The Runners: Chapter 12
Chapter 12
Early morning of the next day, David had paid a visit to Northern Meat Packing, International on the south side of Chicago. He met with Lahey’s former supervisor at the loading docks. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to obtain any new information other than reinforcing the statement that Haney had given him the other day.
Lahey’s boss and others at work described the former employee, as a loner with a reclusive life style, who preferred not to interact with anyone at work. The manager told David that “Tony has never joined the employees’ outings or team parties since he had joined the company” and that “he simply came to work and went home at the end of the day.” Thinking that Lahey didn’t like to socialize, the people at work simply left him alone careful not to infringe on his privacy.
After spending the entire morning on the south side, David was somewhat disappointed at not finding any new leads. David thanked the supervisor for his cooperation and informed him that he might return with more questions, if necessary. Upon returning to his car, David set the next destination to Chicago Security Technology, believing that it would definitely improve the day’s productivity.
Soon, David was driving on what used to be one of the area’s most scenic sections of Chicago, the Lake Shore Drive or LSD as it was known. It was the physical border line between the vibrant city of Chicago and Lake Michigan. The LSD used to provide unobstructed views of the great Lake Michigan and had been the perfect setting for boasting the Chicago skylines. During the day time in the days past, the vastness of the lake took the form of a calm body of an ocean while in the evening hours, the reflections of the moon light and bright lights of the skyline mesmerized people.
Today, however, there wasn’t much of a view. Sadly, many tall buildings stood empty. Only those who could afford the expensive temperature automation system could sustain their building’s grandeur. Further, the water in Lake Michigan subsided to the bear ground level. Not having seen the former grandeur and beauty of the city, David nonchalantly drove, occasionally diverting his attention to the dried up lake and the empty buildings.
He could not imagine how vibrant the city of Chicago was. He attempted to draw in his mind the former Chicago landscape as he had seen, in few photographs from the UN Department of Geological Services and Records, prior to accepting this assignment.
“I suppose what you did not have, you don’t miss…” David murmured, failing at appreciating the past as well as recognizing the devastation, which the climate change and wars had brought upon this great city. He had no life experiences to compare the present to the past with, other than a few still photographs, which did not seem real to him in the first place anyway.
“Incoming call. From the Paris HQ!” The voice of the vehicle’s computer informed David. “Connect to secure line, Diane!” David named his vehicle’s onboard computer Diane. Then, a flash of light appeared from the steering wheel, scanning David’s iris. Then, he pushed a button on the side of his buckle, effectively, activating transference of data in his bio-chip.
“Establishing secure connection…, completed” and the volume of the computer voice died down instantly.
“David Chan, security code: 7371755.” David answered.
“This is the Director of the UN Special Intelligence Operations Office, Mira Jensen. Your supervisor, Mr. Abena Zuma forwarded me your report on a John Doe case in Chicago the other day. I thought it was important that we chat. Mr. Zuma is fully aware of my meeting with you.” David recognized the director’s name from his interview with the agency as Mr. Zuma had mentioned her in some context, which he couldn’t remember at this time.
“Yes ma’am. But, what is the urgency that you needed to contact me directly?” David was surprised and felt at unease as he was speaking to the director in charge of the UNBI Intelligence Office, who was one of the most powerful people in the entire UN.
“We’ll get to that. With respect to your current murder case, I understand that the murdered victim could not be identified?” The director dove into questioning the rookie in a stern tone of voice. It felt to David as if she was alarmed and disappointed by the report that she had received from his superior.
“Yes, the victim’s name at the time of the murder was known as Tony Lahey. He lived at the apartment, the scene of the murder, for nearly two years according to his landlord. He was a loner and reclusive according to his former supervisor at work, no known relatives, at least ones who maybe identifiable, or close social contacts. He had cloaked himself it seems like, in an effort to make his life untraceable beyond the past two years.” David figured on throwing in comments about the interview that he had just conducted at the victim’s place of work. At least, it will show that he was actively working on the case.
“How did the victim die, agent Chan?”
“The local coroner’s explanation is death by loss of blood and oxygen. In descriptive terms, he was shot with a single bullet to the heart.”
“Were there any other wounds on the victim?” Ms. Jensen asked expecting a positive response.
“Actually, yes ma’am. The victim had what appeared to have been surgical cuts on his lower torso…”
“What shape was it agent Chan?” Immediately, the director came back with another question. This prompted David to think that the shape of the wound may be more significant than a street gang symbol, which was what everyone thought of it as at this time.
“A shape of a leaf comprised of three diamond heads. I have done a series of researches looking into the local and global victim’s databases, but could not find any cases having any similarities.” David took a short breather then he continued, “according to the coroner, the wound manifested within minutes of the victim’s death. Are you familiar with this mark, ma’am?” He perked up his ears after raising that question anticipating some information, which he thought the director might have.
“Hmm, that is highly interesting…” There was some hesitancy on the director’s willingness to share information.
“Do you recognize the wound, ma’am?” Sensing this, David asked one more time and waited.
“We will get to that later, agent Chan. Turning to the ballistics, have you found out what kind of bullet was used?” Ms. Jensen abruptly changed the topic.
With a tone of disappointment since she wouldn’t share any information, David went back to answering Ms. Jensen’s questions.
“After examining the shrapnel taken from the body of the victim, it was the theory of the Chief Det. Woodson that the bullet was a self exploding type. That is, once the bullet lodges into the target.” David continued, “The ballistics expert has collected sample fragments from the coroner’s office as well. Hopefully, they can identify and trace the exact vintage of the cartridge as well as the type of the device used to fire in committing this murder. So far, nothing positive…” David felt that he had let the director down when he told her that there wasn’t any clear data to share at this time. In his mind, he called it even since he sensed that she wasn’t sharing what she knew with him, either.
“When do you expect the analysis to be completed?”
“Two weeks on the bullet and possible firing device. I understand that these types of firearms were banned many years ago. I am hoping to get the exact vintage or possibly a serial number…, um…, and start tracing it back in any way possible…” His voice trailed off as he spoke very softly. However, the voice enhancing technology in his vehicle allowed Ms. Jensen to pick up his response clearly as a bell.
“Have you any other leads at this time?”
“The Chicago Security Technology, the firm that was contracted to provide security surveillance of the apartment complex, where Lahey was murdered, may have some AV recordings. Dr. Bertrand at Iris Technology Corp in France had indicated that it might be possible, although a very long shot, to get a read on the ID of Lahey from the video. It could also provide some clues as to any suspicious individuals, who might have accessed the apartment complex between 6AM to Noon, on the 27th of February, the supposed time of the murder. So, I am currently heading that way to see one of the company’s reps for the purpose of retrieving the surveillance records.” Recovering livelihood in his voice level somewhat, David informed the director.
“Hmm, not much to go on…” She murmured to herself without any recognition, a nod, or any hint of approval on where the rookie was in this investigation. Immediately, David lost steam by the director’s comments.
“Well, we are doing all we can, ma’am, to move this case along to find the murderer.” David said recomposing himself. Then, for a brief moment, no one spoke. This silence felt like a life time for David as he kept his eyes on the road which, now, began to collect pre-rush hour traffic.
“Understood, I have discussed a reassignment—” The director broke the silence to say something when up ahead, he observed a large chrome SUV coming into the far right lane from a merging ramp. It swung hard toward left without regards to the north bound traffic, encroaching into a red Corvette’s lane. It was a brief distraction, but nonetheless, big enough to lose focus on the director’s words as he held on to the steering wheel with a tightened grip. The SUV caused the red sports car to apply its brakes hard as it wildly swerved left around the SUV. The two vehicles, then, were driving side by side for few moments.
The driver of the sports car seemed to turn his head to face the SUV’s operator. And as quickly as it got next to the SUV, it wildly took off, changed his lane to get in front of the SUV, and was gone in a second. David thought that the driver of the sports car either gave the SUV driver a middle finger or said some unimaginably vulgar words before driving off in anger. It was then, that David found himself completely lost as to what the director was telling him. So, he put his vehicle in auto pilot and tried to refocus on Ms. Jensen’s voice.
“You will be directly reporting to me from this moment on. That means your reporting channel is no longer Mr. Zuma. Is that clear agent Chan?” She now, had the voice, manner, and authority of a commanding director of the UNBI. David’s mouth was drying up upon hearing this. He took a quick gulp of cold bottled Glacier Mountain water that he kept in his car.
“What about my supervisor?”
“I have already had a discussion with him”, said Ms. Jensen, in succinct manner.
“You will report to me every 24 hours on secure line, of course.” David wasn’t sure what to make of it. Why is the director interested in this case? After all, Lahey was not an important figure by any measure, he thought to himself.
“Ma’am, I am confused, what is the importance of this case to you, to the UNBI HQ?”
“Agent Chan, have you wondered why this insignificant person as you put it, was made sure that he was killed with a bullet with extreme lethality and banned by the UN?”
After a brief hesitation, David responded frankly, “I have many times, but didn’t think it would be a matter of interest at the level of the UNBI Central Office.” His interest peaking at what the director might be sharing next, David focused on Ms. Jensen’s words.
“Agent Chan, with your transfer into my direct command, you have been given the Omega8- clearance level. For your information, that is the 2nd highest clearance level within the UN. There are only thirty-five people in the entire organization with that security clearance. The next highest clearance is granted to only five people within the entire UN, including myself. So, you understand the seriousness of your position and consequences that will follow you should you breach or compromise your authorization?” The director wanted to ensure that David understood what his new assignment meant prior to sharing any background information.
“Yes ma’am,” with hesitation and concern over what all this meant, he took a brief second to respond. However, he was able to hide his anxiety with valiant tone of voice.
“Very well, then. What I am about to share with you is highly sensitive and classified. You are not to disclose any part of the information to anyone. Is that clear?”
“Yes, ma’am, I am clear.” With David’s confirmation, the director continued.
“Since 2173, we have had series of murders that were similar to what you are investigating in Chicago right now. Same as Lahey case, no clear ID and no known history beyond the last two years of their lives. We call these individuals, runners. As you have learned by now, the UN had ordered that every UN citizen be implanted with a bio-electronic chip and store data from the iris scan by 2125. According to our data, the record was at 100% by 2124. But,” David’s attention was, now, fully attuned to only the voice of the director. “In 2173, almost 50 years after every citizen has been implanted, an unidentified murder victim was discovered in Geneva, a male in his 30’s, no trace of life prior to the last two years of his life. There were four additional murders, both males and females. Again, all the four subsequent victims had zero history beyond the last two years and no positive IDs…” Ms. Jensen paused for a second before continuing, “Then, three years later, in France, another similar case occurred. There were five total, mixture of males and females in wide range of ages. Two years later, there were five more in Korea and Japan, all murdered under similar circumstances.”
“Did the murders stop after the 10th victim?” David was curious.
“In 2187, in Africa three additional murders also went cold, again under the similar circumstances. There were three more murders in South East Asia in 2188. Then, it stopped, until the—”
“Chicago case that I am investigating…” In a reserved manner, David finished Ms. Jenson’s sentence, wondering what connections these murders have in common other than the circumstances that Ms. Jensen has shared.
“Correct! This is the first of such kind of murders since then. What we know based on the past experiences is that there will surely follow more murders in the Chicago area.”
“To address the type of the wounds that you’ve described,” the director said, “out of the sixteen victims, four had what you’ve described as surgical incisions on or near their lower torso areas. All the shapes were similar, a leaf comprised of three diamond heads.”
“All had three diamond heads on a single stem?” David jumped in to confirm.
“Yes, a leaf with three diamond-heads on a single stem. We are not sure what they mean or what the purpose of these signatures imply. But, four out of sixteen death cases had those. Out of the remaining eleven, three had irregular shaped wounds in the vicinity of the torso. You know the kinds that get created when an egg is dropped on the floor and it splatters all over the area. They were all killed by similar types of lethal weapons as well.”
“Do you think that these murders were attributed by the wounds in the torso area somehow, ma’am?” Eager to find out more about what Ms. Jensen knew, David followed.
“The fatal wound came from the single shot to the heart. But, I believe that the common wound in the torso area is the significant aspect of each murder. As far as what that significance is or what connects them is still a mystery. And I believe that solving the implied meaning of the wounds will solve these murder mysteries.” The director seemed perturbed by the fact that her team has not made any connections with these signature wounds. As the similar shape was uncovered on the newest victim, Ms. Jensen wanted to ensure that David would be able to deliver useful intelligence from his investigation.
“Ma’am, how do you perceive these murders are being committed? I mean it does not appear to be a work of just a single random individual based on what you’re telling me. Have you gotten any clues from the past cases?”
“You are perceptive, agent. We believe that they were not simple hits, but rather a complex operation, involving sophisticated teams of medical professionals and technology experts. We also believe that they are extremely well funded. They seemed to create new lives for the victims and then a hit-man is ordered to finish the job.”
“Are you implying that a team of people recruit future victims? But, for what and why would anyone be enticed and agree to such an outcome?”
“Yes, they were recruited willingly is our theory. Perhaps, the victims were in desperate circumstances that they ultimately had no other means for survival other than accepting whatever was offered to them. We do not know at this point as far as what the victims had to do after ensuing new identities as runners. As far as ultimately getting murdered as being part of the deal, I don’t believe the victims knew what was coming to them.” The director took a deep breath and continued, “None of the victims had any defensive wounds or other indication that they were trying to escape from imminent danger—“
“Just like Lahey!” David exclaimed.
“Just like Lahey.” The director finished her sentence as well as confirming that Chan was on the right track in his thoughts.
“What general area were the victims hit?”
“Single shot to the heart, a bullet entering from the front. All the victims had no idea that they had a date with the executioner.”
“Ma’am, do you believe it was the same person pulling the trigger?”
“If not the same killer, they were trained by the same person. The angle at which the bullet penetrated the victim, the size of the entry, and the depth at which the bullet lodged prior to exploding are all pretty consistent. Whoever pulled the trigger had gotten it down to science.”
With sense of both strong acrimony and mild admiration for the skill of the trigger men, the director seemed to have fallen in to a deep thought. Silence pervaded from beyond the vehicle’s speakers. David decided to break the silence and now, it was his turn to get to the point.
“Director, madam, what is my new assignment?”
“I’m glad you asked. As I said a moment ago, more dead bodies are likely to turn up in the Chicago area. We believe that there are additional recruits who have taken the baits of this organization. Your job is to identity the runners who may be in line next. We also believe the trigger man is in the area. So, identifying the killer is your other task.”
“Where would I start?” David meant to murmur this question to him-self. However, out of sheer excitement, he verbalized it quite loudly. He soon came to regret his untamed outburst.
“Agent Chan, am I to hand hold you in terms of how to conduct your own murder investigation from 4500 miles away?” She chastised David.
“I…, uh…, I apologize for that ma’am.” Kicking himself for asking a dumb question, he quickly apologized and went on to the next one.
“What about resources that I might need?”
“Now, that’s a more relevant question that I can help you with.” In an assuring manner, the director continued.
“You will have, at your disposal, unlimited resources, vehicles, funds, and accesses to any UN Global, Regional, or local law enforcement databases. You will work alone as we need to keep your new assignment a top secret.”
“How do I access these resources ma’am?”
“You are to request it via a secure channel to UNBI HQ office. Your new security code is Omega8-7371755 and proper authentication of your ID will suffice.”
“What is the time line for my involvement in Lahey and in the new assignment?”
“It ends when I say it ends. You will provide at least one report every 24 hours as discussed. I am to be well informed. Is that clear?”
“Yes ma’am.”
“Any other questions, agent Chan?”
David took this opportunity to ask something that has been bothering him since this clandestine conversation began.
“Yes ma’am. It seemed that there already existed murder cases that were similar to Lahey’s. However, no one in Chicago was able to locate those case files that you’ve mentioned earlier. Why was that?” David was very curious as to why the coroner’s office could not find these files.
“Those cases were marked highly classified for the reasons of security—”
“I don’t understand? If they were available to Chicago Office, it might have been possible to make some immediate connections. At least, we could have seen the pattern.”
“Agent Chan. These cases were rare and were occurring in negligible numbers. The UNBI HQ did not want the UN citizens to possibly fret over non-identifiable individuals wildly running about within their communities. It would stir up unnecessary commotion. Bigger issue is the conveyance of an impression to its own citizens that the UN is incapable of enforcing its own laws. We certainly do not want that to happen!”
“What would be the worst thing that could happen by allowing the local law enforcement offices the necessary accesses to these files?” David sort of knew where Ms. Jensen was going with the decision to lock up these case files. However, he thought the reasoning did not make sense.
“UN’s worst enemy is anything that could undermine its authorities. Its citizens will begin undermining the UN’s laws. We must prevent providing any excuses for such sentiments from stirring up. UNCID law is what makes the UN a whole and must be enforced at any level. And we will stop this discussion with this!” Ms. Jensen was rather firm and her voice was in utterly authoritative at this time. This surprised David. However, he knew well when to stop. Besides, she wasn’t going to entertain any more questions.
“Yes ma’am.” Reluctantly, David ceased his pursuit. But, he had a sense that she wasn’t completely honest with him. “There must be something else… What is she really after?” David asked himself.
“Now, anything else, agent Chan?” David thought for a moment. He thought he had everything that he needed to ask in order to move the investigation forward. “I think that will be…,” he paused for a second as he remembered what Woodson had said to him. Woodson only authorized him one month on Lahey case and David wanted to get Ms. Jensen’s input on that. So, he decided to bring that up.
“Det. Woodson, whom I report to locally, gave me one month on this case. How would that relationship work? He cited three other reasons as to why I should conclude the investigation within a month time.”
“Woodson…, is it Victor Woodson?” Director asked. However, David had a sense that she already knew that. This pretentious lack of awareness of Woodson caused David’s head spin. But, he decided to play it cool.
“Yes, that’s him.”
“I know of him. He was a powerful man within the UN until his department’s existence no longer served the UNSC. I understand that he was bitter in some ways when he went to Chicago in 2178, I believe. It was before my time. Let’s keep it at a good professional level, but, you are to keep confidential information from him.” The director said it sternly. This made David somewhat surprised, but thought that perhaps, it was a territorial thing between the old and the new guards at the UN.
“I understand what you mean…”
“OK, agent Chan. Welcome to my team! I expect a briefing on a 24 hour basis. If there is nothing else, good luck with your investigation!” With that the line went ‘click’ and she was gone.
David didn’t get a chance to thank her or recognize his new boss on how he had heard of her, that he admired her many accomplishments, and that he was honored to be part of her team. He just didn’t get to say any of that. At the same time, he sensed that she wasn’t fully honest on why he was being recruited and that there were ulterior motives behind talking to him than simply solving cold murder cases.
More importantly, David wasn’t aware that his every move from this point on was to be watched over from 5,000 miles away at the UNBI HQ security team in Paris. Ms. Jensen had ordered 24×7 surveillances on David in order to gather any information that David would uncover. Whether he planned to share any new intelligence with Ms. Jensen or not, she would have it in her hands as soon as David got to it himself. His clearance code, whenever used, Ms. Jensen’s security team would have total transparency as to what the rookie investigator was up to in real time. David wasn’t aware of the fact that he would be actively monitored.
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Racing with excitement of being in on a top secret investigation, once again, David laid out his plans in his head. Most of all, he wondered how he would keep this clandestine rendez-vous from Det. Woodson.
His car was still in auto pilot traveling in the middle lane. He came next to the same SUV that had pissed off the driver of the Corvette. It was an AM model with one large single door that swings open upwards on either side. The vehicle stood twice the height and one and a half the length of his UNBI issued sedan. He looked towards the SUV as he passed from the middle lane and saw an old woman in her 80’s driving the car as if nothing had happened. David was surprised and wondered why she wasn’t using the auto pilot function for operating that big cumbersome SUV in her old age.
Up ahead he saw his exit ramp. He wasn’t sure whether he had enough time or distance to switch off to manual and drive the vehicle himself. Looking over to the SUV in his right again, he thought better of it and left his vehicle in auto.
Without provoking the old lady or getting a shot of adrenaline, the auto pilot smoothly increased speed, changed the lane, got in front of the SUV then with precision, his vehicle exited the Lake Shore Drive. David looked into his rearview mirror and then stared into the dashboard monitor that provided a panoramic rear view of the road. He saw the SUV, at about 10 car length away, driving past the exit ramp he had just taken.
Just before he made a left turn, he spotted an inconspicuous silver sedan exiting the Lake Shore Drive and coming behind him. It was the same vehicle that he had spotted, following him, at a distance from the moment he had left his apartment in the morning.
Without turning back to look, David switched to manual driving mode, applied the brakes and activated the left turn signal. Then, he continued on his way to the CST Corp as the silver vehicle cautiously trailed behind him.