"So, was Caroline ever curious about his beliefs?" Hannah asked.
Ms. Sabbatak remained silent for a long time before reluctantly answering, "About a few months ago, she started asking these questions, but... I don't want to talk about him."
At this point, she choked up, as if some realization had struck her. "I told her to look it up online by herself. Could it be that..."
Jack could tell her emotions were close to breaking, and quickly signaled Hannah to keep pressing.
"So, as far as you know, did she ever come into contact with anyone from the lin community, either in person or online?"
"I don't know," Ms. Sabbatak said, bursting into tears. "Now, I feel like I don't know my own daughter at all."
---
Half an hour later, inside the operations center, Jack pulled up a chair and sat across from Dana Moray.
"Here's my psychological profile: a rebellious teenager, curious about certain beliefs because of her absent father, unsupervised in a single-parent household, bullied, craving acceptance, filled with anger and in need of an outlet.
"All these factors led her to certain extreme websites, where she was eventually recruited by the 'Dark Jihad,' exploited to become a suicide attacker."
"It does seem that way," Jubal responded, "although no official statement has come from ISIS-related groups, the NSA did detect traces within extremist social networks under their surveillance.
"There were hints leading up to the attack, and afterwards, there were subtle mentions of their 'victory' in New York."
Jubal looked over at an NSA liaison wearing a visitor's badge. "Anything else to add from the NSA side?"
"Yes," replied the exhausted-looking woman, who'd been with the analysts all night, eyes bloodshot.
"Last year, they planned to inject cyanide into canned goods in various U.S. supermarkets but were thwarted. This time, it seems they're making a comeback."
As expected, it was time for the leader to summarize. Dana Moray pondered a moment before saying, "This plan strikes at the core. The food supply chain is an easy target to attack, and this city has fifteen thousand restaurants, as well as fewer but even more vulnerable supermarkets and small grocery stores.
"We can't shut them all down, but if there's a second or third attack, the panic will be unimaginable. People, we don't have much time."
It all felt eerily familiar, like they'd been here many times before. Jack didn't dwell on it, keeping his eyes fixed on the big screen, his mind racing.
If he were an angry teenager tired of venting only online, what reckless act would he commit in the real world?
With this in mind, he asked Jubal, "How's IT doing with the website analysis? No matter how many attacks they plan, it all hinges on how many recruits like Caroline they have. Can we trace it back to the users?"
Jubal shrugged. "I'm not going to pretend to quote those nerdy tech guys accurately, but it's all about anonymous offshore servers, proxies, VPNs—anything to mask IPs."
His words brought a smirk from the team—seemed he'd recounted it quite accurately.
Jubal continued, "According to them, it's unlikely we'll break into that site to find IPs. But they're combing through Caroline's public social accounts to see if they can track any suspicious comments. Results should be soon."
"Well, they already have results," announced the young Indian tech guy, approaching with the laptop that Jack and Hannah had retrieved from Caroline's room.
"I went through all her social accounts. It looks like she was severely isolated, and most comments under her posts were negative or outright bullying. But that makes the friendly comments stand out even more—like this one, from 'Cloudcover33.' She seems supportive, though her language is cryptic, and most of the likes on Caroline's posts came from her."
"Please tell me you identified this 'Cloudcover33,'" Dana Moray said, leaning closer to the laptop.
"Yes, Tara Chagas, age 15. And guess what—she happens to attend the same school as Caroline Sabbatak."
The tech guy projected her information onto the big screen.
"OK, send me her home address. It's almost 8 a.m., so hopefully, we can get there before she leaves for school," Jack said, and he and Hannah rushed out of the office.
Twenty minutes later, Jack's Dodge Hellcat pulled up by the curb of a modest neighborhood. Hannah checked the house number and nodded, "This is it—the one with the red door."
Jack followed her gaze and saw the door opening just as a middle-aged white man, laden with bags, prepared to leave.
"Single-parent household, working father, teenage daughter—sounds a lot like Caroline's profile," he murmured.
Hannah stepped out quickly, crossing the street to intercept the man.
"Police? I'm really sorry; I'd be happy to help, but now's not a good time. I have an early meeting, and Tara has to get to school—she can't be late."
The man kept his head down, clearly wanting to avoid the conversation.
"Technically, we're FBI, Mr. Chagas," Hannah said, flashing her badge. "I suggest calling your office to take the day off, and maybe call Tara's teacher for her as well. We need to talk inside. It's serious, and as a minor, Tara will need you present. Besides, most of your neighbors are about to leave for work, so why not avoid the attention?"
At that moment, a plump, curly-haired white girl emerged from the house, looking hesitant as she saw her father speaking with two strangers across the front yard gate.
"Tara Chagas? You're friends with Caroline Sabbatak, aren't you?" Hannah took a step closer, addressing the girl.
"Y-yes, I know her," Tara stammered, her gaze shifting uneasily, sensing trouble.
"Are you aware that Caroline was murdered yesterday?" Jack asked, his eyes fixed on her, studying her reaction.
"No! That's impossible!" Tara instinctively stepped back, her voice rising sharply.
Jack could tell this girl wasn't good at hiding emotions—everything she felt was written all over her face. He glanced at her father, tilting his head slightly. "So, are you going to invite us in or not?"
------------------
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