Chapter No.22. Infatuation.

The next day at breakfast, Janet was on edge. "NASA posted that selfie picture of us, and it has gone viral."

"What, it caused a disease?" Robert reacted.

James laughed.

"No, silly. That's the term for something posted on the internet being reposted on many other sites."

"What did NASA say about it?"

"They said that it was a photo of three people, a man, woman and teen male standing on the asteroid that they had predicted would collide with Earth. They said that we teleported to there and used powers to move the asteroid out of a collision course with Earth."

Robert chuckled. "I would think that people would have considered it to be a prank."

"Not according to all the news services. They claim to have submitted the photo to experts who ruled that it wasn't a fake. Needless to say, it has caused a stir."

"Can they identify us?" James asked.

"I don't think so," Janet said. "Our faces are too obscured."

"Do you think that NASA or the FBI will reveal our identity?" James asked.

"I don't think they will," Robert replied. "They consider us a gold mine. The FBI can use us to solve difficult crimes and since NASA's budget was recently cut, they would deem us to be a useful asset."

The landline phone rang. Janet looked at it before picking it up. "Yes?" She looked at her husband. "It's the FBI."

Robert took the phone. "I'm listening." After a short conversation he handed the phone back to his wife. "I was right. They want me to work on a case."

"Are we included?" Janet asked.

"Not yet. You should go back to doing what you normally do. I'll go see what's going on."

He vanished and appeared in Mark and Joe's office.

"We have a real dinger of a case here," Mark said. "Someone is sending packages to prominent people with explosives in them. The packages are disguised as Amazon shipments."

"Amazon?"

"Yeah, you know, the big internet retail shipping company."

Robert smiled. "Sorry, I seem to be ignorant of current things. I just learned what a selfie was."

Mark chuckled. "Yeah, you guys really blew everyone's minds."

"So," Robert said. "You have no idea who's doing this?"

"Not a clue. It's obviously someone with an extensive knowledge of explosive devices."

"Sounds sort of like the Unabomber."

"Yeah, but we don't think it's a recluse. Whoever it is, he's covering his tracks."

"Have you consulted with this . . . Amazon?"

"Yes, but they have no idea how someone could be doing this. They scan all their packages for explosives and illicit drugs."

"That would suggest that he's doing it post-delivery," Robert said.

"That makes it really difficult. Millions of Amazon packages are delivered daily."

"How about the possibility of it being a delivery truck driver?" Robert proposed.

"We've run local Amazon drivers through our data base without any matches to the profile."

"I'd like to see a map of current bombings," Robert said.

Joe brought it up on a large screen. "The four recent bombing locations were spread over a wide area of the city."

"Have you identified the explosive type?"

"It's a perchlorate mix with sugar," Mark replied. "The detonator is activated by remote."

"That means that the perpetrator is lurking nearby to witness the fruits of his work. Does Amazon keep GPS data on their delivery trucks?"

"I believe they do," Joe said. "We might be able to pull up that data on recent incidents."

"I'll get a court order to pull up that data," Joe said. "But it'll take some time."

"Call me when you have the data," Robert said before he vanished.

It wasn't until the next day that Robert was summoned to the FBI office.

"We have a possible candidate. His name is Rudolph R. Deer."

Robert chuckled. "You're kidding me!"

"Nope. That's probably not his real name, but you never know. Some of these nut cases actually change their names."

"Okay, we'll have to know when he's delivering a bomb to a prominent person."

"Amazon can give us that data," Mark said.

"Call me when you get that data," Robert said before he teleported back home.

That evening, his wife and son were curious about what he was up to.

"The FBI is working a case that involves a Unabomber character that's delivering bombs in Amazon packages. We think we have identified the perpetrator, but we'll have to catch him in the act."

"It makes sense that he's using Amazon," James said. "They have millions of delivery drivers."

"He forgot that Amazon tracks the GPS locations of all their trucks, which is how we narrowed it down to one driver who is hanging around to watch his bomb blow up when someone picks it up."

Janet sighed. "You were right about the FBI making use of your powers."

"True, but I don't mind it. I'm saving people by helping them bring this character to justice."

It wasn't until the next day that the FBI called him. He appeared in their office.

"We have the guy delivering a package to Representative Jack Pellon," Mark said. "Killing him would be a real disaster,"

"Okay, let's set up the capture. I'll go to Jack's house and wait for the package. You should set up near his truck when he parks to wait on the victim to pick up the package."

"What are you going to do to stop it from exploding?" Joe asked.

"I'll deactivate it. That way you'll have the evidence you need to convict him."

"Sounds like a plan," Mark said.

Robert teleported to the representative's house and waited while invisible for the crime to happen. After an hour, an Amazon truck pulled up into the driveway, the driver got out, opened up the back of the truck, picked up a package and took it to the front porch and placed it in a prominent location. He turned and went back to his truck and drove away.

It wasn't long until the representative opened his front door and stepped out on his porch to retrieve the package.

Robert walked up and held a hand up. "Don't touch that package! It has an explosive in it."

Jack stared at Robert with surprise showing in his eyes. "What?"

"I've deactivated it," Robert said. "The FBI will be here shortly. "That package will be evidence in the case against the bomber."

"Are you with the FBI?"

"I'm helping them with this particular case."

Mark and Joe pulled up. They rushed up to the porch.

"I've deactivated it," Robert said.

Mark flashed his ID at Jack. "We'll need this package as evidence."

"You saved my life," Jack said, his face exhibiting relief.

"Yes, and we've found the idiot who has been blowing up prominent people."

"I think you guys have this under control now," Robert said.

He vanished.

"What happened?" Jack asked, looking around.

"Ah, it's better you don't concern yourself with that," Mark said.

Robert waited for his wife and son to return home that evening before he told them what had happened.

"You solved the crime that easily?" James asked.

"Yeah, it was fairly simple. However, without me deactivating the explosive, the outcome would have been very messy."

"In other words, it was boring," James said.

"Yeah, but I don't think our next task will be that way," James said.

His statement was about to come true.