Spyware

“Yes, the situation is very serious,” agreed Vasquez. While they had been talking their way past the local sheriff’s office, the National Security Exchange Commission had called them. They were getting involved now as well. They weren’t content to let the FBI and the NSA handle it alone. All of that worried and annoyed Vasquez, who knew that for every additional agency involved, as Johansen had put it earlier, ‘a fresh load of shit would be left on her doorstep every morning’.

“But you know,” said Sarah. “I could care less. All I really want is the family I had a few days ago.”

“I’m hoping we could help you in that arena,” said Vasquez.

“All right,” sighed Sarah. “I’m listening.”

“You’re husband is a fugitive at this point, Mrs. Vance. There is a federal warrant for his arrest-”

“Yes, you showed it to me last night,” Sarah interrupted.

“And we have received information that shall quickly lead to his arrest,” continued Vasquez.

Sarah sat up and frowned at them. “What information? From whom?”

“We almost got him last night, Mrs. Vance. And we have the make and license plate of the car he’s driving,” said Vasquez, watching her reaction closely. She was disappointed by her look of confusion.

“He didn’t have a car last night,” she said. “Did he rent one?” she asked, then stopped quickly.

Johansen stood up suddenly. “Could I use your restroom, ma’m?” he asked Sarah. “We’ve been in the car all day.”

Sarah waved him down the hall and turned her attention back to Vasquez.

“It doesn’t matter,” Vasquez told her. “But what does matter is that we are about to catch him. I’m assuming here that your husband is innocent, Mrs. Vance.”

“And he is.”

“That will be determined, Mrs. Vance. However, I must point out that if he openly runs from capture at that point, it will look very bad for his case.”

Sarah frowned, but said nothing. She went back to massaging the remote and clenching the phone. There, thought Agent Vasquez, the hook is planted. She decided to go for broke.

“Of course, if you could help us in any way-”

“No!” said Sarah, turning on them. “No way. You people can pay your informants and catch him if you can, but I’m not going to help you find him. Why don’t you people find my son instead of bothering us about a piece of software?”

At this point Johansen quietly returned and sat back down on the couch. The two agents blinked their eyes and squirmed a bit.

“The truth is, Mrs. Vance, the FBI won’t get involved in the disappearance of your son until the local Sheriff’s office declares the case to be a kidnapping. Right now, it’s still being investigated as a possible run-away.”

Sarah stared at them in disbelief. “He’s only six years old.”

“Yes, well, this is an unusual case. There’s been no ransom note, no witnesses, no contact of any kind other than the 9-1-1 call. However, I believe the FBI will be called in today. I think the local authorities have been overwhelmed by the virus and all the publicity about it.”

“So you’re telling me that they have simply forgotten about my son? Is that why that detective hasn’t been back to see me?”

Vasquez looked down, embarrassed. “The good news is that we have a new suspect in the virus case.”

“Who?”

“A Mr. John Nogatakei.”

“Nog? Why that fat bastard,” Sarah breathed. “Yes, yes, he might do something like this. I’m surprised I didn’t think of it myself.”

“So you see, Mrs. Vance, your husband’s flight may be totally unnecessary.”

“I’m still not going to turn him in,” she snapped back. “Does Nog have anything to do with my son?”

Vasquez thought of Nog’s apartment. To her, it appeared that Nog could easily be unbalanced. His background didn’t help him, either: An anti-social loner who associated with hookers and had a lot of money and time on his hands. Perhaps he really had taken the kid.

“What would get you to contact your husband?” she asked. She said it easily, hoping Sarah wouldn’t think about the implications of her answer.

“I’ll tell you what would do it,” said Sarah, grabbing up her photo of Justin. “Bring my son back to me. Help me get him back instead of hassling me.”

Vasquez sucked in her lips. It had partially worked, Sarah hadn’t said that she couldn’t contact Vance. But her answer left things unclear.

“What if we offered to take on Justin’s case,” asked Vasquez. She could feel Johansen’s surprise even as she said it. “I mean us, personally.”

Sarah opened her mouth, then closed it. She looked out the window at the unkempt lawn. “My son or my husband, eh?” she muttered. “Bitch.”

“That’s not it at all, Mrs. Vance.”

“Yes it is,” said Sarah with tears welling up in her eyes. “Yes it is, you want information or you won’t do your jobs properly. Well, you can just get the fuck out of here.”

Awkwardly, they stood up and left. At the door, Vasquez turned back. “I’m going to see if we can take the case on for you anyway. If we can get our people back at the San Francisco office to see it all as one case, there should be no problem.”

“Great!” Sarah said. She slammed the door behind them.

***