Albatross (31 page)

“Here’s the deal. Continue with the plan to your designated points. Becky and David, I want you to advance your plan by three months and head to your final destination. I have additional passports, birth certificates, and cash to facilitate that. I plan to keep most of the hard drives. If they are bugged and can be located, it will be easy for me to move faster. Sam … take this hard drive as my insurance. If I miss contact with you by twenty-four hours, let Becky and David know. If forty-eight hours pass without contact from me, run silent, regroup, and start the campaign of letting the media access the hard copies and hard drives. Hard copies first in pieces and then flood the market.”

“And they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another,” David uttered after he buckled Emma in her car seat.

Burns smiled. He could always count on David for a literary and biblical reference that fit the occasion. “Luke 19:44. By the way, David, I had more of those thoughts when I was nearly killed back there,” Burns commented.

“Kind of makes sense, Alex. I assume that when you’re not working, planning, and reconfiguring, you’re praying and meditating in one form or another. Are you thinking you eventually want to become a Catholic or more Orthodox? Maybe Jewish,” David suggested.

Burns smiled. He was sure he would miss David greatly. The guy who saved him so many years ago was still trying to help him find answers.
He does get me
, Burns thought.

“I think Catholic, though I prefer their Latin High Mass,” Burns answered.

David was shaking his head in approval.

“Fine choice … much shorter services than Christian Orthodox services while capturing the key points. Latin would appeal to your sense of tradition. Good choice, Alex.”

Burns continued to smile and then turned to address the whole group.

“Well, that’s it, team. If all goes well, we will be catching up in real time in twelve months,” Burns concluded. Burns felt sad. Unlike past missions from years ago, he clearly understood why he felt sad. This team had become his family, and he might not see them together for a long time.

That’s more than a good enough reason to be sad,
he thought.

“Really? You two aren’t going to see each other for twelve months?” Becky challenged. He could see Becky peering at Samantha.

“All right,” Burns confessed. “I plan to join Sam much sooner than that.”

Burns watched Samantha’s smile. Burns was happy to think that he might be the reason she had been doing a lot more smiling. With that, Burns watched Samantha hug her sister and kiss Emma good-bye.

Burns also watched how Samantha said good-bye to David. Burns had to admit that he marveled at their unique relationship. Their version of hugging had always consisted of a firm handshake and the usual sayings. “Touchy-feely” was just not part of their relationship. Burns found it ironic that the psychologist and the nurse were the least comfortable with public displays of emotion.
It’s just not their relationship,
Burns reminded himself.

“Ms. Littleton … take care of yourself.”

“Dr. Caulfield, always a pleasure, and until next time,” Samantha said.

“You always know where to find me,” David responded.

“Sure do,” Samantha said sweetly.

However, he did make a change when he addressed Burns. “Alex, take care of her please. Her sister will kill me if you don’t.” David smiled.

Burns turned away and then looked back at David, who was looking away and still smiling. Burns looked at Samantha and gave her a look like “something more is going on here.” Samantha picked up on the communication, and she looked at Becky in a curious way. Burns knew that that Samantha had been hounding Becky about her and David’s relationship.

“So are you and David going to stay together? Don’t you think Emma needs a mother and a father?” Samantha pressed.

Becky smiled as she entered her minivan. “Call me later, gator,” was her only response. As the minivan pulled away, Emma could be heard yelling from the back, “I love you!”

Burns wondered if even Becky knew the answers. Suddenly, Burns realized he was alone with Samantha. He was at a loss for words. She found the words faster than Burns could. “Alex, I am going to head out, but I plan on seeing you in two weeks.”

Burns was about to protest, but Samantha waved him off. “In two weeks, this plan will either work, or it won’t. Either way, I want to be with you, so don’t argue with me, and we will get along just fine.”

And that was it. Burns had to decide if he was going to argue and hold ground or yield. Burns had only one response: “Acknowledged.”

Burns watched as Samantha got in her car and drove toward her off-site storage facility, where he was sure she would undergo a complete change and transform herself yet again.

Burns was alone, but unlike many other missions, he was remarkably happy and hopeful. But there was still some work to be done.

Chapter 18

Once the emergency electricity
went out, there was no electricity to keep the locks for the cell doors secured at the North Reading Police Department. As a result, Andersen had been outside for an hour, corralling the detainees and criminals. While moving the citizens was a priority, making sure the real bad guys did not get away was a matter of public safety. It was a different world from early that morning. Sirens could be heard everywhere in the distance. There was heavy traffic on the highway that could be heard from his vantage point, and there was a sense of confusion, seemingly all computers on the planet going haywire at the same time.

Once there was some semblance of order, Andersen returned to the interrogation room with Jefferies and found it empty. Andersen looked on the desk and saw that his notes along with his material witness and possible terrorist were gone. Andersen stood in the room for about a minute, taking in the full gravity of how he had been duped and allowed a key player to walk right out of custody. Andersen was not a violent man. He was actually not prone to outbursts at all. It just wasn’t in his nature. As Andersen was about to walk out, he turned suddenly on the desk and flipped it over with a guttural yell, “Fuck!”

Andersen stood for a moment longer in the silent room, his hands pressing into his head through thinning hair. Andersen was impressed with Jefferies’s ability of remaining invisible and allowing his boss to have a moment of frustration.

Andersen regrouped and issued an order: “Search everywhere and find them.”

“Will do, boss,” Jefferies responded.

Good answer. You should make captain by the end of the day. At least you weren’t conned
, Andersen thought.

Andersen concluded that the cadet had to have been the woman David had referred to as Samantha.

After twenty minutes, Jefferies brought Andersen up to speed about the search and told him that it was Officer Dempsey who had found the red wig, cadet jacket, and Caulfield’s suit jacket and tie just outside of the emergency exit. Andersen was about to ask why the alarm had not been triggered, but then he remembered the electricity and backup generator had been off-line. Andersen shook his head. It had all been part of their plan.

Andersen decided to get back in the game. “Jefferies, find our FBI contact and then get me his boss. I want everyone to find Caulfield and the woman who walked right in and out of a police department without a problem. Find them now!”

It was only a few minutes later when Jefferies came back with a name and a location for the FBI deputy director. His name was Helms. Dempsey surprised Andersen again when he somehow managed to get Helms on the CB radio. Andersen informed Helms that he was now missing a possible link to a terrorist cell. Helms was in Andover, which was only about ten minutes away. They agreed to meet halfway. With no computers and half of the digital landlines and cable off-line, that left only two-way scanners, CB radios, and walkie-talkies to communicate and announce a lookout notice for David Caulfield and Samantha Littleton. 1970s technology was once again state-of-the-art with all the computers down. Andersen knew that with all the chaos going on and no Internet access, texts, and activity on smart phones, it would be hours before the notice made it out to the field in the Merrimack Valley.

Andersen thought about all of this when he arrived at the designated location. He noticed that Helms was flanked by two of the most computer-savvy agents he had ever seen. Once he met face-to-face with Helms, Andersen summarized the entire interview, the deception, and the target. Andersen thought one of Helms’s computer gals, a young woman named Janeson, was attempting to establish contact with the some federal agency called the operations center. It took a while, but she was able to get a manager on a working phone, one named Denise Cratty.

Helms took the phone from Janeson and started to listen and then interrupted, “Wait a minute … I have the detective that interviewed our lead witness right here. Let me put you on speaker phone. There are two of my agents and him.” Helms pressed a button, and everyone intuitively huddled around the cell phone.

“Everything I am about to tell you is classified and needs to be treated as such. One hour ago, my operations center was compromised by a crippling cyber-attack. Fortunately, Helms being hit first, gave us a jump to shut things down and get a backup plan going. We had four real-time missions going, so we relocated our operation center to Hascom Air Force Base. In the meantime, one of our senior-ranking managers, Jill Davis, was deployed to our auxiliary control room to reestablish and continue all operations until we were fully operational again.”

Andersen noticed that Helms had clearly recognized Jill Davis’s name.

“Davis said she would have the operation going in less than sixty minutes, and that was fifteen minutes ago. And it is still dark. She is not responding to all modes of communication, and if she is not responding, that means something bad has either happened or is going on.”

Andersen looked right at Helms. Helms shook his head, positive that Cratty’s assessment was accurate.

“Gentlemen, I need all available resources to block off all entrances and exits from that location. We are en route and ten minutes out. We need to secure the area, but I really could use your help to make sure nothing gets out. Local PD is en route and will be there in two minutes. Will you help?” Andersen could tell that this manager, Cratty, was a capable leader and a thinker. He could also tell that she could make second fiddle sound important to anyone. Regardless, Andersen wanted answers, and Helms seemed worried.

Helms looked at Andersen, and it was Andersen’s turn to give a positive nod. They all marched in unison to a large SUV.

“Give us the address, and we’ll have both our teams in place,” Helms requested.

Andersen went through a collection of cell phones to find one that worked so that he could round up any resources left from his beleaguered town.

Davis started to feel a pressing sensation on her arm at first. There was some noise. Maybe someone calling her name. Then Davis felt like she couldn’t breathe, and then she nearly jumped out of her skin.

Davis felt more pressure on her arm, and her fists balled as her eyes snapped open. Davis was about to strike; however, her right arm seemed dead, and her left felt like it was tied down by weights. It took her a moment to realize that Cratty was trying to wake her up.

“Stand down, Davis. It’s me,” Cratty responded. She then went on like only Cratty could do. She was all professional.

“Are you all right? What happened?”

“I was tricked and then attacked. Single, white man in his late thirties. Professional, maybe former special forces. Knows his hand-to-hand and knows tactics. Why are you here?” The haziness was starting to break up.

“The missing field agent, Anthony Maxwell, was at the site of the shooting in North Reading. He’s a casualty,” Cratty explained.

Davis looked directly into Cratty’s eyes, and she could tell that Cratty had a mix of emotions: sadness and raw anger.
I feel the same way,
Davis thought.

Hearing that someone was dead reminded Davis of her parents. Davis instinctively went to her throat with her free hand to see if her mother’s necklace was still there. Davis was relieved it was not lost in the fight.

“How long have I been out?” Davis jumped in again.

“No idea. When you were not up and running after sixty minutes, Chairman Daniels sent me here. Director Webber is on vacation and out of contact.”

Davis’s body seemed to jolt with recognition. She knew something was wrong, and she interrupted Cratty in midsentence, “Where’s the bag!” Davis’s eyes began to look everywhere.

Cratty shook her head as she unlocked Davis’s handcuff and freed her hand.

“It’s gone, Davis. So is the cash, classified protocol files, possibly blank documents. Only thing he left behind were the weapons.”

Davis’s mind seemed to go silent. Was it shock? She didn’t know. Again, Davis thought,
no weapons
. The guy clearly knew how to use his body as a lethal weapon, and yet he did not kill her or the guards.
He had had the means, the opportunity, and the skill. Why?