by L C Lang
She hoped the FBI would get here soon. They need to know about the two o’clock deadline. She remembered the power outage they were talking about. It was in Ohio, maybe a year or so ago. If this was the same guy, then what he was doing here was worse. Power grids, nuclear plants and a hydro plant? A lot of people are going to be in jeopardy. And Fitzpatrick was behind it. How can she get out of here and call Palmer again?
Just then, the door of the room opened completely. Maggie ducked down as low as she could go. She peeked through the edge of the loveseat. A man and a woman came to the door. The man was tall, in his early thirties and had long light brown hair, pulled back in a low ponytail. He looked like a computer geek. The woman was a head shorter and blonde. What was it with people putting earrings in their eyebrows? They stopped just outside the door. Two other people came out, going around the couple. One was the same young man she had seen in the kitchen. The woman was lean and looked like she worked out. Her hair was dark blonde and pulled back in a ponytail. And she had a gun belt on. Maggie couldn’t see the gun, but the demeanor of the woman made her look like a cop. She wondered what the roles of the last two were. Although she was sure the geeky looking man was the one doing the hacking, maybe the last couple was just keeping him company. Or, watching his back.
“There is just one more thing to take care of, Mr. Fitzpatrick,” the younger man said.
“Yes, I know.”
Fitzpatrick walked out of the room. He bent over the loveseat and opened his briefcase. A moment later, he closed it. Maggie had a view of the geeky looking man and saw him take an envelope.
“The amount we agreed on?”
“Of course. So, what are you going to do now?”
“Did you get us a car?”
“Yes. There is a black Lincoln outside for you. The keys are inside the car.”
“Okay, good. We are going to take off. We will be heading back to Buffalo. We will dump the car at the airport there and then take the bus back into Canada and head west. We’ll stay lost there for a while, and then go back overseas.”
“Where this time?”
“I think we will go into France or Italy.”
“Okay.” There was a pause. “I do have just one question. I heard there were two bodies found on the plane. Why did you kill those two men?”
“They got in the way. Every time we moved, they found us.”
“Were they CIA?”
“I think so. They found us the night before the flight. We didn’t want to have to hide somewhere else again before the flight, so we had to get rid of them.”
“How did you get them on the plane?”
The younger man laughed. “That was the easy part. We know one of the baggage handlers. We stuffed them into two larger boxes and had him put them on the plane, along with a few boxes. After the plane landed, we took them out of the boxes, and then hid them under the empty boxes. We figured they would find them sooner or later.”
“Well, I’m glad that worked out. But, you know that once they are identified, they are going to look harder into who the passengers were.”
“Yeah, but by the time they figure it all out, we will be long gone. Besides, they will have more important things to worry about.”
The man laughed. “That’s for sure. Okay. I appreciate what you have done. I knew you were the best and I’m glad I found you.”
“So are we. But, we do need to get going. I figure we have an eight-hour window to play it safe. We should be well on our way into Canada by then.”
The two men shook hands. Then the man and woman picked up their luggage and walked away. A few moments later, the back door opened, and Maggie heard them laughing just before the door closed. What was that about? Two minutes later, a car started and then pulled out, driving around the house. Okay, she thought, now there are only two men in the house. If she was going to get out, now is the time.
Just then, Fitzpatrick walked back into the room. Maggie wiggled herself backwards out from behind the loveseat. She saw the briefcase lying on the seat. Quietly blowing out her breath, she was glad he hadn’t seen her. She stood up, made sure the two men in the room couldn’t see her, and then started towards the kitchen. Suddenly, she stopped and looked back towards the room. Four people left. Everything seemed to be set up and ready to go. Would Fitzpatrick and the other man leave too? She couldn’t let that happen. With the license plate number of the Lincoln, the FBI would be able to find the car. But, what about Fitzpatrick? He would head for Washington again, sit back, and watch the disasters take place. No, she had to stop him. Besides, she was sure the FBI was on the way.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Inside the room, the man stood with his back to the door. He was tall, almost six feet, has black hair and was dressed in a pair of black slacks and a white dress shirt. His suit coat hung over one of the chairs behind the desk. He looked like he had just come from work, which if Maggie understood the situation right, he had. Left from FEMA and came down here. Now she knew why.
Another man sat behind the desk. He was a bit on the heavy side, just as Captain Murphy had described him. There is a bald spot on the top of his head, over which he had tried to comb the rest of his thin light brown hair. Sitting on top of the desk was one laptop computer and several empty Pepsi cans.
Fitzpatrick was standing in front of the desk, bent over to see the computer. The heavier man was behind the desk. The laptop was sitting at an angle. While she couldn’t see what was on the screen, Maggie was sure they were looking at the six screens she had heard about.
“What do you think Walter?” Fitzpatrick asked.
“I think it is almost over.”
Fitzpatrick nodded, standing up straight. “Then, maybe we should get going. I have to be back in Washington by eight o’clock tomorrow morning. I am sure things will be hitting the fan by then. Maybe Harper won’t say anything.”
“You’re dreaming. Washington could be under siege and he would still be cutting you down.”
“Yeah, probably. What about our guests?”
“Don’t you remember? They are going to be set free in the morning.”
“Oh yes, with all this going on, I had forgotten. Is Jack going to do it?”
Jack? Maggie stiffened when she heard the name.
“Yes. It is all set. They will get breakfast and then all the doors will be unlocked. Once they realize they can leave, he will be long gone.”
Fitzpatrick nodded. “Okay, that’s good. Then, let’s get that code in and get out of here.”
“Gladly, but are you sure that’s what the code is for?”
“Why would you ask? Did you hear something?”
“Not specifically. You know I don’t know computer talk. They were both huddled together last night. Couldn’t hear what they were talking about, but whatever it was they thought was funny. There was just something about the guy I didn’t trust.”
“I know. But, he is the best and that was what I needed.”
Walter nodded. “Okay.”
Maggie stepped inside the room. The room measured about fourteen feet square. An older, well-used large oak desk sat in the middle of the room. Both men were still intently looking at whatever was on the screen. They weren’t talking. She glanced around the room. A large six-foot couch was up against the left wall. To her right, another couch of the same size was against the other wall. A map was on the wall. Pushpins marked sites she couldn’t see. Turning her focus back to the two men, she pulled up her gun.
“If I were you, I would listen to Walter. No hacker can be trusted,” Maggie said.
Fitzpatrick turned and looked at her, a look of panic coming over his face. Yes, it was same man whose picture she had seen on the television. The missing man from FEMA. There was no way she was going to let him get out of this one. Walter stood up.
“Sit down,” Maggie demanded, pointing the gun at him. He sat down. Captain Murphy said he had a gun tucked into his slacks whenever he came in to deliver the food, but s
he didn’t notice one when he stood up. Maybe it was in his pants pocket.
“Who are you?” she asked the man behind the desk.
“Walter.”
“Walter who?”
“Walter Perkins.”
Maggie nodded, and then looked back at Fitzpatrick.
“How did you get in here?” Fitzpatrick asked.
“Through the back door. You really should have kept the door locked whenever someone leaves. You never know who might come in. Isn’t that right, Mr. Fitzpatrick?”
He narrowed his eyes at her. “You know my name?”
She nodded. “Yes. Seems your boss is looking for you. He’s put the word out that you are missing.”
“The guy is a jerk.”
Well, now she knew whose e-mail address he had given the man to enter into the shell codes.
“What do you want?” Fitzpatrick demanded.
“I wanted to see what you were doing in here. Looks to me like this room is the only one with any activity. So what’s going on?” She already knew what was going on, but she wanted him to admit it to her, for the record.
“You’ll find out later.”
“How much later?”
He looked at his watch. “Oh, I’d say within the next six hours.”
“Really? Six hours. Let’s see, that would make it about, what? Two o’clock in the morning? So, what’s going to happen then?”
Fitzpatrick laughed, sitting down on the edge of the desk. “Guess you’ll have to wait and see.”
For a man who had seemed to be doing what he could to help people, he was now acting like a jerk. Maggie glanced over at the map again, and then stepped forward until she could see it more clearly. It was a United States map. There were six red pushpins noting various points. West Virginia, New Orleans, Cincinnati, central Illinois, Kentucky, and Houston. Her mind raced. What was nearby? Suddenly, it hit her. She turned back and looked at the man.
“Now I understand. You are with FEMA. I don’t remember which department, but it seems you are in a position to help people in a time of disaster. So, what’s the problem? The season for disasters running down? Did you decide to make your own? Or, does it have to do with your boss? I saw the news coverage of you in Texas. Guess that must have gone over well with your boss, who I remember in other reports, said he was doing the same thing.”
Fitzpatrick nodded. “Yeah, he stole my ideas.”
She shook her head. “Looks like everyone is on the lookout for you.”
He shrugged. “Yeah, so what?”
“Does that mean you are planning on going back to Washington and watching the show from there?”
“Yes, I’m going back to Washington. What about it?”
“It’s going to be hard to explain why you took off from your office. Your secretary said you were upset when you left.”
“My secretary?”
“Yeah. She was on the interview today too.”
Fitzpatrick shrugged. “I‘ll just tell them I went to lunch with my wife and then checked with some suppliers. No one will question it.”
Maggie shrugged. “Yeah, they might buy it. For a while anyway.”
“Of course they will.”
“But, you will have to check in pretty early. I would imagine by the time you normally get into work the action would be really building then. So, you will do what? Go in and play the hero. That should make some points with your boss. Or is it someone higher up that you want to impress?”
“You’ll have to wait and see.”
“No, actually I already know. I heard your last conversation. How well do you trust the man you hired to do this?”
“I trust him explicitly.”
“Really? And are you sure the list of codes he gave you is what he really put in?”
“Yes.”
“And do you know what the codes mean? You obviously don’t know anything about computers, based on how he had to show you about what he had put on your computer. Who’s to say he didn’t just fabricate something just to pacify you.”
Fitzpatrick stood up, a worried look came over his face, and then he shook his head. “No, he wouldn’t do that.”
Walter coughed. “Actually, Jim, I think he did.”
Fitzpatrick whipped his head around to look at Walter. “What are you talking about?”
“Remember when I said I thought they had done something. I just remembered there was another time yesterday when I overheard Michael tell the girl that he put a little ‘action’ in.”
He narrowed his eyes at him. “Action?”
“Yeah. I don’t know what, but he said you might be in for a surprise.”
Fitzpatrick shook his head. “I don’t understand. What exactly was he talking about?”
Walter shook his head. “I don’t understand computer talk. I had gone to the kitchen with the dishes and they were in here by themselves. The other two had gone upstairs to sleep. I heard Michael and the girl talking, so I came back and stood outside the door so they couldn’t see me. I heard them laughing after he said that. He didn’t say what it was or where.”
“Oh my God. Are you kidding? This wasn’t part of the deal.”
Walter shook his head and shrugged.
Maggie listened to the conversation. Fitzpatrick began pacing; ignoring the fact that she still had her gun on him. It didn’t bother her though. She was enjoying the show.
“He may have set up who you wanted, but it also looks like he set you up too. What happened? Didn’t you give him enough money?” Maggie asked.
Fitzpatrick stopped and looked back at her. His face showed anger, and frustration. What had looked like an easy thing to do, was now falling back on him.
He shook his head. “No. I paid him more than enough.”
“Really? Since he’s a hacker, maybe the ‘action’ he did was hack into your checking account.”
Maggie was sort of kidding, but Fitzpatrick sucked in his breath. He pulled out his iPhone and dialed a number. He flipped through the apps and selected one. Then he punched in a few numbers. There was a look of relief on his face as he looked at the screen. Guess it hadn’t happened, but now she had put fear into him of what the guy might have done.
“Oh, and you might want to have your computer checked when you get back to Washington. You have no idea what he put on your computer. He might not have gotten into your bank account, but you never know what else he might have done. He is a pro. He could do something and you would never know it. That is until it was too late.”
Fitzpatrick slowly nodded. “Yes, I think I’ll have to. It won’t be a problem. I can have undone anything he might have done.”
“Guess you should have gotten a signed contract and given him more money.”
“We did have a signed contract. And I gave him more than he asked for.”
Maggie was sure she had gotten him rattled enough. If the FBI didn’t hurry up, she was going to have to find a way to take him into custody. She didn’t want him leaving with the laptop. There was too much information on it.
Suddenly, Fitzpatrick glared at Maggie. “How did you know anyone was here?”
Maggie wondered why it had taken him so long to ask. “I’ve been watching this house for a few days now. I saw the Lexus come, the tour bus, all the people that got off, the delivery truck that came three times a day and I saw you come in late this afternoon. So, yes, I saw everyone who came in here.” She wasn’t sure who the man in the pickup was, but since he had mentioned Jack, she wondered if it really was him. Whoever it was, he had come twice, but not tonight.
A look of shock came over Fitzpatrick’s face. “No way. There is only one house over there that has a view of this place, and the old woman who lives there is half-blind.”
Maggie’s mouth dropped open. How would he know who had lived in her house? “Who told you that?”
“I did,” the voice behind her said.
Maggie closed her eyes for a moment and blew out her breath. She knew the voice, un
fortunately, all too well. A voice she hoped she wouldn’t have to hear again. She turned to look at him. He had his gun pointed at her.
“Nice to see you again Maggie.”
Jack Westin was dressed in jeans and a grey sweatshirt, and had his service belt on. Where had he come from? She hadn’t heard any vehicles come in. No matter, he was here now. She dropped her gun hand.
“Yeah, you too Jack.”
“You know her?” Fitzpatrick asked.
Jack nodded. “Yes, I do. She’s my ex-wife.”
Maggie glared at Jack. “Guess you didn’t follow up on the house very well, Jack. My renter moved out a month ago.”
“So, what are you doing in town? I thought you said you’d never come back here?”
“Yeah, well, things change.” She looked him a moment, then realized it was his pickup truck she had seen twice. Maggie shook her head. Of all people, she would not have thought he would get involved in something like this.
“So, what happened, Jack? Did you get passed over for the chief of police position again?”
Jack laughed. “No, I was elected two years ago.”
“Then why?”
He stepped forward, taking the gun out of her hand. “Because this area is dying.”
Maggie shook her head. “You have got to be kidding. This area never has had much and that will never change. Besides, the people here don’t want it to change.”
“Oh, yes they do. They just don’t know it yet. More money will be coming into the area. Once they see that, they will want to improve their lives.”
“Oh, so that’s what this is all about. Fitzpatrick gets some good publicity when he comes in looking like a hero and gives people the aid they need. Maybe even takes over his boss’s job. And you, you get what? A kickback?”
“Of course. You think this town pays much? After all my years of service, I deserve it.”
