Molon Labe! (40 page)

"So, our guy grows some of these East Indian trees in his backyard?" asks a junior agent known for his wisecracks.

Kinney and Ferris both glare at Smartass. So does the second junior agent after watching their reaction.

Moss takes the facetiousness in stride. Shaking his head he says, "Not likely. He probably bought some rodent bait and leeched out the crystals. Cheap, easy, and untraceable."

"Could he have bought strychnine from a medical supply house?"

"No, not in this concentration. In
very
dilute form it's sometimes used as a stimulant, but nobody stocks it full strength. No, our guy bought a $10 box of rat poison and boiled off the inert ingredients himself. Any chemistry student could have done it."

"How much strychnine is fatal?"

"LD
₅₀
is just 1 milligram per kilo of body weight
¹
. LD100 is only about 20% higher, so no more than 100mg. would've been needed for the 180 pound Hengel. A fat drop is all it took. The DMSO transdermal carrier did the rest."

"How'd the perp apply it to Hengel?" asks the second junior agent.

"Very simply. From his gloved right thumb as he shook Hengel's hand. Politicians love to meet admirers." The room is momentarily quiet as everyone contemplates how easy it would have been.

"Any traces of DMSO or strychnine at Ostergaard's place?"

"No, none."

Kinney says, "Well, that fits. We got a liquor store hit on Hengel's VISA. He bought that bottle of Shiraz at 6:47PM. He died
arriving
on Ostergaard's doorstep, not leaving. Ostergaard's in the clear."

"Any liquor store camera footage?"

"Yeah, including the parking lot. Hengel had no contact with anyone but the clerk. We checked him and the store for poison. Nada. This wasn't a random act. Hengel was targeted."

Moss says, "He couldn't have been poisoned then, anyway.
Way
too early. Though not instantaneous, pure strychnine is still pretty fast. It wouldn't have taken fifteen minutes. He'd never've made it to Ostergaard's."

"How long
would
it have taken?" Kinney asks.

"Oh, say, three minutes. Since Hengel wiped off some of it, five, tops.

" Kinney says, "So, backtracking Hengel's movements and assuming it wasn't Ostergaard, a third party could have made contact only in the third-floor hallway, the elevator, the ground floor, sidewalk, or street out in front. And not before then since Hegel's car was clean."

"That seems to follow, yes," Moss replies.

Kinney says, "So, logically, where did he met Hengel?"

Ferris offers, "Not in the elevator or on the third floor. And probably not even on the ground floor. Too much possible exposure to witnesses."

Kinney is pleased. "Exactly."

Ferris brightens. "Then it was outside the building on the sidewalk or street. Simply walked up, said hello, shook his hand, and strolled off. He'd have been a couple of miles away when Hengel collapsed in the hall."

Kinney nods his head. "Very good. But why even take the risk of
any
exposure? He didn't
have
to contact Hengel at all. Why not just drug his car door handle or something?"

Moss understands why not. "Because that wouldn't have fulfilled his needs. Because Hengel was somehow
personal
."

Heads nod. This makes sense to all in the room.

"Jilted boyfriend?" poses the serious junior agent.

Kinney says, "That was my first thought, but since Hengel was #18 on the KK risk list, let's eliminate the political motive before the sexual."

Moss keeps the ball rolling. "OK, it's probable that the perp knew his concoction's kill time, which means he planned on death occurring within three to five minutes of a handshake. He
could
have chosen another poison, one that acted faster like nicotine, or slower like ricin, but didn't. So, what does his choice of strychnine tell us?"

"That he needed sufficient delay in order to escape," says Smartass, coming out of his shell.

"Correct. But why not a poison that caused death in several
hours
versus several minutes?" prods Kinney.

Ferris jumps in. "Because death had to occur while Hengel was still at Ostergaard's. To cause a scandal — maybe even cast suspicion!"

"Bingo!" says Kinney. "Our man likely has strong political feelings about Hengel and the gun-control PCV."

Lloyd Moss speaks what is on everyone's mind. "Guys, I'd say we have ourselves another KK. And I'd bet Hengel wasn't his first."

Kinney mulls this over and says, "And
I'd
bet Hengel won't be his
last
. Our man has found a hobby."

The room turns silent as everybody ponders this.

Something suddenly occurs to Moss. "I wonder why he didn't plant some strychnine or DMSO at Ostergaard's, especially in a container with his prints already on it? That'd have
really
caused him some trouble."

Kinney frowns at this. "Yeah, you're right Lloyd, that
is
baffling. Our guy is certainly sophisticated enough to have thought of this, and skilled enough to have done it. It would have cooked Ostergaard's goose unless we figured it out."

"Maybe he has some principles. Didn't want to send an innocent man to prison for homicide."

It's Smartass, but he's serious now. This time nobody glares. His comments actually make an odd kind of sense.

Kinney remarks out loud, almost to himself, "A principled killer. Shit, just what we need."

The next day FBI Director Klein phones the White House. Hengel and the President had gone to Georgetown together.

"Sir, we've established several facts about the Senator's death. He was definitely murdered." Klein then fully explains the poison and its delivery.

The President is silent for several seconds. He pales visibly as he says, "So, anybody with high school chemistry, $20 of feed store supplies, and a rubber glove can kill politicians with a handshake?"

"That's about it, sir. One last thing. The Bureau now believes that the same man also abducted and probably killed Judge Gray two years ago."

The President's eyebrows arch in skepticism. "A serial killer? There have been over two dozen KKs in or around the Beltway, Paul. And Clayton wasn't abducted like Jon Gray."

"Yes, sir, that's true, but the other KK perpetrators all left at least
some
evidence behind, though nothing conclusive. The Gray and Hengel acts were different. Both in adverse weather, and both on an early February Tuesday. Both committed absolutely clean, unlike the other KKs."

"But they were two years apart," challenges the President.

"Yes, sir, but to us that may indicate the depth of his planning. He takes all the time he needs to execute his deed perfectly. He attacks suddenly, decisively, and leaves no trail. He operates in low-light conditions. He's patient and highly intelligent. Strongly motivated, but he has a rein on his emotions. My SOARU boys call him 'The Leopard.' He's likely between 40 and 55. A younger man would act more rashly. An older man wouldn't have the drive."

"'The Leopard,' huh? Jesus, Paul, don't let the media hear that."

"Certainly not, sir. I've sent strict instructions that the moniker is not to be used in any internal memoranda."

"Good. What else?"

Klein hesitates, and then says it. "Well, sir, we're thinking that he could even be law enforcement. It would explain why we've no leads so far."

The President drops his pen in surprise. "Paul, are you serious?"

"Yes, sir. We both know that it's happened before. Right now we're compiling a list of LE officers, active duty or not, who have expressed strong right-wing political opinions. As you know, we've been correlating NRA membership lists for years. In particular we're focussing on dismissed tri-state officers who harbor a grudge against the Government and who may have seen Judge Gray and Senator Hengel as appropriate targets."

"Hmmm. Well, his long planning period works in our favor. You've got until February 2013 to catch him," concludes the President, bitterly.

FBI Special Agent Kinney barges into his superior's office. The SAC of the Washington FO looks up in surprise, indignation, and curiosity.

"Sir, we have a break in Hengel."

"Really?"

"Yes, sir. Two witnesses, and now some physical evidence."

"Witnesses? It's been four days. Who piped up now?"

"The first was a neighbor across the street from Ostergaard's condo. He was walking his dog around 1900 hours and saw a man briefly talking to the Senator. He was about six feet tall, mid-forties, medium-length blonde hair, wearing a suit and tie, carrying a briefcase."

The SAC perks up. "Did he see this man shake Hengel's hand?"

"No, sir. They were in the middle of a conversation when he left his residence. The witness continued walking north for a block and then turned right. About a minute later this same well-dressed man had also taken the same route. While the dog stopped to pee, the witness turned and saw the man get into a black or dark blue, four-door sedan. He thinks it was a Lexus or an Infinity."

The SAC is silent, his fingers steepled in front of his face. After a moment he says, "Did he notice any other person in the vicinity?"

"Negative."

"Well, then it seems he saw our man. Did he see his face clearly?"

"Unfortunately not. Said he seemed handsome, but average. Couldn't offer anything more than that. The witness is 63 years old and wears glasses."

"You said witnesses, plural. Who else do we have?"

Kinney grins. "A Metro cop."

The SAC's eyes widen. "No shit? A cop?"

Still grinning, Kinney says, "Yes, sir. He saw a well-dressed man alone in a black 2006 Lexus stopped at about 1915 hours on N and 25th, by the south end of Rock Creek Park. Said he'd stopped to check a tire."

"This cop get his DL and run a 27?"

"No, he had no reasonable suspicion to detain him. Cop never even got out of his unit. They spoke only a few words as he drove by on patrol. Said he wasn't acting nervous or suspicious in any way. Was polite and confident. The cop didn't think anything about it until we tickled Metro for any contacts with a dark-colored Lexus. The encounter was so brief and nonchalant that the cop hardly remembered it."

"Physical description of the suspect?"

"Virtually the same as the dog-walker, though he thought he might be able to recognize him again. He's working with an FIC artist now, but the face they have so far could be nearly anyone of that archetype."

The SAC grimaces. "I've never trusted the Facial Identification Catalog images, Kinney. I know I'm 'old school' but all experienced sketch artists agree that the 'Chinese menu' of 960 facial features is dangerously manipulative. Remember the original OKBomb John Doe #2? The frontal bareheaded view of a man? That was from the FIC! The witness had only seen him in
profile,
and wearing a baseball cap! No wonder we never caught him, even after we had to replace the FIC image with a hand-drawn sketch. Kinney, get an
artist
on this. See if Jeanne Boylan is available."

Kinney is making notes. "Yes, sir."

"Did your witness get a plate?"

"Not the number, but he thought it might be a Virginia plate. Not D.C. The year and make he's positive on; his uncle has the same car but in silver. We're compiling a database on all black 2006 Lexuses registered in Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Delaware."

The SAC is pensive. He offers a final idea. "Computer time is cheap. Extend the database to include D.C., Pennsylvania, Ohio, and North Carolina. If we miss this guy, it won't be because he lives in Philly or Canton."

"Yes, sir," Kinney says while making notes.

"You'll still correlate the list of Lexus owners with disgruntled LE officers, right?"

"Yes, sir, active, dismissed, and retired."

"Good. I know it's a long shot, but we've got to start somewhere."

"I agree, sir. And the physical evidence looks encouraging."

The SAC had almost forgotten. "Yeah, what's the story on that?"

"The Metro cop took us to the spot on N where the Lexus had stopped. I had a team scour the area within a 100 yard radius. Nothing conclusive on the street, sidewalk, or grass, but below a storm grate they saw scorched concrete. They pulled the grate and collected samples of some charred material. Materials says it's the remains of a small chemical self-destruct device contained in clear polyethylene, like a ZipLoc bag."

"Chemical self-destruct device? What the hell?" exclaims the SAC.

"Yes, sir, it is. Glycerine, potassium permanganate, and charcoal. According to the ATF, this sort of thing has been used by arsonists. Through spectroscopic analysis, the PE's dictation says that some of the burned material is consistent with incinerated strychnine."

"Only 'consistent with', not 'identified as'?" asks the SAC, disappointed. The term "consistent with" is forensic science shorthand for "may" and allows for reasonable doubt in trial proceedings, while "identified as" does not.

"Yes, sir."

"Well, it's still something. Juries can always be led to believe that 'consistent with' means guilty. Find our Lexus owner, Kinney."

North Carolina

25 February 2011

Two weeks later FBI Special Agents Malmberg and Swingle from the Raleigh FO pull up to a tidy split-level home outside Wake Forest. They've been interviewing all owners of dark colored 2006 Lexuses. This is their last stop, though it was first on their list. The registered owner of this Lexus was an LLC shell. The agents had to screen the insurance company databases for its VIN to find a policy tied to a driver. This alone made them suspicious.

Then, they had to find his actual residence. That, and the background investigation, took two days. His DL address was a mail drop, and no property or phone was listed in his name. They made several phone calls to his former superiors, which yielded little. Looked at his credit card records for the past year. A new electric stove delivered to his home, paid for by his VISA card, was all it took.