The Dark Trail

by J. C. Fields

  She turned. “What did you forget?”

  Kruger did not respond as he walked rapidly after the man with the backpack over his shoulder.

  With a shrug, Stephanie said to the kids, “Let’s go to the car. Your father’s getting forgetful in his old age.”

  As Kruger approached the concrete bollards used to prevent vehicles from gaining access to the Memorial grounds, he noticed a park ranger sitting in a golf cart. As he approached, he removed his FBI credentials from his rear jean pocket. Since his retirement had been less than two months ago, he had not received the one with the word retired on it yet. He showed his ID to the park ranger sitting in the golf cart. “Sean Kruger, FBI. Who’s in charge of your detail today?”

  “Me. Why?”

  “You may have a serious problem”—he glanced at the name tag—“Sergeant Miller.”

  Miller titled his head, “What kind of problem?”

  “What color of pants does your team wear?”

  With a frown, the man said, “Black, why?”

  “I believe you have an active shooter situation about to erupt.”

  The sergeant’s eyes grew wide. “How can you tell?”

  Kruger pointed toward the man with the backpack. “The man with the backpack is dressed like a park ranger, but his pants are navy blue and he’s nervous.”

  Miller immediately spoke into his shoulder microphone and said, “All units, we have a possible 10-32, ranger shirt and hat, navy pants with a backpack over his shoulder heading northeast toward the observation deck. Approach with caution.” He turned to Kruger. “You staying here?”

  With a shake of his head, Kruger said, “No, I’m with you.”

  “Let’s go.”

  At a hurried pace, they followed the man and were only thirty feet behind him when he passed through the arches where the gift shop and café were located. The man kept looking around and stopped when he noticed two park rangers approaching rapidly from the observation deck. When he looked back and saw Kruger and the park ranger, his eyes grew wide.

  Kruger said, “Uh, oh.”

  Miller turned. “What…”

  The retired FBI agent did not hear Miller. With practiced efficiency, Kruger drew his Glock 19 from inside the pant holster hidden by his untucked polo shirt. He crouched and moved to his left looking for an angle between himself and the man, making sure tourists would not be in his line of fire behind the suspect.

  ***

  Greer noticed the two park rangers walking rapidly toward him from the direction of the mountain. The tightness in his stomach increased and sweat broke out on his forehead. He stopped and looked around him. Nothing on the sides, but behind him, he saw a park ranger and a tall man wearing jeans and a blue polo shirt.

  Feeling his opportunity slipping away, he unslung the backpack and withdrew the Mac 10 9mm machine pistol. With a laugh and a wild grin on his face he raised it toward the man in the blue polo shirt, who was yelling, and pulled the trigger.

  ***

  Kruger saw the man’s hand slip into his backpack and recognized the weapon being withdrawn. The suspect went from being worried to manic in a split second. Stopping his forward movement, Kruger stood twenty-five feet from the man when he raised his Glock and yelled, “FBI, drop the weapon.”

  The man hesitated and then laughed. All three park rangers now had their weapons drawn and aimed at the imposter.

  As Kruger dropped to a crouch, the Mac 10 fired in his direction. Without hesitation, he pulled the Glock’s trigger, sending five bullets into the assailant.

  The whole incident was over in less than ten seconds. The after-incident report would reveal the shooter fired ten rounds in Kruger’s direction, all striking pine trees on the side of the walkway. All five of Kruger’s bullet hit their mark, as did the shots fired by the park rangers.

  The man collapsed in the middle of the walkway and bled profusely as Sergeant Miller called for a medical evac unit.

  Kruger approached the downed suspect and kicked the Mac 10 out of his reach. The eyes of the assailant were already glassy as they tracked Kruger’s approach. Holstering his weapon, Kruger bent down and said, “What’s your name, son?”

  “Peter.” The answer came through clenched teeth. “Am I going to die?”

  “Yes, Peter, I’m afraid you are.”

  The man inhaled and exhaled rapidly as he turned his gaze skyward. Finally, his body convulsed, and he exhaled for the last time. Unseeing eyes now stared at the cloudless blue sky above.

  ***

  Stephanie Kruger stood beside her husband with her hand on his shoulder as they watched the helicopter take off with the body of Peter Greer inside. She said, “When I heard the gun shots, I knew something was wrong. How did you know?”

  “I’m not sure. I think it was his eyes when he walked past us.”

  “I didn’t even notice him.”

  “That’s the problem, Steph. I notice those things.” He turned his attention to his children as they sat on the ground playing games on his and Stephanie’s cell phones.

  “What’s next?”

  “Lots of questions from all kinds of federal agencies. I talked to Paul Stumpf a few minutes ago and he said not to worry about it. He’d have someone handle it on his end. We’ll be free to go in an hour or so.”

  “What about the media?”

  “Park rangers will get the credit.”

  “Why? You noticed him and stopped him.”

  Kruger shrugged. “That’s not the point. No one got hurt except the gunman.”

  She smiled grimly and closed her eyes momentarily. “That’s just like you.” Her expression softened. “I’m proud of you, even though you lied to me about forgetting something.”

  “I couldn’t let you three be in danger.”

  She was quiet for a few minutes. “You can’t retire, can you?”

  He shook his head. “Nope. It’s not in me yet.”

  “Oh, Sean.”

  He looked at her. Stephanie’s expression was not of anger, but of understanding.

  She said, “You need to take the offer from David Wu.”

  He nodded. “Yeah, that’s kind of what I was thinking.”

  Chapter 29

  Springfield, MO

  JR walked through the front door of his home after checking on Sean and Stephanie’s house across the street. As he entered, he heard Mia calling for him.

  “JR, hurry, you have to see this.”

  He hurried toward the family room located in the rear of the home and saw Mia, one hand covering her mouth as she stared at their big screen TV. She looked at him and lowered her hand. “Did you know about this?”

  “Know about what?” Moving beside her, he saw a reporter standing in front of the Mount Rushmore Memorial entrance reading from notes on a cell phone.

  “A park ranger spokesperson just released a statement that at 2:46 Mountain Time, a lone gunman entered the Memorial grounds. Alert members of the on-site park ranger team determined the man posed a threat to tourists and followed him. When the man was confronted, he withdrew a weapon from his backpack and shots were exchanged with park security. We have several cell phone recordings of the incident. Keep in mind, parts of this video can be disturbing to watch.”

  With a mumble, JR said, “Why do they say that?”

  “Shh…”

  As a shaky video played, JR leaned forward and saw a tall man in a blue polo shirt withdraw his gun from a holster and move to his left. “Oh, shit—that’s Sean.”

  “I know. There are several other videos where you can see him clearer.”

  “Let me guess. He noticed the guy and told the park rangers. Now they get the credit.”

  She smiled and looked at her husband. “Sounds familiar, doesn’t it.”

  JR straightened and crossed his arms. “Too familiar. Have you heard from them?”

  Mia nodded. “Stephanie called an hour ago and said they were coming home early. When I asked why, she completely changed the sub
ject.”

  “Now we know. Did the reporter mention anything about casualties?”

  “According to what I’ve been hearing, no one was hurt except the gunman. He’s dead.”

  The talking head at the studio came back on camera. “The United States Park Ranger service told CNN the quick action by their team at the Memorial saved thirty or more lives. A Girl Scout troop was on the observation deck at the time of the incident. The gunman’s direction indicated this may have been his objective. The tall man in the blue polo shirt has not been identified at this time. Our reporter on scene has learned he is a federal law enforcement official who was at the Memorial as a visitor and assisted.”

  JR tilted his head. “Wonder how this will affect Sean’s attitude about retiring?”

  With a chuckle, Mia said, “Wanna make a bet?”

  “About?”

  “Whether Sean takes David Wu’s offer or not.”

  “I’m not going to bet against it. I’d lose.”

  ***

  With dusk turning to night, Kruger sat on his back deck and watched the sky darken as more stars made their evening appearance. JR sat in a chair beside him. Both sipped on bottles of Boulevard Pale Ale. Neither man spoke, lost in their own thoughts.

  Finally, Kruger said, “Thanks for bringing pizza over tonight.”

  “You’re welcome. We figured you two would be tired. Plus, Joey missed Kristin and Mikey and was anxious to see them.”

  Kruger nodded still staring at the now-black sky. “Still overwhelmed with ransomware complaints?”

  “Yeah.” JR chuckled. “I was able to trace one of my client’s attackers to a server in eastern Belarus.”

  “Really?”

  With a nod, JR continued, “Yeah, two can play that game. Their server suddenly got hacked and all of its files converted to an ending file format of dot FU.”

  Kruger chuckled and looked at his friend. “I can only guess what that meant.”

  “Use your imagination.”

  “How much ransom did you demand?”

  “I didn’t. The program I slipped into their system waited until they were doing backup and corrupted all their files. They’re dead in the water and out of business for the moment. Serves them right.”

  Gazing at the stars visible above his house and another sip of beer, Kruger asked, “Exactly where in Belarus?”

  “A town called Horki.”

  Kruger thumbed something into his cell phone and stared at the screen. “That’s less than twenty miles from the Russian border.”

  “Yeah, so?”

  “I thought you suspected the virus came from Russia.”

  “We do, but computers make it easy to be anywhere…” He stopped and turned his attention to Kruger. “What are you suggesting?”

  “I’m not suggesting anything. I just find it curious one of the locations you found for the hackers is close to Russia.”

  “Huh.”

  “How much money do these hackers demand once they compromise a company’s files?”

  “It depends. Sometimes the amount is small and other times fairly high. There are a lot of statistics floating around the industry, but I saw a report the other day that the FBI believes ransomware payouts are approaching one billion dollars per year.”

  “Really.”

  With a nod, JR continued, “The ransomware demands are just the tip of the iceberg. The real cost to small businesses is the lost productivity. That cost is estimated to be seventy-five billion per year.”

  “Why small businesses?”

  “Think about it for a second. They have fewer IT resources. If they do have any, it’s because they’ve contracted with a company like mine.”

  “How many pay the ransom?”

  “About forty-one percent, at least that’s the statistic I saw. Why are you so curious?”

  “No particular reason.”

  “BS. What are you thinking?”

  Kruger stared at the sky again. “I was just curious about how much money I could make if I started hacking computers.”

  JR chuckled. “Okay, if you’re not ready to discuss it, that’s fine with me.”

  The two men fell into silence again, sipping beer and watching the sky. Finally, JR turned to his friend. “We saw you on TV and your name was never mentioned.”

  “Paul Stumpf took care of that.”

  “You saved a lot of lives, Sean.”

  He shrugged.

  “How’d you know?”

  “I’m really not sure. The guy walked past me as we were returning to the parking lot and I noticed his eyes. Also, he was dressed like a Park Ranger, except the shirt and pants were the wrong color. Alarm bells went off. I didn’t even think about it. I sent Steph and the kids to the car and followed him.”

  “What about his eyes?”

  “Hard to explain. To me he looked like he was staring into the future and didn’t like what he saw.”

  “Glad you noticed it.”

  Kruger’s only response was to take a sip of his beer.

  “What did Stephanie say afterwards?”

  “She wasn’t happy, but okay with how things worked out.”

  With a nod, JR asked, “So, what about David Wu’s offer?”

  “There’s something I didn’t tell you the other day.”

  “Oh?”

  “Wu made the decision to be the financial backer of Sandy and Jimmie’s new company.”

  “You told me that.”

  “What I didn’t tell you is they asked me to join them.”

  “And you said?”

  “I told him no. I wasn’t interested at the time.”

  “Uh-oh, now you are?”

  Kruger nodded. “In a different way. Steph and I talked about it on the flight home. If I accept Wu’s offer and hire Sandy and Jimmie’s company, it gives them instant legitimacy.”

  JR frowned. “How does that work?”

  In the dim light from the kitchen, JR could see a grin on Kruger’s lips. “President Griffin issued an Executive Order authorizing the formation of a group under Homeland Security to investigate and prevent domestic terrorist attacks. The group is separate from the FBI, DEA, US Marshal Service and all the other law enforcement agencies. He thinks he can get the Senate to sign off on it because it will be privately funded for the first year.”

  “He thinks?”

  “There’s still one individual he has to get on board.”

  “Who’s that?”

  “A senator named Quinn.”

  “Okay. When this Quinn okays it, what happens after the first year?”

  “If it works, Congress will consider funding it permanently.”

  “Let me guess. You’ll be the director.”

  Kruger shook his head. “No, my title will be Special Agent in Charge. They are still working it out who I will report to, but it won’t be Paul Stumpf. Although I will be working closely with the FBI.”

  “What about…” JR paused and chuckled. “So, that’s where Sandy and Jimmie’s company comes in.”

  “Yup. I will have carte blanche the first year to hire whoever I want.”

  “Huh, sounds like you’ll have the old team together.”

  “Not yet.” He paused and looked at JR in the dim light. “Want a job?”

  ***

  Two Days Later

  David Wu shook Kruger’s hand as they met in the new office of KKG Solutions, LLC. Located at the back corner of a hanger on the private aviation side of the Springfield National Airport, the space had served many purposes over time, the most recent being a storage area. Now newly remodeled with secondhand desks and furniture, the room still held the distinct odor of aviation lubricants.

  Wu said, “I’m pleased you decided to accept my offer, Sean.”

  “I apologize for taking so long to make the decision.”

  “Nonsense. I respect someone who is deliberate in their decision-making process.”

  Kruger just nodded.

  Looking aro
und the room, Wu said, “Humble beginnings for our friends Sandy and Jimmie. I understand they signed a contract to work with you.”

  “Yes, sir. We’ve operated well together in the past and I see no reason to break us up.”

  “Good.”

  “What’s my budget for the year?”

  “As far as I’m concerned, you don’t have a limit this first year. I’ve allocated a hundred million dollars and can put more into the coffer if needed. I want this endeavor to be successful.”

  Kruger’s eyes widened. “I—don’t believe we will need that much.”

  Placing a hand on Kruger’s shoulder, Wu smiled. “Regardless, it’s there when you need it.”

  “Thank you.”

  Joseph Kincaid walked into the conference room and said, “Sorry, I’m late.”

  After the three men sat around a small round table, the details of Kruger’s new responsibilities began to take shape. An hour later all were in agreement.

  Joseph read from his notes and started the summary. “David, President Griffin agrees with your assessment that Sean and his team need to be independent of the federal bureaucracy. Therefore, they will report directly to the president through his representative—me.”

  Wu and Kruger nodded.

  Continuing, Joseph pushed his reading glasses up his nose. “Their autonomy will be ensured by private funding through the Wu Foundation.”

  More nods.

  “Authority to investigate, arrest, and detain suspects is granted under the auspices of Homeland Security, although, they will not directly engage with this agency. While Secretary Watson is aware of the existence of this new department, she’s been informed she has no jurisdiction over its mission.”

  The two other men said in unison, “Agreed.”

  Additional details of the new department were discussed and notes taken. When they were through, Joseph smiled and said, “Gentlemen, we have a good plan here. I will have it typed up and then review it with the president. Once he signs it, you’ll be in business.”

  Wu turned to Kruger. “Where are you going to start?”

  “I received an email this morning summarizing the agency’s investigation of Peter Greer, the Mount Rushmore Memorial shooter. They had a hard time identifying him at first. He wasn’t on anybody’s radar and didn’t have a social media presence.” Kruger took a sip from a bottle of water sitting in front of him. “They know he was a sophomore at the University of Wyoming in Laramie up until last semester. His cumulative GPA was only 1.6 and there is no record of him registering for the fall semester. So far their investigation raises more questions than answers.”