“We’re in a position now to say with certainty that the Gorts have the stolen dynamite,” said Beckert, “although that’s not something we’ll be saying publicly. Not at this time.”
Kline looked worried. “They have the dynamite? Where is it?”
“Presumably they have it with them. It seems the Gorts were tipped off prior to Judd’s raid, and they left with certain items.”
“How do you know?”
“We know certain things were there and now they’re not. Here’s a photo Judd took an hour ago.”
A new photo replaced the one of the Gorts with the bear. It was taken in the same room—but without the Gorts, without the bear, without the crossbows on the mantel, without the broadhead bolts on the wall.
“I see what’s missing, compared to the other photo,” said Kline, “but how do we know those things weren’t put somewhere else a long time ago? I mean, there’s no proof that the earlier photo of the Gorts with the bear was taken recently. Couldn’t the rearrangement of the room have happened weeks or months ago?”
“We have evidence that suggests a very recent time frame.” Beckert clicked his way rapidly through a number of photos, stopping at one of a fenced area attached to a large shed. He pointed at it. “That’s the kennel. See that material strewn across the ground? That’s what’s left of the bear meat. Evidently the Gorts dumped the carcass in the kennel and their dogs tore it to shreds. Judd also found a fresh bear pelt in a taxidermy shed next to the cabin. So our timing assumptions are valid regarding the removal of the bear and the crossbows—and the Gorts’ dogs as well. They were known to have about a dozen pit bulls that are now missing. But from the condition of the bear meat in the kennel—it’s only just beginning to decay—we know the dogs were there until sometime yesterday.”
Kline looked uneasy. “And the dynamite?”
“It’s likely that the Gorts had in their possession over a hundred sticks. Judd found an empty explosives crate next to a half-empty container of canvas bags. He figures the Gorts transferred the dynamite to the bags to make it easier to carry.”
Now it was Shucker’s turn to look worried. “You’re saying that two of the craziest men in White River have gone underground with a dozen attack dogs, enough arrows to kill off a small village, and enough dynamite to blow up a big one? How come you’re not in a panic?”
“I prefer to focus on the progress we’ve made and the high likelihood of a successful resolution.”
“Earlier you mentioned physical evidence linking the Gorts to Jordan and Tooker,” said Kline. “Can you tell us what that is?”
“The potentially damning item is a coil of rope found in one of their sheds. Judd’s impression is that it’s identical to the rope used in the playground. We’ll be getting a microscopic confirmation of that. If we get a cut match on the end fibers, that’ll clinch it.”
“You also mentioned computer evidence linking them to KRS?”
“Yes. On a thumb drive, taped to the bottom of a desk drawer. It contains the text and the graphic elements used to construct the KRS website. Meaning the Gorts either put the site together themselves or provided the elements to someone who did.”
Kline’s expression brightened. “So we’re really getting somewhere.”
“We are.”
“That thumb drive,” said Gurney, puzzled, “how were its contents examined?”
“On site, with Judd’s laptop. Minutes after it was discovered.”
“The drive wasn’t password-protected?”
“Apparently not,” said Beckert.
“And none of its individual files were password-protected?”
“Apparently not.”
“Did they find the computer that housed the files the thumb drive was backing up?”
“They found a printer, scanner, modem, and router, but not the computer itself.”
“Interesting,” mused Gurney, speaking to no one in particular. “The Gorts took their dogs, crossbows, arrows, explosives, computer, and God-only-knows what else. But they left an unprotected USB drive and a rope that could incriminate them in a double murder.”
Beckert’s voice grew noticeably colder. “We can speculate on the reasons for those lapses in judgment later. But right now there’s a more urgent priority. We need to encapsulate our progress in an appropriate statement. There are aspects to be emphasized and aspects to be avoided. Remember that we’re in the middle of a media minefield. Forgetting it could be fatal.”
Fatal to whom or to what? wondered Gurney. Was this about Beckert’s own political future? Or was something else involved?
Beckert continued. “Regarding our investigations—”
He was interrupted by a tapping at the door.
Torres stood up and opened it.
It was the sheriff. “I hope my return isn’t breakin’ the flow of some brilliant crime analysis.”
“Come in, Goodson,” said Beckert. “We’re just summing up a few key points.”
“The summin’ up is the best part.” He made his way toward his seat at the end of the table.
Beckert began as he had before. “Regarding our investigations into the shooting and subsequent Willard Park homicides, there are three points that must guide all statements made outside this room. Number one, we are making rapid progress on both fronts. Arrests in both cases are anticipated within forty-eight hours. Number two, we have obtained evidence that will support airtight prosecutions and convictions. Number three, we are giving these cases equal priority and resources.” He looked around the table, then abruptly changed the subject. “Goodson, how did your conversation go with your snitch at the jail? Anything useful?”
“Interesting for sure. You can decide if it’s useful.”
“He wanted to trade information for a favor?”
“Of course. But it was a she, not a he. What she said was that Blaze Lovely Jackson, one of the three leaders of the BDA, had a falling out with her two coleaders, Jordan and Tooker.”
“How serious a falling out?”
“Serious serious, according to her. Said Blaze don’t play well with others. Not big on sharin’ power. Way she put it, Blaze is a vicious homicidal bitch, fond of usin’ a straight razor to end disputes. Suggested there could be some connection between her homicidal nature and the fate of her coleaders.”
“We’re now ninety-nine percent certain the Gorts were responsible for the killings. I find it hard to believe that a black female could have had any involvement in what we saw in that playground.”
Cloutz moistened his lips. “That would be my feeling too. But my little lady did say with great conviction that Blaze Lovely Jackson was capable of anything. Absolutely anything.”
Beckert said nothing. His own thoughts now seemed to be absorbing his full attention.
22
When the meeting broke up, Gurney headed out immediately. He didn’t want to be late for his three thirty meeting with Rick Loomis at the Lucky Larvaton Diner. But before he could get in his car, he heard footsteps hurrying toward him.
It was Kline coming across the parking lot, radiating an odd mixture of excitement and anxiety. “Where are you rushing off to?”
“I’m meeting someone for coffee. Did you need me for something?”
“I’d like some explanation of your reactions in there.”
“You sound concerned.”
“The news we got was all good. Rapid progress on all fronts. Videos of the ‘third man’ coming and going from the sniper site. The car traced to a BDA member, creating a clear BDA tie-in to Steele’s murder. Plus an equally clear vigilante group tie-in to the murder of the BDA leaders. The discovery of solid evidence in both cases. Situation under control. Risk of chaos reduced. A solid victory for law and order.” He looked at Gurney expectantly.