Saving Faith

by David Baldacci

  cheek. "Hey, babe. Sorry, the phone call took longer than I thought." He looked at the ticket agent and said casually, "I have a pistol I need to check."

  The ticket agent raised her eyes slightly at this.

  "You're Mr. Wright?"

  Lee nodded. She went about processing the necessary documents. He showed her his fake ID and she stamped his passenger ticket appropriately and entered the information in the computer. He turned over the gun and ammo, and filled out the declaration form. The agent tagged the container and they left the ticket counter.

  "Sorry, I forgot about the gun." Lee looked up ahead to the security gate. "Okay, they're going to have people posted at the gate. We'll go through separately. Be cool; you don't look anything like Faith Lockhart."

  Although Faith felt her heart in her throat the entire time, they went through the security gate without incident.

  As they passed the flight information monitors, Lee spotted their gate.

  "Down this way."

  Faith nodded as she noted how the gates were configured here. The departure gate for the San Francisco flight was close enough to easily get to, but far enough away from the Norfolk gate. She hid a smile.

  Perfect.

  As they walked along, she looked over at Lee. He had done a lot for her. She wasn't feeling good about what she was about to do, but had convinced herself it was for the best. For both of them.

  They reached the gate for the flight to Norfolk. The plane would be boarding in about ten minutes, they were told. There was a good crowd waiting.

  Lee looked at her. "You better call that commuter service for the flight to Pine Island."

  Lee and Faith walked over to the phone bank and she made that call.

  "All set," Faith said. "Now we can relax." "Right," Lee said dryly.

  Faith looked around. "I need to use the rest room." "Better hurry."

  She hustled off while Lee looked after her thoughtfully.

  CHAPTER 22

  "BINGo!" THE MAN SITTING IN FRONT of the computer screen said. He was in a van outside of the airport. The FBI had a designated liaison with the airlines to monitor the travel of persons the Bureau was looking for. With more than one airline sharing reservation systems and data and the advent of code-sharing, the FBI's job had been made a little easier. The Bureau had requested that the name Faith Lockhart be marked with a tag in the major airlines' reservation systems. That request had just paid an enormous dividend.

  She just made a reservation for a flight to San Francisco that leaves in about half an hour," he said into his headset microphone. "United Airlines." He passed along the flight number and gate information.

  "Hit it." he ordered the men inside the terminal. He picked up the phone to notify Brooke Reynolds.

  Lee was leafing through a magazine someone had left on the seat next to his when two men dressed in suits flew past. A few moments later, a pair of gents in jeans and windbreakers hurried past, heading in the same direction.

  Lee immediately jumped up, looked around for anyone else hustling by, saw no one moving fast and then followed after the group.

  The FBI agents, followed by the men in jeans, hurried past the women's room a minute before Faith came out. The men had disappeared into the crowds by the time she emerged.

  Lee slowed as he saw Faith come out from the women's room. Another false alarm? When she turned away from him and went in the opposite direction, he knew his fears were justified. As he kept his gaze on her, she looked at her watch and picked up her pace. Shit, he knew exactly what she was doing: going for another flight. And from the way she had checked her watch and started walking faster, it must be close to leaving. As he pushed through the crowds, he scanned the aisle ahead. There were ten gates remaining down here. He stopped for a second at the monitors, his gaze flying down the listings, checking the gates off one by one until he stopped at the flashing "boarding" message for a United flight to San Francisco. As his eye drifted farther, he saw that a flight to Toledo was also boarding. Which one was it? Well, there was one definite way to find out.

  He sprinted ahead, cut through a waiting area and managed to get past Faith without her seeing him. He abruptly stopped within sight of the gate for the San Francisco flight. The men in suits who had sprinted past him were standing at the departure door talking to a nervous-looking United employee. Then the stone-faced men moved off and stood behind a partition, their gaze fixed on the crowd and departure area. FBI for sure. The San Francisco flight had to be the one Faith was going for.

  But something didn't make sense. If Faith had used her phony name, how .. . ? Then it hit Lee. She couldn't use her phony name for both tickets for flights leaving a few minutes apart. That would have been a big red flag for the ticket agent. She had used her real name because she needed ID to get on the flight. Shit! She was heading right for them. She'd show her ticket, the agent would signal the FBI and then it would be over.

  Just as he was about to turn, he spotted the two men in windbreakers and jeans who had rushed past him earlier. To Lee's experienced eyes, they were watching the Feds intently, without seeming to do so. He edged closer, and with the gloomy weather outside he managed to catch their reflection in the window. One man held something in his hand. A chill went down Lee's back as he maneuvered some more and managed to spot what it was. Or what he thought it was. This case suddenly took on a whole other dimension.

  Lee fought his way back down the aisle; seemingly everyone who lived in the Washington metropolitan area had decided to fly today. He saw Faith across the aisle. In another moment she'd be past him. He made a lunge across the wall of people and tripped over a garment bag someone had set down. He fell to the floor hard, his knees taking the brunt of it. When he sprang up, Faith was past him. He had a few seconds, if that.

  "Suzanne? Suzanne Blake?" he called out.

  At first it didn't register. But then she stopped, looked around. If she saw him, Lee knew she might run. But her stopping had given him the few seconds he needed. He circled and came up behind her.

  Faith almost collapsed when he gripped her arm. "Turn around and walk with me," he said.

  She pulled at his fingers. "Lee, you don't understand. Please, let me

  "No, you don't understand. The FBI is waiting for you at the San Francisco gate."

  The words made her freeze.

  "You messed up bad. You made the second reservation in your name. They monitor stuff like that, Faith. They know you're here now."

  They headed as quickly as they could back down the aisle to the original departure gate. The plane was boarding. Lee grabbed their bags, but instead of getting on the plane, Lee veered off, pulling Faith along with him. They went back through security and headed toward the elevator.

  "Where are we going?" Faith said. "The plane to Norfolk is leaving."

  "We're getting the hell Out of here before they shut the whole terminal down looking for us."

  They took the elevator down to the lower level, went outside and Lee signaled for a taxi. They got in one, Lee gave the man an address in Virginia and the cab pulled off. Only then did Lee look at her.

  "We couldn't get on the plane to Norfolk."

  "Why not? That ticket was in my other name."

  Lee glanced at the driver, an old guy slumped down in his seat listening to country western on the radio.

  Satisfied, Lee still spoke in low tones. "Because the first thing they'll do is check at the ticket counter to see who purchased the ticket for Faith Lockhart. Then they'll know Suzanne Blake did. And they'll know Charles Wright is traveling with you. And they'll be given descriptions of us both. And they'll check the reservations for Blake and Wright and the FBI will be waiting for us when we get off the plane in Norfolk."

  Faith paled. "They move that fast?"

  Lee trembled with rage. "Who the hell do you think you're dealing with here? Larry, Moe and Curly Joe?" He slapped his thigh in sudden anger. "Sonofabitch!"

  "What?" Faith said frantically. "
What?"

  "They have my gun. It's registered in my name. My real name. Dammit!

  Now I've aided and abetted, and the Feds right on our ass." In his despair he rested his head in his hands. "This must be my birthday, things are going so good for me."

  Faith started to touch him on the shoulder, but pulled her hand back.

  She looked out the window instead. "I'm sorry. I'm really, really sorry."

  She put a hand against the car window, letting the cold from the glass seep into her skin. "Look, just take me to the FBI. I'll tell them the truth."

  "That would be great except the FBI's not going to take your word for it. And there's another thing."

  "What?" Faith wondered if he was going to tell her about working for Buchanan.

  "Not now." Lee was actually thinking of the other men at the gate, what he had seen in the hand of one of the men. "Right now I'd like you to tell me what that was all about back there."

  She stared out the window at the choppy gray Potomac. "I'm not sure I can," she said so softly he could barely hear her.

  "Well, I'd like you to try," he said very firmly. "I'd like you to try very, very hard."

  "I don't think you'd understand."

  "I can understand with the best of them."

  She finally turned to him, her face flushed, her gaze refusing to catch his. She nervously played with the edge of her jacket. "I just thought it would be better if you weren't with me. You see, I thought you'd be safer that way."

  Lee looked away in disgust. "Bullshit!"

  "It's true!"

  He whirled back around and clutched her shoulder so tightly she winced in pain. "Listen, Faith, they were at my apartment, whoever they are.

  They know I'm involved. Whether I'm with you or not, the danger level really doesn't change for me, it actually gets worse. And you running around trying to ditch me isn't damn well helping."

  "But they already knew you were involved. Remember back at your apartment."

  Lee shook his head. "Those weren't the Feds."

  She looked stunned. "Who, then?"

  "I don't know. But the Feds don't show up disguised as UPS men. FBI

  Rule Number One: Overwhelming force trumps all. They would've come with about a hundred guys and the Hostage Rescue Team and the dogs and body armor and shit like that. And they just come in and take your ass, case closed." Lee's voice grew calmer as he thought things through. "Now, the guys waiting for you at the gate were FBI." He nodded thoughtfully. "They weren't trying to hide who they were." The other two men at the departure gate? All bets were off. But he knew Faith was very lucky to be alive.

  "Oh, and by the way, you're welcome for me saving your butt again.

  Another few seconds and you're back in FBI land with more questions than you have answers for. Maybe I should've just let them take you," he added wearily.

  "Why didn't you?" she asked quietly.