Disclaimer see Part 1.
After the Explosion
Part 6
"Now?"
Mr. Parker glared at Broots, who shifted his feet nervously. He was not used to have the boss himself that close. He prefered the distance and wouldn't have minded if he vanished with a plop.
"Well, Mr. Parker, Sir. We studied the reports from FBI and VCTF. There were no remains of any kind of human being, not even a mouse. Their conclusion is simple. Whoever planted the bomb got out in time..."
"Well, Broots, then it will be your task to find our two missing subjects. I want them here, in one part. and I want progress. You report to me only. No word to Lyle."
Mr. Parker turned and went towards the door. Then turned back again, seeing that Broots had eased himself in front of his comuter.
"And Broots...."
Broots jumped, nearly slipped of his chair.
"Y...y...yes?"
"Don't try to fool the Centre. If you've contact with any of those three, I want to know. You know how traitors are treated here...."
Broots nodded slowly, wondering where to send Debbie to keep her safe.
Josh washed the dishes in silence.Maggie had prepared a wonderful dinner. He'd never imagined something simple like apples could be made this delicious. But then, he didn't know much about food, except the healthy food the Centre had given him. He understood why Jarod had liked sweets that much. He began to develop a taste for cookies and chocolate. And Charles had bought a bag full of PEZ-dispensers for him.
Charles and Maggie, Mum and Dad they said he should call them. He would have to get used to it.
"Dear, aren't you finished yet?"
Maggie called in from the living room.
"No, Mum! I've been daydreaming..."
Josh yelled back. To call her Mum, went from his lips easily. And he felt comfortable with that.
"Take your time, Josh."
Charles answered instead of his wife. Josh knew they were waiting for him. Over dinner they had decided to spent the evening with playing. Josh had never before played a game. He was curious.
He put the last of the dishes into the sink, cleaned and dried it. Then hurried to get all the stuff into the right places. He had to try several times to find the right cupboard, enjoying the simple task.
He then went into the living room, where Maggie and Charles were waiting for him. They sat on the couch, facing each other, holding some cards. Charles just asked her a question and Josh figured they had already begun playing.
"So, who wrote the 'Catcher in the Rye?"
Charles watched her, knowing, she didn't like that book. But since she had been forced to read it during her school days, she of course knew the answer.
"That would be J. D. Salinger and he will get his punishment for writing such a terrible book!"
She grinned, remembering the days when the only problems had been, what to wear for school.
"Hi!"
Josh said.
"You already started?"
Charles laughed.
"We thought a little practice would do us good since we are going to play with a genius...."
Maggie smiled.
"Just warm up. We need all advantage we can get, son!"
Charles agreed. Josh grinned, but matter-of-factly stated:
"You forget that my knowlegde is ...lets say....very specific."
It was late. The sun had long set, but Rachel leaned back in her office chair and studied the wall. This underground bombing wasn't like her usual cases. There was no serial murder, or actually no murder at all, involved.
But since international politicians had been endangered and threatened, government people demanded full investigation. Diplomacy was on the verge here. So, they had the VCTF on it, the team they actually wanted to have shut down, because of the major costs. Bailey had shaken his head. But he had stopped to question these orders years ago. Rachel was their best Profiler, so she got the job.
It didn't make any sense. A bomb was planted to kill some hundred diplomates in a hotel during a peace conference. But then the subway train, which is carrying the explosive, is digested into a closed down subway station, where it detonates.
According to the specialists in the labs and the researchers responsible for the subway trains, the change of direction was made only minutes before the detonation. The train was in full speed then, so whoever was on the train must have jumped off it. That was what the official report said.
But since the cameras in the tunnel had been burned, for that theory there was no evidence given. And for worse, if the assasin had jumped off the train, the firewall and the pressure coming from the explosion would have reached him. There was no exit on that part of the railway. Only a few holes, in which a single person or maybe two could have hidden. But not without getting burned.
Rachel wrote down, that she would check all hospitals in D.C. for patients with major burnings in the morning. And then she would visit the crime scene herself, she thought. Maybe she could gather some information there the others couldn't find.
Tbc
After the Explosion
Part 6
"Now?"
Mr. Parker glared at Broots, who shifted his feet nervously. He was not used to have the boss himself that close. He prefered the distance and wouldn't have minded if he vanished with a plop.
"Well, Mr. Parker, Sir. We studied the reports from FBI and VCTF. There were no remains of any kind of human being, not even a mouse. Their conclusion is simple. Whoever planted the bomb got out in time..."
"Well, Broots, then it will be your task to find our two missing subjects. I want them here, in one part. and I want progress. You report to me only. No word to Lyle."
Mr. Parker turned and went towards the door. Then turned back again, seeing that Broots had eased himself in front of his comuter.
"And Broots...."
Broots jumped, nearly slipped of his chair.
"Y...y...yes?"
"Don't try to fool the Centre. If you've contact with any of those three, I want to know. You know how traitors are treated here...."
Broots nodded slowly, wondering where to send Debbie to keep her safe.
Josh washed the dishes in silence.Maggie had prepared a wonderful dinner. He'd never imagined something simple like apples could be made this delicious. But then, he didn't know much about food, except the healthy food the Centre had given him. He understood why Jarod had liked sweets that much. He began to develop a taste for cookies and chocolate. And Charles had bought a bag full of PEZ-dispensers for him.
Charles and Maggie, Mum and Dad they said he should call them. He would have to get used to it.
"Dear, aren't you finished yet?"
Maggie called in from the living room.
"No, Mum! I've been daydreaming..."
Josh yelled back. To call her Mum, went from his lips easily. And he felt comfortable with that.
"Take your time, Josh."
Charles answered instead of his wife. Josh knew they were waiting for him. Over dinner they had decided to spent the evening with playing. Josh had never before played a game. He was curious.
He put the last of the dishes into the sink, cleaned and dried it. Then hurried to get all the stuff into the right places. He had to try several times to find the right cupboard, enjoying the simple task.
He then went into the living room, where Maggie and Charles were waiting for him. They sat on the couch, facing each other, holding some cards. Charles just asked her a question and Josh figured they had already begun playing.
"So, who wrote the 'Catcher in the Rye?"
Charles watched her, knowing, she didn't like that book. But since she had been forced to read it during her school days, she of course knew the answer.
"That would be J. D. Salinger and he will get his punishment for writing such a terrible book!"
She grinned, remembering the days when the only problems had been, what to wear for school.
"Hi!"
Josh said.
"You already started?"
Charles laughed.
"We thought a little practice would do us good since we are going to play with a genius...."
Maggie smiled.
"Just warm up. We need all advantage we can get, son!"
Charles agreed. Josh grinned, but matter-of-factly stated:
"You forget that my knowlegde is ...lets say....very specific."
It was late. The sun had long set, but Rachel leaned back in her office chair and studied the wall. This underground bombing wasn't like her usual cases. There was no serial murder, or actually no murder at all, involved.
But since international politicians had been endangered and threatened, government people demanded full investigation. Diplomacy was on the verge here. So, they had the VCTF on it, the team they actually wanted to have shut down, because of the major costs. Bailey had shaken his head. But he had stopped to question these orders years ago. Rachel was their best Profiler, so she got the job.
It didn't make any sense. A bomb was planted to kill some hundred diplomates in a hotel during a peace conference. But then the subway train, which is carrying the explosive, is digested into a closed down subway station, where it detonates.
According to the specialists in the labs and the researchers responsible for the subway trains, the change of direction was made only minutes before the detonation. The train was in full speed then, so whoever was on the train must have jumped off it. That was what the official report said.
But since the cameras in the tunnel had been burned, for that theory there was no evidence given. And for worse, if the assasin had jumped off the train, the firewall and the pressure coming from the explosion would have reached him. There was no exit on that part of the railway. Only a few holes, in which a single person or maybe two could have hidden. But not without getting burned.
Rachel wrote down, that she would check all hospitals in D.C. for patients with major burnings in the morning. And then she would visit the crime scene herself, she thought. Maybe she could gather some information there the others couldn't find.
Tbc