Forensics Camp

by Kate Banco

  Joy smiles and answers, “Of course, why do you think I stumbled upon you two. We are notified when a new witness comes into our region. As soon as your family moved here Sam and I have had our eyes on you. We wanted to see if you could handle working with us or if it would be too stressful for you. Don’t worry, you haven’t been compromised. You are even more protected now. Sam has a direct line to your agent. If anything unusual happens he’ll call them immediately.”

  “I’m speechless,” I say.

  “It takes some getting used to, but it will make sense soon,” Joy says with encouragement.

  “What are we supposed to look up besides our own file? You said we would learn something new today that would knock our socks off,” I remind Joy.

  “You are so impatient, Margarita. Okay, type in this number. Joy reads off a number from a card in her pocket. When it opens, don’t say a word or ask questions. I want you to read through it before you ask me anything. Agreed?”

  “Agreed.” We both answer.

  The picture that pops up makes me lose my breath. Marcos reaches over and grabs my hand.

  We both start to read the file. The story in front of us will not help with our classes, but sure explains a lot.

  Tears roll down my cheeks as I read the file. I hear Marcos take a deep breath and I know he is fighting his own tears. The file in front of us reveals that our WITSEC agents lied to us. They lied when we asked about Agent O’Malley and Jackson. Our first two agents who got us in to the WITSEC program didn’t survive the kidnapping. Their bodies were found the same day we landed in our safe house on Staten Island. That explains the extra security.

  Marcos squeezes my hand and I can see he is emotional too. Two people died because of us, they kept us safe and died because of their jobs. Their families will never see them again.

  “Margarita and Marcos, listen to me,” Joy says.

  “I know exactly what you are thinking, that it’s your fault they died. It’s not your fault, it is people like your Tío Enrique and his friends who are the cause of their death. They died in the line of duty. It isn’t your fault, remember that,” she says.

  “It’s hard not to think that way, Joy.”

  “Because of us, their families will never see them again,” I say between sobs.

  “No, because of Tío Enrique they died in the line of duty. They were WITSEC officers, they knew the risks they faced every day. Their families never knew they were in WITSEC, but they knew they were public servants working in the law enforcement field. Their families were aware of the risks, too. It doesn’t make it any easier for them, but it was part of the job,” Joy says.

  “I had to show you this so you both are aware of the level of security you will have access to, you will find out the truth and a lot of behind-the-scenes type stuff. Covert operations are going on all of the time. You will read the security clearance level here where you will be so aware of operations the general public has no idea about. Prepare yourselves,” Joy says.

  “We can’t tell anyone about what we know, my family would want to know about Agents O’Malley and Jackson.” I say.

  “What good would come of it? Do you want them to feel as bad as you do now? Is there any reason for them to know? No! Besides, you learned this from a confidential file. You will file this info away in you brain and move on. Our job here at Forensics Camp is to help people, not dwell on operations that went wrong, understand?”

  “Yes,” we both answer at the same time.

  “Next steps, Dana needs to know what you learned. He will also find out about your status, but only after he gets his security clearance. So be careful how much you share with him about your own story.”

  “This is so complicated, what we can share and not share. We got used to keeping our story a mystery to others, now we find out more information than we ever wanted to know about the WITSEC agents that helped us. How sad, ” I mumble.

  “This is only the beginning, Margarita. You will be given a security clearance when you finish Forensics Camp this summer. That is when you will not believe a word we tell you, but you will experience it yourself. What Sam runs here is an investigative agency, but until you get your clearance you have no idea what information you will be entrusted with.”

  We hear the door open and see Dana walk in. He seems to be always walking in on the tail end of information and training. Is that intentional? It would have been just as easy to bring him along with us and learn what we learned at the same time. Maybe I’ll ask Joy later if there is a reason.

  “I’m going to move you guys over to the office outside the computer area, there is a place you can finish up your paperwork. Each day we ask you to write in your notebook what you learned. No one else will read it except you. Take notes, jot down what you need to remember or anything you want. We give you a new notebook after each operation. You both can tell Dana about things you learned and ask him if he has questions.

  “Yes, we can do that.”

  Be careful who you share information with though. In this town you never know who you are talking to.

  We all move to the conference area Joy shows us. It has laptops, printers and a notebook for each one of us with a variety of pens and markers.

  Marcos and I sat down and held hands in the conference area.

  Dana looks at us and smiles, “Why the long faces? They are going to pay our tuition. Can you believe it. It’s our lucky day!”

  “Yeah, something like that,” Marcos says with a fake smile.

  CHAPTER 14

  Oswego, New York

  The next semester starts and we all enroll in a language class. At first it seemed a bit out of our comfort zone since all of us are interested in science and forensics, but as we begin to learn a little bit of a new language we realize how much fun it can be.

  I am in my Russian class and Marcos in his Japanese class at the same time. It is immediately following our weight training class. The running class turns out to be an independent study and we only meet with our instructor on Fridays to turn in our goals and total miles run. What an easy class!

  Marcos and I run every morning before weight training, we’ve started running down by the lake. Some mornings the temperature is a brisk eight or nine degrees, other days below zero. When the wind whips up we run a different route, more toward downtown. It will soon be spring and the runs won’t be bone-numbing. Marcos and I enjoy our runs together, but lately an uninvited guest shows up about halfway through our run. Even if we change our route, Joy seems to be able to find us, catch up and pass us while we run. It is a little bit disconcerting to know she can always find us.

  We both spend an hour each evening quizzing each other on new vocabulary we learned in class. I am learning a little Japanese while he learns a little Russian. Flash cards and pictures help us learn.

  Because we both have to learn a new alphabet, we spend a lot of time learning kanji for Japanese and the Cyrillic alphabet for Russian. It is challenging, but we make it fun.

  Dana is learning Vietnamese and struggling a little. He still wants to help my Papá in the taco shop every day even though Sam is paying his tuition. He says he doesn’t want to leave my Papá short-handed and without help. My parents are thankful and like Dana.They say it’s like another son. They consider him family now.

  Two days a week we go out to Sam’s house which is called Home Base among the employees and trainees. The name Home Base has a good connotation, it helps us all feel safe. Maybe it’s the idea of a Home Base that makes us feel secure, but when we start learning more about security breaches and how much information is out there about each and everyone of us. It is terrifying how much confidential information is stored on computers.

  Today is our first day back at Home Base after a week away. Joy has stopped driving us, but there is a driver who picks us up and transports us to and from the facility. Sometime
s Dana rides with us, other times he is already at Home Base waiting for us.

  Since he realized Marilyn lives at Home Base now, he gets a ride earlier on some days. They are definitely more of a couple since her rescue and return to Oswego.

  We all spend the day working on different parts of our training. Joy likes to keep us together for some training and separated for others. It doesn’t matter to us, but we always have fun when we work together. Dana and Marcos look tired as we ride back in to town. They say they feel like they learned something new. Marcos and I continue to do flashcards with vocabulary after our language classes at school. We each have one more class before the end of the day and are relieved it isn’t forensics where we might have to answer or work in a group. We all need a class where we can sit and listen to the professor teach.

  That night when we get back to our apartment we get a call from Joy. She wants to stop by and check in on us. Marcos isn’t happy, we are both tired and just want some time to ourselves but she insists she needs to stop by.

  When she knocks at the door I look over to see Marco’s response. His face shows his lack of patience. We are both tired after a full day of training and classes. I get up to answer the door but he tells me he’ll get it. This is something he’s always done since we’ve been together. I think he thinks it’s a type of protection.

  “Hello you two. Sorry to intrude but I needed to check-in and make sure everything is going well. With your language courses, tutors and keeping your other classes you have a lot on your plate. Sam wants me to make sure you are okay,” she says as she sits down uninvited on the sofa.

  Marcos looks very uncomfortable with what she shares about Sam watching us. How much of our independence did we give up?

  “How is your family? Are they suspicious of your new schedule?”

  “No, they know we are busy. They are a little surprised by our new language courses but my parents just think it’s part of our requirements for school. They never question that. I think they are surprised Dana is taking a language course. But they are happy to have him at the taco shop. It’s like they have a new son,” I say.

  “Okay, just want to make sure. Friday we are having a special meeting at Home Base. We’ll need you there all day. Can you get your schedules cleared?” Joy asks.

  “Why, I thought it was Sam’s priority we do well in school. If we take a day off we’ll get behind. It is just the beginning of the semester. I really don’t want to miss class,” Marcos says.

  “I don’t either, Joy. We have organized our schedule to fit everything in. We barely have any time to ourselves,” I say.

  “It’s a mandatory meeting, there aren’t many. Sam won’t ask for another meeting for quite a while. But, you do need to be there Friday. What classes will you miss? If it’s your language class you are already more advanced than the others, if it’s your weight class you can miss one day I’m sure. Your running class is independent study so you can do that any day. What else do you have?”

  “I have a math class, usually I have a test on Fridays,” I answer.

  “I have my chemistry lab, I shouldn’t miss it,” Marcos says.

  “Okay, only going to say this once. It’s a mandatory meeting. Make it happen,” Joy raises her voice when saying mandatory. She stands up to leave.

  “If it’s that important we will be there. You can tell our driver to pick us up. What time do we need to be ready?” Marcos asks.

  “Let’s say eight-thirty. I’m also stopping by to talk to Dana. You will understand once you are at the meeting. Sam has some important information about this summer and he needs us all preparing for the next step,” Joy says.

  “What kind of information?” We both ask at the same time.

  “I can’t tell you any more. It’s not bad, don’t worry. It will help you achieve your goals of becoming investigators.”

  We hear Joy’s car start up and peel out of our parking lot. She sure never arrives or leaves without others noticing. We look at each other and decide to call it a night. Our mornings seem to get earlier and busier every day.

  CHAPTER 15

  La Frontera

  The driver pulls into an alley marked by graffiti and lined with old, jacked-up, tireless cars. Broken windshields and doors lean up against the wall. The car graveyard leads to a large warehouse. As we pull up someone opens up an overhead door and our driver pulls right into darkness. At first, I can’t see anything, it takes a while for my eyes to get accustomed to the darkness. What I see when things come into focus is terrifying. Behind a large fence-like enclosure I see the faces of children and their parents. What have we signed up for? Abuelita begins to recite the rosary first, then my Papá. Memo begins to cry when he sees the sad children looking out from what looks like a huge cage.

  “What is this place?” I ask.

  “It’s like a bus station. This is your first stop before you get to California. Let’s get out and get you in line. There’s a waiting list. You may be spending the night here. These people have been here since yesterday.”

  I say to Papá, “We should have gone home, maybe we can get them to take us back to the gas station. Let’s ask.”

  I try to stop the driver from getting out of the van, “Please, take us back to the gas station. We changed our minds. My abuelita can’t stay here, we can’t spend the night here. Let us go back, please,” I beg.”

  “No, you can’t go back. Besides someone has already picked up your car. It’s not there anymore. Get out and join the others. Stop complaining. It could be a lot worse,” he says.

  We start to get out of the van and Memo starts screaming, “It smells bad here. It’s scary, I don’t want to stay here. Let’s go home Papá.”

  “Memo, quiet hijo,” Papá says.

  He continues to cry and drags his feet as we walk toward the big cage. Abuelita almost faints when she sees the number of people inside. The whole place reeks of feces and urine. How did we end up here, I ask myself.

  A guard opens the gate with a key and people push on the door to get out. The driver and the guard hit them with sticks to keep them away from the door. They move away while screaming in pain.

  There is very little room for us to sit down. Around the edge of the cage there are some wooden benches. Someone stands and offers the seat to Abuelita. She accepts and pulls Memo over to sit with her. Others make room so we can sit on the floor near Abuelita. There are men who look like they are traveling alone. Young couples and entire families with small children wait in small groups. The women try to keep the little children quiet, but it is difficult to quiet them all at the same time. When one stops another begins. It will be impossible to sleep if we have to spend the night.

  A young mother comes over to comfort Abuelita. She tells Abuelita her family has only been here a few hours, but that some others were here overnight. She explains that everyone has a number on a piece of paper depending on age and sex. She worries the guards will divide the families up.

  “What, how can that be? How will they separate us? We are traveling together, we want to stay together,” Abuelita says and starts to weep.

  The woman pats her hand and says, “We may not have a choice, señora.”

  I look around and see many young men my age. I hope they don’t separate us all because they need us to do hard work. I stay as close as I can to Memo. He has put his head down in Abuelita’s lap and has fallen asleep. I don’t know how but he has.

  The large overhead door opens and sunlight pours through the opening. A large semi with a long trailer backs in. I notice people start to weep and say they don’t want to get into the trailer. Women are screaming and the children don’t know what to do, so they start crying too, and it is the scariest thing I have ever seen in my life.

  Our driver and the guard comes over to the door and starts calling numbers. I see some people exchanging numbers so they c
an go together. But I see when those people try to get on with family members they have to go to the end of the line. Others see this and give up trying to change their numbers.

  I hear them call my Papás number and I wait for them to call the rest of our numbers. Papá looks at me and doesn’t know what to do. He can’t go without us, he can’t leave us here. How will we find him later? They call his name again and he’s told if he doesn’t get in line something terrible will happen to his family.

  He turns and gives Memo and Abuelita a kiss on the cheek and then me a hug. The tears stream down our cheeks as he turns to join the others. They open the back door of the trailer and it is full to the ceiling with ceramics and hand-painted furniture. The ceramics are in boxes. The wooden furniture stacked to the roof leaves little room for passengers.

  “Okay, we called fifty numbers. There is room in this truck for fifty people. If you have a water bottle bring it. If not, you’re going to be thirsty. Jump up and find a place on top of the boxes and furniture. If you can get over the top and behind everything even better.”

  Papá looks back at us. He turns to ask the driver a question. “How will I find my family? How will they find me?”

  “No guarantees but we will send you to a factory in Calexico. From there you are on your own.” he answers.

  “Calexico? That’s at the border crossing in Mexicali, not Tecate,” I say out loud.

  “Yes, that’s true,” another guard says.

  “Are we all going to Calexico? When we cross over will we go to the same warehouse?” I ask frantically.

  “No one knows, you end up where you end up. You are lucky anyone is helping you,” the guard snarls.

  “Lucky? I don’t think so. This is like transporting animals,” I say.

  “Careful, you will be put in the last group. You don’t want that,” he says.

  “Where does the last group go?” I ask.

  “You don’t want to know,” and he walks away.