Gloria got up and pointed to another row of benches across from her. The stranger had the phone in his ear and looked up. Gloria pointed her cane at him. Several people next to where she had been sitting ducked their heads. Gloria lifted the cane slightly higher as she heard the stranger move to the left while talking on the phone. Obviously, he was confused about why someone was pointing at him. Benjamin rushed out of the ticket area to get an officer nearby. The officer came within seconds and looked at the man Gloria pointed her cane to. The stranger kept the cell phone in his ear, and tried to walk towards the exit area at a normal pace. He did not turn his head or run. He tried to dodge a small crowd of people that was coming in and out of the waiting room. When the police officer moved quickly, the hacker tried to get in between the crowd of people and then realized he could not escape in time. He turned to the officer, who was now in front of him.
“Look, I never troubled this woman. I don’t see why she is pointing a stick at me,” the baffled stranger said.
Anna brought Gloria over to the officer.
“Officer, I overheard him talking about other people’s credit cards,” Gloria said.
“I am a security specialist, and just found several hackers carrying an RFID scanner to steal people’s money from miles away,” Benjamin added.
“Is that so?” The officer turned to the accused. “These three believe you’re a hacker and that you may have a device for illegal purposes. Please open your briefcase,” the officer said.
“What!” the stranger protested.
“Open your briefcase; and if there is nothing in it, then there is no probable cause to arrest you,” the officer said.
While the man stood there, the officer took the briefcase from him and inspected it. He then took out the bulky device and looked up at the man, who swallowed hard and did not say anything.
“Who else has this type of device?” Benjamin asked the man. “And where are they?”
The man remained silent.
“Come with me,” the officer said and took the hacker away.
“Gloria, the hacker we just caught was also in poor wardrobe,” Benjamin informed her.
“Like a homeless person?”
“When I see several homeless people laying down around this station, their clothes are very similar – so, yes, I think he is a homeless person in disguise.”
“Homeless clothes, are you kidding me?” Gloria said with amazement.
“First it was promotional clothing, and maybe this is their next disguise in this station,” Benjamin said.
“Are we good with time?” Gloria asked.
“Yes,” he replied. “It wasn’t that long ago after the arrest at the parade, yet we need to move fast before they sniff danger.”
They moved out of the train waiting area and back to the main platform.
“Where should we go next?” Anna asked.
“You mentioned a food court. Let’s try there,” Gloria said.
Benjamin gazed around. “Which food place, there are many…”
“Wait,” Gloria said as something caught her attention.
Anna and Benjamin kept quiet. There was a rattle of newspapers behind her.
“A cop is coming near... I think she is going to make me move, tell me where there’s a better location with pockets of people. I don’t come here often, usually go to Grand Station Terminal... I will head there then... have to go,” a stranger said.
Gloria stood there, and half a minute later she heard another voice.
“You cannot lie down here. You need a shelter,” an officer on duty said.
“I was getting up, thank you,” the stranger replied.
“You need help,” the officer added.
“No thanks,” the stranger responded.
Gloria thought it best for them to make their move. “I think we may have found a hacker. I overheard him talk but did not hear anyone else.”
“What did he say on the phone?” Anna asked.
Gloria shook her head. “He had to move to another location, nothing technical.”
“Besides using a phone while lying on the ground, ‘Pockets of people’ is enough for me to believe it’s suspicious,” Benjamin added.
The stranger in poor smelling clothes got up from the floor and walked past Gloria, who suddenly smelled cologne underneath the foul odor. She turned around. Her companions noticed her slow pace and walked up to her.
“Benjamin?” Gloria said.
“I am here.”
“A homeless man walked past me in that direction. You won’t miss him. He would smell like soap if he washed in a shelter. But the cologne is a different story. The cologne has a smell that I believe you can purchase in luxury retail stores,” Gloria said.
All three went up to the officer and explained their suspicions, which included the thought of the stranger having a RFID scanner in a messenger bag he was carrying; one that was not raggedy at all, unlike his clothing. The officer quickly went up to him again.
“I’m leaving to go to the shelter now,” the stranger said.
“Can you open your backpack, please,” the officer requested.
“I’m not a threat here...”
“Open your bag, please. If we find nothing suspicious, we will let you go,” the officer said in a stern voice.
The man gave it to the officer, and he looked inside. His eyebrows rose a little as he took out the RFID scanner Benjamin said he probably had.
“You’re a hacker? Let’s go. We need to take you in for questioning,” the officer said.
The three started to move towards the food court and stopped in the middle of the long alley with many stores. People were slowing down and looking at their phones, stretching their heads. The lines in the ticket machines area were filling up. At the time, other customers in front of the counter insisted that they had money on their cards although ticket staff members were unable to process their transactions due to insufficient funds.
Benjamin and Anna stood focused.
“Do you want to check your bank account on your smartphone app?” she asked.
“I’m all right. I have an aluminum wallet that blocks RFID scanner users from tracking my account information. Everyone doesn’t need to do this, but I always want extra protection against hackers,” he replied.
They stopped for a few minutes to make room for people moving fast to the next Long Island Rail Road track.
“Think, think,” Gloria said to herself in a low voice. She turned her head left and right and then slowly to the left again.
“Any luck?” Anna asked.
They were all silent for a minute. People stormed in various directions to reach to the train.
“I hear nothing unusual,” Gloria said.
“I don’t think they’ll be running in trains or be near it,” Anna said.
They all walked closer to the food court.
“What foods do they offer?” Gloria asked, a bit distracted by the hustle and bustle of people.
“There is PAN, which mostly serves sandwiches,” Anna said.
“Okay, lunch,” Gloria commented.
“Further down there is a store called Chickpea. Then there are three stores which serve all kind of foods: sandwiches, pizza, popcorn, and pretzels,” Anna explained.
Benjamin took Gloria’s arm, and they started to move again.
“Here is Delight Sweets. I ate at this place before,” Anna said. “But it is in a room with another outlet that sells ice cream and smoothies.”
“Okay,” Gloria responded.
“Across to the left side, there is another place that sells sandwiches and soups,” Anna said.
Gloria nodded her head.
“The restaurants such as Applebee’s are upstairs. Here are mostly fast food outlets,” Anna said.
“Understood,” Gloria said. “Imagine you are a hacker and you have to leave your post when instructed to do so at any moment. Would you get a quick bite at an outlet that offers those kinds of
food or eat sitting at a restaurant that makes food you have to wait for?”
“Criminals want to be in-and-out on a job,” Benjamin said. “Restaurants will make them wait awhile for an order. Ice cream and smoothies stores are out because if they have to run, they don’t want liquid splashed on them that will end up becoming sticky when it dries on their skin and clothes. They don’t want to run with a beverage of any kind. I don’t know if the criminals have a sweet tooth for pastries. In my opinion, sandwiches are quick and fill you up for the time being. Pastries such as a cinnamon roll increase your hunger later. A suspect’s best bet is to go into a shop and get a pre-wrapped sandwich instead of waiting for them to make it. It comes down to wrapped sandwiches, in my opinion.”
“A sandwich shop it is,” Gloria said.
“I’m taking you to a shop called Station Deli that is nearby from where we are standing,” Anna said.
They moved to Station Deli across from the ticket area. Anna held Gloria’s hand as they entered.
“Question, does this store have a small seating area all the way in the back?” Gloria asked.
“There is a seat available. Pretend we’re just eating before our train arrives,” Anna replied.
Benjamin picked out two sandwiches and paid for them. He then gazed around for a pair of seats close to each other until one was available five minutes later. He took Gloria to one of the seats and then sat down.
The sound of chairs shifted a bit near Gloria on the opposite side from where the stranger sat. Gloria heard the sound of paper crumpling and then a person’s voice. She listened in.
“Yes, I waited in the waiting area too long. I received a call. Arthur was arrested just now. I have to stay here a little longer… I don’t know… they caught him, and he was arrested near the newsstand,” said the stranger on the right side of her.
Seconds later, the stranger hung up her cell phone, and Gloria heard a handbag being unzipped. She then heard rummaging through the bag like she always did herself; except this time, the rummaging did not stop but slowed down as if the hand did not extend out of the bag. Gloria heard several buttons being pressed while the woman was moving the bag towards her with the other hand. Gloria thought it was unusual to press a cell phone inside a bag.
She got up from her chair and purposively dropped her cane. “My cane dropped.”
The person next to her quickly zipped her handbag and bent down to pick up Gloria’s cane. Gloria touched the stranger’s hand and wrist until the stranger put the cane into her hands and walked away.
“Benjamin,” Gloria called out in a low voice.
“Yes.” Benjamin turned in his seat to answer.
“Quick, she’s leaving. I only managed to touch one hand. She’s wearing two bracelets on her wrist and two rings on her hand.”
“Take my hand,” Benjamin said. Gloria held it, and they both went after the woman.
The stranger did not look back and walked at a swift pace. Benjamin found an officer nearby, telling him his profession, and Gloria shared what she had heard. Then they followed the officer. The stranger felt eyes behind her and quickly turned her head.
“Excuse me!” The officer grabbed her arm.
The three stood at a bit of a distance. Anna and Benjamin were watching while the officer took the woman’s purse and searched through it, then took out a RFID scanner.
“What is occurring?” Gloria asked.
“Hold on,” Anna said.
The officer, still holding the purse, took the stranger by the arm and walked away.
“She is taken in for questioning,” Benjamin explained.
“We’ve now caught the third person,” Gloria said.
“The less hackers, the harder the search,” Benjamin said.
“I’m surprised they didn’t run,” Anna said.
“Security is tight here. They probably don’t want too much attention on themselves,” Benjamin explained.
As they were starting to move on, Gloria stopped and then froze, the sound of dense keys startling her. The sound did not last very long, but took precedence in the midst of the busy station. The others noticed her reaction.
“What’s wrong?” Benjamin asked.
“Let’s head upstairs right now,” Gloria said eagerly.
CHAPTER 26—UNKNOWING
Gloria, Benjamin and Anna stood in the middle of the wide Amtrak area. The large schedule board right in front of them kept flipping a new track number, time, and destination every five minutes for Amtrak and Acela Express trains. People started to walk to an Amtrak line that was heading to Boston, Massachusetts, while an Amtrak staff member inspected each passenger’s ticket. Police officers with German shepherd dogs walked around on the far end of each side of the large area. Two members of the National Guard were also on duty there.
“I think they are either in the Amtrak waiting area on the far right side of where we are standing, or in the standing area here,” Anna said.
She and Benjamin moved around for a little while, the noise of the intercom distracting them a bit. After fifteen minutes, he shook his head. “I found nothing.”
“Me neither,” she replied.
They then moved to the seating area.
“Nothing here either,” Benjamin said.
“It’s not working for us at this moment, Gloria,” Anna said disappointedly.
“Concentrate. We’re not psychics. We can only try our best. Don’t push, just focus,” Gloria said.
“Let us just try again in the standing area,” Benjamin said.
They roamed around the standing area as they remained in total concentration for fifteen minutes. The schedule board flipped, and two large groups of people started to head to the Amtrak trains heading to Virginia and Florida.
“Nothing here,” Anna said. “Let’s go in the opposite direction.”
“By now, the hackers have probably spotted us while we were walking around looking ridiculous,” Benjamin complained.
“They’re probably not here at all,” Anna said and thought for a second. “Now I remember: we need to go to the NJ Transit waiting area, which is about a tenth of a mile away in the opposite direction.”
“Alright,” Benjamin said.
They moved further; and as they walked, one person came from an ATM machine and stared long on their transaction receipt. Another person inside the ATM machine area kept shaking their head and getting help from someone who had just completed their own transaction.
“Looks like two were victims from where I stand,” Benjamin said.
“This means the person with the RFID reader system device is nearby, I suspect,” Anna said.
“Should we turn a corner?” Benjamin asked.
“Yes, this area is where the NJ Transit trains are. On the upper tier, you will see ticket machines and lines to purchase tickets. Then there is the main level with many benches,” Anna said.
“Which one do you prefer?” Benjamin asked.
“Let’s go to the half level first,” Anna replied.
The pair looked at several ticket counters and glanced at several people viewing the bottom floor. He decided to go there after two people were seen moving, and Anna followed with her hands clutching Gloria’s slightly tighter. Anna stood near Benjamin but with some space between them. She closed her eyes, and Benjamin did the same as he lowered his head and concentrated. The noise behind Benjamin was becoming lower as he focused on the sound of voices and footsteps on his right side. There were no voices, footsteps, or any distinct smells that warranted further attention. Seconds later, Benjamin heard a phone ring near him.
“The train should be here any minute. I can see the track number on the screen from where I am standing. Okay… goodbye,” a stranger said.
The person moved, and Benjamin thought nothing of it. He then felt an empty space on his left side. Benjamin stayed put. Minutes later, a person walked up and stood next to him. Benjamin kept his head tilted down. He glanced at his watch for a second, then d
etected a distinct smell. He stood silent. The person turned and slowly walked away. Benjamin briefly thought about the risk of moving and leaving Anna. He did not want to put her in harm’s way, but he also wouldn’t want to miss an opportunity to catch the possible suspect. His hunter’s instinct prevailed, and he moved seconds later. Benjamin could not see the person’s face, but recognized the back and the side of the individual. The man’s hat almost covered his eyes, but his triangular face and hidden dimple on the bottom of his chin showed slightly from his grown beard, yet the hair on his head was very clean-cut. His one high thick eyebrow, which was higher than another, made the several wrinkle lines on the side of his eyes more apparent.
“Boarding track number 1 to Trenton,” the intercom announced to the whole room filled with travelers. A group of people walked towards the steps that led down to Track 1. Benjamin kept his eyes on the man’s back, trying to remember the smell.
“Is that Philip? Dressing in poor wardrobe? That cannot be him as one of the hackers in disguise,” Benjamin asked himself under his breath.
“Boarding track number 1 to Trenton. All aboard.” Another group of people came in between him and Philip. Benjamin edged his head up to avoid losing contact with the person he now suspected was Philip. The person in disguise disappeared from sight as the group walked downstairs and entered the train track area. Only two people remained in front of Benjamin, who looked back and forth.
“Looking for me? Nothing is a coincidence,” Philip said to him.
Benjamin quickly turned. “Hey,” he managed to say before he suddenly found himself being pushed hard and his body rolled down the stairs.
Benjamin, who found himself flying in midair, caught another glimpse of Philip before his back hit the third of fifteen steps. The pain made his eyes shut as he began to experience intense agony. People on one side gripped the gold plated stairwell, and others on the other side of him took hold of a wall as they watched him tumble down the stairs. Several reached out their hands, but quickly pulled back as they were afraid of stumbling and falling with him. Benjamin continued to roll down, his back hitting against the fourth step, and his body unendingly began to turn as his whole left side struck against the sixth to tenth steps. The fourteenth to fifteenth steps came into impact with his head. The fall caused a slight concussion as the stairs brought him down with a great force of gravity. Benjamin did not move. He passed through stage 1 and 2 of REM sleep and was in stage 3, all in five quick minutes.
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