Later in the afternoon Arjun’s car arrived with a large box. One of the items in the box was a prized possession of Arjun’s, a small but powerful Japanese two-way radio with a level of encryption. It was one of three he possessed. Arjun said he would call as soon as Fahad and Hakim left their quarters presumably for a meeting site, hopefully in the same Tibetan craft shop.
At 8:30 p.m. the radio came to life with a three-word message in Nepali. Anita translated for the others, telling them Hakim had left the bungalow in Kalamati. Bernadette and Kathy dressed in Nepali police uniforms under their long light coats and, armed with the Webleys taken from Bahadur and Chitra, left in Bernadette’s car to meet with Arjun. The meeting place was two blocks from Hakim’s bungalow. Up close Kathy’s and Bernadette’s disguise wasn’t expected to pass inspection, but at night, in a group of people dressed similarly to the local police, it passed the good-enough principle.
Fifteen minutes later, the radio alerted Anita the meeting site had been found and that transportation was on the way. A few minutes later Jack saw a car with parking lights on come in the driveway. Faces and hands darkened and wearing the peasant clothing of the Maoists with bandanas around their heads, they climbed in the car carrying shotguns. The driver was accompanied by Arjun’s deputy; who told them that the meeting was upstairs in the Tibetan craft shop where Ali Fahad and Hakim Al-Lami met last evening. The driver and Arjun’s assistant were wearing police uniforms.
Traffic was light. It was a weekday night and a light rain had started shortly after dusk. Practically no one was on the streets or in the market place. The suburban area, where Kathy and Bernadette were waiting with Arjun, was even quieter. Arjun’s assistant told him the team was in place outside the Tibetan craft Shop and ready to go in. Arjun told his deputy to wait two minutes and go in. Arjun turned to face his team and motioned to them to follow him up to the gate.
Arjun, dressed in a police officer’s uniform, banged his night stick on the gate. The guard came running up, and Arjun ordered him to open the gate immediately. When the guard hesitated, Arjun drew his police revolver. The gate swung open. The first man through the gate took the guard down and quickly bound, blindfolded, and gagged him. The other three men in police uniforms and Kathy and Bernadette, disguised as police women, surged through the gate and ran toward the front door. One of the men continued around to the back of the bungalow, while the rest of them charged up on the porch to the front door. The door was locked. Again Arjun knocked loudly on the door. A servant came to the door, saw the armed police and quickly opened the door.
One of Arjun’s men grabbed the servant and asked him in Nepali who was in the house. The servant said Mr. Al-Lami was out. No one else was in the house. He was quickly blindfolded, tied and gagged. Pulling on gloves, Arjun, Kathy and Bernadette rushed to their previously assigned search areas, while the rest of Arjun’s men secured the house and property. A few minutes later Kathy ran down from the upstairs bedroom and motioned for the others to come with her. The upstairs bedroom also served as Hakim’s office. A locked metal two-drawer filing cabinet was in the closet behind a cloth curtain. While Arjun worked on the lock, Kathy and Bernadette searched the rest of the room. Beyond finding an accounting ledger in a desk drawer and an airline ticket, nothing else was of interest. Arjun opened the file cabinet and Kathy began filling a large canvas shopping bag with the contents. Kathy looked at Arjun and said, “I’m through here. Let’s go.” By the time they were back in the car, a total of 11 minutes had passed.
Bernadette said with a sigh, “I am getting too old for this stuff. My adrenalin rush has already disappeared, and now I need a drink.”
Arjun laughed and said, “In ten minutes we will be back at your bungalow, and I will play bartender for everyone.”
Kathy asked Arjun if his man had reported in from the other team yet. Arjun told her whatever they did would be over by now, but they were still in a radio silence mode.
Waiting for the two minutes to pass seemed to Jack like the longest two minutes in history. Weapons were loaded using gloves and they were ready. These people had killed his father, his Vietnamese friends and shot his dog. He looked out the window. It was raining harder with the rumble of an approaching thunderstorm. Arjun’s deputy said, “Now,” got out of the car, and in ten strides was at the door to the Tibetan craft shop. The door was locked, but he could see someone smoking inside. He tapped on the door with his night stick. The door opened a crack and he threw his shoulder against the door and drove inside, knocking the man back onto a stack of Tibetan rugs. A blow to his head with a night stick kept him there.
Jack and Anita charged inside. They went up the staircase in a silent rush. Looking up the staircase, Jack could see a crack of light showing under the door. He hit the door with all of his upper body strength and built up momentum. It crashed open. Jack moved inside to the right of the door. Anita went left. Six men and a woman, sitting around a table covered with bottles and papers, stared at them. One man moved to get up. Anita shot him. The woman, a cleaned up Angela Pandey, dove under the table. Jack said, “Goodbye, Angela” and shot her in the back and left side.
They picked their targets by the threat each presented. Anyone who moved was hit first, and then anyone whose hands couldn’t be seen, followed by shouters or talkers. In seconds both shotgun magazines were empty. At that range the shotguns firing ten rounds of double 00 buck turned the room into an instant slaughterhouse. The noise was deafening.
Facts and Fictions 