by Bob Blink
"Background information for a new client," she explained. "Nothing urgent, but with you and Susan keeping Jim at the office until all hours, I figured I might as well get a start on the case. How come you are here? Have you resolved whatever is going on? Are Karin and Janna going to fly out and visit?"
Clarissa had stepped back from Jake and moved over toward her husband, sharing a hug and a brief kiss of greeting. She stood with her arm around Jim possessively, and Jake reflected on how good this woman had been for his friend.
"The answers are mostly no," Jake replied. "We have barely begun getting started on this case, so there won't be any visits for some time."
Jake reminded himself that he needed to call Karin later and have her take precautions. Since the last time his family was threatened, they'd made special arrangements, and given what might develop in the current matter, he wanted the two of them to be impossible to locate. It was earlier on the West Coast, and he promised himself he'd call her when he got back to the hotel. The matter wasn't urgent yet since they hadn't started their investigation, but with a Back-Tracker's ability to loop backward, his family could be at risk any time the person could successfully Back-Track to.
"We need your help," Jim told his wife.
"My help?" Clarissa asked, looking confused. "Is there a legal question? I would think the Bureau has enough lawyers they could answer anything I can help with."
"We need your artistic talents," Jake said, to clarify the matter. "I was hoping you might be able to sketch a couple of faces for me, based on my memory of what a couple of suspects looked like."
"The FBI has people who are trained to do exactly that," Clarissa noted. "Why would you need me to do it? What's going on guys?"
"Someone is after Susan and there might be a leak within the Bureau," Jim told her. "We are going to have to work this with just a few people."
"What could they do even if they knew you were looking for them?" Clarissa said. "There have to be enough people you can trust to be able to protect her."
"There's something unique about this situation," Jim said uncomfortably.
Jake looked at the question in Clarissa's eyes.
"You haven't told her yet, have you?" he asked.
"I never knew just how to approach it," Jim admitted.
"What are you two talking about?" Clarissa asked, her eyes shifting between the two men, who she had stepped away from.
Jake had given Jim permission to inform his wife about the Back-Tracking ability. He could envision situations she might need to know. Even though he felt too many people were coming to know about him, certain people he felt he could trust. After meeting Clarissa, he'd decided she was one of them. Jake was less comfortable that the Director of the FBI had come to learn of him in the past year, even though they had never met and Jake had never shown him what he could do.
"I have a very unusual ability," Jake said. "It's not the kind of thing anyone would believe possible. It's the reason that Jim and I ultimately came to know one another, and why Susan sometimes involves me in FBI cases."
"You're clairvoyant?" she asked sarcastically.
"No, what I can do is even more difficult to believe."
Jake told her.
"Bullshit!" she said bluntly. Clarissa wasn't one to hold back, and Jake could see that she was becoming annoyed with whatever game he and Jim were playing on her.
Jake was forced to use some of the same demonstration routines he'd used in the past. Even then, Clarissa was harder to convince than most, and had her own ideas of things she wanted demonstrated.
"I'm still not sure I believe you, but I can't see how you are able to know what you do," she said finally.
She looked accusingly at Jim.
"Why didn't you tell me about this?" she asked.
"Would you have believed me?" Jim answered defensively. "Without Jake to show you, you would have just gotten mad at me for making up something that wasn't possible."
"How long have you been able to do this?" she asked.
"The first time was when I was in the army and lost my legs," Jake said seriously.
"You never lost your legs," Clarissa said. Then she realized what he was saying. "Oh. You changed things."
"I thought it was a bad dream at first, but I knew too many things that I shouldn't have. I experimented, and discovered what I could do."
"How does your ability factor into what you and Jim are doing?" she asked.
"We believe there is someone else who can do what I can, and he is using it to help them commit crimes," Jim explained.
"Oh my god!" Clarissa said, the implications apparent to her immediately.
"He could be impossible to catch, and very dangerous."
"More than you know," Jake agreed. "For now, our major advantage is they don't know that we suspect his ability, and even more important, they don't know that I exist and can do exactly what he is doing. If they find out, the risks multiply exponentially."
"How did you get a look at these people you want me to sketch?" Clarissa asked.
Briefly Jake explained what happened.
"So the only way you could know what they look like was to have your ability, and if they were to learn you were having a sketch made, they would immediately realize what you could do," she summarized.
Jake nodded.
"Let's see what I can do. Come into my drawing room. Jim, why don't you call out for Chinese? I didn't plan on any dinner since I didn't know Jake was coming."
Jake followed Clarissa through the spacious home, going down a wide hallway toward the back of the house where she had set up her painting gear in one of the spare rooms. An easel stood in one corner where it caught the evening light through a large window.
Clarissa extracted a large drawing pad from a drafting cabinet with its wide thin drawers, and grabbed a handful of pencils of different sized leads. She sat on a stool, and directed Jake toward a comfortable chair.
"Who first?" she asked. "Given me a broad overview of the person, and I'll ask questions and show you what I have and you can tell me what needs adjustment."
Because of his Back-Tracking talent, Jake had an excellent memory when he focused on something, but he hadn't paid that much attention to the photos Jim had sent him, believing it unnecessary. He also wasn't sure how well he could communicate what he recalled. He knew he would know the person when he saw him, but to describe him in a meaningful way was a different sort of challenge.
Fortunately Clarissa understood what she wanted to know, and was able to probe his memory by asking him to focus on specific items. How large were the ears? Is this right, she asked as she showed him the current sketch, erasing and narrowing where needed.
"What do you think?" Clarissa asked finally, letting Jake look at the finished drawing.
"Wow!" Jake said. "It isn't one hundred percent, but I can't think of what is off. Perhaps his face is just a bit fuller. Even so, there would be no doubt if someone compared the drawing to the real person."
"Let's do the other guy then, and by the time we're finished the food should be here," she said. She handed the sketch to her husband who examined it carefully.
"He doesn't look like a murderer," Jim observed. "He looks more like a businessman."
"That businessman was one of those who kidnapped Susan, and he was also one of the snipers," Jake observed.
The second man was harder for Jake, but under Clarissa's probing, they ended up with a drawing that Jake felt was reasonably close. It was unfortunate he hadn't paid more attention to the photographs when Jim had sent them, but he hadn't felt the need to do more than see if they were familiar. As it was, he was lucky he'd remembered as much as he had. The European heritage of the second suspect came through, and the hard square jaw was expertly captured. Jake wasn't as certain about the hair and eyes, but it was the best they seemed to be able to do.
"These are excellent," Jim complimented his wife. "I'm certain Shaun will be able to use them with his face recogn
ition software when he does a search tomorrow."
That night at the hotel Jake called his wife and told her what they had decided. Unhappy with the situation, she agreed she'd leave in the morning, and using fake names for herself and Janna, she'd take them to visit family in Germany for a couple of weeks. It would be last minute, so it would be expensive, but the cost wasn't important. Jake had arranged for several fake sets of documentation for all of them, so anyone looking would have their work cut out for them in trying to link the fake names back to his family. She would also restrict her calls to emergencies, and use one of the burner phones they always kept in the bedroom safe.
Chapter 11
Thursday, May 5th
When they returned to FBI Headquarters the following morning, they found that Susan was already up and going through files on her computer. The empty tray from the senior staff cafeteria was pushed off to one side, attesting to the fact she'd at least had something to eat.
"You're at it early," Jake noted. "Have you found anything promising?"
Susan frowned and shook her head. "I was initially assuming whoever is behind the attempts against me is someone associated with a recent case, but now I guess that doesn't have to be the situation. It could be someone from some time ago who is finally attempting their revenge. Checking to see if any of those I've put away have recent changes in their status is going to take a while."
"If they have the ability we think they do, why would they have waited?" Jim asked.
"Perhaps that is something new. The person who can Back-Track might have only recently linked up with them. I also wanted to try a search for unexplained, unsolved cases, but I'm not sure how to go about it. We clearly need to get Shaun involved as soon as possible. I wondered if there are a string of unresolved crimes that might point somewhere."
Susan rubbed her eyes and pushed the keyboard away from her.
"You look tired," Jake observed, noting the dark circles under her eyes.
"I didn't sleep much last night," Susan admitted. "I spent a lot of time reviewing everything you have ever told me about what you can do, and some of the close calls you've had, yet managed to escape with your hide "
"And what did you decide?" Jake asked.
"I've concluded there is only one reasonable way to approach this matter, assuming we are correct and there is someone out there with your Back-Track ability who uses it to commit crimes rather than help prevent them."
"And what course of action have you decided is appropriate?"
"Once you have determined with certainty who the individual is, you should Back-Track to a time when they wouldn't be in any way suspicious of you, sneak up behind them, and fire sufficient rounds into the back of their head that they have zero chance of survival, and do this before they are aware they are in any danger."
Jake couldn't help but chuckle at the shocked look on Jim Laney's face. He had always been the loyal and straight-laced agent, believing in the proper FBI way of handling suspects. Sometimes Jake had wondered how they'd managed to bring him along on some of their activities in the past. The truth be known, Jake had much the same thoughts himself ever since deciding there was someone like him out there misusing the ability.
Susan held up her hands to ward off the outburst that Jim was about to unleash.
"Okay, forget I said it. It is not appropriate for a senior FBI agent such as myself to voice such thoughts, but we had better come up with a foolproof plan, or we might be forced into that mode of operation."
"We can set the matter aside for the moment," Jake said, "but I think it'll be necessary to recall the possibility later. I'm certain if our adversaries do have my ability, they wouldn't hesitate doing just that should they discover one of us can do exactly what they can. They would see the need to eliminate anyone who could unravel their plans. While that might put me in the crosshairs, I don't think it makes Jim much safer. If they have any doubts, I think they'd simply act to remove any or all of us. They've demonstrated they were more than willing to take out Susan with a couple of long-range snipers."
Jim Laney was silent for a moment as he considered what Jake had said. Unfortunately, he believed Jake was right, but didn't like the implications of what it might mean.
"Was Clarissa able to come up with something usable?" Susan asked.
"We have sketches of the two men I can recall," Jake replied. "One is much rougher than the other, and while I can't identify just what's off, the better one is not quite right either."
"Let's have a look," Carlson urged. "Maybe this will be simpler than we think and I'll recognize one of them."
Jim Laney reached into his case and pulled out the two large sheets of drawing paper that his wife had used to make the drawings of the men Jake described to her. He handed the better one over first.
Susan studied it carefully. She turned the paper to view it at a different angle, and pushed it farther away for perspective.
"He looks like the kind of person I should know, but I don't think I've ever seen him before."
Jake had been afraid of that. It would have been too easy. The person she was looking at had been present at both the kidnapping and the sniping attempt. He might be their best candidate for the Back-Tracker.
"What about the other one?" Susan asked.
Jim handed over the less detailed sketch of the second individual. It didn't take Susan long to conclude that she also didn't know who he might be either.
"Do you think the drawings offer any chance with the face recognition software?" Jake asked.
He was aware that programs to perform such searches had advanced greatly in recent years, and the FBI had access to some of the very best. If anyone, only the NSA might have better software, and they wouldn't reveal just what their capabilities might be, even to their sister organization. They might run a search for you, but they wouldn't hand over their program. Unfortunately, this was going to have to be done more secretly than that.
A photograph provides accurate details such as the size and shape of the eye, the separation between the eyes, and more representative location of the nose and mouth, and any scars or birthmarks. A sketch is less precise, and might get such details subtly wrong, which could affect the search parameters. The beard the one guy has will almost certainly make the search more complicated as well.
"Shaun should be in shortly," Susan replied. "This is one of the things he can help us with. I assume we are all agreed he is to be brought in on this."
"We have to make him understand the importance and the secrecy," Jake agreed, "but if at all possible, not provide him with the background that would reveal my role in everything."
Susan nodded.
"That shouldn't be a problem. Shaun is used to working on secret matters, without knowing all the particulars."
Susan hesitated.
"I think we need to go to Walter Denford," she said finally.
Jake had been expecting this, and it made sense. Denford was the Director of the FBI, and with his help they would be able to accomplish far more. He could adjust Susan's work load and allow her to be working on a special project, so she could be made less available, and therefore more protected against another attack. The Director logically could be excluded from those who might be a leak. While he had expressed some doubts about Jake's ability, he'd been told what Back-Tracking involved, and if he was in league with those they sought, he would have passed such information on.
"Okay," Jake agreed. It was a couple of days after the initial sniping attempt had been attempted against Susan, and by now those after her were probably considering some other action while trying to understand who had leaked their plan to the Feds.
Their discussion was interrupted by a discrete knock at the office door.
"That's probably Shaun," Susan said. "I left a message for him to see me first thing."
Jim Laney stood and went to open the door, which was not only closed, but locked. Susan's guess had been right, and moments later the computer expe
rt was seated along with the rest of them.
Jake looked at the technician, having met him from time to time in the past. Now in his middle thirties, his long, always mussed hair was starting to thin prematurely. He still wore the half-height glasses Jake could never recall seeing him without, and despite attempts to adhere somewhat to the FBI's rather strict dress code, his shirt already had the sleeves rolled up and was partially loose from his waistband. Thin, almost dangerously so, Shaun didn't look like the brilliant analyst he was.
"We have a series of tasks related to a very important investigation just initiated," Susan explained. "It is imperative that we work this as expeditiously as possible, while at the same time in a manner that brings no attention to what we are doing. Ideally, no one will realize we are investigating anything, and at most, they are not able to see what it is we are doing. That means we can't use special priority tasking, or someone might get curious what is so important. Understand?"
"That will hinder our efforts," Shaun warned. "There is always a backlog, and without some kind of priority, even getting moved up the queue will be difficult."
"Use what techniques you can, realizing this is extremely high priority, but must remain as covert as possible."
"I know a few tricks that might help," Shaun said, without elaborating. "It'll depend on what we need to do."
Jim handed over the two sketches.
"We need to find out who these people are," he said. "Once that has been done, we'll want to know a lot more about them, but we'll discuss that after they have been identified."
Shaun looked at the sketches distastefully.
"Drawings slow down the search considerably. We are going to get a lot of hits which we will have to work through manually. Do we know anything about these two that would help narrow the field?"
He was reading the notes in the margin as he spoke, noting the hair and eye color, and other details that Clarissa had noted that wouldn't show in the black and white drawings.
"Are they known criminals with records, or do we need to do a more general search?"