, " Just do your best over there, Frosty Pants... and be careful."

…

As the flight progressed over the North Atlantic Ocean, Quinn began to feel nervous and guilty for deceiving Saul and Galvez. He knew that he was on his way to Lebanon for one reason only and that was to find out what had happened to Rudy McCoy.

He started to worry about whether he was diverting resources away from the hunt for the real Abdul el-Zaid who could be in the US and at worst plotting acts of terror. He knew that Saul had assigned an eager Galvez to do further research on Nadiyah el-Zaid before Quinn would track her down near Rachaiya in the next couple of days. He read through his notes again. Perhaps she was just an ordinary Lebanese woman, a grieving widow with a fatherless son that he was going to have to meet and ask pressing and disturbing questions about her deceased husband. Quinn felt slightly nauseous at the thought. He eased his conscience by re-reading his notes about her late husband, Abdul el-Zaid.

Perhaps her late husband Abdul, was the man that Brody had seen meeting Abu Nazir in Iraq?

Perhaps Nadiyah el-Zaid was the Nadia that Abu Nazir had sent his best wishes to?

Perhaps Nadiyah's son was the young man that had played football with Issa as Brody watched?

Quinn knew that some things didn't add up though. If Abdul had been dead for months, then Brody couldn't have seen him, when he'd been abducted by helicopter and taken to see Nazir in the US. Brody had said Abdul was an American, seemingly pretending to be middle-eastern, but all the evidence Quinn had found that morning showed Nadiyah and Abdul to be Lebanese.

Maybe Galvez will call me later with more details about them?

Maybe they'll turn out to be Americans?

Maybe they will be dodgy characters after all and I'll have got lucky!

...

Quinn's mind refused to be distracted by work any longer and started to taunt him with the only maybes that really mattered.

Maybe Rudy McCoy was burned alive?

Maybe Rudy McCoy's body is being shown off to gloating Hezbollah Commanders?

Maybe Rudy McCoy is dead and the last thing I said to him was "Shut up. This conversation is over" and "If you don't like it then... stay the fuck away from me" and "Yeah. Whatever... Bye!"

And the last thing McCoy said to me was "I'll be touch... sometime soon, I hope..."

Quinn gritted his teeth and swallowed his tears as he remembered the drunken text message that he'd sent to McCoy after their argument.

I'll giv it's a go if u show me what todo xxx

He now knew that McCoy had probably never received that message, although Dar Adal had probably read it, as he seemed to have commandeered McCoy's cell-phone from somewhere.

Quinn closed his eyes as he imagined McCoy scared and knowing that he was shortly going on an ill-fated, secret mission into Syria. McCoy was absolutely terrified and I sent him on his merry way with a... "stay the fuck away from me."

He reached for a tissue and blew his nose, "I'm coming to find you, buddy."