unmarked, and the two photos. He stared at both, seemingly of the same girl. What a beautiful but very young Chinese girl who looked like a teenage version of Suzy. They were old black-and-white photographs. Maybe it was Suzy. He looked in the envelope. The message was cryptic, typewritten, and contained only five lines:
4.7: D-Day.
10 mil. 842-66895. D + 1.
+ L
Failure unacceptable.
The Organization.
Max noticed the copier on the credenza. He made copies of the note and photographs, then placed the originals back in the drawer, and stuck the folded copies in his pocket.
.
26
Mike had called the doorman to retrieve his car from the garage. He grabbed his small suitcase, in case he had to spend the night. He knew the drive to Johns Hopkins would take at least three hours plus, on a good day, but he wanted to take the car so he could bring Maggie home comfortably. She could recover from this flu bug at home. It seemed the most practical thing to do.
He threw the bag in the backseat of their Audi and tipped Arnie, the doorman. He mentioned he might be away overnight and to watch for the boys and Annie to get home from school.
Arnie got along great with all of the residents, but he felt close to the Ryans and did many favors for them. He had been doorman at their building for a long time and was well-liked by everyone in the building. Arnie had Mike’s cell phone number in case of emergency.
“Is there further news about the subway problem, Arnie?” asked Mike.
“No, Mr. Ryan, but I see lots of traffic and emergency vehicles going by and what looks like yellow police tape around the subway entrance. You might want to turn left and go around the block to avoid that area,” he answered.
“Yes, you’re right.” Mike could see the congestion and some activity surrounding the entrance just a short distance down the street.
Arnie continued, “I thought I saw an ambulance’s flashing lights down there, not too long ago, but I don’t know what that was all about.”
“Crap,” thought Mike, that doesn’t sound good.
“Thanks, Arnie. I’ll let you know what is going on. Wish me luck.” He waved at Arnie as he pulled out into traffic.
Mike had the hospital address and programmed it into the GPS. The directions were simple, but he wanted to take the quickest route possible. He turned on the car radio, hoping to hear of any further news of the subway closing. Mike followed the doorman’s advice and turned left at the next intersection. Traffic was heavy, as always, but this area was tight. He realized he had a very long drive ahead, but he had to get to Maggie.
As he sat in the heat, almost at a standstill, he listened to the news, and so far, there had been no further information about what had been found in the subway. The announcer did mention that one of the subway workers had gotten sick with flu-like symptoms, but there was no word on his condition. Mike was glad he kept water in the car, grabbed a bottle from the backseat console, and took a large gulp.
“Damn,” Mike said, out loud, “just damn.” And he hit the steering wheel as his frustrations grew.
Traffic was crawling. He had been on the road for an hour and had made little progress. The radio abruptly drew his attention, and sudden fear hit him.
“We interrupt this program with a breaking news bulletin.”
.
27
Flight 227 was about a half hour out of Miami International Airport. The flight had been far from routine, thought John. He and Allen were deeply concerned about Maggie and the safety of his crew and passengers. Allen continued to monitor the latest news about the NYC crisis. The city was on high alert status due to a possible terrorist attack of the subway system. The potential threat had not yet been identified. In press releases, the Mayor had stated that “an object” had been found and was being analyzed by the FBI, but everyone was to remain calm. Nothing substantive had been reported. One city worker had been hospitalized, but the status of his condition was still unknown. Several hospitals had reported a rise in the number of patients requesting treatment in their emergency departments, but this could have been coincidental.
John was uncertain of what was going on, but these thoughts had to be put aside as he went through his pre-landing checklist. He heard the double knock on the door and