by Ivan Bering
Stephen would not be pleased.
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The female half of the Five Star Couple sat in the lounge with a cup of tea and listened to the pianist playing a classical piece: Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony, L’Empereur, composed when Napoleon was conquering Europe.
She was conservatively dressed, a large hat, short white gloves. This was to be the next hotel visit and the last kill. She wanted to assess possible police stakeouts. The hotel certainly rated the five-star classification, and she was pleased with the setting. The interior was stunning, and, best of all, the stairs from the upper floors exited close to the large front entry doors, an easy walk to the street.
The killer could not detect a police presence which in some ways was a concern; was she missing something? Surely they would stake out some of the better target hotels. However, since he ignored prostitutes, maybe Horny Harry was the first priority, it made sense, a better utilization of scarce resources.
As well, the media reported the Prison Decommissioning project demanded more personnel. The Warden had expressed his concerns: if all the convicts were forced into an S1 interrogation, there might be a riot. As a precautionary move, some police resources had been diverted to Fort Green prison.
If resources were stretched, her partner was right, the timing was excellent: one last strike while the police dealt with all the demands.
She finished her tea and exited the hotel. One more chore. A leisurely walk around a three-block radius of the hotel. Would she spot any stakeouts on the street?
CHAPTER 32: the schemer
The schemer enjoyed the sound of ice cubes rattling against the inside walls of his glass.
A self-assured smile persisted, and he drained the remaining third of his scotch. A high-speed review of all his Confidential recordings revealed no further insights or opportunities. The recordings were a career-ending risk, but he hoped the appropriate gain would follow the endeavor.
He wondered about the Judge’s handling of the possible flaws in the S3 Interrogation. Was Kate’s analysis on the duplicates correct? His sources told him that Stephen had not informed the Regional Director about the duplicate problems, an excellent decision, for the schemer, because he knew the Region was upset with the omission. Would the revised filtering software allow most convicts to be processed in under 45 minutes?
Dr. Max’s situation remained a Board secret. An error in judgment? As it progressed the issue would become complex. When would the Judge make this public knowledge? Would his delay cause Stephen more problems with the Region?
Today he heard an error in judgment was being covered up by the Investigative Division, more subterfuge and more turmoil for the Judge. The Chief’s staff used a random selection process to solve a long outstanding murder investigation. The Division blocked any announcements because the results of a ‘random selection’ are deemed inadmissible, regardless of what an S1 interrogation produced. Although the justification for an S1 interrogations was not stringent, the police could not indiscriminately round up suspects and subject them to an interrogation. The schemer’s paid informer told him the Chief was furious and looking for a way out of the mess.
When this reaches Stephen’s chambers, he will have an ugly dilemma on his hands. If the Judge decides the results of that S1 Interrogation are not admissible, there will be a public uproar when a brutal killer is released. On the other hand, Regional had always been adamant: any Sector using ‘random selection’ as means to solve crimes will be severely admonished, demotions to be expected, the entire scenario a no-win for the Judge. His Sector branded as undisciplined.
All the issues would soon be in play. Nothing he could leverage, yet. There were going to be more opportunities; he had to be patient. His recordings may prove invaluable for playing the second guessing game. When the time came, he would project an image of a concerned servant of the justice system and not someone who had allowed ambition to distort his common sense.
Now, the biggest problem was controlling his emotions in the presence of Judge Stephen. He didn’t understand all the reasons for his jealousy; but, whenever the Judge came forth with one of those judgments full of wisdom and empathy, he almost lost it. He saw the job as rather straightforward and had no doubt he could handle it with ease.
For now Stephen was safe, but with so many potentials controversies he was not on a secure perch. It didn’t matter if it was Stephen’s fault. All the schemer required was enough to start the splattering; typically he would start with small rumors plus regular updates to keep the turmoil going. Innuendo was an excellent tool, and he was the master.
One other thing he was sure of: he knew Stephen. The Judge was such a self-righteous bugger, prepared to accept responsibility for all the world’s problems and would do anything to protect the office. Given that scenario he thought Stephen would resign quickly rather than allow doubt to build about the system or the Judge’s position. Stephen didn’t have the backbone to get into the trenches and take the heat, didn’t understand that he had to protect himself, not everybody played by the rules.
One more explosive revelation should be enough to sink Stephen. Would the Dr. Max’s case do it? If Max got through S1 and S2 interrogations, the schemer had an opening. The rumor to start: the Judge allowed the Fort Green clearance of death row to proceed even when he knew there were doubts about the validity of the interrogation techniques.
This wasn’t true, but the timing was so close he could get the rumors going and when the denials started, the opportunity for more confusion would present itself. The objective would be to create a picture of Stephen as someone so enamored with technology he was willing to gamble with lives.
Duplicate memory streams, random selections, and Dr. Max: three situations which could be manipulated into career-ending events. Best to be prepared with half-truths and distorted timelines. Let the suspicious public come to their own conclusion. There was one journalist who would run with it and keep the source confidential.
He felt like sending Dr. Max a bottle of his favorite champagne. The bugger had to have the biggest libido in the scientific community. A friend told him Max had been pushing the limit for months with many young models. If there was an Olympic medal for sex drive, Max would get all the medals: gold, silver and bronze.
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The Chief’s anger was evident; the phone almost vibrated as he yelled his demands.
“Charlie review for me what you are doing, not all the details.”
“Chief, I’ve a set up at all the four and five-star hotels. I don’t have staff in the lobby, but the hotel staff is ready. They’re to send us pictures of any woman who registers and demands the second floor and is wearing a large hat and white gloves. They’re also to monitor all calls from that room until we arrive. We’ll be manning a 24/7 phone, and I’m thinking about getting the same directive to the three-star hotels.”
“The couple must be close to another attempt; now what about that damn Harry?”
“Since you couldn’t release more men for the park surveillance, Karen has rounded up a couple of volunteers from Vice, and they’ll start an evening patrol of the area. The next step will be to try and bait him with one of our own.
Problem is, even though we’re convinced it’s the general area around the best hotels, it’s still a large zone to cover; we’ll need a few teams to have any hope of trapping him. I’m talking to Vice to see what we can put together.
Now, Karen thinks he possibly worked as a cab driver. We started to look at previous employees, but there is a horde of prior employees; many only worked a few shifts, maybe students working a short time to make a few bucks. On top of that their recordkeeping is atrocious; I’m surprised the income tax crew hasn’t shut them down. So I’m saying this avenue is not likely to yield anything.”
The Chief never commented, just hung up, the abrupt ending a sure sign of stress; the man was always polite to everyone, even his own subordinates. The gossip slipping and sliding around the build
ing: one of the Deputy Chiefs pulled a fast one and now the Chief was trying to recover. Charlie’s busy schedule didn’t allow him time to chase that rumor.
He didn’t care for any of his own action plans. Maybe get some people in the lobby. No, if the killers were ex-cops, they would spot the undercover men. Leave it.
As much as his serial killers pressed him, the Judge’s clandestine assignments continued to plague him; he didn’t want to disappoint the Judge.
First the damn secret recorder: Charlie reviewed each Board member, aided by unfettered access to confidential files. Last, he stepped through his personal assessment of each, based on his interactions and observations.
He concluded it had to be either Doug, the man who wanted to be a judge, or Jacob, the man who didn’t fit with the rest of the Board. Charlie didn’t have time to speculate on motivation; it was time for action. It would take time to acquire the equipment and staff. He’d have to roll the dice, a gamble the only alternative.
On top of all this, he couldn’t stop thinking about Emma. It was hopeless and he had blown it; nevertheless, she kept coming into his thoughts. Nothing he could do. And once she found out he’d run a clandestine operation, possibly undermining her friend Dr. Kate, she’d probably turn her back on him forever. The two ladies were really close.
The Judge refused to allow to coordination with Dr. Kate; he wanted two entirely different lines of attack, independent thinking. The problem: Charlie’s thinking was getting nowhere. No matter how many times he reviewed the Interrogation recordings he couldn’t detect how Dr. Max achieved the impossible, circumventing the S1 Interrogation, lying to Forensic staff.
Of course, the Chief would be furious when he found out the Judge had not informed him. But since the Judge was safe, the Chief’s fury would be turned in the other direction, right at Charlie.
All these problems stuck to him, no hand-off possible. Every issue belonged to him until resolved or he was demoted. Best get going and round up the detection equipment to catch the Board recorder. If the equipment worked and he guessed right, one problem was solved. If not, best not to think about that outcome.
CHAPTER 33: The Judge, Kate and Janice
Only three people occupied the room, but his chamber office felt crowded.
Even in the late afternoon, the hot sun forced the Judge to keep all the drapes pulled shut. Stephen looked in Kate’s direction but avoided direct eye contact and kept his voice neutral, for him she would always be an attractive woman. She’d been divorced for some time, but he knew he would never follow through on his feelings. He thought about their affair and how it fit the classic pattern: an explosion of reckless passion, then more intimate lovemaking, followed by a more sedate period. When a friend warned them their affair could soon become common knowledge, they walked away from each other, a mutual decision. The problem was the feelings did not disappear as quickly.
Now years later, he’s selected her for his Board. A wise decision? At times his desire flared and this concerned him. She never gave him any indication she would be interested in resuming an affair. Stephen knew it was over, time to grow up. His wife remained steady as a rock, a political strength and could work a room better than him. No way would he endanger that support.
Kate and Janice settled in his office; the time arrived to assess progress on the Dr. Max interrogation. Both ladies looked haggard, as if they had missed numerous hours of sleep. While the Judge reviewed the reports on his screen, Kate’s memory took a fast trip, and she remembered the first time she saw him.
She never told him, maybe she never admitted it to herself until now, but there’d been an immediate and strong attraction; he was tall with an athletic frame and had a reputation as someone destined for success. Even today, she found it hard to believe that the one night led to such an explosive and wild affair. She often regretted the mutual decision to end it. A stern Stephen never tried to lure her back; did he regret the decision? Well, at least she had Sonja, a daughter who was a first-class student.
The Judge finished reading the report and looked across his desk at the two women. Janice a tall, handsome woman, in her mid-20s, maintained an active social live on her way to becoming one the best forensic technicians in the country; she would soon be doing S3 interrogations with Emma. Kate explained the results of the S1 interrogations of both Sally Grovernor and Dr.Max.
“Judge, according to the results of S1 both stories are true. We’ve reviewed the recordings and watched both people respond to questions and react to challenges. Everything appears correct. I can’t detect any anomalies. Janice, do you want to add anything?”
Janice spoke softly but with the confidence of a well-trained technician.
“I can only say what we all know: the next step will be to proceed to an S2. Generally we only proceed to an S2 when an individual is fighting off the S1. These are normally addicts with a long history of drug abuse; they have higher tolerance levels and need a different concentration.
Also, when an individual is struggling during the interrogation, it is obvious; he fights every answer and responds with abbreviated bursts, short disconnected phrases. Our monitors detect the stress with high blood pressure and extensive sweating; we detect the anomaly and know the results from that S1 may not be accurate. This was not the case with Sally or Dr. Max. They both provided standard responses, and it’s all normal.”
Kate knew what the Judge wanted to hear. “Stephen, I don’t know how Dr. Max manipulated the system. I know he’s yoga master, and this may be a factor. We’ll start research in this direction. Regulations require 24 hours for the S1 drugs to leave their systems and then we can proceed with an S2 Interrogation. If our research doesn’t provide any immediate answers, I wonder: could you proclaim an additional delay is necessary?”
The Judge sensed the frustration but as always lived with the standards. “Unless you can come up with a medical reason to prove it’s unsafe to proceed, you have to stick with the 24 hour time limit; we have no alternative and remember Dr. Max knows all the medical implications so we can’t run a fast one by him….sorry.”
“I do have one avenue which may prove of value. A visitor from Japan who is a yoga expert and has also studied and lived in India for many years. As good as Max? I don’t know.
This medical doctor showed up at my door yesterday. I knew he was coming but completely forgot; Japan wants to assess our approach, witness the Death Row clearance and all aspects of Justice Reborn.
He’s extremely intelligent and might be able to provide some insight into yoga as a possible answer to fighting off the impact of our S1 drugs. I’ll try to talk him into an S1 interrogation and see if his yoga skills will allow him to control the session. If it sounds like I am grasping …well I am!”
No one spoke; the room remained silent for some time and finally Stephen summarized.
“As you both know, these results are shattering. You have to find an answer. I don’t have to explain the implications. Proceed with the S2 and please feed me information as it unfolds, even preliminary observations. Don’t wait for a final report.
I’ve two contacts at another university and will talk to them about other experts we may be able to solicit for help. I have to remain optimistic. I won’t keep you any longer.”
It was an abrupt ending. Stephen watched both ladies leave, not a good ending; their body language spelled: defeat.
What he never told them: he’d given the problem to Charlie when it first surfaced, a clandestine mission, assigned late in the evening in his home office. Maybe this was beyond Charlie’s abilities. But the Judge desperately needed someone to take an unconventional approach, apart from technology, someone who would go outside the regular boundaries to abuse rank and privilege in search of the answers.
Charlie numerous contacts reached beyond the academic community. A desperate move. At times, he seconded guessed his own decision. Why had he bypassed the Chief? Another questionable move but the secret recordings had erased al
l organizational lines.
In the end, he knew he would have to pick up all the pieces, and it appeared most of the pieces would belong to Charlie, who was beginning to look like he was ready for two or three days of hard drinking.
CHAPTER 34: Charlie’s Log: The Blowup
I’m in a mood dangerous to myself and my surroundings.
Wes recognizes my disposition and dispenses with any conversation; we’re in the elevator heading down to the ground floor and back to my office. Moments ago, we finished 30 bloody minutes with the Chief, and he’s not pleased with the two high-profile cases. I tried to explain that we may be on to something, but he merely kept ranting; he sure as hell was not listening. What the hell is wrong with the guy? I think he keeps me around so he can blow off steam at will, knowing I’m vulnerable and not likely to deliver a vigorous protest.
The progress on the Five Star Couple has stalled; the personnel data we requested from the other cities has not arrived. The Chief claims a formal request was delivered to both cities and ensures me, we’ll see the results tomorrow.
Next, Horny Harry: the idea of a high-end recording gear proved to be a useless clue; the special cameras and sound equipment is standard stuff and is sold all over the world. Christ, you can hide the damn thing in your shoe and record your boring after dinner walk.
To cap it off, the bloody Chief still refuses to authorize extra patrols for Bolton Park, insufficient evidence the excuse. I haven’t had a chance to call Karen; she’ll probably patrol the area on her own. Her Vice volunteers were ordered to stand down, against Vice Department regulations.