Dark Justice(59)
A long silence followed. No doubt her mother was trying to take it all in. “That young man with the Southern accent is with the real FBI?”
“Looks like it. But I’ve got something else.” Emily related what Dave had found on the video. “So apparently the encryption is about how to stop the attack.”
“Oh.” Her mother spoke almost under her breath. “And now . . . This is . . .”
“Mom, what?”
“I think I know what ‘Raleigh’ is. It’s R-A-W-L-Y.”
Emily listened to her mother’s tale of the news story. When the words ran out—where to begin?
“A stuffed dog? A favorite toy of a little girl who just lost her dad. Oh, that’s just terrific.”
Her mother sighed. “I thought maybe something’s sewn inside it? A piece of paper with the key on it for the encrypted message.”
“But we don’t know that. It sounds so crazy. May be just coincidence.”
“It’s all we’ve got.”
Emily closed her eyes. She was so tired. Half an hour ago she’d have been thrilled to learn what Raleigh may mean. But this. “What are we supposed to do? We can’t get anywhere near that family. They’ve got to be in constant contact with Wade and Harcroft.”
“I know. And even if we could, I’m not taking that poor little thing’s toy away. You should have seen the way she clutched it.”
Emily blinked back tears. Man, she was on edge. Or maybe it was because she’d lost her own father not that long ago. “Mom, we have to call somebody. I mean, not everybody in law enforcement is in on this. We can’t do this! We don’t have the slightest idea what we’re doing.”
“I know.” Her mother sounded even more exhausted than Emily. “But my brain can’t think right now.”
“Homeland Security,” Dave said.
Emily stared at him. Of course. Clearly she wasn’t thinking all that well herself. “How about Homeland Security, Mom? This is what they’re for.”
“Oh. Right. I’ll call them.” Her mom didn’t sound convinced. Little wonder, after so much had gone wrong. Would they even listen? The story sounded so bizarre. But it had to work. It had to. Already the weight on Emily’s shoulders was too much to bear. “Okay. Let me know what happens. Call me back on this number. My cell phone’s off.”
She punched off the line and laid her head against the seat, struggling to understand the inexplicable. Why would people do this to anyone? Much less their own country.
Emily heaved a sigh. She’d been crunched down long enough. With effort, she sat up in the seat, stretching her muscles.
“Recline the back of the seat if you want,” Dave said. “Take a rest.”
She touched his arm. “Thank you so much. I don’t know what I would have done without you. What did your wife say, by the way?”
“She doesn’t know yet.”
Terrific. She’d think they’d run off together or something. “You’d better call her.”
Dave hesitated. “I don’t know how much to say. I don’t want her in danger.”
The comment punched Emily in the stomach. That’s what she and her mother had become, wasn’t it. A danger to anyone who tried to help. Her grandmother was already caught up in it. Now her aunt was involved. And Dave. Maybe his wife. “I’m so sorry,” Emily whispered.
“It’s okay.”
But it wasn’t okay. Not at all. Either they’d be caught today and killed, or tonight their world would go black. Then who knew what kind of chaos would follow?
Chapter 33
SPECIAL HOUSE SELECT COMMITTEE INVESTIGATION INTO FREENOW TERRORIST ACTIVITY OF FEBRUARY 25, 2013
SEPTEMBER 16, 2013
TRANSCRIPT
Representative ELKIN MORSE (Chairman, Homeland Security Committee): Now, regarding Hannah Shire’s daughter, Emily—was it around this time you began to look for her?
Sergeant CHARLES WADE (Sheriff’s Department Coastside): Yes. I thought it would be likely that Hannah Shire would contact her. I asked local police to go to her Santa Barbara apartment, but she wasn’t there. At that point they needed to find out where she worked and send an officer to talk to her. They informed me they would let me know when this task had been completed.
MORSE: So in this escalating situation, wouldn’t you agree the time had come to call the FBI for help? You had four murders, two missing women, a victim posing as an FBI agent, and a video that showed the destruction of a power generator.
WADE: Looking back, I could say yes. And I wish I had. At the time, I was working with my colleagues at the Moss Beach substation, including Deputy Harcroft, as well as the San Carlos police and California Highway Patrol. We had a lot of men on this. As for the FBI, I did call them regarding the badge victim number four was carrying.