shoulder.
The tingling sensation she often felt when something didn’t feel quite right washed over her, sending shivers up her spine. She walked back the other way and peeked through the curtain separating them from the cockpit. The door to the cockpit was open. The pilot stared straight ahead. The man had hardly spoken a word since they’d boarded the plane back in Haiti.
Jack looked up from his laptop. “What’s the matter?”
She dropped the curtain back into place and rubbed her arms. “Restless. That’s all.”
He glanced at his watch. “We’re scheduled to land in Los Angeles in under an hour. Agent Harrison will be waiting for us with a car.”
Kate nodded and headed for the back of the plane.
When she returned, Jack was furiously clicking away at the keyboard. “I’m finally getting a connection,” he told her.
“That’s some piece of equipment,” she said.
He patted the seat next to him. “It’s a mini workstation consisting of a high performance processor.”
She took the seat he gestured toward and watched the computer monitor. Within moments the screen blinked and the main page of the Federal Bureau of Investigation filled the screen. Jack typed in his full name and password. Seconds later the screen flashed USER NAME UNKNOWN.
A look of concern crossed Jack’s features. He input what looked like a string of codes and passwords.
“What is it?”
He didn’t answer right away, just kept hammering away at the keyboard. He hit enter. “It seems good ol’ Patrick Monahan thinks he can keep me off my own terminal.” A bitter laugh escaped him. “The poor sap doesn’t have a clue.”
Kate hovered closer. The FBI’s Most Wanted list flashed across the screen. Her eyes widened.
A picture of Jack filled the screen, a younger picture, taken when he had long sideburns and light brown hair that brushed against his shoulders. Below the picture it read, Wanted for the murder of Dr. Harold Forstin .
Kate looked at Jack. “What’s going on?”
“Somebody’s idea of a bad joke.” An edgy sharpness lined his voice. Jack’s gaze left the screen. He looked straight into her eyes. “I didn’t kill Dr. Forstin.”
“I know.”
Clearly Jack was struggling to take it all in, which couldn’t be easy considering only a few days ago he was an outstanding citizen ready to fight the injustices of the world. And now, here he was on the FBI’s Most Wanted list. The agency probably wouldn’t be thrilled to discover he’d just hacked into their site. Jack Coffey, it seemed, was in a world of trouble.
The plane moved erratically, taking a dip in altitude. Kate’s grip tightened on the armrest. “Something’s not right.”
“More turbulence,” Jack said without looking up. He ran his fingers through his hair and stared at the screen. “Un-fricken-believable.”
“They set you up, Jack.”
He began clacking away at the keys again. “None of this makes sense. Why would they do such a thing?”
Kate didn’t know what to say.
He talked as he typed. “I’m going to contact A.J., a computer buddy of mine. We worked in Cyber Unit 3 together. He’ll be able to shed some light on what’s going on.”
Jack typed, A.J. What’s up? Then he clicked Send and waited.
Within moments he had a response. Jack. Where the hell are you? They’ve got half the agency looking for you.
Kate put her hand on his, stopping him from replying. “If he works for the FBI, why wouldn’t he know where you are?”
“Few people knew where I was headed.”
“Don’t tell him anything. Not until you know what’s going on. They think you’re the bad guy now.”
“It’s okay,” he told her, “he’s a good friend.”
“From here on out Jack, your friends are your enemies, and your enemies are just that.”
The plane trembled slightly, but Kate hardly paid the turbulence any attention.
Another message appeared on the screen. Jack, tell me where you are. Your family’s worried about you,
The tingling sensation she often felt when something didn’t feel quite right washed over her, sending shivers up her spine. She walked back the other way and peeked through the curtain separating them from the cockpit. The door to the cockpit was open. The pilot stared straight ahead. The man had hardly spoken a word since they’d boarded the plane back in Haiti.
Jack looked up from his laptop. “What’s the matter?”
She dropped the curtain back into place and rubbed her arms. “Restless. That’s all.”
He glanced at his watch. “We’re scheduled to land in Los Angeles in under an hour. Agent Harrison will be waiting for us with a car.”
Kate nodded and headed for the back of the plane.
When she returned, Jack was furiously clicking away at the keyboard. “I’m finally getting a connection,” he told her.
“That’s some piece of equipment,” she said.
He patted the seat next to him. “It’s a mini workstation consisting of a high performance processor.”
She took the seat he gestured toward and watched the computer monitor. Within moments the screen blinked and the main page of the Federal Bureau of Investigation filled the screen. Jack typed in his full name and password. Seconds later the screen flashed USER NAME UNKNOWN.
A look of concern crossed Jack’s features. He input what looked like a string of codes and passwords.
“What is it?”
He didn’t answer right away, just kept hammering away at the keyboard. He hit enter. “It seems good ol’ Patrick Monahan thinks he can keep me off my own terminal.” A bitter laugh escaped him. “The poor sap doesn’t have a clue.”
Kate hovered closer. The FBI’s Most Wanted list flashed across the screen. Her eyes widened.
A picture of Jack filled the screen, a younger picture, taken when he had long sideburns and light brown hair that brushed against his shoulders. Below the picture it read, Wanted for the murder of Dr. Harold Forstin .
Kate looked at Jack. “What’s going on?”
“Somebody’s idea of a bad joke.” An edgy sharpness lined his voice. Jack’s gaze left the screen. He looked straight into her eyes. “I didn’t kill Dr. Forstin.”
“I know.”
Clearly Jack was struggling to take it all in, which couldn’t be easy considering only a few days ago he was an outstanding citizen ready to fight the injustices of the world. And now, here he was on the FBI’s Most Wanted list. The agency probably wouldn’t be thrilled to discover he’d just hacked into their site. Jack Coffey, it seemed, was in a world of trouble.
The plane moved erratically, taking a dip in altitude. Kate’s grip tightened on the armrest. “Something’s not right.”
“More turbulence,” Jack said without looking up. He ran his fingers through his hair and stared at the screen. “Un-fricken-believable.”
“They set you up, Jack.”
He began clacking away at the keys again. “None of this makes sense. Why would they do such a thing?”
Kate didn’t know what to say.
He talked as he typed. “I’m going to contact A.J., a computer buddy of mine. We worked in Cyber Unit 3 together. He’ll be able to shed some light on what’s going on.”
Jack typed, A.J. What’s up? Then he clicked Send and waited.
Within moments he had a response. Jack. Where the hell are you? They’ve got half the agency looking for you.
Kate put her hand on his, stopping him from replying. “If he works for the FBI, why wouldn’t he know where you are?”
“Few people knew where I was headed.”
“Don’t tell him anything. Not until you know what’s going on. They think you’re the bad guy now.”
“It’s okay,” he told her, “he’s a good friend.”
“From here on out Jack, your friends are your enemies, and your enemies are just that.”
The plane trembled slightly, but Kate hardly paid the turbulence any attention.
Another message appeared on the screen. Jack, tell me where you are. Your family’s worried about you,
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