Chapter 40
Chapter Forty
Days passed as Michelle and Fletch searched the excessive quantity of files from the hard drive. They spent hours in the complex computer lab only to come home, eat dinner, and resume work in Fletch’s office.
Late one evening, Michelle asked Fletch for his help. “Multiple paths take me to this zip file. It’s encrypted and I’ve been trying for over a day to open it.”
“You think it’s important?” he asked, scooting his desk chair next to Michelle and peering at her screens.
“I hope so. I don’t want to leave any stone unturned.”
“Have you tried the decrypt program?”
She nodded. “I used the decryption program one you showed me. It’s run a million different number combinations.”
“What if the encryption phrase isn’t numbers?”
Michelle sighed, twisting her long hair and restraining it on top of her head in a messy bun. “The rest have been only numbers. Is there a program for combinations of letters, numbers, and symbols?”
“Let me show you.”
Michelle scooted her chair to the side as Fletch took over her keyboard.
With her elbow on the long desk supporting her head, she closed her eyes.
Olivia said this was exciting when a discovery was found.
Michelle would describe the last few days as tedious.
She opened her eyes and watched as Fletch’s long fingers flew over the keyboard.
With his hair untethered, it hung near his chin.
He’d shaved recently, and his chiseled jaw was set with determination.
His focus was on the ever-changing screen.
“There,” he said. “There’re billions of combinations. I’d say let the program run and we’ll check it in the morning.”
“All right,” she said with a yawn. “I’m glad Dad was a good guy. All this information he had could make him look like he was part of the network.”
Fletch stared at Michelle. “I’ve known your dad since I started with the agency. He was a good guy, Chell. Don’t doubt that.”
“I’m not.” She shook her head. “I’m just tired.
You know when they accused me of setting the fire that killed Mom, there were times I questioned my own innocence.
I wasn’t guilty. I knew that. But when you look at something from another point of view…
” She shrugged. “Dad was obviously obsessed with these abductions. I compared one of his lists with the data from NCRB. Dad had information on children they didn’t have. ”
“Those databases usually lag twelve to eighteen months behind.”
“He had a small notice about a family reported missing from a homeless camp in Detroit. Mother and three children reported missing. No follow-up. Nothing.”
Fletch covered her hand with his. “This isn’t easy work. It can be emotional. I think my empathy was never strong. I see cases. I try not to see people.”
Michelle thought about that. “I don’t want to do that. I think seeing the people will ingrain the importance of what we’re doing. Do you think Dad felt empathy?”
“He was a police officer and an agent in the agency. Denny saw unimaginable things.” Fletch sighed. “Fuck, I keep forgetting to tell you something.”
She sat up in her chair. “What?”
“You mentioned you had a sister.”
Michelle nodded. “Before I was born.”
“Chell, that’s not true. She went missing when you were two years old.”
Michelle’s eyebrows knitted together. “No. I never knew her.” Her mind scrambled. “Mom said Sarah was my imaginary friend.”
“Leo ran a search using the agency’s resources. Sarah Holdcraft was born four years before you were born. She disappeared when she was six years old.”
“Disappeared. I thought she died.”
Fletch pressed his strong lips together. “Did your parents say she died?”
“Yes.” She stretched her neck and twisted her sore shoulders, trying to recall. “They said gone.” Her head shook. “Mostly, neither of them would talk about her. You said disappeared, as in abducted?”
He nodded.
“Was she ever found?”
“Have you ever tried to search for information about her?”
“No. I think that was out of respect for my parents. The subject was too difficult for them. Mom said it was a tragedy. Dad said it was an accident.” She met his dark stare. “Was she found?”
“I truly don’t know. There were remains found not far from where you lived. They weren’t found until fourteen years after her disappearance. It was suspected to be Sarah, but the body was cremated before DNA testing could be conducted.”
“Why?” she asked puzzled.
“IMPD said there was a mix-up in evidence.”
“But Dad worked for IMPD.”
Fletch nodded. “Maybe as agents within the agency, your parents didn’t want the publicity that would come from such a discovery.”
Michelle stood. “I can’t believe my parents lied about her.”
Fletch stood too, reaching for her hands. “Maybe they misled you.”
“But if those dates are right, I knew her.”
“I’m not sure what we can recall from our early childhood. I don’t know. Maybe acting as if she didn’t exist was easier for them than living with the idea that she was taken from them.”
Sighing, Michelle tipped her forehead to Fletch’s chest. The steady thump of his heart was reassuring. She looked up, meeting his gaze. “The remains. Did they determine the cause of death?”
“Spine fracture.”
“An accident. A tragedy.” Michelle’s lips gaped open. “What if she wasn’t kidnapped?”
“What do you mean?”
“Mom told me it was a tragedy. Dad said it was an accident.” Her hands began to tremble. “I can’t fathom my parents would hide the death of a child, much less their own child.”
“Chell,” he said softly, “with your writing and what we do here—it’s easy to let our imaginations run wild. Your parents experienced a horrible tragedy and made the choice not to share that with their young daughter. They were protecting you.”
She pressed her palms over her temples. “It’s like I was saying about when the police questioned me. Learning that my parents hid the agency from me and now, Sarah. What else did they hide?” The computer screen caught Michelle’s attention. “Look.”
“It looks like a match was found.”
Michelle eased back into her chair and began typing. “It’s a huge file.” She read off the numbers. “Can this computer handle a file that large?”
“We’re better off taking it into the lab tomorrow.”
Michelle sighed. “I know you’re right. I have a weird feeling, like I could learn things I don’t want to know about my dad.”
Fletch offered her his hand. “Let’s go to bed.”