Jane Hatfield, escorting Princess Grace and her little daughter, was glad to step in the fresh October breeze outside of the main entrance. After two days of occupation by the people of the Pan Am flight, the hotel now reeked of tobacco smoke everywhere, even though the regulations of the establishment prohibited smoking inside, except when in your room. Jane however encountered more cigarette smoke outside, finding herself downwind from a group formed by Edward Murrow, Jack Lemmon and Marilyn Monroe, to the left of the main entrance. Another group, formed by a male passenger and one of the stewardesses, stood to the right of the main entrance, smoking near one of the exterior ashtrays placed a few paces from the swinging glass doors. The man was apparently attempting, with some success it seemed, to date the young and pretty redhead. Smiling at that, Jane looked around sharply to check the security situation outside and was mildly satisfied. Two armed DHS agents in assault vests and Kevlar helmets stood close by, one on each side of the main entrance, while two pairs of similarly equipped agents were visible at each of the front extremities corners of the hotel. Jane knew that there was also another pair of armored agents near the back entrance, while she had two plainclothes agents inside, in the lobby. The Washington D.C. police presence was now however down to a single patrol car watching the entrance to the old medical center’s grounds from Georgia Avenue and to another patrol car on the corner of 16th Street. It was a bit meager to her taste but she had to live with that.
Princess Grace, wearing a nice but outmoded ensemble, came out behind Jane, holding the hand of little Princess Caroline, with a bel boy following her and pushing a cart full of suitcases and bags. The ambassador from Monaco had promised to be here 53
at about two o’clock to pick up the two princesses and bring them to JFK Airport, where they would take a flight to France and Monaco. Prince Albert of Monaco had already announced on television from his palace that a great celebration would greet Princess Grace and her daughter and masses of reporters and photographers, along with many European royals and aristocrats, were already descending on Monaco and its surrounding countryside, fighting for the hotel accommodations available.
At about three past two, Jane got a short radio call from the police car at the entrance on Georgia Avenue, telling her that they had just let pass a black limousine with diplomatic plates flying the Monaco flag and escorted by a black SUV. The report did not say however if the policemen had checked the identity of the newcomers.
Frustrated by that, Jane called back the patrol car in question but, by the time the Washington policeman, who seemed to be a rather lazy type, started answering her, the SUV and limousine were in sight of the hotel.
‘’Car 084, did you check the identity of the occupants of these two vehicles, over?’’
‘’Uh, no. The vehicles were expected and wore diplomatic plates, over.’
Swearing to herself, Jane concentrated her attention on the approaching vehicles as she spoke again in her hand-held radio.
‘’Car 084, forget that: they are at the hotel now, out.’
She was about to tell her two nearby agents to be sharp and ready when Grace Kelly approached her with little Caroline, stopping just besides her.
‘’Are you coming with us to the airport, Miss Hatfield?’
‘’Uh, no, Your Serene Highness. Once you are with Ambassador Noghes, he takes charge of your security on the way to the airport. You should step back with your daughter now, until I have verified that this is Ambassador Noghes arriving.’’
‘’But, who else could it be? I can recognize the flag of Monaco on the limousine.’
Before Jane could answer, the black SUV leading the limousine rolled past her, stopping a few paces after the entrance and letting space for the limousine to stop in front of Jane and of the two princesses. Instead of the right-side front passenger of the limousine coming out to open the rear door for Princess Grace, the right side electric windows of both vehicles started coming down simultaneously. An alarm lit up in Jane’s brain and she went for her pistol while stepping in front of Princess Grace to protect her.
‘’WATCH OU…’’
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Four shooters then opened fire from inside the two vehicles, while two armed men came out from the rear left side doors of the limousine. One of the shooters shot single, aimed rounds at Jane, obviously trying not to hit accidentally Princess Grace, but the other shooters were less discriminate, firing savage bursts of automatic fire from their assault rifles at the two armed agents standing besides the entrance. Both men came down without being able to fire a single shot back, with Edward Murrow and Jack Lemmon also hit and falling down in cries of pain. Marilyn Monroe, along with the stewardess and her date prospect, were luckier and were barely missed by the hail of bul ets, flattening themselves to the ground to avoid more bul ets. Jane was hit first near her right clavicle, then in her right upper leg, making her fall down on the concrete while dropping her pistol. One of the two men that had come out of the limousine ran to Princess Grace and brutally grabbed her by one arm before dragging her towards the nearby limousine.
The second man then stopped for a short moment, taking the time to fire a long burst through the glass doors of the entrance and downing the two DHS agents that were about to rush outside. Jane, through the pain and red haze and while trying stil to cover the crying little Princess Caroline, could hear more weapons firing, heavy caliber ones firing deliberate shots from a distance. The second gunman, coming to grab little Princess Caroline, stepped in front of Jane and pointed his assault rifle at her with a mean grin on his face.
‘’MUERETE, HIJA DE PUTA1!’
Jane could do nothing but stare with blurred eyes at the man and his gun, expecting to die very soon. A pistol shot from behind and to the right of her then rang. The gunman, a bleeding hole now in his forehead, slowly collapsed without firing at Jane. More pistol shots rang in quick succession, aimed at the shooters inside the SUV and the limousine.
The unknown shooter proved then to be an expert shot indeed, kil ing or wounding in a mere five seconds the three gunmen pointing rifles from inside the vehicles. With the place becoming hot and with Princess Grace now inside the limousine with her abductor, the attackers decided that it was time to go and accelerated away. Just then, as Jane was about to pass out, she saw in a red blur Marilyn Monroe, fear on her face, bend down quickly besides her to pick up little Princess Caroline and then run inside the hotel.
Then, everything became dark.
1 Muerete, hija de puta!: in Spanish ‘Die, daughter of a whore!’
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22:40 (New York Time)
New Walter Reed Defense Medical Center (old Bethesda Navy Hospital) Washington, D.C.
Jane woke up slowly, her throat dry and her eyes stil unfocused, to find herself lying on a bed and with intravenous tubes plugged into her. She also found it difficult to concentrate and think at first and decided that she must have been given some painkil ers. The white shape of what must have been a nurse appeared from the left of her bed and looked at her for a second before leaving the small room Jane was in. A look to her right revealed a window that gave a view of a large building complex. Her room was obviously at some height, maybe third or fourth floor level. So, she had survived and was now in a hospital, thought Jane to herself. She tried to raise her left arm to look at her watch but a wave of pain from the area of her right shoulder stopped her at once. Looking around her small room, she belatedly saw the wall clock hooked facing her bed and swore when she realized that she had been out for more than eight hours. Eight hours that the abductors of Grace Kelly were able to use to get away!
More movement from her left then made her turn her head in that direction, in time to see her supervisor at DHS, John Simpson, and FBI agent Scott Benson enter her room. By now her vision had regained its focus and she could see that both men wore grim expressions. John Simpson nodded his head and smiled to her, but there was little joy on his face.
‘’I am glad to see that you got out alive from this shootout, Jane. How do you feel?’’
‘’Awful, to be truthful. I suppose that I underwent surgery.’
‘’Correct! One rifle bul et went under your clavicle and pierced the top of your right lung before exiting through your right shoulder blade. Another bul et went through your right leg but luckily missed the femoral artery and the bone before exiting. The doctors however say that you won’t be able to return to full service for at least five weeks.’
‘’Five weeks! But, I can’t lay helpless this long: Princess Grace was kidnapped on my watch.’
‘’And it is not your fault, Jane.’’ Replied firmly Simpson, not wanting her to cultivate a guilt feeling. ‘’You did things by the numbers with the resources given you but 56
the bastards who did this came in with an incredible amount of firepower and with utter savagery. Apart of the shooters that were in the limousine and in the SUV, snipers with high-power rifles fired from cars parked along Aspen Street and took out our agents as they ran past the corners of the Mologne House Hotel. Then, as their four vehicles were fleeing, they shot indiscriminately around them, intentionally hitting civilian drivers to create obstacles behind them for pursuing police cars. Apart of nine of our agents kil ed and four more, including you, wounded around the hotel, a total of six civilians were kil ed and another nineteen others wounded by these maniacs as they fled.
Unfortunately, their tactic worked and we have lost trace of them.’
Jane reflected bitterly on this bloody account: her whole security team was down, most of them dead, agents she knew well and had worked often with in the past. The 25
civilian victims were also a bitter pil to swallow.
‘’Do we know something about these bastards, sir? One of them was kil ed in front of me as he was going to finish me off and then take Princess Caroline.’’
‘’We did get something from examining his body, actually.’ Said Scott Benson, jumping in. ‘’He wore a number of tattoos that are known to be worn by members of the Los Zetas Mexican drug cartel.’
‘’The Los Zetas? He did swear at me in Spanish just before being kil ed.’
Simpson and Benson exchanged a quick look before Simpson continued.
‘’The methods used certainly correspond to those typical of the Los Zetas.
These bastards are about the most savage, brutal and sadistic criminals known and their cartel was formed by ex-Mexican Army special forces soldiers that went rogue. They have proved too often already that kil ing innocent civilians by the dozens means nothing to them. Even by the bloody standards of the Mexican drug cartels, the Los Zetas stand out. They control half of Northern Mexico via a reign of terror and corruption and nobody there is safe from their violence. Unfortunately, it seems that they have now decided to extend their violence to the United States. President Obama is justly enraged by this attack and so is the American public. The President has ordered that all agencies be on the lookout for them and Princess Grace. Since they will probably try to return to the safety of Mexico with their kidnap victim, orders have been given for all airports, heliports and marinas and ports to be closely watched and for all ships and aircraft to be searched before being allowed to depart.’
‘’Then, at the risk of offending some State Department lawyers, may I suggest that we extend that watch to planes and ships bearing Mexican colors, even those who 57
would normally have diplomatic immunity? The Los Zetas are known to have bought off many Mexican officials, including state governors and army and police senior officers.
Having a Mexican diplomat in their pay would not surprise me one bit.’
That attracted a nod from Simpson.
‘’Agent Benson, who is now in overall charge of this case, had the same idea.
While discreet, a surveil ance of all Mexican diplomatic personnel and their transportation means has been initiated, with the express approval of the President.’
Jane felt better on hearing this and relaxed a bit.
‘’I am glad to hear that, sir. May I ask who saved me and shot that gunman, if my agents were all down, sir? I did not see who shot back at the bastards.’
‘’You may thank one of the Pan Am passengers for that, Jane. His name is Antony Mancini and he was standing just outside the main doors with one of the stewardesses when the shooting started. He was able to grab the pistol of one of our agent after our man was kil ed in the first bursts of fire, then shot back at the kidnappers.’
‘’A passenger? But, he shot like a real pro, sir.’
‘’That’s because he is a pro, Jane, or at least was.’’ Replied Simpson, smiling.
‘’Mister Mancini is in fact a veteran of World War Two and fought with the Marines in the Pacific, where he was decorated for bravery. So, you owe your life to a war hero, Jane.’’
‘’Hell, I wil have to thank him when I have a chance to.’
Simpson’s expression then changed, becoming grim again.
‘’I am afraid that not all of the Pan Am people got out so well, Jane. Edward Murrow, the celebrated journalist, was kil ed outright in the shootout. Jack Lemmon was on his part wounded in a leg but wil recuperate from it.’
‘’And Marilyn Monroe? She was also outside of the main entrance at the time of the attack.’
‘’She is safe. She also showed she had guts then: she picked up little Princess Caroline under fire and ran with her inside the hotel, thus potentially saving her from being abducted along with her mother.’
A musical tone then made Scott Benson search one of his pockets, taking out a cell phone and putting it to one ear.
‘’Scott Benson!... How were they kil ed?... I see! Thanks!’
Pocketing his telephone, Benson looked somberly at Jane and at Simpson.
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‘’The Washington D.C. Police just found the bodies of Ambassador Noghes, his driver and his bodyguard: they were garroted to death. A preliminary examination indicates that they were most probably kil ed before the kidnapping of Princess Grace.’
‘’Damn!’ Swore Simpson. ‘’That wil cause a diplomatic tempest of the first order, apart from sending the medias into hyperboles.’’
‘’Those Zetas bastards are known to respect nothing, sir.’ Reminded Scott Benson. ‘’If we ever get to corner them, I am afraid that a standard police SWAT team wil not be up to the job.’
The DHS supervisor thought that over for a moment, then nodded his head.
‘’You may be right, Agent Benson. I will call right away to get some, uh, higher-level tactical help.’’
Before leaving the hospital room, Simpson patted gently Jane’s left hand.
‘’Don’t worry about this case anymore and concentrate on recovering, Jane. We wil take care of the rest.’
‘’Me, not worry? How could I, with all the dead and wounded around me?’
Simpson did not reply to that and left the room without another word, leaving Jane with Scott Benson. The latter gave her an apologetic smile.
‘’Well, I am afraid that I will have to leave you as well, Jane: I have a case to investigate.’
‘’I understand, Scott. I have only one request for you.’
‘’Oh, which one?’
‘’Show no mercy to the bastards who did this, Scott. Too many good people died because of them.’
‘’I promise!’’ Simply said Benson before leaving. Jane, now alone with her thoughts, looked through the window of her room at the lights of nocturnal Washington, feeling totally useless.
01:17 (New York Time)
Saturday, October 10, 2015
Tree line bordering a private estate on the Chesapeake Bay Area of Annapolis, Maryland
The two FBI agents, wearing dark informal clothes and hiding behind a big bush along the tree line parallel to the perimeter fence of the mansion, tensed up on seeing a 59
small van approach along the coastal road. One of the agents raised his night vision scope to one eye, while his companion pointed a digital camera equipped with a light intensification lens. Their interest intensified when the van slowed down and turned into the driveway leading to the mansion. One of the two armed men standing inside the steel gate went out via a small side door and spoke briefly with the driver of the van before unlocking and opening the large gate. As soon as the van drove inside the property, the guard closed again the gate and returned to his original post, his submachine gun at the ready. The FBI surveil ance team watched as the van drove to the front entrance of the mansion and stopped. One man came out from the front passenger seat of the van and went to the rear doors as three armed men came out of the house.
‘’Damn! This place is like an armed fortress.’ Swore quietly one of the FBI agents. ‘’I have counted up to now at least nine armed men standing outside watch.
You think that a simple consul rates this much protection, Ed?’
‘’A normal consul, no.’ Replied the agent holding the camera as he took a number of pictures of the van and the men around it. ‘’However, this Guerrero character seems to have way too much money for a simple diplomatic consul. Wait! They are taking something or someone from the van.’
‘’Make it a someone.’ Said his companion, watching through his scope. He then felt excitement rise in him. ‘’It’s a woman! A blond woman! She is wearing a large blindfold and I can’t positively identify her, but I could swear that this is Princess Grace.
Make sure to take good pictures of her, Ed. I’m calling this in.’
As the senior agent was taking out his cell phone to call the command center of the special task force formed to find Princess Grace, he eyed the big yacht moored at the private quay of the mansion. If those bastards managed to leave with their prisoner in that boat, stopping them without putting Princess Grace at enormous risk would be very difficult indeed. On the other hand, assaulting this wel -guarded mansion would be no easy feat either, especially considering that it was the official residence of a foreign diplomat.
A big, mean-looking man with brown skin standing on the porch of the mansion swore when his men took two plastic body bags out of the van after Grace Kelly was brought inside.
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‘’Madre de Dios! We have lost two more men?’ He asked to one of the men transporting the body bags. The latter, straining to carry the body, gave him a grim look.
‘’Pedro and Juan died from their wounds while at the Washington safe house, Jefe. That bastard who shot us up at the Mologne House Hotel knew how to shoot.’’
A flash of anger lit the big man’s eyes for a moment before he calmed down and spoke.
‘’If I learn his name, I will make certain that he pays one day, slowly and painfully.
Alright, go put the bodies aboard the yacht: we will leave in less than a hour. The quicker we leave American territory and get to the open sea, the better.’
‘’Yes, Jefe!’
Letting the four men pass first with the two body bags, the burly man then reentered the mansion and went to a very nervous-looking fat man standing in the main lounge. The latter watched the body bags go by before looking angrily at the leader of the Los Zetas team.
‘’Do you realize the kind of risks you are making me go through by coming here like this?’’
The criminal eyed the diplomat with cold, unmitigated contempt.
‘’We are the ones who took the risks while you cashed in our money, Señor Guerrero. Now, shut up and let us handle this!’’
What he didn’t say was that he would have gladly kil ed this coward if not for the fact that his status as a diplomat made him a precious asset to the organization. Looking next at their prisoner, he walked to her and forced her chin up with one hand. Fear was evident on her beautiful face and she was shaking but she clenched her teeth in order not to whimper. That impressed the gang leader, who liked women of character.
‘’Listen, and listen well, Miss Kelly. As long as you don’t make trouble and stay quiet, you wil be well treated. If you cause trouble or scream, you wil be beaten. The more trouble, the more pain for you. Understand?’’
‘’Ye…yes. What do you want from me?’
‘’From you, just your cooperation. From your son, Prince Albert of Monaco, a reasonable sum of 200 mil ion dol ars wil convince us to let you go. Pray that he is sensible and pays up quickly.’
‘’Two hundred mil ion dollars? But, that would bankrupt the Principality. How do you expect him to be able to pay such a sum?’’
The gang leader laughed out loud before answering her with a mean smile.
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‘’He wil pay, and for two reasons: first, he made a lot of money since 1959 and is now easily a bil ionaire; second, if he refuses to pay, then we will start sending you back to Monaco…one piece at a time, until he becomes reasonable.’’
Grace paled visibly at that threat but didn’t reply. Satisfied, the gang leader pointed Grace to two of his men.
‘’Bring her on the yacht and lock her up in a cabin. Don’t be rough with her for the moment, unless she acts stupid.’’
‘’Yes, Jefe!’ Said one of the men before grabbing Grace Kelly by one arm.
‘’Come with us, gringa2: you are going on a cruise.’
The men laughed at that as she was led out of the lounge.
01:39 (New York Time)
White House, Washington D.C.
The President had been in bed for barely an hour when he was gently shaken awake by a Secret Service agent.
‘’Mister President… Mister President, wake up!’
‘’Uh, what is happening?’’
‘’Princess Grace of Monaco has been located, Mister President. However, she is now on a yacht moored to the private quay of the Mexican Consul’s residence on the shore of Chesapeake Bay. The FBI needs your authorization to act on diplomatic territory.’
‘’The Mexican Consul is involved? The bastard! Okay, I’m getting up. Give me a minute or two.’’
‘’Yes, Mister President.’
With the agent leaving his bedroom, President Obama slipped quietly out of bed in order not to wake up his wife, then put on a robe and slippers. He was still chasing away his fatigue when he stepped out of his bedroom and faced the head of his protective detail.
‘’Okay, who called?’’
‘’Director Muel er, Mister President. He is at the command post of the special task force handling the abduction of Princess Grace.’’
2 Gringa : Mexican slang for white woman.
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‘’Alright, I will go to the Oval Office. Transfer his call there and get hold of Vice-President Clinton, Secretary of State Burns and Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano. I want to be able to make a conference call with all of them in fifteen minutes.’
‘’Understood, Mister President.’
Barak Obama walked quickly to the Oval Office, sitting down behind his desk less than three minutes later and picking up his telephone.
‘’Director Muel er, this is the President. What is the situation?’’
‘’Mister President, one of our surveil ance team watching the residence of the Mexican Consul, situated on the shoreline of Chesapeake Bay near Annapolis, saw about twenty minutes ago a van bring Princess Grace to that mansion. Ten minutes later, my men reported that she was being put aboard a big yacht moored at the private quay of the residence. Both the yacht and the residence are heavily guarded by armed men.’
‘’Are we sure that it was Princess Grace that your men saw, Director Muel er?’’
‘’Completely sure, no, Mister President. However, armed men took out of the van a blond woman with her hands tied and with a large blindfold over her eyes. These men also took out of the van and put on the yacht two body bags. If this isn’t the gang that kidnapped Princess Grace, then I would call this sighting an incredible coincidence.’
‘’And the Mexican Consul, is he in that house as wel ?’’
‘’Yes, Mister President. He was seen briefly standing outside the house with one of the armed men, discussing with him. I also have to tell you that all signs are that the kidnappers are probably going to leave soon on that yacht, Mister President. If we want to act, we wil need to do it quickly and with sufficient force to overcome these criminals before they can hurt Princess Grace.’
‘’That yacht, does it belong to the Mexican Consul?’’
‘’Yes, Mister President. Unfortunately, that makes it t