Chapter 11 - the Governor
We walked back from the coffee shop and went back to the townhouse. The investigator I was friendly with and my lawyer discussed the idea with me. He was quite pleased with his clever little plan.
"Okay. I've been going over this whole... thing, and quite a bit. I'm operating on a couple of... hunches and intuition, educated guesses. You curious, Bill?"
"Always."
"Okay. We didn't get anywhere, trying to see if this fits into what we've come to call a lightning strike. Which is a euphemism for... a nut-ball serial killer somehow puts her square in his cross-hairs. I mean, its always a possibility. But the detectives, me... none of our guts feel like that's it."
"Hmm. That scientific about it, I see."
He shrugged.
"On some level? Investigating. You get your facts. You got whatever evidence you do or don't get. You spread all that out, and you see what you got. If you can deal with the conversation? I'll color in the whole... serial killer angle."
"Please."
"This is an... advanced case of overkill. There's a lot of wounds. Using a knife? That's up close, that's personal. That's hands on. Its either someone close enough to the victim, to be really wound up? Or... some nut-ball. Thing is here. This isn't the perpetrator's first rodeo. You normally expect... they call it hesitation strokes. After one or more... completed acts? They settle into a pattern. Like any criminal? You explore, you play... and you perfect your technique. Without hesitation strokes, without various angles... highly unlikely its a first timer."
"Okay. Its logical."
"It is. Also? You expect to find other, similar attacks. Locations tend to get repeated. Type of victim. Number of strokes, depth and width and angle of strokes. There's a law enforcement website set up. They enter all the forensic data on any scene like this? To a national database. If someone states away gets a similar number of strokes. Wound angles, width and depth line up. Right or left handed. Enough things match? Its a powerful LEO tool. We can quickly get a link up on widely separated jurisdictions early. Get the jump on the nut-ball."
"Nothing, huh?"
"Unfortunately for us? No. As far as this seems to be an isolated incident? Fortunately, for everyone else."
"So. A lone nut-ball is unlikely. Leaving..."
"Two main choices. Interpersonal. That's pissed off husband, boyfriend... family member... friend or peer... and the other possibility. A professional or semi-professional hit."
I nodded dispassionately.
"A contract killer. A hit man."
"Reading tea leaves? Seems a good hunch. You got your basic killer for hire, that's actually kind of rare. Most professionals are members of the criminal's own organization, whatever that even is. Whoever actually committed the act? Was sure of themselves. They acted deliberately. They were organized. Careful not to leave anything. That takes... experience. You start thinking... former military. Cop, former cop. The lack of evidence? Implies... someone that's at least rudimentary familiar with forensic evidence."
"Question. And... I appreciate the... professional experience you bring to this, by the way. That's a compliment."
"Thanks. I try. And your question..."
"Access."
"Now. That? Is what doesn't add up to normal. If its a nut-ball serial killer? We expect to find entry. The window pried up, the door jimmied open. You told us before, she was really good about locking her doors."
I nodded.
"Typically? Yeah. Was she paranoid about getting robbed? No, but... careful."
"Short of entry, we're left with a limited set of common possibilities there."
"Which are..."
"One. The... expert lock picker, you see in movies. They make it look like every cop and every bad guy, seems to be able to just walk up to any door, fiddle for three seconds, and... open sesame. I saw you do the desk lock with a paper clip? I'm guessing you know the basics, you know that's not like on TV."
"I do. Did she have... expensive high security high pin count complicated tumblers with safety catches? No. But... she's seen me do desk locks, and a couple other common tumblers. Its a hobby. She had me look? I can't touch her locks. They're good enough? I have a... pistol grip automatic pin rake. It doesn't touch her door locks either."
"Okay. The TV lock picking doesn't seem very likely. In an apartment building? We start thinking... maintenance guy. Or, someone with access to the maintenance workshop. Get those keys. Here? We have a private residence. You entertain the realty company..."
"No. She replaced the locks. The originals? Were shit."
"Okay. Now? We're up and onto access. You've been through this quiz with the detectives. You maintain, she isn't one of those people that every asshole she knows has a key, or had an opportunity to be loaned a key where they could have made a spare and she didn't think about it."
"I'm pretty sure. She had her key or keys, and... I think I'm the only other one."
"Okay. Access. Still on that. It would take, someone with access to her, and over time? To get a copy of her house key. A friend, a coworker? Could sneak a key off a key ring, get a copy made, return it. You have to be known to her, or get access to those keys and be able to return it. We think its... thin, that a coworker would be trusted to set her up like that. And if they did? You expect to see them turn up missing or eliminated. Again? Not a gut tickler."
"What is a gut tickler, how they get that key."
"You know about forming clay?"
I nodded.
"You get an impression, you use epoxy to make a temporary key. Maybe some fibers in the epoxy for strength. Or you file or grind your own key to match the epoxy model."
"Right. You now have to have less access? But slick. A waitress, you go to the bathroom... a security guard, you go through the detector... he holds your keys, does the impression in his jacket pocket... but you really need to engineer that."
"Your gut says..."
"What bright person, brings in little people on a plot like this. Even if they don't know what's really up? When she turns up a crime victim... they know. Why create more loose ends. You're eliminating a loose end of some kind now, why create one or more of them. Not logical."
"So. What are we left with. That tickles your magic gut."
"Access, familiarity, and importance level. That's the big three, here. For me."
"And, you could color those in..."
"Access. To her. Familiarity... she knows them. And? Importance level."
"Access, familiarity. To get let in. I see that. What's importance level got to do with it."
"Occam's razor. Most times, the easiest and simplest answer? Will tend to be the correct one."
"And Occam's comment on importance is..."
"Lets put ourselves into the mind of the killer. What possible loose end can you come up with, a coworker she trusts, has that kind of loose end to want to clean it up. I'm having a hard time seeing that. What. Then? They about need to be capable of this deed themselves. That's another stretch. So... you agree, that seems unlikely."
"Nothing is impossible, but I understand unlikely."
"Okay. We want it to make sense. Who can be let in, she's comfortable enough to let them sit in the living room, while she goes and gets a bath, gets ready to go out."
"Me. I get that all the time."
"Yeah. Husbands and boyfriends? Get looked at for a reason. But you? Other side of the state, and we can see you on camera coming the whole way. We know when and where you are when it goes down from time of death? And it ain't here."
"Other boyfriend, then."
"You ever suspect anything?"
I shook my head no.
"No one else interviewed? Even hinted. Everyone? Said the same thing. Oh, anyone else, but her. So. Side fling seems unlikely."
"Leading back to... work."
"And like I said. The person either is close to her, to the point she'll let them in, and go bath. Or? My theory. Importance level."
"Which is..."
"Someone needs a reason, that seems reasonable? To want to meet with her. To ask her for her input... whatever. A low level employee at work? Hey, see you tomorrow at my office. Equal or close to equal fellow employee. Again, I don't see it. And? The reason, has to be made up. Or we'd run across it at work. No. I'm thinking... someone higher up the food chain."
"Why."
"Imagination. Your boss. Or, one of the big dicks around. Oh, all of a sudden it makes perfect sense. They can just invite themselves over. They need your input on something. Its premature, its confidential. You will invite in? A knock at the door, hey I need your thoughts on something... when its someone important."
I nodded along.
"You got me. That's... logical."
"Ain't it? Now. Lets say... senator. Or, other big important person. They got this made up reason to come talk. Hey, lets get a really nice dinner. I like your idea just now. We'll talk this big important thing? Over a big, important dinner."
"You still got me."
"See? High importance level. You are in... awe. Wow. They came to little old me. They need me. I? Am getting taken out to a special dinner. When the person is important enough... you don't ask questions. You'll just drop everything, and..."
I finished for him.
"Go get a quick bath and slip into something appropriate for an expensive dinner. And the person is important enough? It kind of short circuits your brain. You're all excited someone this important? Requests your company. It... even explains the engagement ring, in my mind."
"How so."
"For one? Just in case it seems a little suspicious? Wearing that ring, lets the important person know they're taken. Its a polite silent way of making sure that ain't the real reason for the social call. And, as we all know? A person wanting or intending to go cheat... tosses the ring."
I thought about it. It did make sense.
"Okay. This all... it fits. Just one thing though. Off about it."
"And that is..."
"I can just... see it. The way you speculate. Except... you're putting the big important person at work? Coloring them in as... a sadistic killer. That part? That's the big stretch to me."
"I maybe got an answer there."
"Go on."
"And? This reinforces, the high importance level theory, too. Really important people. I mean, important senators at least. And higher up. What do they have, that ordinary people don't have."
I thought out loud.
"Money... own a businesses... contacts..."
"And? Security! Now, at the federal level? Most congressmen, and important senators. They? Have security detail. But. Really rich people, really important people? They have... executive security."
"But... security guards. High end executive security detail. Isn't that just... more people in on it? You worked out letting people in on this, was more loose ends to clean up or trust them."
"Do you know where most executive security is recruited from?"
"Not my field."
"They used to come from... SWAT, or FBI... but the last 20 years? Military and military contractors. Mostly the contractors."
"Mercenaries..."
"They hate that word, they like terms like executive security... private security..."
"Still, I'm not seeing this part. But, the rest seems so down pat? Go ahead."
"If you were rich, and important enough. Politician. You could be meeting people, and bringing home campaign contributions. If you were meeting, lets say... shady people? Those big anonymous campaign contributions, could be in cash. You would want serious personal security to feel comfortable meeting people like that. And? You might not necessarily want to hire a private company. Hiring one perfect individual. With a, shall we say... somewhat illustrious resume as an overseas former private military contractor? One good man, would be cost effective, and about the best bodyguard you could get."
"So... he does the deed."
"Think. Mister big. Pops in unannounced. So big? You've got stars in your eyes, someone so important, wants a hushed tones conversation. Big enough, you don't think twice, to let them watch TV while you get a quick bath and change into the evening dress. If you remember? The expensive dress and stockings and heels were out on the bed. Cheating? Isn't in the cards for this lady. No one thinks it. You yourself said? Really rare for her to get dolled up and wear the stockings and heels. It takes an important function to get her in a get up like that."
"Send the bodyguard to pick her up?"
"No. The big guy, pops in. She goes to get into the outfit after a quick bath? He lets in his guy. A former military contractor, overseas... these guys are all former special forces. As private military? There's no rules. They're about all stone cold killers. Working privately, for cash? Its just work. A nice fat six figure bonus? Like that. And? You can trust him. He can't tell on you, you would be afraid to tell on him. Plus? You have a working relationship anyways."
"So. Which senator do you think, fits this bill."
"Remember. The more important? The more stars in your eyes, they want your opinion. To take you out to an important business meeting dinner. Who, in this state, in this state capitol? Fits that tall order. You tell me."
"Big state senators. Maybe the very biggest state congressmen. Maybe a really big lobbyist."
"Limited pool of suspects. And? Let me add one more. It don't leave this room."
"You have my word."
"Governor. Mind you? We have a governor, who tossed what sounds like a kilo of cocaine out? To thank all the staffers who volunteered to run campaigns and help out."
"That's a little thin."
"Its not thick, but... this governor? Has a special trick."
"And it is..."
"Money. Campaign money, specifically. He's famous, for raising a lot more campaign cash, than any other around. And? Every campaign he had, he somehow always manages to get this last minute, several million dollars come in. Just in the nick of time? To blanket negative ads on the challenger. Its expensive. You need radio and cable and internet advertising blitz to make sure everyone sees those negative ads. No one knows how he does it."
"How do you account for it."
"Something, somewhere... likes having access to him. Maybe something slightly shady."
"Well. How would this tie in, with my girl."
"Working on that. But, its not that much a stretch. That she knew something. Put the skids, to something that was expected to get greased through."
This investigator, has been around this investigation long enough, to have been in on the bookends theory. Something happens, between the date of her death, and some prior date. When things change. The most obvious? Her new senator, unlike the previous ones.
"I've been quietly looking into what her last senator worked on. Want a run down of her? Newer lady senator."
"By all means."
"Younger, not all connected like the other big senators. Fresh face. Now, all senators have those big campaign promises. You know the drill. Why, we're going to clean this state up. We're going to this, we're going to that."
"Eh. Typical political bullshit."
"Not, this one. She was out, to make a name for herself. She? Only introduces fairly big stuff, for a new senator. Not something most of them will try, and if they do? Not something they can pull off."
"What were her big projects."
"The first? Huge. She pointed out all those gambling machines. All that tax money going unreported and uncollected. No one had ever gone after that whole can of worms? Before. But. Once the casinos were installed and running legit... that's big tax revenues, locally and for the state. She raised hell, look at all the tax money lost. That should be going to the casinos, but for you have illegal gambling machines everywhere."
"Hey. That? Is something... shady to go up against."
"Yes it is, Bill. Yes... it is. Now. What would the odds be, that a fresh face in the state senate, could whip up support for something huge like that. Slim. So? She needs a special little helper. Someone? That knows all the key players. Has access to them. Worked with them before. Someone, that's been on important committees. Knows what it takes, to get policy set for the senate and the state democratic party. Dealt with lobbyists. Dealt with big campaigns. Has ghost written legislative bill language, so it has the intended effect when legally interpreted. Someone that disciplined naughty judges, and knows how judges rule things based on how its read."
"Well. Where would you find someone like that..."
"They don't grow on trees, Bill. They don't grow on trees. They really tend? To be juiced up with their own senator. They don't run free agent."
I smiled.
"Unless, their big senator goes down in a huge scandal."
"Then? Gets on the ethics committee. And... does not last long here. Gets quietly shown the door. Ma'am? You're just not right for this appointment... now. You can't fire someone for being honest on the policy committee. No. You have to... promote them out of your hair. You have to..."
"A new senator. Wow, this new senator? She really gets me!"
He nodded with me.
"Yep. Match made in heaven. Another idealist. She came up free, off of ethics committee? She courted her, and snatched her up. She? Was perfect for this lady senator. And what she wanted to do."
"So. Who did she piss off."
"That lady senator. She made a name for herself, with the gambling machine bill. A lot of work went into that. Your old lady? From dealing with lobbyists... had to have made it possible. Pressure came in. Big pressure. From all the legal casinos. You can't tell that big a lobby? To fuck off. She introduces the bill, it got tied up in committee. That, is where bills go to die. But. The legal casino gambling lobby roared. Little miss ethics? Went and got the state revenue people asking questions. Hey. Why can't we have real, state licensed and approved gambling machines available. To replace these illegally owned and operated ones everywhere. You need a legitimate replacement product."
"Legitimate pressure."
"Yeah. More lobby experience came in. She went and riled up the companies that make the gambling machines for the casinos. They lobbied for access to PUT all those legitimate machines out there. High end. To hook them up electronically to the state. To monitor the tax revenues, to send in nightly deposits electronically. Bill comes out of committee? Gets amended. She got the state attorney general's office in on the act. Pressuring for legitimate machines to replace illegal ones."
I thought back to her happiness at that time. Her words echoed in my head.
This new senator? Wow, she really gets me. I love the big stuff we're going to work on. Its important work.
"So, Bill. How am I doing. Is my theory, starting to hold water."
"I'm impressed. You're coming up with possible motive. Solving the means, too."
"I went ahead, and thought... suspect. They got to be big, and they got to have some kind of ties, to something shady. Her first senator. Nothing that really fits that bill. Pretty standard politician. The next one, his understudy. Now, he went down for scandals. But... typical political scandal. Too many gifts, from lobbyists. His MO? Twist arms politically. You want his horse trades he can throw behind you? Well. Arrange contributions to charities, that his buddies run. Charities? Only have to use 15 percent of the take. The other 85 percent? Can go to pay and perks to the board members. Who are all friends, family... and important people. But? Nothing shady enough for what we're looking for."
"So. Who you got left."
"I said the governor. That doesn't leave the room."
"And his shadiness?"
"Those mysterious millions, right on cue, always at his election's all important 23rd hour. There's no way, that all these anonymous contributions just happen to always come in at just the right moment, every election. Has to be planned."
"Why is it so shady a politician has access to big campaign contributions."
"Its not. But, if that 23rd hour money, obviously lined up ahead of time... was so legit? It wouldn't be anonymous. There's something there. I just can't see it."
"You think she might have gotten wind of it?"
"Ethics committee meetings. Most, are open. Some sessions? Are closed door. You're bound by strict gag order not to ever reveal what went on in those meetings and got discussed, but... she was there for some. Something very juicy there, and we'll never know what."
"If it was that damn juicy, where's the other loose ends eliminated."
"Hey. The other ends, aren't that loose. They all play ball, they know how things work. Worst they'd do? Smile and ask for a horse trade, some votes they have access to that you need to swing something. Now, her? They run her out of ethics, and where does she end up. With the new senator. Not just talking about big cleanups, but doing it. With her new girl Friday, little miss goody two shoes. And? Guess what the loose talk was, what her next magic act was going to be."
"Something that no one liked, even less than gambling machine reform."
"Looking into taking a serious run, at lobbying rules. Reforming that system."
I scrunched up my face.
"Oh boy."
"Yeah. Not so laughable, when the senator already pulled a rabbit out of her ass, getting the gambling machine reforms done. Her new girl Friday? Very effective, and who knew."
"Oh. They... were thinking about getting between..."
He said it.
"Millions and millions of dollars. From important connected people that had it, and politicians that need it to run campaigns. Toss in knowledge of whatever juicy juice went on behind closed ethics committee hearings and meetings."
"Your conspiracy theory? Is very well rounded. What can you tie the governor to, though."
"Well. Back to his phone records. You go at a guy like him? No way in hell. He can pick up the phone, and shut anything down at the state level, let alone locally. It would take federal interest, to get that."
"So..."
"You don't try to make him give them up. You... make it so he wants to give you access."
She cut in.
"I have a very fictitious important client. Who has a nutty kid. We don't think there's anything to his threatening statements? But... it just doesn't sit well with me. What if something did happen. How could I live with myself. But, I'm bound by confidentiality rules. I can't name the big daddy. I can't name the son. But. I know the phone numbers."
He came back in.
"A quiet meeting. Off the record. She? Is concerned. Me? Investigator. She gets me, I get in contact with him and his security. We could scan the phone records, we know what we're looking for. What numbers. We can't give them the information, that's her disbarred. But... we do it this way? We looked into it. Its not illegal. What we can't make him give? We bait him into giving us, and thanking us for good looking out for him."
"Like I said. Slick as snail snot."
"Thanks."
She grinned.
"Even gets me brownie points. Why, I'm risking my career... to do him a solid. Wink and a nod. Might not help my career? It can't hurt it."
He grinned, too.
"Bonus feature."
"Which is..."
"If you were the governor. And this was brought to you. Which member of your staff, would you bring to this... off the books, clandestine meeting. Hmm?"
I calculated.
"Someone good, someone I could trust... oh! If he has one of the... overseas military security guys like you're thinking is good for this..."
He nodded.
"He would bring him."
"When's this getting set up."
"Tonight. She got the meeting set up. Its not uncommon to have an after hours get together with a politician, no records kept. Confidentiality and discretion? Are words that all important politicians understand."
She beamed.
"I hinted at what it was about, and said I'd do specifics when I got there. And that it would be helpful? If he had a top security guy there, that he could trust. It was all just mysterious enough? It got his attention. Me and him? Are going to the governor's mansion. Hour and a half after main staff clears out, couple hours before the important movers and shakers are coming in for dinner and drinks. Nice window to handle this."
The big toy for this upcoming game? The video recording glasses. I had heard about the product, and I was a bit of a tech buff. I had a few night vision cameras, a few covert cameras myself... but nothing like this.
There was very little to give away what they really were. A little dot you really thought was part of the design, and a little thicker frame where they went over the tops of your ears. He went over the specs. 90 minutes total recording time. Whatever he looked at? Got recorded. Fairly high definition, and he showed me around the office test videos. You could read whatever piece of paper he picked up while wearing them in these tests. If he could read something out and about while wearing these? We'd have a recording to go over at our leisure.
He had more than one pair, and he grinned as he showed me taking them off. Pocketing them in a suit coat pocket, rubbing his eyes, and later getting them back out. Having switched pairs in the pocket, to get another 90 minutes of battery recording life. He had practiced this around the office to perfect his technique. He said around the office? It seemed to test out best, using them as if they were reading glasses. Oh. I want to read this... oh, I need my damn reading glasses. Its hell to get over thirty, you know.
Slick.
The overall design was a sort of retro 50s, 60s sort of affair. But, those old fashioned glasses style? Were often used in basic reading glasses, and especially guys in the military and law enforcement often enough had this sturdy basic style. As an investigator for his law firm? It pretty much made sense.
Those two went over their last minute arrangements of how they would play their appointment, and left me home when they left. If there was anything amiss and afoot? Having me there was simply too much risk. Those two alone, they thought could work.
I felt a deep sense of commitment to first my lawyer and what she had voluntarily done for me. Now him. You can't make people help you to this degree, you can't even ask. They have to want to do it, and offer. I felt deeply in their collective debts now. Honestly? I was truly touched.