“We found microscopic pieces of flesh with blood on them. That’s important because it ruled out that it was something simple like a shaving cut or a hangnail. There was either an entire body in that bag or pieces of a body, or it was open when someone was killed. The two pieces of metal we found dug into the side of the suitcase were from parts used in different types of surface to air missiles.”
“What the fuck have we found?” asked Gator. “Body parts, missile parts, fiberoptics carrying data about flights. None of this fits.” Gator looked at Ham, Jak, Quinn, and the others.
“What the hell are we missing?”
CHAPTER NINETEEN
“This must be exhausting for all of you,” said April looking around the table. The faces of the men were intense, engaged in smaller conversations about things she didn’t understand. They all looked up at her, at first confused by the statement.
“You’re right,” nodded Jak. “This is exhausting but it’s what we do to keep our family safe and quite frankly, the country.”
“When will you know more about my grandfather?” she asked.
“We’ve got a team headed to Virginia now with your letter approving exhumation. Once we’re able to evaluate the body, we can make a better determination as to how he actually died,” said Quinn.
“This is all so foreign to me,” she said in a whisper. “On a bad day, the worst thing that would happen to me is a passenger puking on me or shoving me. But most of my days were good days. Children on their first plane rides. Siblings going to visit grandma and grandpa for the first time in years. Couples headed on their honeymoon.
“For the most part, it was good. The idea that the airline, the people I worked with and for were doing something covert, something that would harm America is not anything that ever crossed my mind.”
“It’s a hard lesson to learn,” said Ham. “We’ve spent our lives always looking for the exits, the bad guys, the possibilities. We go to the beach and we’re scoping out who could become a problem. The college buddies two six-packs into their beer for the day, already showing signs of aggression. The family with five kids and no one is watching them. Even the lifeguards.”
“But that must be exhausting, as I said. Doesn’t that mean you can never relax? Quinn, Finn, and River were on that beach getting ready to leave their old life behind and yet way down the beach they saw me and Jones or whatever his name is. You couldn’t even relax for a few moments.” Quinn smiled at her.
“In many ways, that is our relaxation. It probably won’t ever stop. We’ve been doing it since we were kids. Watching out for the person in trouble.”
“Like me,” smiled Brian coming into the cafeteria. “Hello, everyone. Hi, April. Nice to meet you. I’m Brian Talbot. I’m an attorney with the team here.”
“It’s nice to meet you.”
“What’s up Brian?” asked Ham.
“I have some questions for April.”
“For me?” she asked surprised by the statement.
“Yes. When your grandfather died, did you receive his life insurance?” April blushed as she looked around the table.
“What the fuck are you asking?” said Quinn.
“Quinn, it’s not what you think,” said Brian.
“It’s okay. No. I understood from his attorney that he donated the entire amount to the Army’s fund for widows and orphans. I was totally okay with that. The house was going to go to me, but his attorney said it was taking longer than expected to get all of that settled. Once it was settled I was going to sell the house.”
“And was your grandfather’s funeral a closed-casket?” he asked.
“Brian,” started Ham. April held up her hand, smiling at the men.
“Yes. He always said he didn’t want people traipsing past his casket whispering about how good he looked, or how terrible he looked. He demanded that it be closed casket and I honored that.”
“Brian, I think you need to explain the questions, brother,” said Quinn. “It’s clear that April didn’t profit at all from her grandfather’s death.”
“Of course, not,” he said shaking his head. “My apologies if that’s where you thought I was going with all of this. In fact, you should have profited more from his death which is what had me confused. So, I started digging. It just so happens that as I started digging, so did the team in Virginia at your grandfather’s grave.”
The looked at Brian, then back at the confusion filling April’s face. In fact, they were confused by the line of questioning and the possible implications.
“Wh-what are you saying?” asked April quietly. A booming voice joined them from behind Brian, slowly walking toward the table.
“I think maybe I can explain that better.”
