DC - Chapter 28

   Speedy was surprised when Panic called his cell, and wanted to show him what he was thinking. Panic arrived and explained to Speedy his idea.

   "So Speedy… here's what I'm proposing. Personally? While George is looking at all the zillion pictures on the computer, remember the other state cop here, from down south?"

   "Yes."

   "I was thinking how wonderful it would be, if we could email him the pictures of Elvis in the sketches. Remember, he knows the Gypsies summer home stomping grounds. He said his state and the next state over was where they roosted in the off season."

   "I don't know how to get in touch with him."

   "Well… rather than I explain it, you watch the candid camera I made."

   Speedy sat and watched the entire "shirt" video with good audio, that Panic had made for Speedy to watch what had transpired. Speedy made no audible noises, but his face was expressive. He was shaking his head and smiling.

   "I just scored a personal favor with both the FBI IA, and the city IA at once. The FBI IA favor? The state cop from down south, was an official cop visitor from out of state. I can now simply pick up the cell, and get that information."

   "You want my approval for this wild scheme. Don't you."

   "I know I need it approved, which is why I'm asking. What do you think? I say, get him the sketches as soon as possible… if and only if… he agrees it has to be a quiet operation. No posters. He knows how to ask around his state. He said he was used to dealing with the next state over that completed the gypsies area they saturated, the misdemeanor warrants trickle in on them all the time."

   "You think this might… jump-start the operation then."

   "George consistently described the piece of ear missing on the guy. What I'm betting? Is that we get one or more gypsy king's that look something like Elvis? And… one of them is going to have a missing part of an ear. If any state cop units see that? Bang. Do not engage, keep it casual and secret, report back…"

   Speedy thought about that.

   "George is making an ID… we get a hit from that state on one… we would be closing in. That would be a much more solid ID, if it came from both directions."

   "Your call, Speedy."

   "I know, I'm thinking about it. Judging by the video and audio, your girlfriend is quite happy with you at the moment."

   "That's not a bad thing."

   "I'm thinking. Theory… our Elvis and his crew? They don't follow the pattern the other gypsies use, and winter down in the roost… they migrate differently. They would slip right through, if you were even looking for gypsies on the highways. Because… they spend summers… in the home roost. Right?"

   Panic wagged his head.

   "You put it like that? Well, the prime Smiley season is late fall to early spring… summer in the home roost. Elvis lives his long summer down south, and the rest of the year is on the hunt with his crew or crews."

   Speedy smiled.

   "Its still summer. Summer down south lasts much longer. Yeah. Make your call, and let me talk too. My state police? Is similar to all the others in shared programs. We all have a bulletin board system, where requests like this are posted up. I can easily target those 2 states complete barracks with a little poster on the nationwide state police bulletin board system. DNA is Do Not Approach, and we're used to that request. Find? Back off and report in with a plate number. Textbook."

   They both smiled in excitement with each other. They got to try to kick-start the project into a higher gear. Speedy for his part was always trying to twist things to his advantage. He had more experience at it in this context as well.

   "A full court press, would look like this. The early and long summer down south, is targeted with the bulletin board system. The winters? Are particularly fall and spring, prime times to try to see something on the cams. In any patches of hunting grounds we can identify."

   Panic judged it effective…

   "Its fairly cheap, too. The summer bulletin boards don't cost anything, and blankets two states effectively. The fall winter spring surveillance, once it was in place, wouldn't cost but very little to keep going. Remember, the internet board add ons JG decided on? Will make automatic recording and tracking and accessing, internet events. That's cheap to keep once it's in place."

   Speedy nodded his head.

   "Because Smiley… only hunts in 5 bars… Once we place an IP camera with solar and get it running? It costs nothing, and it's fully recorded in hard drives. The combined strategy? To me seems workable."

   When Panic didn't speak immediately, Speedy continued…

   "I still can't believe our, your, good luck with this."

   Panic smiled.

   "I can. And I can tell you why I think that."

   "Well?"

   "When you're in the right place, doing the right thing, at the right time? Success will take care of itself. That's what really just happened. Its Karma."

   "That doesn't sound bad."

   "So Speedy? You've done this before. Investigations. You've caught killers before. What does your gut tell you. Are we closing in?"

   Speedy thought about it. Mental tabulations firing off. His level of wrench in his guts guided him through the tea leaves and he pronounced his findings.

   "Yeah. It usually feels… something like this. I have a checklist, if you're curious and all."

   "Oh. Not at all curious. Uh uh. Not me. Impossible. Why, I wouldn't want you to tell me. So don't, whatever you do…"

   "Let's look at what we know, or can guess we know. I have a witness. I have a connection. That's one point. I believe I have a string of seemingly unrelated, but in fact very related, accidental drownings. I have triple the normal amount of accidental drownings. Investigating that, led me to George. That doesn't feel like some accident. I'm an investigator… I don't believe in coincidences."

   "Our guess on the drug and the theory how it's used. It's what he made for the guy he's a witness to. It's no accident."

   "The search for Elvis is being honed and aimed. We're looking in and around home base, and the hunting grounds. During the correct seasons. The home state police will quietly be looking for that face. That face is most likely, in one of their jurisdictions. They'll see him, getting a pack of smokes, or coming out of the shit-can at a gas station. We're live. The target is unaware and we're closing in. Only one thing…"

   "What's the one thing?"

   "We can't do shit behind the senior agent's back like this."

   "I have a plan for that. Leave that to me."

   "What?"

   "Just… leave that to me. I'll get that covered, I have a plan. If you don't ask, I won't tell. It'll just… happen."

   Speedy asked Panic after the conversation was over and done, a parting shot…

   "So, I had trouble hearing what you guys whispered in each other's ears. Background noise rubs it out nicely. The hell kind of tactic did you use to get her to talk to them?"

   "First of all, that's not her. Second of all, only in the most generic of terms."

   "What do you mean, that's not her? That's her. I watched her sit in your lap."

   "No. The IA boys agreed they were happy just getting a verbal description, but, I was planning on getting them a video. I'm gonna muff the audio like they do on documentaries, and put a black bar over her and stuff in the background so you can't tell anything from the clip."

   "Oh. I know you mess with audio, from your music hobby. You do video too?"

   "A little. I can do the black bars. I can add that weird audio thing they do. So they can have the video to show their buddies that might not believe their story. Or, might be stonewalling them pretending not to believe them to give them static getting started or moving on their investigations."

   "You going to clear it with her first?"

   "Yeah. I have to. You asked, and in generic terms? She's afraid to break her promise to her biker friends she picked up with after the feeb shit went down. She wouldn't make a statement to any cops, FBI, state, locals… nothing."

   "Ah. She was bitching about her feeb boyfriend was such an asshole. Gotcha. She's gonna know that was you and the video. She was there."

   "Right… technically? It was another cop sitting on her side of the booth. The one that made the video. The video she never made, or knew she made. If she agrees to that, I'll muff the audio and make the black bars and give them their gift they don't even know is coming."

   "Will she go for that?"

   "Eh. She might. She also might work me over some before she agrees."

   "I'm sure I don't need to know the particulars."

   Panic grinned.