by L C Lang
The younger man nodded. “Yes. We’ve almost got two completely set up.”
“Only two?”
“Yes. It takes time to put in all the codes.”
The man shrugged. He could run a computer, but had no idea what they were doing.
“Have you been into the systems before?”
The younger man nodded. “Yes, before we got here.” He held up the papers sitting beside the computer. “It doesn’t look like anything has changed, so it is going well.”
“Anything you need?” the man asked.
“No, I think we are all set.”
“Okay. If you need anything, just tell Walter. I can get whatever you need.”
“Thanks.” The younger man paused a moment, and then he and the young woman went back to work on the computers.
The man watched as the younger man worked, occasionally glancing at the papers next to the computer. The young woman seemed to consult the papers more often than the man did. While he knew what they were up to, he didn’t understand how they were doing it and really didn’t approve of it either. But, he had no choice in the matter. From what he was told he didn’t trust the two on the couches either, especially the young woman. At least she didn’t have anything else in her hand besides the MP3 player. Still, the gun was close. Just then, he heard Walter coming back up the stairs. He turned and walked back to the kitchen.
“Everyone happier now?” the man asked.
Walter nodded. “Oh yes. Now they have something to do. A few had gotten into their carry-on’s and had gotten out paperback books and other things they had with them. All this should keep them more than contented.”
“That’s good.” He glanced back at the room. “I talked to the kids in there.”
“Kids? You aren’t that much older than they are.”
“Yeah, I know.” He lowered his voice. “Keep an eye on them. Listen to what they talk about. If you feel there is a problem, then call me. I can be here in less than five minutes.”
Walter nodded. “Okay. I am not really comfortable around them, so I stay away from them. But, I’ll watch them.”
“Alright. I am going to take off for now. If I don’t hear from you sooner, I will be back again tomorrow. Just to see how things are going.”
“Thanks. I appreciate it.”
The man nodded. “Alright. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
The man turned and walked out the back door. He got into his truck and sat for a few moments. Yes, things are going to get better soon. He just had to get through the next few days. Then he backed up the truck and drove out.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Maggie put down the binoculars. Who was that? A pickup truck had parked equal to the back door, so she couldn’t see who it was, even with her binoculars. The man was tall, was wearing a pair of jeans and some kind of short-sleeved shirt, but that was all she could see. She couldn’t see his face. Then, less than half an hour later, he was gone again. A panel truck had come three times today. The driver unloaded three three-foot square boxes and took them inside. Was he delivering food? With the amount of people she calculated was in the house, they would need a lot of food. The situation just didn’t feel right.
She walked back into the house and sat down on the couch, trying to shake the thoughts in her head. Picking up the television remote, she turned the television on and began going through the channels. She finally settled on a channel and halfway watched. But, her mind just wasn’t into it. After a while, she turned the television off.
Maggie slowly looked around the room, remembering when her parents had lived here. They had been happy living here. She had only lived here for two years before she left for college. Now, she understood why they loved this place. It was peaceful. An only child, she was born in New York City and lived there until she was sixteen, when her parents announced they were moving. She had argued with them, saying she wanted to stay in New York and finish high school there, but they wouldn’t allow it. Maggie remembered sulking for a month. Wouldn’t talk to either of her parents.
During this time, she began exploring the surrounding hills. Most times, she just disappeared, not telling them where she was going. A week after she had begun walking the hills, she made her first trip down to the creek at the bottom of the hill the house was on. When she came back up, she realized her mother had seen her go down. She remembered well the lecture her father gave her, telling her she shouldn’t do that because she didn’t know what animals might be down there. She didn’t mind the lecture though because she’d had fun. She hadn’t seen any wild animals, so she didn’t know which ones he might know about. While she wasn’t happy when she had first moved here, over time she had learned to love it too. She understood what her parents had seen in the place.
It had now been twenty-four hours since she had called Scott. Maggie knew she should call him, although she already knew what he would say. For the time being, she couldn’t tell him where she was. She had to stay missing and leave her former life behind for a while. Had to get away from everything. She picked up her cell phone from the coffee table and hit his number on the speed dial. It only rang once before he picked it up.
“Honey, I have been waiting for you to call.”
“Have you?”
“Yes. I have been pacing the floor. Maggie, I can’t take much more of this. You have to tell me where you are.”
“Why?”
There was a pause on the line. Maggie bit her lip. Would he finally tell her? Or, would they continue play their game of being non-committal? She wasn’t sure how much longer she could keep playing the game. She realized how much she wanted him to love her; love her like her ex-husband had never loved her. But, did Scott love her as much as she loved him?
Scott sighed. “Because I need you. Okay, I have said it and I mean it. You can’t believe how much I have missed you. We could have been together this weekend.”
“I know. But, I think it is better this way.”
“Why?”
“I guess Lt. Petersen didn’t completely tell you what the psychiatrist said. He said I need to get away from everyone associated with the police department for a while, because I would associate them with what happened.”
“Are you kidding me? We are the ones who would give you support.”
“You and Sam maybe, but no one else. Besides, I am just telling you what he told me. He said I needed to get far away, and after Lt. Petersen put me on mandatory leave, I decided to do just that.”
“Then you aren’t hiding somewhere in Indianapolis?”
“No, I’m not.”
“I was so looking forward to this weekend. We are both off and we would have been together. But you aren’t here.” He paused a moment. “You know, whenever you do come back, we need to talk.”
“We are talking now.”
“No, we need to talk in person.”
“We will, eventually.”
Scott was quiet for a moment. Maggie was curious what he wanted to talk about, but she wasn’t sure what to make of his quietness. So, she decided to change the subject.
“Any new cases come up?”
“A few, but I haven’t pulled any. Still working on what I have. Do you miss working?”
Maggie thought about that for a moment. Did she miss working? In a way, yes, in a way, no. Right now, she didn’t know what she felt. What Richard Rivera had done and what she had seen was still in the back of her mind, but she had to admit the memories were beginning to fade.
“Not right now.”
“You are coming back to Indianapolis, aren’t you?”
“Yes, probably.” She paused a moment. “Scott, the psychiatrist is right, I just need some time away, okay?”
“Honey, I do understand. It is just that I want to be with you.” He paused a moment. “You can’t believe how much I want to hold you.”
Oh yes I can, she thought. “I know. And we will again.”
“Two weeks is too long.”
“It will go fast.” At
least she hoped it would. “So, what exactly did you want to talk to me about?”
“I’d rather talk to you in person.”
“What’s the difference?”
There was a long pause on the line. Maggie wondered if he was going to answer. Were they still connected? She pulled the phone away from her ear to look at the screen. Yes, they were still connected.
“Scott? What is so important?”
Scott let out a long sigh. “Okay. I have had a lot of time to think about this today. I have made some decisions. I would rather tell you in person, but maybe this will work too. You can think about it.”
“Think about what?”
He took a deep breath. “When you get back, I want you to quit work.”
“You want me to do what?” Maggie couldn’t believe what he was telling her.
“Quit work.”
“Why would I do that? I happen to like my job. I worked for this job for five years, so why would I want to quit?”
“I know.” He paused a moment. “Honey, I love you. I want to be with you.”
Maggie couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Because of both of their backgrounds, neither had expressed any love for each other, although she was sure they both felt it. At least she did. Now she knew he did too.
“What exactly are you trying to say?”
“Okay. I want to marry you and I want you to stay home.”
She sat quiet for a moment, still stunned at what she was hearing. She knew she should be happy, but she wasn’t. Then the truth hit her.
“And I suppose you want to have children too.”
“Yes, of course. I do want to have children with you.”
“I see.”
“That’s all you have to say?” He let out a long sigh. “I knew I should have waited until you were here to talk to you.”
“It wouldn’t make any difference. The answer would be the same.”
“And that is?”
“Scott, I love you too. And, yes, I would like to have children. But, no, I don’t want to be stuck at home all the time. I know that is what your late wife would have done, but I am not like your late wife. I like my job and I want to keep my job. Plenty of women officers get married and have kids and still keep their jobs. I plan on doing the same thing.”
“But, honey...”
“No. This is my final answer. I guess you can either accept it, or not. The choice is yours.”
Scott was quiet. Maggie didn’t like what the silence meant, but she wasn’t going to give in. Finally, after a few more seconds, she knew his answer.
“Alright,” she said. “I guess I know your answer. Well, I guess that’s it then. Goodbye, Scott.”
“Maggie...”
Maggie closed her cell phone, and then turned it off. She threw her cell phone down on the couch and stood up, then walked back out on the porch. She sat down on the lounge chair again, and closed her eyes. Had she made a mistake? Yes, she did love him, and yes, she would want to have a family with him. But it was obvious he didn’t want to understand what she wanted. Her ex-husband hadn’t. She had known for years what she wanted to do, but she had let Jack take her off her course. Not this time. Definitely not this time. If Scott didn’t understand that, then maybe it was better if they did stop seeing each other. Oh yes, she would miss him. She wiped the tears from her face.
She opened her eyes and looked outside. It was dark, the stars were out and it was quiet, except for the talking of the crickets. It was so peaceful out here. Maybe too peaceful. How was she going to get past this?
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
SUNDAY MORNING
THE HOUSE
John Murphy was lying on his bed. He laid down the book he was reading and glanced at his watch. It was now eleven o’clock. He rubbed his eyes. Why hadn’t he picked a different book? He wondered why he had ever wanted to read War and Peace. It was good, but it was really long. Since he had gotten the book late yesterday afternoon, he had barely read fifty pages out of the 1296 pages the book consisted of. He had also gotten six magazines. Two of the six were new. The others were older magazines he was sure he had already read, but since there wasn’t a whole lot else to do, he had no choice but to reread them. If he went through the magazines too fast, he wouldn’t have anything to read but the book.
Today was Sunday. He knew this because he had started a diary with the small legal pad the man had also given him. After he got the pad of paper, he began making notes. He remembered very little of Friday, only that he was beginning his last flight. Still, he wrote down what he remembered. Then, he began writing what happened each day. Mostly it consisted of what he had read and what he had for each meal. Not that making the notes was going to mean anything; it was just something to do. Occasionally, he remembered something little about Friday. Once the flight had taken off, he just didn’t have much memory of what happened the rest of the day. That bothered him.
Just then, he heard the key in the door. He was now familiar with the sound, a sound he had heard three times yesterday. It was time for lunch. He sat up, and then looked down at the book he had laid on the bed. It was heavy enough to use as a weapon. But, was there someone outside the door that he couldn’t see? If he hit the man with the book there would be noise as he fell. He could try to get out, but where could he go? He didn’t know where he and his crew were. He knew they were in a house because the man had told him that. But where? They had left England, so he was sure they weren’t there. Were they in the U.S. or in another country? He wished he could remember more of what happened on Friday. Looking down at the book again, he knew it was better if he just cooperated. At least for the time being.
The door opened and the same man walked in. He was wearing the same slacks, but he had a different shirt on today.
“How are you today, Captain Murphy?” the man asked, walking in the room.
“I’m alright. I’m still looking for an answer as to why we are here.”
The man nodded. “I’m sure you are. Unfortunately, I can’t tell you that.” He moved the old plate to the chair, and then placed the new plate on the table. “How do you like the food?”
“The food is good. Do you make the food here?” He wondered if he could find out how many other people were here in the house. He rubbed his thumb over the edge of the book.
“No, we order in.”
“Local restaurant?”
“Yes.”
“Since you said yesterday we would only be here for a couple of days, could we order a special lunch or dinner tomorrow?”
The man thought for a moment. Finally, he shrugged. “I don’t see why not. When I bring your dinner in tonight, I’ll take your order.”
“You will also offer this to my crew as well?”
The man nodded. “Yes, I will. Although, I must explain something to you. I know I told you a couple of days, but it looks like it will still be another two days. It should be sometime in the morning, either before or after breakfast.”
John thought for a moment. “So, you are talking Tuesday morning?”
“Yes.”
“And can you tell me what is going to happen between now and Tuesday morning?”
The man seemed flustered by the question. John figured the man hadn’t expected that kind of question. Quickly the man recovered.
“Sorry, I can’t say. But, I’m sure you will hear about it eventually.”
John stood up, book in hand. He was now concerned. “You said we would be safe.”
“And you will be. This isn’t about you or your crew.”
“Then why are we here?” he said, his voice raising.
The man sighed deeply. “Okay. I can only tell you this. Your plane carried some people we needed to get here. That is the only reason you and your crew are involved. You will be released on Tuesday.”
“Do I have your word on that?” John knew no matter what the man said, he couldn’t be sure the man was really telling him the truth. He wasn’t getting a good fee
ling about this.
“Of course. As I said, this has nothing to do with your crew.”
John nodded. What else could he say? Or do.
The man picked up this morning’s plate, then turned and walked out the door, locking it behind him. John stood for a few moments looking at the door before he finally walked over to the table and sat down at the small table. On the plate was a sub sandwich, potato chips, a small plastic cup of baked beans, a can of Pepsi, and an apple. At least we get good food, John thought.
When he finished eating, he leaned back in the chair. It bothered him that something was going to be happening. Something that he and his crew had inadvertently been involved in. Why hadn’t he gone back to see the passengers? He had often done that before. He wished he could talk to Mary McGill. She would be able to tell him what she had seen when things changed. Were the flight attendants subdued first? What about the backup pilots? As much as he tried to remember, he couldn’t remember what happened after they had flown above the storm. How far had they gotten? Just then, he remembered something.
The storm was coming, but they had just gotten above it. He had gotten the plane almost to the altitude they needed to be at when he remembered hearing the door to the cockpit open. He knew it was too early for Mary to bring in the coffee she had told them she would bring in. John got up from the table, and then sat down on the bed. He reached inside of his suitcase, pulled out the small legal pad, and wrote down the things he now remembered.
Suddenly, he remembered something else. When he heard the cockpit door opening, there was a smell. He couldn’t put his finger on what the smell was. After the smell, his mind went blank. This had to be when he lost control over the plane. But, who had flown the plane and where did it land? Mary had told them that there were only six passengers on the plane. Were two of them responsible for flying the plane? If that were the case, why are the other four here? He shook his head. Too many questions he had no answers for. He vaguely remembered being in a bus, but where is his plane? And exactly where were they right now?