“Steve and Louis can confirm that it’s the same type of bomb used in Atlanta.”
“How can that be? One was a remote, and the other was hooked to the ignition. Plus, you said yourself the two were different in strength, and even in placement.”
“Yeah, I said all that. But I’m a forensics expert. They’re the bomb specialists. They crawled through that wreck, and found a bunch of tiny little metal fragments inside the engine of the car. It’s the same thing they found in the car in Atlanta.
“Pieces of metal? I don’t get it. With all the metal in the vehicle, and especially in the engine, how can they tell what belongs there and what doesn’t?”
“This metal has a different chemical composition. It’s totally foreign to the engine of a car.”
“Okay. This is good news because?”
“Well, I said semi-good. It doesn’t bring us any closer to who planted it, but at least we know it was the same guys that gave them the bomb in Atlanta.”
“Right. At least we know that.”
“Now, I think you and David should think about coming up here next week.”
“Why?”
“I believe you should be the next set of agents to talk to Mr. Kyle Brogan.”
“Any reason why?”
“Because you are the expert on his cousin Derek White, and you can probably shock him with what you found yesterday.”
“What we found — oh, you mean the picture of White, in the background of the one of Mather and Wilford.”
“Well, yeah.”
“I don’t know if we want to go to him with that yet, Ken. After all, it ties his cousin in with the killers, not him. If he didn’t break, we’d have to release him, and he’d probably warn White, and Gerlach as well. If those two are part of this, I don’t want them to have any idea that we’re on to them.”
There was a pause on the other end. “Okay, I agree with that line of reasoning. If we move too soon we might spook them, and they’ll hide. But, Alex, what did you mean we don’t have any connection between Brogan and the killers?”
“Well, okay, we have a small one. Brogan and Mather both went to Penn State, and their years there overlap. But it’s a huge campus, Ken, and there’s no way to know if they actually met there.”
Ken waited a moment longer, thinking. Then he realized why she wasn’t getting it. “I forgot, you’ve never seen Brogan.”
“No, I never have. So?”
“Alex, I found a copy of that picture you were talking about. The one of White shaking hands with a guy.”
“Yeah, so?”
“Are you sitting down?”
She was, but she the question made her sit up straighter. “Yes.”
“The man holding the silver cup in his hand is Kyle Brogan.”
For a moment, Alex just sat there. When she found her voice again all she could say was, “Holy fucking shit.”
*******************************************************
“I don’t believe it.”
Cliff was standing by the window in his office staring into the sky beyond it.
“We’re busy trying to find ways to show a connection, and it’s all there in two photographs.”
“Yes, sir.”
“I don’t fucking believe it.”
He turned around and stared at the two agents in front of him. “All right, Ken wants the two of you up there. Think you should go?”
Alex bit her lip and thought about it. “Well, yes, but maybe not as soon as Ken thinks. Brogan is shaken, he thinks, and maybe we should shake him a little more before we confront him again.”
“How so?”
“Put him under surveillance. Maybe a phone tap?”
“How will that spook him?”
“Make the surveillance a little obvious. Let him know we’re going to watch him. Then, if he calls his cousin in a panic, we ‘ll know.”
Her boss nodded. “Any thoughts, Dave?”
“I agree with Alex.”
“You usually do.”
“That’s because she knows her stuff.”
Cliff snorted. “Good thing for us, eh?”
He dropped into his chair, and sighed. “All right, I’ll call Philly and ask for some help with surveillance. I’ll also ask for authorization for a wire tap. You check out what Derek White has been doing for the last few months. We’ve got tons of photos, and reports. Go through them, and find something.”
“I’ve already sent a request for all phone records, for Gerlach, White, and Brogan. Plus, I sent photos of Mather and Wilford to the guys who normally do surveillance on White. They’re gonna pass it among their team.”
“Good. Damn, I’d love to slam the door on a cell with Derek White in it.”
“You and me both.”
With that, Cliff looked up and waved a hand at them in dismissal. “Get out and get to work, you two.”
“Right. I’ll make sure you get a progress report before we leave tonight.”
Cliff’s eyes were already intent on the paperwork in front of him as David and Alex left his office.
*******************************************************
Searching through a report is easy, Alex thought, when you have a name that you’re looking for. But in these surveillance records on Derek White, Alex wasn’t just looking for a name. She was searching for names, dates, places, anything that would tell her Derek White was involved in the assassinations.
There were plenty of places, and even more names and dates, which was what frustrated Alex. She had no way of knowing which, if any, were significant. Along with going to Idaho to see his brother, Derek White had taken several long trips. On these he was sometimes seen doing the normal tourist traps. Other times he’d visit a person. Very seldom was he seen actually attending a meeting of any organizations outside his own. The few times he did, the meeting was private, and heavily guarded.
Finally, out of frustration, Alex began putting together lists of the cities her subject had visited. She was disappointed to find that, though he had often visited Atlanta, Philadelphia, and New York, he was not in any of those cities when the killings occurred.
But he had been to Boca Raton, Florida, and Williams Beach, Virginia. He’d also visited Colorado Springs, Colorado, and Houston, Texas. But he’d been observed playing tourist in both Florida and Colorado, and actually went to several church services in both Houston and Virginia. There was nothing out of the ordinary in any of it.
Alex felt like screaming. She’d been reading for hours, without a break, and she knew she’d have to stop soon and get lunch. It was already past one o’clock.
She’d just stepped out of her office when the phone rang. With a sigh, she went back to answer it.
“Alex, it’s Jenny. Just finished faxing the last part of the report. Stuff on Perry Watson, mainly.”
“Really? What did you find on him?”
“Bank records. And some fascinating financial transactions. I’d tell you all about it, but I have a meeting in three minutes. Remember you’re buying lunch tomorrow.”
“I remember. Hurry up, and tell everyone I said hello.”
“Will do. Bye, Alex.”
Alex hung up and left, determined to get food.
She swung by the fax machine, and stepped into David’s office. He was on the phone, and could only nod at her. She mimed eating, and he nodded again. Finally, with a hand covering the mouthpiece he whispered, “I’ll meet you down there.” Alex nodded.
She got on the elevator, Jenny’s fax in her hand. She started flipping through the pages, reading bits and pieces. Her eyebrows went a little higher with each passing minute.
It seemed Perry Watson was a rich man. His back account held in excess of $70,000. Regular deposits of between ten and twenty thousand dollars occurred, the money being transferred from an overseas account. But what caught Alex’s eyes and held them was the date. The account had been opened only five months ago.
By then, Perry Watson was supposed to be dead.
With a start, Alex realized she’d missed her floor, and the elevator was on its way back up. She pushed the button for third floor again, and waited.
The doors opened at the floor she’d originally left, and David entered.