Free Fall

Fifteen

Manhattan, New York

“What’s your information on EastCloud Flight Forty-nine Ninety?”

Special Agent Anne Bartell was unsmiling, as was her partner, Agent Phil Enroy, who’d clicked his pen and poised it over his pad. After Kate was cleared at security, they’d taken her to an interview room on the twenty-eighth floor of the FBI’s New York Field Office in Lower Manhattan.

It was late afternoon and people were leaving for the day.

Kate didn’t know Bartell and Enroy. She’d worked with agents at this office before; Nick Varner was one, but her call got bounced and had been assigned to agents who were new to her, so she was starting cold.

“You’re aware of what happened to the flight?” Kate asked.

“We’ve followed the press reports, including yours,” Enroy said.

“Is the FBI investigating in any way?”

“No cause has emerged for us to be involved. The NTSB leads the investigation. What’s the nature of your information?” Enroy said.

Kate started by relating background on Newslead’s public email for reader responses to stories, then reached into her bag and handed them printouts of the email. Upon reading it the agents made notes, and summoned Special Agent Ron Sanchez, a cyber analyst, who was also a senior member of the Joint Terrorism Task Force.

“Have you received any other communication from the sender?” Sanchez asked.

“Nothing.”

“Would you be able to forward me the email to this address?” Sanchez took out a business card and jotted down an email address.

“I’ll check with my editors.”

“While you’re at it, would Newslead allow our Computer Analysis and Response Team access to your system, if we need it?”

“I can’t answer that. They may prefer you seek a warrant. Agent Sanchez, what do you think? Is the email legitimate?”

“Impossible to say at this stage. We’ll have to assess it.”

“Assess it for…?”

“Credibility and believability. We’ll examine the identity given, this ‘Zarathustra, Lord of the Heavens.’ We don’t know if this is simply a disturbed individual, a false alarm, or someone with the skills and resources to carry out the threat, or someone affiliated with a terrorist network. We’ll assess it and run it through several databases to determine its validity. Those are the first steps.”

“Then what?”

“There’s a lot more after that. If we think it has substance, we’ll pull in every resource we have. We’ll alert the NTSB, work with them, call in other agencies if we have to. We’ll track down the sender and secure the safety of travelers and bring forth the appropriate charges. As you know, just making the threat is a criminal act.”

“Is the FBI aware of this person sending similar threats to other news organizations?”

“Not to our knowledge,” Sanchez said. “You’re the first to bring this to our attention at this office.”

“Would you assure Newslead that you will not make this public, or share it with other news agencies?”

“We’ll keep it confidential, unless circumstances change.”

“But you’ll keep us informed along the way?”

“We’re getting into hypothetical areas. If an investigation is warranted, we’d need to protect its integrity.”

“But would you respect the fact that it’s Newslead’s tip and we’d want to report on it exclusively if this goes anywhere?”

“You want an exclusivity deal.”

“That’s right.”

“We’ll leave that for the people here at a higher pay grade to sort out,” Bartell said.

“What we’ll do,” Sanchez said, “is advise our supervisors that you came to us and you’re cooperating. At this stage we’d ask that you not report on any aspect of this note.”

“Newslead can’t surrender editorial control to the FBI. But given that there’s a public safety issue here, Newslead wants to take the proper approach.”

“All right, then. Thank you for bringing this to our attention.” Sanchez stood to leave.

“Wait, one last thing. What’re the chances that this note is real?”

“It’s anyone’s guess at this point,” Sanchez said. “The FBI receives upwards of a thousand tips a day. Everything from reports of a package left on the street, to an unstable person on a plane planning to do harm, to people overhearing someone plotting to assassinate the president. We review them all. This one will be no different. It could be someone trying to lay claim to the event. Or it could be an authentic communication from the person responsible for the problems with the flight, boasting that they have the means to carry out their threat. Until then, the truth about your sender remains a mystery.”

“With time ticking down on us,” Kate said.

Kate stepped off the elevator and was walking through the lobby when she heard someone say, “Kate? Kate Page?”

She turned to see FBI Special Agent Nick Varner pulling away from a group of people heading to the elevator doors.

“I’ll catch up with you guys,” Varner called to the group as he approached her. “It’s been a long time. You’re looking good. How’ve you been? Sorry, I’ve only got a moment, but what brings you here?”

Kate and Nick had worked together on a major kidnapping story nearly a year ago, and she trusted him completely. Varner looked good in his suit. He’d just hit forty and still had his Brad Pitt thing going strong, she thought. His eyes were sharp and he listened intensely as she related everything about the Zarathustra threat to him, telling him what she’d told the other agents.

“I know Ron Sanchez. I work with him.” Varner reached into his pocket for a card and pen, making notes before passing it to her. “I’m strictly task force now. Here’s my new number and private contact information. Keep me in the loop. Maybe I can help.”

Elevator doors chimed and he turned.

“Gotta go,” he said as he headed for the elevator. “Good seeing you. Keep in touch, Kate.”