PRAISE FOR RANDY SINGER
“Cross James Michener’s great historical fiction with a John Grisham legal thriller, and you’ve got this epic classic by Singer.”
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY ON THE ADVOCATE
“Singer presents a compelling tale based on two real trials: that of Jesus and that of Paul in Nero’s court. This book is a riveting look into ancient Rome and offers parallels to our current political climate.”
ROMANTIC TIMES ON THE ADVOCATE (TOP PICK)
“Singer, the attorney-author of several solid legal thrillers, turns in another winner. . . . Singer’s many fans will be lining up to read this one.”
BOOKLIST ON DEAD LAWYERS TELL NO TALES
“Singer’s latest courtroom drama is full of twists and turns, second chances, and spiritual redemption. The author’s experience as a trial attorney is evident in the details and realism throughout. He allows the reader an up-close view into the legal system.”
ROMANTIC TIMES ON DEAD LAWYERS TELL NO TALES
“This riveting and thought-provoking legal thriller is sure to please Singer’s fans and earn him new ones.”
LIBRARY JOURNAL ON DEAD LAWYERS TELL NO TALES
“Singer skillfully loosens the strings and reweaves them into a tale that entertains, surprises, and challenges readers to rethink justice and mercy.”
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY ON THE LAST PLEA BARGAIN
“Another solid, well-crafted novel from an increasingly popular writer. . . . Its nonfiction origins lend the book an air of reality that totally made-up stories sometimes lack.”
BOOKLIST ON THE LAST PLEA BARGAIN (STARRED REVIEW)
“The Last Plea Bargain is a superbly written book, hard to put down, and easy to pick back up.”
THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
“Singer’s legal knowledge is well matched by his stellar storytelling. Again, he brings us to the brink and lets us hang before skillfully pulling us back.”
ROMANTIC TIMES ON FATAL CONVICTIONS
“Great suspense; gritty, believable action . . . make [False Witness] Singer’s best yet.”
BOOKLIST (STARRED REVIEW)
“A book that will entertain readers and make them think—what more can one ask?”
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY ON THE JUSTICE GAME
“Singer artfully crafts a novel that is the perfect mix of faith and suspense. . . . [The Justice Game is] fast-paced from the start to the surprising conclusion.”
ROMANTIC TIMES
“At the center of the heart-pounding action are the moral dilemmas that have become Singer’s stock-in-trade. . . . An exciting thriller.”
BOOKLIST ON BY REASON OF INSANITY
“Singer hooks readers from the opening courtroom scene of this tasty thriller, then spurs them through a fast trot across a story line that just keeps delivering.”
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY ON BY REASON OF INSANITY
“[A] legal thriller that matches up easily with the best of Grisham.”
CHRISTIAN FICTION REVIEW ON IRREPARABLE HARM
“Directed Verdict is a well-crafted courtroom drama with strong characters, surprising twists, and a compelling theme.”
RANDY ALCORN, BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF SAFELY HOME
Visit Tyndale online at www.tyndale.com.
Visit Randy Singer’s website at www.randysinger.net.
TYNDALE and Tyndale’s quill logo are registered trademarks of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.
Rule of Law
Copyright © 2017 by Randy Singer. All rights reserved.
Front cover photograph copyright © Jason Edwards/Getty Images. All rights reserved.
Back cover photograph copyright © Robert Shafer/Getty Images. All rights reserved.
Designed by Dean H. Renninger
The author is represented by the literary agency of Alive Literary Agency, 7680 Goddard St., Suite 200, Colorado Springs, CO 80920, www.aliveliterary.com.
Rule of Law is a work of fiction. Where real people, events, establishments, organizations, or locales appear, they are used fictitiously. All other elements of the novel are drawn from the author’s imagination.
For information about special discounts for bulk purchases, please contact Tyndale House Publishers at csresponse@tyndale.com, or call 1-800-323-9400.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Singer, Randy (Randy D.) author.
Title: Rule of law / Randy Singer.
Description: Carol Stream, Illinois : Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., [2017]
Identifiers: LCCN 2017016378| ISBN 9781496418159 (hc) | ISBN 9781496418166 (sc)
Subjects: LCSH: Special operations (Military science)—Fiction. | Women lawyers—Fiction. | Conspiracies—Fiction. | Political fiction. | GSAFD: Christian fiction. | Legal stories.
Classification: LCC PS3619.I5725 R85 2017 | DDC 813/.6—dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017016378
Build: 2017-07-18 09:55:40
This book is dedicated to five men and their families:
U.S. Army veteran John Hamen, who was imprisoned and executed by Houthi rebels after a courageous attempt at escape. He did not go down without a fight.
U.N. contractor Mark McAlister, who survived six months of captivity by the Houthis and refused to disavow his Christian faith.
SEAL team member Jeremy Wise, a member of the church I help pastor. Jeremy gave his life serving his country at the Camp Chapman CIA base in Afghanistan. He left med school to become a SEAL.
Green Beret Dane Paresi, who served twenty-seven years in the Army and earned the Bronze Star and various other medals. Like Jeremy, he died a hero at Camp Chapman.
The story of our freedom is written by men like them.
Contents
Author’s Note
Cast of Characters
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Epilogue
About the Author
Acknowledgments
AUTHOR’S NOTE
I wrote Rule of Law in 2016 to address some critical issues lurking on the horizon. Is the president above the law in matters of foreign policy? Should the CIA be fighting shadow wars with drones and Special Forces in countries where we have not declared war? And what happens when the lives of service members are sacrificed for political gain?
To avoid getting bogged down in the political polarization that has gripped our country, I created a president, a cabinet, and a Supreme Court composed of characters who bear little resemblance to the current occupants of those positions. It’s fiction, after all, though it’s hard to match the entertainment value of the real world. But to at least anchor the story in reality, all historical references—political, military, and legal—are based on actual events. And if that all makes sense, you should probably start writing your own novels.
Most of my stories are inspired by real life. I set part of the story in Yemen because, as a lawyer, I have filed counterterrorism lawsuits on behalf of clients who were kidnapped and tortured by the Houthis. I centered the action around a SEAL team mission because I live in Virginia Beach, the home base for several teams, and have the utmost respect for these elite warriors. Some are my friends and, as a pastor, members of my congregation. I’ve seen the tragedy of promising lives cut short and the resolve of the SEAL families to carry on. My hope is that this book might reflect the depth of that heroism.
I did not know when I wrote this story that its premise would soon unfold in real life. In January 2017, a SEAL team raid in Yemen resulted in a tragic loss of life. There were reports that the raid may have been compromised.
Though this is a work of fiction, the issues in this book are real. We owe it to our brothers and sisters in the military to think deeply about these topics.
CAST OF CHARACTERS
HAMILTON ADMINISTRATION
Amanda Hamilton—president of the United States
Leroy Frazier—vice president of the United States
Philip Kilpatrick—White House chief of staff
John Marcano—director of the CIA
Seth Wachsmann—attorney general
Roman Simpson—secretary of defense
ATTORNEYS AND JUDGES
Paige Chambers
Wyatt Jackson
Wellington Farnsworth
Kyle Gates—attorney for John Marcano
Dylan Pierce—attorney for Philip Kilpatrick
Landon Reed—attorney for Paige Chambers
Thea Solberg—district judge assigned to the Anderson case
Mitchell Taylor—U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia
MILITARY PERSONNEL AND FAMILY MEMBERS
Patrick Quillen—Navy SEAL
Bill Harris—Patrick’s grandfather
Troy “Beef” Anderson—Navy SEAL
Kristen Anderson—Troy’s wife
Justin and Caleb Anderson—Troy and Kristen’s sons
Brandon Lawrence—drone pilot
Admiral Paul Towers—commanding officer, Joint Special Operations Command
Commander Daniel Reese—Admiral Towers’s chief of staff
UNITED STATES SUPREME COURT
Cyrus Leonard—chief justice
Augusta Augustini—liberal
Kathryn Byrd—conservative
Barton “the Beard” Cooper—conservative
Taj Deegan—swing vote
William Martin Jacobs III—liberal
Reginald Murphy—liberal
David Sikes—conservative
Evangelina Torres—liberal
Patricia Ross-Braxton—retired
OTHERS
Abdullah Fahd bin Abdulaziz—member of the Saudi royal family
Mokhtar al-Bakri, aka Pinocchio—Yemeni CIA informant
Yazeed Abdul Hamid—Iranian cleric
Cameron Holloman—Washington Post journalist
Gazala Holloman—Cameron’s wife
Harry Coburn—reporter for the New York Tribune
Saleet Zafar—Yemeni cleric
1
SANA’A, YEMEN
They descended like vultures from the C-17 transport plane, silhouettes against a quarter moon in a tar-black sky. Invisible, silent predators. Arms and legs spread wide, free-falling for the first few seconds, the wind rushing past their arched bodies at 120 miles per hour. Adrenaline surging with every heartbeat.
Twenty men had stepped out of the cargo hold at 31,000 feet, into the frigid air above the sovereign territory of Yemen. Twenty-two seconds later, at 27,000 feet, they snapped their chutes open, checked their NavBoards, and adjusted their flights. They would float through the thin and biting air for nearly twenty minutes, landing within a few hundred yards of the first rally point on a desolate mountain plateau nearly five kilometers outside the city of Sana’a.
The men were part of a Tier 1 Special Forces “asset,” the best America had to offer. Among them were a farmer from New York, a swimmer from California, a hunter from Texas, a lacrosse player from Connecticut. They had trained their entire adult lives for a moment like this, a presidential mission, one the suits in D.C. were following in real time. The president herself would monitor progress from the mahogany-lined Situation Room, watching video from the team leader’s camera, listening to every spoken word on the command net, the radio frequency used by the team leader and headquarters staff.
These men were part of the famed SEAL Team Six, officially known as the Naval Special Warfare Development Group or DEVGRU, and this team, from the secretive Black Squadron, would be notching their own place in the history books tonight. It wasn’t quite bin Laden, but unlike other covert operations, this one would not go unnoticed. In fact, if all went according to plan, the world would later watch select portions of the video. They would see the lethal efficiency of this team. Freedom for condemned prisoners. A statement that America was entitled to respect.
The mission was code-named Operation Exodus, a name Patrick Quillen and his men secretly disliked. They wanted to call it Alcatraz because it would be a spectacular jailbreak, but then the president weighed in, followed by the PR geeks, and a name of requisite nobility was chosen. The Houthi rebels running Yemen had provided no trials or due process for the two noncombatants the SEAL team had been sent to extract. The Houthis had threatened to execute the prisoners by hanging them on Easter Sunday, thumbing their noses at the United States and Saudi Arabia. The president had dispatched this team to put things right, to set the captives free. Operation Exodus was born.
The first prisoner was an American journalist named Cameron Holloman, a flamboyant reporter for the Washington Post, one of those pretty boys who inserted themselves into war-torn countries and dreamed of Pulitzers. He had flown into Saudi Arabia and snuck across the border with Yemen so he could report on the plight of the people caught in the cross fire between the Saudi air raids and the Houthis’ counterattacks. But after two weeks in Yemen, he had been arrested, accused of being an American spy, and scheduled for execution.
Diplomacy with the Iranian-backed Houthis had long since failed.
In the same prison as Holloman, two cells down, sat Abdullah Fahd bin Abdulaziz, a member of the Saudi royal family, a rebellious nephew who had entered Yemen on his
own unauthorized diplomatic mission. Like Holloman, he had been arrested and accused of espionage. And like Holloman, he was scheduled to be hanged on Easter Sunday. The Saudis were desperate to free him, and the mission would be a failure if he died or was left behind.
The intel for the mission came from a Yemeni asset whom the CIA had dubbed “Pinocchio,” a twist on the fact that the man had proven himself with his handlers, his information always solid. He had provided the precise layout of the prison down to the cell numbers for the targets. The external layout and the daily patterns of the prison guards had been tracked through drone and satellite imagery.
Floating through the air and inhaling through an oxygen mask while making his flight adjustments, Patrick Quillen thought about the next few hours of his life. Tonight he was leading a platoon of sixteen SEALs, along with two Combat Control Team members from the Air Force and a couple of Air Force PJs, the military’s best medics. If all went according to plan, it would be sufficient firepower to overwhelm the unsuspecting Houthi guards and break the targets out of Sana’a Central Prison.
Just a few years earlier, when the U.N.–sanctioned coalition government controlled Yemen, al Qaeda attackers had burst through these same prison walls with a car bomb and freed nineteen of their own prisoners. If al Qaeda could do it, certainly American Special Forces should have no problem. A surprise nighttime raid on a fortified prison in hostile territory. Piece of cake.
A few hundred meters before he hit the ground, Patrick loosened the rucksack strapped between his legs and let it hang below him, attached by a rope, out of the way of his landing. Seconds later he flared his parachute and hit the ground running. He quickly gathered his gear, stripped off his thermal outerwear and mask, and unhooked his chute. Like the other SEALs, he went about his work silently, burying the gear he would not be taking with him.
When the men had all gathered, Patrick spoke into his command net mic and let his CO know that they had hit their first checkpoint. “Roger that,” his boss said, and the men were on their way. They were ready. Patrick could see it in their eyes. They were his men, every one of them, and they would have his back.
Operation Exodus was off to a good start. But the fun, Patrick knew, was just beginning.