Whirlwind

38

Dallas, Texas

The day after Kate Page broke the story on the FBI’s investigation into the baby’s case, she arrived at her desk at 6:45 a.m.

The stream of radio dispatches coming from the emergency scanners echoed in the morning calm of the desolate newsroom. At this hour, the only other person in the bureau was Tommy Koop, the news assistant, who was listening to the scanners.

After settling in, Kate sifted through her notes and the business cards she’d collected. Like a miner panning for gold, she searched for a new lead for her story. Given that the FBI had blitzed the press last night with an appeal for help in Caleb Cooper’s case, the first person she reached out to was FBI Special Agent Phil Grogan. She’d established a good relationship with him at the shelter and emailed him.

Hi, Agent Grogan: Are there any breaks rising from the appeal? I’m willing to discuss trading any data that comes our way.-Kate Page, Newslead

Most investigators, the good ones, wanted to keep all channels of information open.

Kate went online and stared at the sketches of the woman and man wanted by the FBI.

Who are these people? We’ve got to be getting closer to finding out what happened to the baby. Something’s got to break on this.

Dr. Butler at the shelter had given Kate her phone number, so she texted her, as well.

Kate sent messages to Jenna and Blake Cooper, and Jenna’s sister, Holly, asking if there were any developments. As she began checking local news outlets and other news agencies to see if anyone had advanced her story, a large mug of steaming coffee appeared on her desk.

“Congratulations.” Tommy stood before her. “Your item got play everywhere-Boston Globe, Miami Herald, New York Daily News, Denver Post, Los Angeles Times. It was tweeted like crazy. Nice work.”

“Thanks, Tommy. What’s happening on the scanners?”

“Not much, the usual rush-hour traffic problems.”

“That’s it?”

“That’s it, so far. You know, Kate, your story blew Roy and Mandy out of the water. I don’t think Dorothea had counted on you being so good.”

“Kind of you to say. But in this business, you’re only as good as your last story. Roy and Mandy are strong reporters.”

“When the internship ends they’d be crazy if they don’t hire you.”

The scanners flared.

“Is something up?” Kate had put in enough years on the police desk to know how to keep an ear cocked for the telltale signs of emotion or urgency seeping into a dispatcher’s voice.

Tommy turned his attention to the scanners.

“Not sure,” he said. “There was a noninjury four-car pileup on LBJ causing a lot of headaches. I’ll check it out.”

He returned to his desk.

Several long minutes passed and all seemed quiet. Tommy continued concentrating on the flow of transmissions.

As Kate resumed working, her screen saver displayed her daughter’s smiling face, and she was struck with a sudden, overwhelming need to hold her. It felt as if they’d been apart for a lifetime. Kate glanced at the time. It was an hour later in Ohio. She checked to see if any of her sources had responded yet. No one had.

She texted her friend Heather in Canton.

Hi, Heather. I’m missing Grace. Is now a good time to call her?

Heather’s response came back within seconds.

Sure is. I’ll give her the phone. You hanging in there?

Doing my best. Calling now.

A moment later, Kate’s heart swelled when she heard her daughter’s voice on her cell phone.

“Hi, Mom.”

“Hi, sweetheart. Did you have a good sleep?”

“Yup.”

“I forgot to ask you last night, did you have fun at the movie with Aubrey and your friends?”

“Uh-hhuhh, and guess what happened?”

Kate’s computer pinged with a message from Chuck:

Good story, Kate. What’ve you got for a follow today?

Kate held her cell phone to her ear with her shoulder and typed:

Working on it. Checking with sources.

“What happened, sweetie?” she asked her daughter.

“Well,” Grace said, “Billy Franklin tried to hold Aubrey’s hand. I think he’s in love with her because he said she was pretty.”

Chuck responded:

Keep digging. We own this story and need to stay in front.

Kate’s focus shifted to Tommy who’d increased the volume of the scanners and was now taking note of some of the dispatches.

“And what did Aubrey do?”

“She told him boys are smelly.”

Tommy was now headed for Kate’s desk with a note in his hand.

“Oh, that’s all so silly. Listen, sweetie, I’m sorry but I have to go now. I miss you and I love you a whole bunch.”

“I miss you and I love you, too.”

Kate hung up. “What’s up, Tommy?”

“Dallas SWAT is rolling on a location in the southeast. It came in through 911. They think the two people are in a motel.”

“Got an address?” Kate stood, collecting her things.

“I’m working on it. I’ve alerted Mark Danson. He was on his way here when he heard it on his scanner. He’ll pick you up downstairs, out front in ten minutes.”