126255460 panic a leopold blake thriller excerpt first seven chapters

8/13/2019 126255460 Panic a Leopold Blake Thriller Excerpt First Seven Chapters

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PANIC

A Leopold Blake Thriller

)eopold *lake, e+pert criminology consultant for the

$*, had his weekend all planned out - and it didnt in"ol"e

dealing with a murdered senator, a high/profile kidnapping,

and at least three near/death e+periences.

Three politicians ha"e !een murdered in as many weeks,

all e+pertly dispatched, and only )eopold can get to the

!ottom of it. nfortunately, as all hell !reaks loose on the

streets of New ork City, he soon finds himself the ne+t

target of a powerful enemy who wants him silenced.

ermanently.

gainst a !ackdrop of political corruption and murder,

)eopold and his team must fight for their li"es to unco"erthe truth !efore its too late.

Panic is the first no"el in the )eopold *lake series of

thrillers.


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Chapter 1

)eopold *lake sighed and remo"ed the gun from thehand of the dead senator. The !ody lay face/down on thehardwood floor, dressed in an e+pensi"e suit, a fresh e+it

wound to the !ack of the head staining the dead mans

white collar and neatly trimmed gray hair with dark !lood.4e e+amined the left hand, turning it o"er to get a !etter

"iew in the dim light, lifting it to his nose and sniffing theskin in long, drawn inhalations. 4e noted a distinct smoky,metallic scent. The forensics team stood !ack, shuffling

impatiently, waiting for him to finish. )eopold took no

notice and continued sniffing. Satisfied, he stood and turnedto the police lieutenant who was glaring at him from the

!ack of the room.

5Thoughts, *radley67 asked )eopold, !rushing the dustfrom his knees to the floor.

The li"ing room was spacious and decorated with

e+pensi"e furniture, although it was in need of a seriouscleaning. 8arm cinders glowed in the fireplace, the flames

ha"ing died hours earlier.

)ieutenant *radley folded his arms. 5oure supposed to!e the e+pert.7

5ou look like a man with something to say. 8hats

your take on this67

*radley arched his eye!rows, further creasing his

wrinkled forehead. )eopold wondered if another fifteen

years would ha"e the same effect on his own face, !ut he

pushed the thought to the !ack of his mind and reminded


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5#ood, youre finally asking the right ?uestions. Can you

tell me how the senator managed to shoot himself while he

was unconscious67

58hat the hell do you mean, unconscious6 Thats

impossi!le.7

5Not impossi!le, @ust unlikely. =!ser"e.7

)eopold took a thin penlight from his @acket pocket and

shined a narrow !eam of light o"er the senators !ody,

illuminating the "arious points of interest against the musty

gloom of the old house.

5ou can see the senator is lying face down on the floor.4ow did he get there6 Theres no e"idence of trauma to the

head, other than the !ullet wound, so a fall is unlikely.

oull also notice the dust on the !ack of the senators suit

@acket and trousersA how did the dust get there67

The consultant mo"ed the !eam of light across the

floor!oards and continued. 5There are patches of floor thatha"e less dust than others - which means the senator was

on his !ack at some point tonight.


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)eopold sighed impatiently and continued. 5oull no

dou!t !e aware that the senator is holding the gun in his left

hand - e"en you couldnt miss that. 8e know the senator

was indeed left/handedA so why were his shoelaces tied !y

someone right/handed6 ou can easily tell !y the knot.

)astly, look again at the hand holding the gun. Theres

gunpowder residue on there all right, could smell as much.

8hats une+pected, howe"er, is that the senator chose to

fire the weapon with his inde+ finger, instead of holding the

gun at a different angle and using his thum!.7

58hat the hell does that ha"e to do with anything675Try it. 4olding the gun like that is awkward. f were

going to shoot myself in the head, d want to make sure

didnt miss. sing the inde+ finger means the wrist is

twisted at an unnatural angle, and is not something one sees

in suicides. This man was murdered.7

*radley smirked. 5Thats nothing !ut guesswork.75m not guessing, )ieutenant. m o!ser"ing the

e"idence and applying logic, reason, and e+perience to

reach a conclusion.7

5None of this is proof that the senator was murdered.7

5No6 icture it% The senator is in the house all e"ening

and dressed in a formal suit, e"en though hes not e+pecting

company and has not intention of going out. fter dressing,he ties his shoes with the wrong hand and walks downstairs,

lies on his !ack on the floor and then stands up again,

awkwardly positions a gun in his mouth, pulls the trigger,

and then somehow falls onto his front.


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)eopold paused !efore replying, lifting one finger to his

lips as he considered his response. 5The senator has a

highly stressful @o!, enough to cause his hair to turn white

despite only !eing in his mid/forties. man like that will

pro!a!ly ha"e trou!le sleeping. Tell me, was the senator on

any kind of medication for insomnia67

58e found an empty !ottle of sleeping pills on his

!edside, nothing out of the ordinary. ="er/the/counter

stuff.7

5ny alcohol67

5n empty glass.758hiskey67

5Smelled like it. 4ow did you know67

5t helps me sleep too,7 said )eopold. 5So the senator

takes sleeping pills on a regular !asis and washes them

down with whiskey, meaning that all our killer has to do is

swap out the pills for something a little stronger. =nce thesenator is unconscious, our killer dresses him and takes him

down to the li"ing room, where he puts the gun in the

senators hand and fires a single shot through the head. s a

result, to+icology reports will show nothing in the senators

system other than sleeping drugs, which would !e nothing

out of the ordinary, and the whole thing looks like a

suicide.758hy !other knocking him out6 8hy not @ust shoot him

and reposition the !ody6 =r use poison67

5Too risky. The killer had to make it look like suicide,

which means that as well as making sure there were no

une+pected su!stances in the !lood, he had to a"oid any

e"idence of a fight. The killer would ha"e had to make sure


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the senator was ali"e when he shot him, otherwise the

wound would ha"e !led out differently.7

5=kay, say your theory is correct. 8hat do we do now67

5;un the usual to+icology reports and check for any

ele"ated le"els of sleeping drugs, particularly those not

present in o"er/the/counter medication. Try :idaFolam for

starters. 8hen you isolate the chemical not present in the

senators usual !edtime cocktail, youll know it wasnt

suicide.7

5*ut why would anyone murder the senator67

5#ood, )ieutenant, your second intelligent ?uestion ofthe e"ening. The "ast ma@ority of premeditated crimes

happen for one of three reasons% money, re"enge, or power.

The senator was wealthy, no dou!t a!out that, !ut nothing

is missing from his home, which suggests we can rule out a

ro!!ery.7

5So were looking for a re"enge killing6 =r somethingpolitically moti"ated67

5recisely. The senator was in a position powerful

enough to make enemiesA we @ust need to narrow down the

list.7

54ow do we do that67 asked *radley, pulling out a pen

and small notepad from his coat pocket.

5 e+pect you"e !een watching the news recently. Thisis an election year, and tensions are running high. Senator

8ilson made a lot of enemies !y speaking his mind. $ind

out who has the strongest moti"e, and you"e got your

killer.7

5nything else67

5es. $ocus on any leads you ha"e on hired killers ormercenariesA this has all the hallmarks of a professional @o!.


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8ith high/profile targets like this, youre looking for

someone who can afford to pay for the !est. Start !y

checking out the wealthier mem!ers of go"ernment with a

reason to hold a grudge. =ther than that, d recommend

good old/fashioned police work.7

5oure not going to help67

5"e already helped. ou dont want me taking all the

credit, do you6 "e gi"en you e"erything you need to get

started. f you find any more !odies, let me know.7

)ieutenant *radley opened his mouth to protest, then

thought !etter of it.)eopold stepped !ack from the !ody and made his way

to the front door, nodding to the forensics team as he

passed. 54es all yours.7

58ait, :r. *lake.7 *radley strode across the hallway

and caught up with )eopold on the doorstep.

5es, )ieutenant *radley675


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Chapter 2

Christina )ogan and her two girlfriends sat at the !ar,

giggling and wailing along to the music. Sua"e, the newestmid/town New ork hotspot, had only !een open a few

weeks, and it was still impossi!le to get in unless you had

the right connections. Christina knew this, and had takenad"antage of her social status to !ag a few H tickets for

herself and her friends. She looked around the nightclu!and !eamed a !rilliant white smile as she caught the eye ofa tall, muscular guy across the room. 4e raised his !ottle of

!eer in salute and started walking o"er, smiling !ack at her

as he wea"ed in and out of the crowd.The H room at Sua"e was not like your a"erage clu!.

eople didnt come here to dance, they came to !e seen andthey came to drink. sually !y the !ottle. The music wasplayed loud and the lights were kept lowA no!ody wanted

con"ersation and e"ery!ody wanted to look their !est.

Christina felt a tap on her shoulder and turned to thegirlfriend to her right - Candice, the one with the sharp

nails.

5That guy is totally into youI7 Candice shouted o"er the

thrumming music, nodding at the muscular guy as he drew

closer.

54es cuteI7


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acting a little weird recently. 4e said he didnt want me

going out tonight. 4e still thinks m !ack at the dorm.7

5#ood mo"e,7 said Candice. 54e ne"er has to know.

ou @ust concentrate on ha"ing funI7

Christina grinned and !egan to feel the effects of the

"odka from their fifty/dollar cocktails. She felt her skin

warm as the alcohol spread through her !ody, making her

smile e"en more as the tall, handsome guy approached and

leaned against the !ar, looking at Christina as he spoke.

54ey, you ladies ha"ing a good night6 The names $inn.

8hats yours675Christina,7 she !eamed and looked down, fiddling with

the cocktail stick in her now oli"e/free :artini. She saw


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$inn laughed and shook his head. 4e put down his drink,

stood up, and took a few steps !ack so that he could address

all three girls.

5)adies, its !een an a!solute pleasure, !ut m afraid

ha"e to !e lea"ing soon. "e got other places to !e

tonight.7

Christina pulled a face in disappointment, a trick that

always worked on her father. This guy wasnt going

anywhere.

5m sorry, really doI *ut how a!out this% "e got a

friend who works the doors at 4alo downtown. :y dri"ersoutsideA you guys are welcome to take a ride down to the

clu! and ll meet you there later. ll call ahead and ha"e

the champagne waiting.7

Christina looked to her girlfriends, all of whom seemed

impressed, and nodded enthusiastically at $inn. 5Sure,

sounds like a plan. )ead the wayI7$inn took Christina !y the hand and led the three girls

toward the e+it. Christina stum!led as they went down the

stairs, her impossi!ly high heels not helping her !alance,

and $inn caught her !efore she could fall. She looked up

into his gorgeous !rown eyes and grinned.

5:y heroI7

Christina gra!!ed onto his thick arm with !oth hands andlet him carry most of her weight out of the clu! and onto

the streets. She was looking forward to getting him home

later.

The four party/goers spilled out onto the sidewalk, and

Christina immediately felt the !risk midnight air around her

!are legsA this was not the weather for short skirts, !utlooking good came with a price and cold legs were part of


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the !argain. Christina found her footing despite the clawing

num!ness !rought on !y the "odka, and unhanded $inn so

that she could walk unaided.


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gun limply !y his side. The two girls turned slowly as he

drew within a few feet and spoke.

5m in the mood for some e+ercise.7

The "oice was deep and raspy, !ut strangely ?uiet and

calm. The man dropped his gun to the floor. 8hat

happened ne+t was a !lurA the man !rought his fist hard

against Candices nose, forcing her to stum!le !ack as her

nasal !ridge collapsed with a wet crunch. palm edge

connected with


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Christina regained control of her legs and !rought her right

foot up fast, using the left to pi"ot, and aimed her instep at

the weak point !ehind the knee @oint. The man !locked her

attack effortlessly, and countered !y spinning on his !ack

leg and dri"ing the !ottom of his heel into her shin.

Christina gasped in pain and toppled to her knees. The last

thing she felt was a !low to the !ack of her head, and then

there was nothing.


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Chapter

olice Sergeant :ary Gordan was tired.


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5=r @ust the one guy who likes to strangle women.7

:ary had seen it !efore. Some craFies liked to see the

life drain out of their "ictims, liked to dispatch them using

their own two hands. They got some kind of sick se+ual

kick out of it. s for the stiff with the !ullet wound, :ary

guessed he @ust wasnt the killers type.

5Gust the one set of !oot prints,7 she continued, 5no car,

no !ullet casings. There was @ust one guy, and he was a

pro.7

5*uy why would anyone want to kill someone coming

out of a clu!675ou find any < on these guys67

The officer nodded, 58allets and purses werent taken,

so it was easy enough to check. $inn Gohnson, Candice

*erkeley, and


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Chapter !

)eopold saw the !lade arc through the air toward hishead a moment too late. The !lunted edge struck him hardagainst the padded armor that protected his skull, !ut he

still felt the !low like a sledgehammer striking a stone wall.

$altering slightly, he steadied himself with his right leg andassumed a more defensi"e stance.

)eopold tensed as his opponent ad"anced, sword heldhigh. Gerome was forty/si+ years old, si+ feet se"en inchestall, and !uilt like a pro wrestler.


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5ts only a !eating if you dont concentrate. can tell

youre not focused. Tell me whats going on.7

Gerome lowered his sword. )eopold followed, secretly

relie"ed he would get a few moments to catch his !reath.

Neither remo"ed his head protection, which was lesson

num!er one in any sport in"ol"ing deadly weapons.

5m trying to figure out the connection !etween the

dead state senators. Three now, all killed within a few

weeks of each other. =ne from :assachusetts, one from

California, and one from $lorida.7

5 remem!er. t took you all of fi"e minutes to figure outwhat happened. Staged suicides, right67

5;ight. ll three deaths made to look like suicides, all

three "ictims state senators. =ther than that, cant find a

connection !etween them.7

5So whats the pro!lem6 oull figure it out e"entually,7

said Gerome, raising his sword.5The $* has @urisdiction,7 - )eopold raised his own

weapon - 5which means dont get to know the facts.

Theyre playing a media game and trying to keep me off the

team. They"e announced that the !odies were reco"ered,

!ut no mention of the connection !etween them or the

cause of death.7

58hats your point67 Gerome !egan to ad"ance.5t means that cant get to the !ottom of what happened

without going through the $* staff, who so far arent

returning my calls. There are going to !e more deaths

unless can figure out whos !ehind this.7

5our pro!lem, )eopold,7 - his opponent circled to cut

off )eopolds retreat - 5is you @ust ha"e no faith in otherpeople.7


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5Thanks, Gerome, !ut youre my !odyguard, not my

shrink.7

5*odyguard6 Thats a hell of way to sum up twenty

years of loyal ser"ice. m not so sure should !e taking it

so easy on you.7

)eopold tried to dodge, !ut he was too slow.


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his sides to attack. Gerome pressed his ad"antage and struck

)eopold on the upper arm as he stum!led, knocking him to

his knees.

5*etterI7 shouted the !odyguard.

54ardly. cant feel my arms, legs, or head.7

5ou kept yourself from getting hit for nearly two

minutes. personal !est.7

)eopold stood and !owed. sually, the first to land two

strikes would !e declared the winner, and Gerome had

managed at least four so far.

5ts o"er. ou win.7Gerome !owed !ack.

5m taking a shower !efore regain feeling in my !ody

and it starts getting too painful to mo"e,7 said )eopold.

5No pro!lem.


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cars, and !ank accounts se"eral years ago, thanks to a trust

fund, and had systematically turned the apartments chic

dJcor and e+pensi"e furnishings into something that fitted

his tastes a little !etter. s a result the apartment resem!led

a !om! site, with !ooks and e?uipment strewn all around,

often in piles se"eral feet high. The only area kept relati"ely

tidy was a small space in the ca"ernous li"ing room, near

the fireplace, where two high/!acked armchairs faced each

other across a shallow coffee ta!le on which lay the days

newspapers and a !ottle of e+pensi"e scotch.

4ousekeeping staff kept the place clean, !ut were understrict instructions not to mo"e anything. $ood was !rought

in from one of the many near!y restaurants, and )eopold

worked off the calories during his daily training sessions

with Gerome, who li"ed with in a self/contained suite at the

other end of the apartment, which he kept in immaculate

condition.There were no photographs or paintings on the wall, only

faint outlines where frames had !een remo"ed. ll the

family portraits had !een taken down after the funeral and

)eopold had still not found the time to hang any

replacements. Seeing the portraits !rought !ack painful

memories, images of the day hed !uried his mother and

said good!ye to the empty casket where his fathers !odyshould ha"e !een.

The *lake family fortune had sustained a life of lu+ury

for many generations, !ut since the death of his parents

)eopold had no desire to continue that tradition. nstead, his

considera!le inheritance went into philanthropy, scientific

research, and work in the local community.


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seemed to grow, "ast in"estments tied up in e"erything

from tim!er and coal to nuclear power and military

weapons contracts. Such power, howe"er, has ine"ita!le

downsides, which is why Gerome was paid to stay close at

all times. owerful men make powerful enemies.

Still reeling from his !eating, )eopold stepped into the

shower and gasped as the hot water struck his !ruised !ody.

B"entually the heat and steam helped ease his pain, and he

!egan to feel human again. =nce finished, he dried himself

off and threw on a shirt, a ruffled suit @acket, and a pair of

@eans, gra!!ing a cup of thick espresso from the machine ashe headed out the door to his first meeting of the day.

4e was glad they had no idea he was coming.


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Chapter "

t se"en .:., the leafy e+panse of $ederal laFa NCwas already full of people on their way to work, clocking inat any one of the doFen/or/so federal !uildings near!y. The

$* field offices were located in the plaFas newest and

tallest !uilding, on the twenty/third floor o"erlooking thestate supreme court. t certainly was ?uite a "iew. )eopold

sat at the !ack of the conference room and watched $*Special gent Todd Coleman take the podium and raise hispalms to the noisy crowd of @ournalists that had gathered

inside. The room gradually fell silent and he spoke.

5Thank you for coming this morning. s you alreadyknow, the !odies of State Senators 8ilson, Carrera, and

4ague underwent forensic analysis earlier this week to

determine cause of death. am calling this press conferenceto announce that the results were inconclusi"e. s such,

were waiting for more e"idence !efore we can make a

definiti"e statement.74e spoke slowly and calmly. )eopold noticed his suit.

ro!a!ly rmani, !ased on the siFe of the lapels, and at

least twel"e hundred dollars. 4is skin was fresh and !right,a product of regular sleep and a healthy diet. This man

clearly hadnt seen any field action in ?uite some time.

5The $* would like to reiterate that there is no e"idence

to suggest that any of the deaths are related. The $* would

like to send our deepest condolences to the families of the

"ictims and offer our assurances that we are doing all we


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can to !ring the perpetrators to @ustice. ll now take

?uestions.7

)eopold watched the hands fly up into the air as

Coleman finished his statement. deep female "oice asked

the first ?uestion.

5Special gent Coleman, do you e+pect us to !elie"e

that three state senators turning up dead in as many weeks

is a coincidence67

5 can understand your concern, !ut must remind you

that we are in possession of no e"idence to suggest

otherwise. Ne+t ?uestion.75re you saying these men killed themsel"es, or that

they were murdered67 a male "oice continued.

5There is nothing yet to suggest the deaths were

homicides. 8e cant take a firm position until more

e"idence comes to light. m afraid cant gi"e any more

specific information at this time. Ne+t, please.7nother round of general ?uestions followed, all of

which Coleman answered as "aguely as possi!le. fter ten

more minutes, Coleman thanked his audience and left in a

hurry. )eopold waited until the crowd of @ournalists !egan

to make their way out of the door at the front of the room,

and then slipped out of the rear e+it while the security

guards were distracted. 4e managed to catch up withColeman making his way !ack to his office.

5Special gent Coleman, @ust one second,7 said )eopold,

matching Colemans long stride.

Coleman turned, still maintaining his pace. 58ho are

you67

5)eopold *lake. leasure to meet you.74e held out his hand. Coleman ignored it.


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5*lake6 8hat are you doing here6 ga"e specific

instructions to keep you out of the press conference.7

5es, figured *radley would phone ahead, so came a

little early. Nice to finally meet you, !y the way. wanted

to see for myself whether you had taken my ad"ice or not.

t appears you ha"ent.7

5m !usy, *lake. There are !igger things going on today

that ha"e to sort out, and dont ha"e time to worry a!out

this case. Tell me why shouldnt ha"e security throw you

out.7

)eopold took a step forward. 5*ecause there are twodoFen of the citys most influential @ournalists in the room

ne+t door, @ust itching for some more dirt on one of the

!iggest stories of the year. So, if you really dont want to

talk, can always schedule a conference of my own.7

Colemans face hardened and )eopold could see the

muscles in his @aw !ulge as he clenched his teeth. 5:yoffice. Now.7

)eopold followed Coleman to his office and sat down on

the spare seat with his !ack to the door. The room was

modestly siFed, and almost e"ery spare surface was

crowded with pla?ues and trophies engra"ed with

Colemans name. The special agent took the chair on the

other side of the desk and sat partially silhouetted !y thelight coming in from the tall window !ehind him. =n the

right side of the window hung the !lue and gold flag of the

$*, and on the left side hung the stars and stripes. )eopold

chuckled softly and imagined himself on a corny tele"ision

show.

5Something funny67


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5No, nothing. Nothing at all.7 )eopold wondered

whether the man was wearing $* socks and slept with a

picture of G. Bdgar 4oo"er under his pillow. 4e held !ack

another chuckle.

5ou said you wanted to talk. So talk.7

5ou told the @ournalists out there that you hadnt

determined cause of death,7 said )eopold. 58hy lie to them

like that67

5Cause of death cant !e determined, to any degree of

certainty, until e"idence comes to light that can pro"e it

!eyond a reasona!le dou!t. Thats how we work here.75es, thats the official line. ll catch the e"ening news

for your sound !ites. *ut you and !oth know these three

deaths were murders. nd we !oth know they were

committed !y the same person.7

5 dont know what youre talking a!out,7 said Coleman,

scowling.5 was there. know a serial killers work when see it.7

The $* agent leaned forward in his chair and @a!!ed his

inde+ finger at )eopold.

5Now listen here. The N< might ha"e e"ery faith in

your a!ilities, !ut as far as m concerned, theres no place

for amateurs in a murder in"estigation.7

)eopold reached into his coat pocket and pulled out aselection of photographs. 4e turned the first one face up

and slapped it onto the ta!le. 5State Senator 8ilson. Killed

earlier this week. Single gunshot wound to the head. :ade

to look like a suicide, !ut the killer got sloppy.7

5es, "e read the -7

)eopold slapped a second photo down. 5State SenatorCarrera. She was found hanged in a hotel room with no


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signs of a struggle. nother suicide note, this time with a

signature. also found rope fi!ers on her wrists, which

made me wonder how she managed to untie her hands and

dispose of the cord after her death.7

5This isnt necessary.7

third photo.

5State Senator 4ague, found dead in his garage. This is

my fa"orite. 4e had apparently hooked up a hose to his car

e+haust and committed suicide !y inhaling half a tanks

worth of car!on mono+ide. ro!lem is, he died with !oth

hands gripping the steering wheel, which is "ery difficult todo if youre in the process of gradually passing out.7

Coleman didnt respond.

5n short% three senators plus three murders plus three

staged suicides e?uals one killer. nd youre right.7

5;ight a!out what67

5There is no place for amateurs in a murderin"estigation.7

Coleman leant !ack in his chair again and held his hands

together in his lap. 5)ike said, *lake, theres no e"idence

to suggest homicide, let alone a serial killer. This isnt

police work, this is @ust your particular !rand of

[email protected]

5 was at all three scenes. Theres a consistent :.=. anda consistent demographic of targets. 8hat more could you

possi!ly need67

)eopolds "oice caught the attention of one of the office

interns as she passed !y carrying a tower of paper files. The

special agent wa"ed her away and let out a long sigh.

58e need forensic e"idence putting the same person ateach scene, a credi!le witness who is willing to make a


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statement, or e"en a sensi!le moti"e that fits all three

"ictims. 8e currently ha"e none of those things, so until

such e"idence materialiFes, theres no need to cause

unnecessary panic !y suggesting there may !e a serial killer

at large.7

)eopold looked Coleman in the eye and smiled. 5nd

thats it, isnt it67 4e continued, 5ou want to keep this as

?uiet as possi!le. ou know as well as that these deaths

are connected, !ut you dont want to admit you cant figure

out why. *etter to !lame the whole thing on a lack of

e"idence, suspect. ou need to trust me, know you wantto get to the !ottom of this !efore any more !odies start

surfacing.7

Coleman !roke eye contact shuffled uncomforta!ly in

his chair. 5The $* will not release statements of record

that are !ased on the opinion of one consultant,7 he said, in

a tone that clearly signaled the end of the meeting.5oure making a mistake. There are people in danger.7

58ere done here, *lake,7 grunted Coleman, gesturing

toward the door. 5 ha"e work to do. dont ha"e time to

entertain these unsu!stantiated theories. Come !ack to me

with some solid e"idence, and may!e well talk. lease see

yourself out.7

)eopold nodded a !risk good!ye !efore stalking out ofthe office !ack to the ele"ators. 4e paused at the lo!!y desk

and leaned o"er to speak to the middle/aged receptionist,

whispering @ust loud enough for her to hear him o"er the

tele"ision that had !een !olted to the wall to keep "isitors

entertained as they waited. news anchor mentioned

something a!out stolen military weapons !efore the "ideo


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feed cut to a !usty weather girl for the days forecast. Talk

about priorities.

5:adeline, thank you again for your help this morning,7

said )eopold, grasping her hand and smiling !roadly.

5ny time, )eopold,7 replied :adeline, !lushing

slightly. 5 hope the meeting went well. nd thank you

again for getting me this @o!. cant tell you how much its

helped me out.7

5


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Chapter #

:ary eyed the clock on the wall of her office andgroaned. t was nearly eight .:., and she hadnt taken a!reak since shed !een called out in the middle of the night.

4er report glared at her from her monitor - yet another case

with no leads. No!ody had witnessed the attack, and thearea had !een wiped clean, not so much as a speck of dust

out of place. 8hich meant :ary had no !lood spatter, fi!er,or


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5 want answers, Gordan.


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(9

dead/end case. ou"e got until :onday to find me

something useful or ll ha"e your ass working the

gra"eyard shift for a year. nderstood67

:ary nodded. She was used to working weekends

anyway. The Captain grunted something and stormed out of

the room, slamming the door !ehind him. The shutters

rattled again and the room fell silent. :ary groaned and

resisted the urge to punch the computer screen. Con@uring a

solid lead out of thin air was going to !e impossi!le, !ut

shed !e damned if shed work nights for a year. She had

seen what that did to people.:ary flicked off the screen and screwed up her eyes in

an attempt to relie"e her headache. She picked up the phone

and dialled Senator )ogans office for the third time,

praying she could get through to him !efore he had a

chance to speak to the $* and ruin any chance she had of

finding some answers.


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(>

Chapter $

The mid/morning New ork City sun rose @ust high

enough to peek o"er the tall !uildings that surrounded

Colum!ia ni"ersitys :orningside campus as ten

thousand students, parents, and faculty mem!ers

congregated on the lawn. The sea of light/!lue caps and

gowns !o!!ed up and down as the crowds milled a!out,

waiting for the master of ceremonies to announce that

e"eryone should take their seats. This Saturday morning inmid/:ay marked the 29Eth academic years

Commencement ceremony, where the ni"ersity would

grant degree certificates, medals, awards, and honorary

degrees to its students and prominent mem!ers of the

community. The ceremony was due to last until the early

afternoon, and tradition mandated that the entire e"entwould !e held outdoors on the )ow laFa lawns, come rain

or shine.

)eopold hoped for the latter as he pulled on his cap and

gown and made his way toward the stage at the head of the

gathering masses, @ust in front of the uni"ersitys statue of

the alma materthat looked out o"er the entire north side of

the campus. 4e clim!ed the shallow steps to the stage andtook a seat ne+t to an elderly woman, pro!a!ly one of the

senior faculty mem!ers, who nodded politely as he took his

seat. )eopold sat ?uietly, watching the crowd gather, and

wondered how long the ceremony would take.

The "iew was impressi"e. The lawns were surrounded on

all sides !y the grand ni"ersity !uildings, including thedominating "isage of *utler )i!rary to the south and the


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(

dome of the )ow :emorial !uilding to the north. The

dis@ointed murmurs wafting up from the crowd suggested

no!ody was paying attention ?uite yet, !ut the noise le"els

were !eginning to rise.

)eopold felt his cell phone !uFF underneath his ro!e and

reached into his @acket pocket to check who was calling.

The name :ary Gordan flashed up on the screen and

)eopold grinned.Finally.

5:orning :ary, long time.7

5 hope m not catching you at a !ad time,7 said :ary,

!arely audi!le thanks to a !ad signal. 5 need you to meetme as soon as you can. Theres !een another mo"e on a

state senator.7

The crowd !egan to take their seats and )eopold put a

finger o"er one ear, trying to hear :arys "oice through the

noise.

5 knew itI nother staged suicide6 =r has our killergi"en up the pretense67 he said, cupping a hand o"er his

mouth and trying not to shout.

5ctually, its not a murder,7 said :ary, 5!ut we think

its the same perp. This time were dealing with a

kidnapping.7

5Kidnapping6 The police dont usually ask for my help

unless theres a !ody to e+amine.7)eopolds "oice was loud enough that the elderly woman

sitting ne+t to him to raised an eye!row. )eopold cupped

his hand o"er his mouth again.

5The police arent the ones who called,7 said :ary.

5Christina )ogan, the daughter of State Senator Christopher

)ogan, was a!ducted early this morning, and two of herfriends were killed outside a mid/town nightclu!. The


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(D

senator recei"ed a phone call demanding thirty/fi"e million

dollars in ransom in e+change for her life. )ogan asked for

you !y name. t seems you"e earned yourself something of

a reputation.7

)eopold leaned forward in his chair and took a moment

to think. 5m in the middle of something right now. Sounds

simple enough for the police to handle,7 he said, e"entually.

5Gust hang on, m getting to the good !it,7 said :ary,

her "oice getting more animated. 5The senator recei"ed the

ransom demand yesterday, two hours !efore Christina

disappeared. Now he cant get hold of the kidnapper toagree to an e+change.7

)eopold sat up straight. She had his attention. 5=kay,

you"e gi"en me something to think a!out,7 he said. 5Tell

Senator )ogan ll take a look. 8hen does he want to

speak67

5The senator wants to meet you today. n two hours. llte+t you the addressA @ust meet me there.7

5#ood. ll make my way o"er there as soon as can.

Theres @ust something ha"e to take care of first.7

:ary hung up. )eopold stood and walked to the front of

the stage, where the :aster of Ceremonies was checking

the microphone and leafing through his script. 4e could

feel the eyes of the elderly woman with the raised eye!rowson his !ack.

5B+cuse me.7 he tapped the ro!ed man on the !ack of the

shoulder.

5:r. *lake, helloI #ood to see you here !right and earlyI

8hat can do for you67


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(E

5Somethings come up, m afraid. 4a"e to go. lease

gi"e my apologies to the


40/43

30

=nce free of the New ork City traffic, the :ulsanne

glided effortlessly through the Suffolk County !ack roads,

lined on either side with green trees and a horiFon specked

with the occasional gated community and small town.


41/43

31

was looking forward to finishing the meeting with the

senator as soon as possi!le and taking a long, hot !ath. *ut

that would ha"e to wait. The electronically altered "oice

that greeted him wasnt :ary%

ood mornin, Mr. Blake, " notice youve been takin

#uite an interest in my recent $ork. "m %lattered by the

attention, but "m a%raid this is $here the %un has to stop. "

look %or$ard to %inally meetin you in person, althouh "

e&pect the %eelin $ont be mutual.

)eopold frowned and hooked his cell phone up to the

cars wireless stereo system. fter a few seconds, thede"ices synced and he cranked up the "olume.

5Gerome, what do you think of this67 4e played !ack the

message through the cars speakers.

5ll run the tracer and see where it leads,7 said the

!odyguard. 5ou do remem!er told you to keep this cell

phone num!er pri"ate, dont you675es, of course. ha"ent shared it with anyone. B"en

:ary has to dial through a password/protected pro+y to get

through. )ooks like whoe"er called me didnt want to !e

found.7

54e pro!a!ly @ust used a scram!led line,7 said Gerome,

pressing a series of keys on the cars touchscreen panel.

5The system will work out the origin of the signale"entually. tll only take a minute.7

5nless hes used a scram!led signal. n which case

we"e got no chance of tracking it.7

54ang on. 8e"e got company,7 said Gerome, putting

!oth hands !ack onto the wheel.

)eopold turned in his seat and looked out the rearwindow. !lack SH was approaching fast, straddling


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32

!oth lanes of the road. 4e could make out at least two

people inside, although the windshield was slightly tinted

so he couldnt !e sure. 4e could hear the roar of the SHs

engine as it approached, straining to !eat the pace of the

:ulsanne.

54old on,7 said Gerome, planting his right foot to the

floor.

The *entley surged forward, carried !y the huge twin/

tur!o HD engine under the hood, and the SH started to fall

!ehind. The !odyguard eased the car around the winding

roads, letting the speed fall slightly to a"oid throwing theminto a ditch. The SH kept pace, then !egan to gain ground

again as they found themsel"es on a long stretch of road

where the *entleys precise handling was no ad"antage.

The noise of the :ulsannes engine filled the ca!in as the

car sailed forward, pulling away from the SH !y a few

feet. )eopold turned to face the front and saw thespeedometer hit ninety miles per hour, ninety fi"e. =ne

hundred. Then he saw the !end approach.

Gerome steered into the turn and the :ulsannes

computer/assisted traction control kicked in. The system

engaged the rear !rakes for a split second and sent more

power to the outer wheels, helping guide the hea"y chassis

round the tight corner. nfortunately, the SH had nointention of making the turn, and increased its speed on

approach. )eopold already knew what would happen ne+t.

4e felt the car lurch forward with a deafening crunch as the

other "ehicle slammed into their !ack, sending the *entley

spinning out of control. 4e heard the sound of screeching

metal and then there was darkness.


43/43

%N& '( )A*PL%

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