Blindside - By Gj Moffat Page 0,6

at Cahill.

‘We’re getting exactly nowhere,’ Cahill said. ‘Nobody wants to talk to us.’

‘You need to fill me in on this before I make the call to the woman I know at Homeland Security,’ Logan told them.

Cahill picked a remote device from the table top and aimed it at the TV. The screen ran a feed from an American news network – still focusing on the crash outside Denver.

Cahill let Logan watch for a while before telling him what was going on.

Logan stared at the screen some more.

‘They think it was brought down deliberately?’ he asked. ‘The plane, I mean.’

‘Who knows. The news people aren’t suggesting anything like that.’

‘Would explain the secrecy, though, right?’

‘Maybe. But the only reason that Tim’s name would raise a flag in those circumstances is if he was a suspect.’

Logan nodded like he agreed.

‘But he can’t be. Not the Tim I know.’

‘So it’s something else?’

‘Can you make the call?’

‘Sure. But she’s based in New York so it’ll be the middle of the night over there. We’ll have to wait, you know. Plus, if this thing is sensitive, she might not be able to tell me anything.’

Cahill stood and went to the TV, watching the images from less than six feet away. He turned to face Logan.

‘If I remember correctly,’ he said, ‘it was more than just professional between the two of you.’

Logan felt heat rise in his cheeks.

‘Am I right?’

Logan nodded.

‘Okay, then.’

‘Not okay,’ Logan told him. ‘It was a brief thing. We only saw each other like that a few times when I was over in New York. I don’t feel comfortable using the relationship this way.’

‘I’m not asking you to.’

‘What are you asking?’

‘Make the call. Ask the question. If she says no, then that’s the end of it. Don’t put any pressure on her.’

Logan looked at Hardy. He was non-committal, shrugging his shoulders.

‘Fine,’ Logan said, turning back to Cahill. ‘But I’ll do it like you said. Ask her the question in a businesslike way. Nothing else.’

‘That’s all I’m asking.’

‘So, what do you want to do now?’ Logan asked.

‘Let’s call Tim’s wife.’

6

Melanie Stark answered Cahill’s call on the first ring.

‘I’ve got some people with me,’ he told her before introducing Logan and Hardy.

They both said hello quickly.

‘You get anywhere with the cops?’ Cahill asked.

‘Not really. I mean, they weren’t interested in talking to me. Couldn’t get me off the phone quick enough.’

‘What about the airline?’

‘Same story as before. His name’s not on the list and there’s nothing more they can tell me.’

‘That’s not surprising.’

‘I don’t know what else to do.’

She sounded on the verge of tears.

‘We’ve called some people too,’ Cahill said.

‘What did you find out?’ She sounded more hopeful.

‘Nothing concrete.’

‘Oh …’

‘But, I mean, it’s what they didn’t say that’s interesting.’

‘I don’t understand.’

‘Well, I called the airline helpline. You know, the one they’re showing on the TV? I pretended to be Tim’s brother and said that I thought he was on the plane. Then the airline guy put me on hold for five minutes and someone else came back on the line in his place.’

‘Who was it?’

‘He didn’t say, except that he was with a law enforcement agency. And it wasn’t the police.’

‘Then who?’

‘I figure it’s probably the FBI.’

‘What is Tim mixed up in?’

‘I don’t know. And I also called our old boss at the Service, Scott Boston. Do you know him?’

She was quiet for a moment.

‘Yes,’ she said finally. ‘He’s the one who fired Tim.’

‘Well, I don’t know what’s going on over there, but he sounded shocked that Tim was supposed to be on a flight heading for Washington. Hung up on me real fast.’

Melanie sighed.

‘What the hell is going on?’ She was angry now. ‘Why won’t anyone tell me what happened to my husband?’

Her voice broke into a choked sob. Cahill’s mouth went tight, his lips forming a narrow line.

‘We haven’t exhausted our lines of inquiry yet,’ he told her. ‘Logan’s a lawyer and he knows someone in Homeland Security.’

‘Are you going to call?’

‘Yes,’ Logan said. ‘As soon as the office in New York opens.’

‘I want to go to Denver,’ Melanie said.

‘Best if you don’t,’ Hardy said. ‘You’ll end up stuck in a room for hours and they still won’t tell you anything.’

‘Stay by the phone,’ Logan said. ‘We’ll let you know as soon as we’ve spoken to my contact.’

A doorbell sounded behind Melanie.

‘I think that’s my son. Call me as soon as you can.’

‘We will,’ Cahill said, ending the call.

He turned to Hardy and Logan, telling them to reconvene in the War Room this