Rogue Asset (Book 3 of the Wade Hanna Series) (11 page)

Chapter 11

Tangier, Morocco

North Africa

Substantial funds had already been deposited in Wade’s Canadian charge account before leaving for Europe. Wade was to leave Zurich following rigid departure instructions entering Tangier by train after making transfers in Spain and Portugal.

After going through customs in the Tangier terminal Wade was to check for tails from several observation points. Only after satisfying himself he was free of tails was he to take his bag to a particular row of cabs and head for his hotel.

His room was small, barely accommodating a small dresser, nightstand, and small lamp. A bottle of wine sitting on the dresser greeted Wade. There was a folded paper on hotel stationery stuck to the side. The note read, “Welcome to Morocco. Meet you in the lobby at 4:00 p.m.” It was signed by Claude.

Wade didn’t know anyone by the name of Claude. His brow furrowed wondering if Claude was one of Leo’s men or someone letting him know he was under surveillance. Normal precautions were taken as Wade got settled in his room. He looked for listening devices and hidden cameras in all the usual places. Nothing looked suspicious. He wondered if Leo had his room cleared of listening devices before he arrived.

The moderately priced hotel blended with the middle-class neighborhood surroundings. Décor in the room was plain with walls barely wide enough to accommodate the double bed and side table. His room was on the third floor facing out on the relatively quiet main street of the hotel. The street was lined on both sides with storefronts. Except for the commercial shops along the main street, the rest of the hotel was surrounded by a quiet residential neighborhood.

The view from his window provided a wide vista of the frontal street. He liked what he saw. His window looked down on the hotel entrance. He had a clear view of people entering and leaving the hotel. Before Wade unpacked, he stood at the window to get a sense of his surroundings and the rhythm outside. The pace was slow, closer to his hometown of Greenstone, Alabama, rather than Zurich or Washington, D.C.

Wade had to find out who Claude was and what the bottle of wine was about. He unpacked the few items he had and bent a small paperclip to fit in the wedged door hinge. He made sure he could see the clip from the top hinge from the outside. It could tell him if anyone paid a visit while he was gone.

He left the room quietly finding the stair exit to the lobby rather than taking the elevator. As he descended, Wade took note of the side clearances and height in case he had to use the stairs in a hurry. At the bottom of the stairwell, a red door opened to the lobby. Another door faced the other wall. That door was locked, but Wade carefully checked the familiar lock mechanism that he would have no problem opening. Opening the red door into the lobby Wade faced a private telephone booth available for guest use. He decided not to use that phone and hurried through double exit doors onto the main street. His instincts guided him to make an immediate left where he began a brisk walk towards the busier part of the street.

Keeping close to the storefronts he maintained his brisk pace quickly covering three blocks. There was a storefront whose entrance was fronted by display windows at 45-degree angles to the main street. He paused to window shop and saw everything behind him in the reflected glass. A quick turn to cover his blind spot confirmed he was not being followed. Everything looked normal at the same pace and routine.

Looking back three blocks to the hotel he noticed parking for the hotel was in the back, off a side street. If a car didn’t use hotel parking in the rear, they would have to drive around or pull up in a yellow zone to pick up passengers on the front street. He looked up from the hotel to see where his room was in relation to the front and side streets. He liked the position of his room and wondered if Leo had specified that room in the hotel.

Wade observed lots of cabs congregating across the intersection a block away from his position. He proceeded along the main street keeping an eye on the passengers who were getting into cabs one block over. None of the new arrivals appeared to be a threat. 

The route Wade chose included several switchbacks and figure eights to ensure he was not being followed. Frequent stops were made at storefronts along the way to scan his rear using the angle of glass reflection. Nothing seemed suspicious.

Along his route, Wade noticed several alleyways between certain buildings and took note of their clearances. He turned into some alleys just to see where they led, mentally calculating distances from the main street landmarks.

Two blocks further Wade spotted a pharmacy with an unmistakable pay phone sign sticking out the top of the storefront. He picked up speed closing the distance between himself and the pharmacy on the opposite side of the street. His instincts told him to go another two blocks before turning back.

The main street thinned, its congested traffic allowing Wade quickly to cross the street in the middle of the block. Looking over his shoulder he saw no one was following. He picked up speed, walking towards the pharmacy and suddenly turned left disappearing into an alley. A few minutes later Wade emerged from the alley in sunlight on the main street adjacent to the pharmacy. Momentarily, he retreated into the shadows of the alley to observe people walking up and down the main street. “All this for a phone call,” he whispered to himself.

The pay phone on the wall was just inside the store near the front window.

Wade dialed the secure number from memory and heard Leo’s voice respond.

“Hello.”

“It’s Wade. I’m down the street from the hotel. My room had a bottle of wine and note from someone named Claude suggesting we meet at 4:00 p.m.”

“You’re good with Claude. He’s one of my guys. He’s going to give you layouts and drop sites. I’m on another call right now. I have to run.”

“Wait. What does Claude look like?”

Leo was hurried in his reply. “He’s a little taller than you in his late thirties, reddish brown hair, and speaks with an Irish accent.”

“I take it Claude is not his real name?”

“Of course not.”

Wade knew the conversation was over when he heard the click after Leo’s last comment. Claude may be one of Leo’s men, but Wade wasn’t taking any chances. Wade was not going to allow Claude in his room.

By 3:30 p.m. Wade was seated in one of the lobby guest chairs with his back to the wall observing foot traffic in the hotel lobby. He wanted to observe Claude from a distance. Even though he picked a chair in the corner under a palm plant, Wade thought he might be too conspicuous by reading an English newspaper.

The person described by Leo entered the lobby precisely at 4:00 p.m. The target looked around essentially ignoring Wade and started towards the front desk. Wade intercepted his path and introduced himself.

After exchanging greetings, it was Claude’s suggestion they leave the hotel for a walk. Turning right leaving the hotel door they traveled in the opposite direction Wade had traversed two hours earlier. Both men seemed guarded in what they said.

Remembering what Leo said, Wade let Claude start the conversation.

“If you’re up for a bit of a walk I would like to give you a tour of the area.”

“Sure.”

Claude pulled a map from his pocket and handed it to Wade. “You can keep the map. It might be helpful.”

They stopped for a moment while Wade opened the map to get his bearings. Claude pointed to the area of the city they were headed towards as Wade refolded the map to a more manageable size.

As they walked, Claude began orienting Wade, pointing to spots on the map as he spoke. “We’re heading southwest from the hotel toward the dock area. The ship will be docking here. The expected drop point is here.”

Pointing, he continued, “This traffic circle ends access to the dock area. Most people going to the dock park their cars in these locations over here.”

Claude continued in his heavy Irish accent, “Here is a market bazaar. The streets are lined on both sides with vendors – a good place to get lost. The small pencil dots are potential observation and drop points. You may want to review those. Ingress and egress to the docks along these two streets are possible as well as from the main street.”

Wade absorbed the locations, turning the map slightly to maintain his orientation. Claude continued.

“Let’s go see some of these sights up close.”

“That sounds like a good idea.”

As they started walking Wade moved the conversation from map reading to more about Claude.

“How long have you worked for Leo?”

“This is my second assignment with Mr. Leopold.”

“How is it you know this area so well?”

“My father was a merchant seaman and often docked at this port. My mother and I moved here shortly after the war. We moved back here for a few years when I was a young lad. When I was approached for this assignment, I didn’t remember much about this place except the culture. The culture here seems to have stuck with me.”

Wade asked, “When did you first get involved with this assignment?”

Claude paused before continuing, “I received a call from Mr. Leopold a couple of months ago. He had me move back here last month. At first my only assignment was to get to know all these locations in detail. So I’ve spent quite a bit of time rediscovering the place and getting used to all the new changes.”

Claude wasn’t mentioned in the briefing papers. Wade wondered what his role was in the assignment. He decided not to ask that as a direct question. If they were going to be working together, he didn’t want Claude feeling uncomfortable. He would probably find out soon enough.

The two men walked silently, taking in the sights on both sides of the main street. Wade thought about his next question. So as not to appear prying, Wade asked another question. He thought Claude could easily defer his answer if he weren’t comfortable with the question.

“Do you come from the intelligence community?”

Claude’s direct response surprised Wade, “I’m former IRA, and except on this assignment I work for British Intelligence. I met Mr. Leopold when I was with the IRA. He saved my life.”

Wade decided to leave this line of questions and focus more on local transportation routes. The two men finally came to the dock area. Claude described the dock layout showing where different ships were assigned to dock depending on their cargo and size. Wade made several notes directly on the map.

As they turned down the next street away from the traffic circle, Wade gazed out on the huge expanse of the harbor with dozens of ships anchored in front of a beautiful sunset. The red setting sun provided a beautiful backdrop to the painterly dots of ships making up the picturesque palette before him.

Claude diverted Wade’s eyes back to the map.

“You may want to look at this.” He pointed as he explained how the docks were organized by cargo type. Claude pointed to the smaller red boats running back and forth, explaining they were pilot craft used to guide vessels into the harbor to their rightful docking position. He moved his pointing finger to the entrance of the harbor, reminding Wade of the hazardous reef and rock formations just outside the entrance.

“The sea is calm today, but it often erupts in violent fury on the other side of that heavy rock seawall.”

Bright cargo lights from the docked vessels shone down on a painted loading area marked by yellow painted stripes. Loading and unloading activities paused; stevedores exchanged day and night shifts.

The view was mesmerizing to Wade. He looked for details of the various dock activities not realizing his eyes were glazed in a trance-like state. Claude broke Wade’s concentration.

“Let’s walk over here a bit. You can get a good look at the bulk cargo unloading area on the other side where our vessel will be docked.”

The men walked over and observed another bulk carrier accept extended conveyors into its holes from above. Claude pointed to another area of the map so Wade could orient himself around the large U-shaped docking area. With a nod, Wade confirmed he understood where each section was separated by cargo type.

Claude reminisced; quickly pointing out the area didn’t always look like this.

“This area has become a little touristy since I remember it as a youngster. There are now restaurants and shops where there used to be warehouses. It was a grimy mess. You couldn’t walk where the restaurants now stand. I guess that’s progress.”

Both looked, shaking their heads as they imagined what the area looked like just a few years ago. Claude broke the mood.

“There’s a small seafood restaurant not far from here I like. Would you like to get something to eat?”

Wade couldn’t take his eyes off the setting sun and expansive dock area that lay before him. The scene was right out of the movie, Casa Blanca. Claude gave a small nudge which broke Wade’s trance. 

After a short walk to the restaurant, they settled on a window table so Wade could continue to see dock activity as they ate. Claude recommended the traditional fish stew that both men enjoyed immensely

After dinner, Wade pulled out his folded map. “Tell me again where the drop point is supposed to be.”

Claude pointed to a spot on the map and indicated, “The DiBoise Restaurant is here.”