The Chief now had more arrangement to make and little time to get them all worked out. When he returned to his office it appeared that he was in a hurry to get everything in place. He buzzed his assistant Jan and asked her to come in his office. He then laid the investigation folder down on his desk and got up heading toward the door. When his Jan come in, he paused and faced her with a frustrated look that was meant to tell her he was under pressure to get something done and needed her help to accomplish it.
I need to go talk with the Feds for a few minutes… and explain our situation… keep an eye on my office and don’t let anyone in until I get back… I don’t want anyone snooping around… I need to keep things quiet for a while… until I can get some details worked out I’ll be back in 15 minutes… he then walked away leaving her standing there and headed off down the corridor.
…
The usual location for their meetings was a dark damp warehouse on the end of Warehouse Row. They met in a small one story office nestled in the back corner. The glow of florescent lighting flowed through the slits in the blinds covering the rectangular window that looked out on the warehouse floor. Shadows of two figures could be seen reflected against the blinds… but there was no one in the warehouse to see their silhouettes… it was a secret meeting… to discuss secret plans… plans to remove obstacles that might reveal their secrets to the world.
Things have changed. I’m not sure even your expertise can help now. I believe it’s worse than I expected. They have Sophia and may have already gotten information from her that could jeopardize both our goals. I don’t believe she can tell them anything that can actually incriminate me or jeopardize any of my plans, but it could slow things down, and we are at a critical stage… not just for my plans, but for your ambitions too.
I told you that I had retired… but you wouldn’t listen… now it looks like you may have gotten me tangled up in your troubles… I also told you when you asked for my help again that the Parks job was my last and now you bring me here again under the threat of losing my dreams… and then you tell me you really can’t use my services… I feel I have more than enough repaid your generosity with my years of service… what is going on with you?
In the old days it was a lot easier… people were loyal… you could count on them for their word… the old man was one of my best associates… I could always count on him… but the old loyalty is gone… now everybody’s out for themselves… hang the other guy. Sophia is out to take care of herself… and I am told she doesn’t care who she brings down as long as she can escape punishment herself. It’s time for damage control... for both of us.
How much does she actually know? Is she aware of my professional relationship with you?
As far as I know she isn’t aware of what you have been doing for me… at least I haven’t given her any cause to expect anything… she’s a smart women… she may know of the Doctor’s reputation from her family business dealings, but I doubt if she knows who the Doctor is… the real problem is that some of the information she might give the police could cause problems for both our future ambitions…
What do you want me to do Agustus?
I want you to help me resolve this is the best way possible without leaving any evidence that either of us were involved. What do you think we should do? It was the first time he had ever asked for advice… his comment did just what it was designed to do. It made his special partner feel important… he could now get down to the details of how he would handle their dilemma… with the Doctor’s full cooperation. He was just about to take advantage and lay out his next move when his cell phone began to vibrate in his suit jacket inside breast pocket. His face showed his anger at being interrupted.
What is it? His voice also sounded angry. There was a long pause while he listened to the person on the other end. Gradually his expression changed to a more pleasant look. His voice changed too. Are you sure? … ok, keep me posted if there are any changes… he pressed the end button on his cell phone and looked up with a smile to his partner… it appears that we may have been hasty in our judgment of Sophia… my original information was based on conversations overheard within the department… was probably a lot of speculation… they always think they have the upper hand.
A source I have cultivated inside the police department has given me some very solid information that indicates Sophia has told them nothing that can damage my plans… in fact it looks as if she is staying with the old family ways and refusing to tell them anything she really knows for sure… but I still want to have a plan B in case things go bad… I have a couple of ideas that might take the heat off… that is if you are still willing to come out of retirement… for one more job… I promise this time.
…
So that’s what that phone call you took in the hall was all about… you could have told me… I wouldn’t have spilled the beans to her. Dave was a little indignant that Berry had not told him about Isabel Taylor’s real identity.
I wasn’t sure… all I had was hearsay from third party information… I needed everyone to be surprised… I was hoping it would at least elicit a telling response from her… I hadn’t expected her to be that willing to confirm it.
Dave had his own news to break. I need to talk to Carl… the text he sent me said he has uncovered some very important information… this thing seems to be breaking wide open… and that scares me a little… there are still so many things that could go wrong… we are still vulnerable… we need to get as much as we can as soon as we can and get this thing to a head before we lose momentum. Berry just nodded as they headed down to the lab to talk with Carl…
When they entered the lab Carl was standing over a large piece of equipment with his back to them taking notes on a pad. He must have been used to people coming in while he was engrossed in his work because without moving from his position he spoke up as soon as they entered. It appears that your idea about Senator Parks’ death not being an accident was right. What we have found is a small piece of prima cord embedded in the undercoating of his vehicle. It appears that it was wrapped around the brake line. When the end of the cord that was attached to the primer was detonated it punctured a hole in the brake line… the pressure from the brake fluid threw a small piece of the other end of the cord into the undercoating which insolated most of it and prevented it from detonating.
What’s more interesting is that I found a small black fabric fiber stuck to the prima cord fragment. When I analyzed the fiber I discovered it was a blend of both synthetic and natural… a blend that is used mostly in carpets… but in this case not just any carpet… it’s carpet from a Mercedes Benz SLS… they have it special made for that model… bottom line… it appears that the killer transported the prima cord in a Mercedes Benz SLS with black carpeting. I have the database searching for Mercedes Benz SLSs… especially black ones… but it could be another color with just black carpets so I set it to look for all Mercedes Benz SLS registrations… maybe we’ll get lucky.
Dave was excited. That’s great Carl… if we can trace that make of car to a possible owner… they’re expensive and I would imagine there are not to many of those around no matter what the color… we can search for explosives residue and maybe determine who the profession killer is… it appears that the Doctor, if it was his work, may have made a mistake after all…
Berry interrupted Dave’s excitement. What makes you think the professional killer is a man… it could be a woman… I’ve been studying some cases in which the task force suspected the Doctor was involved… but there was never any real evidence of foul play… this person is intelligent, meticulous with details, highly organized… and doesn’t like to get their hands dirty… I’m not trying to be chauvinistic but along with the fact that they drive a Mercedes Benz SLS… well… it sounds more like the work of a woman to me… Berry smiled a sheepish grin.
…
The Chief’s cell phone rang… Chief Dobbins…
I’ve got something for you Chi
ef… looks like you were right… I have a video and was also able to pick up a cell phone conversation… Benny wasted no time getting to the point but was discrete at the same time leaving out who, what, how, or why. I left the feds in the interrogation recording room… you can come down here… my place is secure… I’m sure of that.
Be there in a minute. The Chief was headed to Benny Johnson’s realm of technology oriented police work… it always made him a little uncomfortable… all those things that could spy on your personal world… that world most take for granted to be secure… a realm where nothing was sacred and no secrets were kept. He knew it was necessary… in fact required… how else could he have caught a spy in the department. He dismissed his regret and headed on in his mission to clean up the city…
The hidden camera Benny has put in his office clearly showed the Chief’s assistant removing the investigation folder from his desk and reading it over thoroughly… only she didn’t know it was filled with bogus information. The Chief had planted it there filled with information that made it look like neither Vinnie nor Sophia had been willing to cooperate. It was meant to buy him some time… time to get the case to a point of legally obtaining arrest warrants for those behind all the ciaos. The recorded phone conversation Benny played for him confirmed that it had worked. The informant had told her boss that he was safe at this time… and it appeared that he took the bait, giving the Chief time to build his case.
I don’t have to tell you how sensitive this is Benny… I want you to put those in a safe place that no one has access to… until we get this finished… He picked up the phone on Benny’s desk and called one of the Detectives… Detective Sobal… this is Chief Dobbins… I want you to find my assistant Jan Garvey, take her into custody, and bring her down to interrogation room 3… do it right now.
The Chief left the so called technology room telling Benny he had done good work… but his mind was far away from the spy world now… he was concentrating on all the details and ready to calculate his next move.
…
Dave was about to suggest he and Berry head back to his office to work over the details when one of Carl’s gadgets made a beeping sound. Well this is interesting… it appears you were right… there are only 11 Mercedes Benz SLSs registered within a 100 mile radius of the city… Carl stopped typing and turned to face then. How much does one of those cost?
Over a hundred grand… Berry was familiar with the price being an avid car shopper…
WOW that’s a lot! Carl turned back and began typing again. Wait a minute… Hellllo… here’s something… there is only one black SLS on the registration list and you’re not going to believe who it is registered to… Carl wasn’t really trying to elicit a response… it was more of a rhetorical question…
Never the less Berry responded. A Mrs. Johnathan Taylor… Senator Taylor’s wife.
How did you know that? Benny was amazed.
It’s been something I have been mulling over for a while… like I told Dave… there was the possibility that the professional hit man might actually be a hit woman… and there were some pieces that seemed to fit together in my head… in was a hunch.
Dave was also surprised by Berry’s insight. A good hunch too… but the problem is this is not enough evidence to convict her on anything… it’s pretty damning… but we need more…
A light came on in Berry’s mind. I might be able to get more… I think I have something that might just be a possible link… it could turn out to be something we can use. I need to take off for a bit to check it out… do you need me to be here for the rest of the statements and arrangements? … or can you take care of those things yourself while I’m gone?
No problem… if you can get more evidence… go get it
I’ll keep in touch… call me if anything important comes up… I should be back in a couple of hours. Berry left the department and headed out to gather his new evidence…