Ruthless (13 page)

CHAPTER 44

That afternoon, Alton and Mallory recounted their police conversation to Chelsea and Pam, who listened with wide eyes.

“So it’s possible that a Kruptos person is involved with the car-bombing,” concluded Alton. “If that’s the case, we still don’t know whether or not the car-bomber and the person who sent the anonymous message to Chelsea are the same person. Either the message-sender is someone who’s aware of the true perpetrator and afraid to speak out, or the message-sender is the person who both sent the message
and
planted the bomb. Those two alternatives imply different approaches to continuing the investigation.”

“In either case, though, the car-bombing highlights how careful we need to be,” said Mallory. “If the bomber’s intent was to kill Chelsea, he’s getting uncomfortably close.”

Having concluded the debriefing, they moved to the den. Chelsea checked e-mail and Pam watched TV, while Alton and Mallory continued to discuss the case.

“If the message-sender and bomber are two different people,” said Alton, “we need to consider the possibility that Winston Lewis or Brent Tanaka may be the bomber. That would explain why they wouldn’t be willing to talk. It also implies that a subordinate or co-worker may be aware—or at least suspicious—of their activity and has tried to warn Chelsea. So it might be somebody she doesn’t really know that well at all. That expands the circle of potential message-senders.

“If the bomber and message-sender
are
the same person, it still makes sense that Lewis and Tanaka wouldn’t talk. The intent of the message would be to keep Chelsea at home where she can be targeted. The message sounds like a warning but would have the effect of keeping Chelsea in a specific location—her apartment—most of the time, making her easier to eliminate, especially if you use a bomb.”

Mallory nodded in agreement.

“You know,” said Alton, “after everything that’s happened, I’d like to talk with David and Fahima again, just to ensure we’re not missing any safety measures.”

“I agree,” said Mallory. “They said they were gonna spend a quiet evening at your place, but maybe we could ask them come over here tonight and discuss it as a group.”

After confirming with Chelsea, Alton phoned his friend. “David, I was wondering if you and Fahima would like to come over to Chelsea’s place for dinner tonight.”

“I hate to intrude,” said David. “We’ve been over there a lot already.”

“Yes, but to be honest, we’d like your advice again—yours and Fahima’s. After this car-bombing business, we’re wondering if there are any additional security measures we can put in place to keep Chelsea safe while the investigation continues. Plus, we’re having lasagna.”

“Bribing me with pasta, huh?” said David with a chuckle. “Seriously, we’d be happy to help. What time?”

“I’ll pick y’all up at seven o’clock. Thanks, buddy.”

As soon as Mallory finished serving out steaming blocks of the Italian dish, David launched into the topic on which he and Fahima had been consulted.

“I’ve been thinking about the question of ensuring Chelsea’s safety. I think a do-it-yourself security system with motion detectors would be a good idea. Since you’re renting this place, though,” he said, turning to Chelsea, “you won’t be able to take it with you.”

“That’s what people say about dying, too,” pointed out Mallory. “Given the danger Chelsea’s in, I think a home system would be a good investment, even if she has to leave it behind when she moves.”

“I think it’s a great idea,” said Pam. “I’d feel a lot safer if we had it. I’d be willing to pay my half.”

“That sounds good to me, too,” agreed Chelsea. “I just wish we had put it in place before the break-in.”

Pam accompanied her nod with a philosophical shrug.

“Okay—that’s settled,” said Mallory. “Do we have any other ideas?”

“Yeah—I’ve been thinking,” said Alton. “We’ve talked a lot about high-tech approaches, but what about low-tech? Why don’t I bring Buster over here to act as a guard dog? He’s not vicious. He’d really function more like a slobbery, organic alarm. But he’s a big dog with a big bark. He might make someone think twice before entering.”

“I like the idea of that,” said Chelsea, smiling at Alton.

“You all don’t mind keeping him here?” asked Alton. He frowned as a thought crossed his mind. “Wait a minute…didn’t you tell me before that dogs aren’t allowed here?”

“I did,” replied Chelsea, “but I checked with the office after we returned from Tifton. They said you just have to put down a pet deposit.”

“And I don’t mind,” confirmed Pam. “I’d like to have your dog here. Like you said, an intruder might not even try to break in if he heard a dog barking.”

The friends could think of no other changes to make to their security plan. Their immediate concern addressed, they engaged in more typical conversation for the remainder of the meal.

CHAPTER 45

The next evening, Alton and Mallory met at Chelsea’s apartment immediately after work, turning their attention to the four unsolved deaths.

“Alton,” said Mallory, “let’s go back to the beginning, back to the first murder. So much has happened over the last few weeks that perhaps we’re missing important connections.”

“Good idea,” said Alton. “Want to start now?”

“Sure.” Mallory removed a pile of information from her briefcase, one manila folder for each death. She and Alton commandeered the dining room table to use as an impromptu command center and began spreading out the materials. Mallory grouped the information from each of the four deaths vertically and aligned similar information from each crime—photographs, MO, time of day—horizontally, forming a giant grid on the table.

She and Alton spent the better part of two hours discussing the photos, noting parallels and differences between the four scenes.

“See the puncture wound here?” asked Mallory, referencing a photo from Louise Sinclair’s crime scene. “The wound is at the level of Louise’s heart, but the autopsy showed that the blade traveled slightly upward. The angle suggests that the perpetrator was someone of a relatively short stature, who had to stab upwards at chest level.”

“Or he used an underhand stabbing motion,” said Alton. “It’s unusual, but it does happen.” He looked up from the table. “Say, are you all hungry? I just realized it’s eight o’clock and none of us has had dinner yet.”

They all agreed that they were famished.

“I’d volunteer to go pick up some dinner, but as you know, I’m having some trouble with my ride,” said Alton. “How about I warm up yesterday’s lasagna leftovers?” His companions nodded, and he moved to the kitchen to prepare the meal.

While working on the case, Mallory had noticed that—as usual—Pam had cringed and appeared progressively more uncomfortable as their discussion of the violent deaths had progressed.

“Are you okay, Pam?” asked Mallory. “Is our conversation bothering you?”

Pam started and teared up. “I really don’t want to hear about gunshots or arsenic or people dying in their sleep any more. I just want to have a normal life.” She shut her eyes.

“I understand,” said Mallory, nodding in sympathy.

“It’s not just the conversation that’s bothering me. You and Alton are staying here protecting Chelsea, and I’m hiding at Meg’s house every night. I feel like I’m not doing my part to help.”

“It’s okay. Do you honestly feel you’d be able to help if you stayed here?”

Pam shook her head and looked at the floor with a sigh.

“Why don’t you keep staying with your friend until all this blows over?” suggested Mallory. 

“Honestly, I’d like to, but I feel like I’m deserting Chelsea.”

“It’s okay,” said Mallory. “I’m an FBI agent, and Alton is a former Army officer. We’ll take care of her.”

“Well, okay—thanks. I really don’t think I can handle being here full-time. Not until all this is resolved, at least.”

Alton emerged with the pasta and a three-year-old bottle of Italian Chianti. As they consumed the meal, Mallory was careful to steer the conversation away from the investigation, and Pam’s demeanor eventually improved.

After dinner, Pam left for her friend’s home, and Chelsea went to sleep. Alton and Mallory continued to study the cases well into the night. Alton started to nod off and, after saying goodnight to Mallory, retired for the evening.

Not yet feeling drowsy, Mallory continued to study the materials. Just before stopping for the night, she gave a start as several pieces of disparate information formed a pattern in her mind and a possible explanation presented itself. She sat pondering for a few minutes, considering whether any existing evidence contradicted this new train of thought. She couldn’t think of any, so she typed a reminder into her phone: “Call Dr. Roland.”

CHAPTER 46

Hoodie regretted that the latest attack hadn’t been successful but felt headed in the right direction. The remotely-detonated device hadn’t worked as planned but could be viewed as an instructive test run.

The immediate question was what approach to use next, now that the bombing had failed.

Hoodie began to pace the room. It was possible to return to the earlier, tried-and-true techniques, but Hoodie was leery about falling into a pattern. “That’s how the police track you down. If each attack is a new creation, the police have no idea how or where I’ll strike next.”

Hoodie pondered the best approach for disposing of the investigators, determined to find a creative solution that would permanently remove them from the inquiry.

“So many methods, it’s hard to choose just one,” murmured Hoodie. “I need to pick just the right one for you, Mr. Blackwell, and for your friends, too. Then Miss Mancini will be completely alone.”

CHAPTER 47

The next day, Mallory collected David and Fahima from Alton’s condo and took them out on a promised lunch date.

“Thank you for picking us up,” said Fahima. “I am glad to spend time with you.”

“My pleasure,” replied Mallory. “To be honest, Fahima, I’m just now getting used to the idea that you’re here in the States. We’ve been waiting so long for your visa approval, it hasn’t quite sunk in that you’ve finally arrived.”

“Believe me—I know just what you mean,” chimed in David.

“We need to decide where to eat. Is Chili’s okay?” asked Mallory, remembering David’s preference for the restaurant in the past.

David turned to Fahima. After seeing a confirming nod, he replied, “You bet.”

Upon arriving at the grill, the friends found they would have to wait a few minutes to be seated. As they headed back into the bright sunshine to wait, Agent Stewart of the FBI’s Organized Crime Division called Mallory. She walked a few paces away to ensure privacy during the call.

“Do you remember how we were trying to track down Doug Mancini’s movements in the days prior to his brother’s murder?” asked Stewart.

“Yes,” replied Mallory. “Agent Ortega saw an airline boarding pass but couldn’t make out the destination.”

“Exactly,” said Stewart. “Well, we caught a break tracking down his flight. Ortega was flashing Doug’s photo to the gate agents at LAX, and one of them recognized him. The gate agent couldn’t remember exactly which flight Doug was on, though.”

“That’s a start,” said Mallory. “What else have you learned?”

“Just that so far—we didn’t find the gate agent until late yesterday. We need to match the agent’s flights to passenger manifests, which will take a few days. At least now we know Doug Mancini traveled on Delta Airlines, and we can limit the search to Delta flights that departed during the hours this particular agent worked. That reduces the list considerably.”

“That’s a good lead. Say, can you let me know what you discover?”

“Will do,” agreed Stewart.

“Thanks. In the meantime, I have a lead of my own I’d like to pursue,” said Mallory.

Shortly after Mallory ended the call, a hostess showed her and her friends to a table. After ordering, Mallory described to David and Fahima the volatile nature of the relationship between Jay Mancini and the rest of his California-based family.

“So you think Doug may have bumped off his brother for breaking the family code, huh?” asked David.

“Yeah—that’s the assumption,” confirmed Mallory. “He either did it himself or hired out someone for the job, but either way, he’s still the person ultimately responsible.”

Fahima seemed to follow the conversation closely but remained silent. Mallory studied her for a moment, wondering if this was a diminution of US culture Fahima hadn’t anticipated.

After ending the meal and returning David and Fahima to Alton’s apartment, Mallory pondered the hypothesis she had formed the previous evening, considering anew whether any existing evidence contradicted it. She still couldn’t think of any. This new idea seemed an unlikely explanation, but if nothing else, investigating it could rule it out as a possibility.

Mallory placed a call to Dr. Carl Roland, the CDC research librarian who had provided key information during her investigation of the diverted rabies vaccine project the previous year.

“Dr. Roland, this is Mallory Wilson with the FBI. How are you?”

“Agent Wilson,” said Dr. Roland, “I’m so happy to hear your voice. I’m fantastic. How are you? I hope you’re staying out of danger these days.”

“I’m fine, Dr. Roland. I’m making a point to stay away from megalomaniacal ex-NSA agents,” she said with a sardonic laugh.

Dr. Roland chuckled. “In all seriousness, Agent Wilson, have you recovered completely? I am a doctor, you know. I can’t help but be concerned about these things.”

“For the most part. You see, there’s some scarring…” She didn’t continue.

“Ah, yes. Well, as I said, I’m very happy to hear your voice and know that you’ve moved on,” said the doctor. “And to what do I owe the honor of this call?”

“I’m involved with a homicide investigation. Have you heard about the murders of Jay Mancini and Louise Sinclair?”

“Of course. It’s been all over the news.”

“Good. I’m assigned to those cases, and I have a medical question. Quite honestly, my idea is a long shot, so my question probably won’t turn out to be important, especially considering some new information I got just before this call. But I feel obligated to follow up on all possibilities.”

“I see.”

“I don’t think this will take long, but I really need an expert’s opinion.”

“You may ask any question you like,” assured Dr. Roland.

Mallory explained the nature of her question and received the answer she had suspected. Dr. Roland’s confirmation didn’t prove anything definitively, but it did support her hypotheses. Mallory knew more research would be needed. She also knew she’d have to conduct it without Alton, at least for the time being.