softly.
“Of course. What’s on your mind, Mr. Cook.”
“Call me Henry, please.” He stood and moved to the far corner of the room. Emily followed. “I got a very disturbing phone call this morning from Agent Crabtree of the FBI. He and his partner have been our primary contacts at the FBI since Collin disappeared. We’ve met with them twice and had multiple phone conversations. It appears they are still very interested in Collin’s case. Strange, the whole thing. He called at 5:45 this morning, spoke quickly, and sounded like he was in his car.”
“What did he say, exactly?”
“He asked if I had spoken with you since Collin was lost in the storm.”
Emily arched an eyebrow and paused momentarily. “Why would he mention me?”
“My thoughts exactly. Neither Sarah nor I remember telling the FBI anything about you or your involvement. It’s strange. It’s also strange that he didn’t confirm the FBI’s stance on Collin’s status. I have to believe that they think he’s still alive. They must have evidence that they are not sharing with us. Certainly they wouldn’t contact me otherwise,” Henry said, motioning toward his sleeping wife. “Not at a time like this.”
Emily covered her mouth with her hand and cast her eyes to the floor as she mulled over her options. She knew the Cook’s didn’t need any distractions while Sarah fought cancer. On the other hand, Emily knew they were fully engaged in Collin’s saga and no amount of illness or medical treatment would replace the gnawing emptiness created by their son’s prolonged absence. It felt right, so she dived straight in. “Agent Crabtree and his partner showed up at my door shortly after six o’clock this morning and asked me all sorts of questions about Collin’s whereabouts, his plans, his money, our relationship, my involvement in his escape from Chicago. It was mind-numbing. In the end, I told them what little I know and gave them the cell phone Collin gave to me in Chicago.”
“Did you feel coerced into doing that?” Henry asked.
“Not exactly. I felt compelled, yet conflicted. Part of their story made sense. They need to try to find him, if he is alive―something they have not yet admitted out loud to me, either―and want whatever information I can provide since I was the last known friend or family member to have seen him. They said it was for his safety and mine. If Pho Nam Penh were to find him before they did, it could be disastrous for him and for the country. So, I told them what little I know since Collin didn’t tell me anything and handed over the cell phone. They cloned it while we talked. They think it will help them find him. I don’t know how. I had assumed his phone got ruined at sea because I haven’t heard anything from him since that day. I figured I would not be compromising him in any way to give them the phone.”
“They’ll track his movements and determine his last known location using the signal from the phone if it’s still working,” muttered Henry, almost to himself. “What good that will do them, I don’t know, but at least it shows them that you are willing to cooperate. I suppose that should work in your favor. And, who knows, maybe it will help them find Collin and bring him home.”
“That was my thinking, too. It can’t hurt. Oh, and by the way, they sent a pair of agents as protection for me. I guess they fear this Asian mobster will come after me next as leverage against Collin.”
Henry’s brow furrowed and the deep creases in his forehead reemerged. “Leverage,” he mumbled as he gazed at his sleeping wife.
* * * *
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
June 15, 1:17 a.m. Kuala Lumpur time
“We must call him,” said one of the computer geniuses in the smoke-filled room as he clicked his mouse. He was one of only three men still awake. Two slept on cots in the corners of the room. Two more
“Of course. What’s on your mind, Mr. Cook.”
“Call me Henry, please.” He stood and moved to the far corner of the room. Emily followed. “I got a very disturbing phone call this morning from Agent Crabtree of the FBI. He and his partner have been our primary contacts at the FBI since Collin disappeared. We’ve met with them twice and had multiple phone conversations. It appears they are still very interested in Collin’s case. Strange, the whole thing. He called at 5:45 this morning, spoke quickly, and sounded like he was in his car.”
“What did he say, exactly?”
“He asked if I had spoken with you since Collin was lost in the storm.”
Emily arched an eyebrow and paused momentarily. “Why would he mention me?”
“My thoughts exactly. Neither Sarah nor I remember telling the FBI anything about you or your involvement. It’s strange. It’s also strange that he didn’t confirm the FBI’s stance on Collin’s status. I have to believe that they think he’s still alive. They must have evidence that they are not sharing with us. Certainly they wouldn’t contact me otherwise,” Henry said, motioning toward his sleeping wife. “Not at a time like this.”
Emily covered her mouth with her hand and cast her eyes to the floor as she mulled over her options. She knew the Cook’s didn’t need any distractions while Sarah fought cancer. On the other hand, Emily knew they were fully engaged in Collin’s saga and no amount of illness or medical treatment would replace the gnawing emptiness created by their son’s prolonged absence. It felt right, so she dived straight in. “Agent Crabtree and his partner showed up at my door shortly after six o’clock this morning and asked me all sorts of questions about Collin’s whereabouts, his plans, his money, our relationship, my involvement in his escape from Chicago. It was mind-numbing. In the end, I told them what little I know and gave them the cell phone Collin gave to me in Chicago.”
“Did you feel coerced into doing that?” Henry asked.
“Not exactly. I felt compelled, yet conflicted. Part of their story made sense. They need to try to find him, if he is alive―something they have not yet admitted out loud to me, either―and want whatever information I can provide since I was the last known friend or family member to have seen him. They said it was for his safety and mine. If Pho Nam Penh were to find him before they did, it could be disastrous for him and for the country. So, I told them what little I know since Collin didn’t tell me anything and handed over the cell phone. They cloned it while we talked. They think it will help them find him. I don’t know how. I had assumed his phone got ruined at sea because I haven’t heard anything from him since that day. I figured I would not be compromising him in any way to give them the phone.”
“They’ll track his movements and determine his last known location using the signal from the phone if it’s still working,” muttered Henry, almost to himself. “What good that will do them, I don’t know, but at least it shows them that you are willing to cooperate. I suppose that should work in your favor. And, who knows, maybe it will help them find Collin and bring him home.”
“That was my thinking, too. It can’t hurt. Oh, and by the way, they sent a pair of agents as protection for me. I guess they fear this Asian mobster will come after me next as leverage against Collin.”
Henry’s brow furrowed and the deep creases in his forehead reemerged. “Leverage,” he mumbled as he gazed at his sleeping wife.
* * * *
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
June 15, 1:17 a.m. Kuala Lumpur time
“We must call him,” said one of the computer geniuses in the smoke-filled room as he clicked his mouse. He was one of only three men still awake. Two slept on cots in the corners of the room. Two more
Similar Books
