John F. Kennedy International Airport
“Agent Zucker,” Jana said. “Can we slow down? I’ve got a headache from this lump on my head. My God, you Secret Service people walk fast enough to be running.”
Zucker’s eyes continued darting from one side of the airport terminal to the other as he and the other agents scanned for any irregularities.
“Zucker?” There was no response. “All right, all right, I’ll let you do your job, as stupid as it may be.”
The agent glanced at her from the corner of his eye.
“I didn’t mean your job was stupid. I meant what I said earlier. There’s no need to protect me. It’s crazy. Waseem Jarrah does not want me dead. He wants me alive so he can watch me squirm as he attempts to carry out whatever he has planned. Believe me. I think I’m starting to get inside his head.”
When she again received no response, Jana continued the one-sided conversation.
“Where are we going, anyway? Baggage claim is in the other direction.” As the group continued speed-walking through the terminal, Jana looked through the massive wall of glass and out onto the tarmac. Bright, midday sun rolled through the windows like a sheet of glowing water. At the end of a gangway sat a Gulfstream 6 jet. Compared to the size of the neighboring Delta 737 and a Lufthansa Airbus A320, the corporate jet looked like a child’s toy.
“We’re not headed to baggage claim, Agent Baker,” Zucker replied.
“Another flight? But I’m supposed to report to the New York field office. It’s over that way,” she said as she pointed toward the Manhattan skyline.
“Orders, ma’am.” He extended an arm, leading Jana into the gangway to board the Gulfstream.
“Orders. When do I get to give some orders? And, hey, what about my luggage? I’ve got a backpack with all my stuff in it.”
“Already on board the plane, ma’am. This way, please.”
“Already on board? How did you get my luggage on the plane already?”
As Jana, Zucker, and the other Secret Service agents boarded the jet, the engines revved in preparation for departure. Jana took a seat and noticed all the window shades were closed.
“I’ve been on this plane before. This is Bureau. I was on it with Director Latent.” She paused and thought about how Stephen Latent’s body was probably on a cold slab at the coroner’s office, and it gave her pause. Before her throat could tighten, she lifted the window shade to look at anything that might distract her.
Zucker lunged forward and yanked it down.
“Please don’t do that. Security. I’ll ask you to switch seats now, ma’am.”
“Well, you boys are thorough, I must say.” As Jana switched to another seat, the plane began to push back. “No, seriously. How is it that my luggage is already on board?”
Agent Zucker let out a long exhale, and the tension in his shoulders seemed to abate.
“I would think that you, being Bureau, would know that.”
“What do you mean?”
“The stories about J. Edgar Hoover? When he was director of the FBI, and would visit a field office, two FBI agents from that office would be expected to drive him from the plane to his hotel. The roads in that town would be blocked off, like we do today for the president. And when Hoover arrived at his hotel, he expected his luggage to be in his room.”
“Okay,” she said, “so one of the agents driving him would grab the luggage out of the trunk and run them upstairs. It’s an arrogant thing for him to require, but how hard is that?”
“You’ve never heard these stories, have you? He never allowed his luggage to be in the car with them as they sped through town. Two separate agents had to grab the luggage out of the plane and rush it to the hotel before he arrived. The problem being, Hoover would depart the airport first, and the second car of agents didn’t have the benefit of driving through blocked-off roads.”
“That’s not just arrogant,” Jana said as the plane accelerated down the runway, “that’s pompous. Where are we going, anyway?”
“Fort Meade, Maryland, ma’am.”
“NSA? Why are we going to The Box?”
“Homeland Security set up a joint task force there. It looks like Congress is going to merge all of us even further under one umbrella. Since CIA headquarters was destroyed, Fort Meade is shaping up to be the location of the new combined agency.”
“Man, I have been out of circulation for a while. I go away for a couple of months and everything goes to hell.”