When Jack and Reid arrived at the hospital, it was already surrounded by reporters and distressed family members. Some were silently weeping, others were hysterically venting their grief, while some sat on the ground, completely consumed by despair.
No official statement had been released yet, but rumors and whispers were already circulating. Rescue workers, medical staff, and even the drivers transporting the bodies, despite being told to keep quiet, inevitably spread bits and pieces of unverified information.
The crash site was supposed to be at Phoenix, only about 500 kilometers from this location. As time passed, more and more family members of the passengers were expected to arrive.
Local police were struggling to maintain order alongside hospital staff. Jack and Reid, not wanting to draw attention to themselves, avoided flashing their badges and instead sent a message to JJ and Emily, waiting for them to escort them inside.
While they waited, observing the chaos around them, a woman with a striking face suddenly burst through the hospital's glass doors. She approached a hospital worker and loudly identified herself.
"My name is Sherry Hicks. My husband was on that plane. I need to know what happened to him."
But the hospital worker couldn't understand her over the noise and simply kept repeating loudly, "Ma'am, and all of you, please go to the family area. Someone will be there to help you. Please listen to me; I promise you, as soon as we have news, we will notify everyone immediately."
Sherry's voice became high-pitched and shrill, momentarily drowning out the background noise, making her words clear to Jack.
"Please, please, his name is Frank Canfos. Someone has to know. Please, someone must know. He's—he's the..."
Jack instinctively nudged Reid and asked softly, "Do you remember the name of the copilot who survived?"
"Frank Canfos. Why?" Reid, lacking Jack's heightened senses, hadn't been able to pick out the woman's voice from the cacophony.
"Follow me." Jack didn't waste any time explaining. He grabbed Reid by the shoulder and pushed through the crowd. With his height, he could already see JJ walking toward them in the hallway, her heels clicking sharply on the floor.
Reaching Sherry, Jack grabbed her arm without warning and pulled her closer before she could react. "Ma'am, did you say your husband is the copilot?"
Sherry, startled, looked at Jack with fear in her eyes. He leaned in and quietly said, "FBI. Don't say anything. Come with us."
Though Jack's approach was abrupt, his trustworthy face quickly earned her full confidence. She hesitated for a moment, then silently followed him.
With JJ's help, the three of them made it into the surgical ward's hallway.
"Who's this?" JJ asked, surprised to see the woman with them.
"She's likely the copilot's wife," Jack replied just as Sherry, with tears in her eyes, started speaking.
"Yes, yes, I'm Sherry Hicks. Frank Canfos is my husband. He's the copilot. I didn't change my name after we got married. I drove here for over six hours as soon as I heard about the crash..."
JJ quickly tried to calm the now incoherent woman.
"Please, calm down, Mrs. Hicks. The doctors are operating on your husband right now. He's seriously injured, but his life is not in danger."
Before JJ could finish, Sherry's legs buckled as if she were about to collapse.
Both Jack and Reid moved simultaneously, each grabbing one of her arms and helping her to a bench at the side of the hallway. Sherry was now sobbing uncontrollably, whispering, "Thank you, thank you."
Jack wasn't just being kind when he brought her inside. The copilot was still in surgery, and even after the operation, there was a chance he would be too disoriented from a concussion or anesthesia to provide coherent testimony. In the worst-case scenario—like undetected internal bleeding that could claim his life—the statements from Sherry Hicks, the copilot's wife, would be invaluable in understanding the situation.
As expected, Sherry, filled with gratitude for Jack's earlier kindness, began sharing useful information.
She revealed that two years ago, Frank Canfos had taken a leave of absence due to mild depression and had been on medication (fluoxetine) until about four months ago when he stopped.
She also mentioned that the captain, Jerry Vermeyer, had rented out a room in his house to a foreign student from Indonesia. The student had an odd personality and frequently asked the two men questions about airplanes.
"Do you realize she might regret these statements and retract them later?" JJ whispered to Jack and Reid as they prepared to leave.
Since they didn't know when the copilot's surgery would be finished, Jack and Reid decided to head to the emergency command center to meet with Hotch and Rossi, leaving JJ to stay with Sherry. Emily remained at the door of the operating room, ready to question the copilot as soon as he was conscious. The BAU team couldn't afford to let their guard down for a moment.
"That doesn't matter right now. Our priority is ruling out a terrorist attack, which will determine the higher-ups' next steps. If there's any chance of another similar attack, making the right decisions in time could save many lives," Reid explained, answering for Jack.
After saying their goodbyes, the three drove straight to the command center.
It was already past 10 p.m. when they arrived. The brightly lit hall was buzzing with activity. Dozens of computer screens flickered, and nearly a hundred technicians and liaison officers from various departments were hard at work.
They found Hotch talking with an African American female major in a military uniform.
"He knows who did it but refuses to tell us. The guy's clearly got something wrong with his head," the major said, visibly frustrated.
"Obviously. I think he has a deep-seated resentment toward you," Hotch replied, remaining calm as always.
The major clenched her jaw, trying to keep her temper in check. "Is it because I'm a woman, or because I'm Black?"
"Maybe both," Hotch shrugged.
"Fantastic. I'm leaving him to you then. Crack him open fast—we don't have time to waste on him."
With that, she turned and stormed off.
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