“I have something,” Rick said. “If the accident was reported by the police, I might have a way to identify the driver and the vehicle. That could lead us to the passengers. All I need to know is who took the accident report.”
James interrupted. “Tom Allen told me it was the Maryland State Police who were at the scene and took the report.”
“Then they’d have a copy of the official accident report. They’d keep it on file for at least as long as the statute of limitations remains in effect, and maybe longer.”
“That’s fine, Rick, but how would you obtain the report?” asked Shelly.
“I worked with the Maryland State Police on the Wu murder, Director. They really appreciated the fact that I didn’t release the information to the press on the crime scene and the SUV. It would’ve shown that they were wrong about their analysis. Their lead investigator, Captain Drew Michaelson, thanked me and said he owed me one. It’s time to collect.”
“Okay, Rick, you can run with it. But if it looks like it could rebound on us, cut it loose as fast as you can. I don’t need any more headaches than I already have.”
Just as she said that, Shelly’s secretary buzzed her and said that her next meeting had arrived and was waiting. Shelly escorted Rick and James out the door and greeted her next visitor. James was surprised when he recognized her as the DC medical examiner.
As they left the director’s office, Rick turned to James and said, “I’d like you to work with me on this, James. We need to put together a strategy.”
“Okay, I’ll talk to Tom and get the information on the exact date and time that the meeting at VSI took place and the location where the accident occurred.”
“Good. I’ll contact Captain Michaelson to see if he can provide us with a copy of the accident report, which should have everyone’s names. I have friends who can tell us who they are and what they do. Can you get me the information that I need by later this afternoon?”
“I might be able to get it right now, Rick. Let me check my email to see if Tom sent it. Yeah, here it is. I’ll forward it to your email account.”
“Thanks. Do you mind if I call you later if I find out anything?”
“You’d better call me on my personal cell phone since I’m not certain I’ll be home.” James handed Rick a card. “The card has all my numbers and email accounts.”
As James drove back to his office, he turned on the news and heard that the DC mayor was going to hold a short press conference to address questions surrounding the delay in the DC medical examiner’s report on Senator Thompson. It was scheduled for seven that evening, and the medical examiner would be there to address all pertinent medical questions.
James thought the medical examiner must’ve found something unusual for her to schedule a press conference. He also found it intriguing that Philip and the senator had died within five days of each other. James doubted that Philip really knew the senator, but he did wonder if they’d ever met.
When James got back to his office, he immediately called Ann Wu.
“Hi, Ann, how are you doing?”
“I’m okay. What are you up to?”
“I’m working with the FBI on Philip’s case. Did he ever meet Senator Thompson?”
“Yes, I believe he met the senator when he toured Cyber Command at Fort Meade last summer.”
“Do you know who Philip worked with or reported to on the project he was working on at Fort Meade?”
“I don’t, James. Philip would never talk about the project or anyone he worked with. At first I thought it was because of security, but I think he really hated working there. It was like he was in prison and couldn’t wait to escape.”
“Do you remember anything that he and the senator had in common?”
“Nothing, other than they both knew George. The senator told Philip that George was a Russian SOB, and that VSI shouldn’t trust him with any corporate secrets. Philip wasn’t surprised about him calling George an SOB, but he didn’t know George was Russian. Why are you asking this now?”
“It’s probably nothing, but if it becomes something, I’ll let you know.”
“Goodbye, James. Keep in touch.”
James didn’t know George was Russian or if it was relevant to the investigation. The fact that both Philip and Senator Thompson knew George wasn’t particularly surprising, but he was concerned about the accusation from the senator that George might be compromising VSI technology.
James was wondering how George could possibly compromise VSI’s technology when he had no access to it. His thoughts about that were interrupted when he got a call from Rick Tanner.
“Hi, James. It looks like our plan is working. Captain Michaelson talked to the two state troopers who were at the scene of the accident. They remember the one officer as being a navy captain who was tall, thin, and had wavy gray hair. The other officer never got out of the car, so they didn’t have a good description of him.”
“Do they have their identities?”
“It’s on the accident report. Captain Michaelson said he’d fax it tomorrow morning.”
“That’s great work. Call me tomorrow after you get the fax.”
“Will do, James. Goodnight.”
When James got back to JoAnn’s house, he was exhausted and hungry. She gave him a big kiss and walked him into the dining room where she had place settings for two. There was also candlelight and his favorite dish, chicken marsala with garlic, ginger, and peppers.
“Thanks, baby. My favorite dish, made by my favorite dish,” he joked.
“I can always tell when you’re tired, James. You start making those corny jokes. Let’s eat and have some wine and go to bed.”
“I can’t. I need to watch a press conference, and if I drink any wine, I won’t make it.”
“This will be your last home cooked meal until I get back from my trip to Minnesota, so let’s enjoy it.”
“I’m sorry, baby, I forgot you had those constituent soirées this weekend. What’s the subject this time?”
“Nothing important. Just the impact your foreign cyber-attack legislation will have on world peace.”
“I may have drafted the technical parts of the bill, but the current senate bill is nothing like I intended. As a senator, the ball is more in your court than mine.”
“From what I’m hearing, the senate bill probably died with the majority leader.”
“Then let’s have a very small glass of wine to celebrate world peace and see what the medical examiner has to say.”
At seven all the local news stations were focused on the mayor’s office. The mayor made a short statement on the history of outstanding performance by the office of the chief medical examiner. He then invited Dr. Robinson to the podium.
“As DC medical examiner, this has been one of the most difficult cases I’ve ever worked on,” she said. “My team found no evidence of physical abuse, and there was also no evidence of drug abuse or foreign substances of a toxic nature other than alcohol. I can say that the senator was inebriated at the time of his death. This case was made difficult by the fact that the deceased was diabetic and used insulin by injecting it via an insulin pen, which I have here in my hand.”
The medical examiner demonstrated how the pen worked and how the needles were removable. She then said something that James found startling.
“Based on information from the senator’s doctor, the needles that were prescribed were four millimeters in length. You can see how short that needle is from the one in my hand. All the needle marks on the deceased’s right thigh, where he injected himself, were made by a four-millimeter needle, except for one. The freshest needle mark on the deceased’s thigh appears to have been made by a longer needle, probably twelve millimeters in length. When my office checked with the deceased’s doctor and his family, they said they weren’t aware of him having used such a needle. We also checked his Georgetown residence; and while there were several boxes of four-millimeter needles, we could find no evidence o
f any twelve-millimeter needles. Although this doesn’t constitute proof that there was foul play, I’d have to conclude that further investigation is warranted.”
James thought that it was a very skillful and professional performance. It was also clear to him that Dr. Robinson believed that the senator was murdered, even without saying it. He knew that many in the news media would also come to that conclusion. James was glad he didn’t have Shelly Brockner’s job. She was going to be managing a certain criminal investigation based on Dr. Robinson’s findings under some of the most intense scrutiny that any FBI director ever experienced.
As soon as the news conference ended, James’s phone rang. He recognized Rick’s number.
“Hey, Rick. Anything new?”
Rick laughed. “I guess you could say that. I assume you saw the press conference.”
“I did, and I assume it’s what your call is about.”
“Sort of. Director Brockner called me after I talked to you earlier. She informed me about what the medical examiner was going to say. The director wants yours truly to determine if there’s a link between Senator Thompson’s suspicious death and your partner’s murder. I’m going to need your help, James.”
“Okay. I’ll see you tomorrow in your office.”
James arrived at Rick’s office the next morning at ten.
“Good timing, James. I just got a fax from Captain Michaelson. The passengers in the vehicle were identified as Navy Captain Michael Kinsley and Army Colonel Frank Carpenter, both of whom live near Fort Meade. Apparently the driver of the other vehicle was under the influence, had no auto insurance, and was arrested for those offenses.”
“That’s great. Now we know their names.”
“Yeah, I can use my contacts at the base to find out what organizations they’re attached to, and possibly more.”
“How do you have contacts at Fort Meade?”
“Many of my missions as a SEAL were highly classified covert operations that involved support from intelligence personnel at NSA. Their support saved a lot of lives, including mine. After I left the SEALs, I was reassigned to NSA. That’s how I got involved in cybersecurity. In fact, my supervisor at NSA was the one who sponsored me for the Naval Postgraduate School.”
“Great. Is there anyone still there that you know and is high enough in the chain of command to be helpful?”
“You might say that. There’s a navy admiral who knows just about everything that goes on at the fort. We have a meeting with him at noon at the Fort Meade officer’s club. We’d better leave now in case we hit traffic. He doesn’t like people wasting his time.”
Rick drove his Mustang GT. They got there with twenty minutes to spare, which they needed to get through security.
“How’s the food at this club, Rick?”
“I don’t know, I haven’t been here in almost three years, and it really isn’t an officer’s club anymore. All ranks are allowed in, as well as civilians.”
As they walked through the door, Rick pointed to an older man in uniform sitting in a booth and waving.
“Good to see you, Rick. Where’d you find this rascal?”
“This is James Jordan, sir.”
“Yes, I know. How’ve you been, James? It’s been a few years.”
“About fifteen to be exact, Admiral. The last time was in your class on naval history and tactics at the academy.”
Rick stared at James with a confused look.
“I didn’t know you went to the naval academy.”
“It’s worse than that, Rick. I also spent two summers right here working with NSA before graduating and three more years after that as a naval officer.”
“Gentlemen, you can swap war stories later,” the admiral said. “Tell me what this is all about, and since we know each other, just call me Paul.”
“Okay, Paul. There were two officers from Fort Meade who were at a meeting at VSI in Lexington Park more than a year ago. James is the former CEO of the company.”
“Yes, I know. I’ve been following his career. Might even ask him for a job after I retire.”
“I hope you do, Paul. I’m sure VSI could use you. Right now we need to know if you can tell us anything about the officers who attended the meeting.”
“What’re their names?”
“Navy Captain Michael Kinsley, and Army Colonel Frank King.”
“Real spooks, in every sense of the word. Captain Kinsley is a zealot and a hothead who I had to reprimand more than once. He cuts corners and goes around regulations any chance he gets. The captain has gone as high as he’ll go in this man’s navy, and he knows it, so he isn’t worried about his image or future promotions.”
“Can you tell me what organization Captain Kinsley is attached to on the base, sir?”
“He’s assigned to Cyber Command on a special project that’s highly classified. Rumor has it the project concerns advanced malware.”
“What about the colonel, sir?”
“Since he isn’t navy, I don’t know that much about him. He seems to be a highly respected officer who has a master’s degree from MIT in math, I think. I met him once. He’s very quiet and kind of a nerd. But unlike Kinsley, he’s not a head case.”
“Do they work together?”
“Almost certainly. I see them together a lot, and I know they’re not gay, or at least Kinsley isn’t. Can I ask why the FBI is involved with investigating two military officers?”
“The FBI isn’t really investigating them for any specific offense, sir,” Rick said. “We think they may be involved with some strange circumstances involving cyber attacks at VSI. I got involved after the murder of Philip Wu. I’m sure you heard about it on the news. James was Philip Wu’s best friend and partner.”
“I did hear about the murder. But as much as I dislike Captain Kinsley, I believe murder is a little out of his league, Rick.”
“We do too, sir. James and I are just going down every path. The FBI director believes Mr. Wu’s death could have national security implications.”
“Okay, gentlemen. Please keep me in the loop on this and let me know if there’s anything I can do to help.”
“There is something, Admiral. I’d like to have your permission to interview them on their relationship with Philip Wu.”
“I can’t help you with the colonel, Rick. He’s outside my chain of command, but I can order Captain Kinsley to cooperate. I’d like to talk with him first. When and where would you like to meet him?”
“Anytime within the next few days at FBI headquarters. Just tell him we’re interviewing people who knew Philip Wu as part of the murder investigation.”
“No problem, Rick, but you should know that he’s an arrogant SOB. If he feels threatened, he’ll try to intimidate you.”
“I don’t think that’ll be a problem,” Rick said with a smile.
“No, I guess not. Just don’t rough him up too much.”
“Yes, sir, and thanks for your help, Admiral.”
“You’re both welcome. Now let’s get something to eat. I’m starving.”
While driving back to DC, Rick and James discussed how they’d interview the captain.
“We shouldn’t let the captain know that you have any connection with VSI,” Rick said. “That might make him suspicious and totally defensive.”
“I can’t guarantee he hasn’t heard my name during his meetings with Philip. Maybe I shouldn’t be there at all.”
“No, I need your insight about VSI and Philip if this is to work. I have an idea. We can do the investigation in an interrogation room with a one-way mirror. They have those facilities at the Hoover Building for interrogations that are witnessed by undercover agents or confidential informants. I’ll do the interrogation and ask a set of questions pertinent to the case. I’d also like you to put together some questions you think I should ask based on your knowledge of VSI and your partner. You’ll be able to prompt me through my earpiece.”
“How long will that take to set up?”
“I like it. Just hope it works.”
“Yeah, me too. So James, why didn’t you tell me you were an Annapolis grad?”
“Didn’t think it was important. It has no relevance to what we’re working on.”
“Why’d you leave the navy?”
“After graduation from the academy, I was assigned to NSA to work on a special project. It was based on a cybersecurity paper I had written during my second year at the academy. It was also the basis of the work I did with NSA while at the academy.”
“Must’ve been a pretty good paper to get NSA’s interest. What was it about?”
“It described how a network worm could be used to disable military weapon systems, including US Navy systems. The navy didn’t allow its publication and classified it as top secret.”
“It isn’t anymore. There have been lots of articles on the internet about that subject in the last couple of years.”
“Yes, but this paper was written almost fifteen years ago, and it went into detail about possible attacks on US Navy systems.”
“I see. It certainly explains NSA’s interest.”
“Yes, as well as other high-level government research organizations.”
“Looks like it made you a naval celebrity. So what’s the problem?”
“It ruined my naval career.”
“How?”
“I wrote the paper as an incentive to develop defenses against the coming threat. Instead, they were only interested in building cyber weapons based on my idea. Then maybe a defense, if they had the funding. If it wasn’t for the accident, I would have spent my entire five-year naval commitment on that project.”
“What accident?”
“Do you remember that 688 fast attack boat that crashed into the bottom and killed several sailors while seriously injuring forty more?”
“Yeah, that was more than ten years ago.”
“I was on that boat. We were testing the effectiveness of one of the network worms we developed against the sub’s fire-control system. It disabled the fire-control system, but it unexpectedly also disabled the dive-control system. I was one of the injured, and it cost me multiple broken bones and six months in a body cast.”
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