Removal (13 page)

‘Sir?’

‘I just had to chew the President out for trying to interfere in the investigation. This was just after he learned from
The Washington Post
that Lucia Benoni was the proud possessor of an S-pass.’

Kelly’s jaw dropped.

‘The
Post
? You’re not serious.’

‘I’m afraid I am very serious. Can you think of any way this could have leaked? Because right now, we’re looking like we have egg all over our faces.’

‘No, Sir, I can’t. No one knew about it at our end except you and me. There were several D.C. people, obviously, Chief Bryson, Lieutenant Morris, and one or two other officers who would have been cataloguing the evidence. Do you want me to look into it?’

‘No. I’ll handle it myself with Chief Bryson. What about your friend in the Secret Service?’

‘Linda? No way. She was mad at us just because of the possible damage to the President. She’s very protective of him.’

‘All right. Call in the moment you have anything new.’

‘Yes, Sir.’

Frustrated, Kelly shut off the phone and walked over to Jeff Morris.

‘Are your people on their way?’

‘Yes. They’ll be about half an hour.’

She took his arm and pulled him into a corner.

‘Jeff, I need to ask you something, but it mustn’t go any further.’

‘Shoot.’

‘I just spoke to Director Lazenby. He had just come from the White House. Someone tipped off
The Washington Post
about the fact that Lucia Benoni had an S-pass.’

Jeff’s eyes opened wide.

‘At our end?’

‘That’s his suspicion. Only he and I knew about it within the Bureau. I know it wasn’t you, so…’

‘Thank you.’

‘It goes without saying, Jeff. But can you think of any possibilities?’

Morris leaned against the wall.

‘There are only two other officers officially involved with handling the evidence. As you know, as soon as I found it, I kept it hidden until I could talk to Chief Bryson. There were uniformed officers on the scene before I got there. They’re not supposed to touch anything, and I have no reason to believe they did. But I guess you never know.’

‘OK,’ Kelly said. ‘Lazenby has warned me off that aspect of the inquiry, anyway. He’s going to talk to Bryson about it. But keep your ears and eyes open just in case. I don’t like the way this is going.’

It was almost two hours later by the time the D.C. scenes-of-crimes officers had finished their work. Their quiet, methodical approach contrasted markedly with the chaotic scene outside the apartment building. The entire street had been taken over by the press and television camera crews. Several different crews were filming segments for the evening news at the same time. Cameras and lights had been set up in the street as well as on the sidewalk. The reporters’ vigil was not particularly rewarding. Kelly had given instructions that no information should be released, except that a male had been found shot to death at an apartment within the building, and an investigation was ongoing. The reporters were clamoring for more. Ed had retired to a safe distance in the black van. The resources of the D.C. police officers were strained almost to breaking point as they held the reporters and sightseers at bay outside the cordon they had established around the apartment building, and tempers were becoming frayed. Detectives from the D.C. Police Department had begun a door-to-door inquiry.

The Medical Examiner stopped to speak to her on his way out.

‘Male, about thirty, thirty-five, with six bullet wounds in different parts of the body. Probably from a good old-fashioned revolver. Kind of romantic. You don’t see that very much any more. The shooter probably fired from just inside this door. I would say the victim’s been dead between six and twelve hours. I know that’s not very precise. I’ll have more for you once I’ve done the autopsy.’

‘Thank you, Doctor.’

As the body was being removed on a stretcher, Kelly and Jeff walked back into the living room, where two forensic scientists were finishing up their work.

‘Any prints, Joe?’ Morris asked.

‘Everywhere. I have a feeling we may get lucky on this one.’

‘You might want to try the door,’ Morris said. ‘The M.E. said the shooter may have fired from there. Maybe he didn’t make it very far inside.’

‘I’m afraid we weren’t very helpful,’ Kelly said ruefully. ‘We took the lock out when we came in.’

Joe grinned cheerfully, and ambled towards the door.

‘No problem. I’ve dealt with that one before. I’ll pick up the pieces and take a look for you.’

For the next two hours, Kelly, Jeff, and a forensic specialist took Hamid Marfrela’s home apart piece by piece. His personal effects were few and unremarkable. There were no secret hiding places, and the most important find was made in a drawer in the walk-in closet off the bedroom. No effort had been made to conceal it. Jeff Morris made the discovery, and called Kelly in to see.

‘What have you got?’

Jeff indicated the drawer with a smile. Lying inside was a Ruger 357 Magnum and a box of ammunition.

‘How about a possible murder weapon?’

‘God, that would be nice, wouldn’t it? Do you think this is standard diplomatic issue?’

‘I don’t know.’

Kelly stared at the weapon thoughtfully.

‘I wonder if he was expecting trouble.’

‘I don’t think he was expecting it quite so soon,’ Jeff replied. ‘Otherwise, he might have kept his gun some place a little closer to hand, where he might have had a chance of using it.’

Kelly nodded.

‘Well, we’ll get it tested and see if he practiced with it on Lucia. What else?’

‘Oh, you’re going to love this. One brown folder containing a road map and what appear to be directions….’

‘To get where?’

‘Well, the map is a road map of the State of Oregon. And I would hazard a guess that the arrow here points to the friendly local Sons of the Flag compound. I also think it might be fun to check out these phone numbers he scribbled on the back of the map.’

‘Beautiful,’ Kelly said. ‘What else is in there?’

‘A bunch of stuff I haven’t even got to yet. I wanted to show you the good stuff first. Let’s take a look.’

Kelly was suddenly apprehensive.

‘Let’s do that later, Jeff. I don’t know how long Lazenby was able to hold off calling the Lebanese Embassy. With all the press activity, probably not very long. Let’s get all this stuff bagged and out of here before they show up screaming diplomatic privilege. Did we find his passport?’

‘Yes. They’ve bagged it already.’

‘We’re going to have to hand that over to them. Make a list of the stamps in it, and any other information.’

‘OK.’

Jeff headed out of the bedroom towards the living room. Kelly took a last look around. She could not see anything out of the ordinary. Casually, she opened a drawer in the small bedside table. It contained a copy of
Hustler
magazine and photographs of two young women, no identification but, by their appearance, not American. Respectable looking. Perhaps family, girl friends, or marriage interests. One of the pages of the magazine was folded over slightly at the top right-hand corner. Kelly opened the magazine at the page. It featured a series of color photographs of a man performing various sexual acts on a naked woman who was tied, spread-eagled, to a bed, lying on her back. She appeared to be enjoying whatever he was doing.

‘Probably not encouraged in Lebanon,’ Kelly said to herself.

She smiled, replaced the magazine in the drawer, and began to walk away. But suddenly, she turned back, savagely yanked the drawer open, and flicked through the magazine until she came to the same page.

‘Kelly Smith, God damn it, switch your brain on,’ she told herself.

She ran into the living room, told the forensic officer to bag the
Hustler
, and called to Jeff Morris.

‘Jeff, I need to speak to the M.E. Do you have a number?’

‘He’ll be back at the morgue with the body by now,’ Jeff replied. ‘Hold on. I have a mobile number.’

After a brief search, Jeff dictated a number.

‘Thanks. Can you get all that stuff downstairs now, find Ed, and tell him to take it straight to Headquarters, and not let it out of his sight until we come for it?’

‘Our Headquarters, or yours?’

They looked at each other.

‘It should be yours, technically’ Kelly said, ‘but…’

‘Yours,’ Jeff said decisively. ‘It will be OK. We can explain it. It was your search warrant.’

‘Good,’ Kelly said.

Morris called to the agents, who were waiting patiently by the door of the apartment.

‘Guys, give me a hand with this stuff. It has to be out of here now.’

Kelly quickly dialed the medical examiner’s mobile number. To her relief, he picked up.

‘Dr. Edloe, this is Agent Kelly Smith. I’ve just thought of something I need you to do. I need you to take samples from the body for DNA. testing.’

‘I can do that,’ the M.E. replied. ‘What kind of tests did you have in mind?’

‘I want them tested against samples taken from another body you have down there at the morgue, a woman called Lucia Benoni. There should be blood samples and a vaginal swab. Can you do that?’

‘Sure. I remember Benoni. I was there when they brought her in. Is our guy a suspect in that one?’

‘That’s what I’m hoping you’re going to tell us,’ Kelly said.

A uniformed D.C. police officer came in, looking distinctly pleased with himself.

‘Excuse me, Ma’am, …’

‘Yes?’

‘I just thought you ought to know, I just talked with a Mr. and Mrs. John Bacon. They live on the second floor.’

‘And…?’

‘Ma’am, they say they saw a man leaving the building by the staircase about three o’clock this morning. He was in a hurry, and he was carrying a canvas bag, the kind of thing you might carry your tennis gear in.’

‘Description?’

‘Yeah, kind of weird. They said real wild-looking, with a beard, plaid shirt, heavy boots, reminded them of some kind of mountain man. Young, about six feet tall. The staircase is pretty well lit, so they claim they had a good view.’

‘What were the Bacons doing on the staircase at that hour?’

‘They weren’t actually on the staircase. They had been out of town, got a late start driving back, and they were just unloading their bags from the elevator. They heard someone running hell for leather downstairs, they looked and saw this guy going from three to two.’

‘Did he see them?’

‘Ma’am, they’re not sure.’

‘All right. Nice work, officer. Get a full statement, arrange for them to meet with a sketch artist as soon as possible, and tell them I’m going to arrange twenty-four hour security until we’re sure there’s no danger.’

‘Yes, Ma’am,’ the officer beamed, and ran out of the apartment.

As he did so, an official-looking delegation presented itself at the door, accompanied by Jeff Morris and a uniformed officer.

‘Agent Kelly Smith?’ the man who seemed to be the leader asked. He was tall and thin, with a short goatee beard, immaculately attired in a formal charcoal suit, white shirt, and red tie. His voice betrayed only the trace of an accent.

‘Yes.’

‘I am Kalik Amal, Deputy Head of Station, Embassy of the Republic of Lebanon.’

Amal produced his identification, and waved it briefly in front of her.

‘I demand access to this apartment and possession of all diplomatic papers.’

Kelly stood aside, and gestured to Amal to enter.

‘It’s all yours, Your Excellency. Help yourself. This is Mr. Marfrela’s passport. I’m not aware of any other diplomatic papers here, but if you should find any, you are welcome to remove them. On behalf of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, may I express my condolences on Mr. Marfrela’s death. I assure you that we will spare no effort to bring whoever is responsible to justice.’

The diplomat seemed taken aback by her immediate agreement.

‘Thank you, Agent Smith. What effects have been removed already?’

‘Only evidence relating to the murder.’

‘What is that evidence?’

‘Your Excellency, I regret that I am not authorized to disclose that information. You would have to request it from my Director, and the Chief of Police for the District of Columbia.’

‘You were here, Agent Smith. I demand that you tell me.’

‘I’m sorry, Your Excellency. I would be happy to convey your request to Director Lazenby immediately.’

Amal was furious, but he realized that his options were limited. Kelly was within her rights. She breathed a sigh of relief that the evidence was safely in Ed’s care and on its way by van to the Hoover Building, where it would be catalogued and then thoroughly tested in the FBI laboratory. Amal nodded to the three men with him, who began their own search of the apartment. Amal himself walked back casually into the living room, and sat in an armchair, studying the bloodstains with apparent fascination. Kelly took Jeff by the arm, and led him to the front door.

‘I’m getting an urge to go look at the evidence before the Director has to decide whether we need to hand any of it over.’

‘Fine with me,’ Morris replied. ‘Amal’s not exactly a bundle of laughs.’

‘Right,’ Kelly said. ‘Let’s leave him to it.’

‘Harry,’ Kelly whispered to the agent who had just returned after carrying down the last box of evidence, ‘Would you mind locking up after our guests leave? I need to get back to Headquarters.’

‘I guess,’ Harry replied. ‘But what happens if he wants to take…?’

‘He can take whatever he wants,’ Kelly reassured him. ‘We’ve got what we need, and we’re pretty sure there’s nothing left to interest Amal. Just get a receipt for anything he does take, and call me later.’

‘Yes, Ma’am.’

With that, Kelly and Jeff left unnoticed.

‘Y
OU
LOOK
AS
exhausted as I feel,’ Ted Lazenby said.

‘I’ve had better days,’ Kelly acknowledged. She had just entered his office, and was leaning weakly against the door frame. It was almost nine o’clock on a rainy Friday evening.

On arriving back at the Hoover Building, she had spent some time with the agents who had been assigned to conduct a preliminary examination of the evidence taken from Hamid Marfela’s apartment. Mercifully, there was not much of it, and probably most of it would eventually be found to be irrelevant to the murder of Lucia Benoni. In ordinary circumstances, it would have been taken directly to the laboratory for testing, or to an evidence room for storage. But these were not ordinary circumstances. The Bureau had taken a number of significant risks in the way it had handled the case. It was essential to go by the book from this point on, especially where the Lebanese Embassy was concerned. If there were any papers or effects which should be turned over to the Ambassador, now was the time to find out. Kelly stayed long enough to be satisfied that the agents understood what was expected of them. She then left Jeff Morris with the agents as the representative of the D.C. Police Department, and made her way to the Director’s office, where Lazenby was waiting for her.