Lesotho Promise: Houdini

Part III of the Trilogy (Scroll down for Part I and II)

Gradski: Tell me what you have on Springer.
Sergei: There is a van, parked all the time, at about 400 meters from the entrance gate. It belongs to the ‘Feds’. All his phones are tapped, even his cellphone. Not a single word goes un-intercepted. With a robbery this big, I am sure the NSA has him on a satellite, whenever he is out in the open. He gets out of his house at 8:30 am. The van doesn’t follow him, there is another SUV that follows him to office. The van stays put at his residence. He reaches office at around 9:00 am. His workstation at the office is under surveillance and he knows it. The security at Chrome Securities has been doubled after the incident. The place still has FBI officials going through their records. Besides, every single inch of the office is monitored through video cameras….

Gradski [interrupting]: Just tell me if you can reach him?
Sergei: That would be very difficult, without getting noticed. And even if we did get through to him, there is nothing much we can do about threatening him. No known family, no relatives.
Gradski: I know that. What about the time he is alone outside his house? Jogging, golfing, bars, any public place where we could get to him without getting noticed.
Sergei: Since the robbery, he doesn’t get out of that house, other than for work. He knows that his life is in danger. I don’t think he would be getting back to those leisurely activities any time soon.
Gradski: Damn it!!!......... Get me Jack.

They call Jack to their hide-out.

Jack: What is it?
Gradski: I want you to make an arrangement for me. I want you to set-up a meeting for me with someone who is under constant surveillance of the FBI and I want this to be done
off-the-radar.
Jack: Who is it?
Gradski: Eric Springer, chief engineer of Chrome Securities and a possible suspect for the FBI.
Jack: Did he really steal the diamond? Did he betray you?
Gradski: Just do as I told you to.
Jack: You must be already aware that he is a suspect, which means he is under constant surveillance. So getting him off-the-radar of the FBI and setting up a meeting is rather impossible. But, I could easily deliver your message to him and get back to you with his reply. But I need to know what happened. By the way, I hope our deal still stands.
Gradski: Fine. Sadusky will brief you with the details. As far as the deal is concerned. You will have the remaining money, when we have the diamond.

Sadusky tells Jack everything that happened; how they stole the diamond and how Springer betrayed them. Sadusky then tells Jack to threaten Springer on behalf of the Gradski and get that diamond from him by any means possible.

Jack goes to meet Springer, under the pretext of asking some questions about the robbery.

Jack: Hello Mr. Springer. I am detective Jack Carter, with the FBI.
Springer: Look, I have already told you guys everything I knew. I have nothing more to say. I even passed all the polygraphs and other tests they asked me to.
Jack: Mr. Springer, both you and I know how easy it is to fool those tests........... Especially for someone like you.
Springer: What is that supposed to mean?
Jack: Does the name Gradski strike something?
Springer: Never heard that name before.
Jack: That’s a shame, since I am supposed to kill you, for him. Too bad, you won’t even know who you died for.
Springer: You can’t do that. I am under constant FBI surveillance.
Jack: You have no idea how deep this runs Mr. Springer. What makes you so sure that the guys in that van outside are not involved in this?
People dying, evidence getting tampered, forging lies, these are things that don’t just happen. We make them happen Mr. Springer. And trust me when I say, we are exceedingly good at it.
Springer: I had no idea Gradski had moles inside the FBI.
Jack: Now you do. So let’s talk business, shall we?
Springer: I can’t give up the diamond so easily. I want my ‘cut’, what I was promised before by Gradski.
Jack: Good, now that remember everything about the diamond, lets forget about Gradski.
Springer: What do you mean?
Jack: You are an intelligent man, Mr. Springer. You know exactly what I mean. Do you think Gradski would forgive you once he gets the diamond? You know how these Russians are.
They will hunt you down at the first chance they get. And from the rate at which the case is turning cold, that chance might be a little too sooner than you suspect, right when the FBI surveillance stops.
Springer: What do you want me to do?
Jack: I was working for Gradski for money. Now that he is not in possession of the Diamond, I don’t expect him to pay me. So here is the deal; I take out Gradski for you, you give me the location of the diamond. I set-up the sale of the diamond and we split the money 50-50.
Springer: It’s a very dangerous game you are playing Mr. Carter.
Jack: I have been playing these games since ages, Mr. Springer.
Springer: Okay, but, I will give the location of the diamond to the buyers directly and personally, once the money is wired into my account. I wouldn’t risk giving the diamond to you.
Jack: Fair enough. I will get back to you after I take Gradski out of the equation.

In the following couple of weeks, through a series of tactical field operations, a number of hide-outs of the Russian Mob were demolished. Jack wasn’t officially involved in any of this, but he was the one who tipped off the DEA and FBI about the Russian hide-out he knew about. One hide-out let to the exposure of a number of others. Stash worth millions was impounded. Gradski was forced to leave the country withour his Diamond.

A week after Gradski leaves the country, Jack gets in touch with Springer…

Jack: I have a buyer for the stone.
Springer: How much is he willing to pay?
Jack: 4 million. His name is Jung Won, the famous North Korean warlord. I have scheduled the deal next Friday, 9:00 pm. Take down the address, the second exit on K Street, right after the Whitehurst junction. There is an abandoned warehouse around 2 miles along the road.
Springer: Ya, I know that warehouse. But what about the ‘Feds’ following me?
Jack: They are taking off surveillance on Monday. So don’t worry about them.
Springer: Okay, see you on Friday.
Jack: And don’t act smart this time. No fake stones. These guys know what they are dealing with. You screw-up and we die. Understood?
Springer: Don’t worry. I just want my 2 million and no trouble.


6 months later… [David Mills is in his office at FBI Headquarters, Washington].

David: Martha, could you call up Sandra Carter, wife of Jack Carter……… widow of Jack Carter and connect her to my phone. I want to invite her to the Memorial Day Ceremony.
If it wasn’t for Jack, we wouldn’t be receiving awards from the Secretary of State for recovering that Diamond.
Martha: Sure Sir.

After about an hour or so.

Martha: The Department of Justice just called for that conference and yes, I tried calling Martha Carter, but the given number has been disconnected for almost a month now.
David: You sure about that?
Martha: Yes Sir.
David: Okay, send Durham to her home and tell him to get back to me with the details.

After about a month, Sandra Carter is still untraceable. None of her friends or relatives has a clue.

David: How can she disappear all of a sudden, she is suffering from Leukemia for Christ sakes!
Durham: What do you want me to do, Sir?

David seems lost in thoughts for a while… Suddenly his jaw drops with astonishment.

David: Durham, dig up Jack Carter’s grave. Get his dental records, DNA records, everything and anything you can, to identify whether it’s actually Jack Carter’s body that was buried in that grave.

So, what exactly happened on the day of the deal with the North Koreans?

Friday, 9:00 pm. At the warehouse, Jung Won and his two men meet Springer. Jack is already present.

Jung Won: Hello, Mr. Springer. Have you brought what we need?
Springer: No. I don’t have it with me. You wire the money to my account. I confirm the transfer. Then I give you the location of the stone. Once your men retrive the stone, we can all go home rich.
Jung Won: Sounds good.

Springer and Jack give their account numbers to one of Jung Won’s men and the money is transferred. Springer and Jack verify the money in their accounts.

Springer: Locker 24, Union Station. Combination: 314. You will get what you want.

Jung Won’s man leaves to collect the stone and after 20 minutes calls him back, confirming he found the diamond.

Springer: Well, now that everyone has what they wanted, I think we are done here.
Jack: One last thing…

Jack shoots Springer. Springer falls on the ground, bleeding profusely.

Springer: What was that for?
Jack: Sshhh….. Don’t stress yourself. The blood's almost black, that means the bullet's in your liver. You have about 20 minutes to live. If the pain gets to be too much, you can take your hand away. Then you'll be dead in 5 minutes. But I suggest you try to live as long as you can. Maybe I will tell what this is all about.

Jack: This is not the North Korean warlord Jung Won. I am sure you must have done your research before coming here, but I bet you couldn’t find of picture of Jung Won. This is Officer Nick Chen with the D.C. Police. Japanese by origin and speaks Korean fluently, but he is a US citizen. Same is the case with other two officials who posed as his associates; both are US government officials, but right now they are off-duty, working for me. The money transfer you just saw wasn’t real, thanks to agent Danny Gang here, who is a computer analyst with the NSA. He can make numbers disappear from any account with a twitch of his finger. The money transfer you saw was a classic decoy, Springer. The money did make it to your account but just for a couple of minutes. That’s all you need to know. Now let’s get you back home, shall we? We have a lot of work to do.

After they reach Springer’s home…

Springer is already dead. They setup the house so that it looks as if a shoot-out occurred there; they fire bullets on the walls with Jack’s gun and the revolver that Springer owned.

Then Jack calls 911, using Springer’s cellphone, posing as Springer and tells them about a break-in at his house and attempt on his life.

He then calls his fellow agent, Det. David Mills who was still working on the Diamond trail and tells him to come to Springer’s house, saying he got a possible lead on the diamond trail, since Springer called 911 regarding an attempt on his life.

In Springer’s living room….

Jack: Nick, where is Doc.?
Doc: Right here, Jack.
Jack: Okay, you ready?
Doc: I can never be ready for something like this.
Jack: Relax Doc. We have been over this. Don’t worry. It will be fine. Just be prepared in the ambulance. Make sure the pulse stops and remains so, till they carry me into the ambulance.

Doc. injects Jack with a syringe filled with high dosage of a banned negative inotrope.
Negative inotropic agents weaken the force of muscular contractions. In this case, the target muscle was Jack's heart.

Doc: You will become unconscious after 7-8 minutes from now. This drug would start functioning approximately after 10-12 minutes and within 15 minutes your heart would stop beating. Now listen carefully , this is very important; right after Det. Mills checks your pulse and confirms that you are indeed dead, officer Chen will obscurely inject you with Digoxin. That should help us revive you once you are in the ambulance. But I am telling you Jack, this is very risky. There is a very high probability that you might not make it.

Jack: Relax Doc. We will make it through. I trust you. Nick, you ready?

Nick then stabs Jack with a special type of pointed tool that is sterlized, on the left side of his stomach and removes it. Jack starts bleeding. They fabricate the wound, so that it looks exactly like a bullet wound. After a few minutes he is unconscious. The crime scene is ready as they wanted.

In a few minutes, the Police reach, followed shortly by Det. David Mills.

David: Detective David Mills, FBI. Where is Detective Carter?
D.C. Police Officer (Nick Chen): Please come with me Sir.

Nick tells David that possibly Springer and Jack got into a fight and that is how they shot each other. David tells Nick to get back to get the forensics report ASAP to him.

After David leaves, Nick hurries Jack into the ambulance. Doc is waiting inside with all the equipments required for CPR and a syringe full of Atropine. After much struggle with the CPR and electric shocks and a couple of syringes filled with drugs, Jack's heartbeat returns to normal. Jack, Doc. and Nick are in the ambulance.

Jack: Thank you Doc.
Doc: Thank the Atropine, not me.
Jack: Nick did you tell David, what I told you to?
Nick: Yes. I did. But who is this Sarah Tops?
Jack: Forget about it now. You will know in a few days. Is my new passport ready?
Nick: Yes it is. You ticket for tomorrow is confirmed for day after tomorrow. But you sure you want to fly so early. You should take some rest.
Jack: I would have got out of the country today itself. But I got to do something before I leave. I got to visit the ‘National Museum of Natural History’ tomorrow.

David and Jack worked pretty closely on the Lesotho Promise robbery case. And David had told Jack how his son Nathan was constantly pressing him to visit the ‘National Museum of Natural History’. Jack never wanted to steal diamond. The Heist wasn’t about the money for Jack, it was about getting away clean, from his past. He had all the money he needed from Gomez, Klansky and many more crooks he snitched.

The Officials and Doc (Doctor Reid, he was with the forensics department in the FBI) who assisted him in ripping off Springer were very good friends with Jack and at one point or the other in their life, Jack had helped them in some big way and they owed him for his help. Jack trusted them with his life, literally.

As for the dead body of Jack, it was Doctor Reid who performed autopsy on an unclaimed dead-body, and that same body was buried at the cemetery, under Jack Carter’s tomb-stone.
With Det. David Mills personally being a witness to Jack’s death, no one would probe into his death further.

About a month later, David found the Diamond in the skeleton of a dinosaur called ‘Tri-Cera-Tops’, at the National Museum of Natural History, where Jack had hidden it, before he disappeared......... pulling off a Houdini. He somehow managed to get his suffering wife out of the country to take care of her. Her disappearance led Det. David Mills to suspect that Jack is still alive, because his death enquiry was completely over-shadowed with the Lesotho Promise trail.