I noticed a group of official-looking people not far from the gate. They had a uniformed NYPD officer with them, probably to help them slip through security. Before we had even cleared the gate, an attractive woman in a smart pantsuit rushed forward and embraced Natalie.
I hesitated, not wanting to intrude on the touching reunion. Natalie and her mother started to cry. As I continued to walk, Natalie reached out and grabbed me by the arm.
She broke her embrace with her mother and said, “This is the man who saved me. You have no idea what he risked looking for me in Estonia. We have to tell Dad about it right away.”
The look on her mother’s face told me everything I needed to know about the mayor at that moment. She turned to her daughter and said in a soft voice, “It’ll have to wait. Your dad had an event he couldn’t miss. He also didn’t want to turn this into a media circus. We’re all going to meet for dinner.”
Now I felt like giving Natalie a hug. She looked more like a lost little girl at that moment than at any time during this investigation. Even after all of her talk about not caring what her father thought, she was devastated he hadn’t come to the airport to welcome her home.
She looked at her mother and said, “Dad didn’t want a media circus because he doesn’t want anyone to know about the mayor’s wild daughter.” She started to cry but buried her face in her mother’s shoulder.
Her mother looked at me as she patted her daughter’s head. She said quietly, “I don’t know how we can ever thank you.”
Before I could even acknowledge her words, I heard a shriek and had just enough time to look up and prepare for Chrissy coming at me like a guided missile. As I suspected, she was followed in short order by Shawna, Trent, and Fiona. I was lucky to stay on my feet.
Before I could give these four the hugs they deserved, Mary Catherine appeared out of the crowd. She started to cry as she kissed me on the lips and wrapped her arms around my neck.
I was enveloped by a giant hug from all of them. Shawna started to cry. That was unusual.
I picked her up, which was not as easy as I remembered. I brushed a tear off her beautiful face. “What’s wrong, sweetheart? It’s okay. I’m home now.”
She sniffled. “I’m sorry, Dad. I had dreams, bad dreams, about what you were doing in Estonia. I’m just so glad to see you.” She hugged me around the neck and kissed me on the cheek.
I had to wipe a tear away from my cheek after such a touching admission. All I wanted now was to get home.
Thankfully the NYPD told me I could hold off on a debriefing until I got back in the office. They knew the story. The FBI would’ve already produced a detailed report. No doubt the mayor had told everyone not to bother me too much. I could live with that.
I spent the ride from the airport to our apartment catching up on all the kids’ adventures and achievements while I was gone.
Bridget had started an arts and crafts club at Holy Name. She was very excited that she already had four members besides herself. Five if you counted her twin, Fiona.
Jane had absolutely killed an AP world history exam. There had even been an announcement at the school about how well she’d done.
Juliana had won a lead role in the latest school play. It was a retro musical based on the works of Neil Diamond. They were still working out the copyright issues and realized they might have to change the names of some of the songs. I couldn’t imagine what “Sweet Karen” or “I Am, I Declared” might sound like.
Once we were home, I couldn’t believe how relieved I was to embrace my grandfather. He, of course, had talked to Father Marty Zlatic and knew the whole story. He looked me right in the eye and said, “I know I don’t say it often, but you make me very proud every day.”
“Often? You’ve never told me that.”
“In words.”
“In any form of communication, verbal or nonverbal, written or in any other form. How’s that for being specific?”
“It just makes me more proud.”
Damn, I do love that old man.
CHAPTER 95
LATER IN THE evening, after I tried to spend a little time with each of the kids, we waited for a special phone call from Brian. Everyone circled around the phone and it rang right on time.
Trent snatched it off the cradle and immediately said, “Hey, Brian.” Then he put it on speaker and placed the receiver back in the cradle. It was just his little way of trying to get some personal contact with his brother. I got it.
Brian was upbeat and filled us in on passing more of his certifications to be an air-conditioning repair mechanic. He also had started his first college courses. He said, “In case I want to earn my degree, I thought it was a good idea to get the basics out of the way now. I’m taking English and US history.”
Chrissy said, “I’m great at history. I can help you with anything you don’t understand.”
I liked how everyone in the room over the age of fourteen effectively concealed a smile at the little girl’s offer of help.
Brian asked me about the trip to Estonia, but I didn’t go into any detail. I was often vague about work around my family. Some people said it wasn’t right to keep them sealed off from my professional life, but it was a choice I made to save them the details that no one else had to hear.
We ended the call like we always did, with tears and good-byes. But I felt pretty good about the progress Brian had made. Like I had told Natalie in Estonia, people make mistakes. Brian had made his and was doing his best to overcome them. I was proud of him, and I told him that. Frequently. Sometimes in front of my grandfather, just to make a point.
After the call, I sat down next to Eddie at the computer. He was working on some sort of programming problem they’d given him in the special class at Columbia he and Trent were enrolled in.
He turned to me and said, “I have to say, Dad, that I’ve been looking at a number of the hacker forums I like to read and some of them are talking about you.”
“Me?”
“Not by name. But they make you sound like Bruce Willis. How you stormed into Estonia and took down the biggest, baddest cybercriminal in the world.”
“You mean the biggest, baddest cybercriminal under five feet six inches, named Henry. That’s the best I’ll give that little twerp.”
Eddie laughed out loud.
“Although,” I corrected, “we haven’t quite brought him down yet, just have him on the run.”
“It’s amazing you did everything you did without knowing computers very well. You didn’t have to clone any phones or crack the security on any systems. The things cybercriminals do every day.”
“I just did what I do every day. Simple police work. You know about cloning phones?”
“Only in theory. I’ve never tried it.”
“Relax. This isn’t an interrogation.”
I listened as he explained several complicated high-tech processes. I had to wonder where this kid got his brains.
Finally I said, “Thanks for the insight. It would’ve helped me in Estonia. And I appreciate the compliments, but I did what any good cop would do.”
“Either way, I’ve seen more than one person talk about the American cop who dismantled a major hacker. I guess it was even on the news in Estonia.”