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Matt hesitated, then sighed. “What do you want to do?”
“I’m going to find that crash site.” I slapped the photo back on my desk and headed for the door. “Someone had to see the plane go down. Chris and Global Security Services couldn't silence everyone.”
“We need to go back down to Superintendent Hinkly’s office and get passes,” Matt reminded me, resignation in his voice.
“We?” Surprised by Matt’s sudden agreement, I stopped with my hand on the doorknob and looked back at him. “Are you sure you want to come?”
“Of course.” Matt stood up from the chair and smiled tightly. “You're my best friend; I'm not letting you do this alone. Besides, you’ve got me curious now.”
When we returned to the reception room, we found Superintendent Hinkly there talking to his receptionist.
“I took the liberty of telling Sergeant Mason that you two were excused from evening formation, to give you a little time to yourself.” A faint look of concern crossed Superintendent Hinkly’s face. I was beginning to wish he would just go back to looking stern. “If you need time, I can also excuse you from the rest of your classes for the week.”
A week off classes would allow me to investigate uninterrupted. It also might look suspicious if I wasn't using it to plan a funeral or something. “No thank you, sir. I think I’d like to stick close to my regular routine. I’d also rather that not everyone knew about what happened, at least not until my grandparents make arrangements.”
The sudden thought of dozens of students and teachers offering their sympathy made my stomach clench, but the thought that my grandparents would have to be notified eventually was far worse. If I couldn't prove my parents were still alive fast, I would be planning that funeral after all. My knees weakened and I leaned on the desk for support, hoping they didn't notice. I cleared my throat. “There is one thing, sir.”
“Anything,” Superintendent Hinkly agreed.
“I would like to go out for a while.” It was unusual for a student to be allowed off campus on a Thursday, but I hoped Superintendent Hinkly would make an exception, considering the circumstances. “Me and Matt. We’ll be back by curfew.”
Superintendent Hinkly nodded as he quickly signed the necessary passes and handed them to me. He looked me in the eye as he continued. His face looked stern, but his eyes were full of sympathy. “I’m really sorry about your parents, Cadet.”
I looked away sharply. Superintendent Hinkly’s sympathy threatened to resurface the doubts I was trying to suppress. Please don't let me be wrong. “Thank you, sir,” I managed, forcing myself to sound stronger than I felt.
As soon as we were dismissed, I turned and headed out of Superintendent Hinkly’s office. I wanted to get out of there before I changed my mind about leaving.
Matt and I went straight to the parking lot. Few of the students had cars, and my battered, brown sedan stood out among the teachers’ newer models.
A lump threatened to choke me again as we approached my car. It had been my dad’s car before he'd bought a newer one. He had given it to me when I turned sixteen. He and Mom had promised to get me a new car when I graduated from the Academy, but now...
I shook my head. Everything seemed to remind me of my parents. I had to focus on finding them, not worry about what might have happened to them.
Pushing aside my fear, I climbed inside, waited for Matt to be seated, and drove to the gate. After we showed our passes to the student assigned to guard the gate, we pulled out onto the road.
“So, do you have a plan?” Matt looked at me with his arms crossed over his chest. “The Baltimore area is huge and 'not far from here' could mean anywhere between DC and Pensylvania.”
“True,” I conceded as I pulled into traffic, “but I doubt even Chris could cover up a plane crash in the heart of Baltimore, or especially closer to the Capitol. We stick to the west suburbs today.”
We drove a rough series of arcs further and further from the Academy asking every shop owner and gas station attendant we found if they had noticed a plane crash early the previous morning. No one had seen anything. Or would admit to having seen anything.
“If we don’t find something soon, we’ll need to head back,” Matt commented finally, looking at his watch. “You know what’ll happen if we miss curfew. I’m not really in the mood for three laps around the campus and fifty push-ups.”
I bit back a sharp retort. I was willing to keep looking all night if I had to, push-ups or no push-ups, but I allowed reason to prevail. Even I was beginning to realize how long a shot this was. Perhaps grilling Chris would be more profitable after all. “One more stop.” I sighed. “If we don’t find out anything there, we’ll head back for the night.”
We stopped at a small gas station edging the state park. The bell on the door tinkled as we entered the tiny convenience store. A heavy-set man stood behind the cluttered counter.
“Excuse me, sir,” I began as we walked up to the counter. The front of the counter was lined with candy bars. Right now, even the thought of eating one made me sick. I focused instead on the man’s name tag. It read “Walter.”
“Do you young men want a fill-up?” Walter asked eagerly as he looked appreciatively at our crisp military-style uniforms.
“Uh, not today,” I said, slightly amused by the man’s eagerness. I felt a little bad about wasting the man’s time, even if the gas station was empty at the moment. We probably should buy something. “We’ll take some of these.” I bent and grabbed a random pair of candy bars. Matt reached into a display case and added an energy drink to the pile. “Can we ask you a question while you ring those up?”
“I’ll help if I can.” Walter grinned, scanning the barcodes on the candy bars. “What is it you want to know?”
“We were wondering if you saw a plane crash early yesterday morning?” I asked. Please let him say yes.
“I’m not really supposed to talk about it.” Walter hesitated. “The police said...”
“My parents were on that plane,” I whispered as my voice threatened to crack.
“Wow, kid, I’m sorry.” Walter's eyes went wide. “I did see it – couldn’t miss it. Nearly crashed right into this building.”
I caught Matt’s excited glance out of the corner of my eye, but kept my attention on Walter.
“Did you see where it went?” I absently wiped my sweaty palms on my pants. Now we were getting somewhere!
“Yeah, it went down in the park.” The man motioned behind him with his thumb. “I called the police right away.”
“Can you show us the place the plane crashed?” Eagerness crept into my voice.
“I can’t just leave the station.” He looked shocked at the suggestion. “Turn left at the little side road just south of here. Just drive down the road and look for a police line. They roped off the entire area.”
“Thank you, sir.” I hurriedly paid him and turned to go. Matt grabbed the drink and candy bars off the counter. I had totally forgotten about them. “You’ve been a great help.”
“Any time.” Walter nodded.
“Odd that the press didn’t find out about the crash,” I commented to Matt as we drove down the road.
“Especially if the police were called in,” Matt agreed as he popped open his drink can. He was beginning to catch my excitement. “Perhaps you were right about a cover up.”
“We’ll have to hurry if we’re going to find anything.” I glanced out the window. The sky glowed a deep orange as the sun began to sink below the horizon. Please, Lord, help us find it before dark.
We turned down a barely marked road that ran right into the state park. I would never have thought to turn down that particular road on my own. After that, the crash site was easy to find. A bright yellow police line marked off a large section of the woods along the right shoulder of the road. I thanked God for leading us there as I pulled the car off the road and looked around for Chris or police officers. There was nobody in sight.
“I guess they must be finished,” Matt commented, tossing his empty can on the floor of my car. I was too focused on the chance to find out what really happened to my parents to chastise him now.
“They probably waited until they were finished to come tell me anything,” I reasoned sourly as I ducked under the police line with Matt close behind.
“It doesn't take a pro to see where the plane went down,” Matt said, pointing to broken branches and saplings as we walked. Further ahead, a gash was torn into the ground where the plane had plowed into the underbrush.
I didn’t answer.
“You okay with this?” Matt picked his way to my side over a patch of poison ivy. “We still could leave it up to Chris.”
“No,” I said softly. My throat felt tight as I turned to look Matt in the eye. “If Chris and GSS have their way, I’ll never know what really happened to my parents. I have to do this.”
Matt paused as if debating whether to say more. Blowing a slow breath through his lips, he plunged ahead. “Scott, what if it really is like Chris said? What if we find... what if they’re...”
I held up my hand to stop him. I wasn’t going to think about that possibility. I refused to think about it. They’re not dead! My voice wavered a bit as I tried to say firmly, “I have to know what happened – who they really were. Even if they are...” I couldn’t bring myself to say the word “dead.” It was as if saying the word was admitting it was a possibility. “Well, I need to know what happened. If Chris can't or won’t tell me what I need to know, I’ll have to find out for myself.”
Determinedly, I stepped over a large tree limb and down into the groove made in the ground down the trail made by the plane. I’d only gone a few steps when I saw something familiar on the ground. My stomach tightened anxiously as I knelt to pick up my Dad’s favorite pair of sunglasses. I had always teased him that they made him look like a secret agent. It was just a joke, but now they just reminded me that there was more to my parents than I knew. I swallowed hard as I stared at them. The sight of something that actually connected my parents to this crash made it seem more real and less like a nightmare or a bad television show.
“Scott...”Matt stepped over an overturned stone and laid a hand on my shoulder.
I stuffed the glasses into my pocket without a word and continued down the trail. I hadn't really anticipated how hard visiting the crash site was going to be when I had decided to do it, but I wasn’t going to let a pair of sunglasses stop me now.
My breath caught in my throat. Right ahead of us was the barely recognizable form of an airplane. Its name, The Spook, was clearly painted on one of the crumpled sides. Dad had named it for it's smoky-white color, but now it's name took on a double meaning. Panic made my heart pound inside me. I had hoped that I’d find out that it wasn’t his, that, after all, my parents’ deaths had been just a horrible mistake. It was horrible all right, a horrible reality. I felt like I was going to be sick. My heart raced and my knees threatened to give out beneath me. Maybe I would be better off letting Chris investigate, like a normal person.
“Let’s go back to the car,” Matt suggested. Even he was unable to take his eyes off the tragic scene. “This was a bad idea.”
“No,” I forced out, my voice husky. I took a breath and steadied myself. I’d come this far; I was going to follow through.
I nervously made my way over to the plane, very tempted to take Matt’s advice and turn around. Lord, help me to be right. Desperation filled me and I blinked rapidly to fight off the tears stinging my eyes. Please make my parents be okay.
There was no doubt it was Dad’s plane, as far as I could tell by what was left of it, which wasn’t much. One of the wings and part of the pilot’s side of the plane had been blown off and scorch marks darkened the side. The crash hadn’t been an accident. Only a bomb or something similar would have caused that kind of damage. Bile rose in my mouth as I realized that someone had tried to kill my parents.
With a gulp and a shake of my head, I examined the wreckage. The plane had slammed into a large oak tree, folding the front of the plane like an accordion until the control panel nearly touched the pilot’s seat. My knees buckled and I leaned against the broken remaining wing to steady myself. There was no way anyone inside could have survived that crash. I willed myself to go further to look inside the destroyed cabin.
My parents aren't dead, and I'm going to prove it.
“There’s no blood,” I muttered as I stuck my head further into the wreckage.
“What are you doing?” Matt drew closer and leaned into the opening.
“There’s no blood.” I pulled my head out of the plane and turned to Matt. “If my parents had been in this plane when it crashed, there would be a lot of blood.”
“That’s morbid, Scott.” Matt frowned at me. “This isn’t a movie.”
“Maybe, but it’s true.” Relief made me feel giddy. “Chris never said that they had found any bodies.”
“I think that was assumed.” Matt's eyes were wide.
“What if he didn’t say it because they haven’t found any? My parents could have bailed out just before the crash. They could still be alive!” My voice rose excitedly.
“Don’t jump to conclusions,” Matt warned gently. “Chris wouldn’t have said anything unless they were very sure.”
“I’m going to see if there’s anything else in the plane.” I ignored Matt as I leaned back inside. “Maybe I can find out why they were back in town.”
“Hurry up,” Matt urged anxiously. “It’s getting dark.”
“I won’t be much longer.” Squeezing in deeper, I scraped my leg against the mangled passenger seat. I took a sharp breath and bit my lip against the pain, but continued looking. There wasn’t much in the plane, not even personal belongings. I'd have thought my parents would have at least had a suitcase. Chris and the police seemed to have gone over it pretty well.
Still, maybe they missed something. I squeezed into the cockpit and stuck my arm between pilot’s seat and the smashed controls. It was a tight fit, but I could now reach under the seat to feel if anything had slid underneath during the crash, something that could have been missed. My fingers closed on a small slip of paper.
“I found something!” I called excitedly, struggling to free my arm without letting go of the paper. “Help me out.”
“What did you find?” Matt asked, allowing a little curiosity into his voice as he pulled me out of the wreck.
“This piece of paper was under the pilot’s seat. I could barely reach it.” I held the paper close to my face to read it in the failing sunlight: “‘Contact: Hayes.’ There’s a phone number here.”
“Hayes?” Matt asked. “Who’s Hayes?”
“I don’t know. Maybe Mom and Dad were going to meet him,” I said and added to myself, or maybe he tried to kill them. “Anyway it’s a clue.”
“Which we’ll investigate tomorrow. It’s getting late. We have to get back.” Matt turned back down the path the way we came.
“I guess you’re right.” I sighed. I wanted to check the phone number as soon as possible, but I couldn't risk drawing attention to what we were doing. Not now. “Let’s go.”
As I turned to follow Matt, I noticed something on the ground glittering in the last rays of sunset. It was hidden under a fallen tree limb. The angle of the sunlight had just been able to reach it. I bent to pick it up and looked at it carefully. It was a silver plastic card with raised numbers on it and a textured silver image of the planet Saturn, but no words. I stuffed it into my back pocket, promised myself that I would ask Chris about it later, and ran to catch up with Matt.
It was barely ten minutes before curfew when we got back to the Academy. I parked the car, and we headed toward the boys’ dorms. Matt had tried to start a conversation on the way back, but I had been too preoccupied with my own thoughts to talk. We were still silent as we mounted the concrete steps leading up to the three story Hamilton Boys’ Dormitory. I was trying to figure out why someone would try to kill my parents. The fact that some one had tried to kill them seemed to prove my theory that they were more than just simple museum guards.
“Scott, Matt.” Trinity came running up behind us.
“Trinity?” I looked at her with surprise. “Why aren’t you home? It’s late.” Trinity attended school at the Academy, but lived with her grandmother and her dad in the faculty housing across campus. Her mom had left them when Trinity was small, but her grandma was very strict about her curfew.
“Dad had to meet with Superintendent Hinkly about getting some new equipment, so I stayed with him,” she explained. “You will never guess what happened.”
Matt and I looked at each other worriedly.
“After today, nothing would shock me,” I commented dryly.
“Winston was here this afternoon to transfer to the Academy.” She glanced back as if he might be watching us even now. “He’s staying in the room right next to yours.”