DC - Chapter 16

   What Speedy had once said was true… that once things start to actually "happen", they can happen quickly. Speedy and Panic and George… took a trip to Washington DC. George's lawyer was with him, but only because George felt comfortable with him present. As Speedy claimed… if George needed Sasquatch present to tell his story? Then Bigfoot himself would travel with them. But, George's lawyer was an easier step to take.

   Speedy arranged for the four of them to have visitor badges to gain admittance into the FBI building in Washington DC. The night before, they all met for dinner and drinks with not one but two FBI agents, both of whom Speedy was friendly with, yet one more so in particular than the other. This was clearly Speedy's contact in the FBI. Panic intuitively realized the other FBI agent would be the contact's friend. Right before food arrived at their table, Speedy's cell rang. A short time later, another party arrived. Not a minute or two later, another joined him. Likely parking their car Panic figured. Both were state police. The first from Pennsylvania, the second from some state in the south of the eastern United States.

   Everyone was introduced to one another, but all agreed they would not talk shop over dinner, that would be reserved for tomorrow. They would all have a pow-wow inside the DC FBI office building. Speedy's FBI contact was asked by George's lawyer if it would be on the record or off the record. He smiled and him hawed around. When George's lawyer smiled and gave him a look, the man admitted they would all be on audio and video, but that it was not a case… yet.

   The man further explained his position. He felt he had to have a full record of it, just in case. If it became a full case, he would need the documentation. He added that while this was technically "on the record", it wasn't a case yet, so it was sort of off the record… for the time being. He said it was an "unofficial" fact finding meeting. Yet, with audio and video… it could become official and entered into the record.

   Panic smiled. It was off the record, but kind of on the record. It was unofficial, but could and likely would become official. The FBI agent explaining himself smiled, and apologized for the "fence straddling" as he phrased it. Speedy made a crack about how everyone knows FBI agents have brass balls, but it wasn't for bravery… it was so they could ride the fence and still make children.

   Everyone there had coffee for their "drinks" after dinner bullshitting. They all knew they had an early day tomorrow. Everyone followed Speedy's FBI contact out to a small and unimpressive motel, a little ways off of a small exit on the outer beltway. Everyone doubled up. George and his lawyer were old friends. Speedy claimed Panic. The two state police bunked up. The FBI agents said their goodbyes and would see them in the morning.

   Panic and George and his lawyer all received visitor badges, and they had to wait in a side room while their temporary visitor badges were printed up and made out. Speedy magically didn't need such… his state police badge he hung on a chain around his neck magically sufficed, as did the other state police present. On the elevator trip upstairs, Speedy volunteered…

   "Just so you all know? Everybody? Every word you say will be recorded, every gesture will be on video. Do not say or do anything, unless you mean it. You won't get a chance to take it back."

   George's lawyer took this opportunity to once again, tell him he thought this was a bad idea. George shook his head…

   "Jimmy? Just can it… this is happening. Get more used to the idea, would you? I signed your release, that I'm doing this against your recommendation. Your Mercedes, is safe."

   "George? We were worried about city cops. Originally. State cops? Are worse in my book. And the FBI? Spawn of Satan himself."

   The one FBI agent escorting them up? Just gave him the look.

   The lawyer grinned back.

   "No offense."

   The FBI agent shook his head and smiled thin.

   "Oh. None taken…"

   The the agent rolled his eyes.

   Speedy's main FBI contact led them into what he called an interview room, and the other FBI agent eventually joined them. After pleasantries, they got down to brass tacks. Speedy instructed everyone to follow his lead. First up? Panic was asked to explain how this all started. He went through his computer and mathematical gyrations the first time slowly, from start to finish. Then, everyone took turns asking questions. Wanted to see the computer posts. Liked or disliked various things. Played devil's advocate against points he made, to try to test his theory.

   This took quite some time, and Speedy had the printouts he had found so interesting that Panic had gotten off of an anonymous internet friend, that ostensibly worked in the insurance field as an actuary. When the FBI agents both made sour faces about the nature of that source of information, Speedy explained that he had "informally" sought out his own actuaries, and that the printouts were entirely normal and could be reproduced by any insurance actuary, and as long as you requested the right start and end dates, you would get almost identical lists of victim locations and maps.

   Phase I, as Speedy called it, was now complete. Where the case had originated. Next up, was how Speedy and Panic had come up with their operating theory. Nobody really "liked" the description of how Panic was gotten wired on energy drinks, and was asked to come up with a writer's story, entirely off the cuff, that formed the basis for their theory.

   This was Phase II, as Speedy referred to it. He readily admitted it was weak, anemic, dying of cancer and malnutrition… as far as how healthy of a theory it really was. The bad aspect was that some civilian had come up with a writer's fiction to explain everything. Speedy pointed out that the good part, was that he had picked Speedy's brain for "what evil organizations" existed, then chose the Gypsies. Speedy then took great and detailed pains, to point out the weird "relationship" between the Gypsy's movements seasonally, combined with the "waves" of extra accidental drownings. Drownings that a lot of people both official and unofficial found "strange" and "interesting".

   Speedy pointed out that in Phase I? a "loose" connection of "very few" victims was initially established, then it went nowhere. He reminded them that Phase II, the theory phase? Though it was anemic… when they started working off of that theory? It continued to produce results.

   Speedy and Panic both explained the weird nature of George's friend and coworker's "street chase" and then rapid "death". Everyone readily admitted, how weird it was, that it stuck out like a sore thumb. A "smiley victim" that did not fit the traditional, almost rigid typical victim criteria. But, both pointed out how "weird" it was, that entirely credible witnesses described… theory-conforming "killer Gypsies" chasing the man down.

   Phase III? Was Speedy outlining his contribution, which was that everything "fit" with a theft motive, into cases that showed no theft. Phase III had a "part B" which was the addition of bitcoin theft and Gamma Boo-toe. This produced rolling eyes and sour faces and a few good nature jokes… until Speedy showed them the South American well known scam. It was pointed out that South American crime had zero relationship to the United States, and Speedy countered with how well it "fit" into the accidental drownings and their own theory.

   Speedy then challenged the FBI and state police all present, to admit that there were one or three "canon victims" that showed traces of Gamma Boo-toe. They all countered back with the idea that a "party drug" showing up in a couple of college age victims meant next to nothing. Speedy admitted that, but… pointed out that it was a gay party drug, at the time almost unknown outside the gay community… and how quickly it broke down in the human body, and how it wasn't even scanned for in traditional toxicology scans.

   Part C of Phase III? The fall-winter-spring nature of the victim dates, in conjunction with storms predicted close in coming, highly tended to mask time of death. Practically guaranteed that even if you were to look for Gamma, it would already be broken down and gone.

   Panic and Speedy could see they were slowly "losing" the interest and excitement level of their four people they needed to convince they had something. The other three contacts, looked to Speedy's main contact, to put their sour faces and inability to make eye contact into coherent words for them… a thing he did as delicately as he could…

   "Speedy… I… we… this is all… it's not bad… it's good, it's just… not good enough ?"

   Speedy smiled…

   "Oh. You thought I was done? You thought I baked a fucking cake and forgot the icing, huh? Here's the icing…"

   Phase IV was a whole lot of "George". The hunt to find George. George's revelations. What part George had unwittingly been duped into playing. How his close workmate friend had died. What part his friend had been playing. George's lawyer, on arranged cue from Speedy, handled the spiel how George had broken no laws at the time he had made the Gamma. How the Gamma was always for an at the time perfectly still legal gay party drug… and how Speedy could not locate the mythical "string of gay dance clubs" the mysterious "Mr. King" supposedly owned.

   They took copious "breaks" where they all listened to surveillance video with audio. Of both the husband-wife witnesses to the "street chase" and finding the victim, only to lose him to be killed mysteriously a short time later… and fucking no one there, had a look on their face that betrayed they now weren't on board.

   Panic just smiled and kept his composure during video and audio being played that showed his pot-smoking conversations with the gay dance club friends he had made. With his "non meeting" that resulted in the additional information that the out of place victim was into Gamma.

   Speedy's contact nodded his head in assent… he was definitely starting to sell the room on this…

   "Speedy? Okay. You definitely got something. I just… well, I honestly don't know exactly what you want us to do with it."

   Speedy smiled more broadly…

   "Glad you asked…"

   Speedy launched into a description of the dates and timing on the drowning victims. His plan to have "hundreds" of game cameras documenting long stretches of waterways and more importantly waterway access points. How the pictures and video would all have time and date stamps, which would eliminate "accident" theories.

   Where was all that going to come from? Speedy explained they already HAD examples set up. Showed them all walking up the railroad tracks from the university.

   "So, as you gentlemen can see? When smiley strikes this time… we'll have date and time of death. Video and pictures of whoever walks him out to his death. We'll have proof of not only day and time of death, but more importantly… a very specific known point of where the victim goes into the water."

   Then… Speedy explained they already had "hundreds" of game cameras ready to go, with an additional pool of close and long range video cameras. How between the university waterway tracks, and the south side Pittsburgh waterway… they could blanket the smiley hunting ground. For the first time ever? Before smiley struck. They could finally get out in front of it all. Or? Alternately of course… simply prove that yet another couple of college students wandered out and drowned. In dress clothes. In cold weather. Right before a storm was brewing.

   Speedy finished up…

   "Look. There's not a man in this room, that hasn't felt the gut hunch, that something is going on. THAT, is why we're all here, and we all know it. We can either blow this case wide open? Or, once and for all, put it to rest. Let's talk turkey, boys… we have a list of detectives, who just feel something is going on. We have a huge swath of the public, who see's the weirdness too. The theory? I admit, in places… it's a little threadbare. But… it has accurately predicted and fit with everything so far. A private citizen? Has already purchased all the cameras… how can you guys say no, and not get on this dirt bike and take it out for a spin, huh? What do you guys say."

   Speedy's FBI main contact piped up…

   "Speedy? You're still smiling. Do you… have anything else up your sleeve?"

   "Oh… that… did I forget to mention, that George is a credible witness to the lead perpetrator on this theory?"

   Now, everyone got real excited…

   "Speedy, you should have started out with the fucking eyewitness!"

   "Ah, he just means the husband wife team that saw some dark SUVs, with some 'foreigners' driving around…"

   Speedy now grinned like a madman…

   "My esteemed colleagues? Mr. George here? Has seen the so-called "Mister King", a few times in the gay dance club we talked about. Mr. King? Made an initial small purchase of Gamma… then larger purchases of it. Then? When the date was closing in on it's illegal status… he set up a string of huge purchases. And? Right afterwards, his friend was chased, recovered, then magically got smiley'd…"

   All four "convincees" started looking around at each other…

   "Wait, that's the guy that owns a string of gay dance clubs… right?"

   Speedy almost exploded quietly…

   "No! That's the guy that doesn't own a string of gay dance clubs. I can't FIND a string of gay dance clubs, across several states, like the guy claimed! I mean, I can find people that own more than one gay dance club, sure… even across more than one state… but? Not one that George can ID as Mr. King… what does that tell you?"

   All four convincees agreed… that if George could make a somewhat positive ID on the mysterious Mr. King? They might be in business. Was George willing to spend days looking at photographs on the FBI files of identified and suspected "kings" of bands of Gypsies? He was.

   "Wait a minute… I thought his young friend from work, the husband-wife team's friend… I thought he was the one who was the go between on the Gamma…"

   George spoke up quietly…

   "He… he was…"

   "So how did you have dealings with him then?"

   "I was just in the club a few times. Another guy sitting at a table. Just dumb luck."

   "Okay… let's go back over the bitcoins angle?"

   Speedy got up on the dry erase board, and made a timeline. He showed, with paperwork backing him up… that as bitcoins became known? The smiley murders sort of "started". Slowly at first. Then, as bitcoins began to rise in value, the smiley suspected drownings went up as well.

   Then, he demonstrated what Bluedot had shown… that smiley happened on waterways, but only at waterways that had excellent cell phone coverage. He demonstrated that as they built more cell phone towers around the research triangle? The smiley case locations started growing right along with the cell phone coverage, further up the waterways inside the triangle.

   Finally, he showed them a map of one city's "smiley locations"… then he put a transparent cell phone map coverage over it showing how well it fit, as well as showing that the dates on the coverage map were in tune with the number of victims.

   Panic explained his theory that the smiley faces graffiti, was a version of "war-chalking". So the girls wouldn't be standing there forever and a day, by a dead or dying victim… waiting on a one bar phone connection.

   "Why does it have to be girls again?"

   Speedy explained it easily…

   "We both just met at the bar. We're both in dress clothes. What can I say to you, to make you wanna go for a walk with me. In cold bad weather with a storm coming, in dress clothes and dress shoes, out into the middle of nowhere? Now… imagine I'm a pretty young girl… bang, its a wonderful idea."

   Speedy showed them internet chat room printouts, demonstrating what a "bit coin whore" was.

   "Why does it have to be bitcoins?"

   Speedy admitted freely…

   "Honestly? It doesn't have to be bitcoins… but… can you come up with any other possible digital theft?"

   "Not off the top of my head. How about you, Junior G man… you're the tech guy… can you think of anything to steal digitally, other than a coin?"

   He shook his head no after a short time, he couldn't off the top of his head… Speedy smiled…

   "I mean, you guys gotta admit… the whole shebang, always would have made perfect sense, if there was something being stolen of value off of the smiley canon victims, right?"

   They all glanced around, and nodded their heads. That always was the weirdest part about the case.

   It was nearly immediately agreed, that with a potential eyewitness making a possible ID of an actual perpetrator… this thing had a chance. This had all taken hours, and the nine to five nature of the FBI main office was winding down. George wanted to get started right away… George's lawyer started "sweetly demanding" assurances that his client would be held non-liable for a string of "small and incidental" misdemeanors. While Speedy started complaining they had gotten so involved in his 'pitch' that they missed lunch. Speedy's FBI main contact stood and held his hands up like an emcee…

   "Speedy? Good, no, check that… excellent job selling this case… Boys? Let's get out of here… let's hit the local 'FBI approved' BBQ joint we all like. Everyone here is invited, it's on me. We're all gonna put our heads together, over some great rib racks… trying to figure out how in the fuck we're gonna sell this to our superiors, right?"

   Heads nodded and smiles went on. Speedy grabbed Panic up and before he could launch a credible protest, tried to kiss him on the forehead, producing a predictable pushing and slapping contest everyone pointed and laughed at. Christ, Panic thought… Speedy had been right about cops, and state cops, and even FBI agents… no different than any of his redneck friends when in a group. Boys will be boys. Shenanigans. Panic out of nowhere, as if a switch got flicked that only he knew about? Suddenly and violently grabbed Speedy and kissed him on the cheek…

   Which, quite as predictably, created even greater roars of laughter, and continued the smiling and friendly pushing and shoving slap fight with Speedy. A voice like god himself suddenly boomed into their otherwise empty meeting room…

   "Hey boys… am I authorized to stop recording… or, do you want me to document your love life? Cause either this junior agent gets overtime authorized, or… you boys all need to go and get a room."

   Panic looked around for the voice, which produced chuckles from almost everyone else. Apparently, almost everyone but him knew they could talk to whatever tech was running the audio and video surveillance.

   Speedy's main FBI contact seemed to mostly be in charge of all this…

   "Cut !!"

   The AV god talked back to his acolyte…

   "Yeah. I figured that part out. Hey… if you boys want to… this junior agent is willing to work overtime for you, without the pay. If you boys are on a roll… my gift…"

   Main contact looked around the room, and everyone's silent vote seemed to be for going out for food, and picking up tomorrow…

   "No. We'll pick it up tomorrow morning. But thanks for offering to be a kiss ass, trying to make full agent!"

   "Ha… ha… ha… I'm already a full agent. Couple questions…"

   "Shoot…"

   "I'm filing the audio and video under your badge number. You already know that… you have a G1 and a G2 already, am I assuming this is going to be G3?"

   "Roger that… G3, under my Bee Num…"

   "And… it's saved. One more thing… can I come back tomorrow, and continue volunteering for you? You know I hate the traffic cams detail…"

   "Yeah. Put my badge number on the form. Remind me to put my initials on it in the morning."

   "Will do… I can't shut the recording off, until everyone clears the room and turns the lights off… you know the rules… anything else?"

   "Yeah… you got a hot date tonight?"

   "Not really…"

   "That's sad… so, meet us for BBQ if you want?"

   "Location Alpha?"

   "Location Alpha."

   There was a slight pause, and a change in tone of voice when the voice answered back…

   "If I drive out to location Alpha, and you are all at location Beta? I am going to drive all the way to location Beta, and steal the tires off of your cruiser. You have been warned."

   "Alpha. Scout's honor…"

   "Okay. Clear out. So I can shut down. See you there."

   The man explained on the way down the elevator and out the doors what that was all about. Apparently, when junior agents are cherry fresh, and on probation the first year… it's open season to haze the new guys by full and senior agents. One popular game was to have the probationary junior agent, all happy to get to tag along with everyone for a pow wow for dinner and drinks… and they were in another location.

   There were apparently two favorite BBQ spots, and they were on nearly opposite sides of the beltway around DC, outside the outer beltway. If you were erroneously sent to location Alpha, it was a 40 minute drive to location Beta, the other BBQ spot.

   He further explained that this junior agent was one of his personal favorites, if he needed anything even remotely in the way of audio and video. Just about all probationary agents were gung ho and hungry to volunteer for anything and everything, but this one continued to do it even off of probation. Plus, his work was good and he was trustworthy.

   When Panic asked what the business about leaving and shutting off the lights rule was, it was explained that was so no one could later claim their client had been threatened or roughed up off camera. No leaving the room, shutting the tape off, and going back in off the tape.

   The second FBI agent smiled, and chimed in with the various games the agents played with each other under this system. Apparently, it was considered fun sport to get your buddy's coffee cup. Look into one of the cameras if you knew where they were all located, and lick the coffee cup or whatever fun you were going to have. If your buddy was germ phobic and too possessive about anyone else using his coffee cup? The scuzziest informant would be seen using the cup.

   Speedy came up and put his arm friendly around Panic's shoulder…

   "We're doing it. If George can get a decent ID? I think we might be in business…"

   "Light at the end of the tunnel, Speedy."

   "Yeah, light at the end of the long, dark tunnel. Enjoy it."

   Panic chuckled softly…

   "As long as the light isn't the oncoming train, I'm all for it…"