Missing

by L C Lang

  Maggie thought about this for a moment. Would Jack have shot her? “No, I don’t think so. Jack may have been desperate to get what he wanted, but I got the idea he hadn’t expected it to end this way. Shooting me wasn’t part of his agreement with Fitzpatrick. Then again, I wasn’t supposed to show up at the house. After Fitzpatrick and Walter left, I could tell he wasn’t sure what to do. Part of our marriage was happy. I think guilt began setting in.”

  “Then you went back in after him when the house caught on fire.”

  Maggie nodded. She wasn’t about to tell them about the other reason she had decided to make the run into the burning house. “Yes. I couldn’t in all conscience leave him in there.”

  “But, you don’t feel anything for him?”

  She shook her head. “No, I don’t. But, I just couldn’t leave him in there. He will have to pay for his part in all this. I told him he was being a fool, but he was in a rut and wanted more than the town was willing to give him. Actually, I feel sorry for him. He just dug himself into a hole.”

  “He will be charged as an accessory. He will probably serve some jail time, but not as long as the others will. And he will be out of a job.”

  Maggie nodded. She did feel sorry for Jack. He lost everything he had worked for. And all for what? Then she thought of something.

  “What happened with the codes? Did your computer techs find the codes and fix them?”

  Palmer nodded. “Yes. I must admit, it was close. My boss was sweating it out for a while, but they got them fixed. After the Ohio power grid problem, our techs knew where to look. He really did bury the codes. The worst ones were the power grids. They contacted the companies and worked with all of them to help find the codes and get them deleted off. The companies were shocked when we called them. Most had put safeguards on their systems. They couldn’t believe their systems had been hacked. I am sure more safeguards are coming. They were fixed, some just a few minutes until the deadline. It was close. One other thing. You were right. The codes Whitcomb left for Fitzpatrick weren’t legitimate codes. Whitcomb made them up. And Whitcomb did put Glen Harper’s e-mail in as the source. Nobody has a clue how he did that, but they found it in each one of the sites and got it taken off. Harper wasn’t happy about it when he heard what Fitzpatrick had done to him. But, all is now safe again in America.”

  Palmer paused a moment. “Oh, one more thing. I heard on the tape that you suggested that Whitcomb might have hacked into Fitzpatrick’s bank account?” Maggie nodded. “Well, he may not have gotten into his bank account, but he did set up a series of derogatory e-mail’s, all coming from Fitzpatrick’s e-mail, to the whole FEMA department and several other agencies as well. It was set to begin Tuesday morning. Our techs got that stopped too.”

  Maggie’s mouth dropped open. Then she shook her head. “That guy really is a danger.”

  “Yeah, no kidding. But, his computer days are over. Neither he or his girlfriend will ever come near a computer again.”

  “I’m glad everything got taken care of. I have been watching the television, waiting to hear. But then when I didn’t, I hoped they had fixed them.” Then she thought of something else. “Oh, did Captain Murphy and his crew get home?”

  Palmer nodded. “Yes, we flew them back to New York city and they were taken to our office for debriefing. Seven agents were waiting to take their depositions. Only took about an hour. None of them remembered much of anything until they got to the house. Most of them barely remembered walking out of the tour bus. They were given everything they needed. They were fed, given books and magazines to read and whatever personal supplies they needed. No television or newspapers though. They were just in a locked room. Afterwards, the agents gave them a personal ride home. They called Captain Murphy and Peter Collins’ wives and gave them the news. I heard Captain Murphy’s wife had all six of their kids at the house, along with half the neighborhood as well, when he got home. And this was at one o’clock in the morning.”

  Maggie laughed. “Bet he’s glad he’s retired now.” While she had been watching CNN for any updates, they had covered the lives of each of the flight crew. They had mentioned that Captain Murphy had been on his last flight.

  “Yeah, no kidding.” He paused a moment, looking down at his notes. “Well, I think that does it.” He stood up, and so did Maggie. “Thanks again for giving us the heads up about Fitzpatrick, and Captain Murphy and his crew. We just didn’t know what was going on with the missing plane, and the crew and passengers. After we found the plane and found there had been two hackers on-board, we had no idea where they had gone or what they were doing. With Whitcomb on the plane, we had a good idea what he was doing, just not exactly where or what he was hitting. Then, when you called, that pointed us to the right area. Our computer guys are still going through Fitzpatrick’s computer. The police confiscated Whitcomb’s computer when they found the car. His is going to take even longer. He used his computer to hack into U.S. companies while he was in England. So they will be able to see who else he was hacking into and hopefully fix what he has done.”

  Maggie shook her head. She knew how to use a computer, but how to hack into someone else’s computer was way above her knowledge.

  “Well, I think we are done here.”

  “You’ve had a long day,” Maggie said looking at her watch.

  Palmer laughed and McWilliams just barely nodded.

  “Yes, it has been. But, at least we got the most important questions answered.”

  “Can’t ask for more than that.”

  He nodded. “No, you can’t. Would you like a ride back to your house?”

  Maggie nodded. “Yes, I would. Thanks.”

  “Oh, one more thing. I noticed there were no other cars around the house besides the car Fitzpatrick was leaving in and the pickup truck. How did you get there? Walk?”

  “Well, yes and no. The house I am living in is at the top of the other hill. So, I took a short-cut and went down one side of the hill and up the other one to get to the house.”

  Palmer shook his head in disbelief. “I can’t believe you did that.”

  “It wasn’t that hard. First time I did it the other day, I was really sore the next morning. I suspect that’s going to happen later today too.”

  He laughed, still shaking his head. “Okay. I’ll run you home.”

  Maggie thanked him and they walked out the door. She got a ride back to her house from one of the SWAT guys earlier and he came back for her when they were ready for the interview.

  Ten minutes later, she got out of the black SUV. She thanked Palmer again, and then watched as he drove away. She walked into the house, then out onto the porch. The fire in the house on the other hill was out, but there were portable spotlights all over the back of the house. More FBI agents had arrived and she was sure they were going through the house with a fine toothed comb. She was sure Fitzpatrick’s laptop was all the evidence they were going to find. Although, she was sure they would check out the rooms where the flight crew stayed. It still bothered her that they could have died in the fire.

  She was relieved that the computer techs were able to undo the damage that was set to happen. They had averted several major catastrophes. She remembered the screens she had seen on Fitzpatrick’s laptop. She couldn’t imagine the amount of devastation that would have taken place. What would have happened if she hadn’t seen the tour bus come in? What if she hadn’t seen Fitzpatrick arrive? What if she hadn’t gone in and brought the flight crew out? And what if she hadn’t gotten the license plate number of the Lincoln? The hackers would have gotten away and the FBI would not have known about the plot until it was too late.

  Maggie glanced at her watch. It was now almost five o’clock in the morning. It had been a long night. She knew she should call Scott. He had called several times over the past two days, but she hadn’t wanted to talk to him then. She did now. At the very least, she owed him an explanation. There was no doubt now, whether he liked it or not, she had no intent
ion to quit work. She wanted to be a detective. But, she would tell him later. Right now, she needed a few hours of sleep.

  CHAPTER THIRTY

  Maggie had now been back in Indianapolis for two weeks. She had stayed at the house for the second week, enjoying her time off. A couple of days after the raid, she finally realized her dreams about the children and the fire was gone. Was it because she had gotten away from Indianapolis or was it because she had gotten involved in something else? Maybe that was the key to healing. What would have happened if the physiatrist had told her to get back involved in another case? She shook her head as she thought about how differently things might have turned out. The flight crew, Fitzpatrick’s scheme, disaster hitting almost half the country? No, she didn’t even want to think about it.

  She felt comforted in knowing there was nothing she could have done for the children. But, going back in the burning house for Jack, well, that was another story. Although, she was sure he would rather have died in the fire than face the charges and the humiliation he was now facing. The city fired him and there was talk he would serve a couple of years in jail for his part in Fitzpatrick’s scheme. She still felt sorry for him.

  After the raid, Maggie had slept until early afternoon, and then sat out on the porch, watching the activities on the other hill. The FBI went through the remains of the house for two days. She still doubted they found much of anything. She had watched CNN as they covered the story. Even the President made a statement on the television. He was not happy, although she wondered what his real reaction was when he heard the tape in private. She imagined he let out a few dozen expletives. Fitzpatrick officially resigned the next day, while still in jail, but she was sure it wasn’t his decision. The Administrator of FEMA was livid, especially once he knew he was the target to be the scapegoat for the disasters. However, when the news broke the next day, he also resigned. The President began a reorganization of FEMA the next day.

  The media found out about the plot by early morning after the raid. By the time she had gotten up, it was going full blast. She lost count of how many news vans surrounded the now burned down house. Fitzpatrick’s name was literally drug through the mud. Walter, she found out, was a close associate in the FEMA organization. He was not only fired, but also faced jail time for his involvement. She had also heard he turned states evidence, probably to get a lower sentence.

  A biography of each of the terrorists was in every paper across the country. The media milked it for all it was worth. Even now, two weeks later, reports were still in the papers, although they were now relegated to the third and fourth pages.

  It was going to be a while before the trial took place. Rumors from the media suggested that the Federal Prosecutor’s office was going for life in prison for Fitzpatrick, Whitcomb and his girlfriend.

  All four of the other passengers received charges of kidnapping and terrorism. The two men who acted as pilots had the theft of the plane added. They found the young man had wired the house to burn and the young woman was responsible for the murder of the two CIA agents.

  Fitzpatrick’s trial was one she wanted to watch. She was sure TruTV would carry it and CNN would cover it extensively.

  Maggie had called Scott the day after the raid and she told him what had happened. Then, she called Lt. Petersen and told him what had happened. She was sure the FBI would notify him anyway because she had been involved, but she beat them to it. After that, she found out later, the news spread throughout the office. When she went back to work, the other detectives were all over her for details on what had happened. Luckily, her name had stayed out of the newspapers. Since then, it seemed as if the other detectives had a different opinion of her. She wondered how long that was going to last.

  Since she had been back, her relationship with Scott had changed too. They’d had a long talk on the telephone, and an even longer one once she had gotten back. He had been quiet while she told him what had happened, but when she told him of her decision to continue working, she wasn’t sure what his reaction was going to be. He was quiet for a while, but then had finally realized it was something he was going to have to live with.

  Maggie felt their relationship was now on another level. Neither had shared much of their pre-relationship lives, but all that had changed. They were getting closer and she liked that. Scott seemed to like it too.

  Maybe her mandatory vacation was a good thing after all.