Dad and Heath had both had more close calls than I wanted to think about, but somehow, they’d always come home safely at the end of their shifts.When I was young, I would wait at the Hennessys’ kitchen table while Mrs.Hennessy fed me dinner.One night, not long after the first department funeral I ever attended, I remembered asking her, “What would happen to me if my daddy didn’tcomehome?”
She’d rushed to my side and hugged me.“Oh, child, your daddy will always come home to you.Your mama wouldn’t let anything happen to him.She knows you need him more than she doesrightnow.”
That night, Dad had missed being grazed by a bullet, and he and Mr.Hennessy were still talking about it when they walked in the door.At least, they were talking about it until Mrs.Hennessy had given them both the evil eye with a glancetowardme.
I’d burst into tears and ran toward him, wrapping my arms around his waist and telling him he couldn’t ever get hurt.Dad had extracted himself from my wild grip, picked me up, and crushed me inhisarms.
“You know I’ve got a guardian angel riding on my shoulder, Ariel.She’s going to make sure I get home to you nomatterwhat.”
Please make sure he gets home to me, I pleaded silently again to the woman in the picture I’d never had a chancetoknow.
I backed away from the entertainment center and my phone blared to life, scaring the ever-loving crap out of me.I looked down at the screen at my brother’s name and froze beforeanswering.
“Did you find him?”I answered it the same way I hadbefore.
“Not yet.Still looking.Nothing onyourend?”
My shoulders hunched, and I found myself crumpling into the couch again.“No.Nothing.Jesus, Heath.Where could he have gone?We have to find him.”My voice broke on the last part, and Heath’s breathingroughened.
“I know.We will.We have the whole friggin’ department, including the retirees, on the streets.Everyone is looking.We’ll bring him home.Wewill.”
I noticed he didn’t saysafe, and Icringed.
I didn’t know if it was to make myself feel better or to remind Heath, but I whispered, “Mama’s watching him, and she’s going to make sure he comes home to us nomatterwhat.”
“I know, Flounder.I know.I gotta go.Call me if heshows.”
“I will.Call me the second you or anyone elsefindhim.”
“Of course.Love you,littlesis.”
“Loveyoutoo.”
Heath ended the call, and it felt like my stomach had developed a new gaping hole.Helplessness wasn’t something I could handle.I needed to be doing something, or I was going to losemymind.
My fingers itched for a computer, but my laptops were all at myplace.
Heath has to have something here.I would have felt bad poking around, but I told myself it was to save my father and my sanity, so I forgave myself for the invasion of privacy, and I knew Heathwouldtoo.
It didn’t take me long to find his department-issued laptop tucked in its black case nearthedoor.
A less desperate daughter would probably not consider breaking into a laptop that was technically the property of the police department, but I didn’t care.If he got in trouble for anything I did, I would take the blame and they could try to send me to jail.My lawyers would undoubtedly come up with a creative defense.I paid a big enough retainer toensureit.
I pulled the machine out of the bag and set it up on the kitchen table.Already, just having the smooth keys beneath my fingertips made me feel more in control.As I turned on the power, I mentally sorted through the options of what would be most helpful, and decided on trafficcameras.
Was it a massive long shot?Absolutely.Without facial-recognition software, especially my proprietary version, the odds were like finding a needle in a haystack, but at least I was doingsomething.
I thought about the pet project I’d been working on for the last several months because I knew that people like Heath faced ridiculous danger daily just because they carried a badge.I was still working out how to give them the best defensive weapon I could.Information.
If the police had cameras on their cars or clothing that could automatically run every face they saw through a database and identify all threats, they would be better prepared for whatever was coming their way.I was still working out the bugs, as well as the legal and ethicalissues.
If I were able to perfect it, it wouldn’t be a product I would sell.I would donate the technology to police departmentsnationwide.
Getting into Heath’s computer didn’t even take real hacking.His username and password were a variation on the same thing he’d always used—Chester16.It was our childhood dog’s name and his footballnumber.
Come on, Heath.Time to step it up in the passwordarena.
But then again, it saved mevaluabletime.