Freefall

by Traci Hunter Abramson

  Kel moved to stand beside Amy and also studied the image.

  Amy glanced over at Kel. “I’m sorry. He looks familiar, but I don’t remember him from the hotel.”

  After a moment Kel suddenly let out an exasperated breath and rolled his eyes. “You’ve seen him on those used car commercials. He’s not our guy.”

  “I knew he looked familiar,” Brent muttered. Sensing Amy’s tension, he reached up and put his hand on hers and gave it a squeeze.

  Kel moved back to look at Quinn’s monitor. “What’s the status on the abandoned backpack?”

  “The transit authority is debating whether to shut down the station or not,” Quinn told him.

  “Tell them to just do it and let’s get it cleared.” Kel shook his head in disgust. “It’s not like this doesn’t happen at least once a week.”

  “Yeah, but we don’t normally go in with hazmat suits on to check them out.”

  “Just get it done,” Kel instructed.

  * * *

  Jim Whitmore handled stress all the time, but he was starting to think that the tension just might be more than he could handle. The morning rush hour had passed without incident, except for the abandoned backpack that had contained someone’s ham-on-rye sandwich and a couple of paperbacks.

  Beside him, Charlie had gotten comfortable with his feet stretched out in front of him and his eyes on the screen as he snacked on one of the cookies that someone had brought in. He wasn’t sure how many hours had passed since lunchtime, but his stomach rumbled as dinner hour in Italy continued to slip by. Now that they had reached the slow period between morning rush hour and the lunch traffic, Amy had moved back over to her desk to continue looking for that elusive fourth man she knew was out there somewhere.

  Jim wasn’t sure which he preferred, Amy standing on her feet all day staring at computer screens or her trying to remember the faces of the men who had held her captive. She seemed to be handling things well—too well, in fact. Looking at her, he never would have known she had just gone through a life-threatening experience.

  Of course, he couldn’t recall seeing her kiss a man in quite the way she had kissed Lieutenant Miller the night before, either. He was sure it was normal for her to become infatuated after what they had been through together, but he would be glad when she got over it. Jim didn’t want to see his little girl fall in love with someone who might leave for work one day and then never come home.

  The fact that the man clearly had faith in the Lord had brought him up a notch in Jim’s opinion, but Brent Miller still wasn’t anything like Jared Elliott. Jared was safe, steady, reliable. Brent was just dangerous. Mormon or not, he was the sort that didn’t have to go looking for trouble. Trouble was likely to come looking for him.

  Jim sensed someone behind him and felt Amy’s hands come down on his shoulders to rub away some of the tension that had settled there. “How are you doing, Dad?”

  “I’ll feel better when all of this is over,” Jim admitted. “I’m just glad your brother isn’t playing in Washington tonight.”

  Amy’s hands stilled. “Are the Nationals home tonight?”

  “I think so.” Jim nodded. “Against the Cubs, I believe.”

  “What if the subway isn’t the only target?” Amy turned from her father and spoke to Kel. “Commander, can we find out what time the Nationals play tonight?”

  “Yeah, sure.” Kel raised his eyebrows but moved to his computer and pulled up the schedule on the internet. “The game starts at seven.”

  “The subway is going to be packed with people headed to the game as well as the regular rush-hour traffic,” Amy pointed out. “Could the game be the target? A lot more people would be affected.”

  “Quinn?”

  Quinn shook his head. “I don’t think so. The stuff we’re dealing with doesn’t have a very big range. It’s more effective in tight spaces, not open air.”

  “Still, we probably should concentrate on the stations that will take most of the traffic to the game,” Kel noted.

  “Metro Center is always crazy on game days,” Charlie commented.

  “If this stuff is effective for six hours, we’re probably looking at

  a drop time no earlier than one or two in the afternoon,” Kel surmised.

  “How long does it take before people start feeling the effects?” Jim asked.

  “Supposedly it’s pretty quick,” Seth piped in. “That means they aren’t likely to release it until five or six, when the traffic is the heaviest.”

  “I just thought of something,” Brent said suddenly. He stood, still keeping his eyes on his screen. “Kel, can you take over for me for a minute? I want to make a phone call.”

  “Sure.” Kel traded him places, and Brent headed for his desk. They all listened in as he asked random questions about what their first two suspects had been doing when they were picked up.

  After Brent hung up, he turned to the rest of them. “According to the FBI, our two suspects weren’t even out of bed when they got there.” Brent grinned. “Not only that, they had requested a late checkout. According to the desk clerk, they weren’t checking out until two.”

  “Then there’s a good chance we’re looking at the real threat coming this evening,” Kel said as he stood and let Brent take his seat once more. “That should give us at least two hours before things start getting crazy.”

  “Maybe this would be a good time to send out for some dinner,” Seth suggested.

  “I’m going to get someone to cover these monitors for a while, and then I want all of you to take a break and grab something to eat,” Kel told them. He turned to Charlie and Jim. “It’s going to be a long night.”

  Jim glanced back at Amy. “Any ideas of what you want for dinner?”

  “Actually,” Amy said, “I think I’m going to change and go for a run. I haven’t gotten a chance to exercise in over a week.”

  Three seats down Brent laughed. “Amy, you traveled ninety-seven miles on foot in less than a week. I think that qualifies as exercise.”

  “Walking around a desert in the middle of the night is not the same as a jog on a secure military base.”

  Quinn nodded in agreement. “She’s got a point.”

  Brent just shook his head, the grin still in place.

  A few minutes later their relief arrived and the first team headed out into the hallway. Brent stepped beside the Whitmores. “Did you want me to give you a ride back to your place?”

  “I think I’m just going to head over to the officers’ club for something to eat,” Jim told him.

  “I’ll take a ride,” Amy said. “I need to grab some workout clothes.”

  “Me too,” Charlie said and slung an arm around his sister. “I think I’ll go with Amy.”

  “Don’t overdo it, you two,” Jim warned as he walked them out to the parking lot.

  “Who, me?” Amy shot back. She would have pulled off an innocent look had he not recognized the mischief in her eyes.

  “Yes, you,” Jim laughed, letting go of some of the tension. “Charlie, keep her out of trouble.”

  Charlie grinned. “Sure, Dad.”

  Jim watched his two youngest children follow Brent across the parking lot to the Jeep. A wave of gratitude washed over him, so great that it replaced the worry and anxiety that had been building over the past week. As he watched them drive away, he prayed that he would be able to find a way to keep Amy out of harm’s way indefinitely.

  CHAPTER 15

  Charlie sat across from his sister, still not quite sure what to think of the situation. Quinn and Brent had met them at the officers’ club after he and Amy had finished their run, and now they were enjoying their last fifteen minutes of freedom before they had to report back to reality.

  Amy laughed at something Quinn said, making Charlie wonder if it really had been harder on the family while she was missing. He still felt anxious when he thought of what could have happened to Amy when she was in Abolstan. Looking at her, he didn’t notice
anything different. She was laughing, talking like she always had.

  She was totally at ease, even though she was the only woman there. Of course, that hadn’t changed much since she was a teenager. She had often tagged along with him throughout his teenage years, at first because he was tasked with watching after her and then because he enjoyed her company.

  When she hit about fifteen or sixteen and his friends starting noticing that she wasn’t a little girl anymore, Charlie had made a point of keeping her close. He had also made a point of knowing those few boyfriends she had during high school. Nobody was going to take advantage of his little sister.

  Across the table Brent leaned over and whispered something in Amy’s ear. She laughed at whatever it was and squeezed his hand for a brief moment. Undercurrents rippled between them, and Charlie tried to decide just how he felt about the prospect of his sister getting involved with someone in the military.

  Charlie didn’t know much about Brent as a person, but he respected what he did know. Dedication and duty sat heavily on Brent’s shoulders, but he seemed to be able to shed their weight when it was time to relax. Looking at him and Quinn, Charlie never would have guessed that in less than an hour they would be working diligently to save hundreds, possibly thousands of people from a horrible fate.

  As though his internal clock had kicked in, Quinn suddenly pushed back from the table. “We’d better head back.”

  Charlie stood too. “Might as well.”

  “You two go ahead,” Brent said, still sitting next to Amy. “Amy isn’t quite finished with her dinner, and I thought I would grab some drinks and snacks for tonight. We’re going to need them.”

  Charlie teetered for a moment between going with Quinn and staying behind to play chaperone. But he had already taken a step toward the door and there was no way to stay without it being obvious that he just didn’t want to leave his sister alone with Brent.

  As though Brent read his hesitation, he grinned and said, “Don’t worry, Charlie. I promise to behave myself.”

  With a nod of understanding, Charlie turned and followed Quinn outside.

  As soon as they left, Brent looked over at Amy. “Does your brother try to intimidate everyone you go out with?”

  She nodded without hesitation. “Between Charlie and Matt, I didn’t have a lot of dates during high school. Of course, a lot of guys don’t want to go out with a girl who’s taller than they are.”

  “Maybe you just didn’t want to go out with guys who were shorter than you,” Brent suggested.

  Amy laughed. “There was that.” She took one last bite and pushed her plate away from her. “I don’t think I can eat another bite.”

  “I’ll be right back. I want to put an order in and then I’ll drive you back.” Brent went to talk to a member of the kitchen staff, requesting food to be delivered in a few more hours. He then crossed to the door where Amy was now waiting for him.

  “How much time do we have?” Amy asked. She had yet to replace the watch that had been left behind in Abolstan.

  “Ten minutes or so.” Brent took her hand and led her outside. “I hope I didn’t get you into too much trouble with your dad last night.”

  She shook her head, a faint blush tinting her cheeks. “I think he was so relieved to see for himself that I was safe, I could have dyed my hair purple and he wouldn’t have cared.”

  “I think he’s a little more concerned about me than he would be about purple hair dye.” Brent put the key in the ignition but didn’t start the Jeep.

  Amy looked at him now, uncertainty in her eyes. “He’s always been an overprotective father.”

  “Then I’m glad he isn’t here right now.” Brent leaned toward her, his lips meeting hers for a brief kiss. When he would have leaned closer, he pulled back instead as he reminded himself that they were in the middle of a parking lot. “I’ve wanted to do that all day.”

  “Me too,” Amy admitted.

  “We’d better get back.”

  When they arrived back at the conference room, it was packed with people. The men who had come in to relieve them were still manning their posts. The rest of the team had already arrived, all of them huddled next to Amy’s desk along with a man in civilian clothes.

  Charlie noticed them first and pointed at Amy. “There she is.”

  Kel moved toward her and handed her a photograph. “Amy, take a look at this picture.”

  In a gesture of support, Brent placed a hand on her back. He felt her tense as soon as she saw the picture.

  “He was there,” Amy said. “He’s the one who shot Frank.”

  “What’s going on?” Brent asked, taking the photograph from Kel so that Amy could no longer see it.

  “Someone from the FBI identified this guy from Amy’s sketch,” Kel explained. “Apparently they staked out the hotel where they had picked up the other two. He tried to catch a shuttle to the subway station about twenty minutes ago.”

  “Did he have a vial on him like the other two?” Brent asked.

  Kel nodded. “It was identical.”

  “What about the other man?” Amy pointed at the wall where only two of her sketches now remained. She was hoping and praying that the crisis was really over before it began.

  Kel shook his head. “No sign of him. The FBI is informing the transit authority and our surveillance teams of who we’re looking for. We don’t want them looking for the guys we already have in custody.”

  “Come on, guys.” Tristan called out. “Let’s get back to work.” He moved back to his computer terminal and relieved the man who had covered for him.

  Kel thanked the unit that had taken over for them for the last couple hours as everyone resumed their prior positions. However relaxed everyone might have been over lunch, they were all business now. Between three and four o’clock eastern time, they had two false alarms with abandoned backpacks, but thankfully both were reclaimed before they had to send anyone in to check them out.

  As the minutes ticked into the four o’clock hour, tension continued to build. The volume of people traveling the subway increased steadily, and by five o’clock it was difficult to pick anyone out in the crowd. Kel continued to get updates from the security personnel at the various stations, but so far no one had seen the man they were looking for.

  Amy looked at the monitor for Metro Center, dread settling in her stomach as she realized that even with all of the extra security, they might not be able to stop the attack. She glanced at the platform where a blue-line train was just pulling out. A couple of people hurried through the sliding doors just as they closed, while a few others moved down the escalator, resigned to wait for the next train.

  A man stepped off of the elevator and leaned up against the station wall. Amy’s heart stopped, a fragment of memory flashing in her mind. Something in the way he positioned his body took her back to that moment when she was pulled from her room. She closed her eyes, bringing the man back into her mind.

  “Can you zero in on this guy?” Amy asked Brent.

  Brent didn’t hesitate. “Him?”

  She nodded, watching as Brent changed the screen so that they were only looking at the one view. Then he zoomed in.

  The man’s hair was blond, not brown, and he held a cane in one hand. As Brent zoomed closer and then proceeded to add some clarity to the image, Amy gasped. “That’s him.”

  “Are you sure?” Kel asked, moving to her side.

  Already Brent had the phone to his ear. “We’ve got a visual at Metro Center station. Close it down. No one else comes in.”

  Beside him, Quinn was instructing the police unit at that station where to find the man in question. “Blue-line platform toward Franconia-Springfield.”

  “Have them stop the blue-line trains in that direction,” Kel instructed. “And then have them clear the trains for the other lines and send empty cars to get the rest of those people out of there. With any luck, we can evacuate everyone before he realizes what’s going on.”

  B
rent clicked back to the main screen so that they could see more than the one view. “How is he going to release it? He isn’t carrying a briefcase or a backpack.”

  “That cane.” Amy pointed to the cane he had walked in with and then leaned next to a bench. “Could it somehow be inside of it?”

  Brent nodded. “Look, he’s moving toward the platform.”

  “And leaving the cane behind,” Kel added. “It must have some kind of time release in it.”

  Brent was already instructing his contact at Metro Center. “There’s a cane on one of the concrete benches. Tell your men to vacuum-seal it and evacuate the station.”

  The man glanced at his watch and then up at the monitor that showed how long it would be until the next train. Only seven people remained on the blue-line platform with the man in question—a woman with three boys ranging in age from about six to ten, a couple in their early twenties, and a man who looked like he was on his way home from work. No one seemed to notice that the flow of pedestrian traffic had stopped coming down the escalator behind them. A crowd of people still remained on the other side of the platform, and they could see an empty train approaching to pick them up.

  Sensing something was wrong, the man turned just as four men in hazmat suits came storming toward him. Screams echoed as one of them rushed the seven other passengers to the elevator, punching the button to send them upstairs to safety. Another picked up the cane and placed it in a hazmat container, quickly sealing it. Across from them, the train was now full and pulling away.

  The man Amy had identified ran up the escalator stairs, and the men in hazmat suits just watched him go.

  “Why aren’t they chasing him?” Amy asked just as two more men appeared at the top of the escalator, weapons drawn. “Never mind.”

  Beside her, Kel patted Amy on the back. “Good work, kid.”

  “Thanks.” Amy let out a shaky breath. She stepped back and lowered herself into a chair, afraid that her knees would give way if she stood much longer. She looked up at her sketch and stared evil in the eye.