Page 68 of Flash and Bang
“What are we going to raid this time? I assume you know where Mary Mason is then.”
“We’ve located a very large storage unit in the Valley not far from her house. It’s in her name. We think that’s where the Freedom Brigade is storing their explosives and illegal fireworks,” Snow said, leading them back to the table. He pointed to a picture of a large cement building. “This is the Mason’s storage space in Chatsworth. There’s more than six hundred square feet of climate-controlled space here. We believe she’s using the space to assemble bombs. We think she and her husband were using the unit for this purpose. After analyzing the evidence she left behind in her home, we believe she’ll be there to pick up supplies for the attacks the Freedom Brigade has planned.”
“So the attacks are planned for tonight,” Thayne concluded. “Jesus. Happy Fourth of July, America. We’re here to kill you.”
Snow nodded, looking grim. “Yes, the calendar we found suggests that the attacks will be tonight. There are massive fireworks displays planned in all the cities listed in their computer.”
“Let me guess,” Jarrett said, “The Mason crew was going to conduct the show at the one here in LA.”
Snow nodded. “We believe so, but we’ve yet to determine where. We are hoping to get some clue when we go out to Chatsworth.”
“Wherever it is, you can bet there’s going to be families galore there just like Miramar,” Thayne said grimly. He glanced over at Jarrett. “These people have to be stopped.”
“I agree. They’re quite insane,” Snow said.
“We think the reverend and Mary Mason are keeping bomb-making materials, black powder, and bootleg fireworks in there but we don’t want to go in and risk not catching them in the act. We have to contain them and keep our agents safe. If he or his daughter are truly crazy, they could light the place up and God knows what they’ve got in there. They could take out a city block if there’s enough of it.”
“Crazy nuts with a plan to detonate bombs and exploding fireworks on the loose are much too dangerous to risk losing,” Jarrett said, “He’s quite obviously a hater and she’s much more dangerous than the little grandma she appears to be.”
“I’ll say,” Thayne said.
“There’s something that’s not working for me,” Jarrett said. The others turned to him to explain. “If the Freedom Brigade was the one downat the border, how does Mary Mason fit in with all of those guys? Are they just hired muscle? I mean, let’s face it. The guys down at the border were former military and mercenary types. I know you found their affiliations with the US military when you ran the backgrounds of the ones killed, but Mary and Greg Mason were out of the military for years. They’d been running their firework show business for a long time. Captain Carrillo down at Miramar told us they’d been doing shows for them for more than ten years without a hitch. So where’d they get the kind of guys that attacked us at the Fernandez farm? Those guys had serious training and weaponry. I mean, we’re talking some seriously well-armed and well-financed stuff.”
“What better place for a bunch of disgruntled military types to hang out than a militia that has plans on toppling the federal government by starting mini wars against the police which might happen if enough citizens are killed in domestic terror incidents? Revolutions have been started with less,” Thayne said.
Jarrett cocked his head and stared at his partner for a long time. He finally nodded. “I still don’t believe they could possibly think they’d succeed,” Jarrett said.
“If we have enough Timothy McVeigh types blowing shit up, it’s going to cause chaos,” Snow said. “If that happens, riots may break out in these major cities.” He tapped the map.
“Anarchy, death and destruction… and under the right circumstances, revolutionaries could possibly take over,” Jarrett said.
“Now you sound like a conspiracy theorist, Jarrett. It would never work,” Thayne said. “We have a population of 324 million people with one being born every eight seconds.”
Jarrett smirked at him. “You are such a nerd. How do you know that?”
Thayne looked offended. “What? I read!”
“Well, they don’t have to succeed in blowing up the whole country. All they have to do to get their message across is to cause a hell of a lot of innocent people a ton of injuries while killing a bunch of folks along the way,” Snow said.
Jarrett nodded and slapped both Thayne and Snow on the back. “Well, crime fighters, it’s up to us to stop them,” he said, dropping the pitch of his ‘announcer’ voice as low as he could.
Thayne laughed and Snow grinned widely.
****
Thayne and Jarrett looked up from the table filled with pictures to see familiar faces walk into the conference room. Sarah Connor and Tim Darcy were followed by Jose Galvez and Craig Baldwin, the fresh-faced former Marine rookie in their work group.
“Hey, guys,” Thayne said, stepping forward to shake hands with his fellow agents. He made the introductions to Snow and Special Agents Jennifer Long and Terry Meyers who joined them. Once they were all gathered, Snow went through the evidence they’d gathered at Mary Mason’s house the day before, pointing out key pictures and materials they’d found as he explained what they’d been able to uncover about the plot to assassinate families using explosives and fireworks at shows across the country. As Snow spoke, an older gray-haired woman walked into the room followed by SAC Stanger. They stood quietly watching as Snow finished filled everyone in on the goals for the raid. When he finished speaking, he turned to Stanger and the woman and held out his hand.
“I’d like to introduce FBI Special Agent in Charge Lydia Miller and ATF Special Agent in Charge Lloyd Stanger,” Snow said.
The agents, both FBI and ATF, all nodded to SACs Miller and Stanger as they walked to the head of the table where Snow stood.
“As you know, it is imperative that we catch Mary Mason, Reverend James Elroy, and the rest of the Freedom Brigade here in Los Angeles,” SAC Miller said. “Their plans for tonight’s terror attacks must be uncovered and it must be stopped. SAC Stanger and I will remain here in the Bureau offices to coordinate with other divisions of the FBI, ATF, and Homeland Security all across the nation. Los Angeles is considered ground zero since Elroy and Mason are here. The multi-agency task force considers the Freedom Brigade and its affiliated militias to be the highest priority domestic terror threat the nation currently faces. We are working in full cooperation with other states and divisions as well as Washington to bring down these terrorists with as little fanfare as possible, and we are counting on all of you to bring these criminals to justice. That said, the staging area for the raid on Mason’s storage facility in Chatsworth is at the Amtrak train station 1.3 miles from the unit. You’ll be meeting Chief White from the LAPD out at the train station. It goes without saying that a lot rests on your shoulders this afternoon. Now, fall out and do your jobs well, agents. Your country is counting on you.”
Thayne glanced at Jarrett as SAC Miller walked out of the room. SAC Stanger walked up to him, Jarrett, and his other agents. “The reputation of the ATF rests on your shoulders, agents,” Stanger said. He raised an eyebrow as he pinned Jarrett with a withering look before glancing at Thayne. “You agents will coordinate with Chief White under Special Agent Snow’s authority. For heaven’s sakes, don’t get killed and listen to Snow out there in the field. Do not forget this is a joint task force and we are not rivals with the other agencies here. We are working in full cooperation with the FBI, the LAPD, and Homeland, so don’t be cowboys. You’re going to need to use every instinct you have. I expect all of you to come back in one piece. Make me proud of you. Is that clear?” They all responded with nods of the head and mumbled yesses. “Good luck.”
He walked away and Thayne shot Jarrett a look. “I think he was trying to tell you not to get yourself killed,” Thayne said.