Robert Waggoner - John - The Senior Killer

Now as the team sat around the glass table with computer papers and files stacked on it, Brad asked agent Jones to bring them up to date on the San Diego findings. Agent Jones began, albeit nervously, by saying, “We made an ID on the body that was supposed to be John Mitchell. The man was a look a like and when the autopsy was performed it was ruled a heart attack. We exhumed the body and did a toxic screen and found an abnormally high amount of a drug that increases the heart rate. We presume John Mitchell befriend this man and fed him the drug which led to heart failure. Close workers of his in the film company ID John’s body and that was that. He was just another late middle aged man succumbing to a heart attack. Next we found his storage unit and from that we got some hair DNA off his clothing. When the DNA is matched against what you found in Washington we can then determine who is who. Now to my final report about the books and what we found were many finger prints and as this man had no prior record of crimes committed or service in the military, no record of his prints is on file.” He looked up and made eye contact with each member to see if there were any questions and when none were forthcoming, he closed the file he never looked at giving a sigh of relief.

Brad thanked him and went to Billy who had just come back down the stairs for a nicotine fix just in time for his report. Smelling like stale tobacco and knowing it he stood back after handing everyone a copy of a report. He said, “I took all the letters of ‘catch me if you can’ and send them to a friend of mine at Cal. State. They possess a large main frame and we ran the letters until we came up with the most probable set of phrases. If you notice on the map of the sites where he struck, there are two ‘C’s.” The computer combined today’s computer talk with regular English and came up with this possibility: “C me if you can.” I know this leads mostly nowhere, but if you add the ‘S’ into the equation, which is outside the original message, you come up with this possibility: “Sure you can.” Of course there is an infinite amount of possibilities given more than half the alphabet, but in all likely hoods this is the message.”

The room was quiet and no one said anything until Wendy cleared her throat and said, “This guy wants to be caught and is playing the kids game of hide and seek.”

Brad sat there thoughtfully and said, “The books will tell us where he is and I’m afraid we have a long process ahead of us page by page and book by book. I feel he is going to ground now that winter is coming. I also think he needs to devise a game plan to finish off his task. I for one am going to take a run on the beach and if anyone wants to join me, they are welcome.”

Mike said he would go home and be back tomorrow. Wendy said she would like to join him in running but it has been a long time since she ran anywhere. Billy said he would run upstairs and out the door for a date with a Marlboro. Steve left to go to his room and make the dreaded phone call to his superior. Sujin went upstairs to tell her sister to go home and that Mike would give her a ride. After that she put on her running shoes and sweat pants, a pullover sweat shirt and a windbreaker and was standing at the door waiting for her husband and Wendy to arrive. Rocky was waiting with her dancing from foot to foot waiting to run on the beach with them. Agent Jones fooled everyone and came up at the same time with Brad dressed to run. He had long powerful legs and out of his suit, he had a nice body that surprised Wendy.

It turned out the Brad and Jones left the girls behind and to Sujin’s hospitality she stayed with Wendy who alternated between a fast walk and short runs. Rain running down her face, hair soaked she was determined to get into shape come hell or high tide. I’ll not be the weak link in this team she thought. Sujin saw the determination on her face and gave her encouragement. A week later, Wendy could run a mile without stopping and by the end of three weeks, could do five miles or a run to the jetty and back with ease.

After Brad and Steve huddled for a few hours the next day, Steve left for Washington and Brad went with him to Palm Springs to see his father. The team still had lots of work to do with the books and after a few days the team had grown close. Mike, Billy and Sujin made them feel like they were important and they were. Agent Jones and Wendy held their weight with the team and if anyone could stop this madman the team could.

Down in Palm Springs the weather as usual was sunny and warm even though it was the first of December. Sitting in his father’s study with Steve, the two of them gave Brad’s father the respect due. His role was small, but important as his former position as a high ranking officer in Naval Intelligence he cut through a lot of red tape with his contacts. Such as the time Brad needed two helicopters to evacuate wounded and his team of Seals from deep in the jungles of South America, he provides the lifesaving air support he needed. Many times he had proved his ability to make the seemingly impossible happen. His pound of flesh came in the form of being in the loop and no detail left out. Rumor had it the he still had the ear of the second term president from Texas.

Brad’s mother told him one time that reason he did it was to not be forgotten by his busy son. And she never failed to tell her son she needed to have some grandkids soon. Brad always blushed like a schoolboy and told his mother they were working on it.

To Brad sitting in his father’s study felt both comfortable and relaxing. The room, and the house for that matter, reflected a typical retired general’s house. He still played golf with his cronies at his local golf club. Now Brad was listening to Steve and his father talk about the serial killer known as John Mitchell. Brad looked at the familiar things in the room. A desk the size of a battleship sat in front of a sliding glass door leading to the back yard. Brad smiled and thought if he was a kid again he could sit in his dad’s desk chair with wheels and roll in the pool which lay not fifteen feet from the sliding doors. Of course on one wall a bookcase with your typical naval histories and his old law books from way too many years ago were stacked from ceiling to floor in a beautiful oak bookcase. Opposite the bookcase a wall full of pictures from over the years was lined up at attention waiting for a young recruit to salute the wall. His mother, along with a Filipino domestic worker made sure not a speck of dust marred the pictures. Famous presidents from Nixon to the two Bush’s with his father standing at their side gave Brad a sense of duty. Now his country was counting on him to stop this John Mitchell with whatever it took to assist him in bringing to a halt his killing of our senior citizens.

“Brad,” he heard his father say, “Are you listening to me?”

“No sir, I’m thinking about taking a swim.”

“My God boy, a killer is loose on our people and all you can think about is taking a swim?”

“Yes sir, Steve can fill you in and after dinner tonight over a glass of your precious brandy, I will answer any and all of your questions,” he said with a soft voice, but a look of seriousness instilled his father’s confidence in him.

“Off with you then as Steve and I have important things to discuss while you fritter away the time.”

Brad laughed and Steve cracked a small grin as Brad left to change into swim trucks and have a talk with his mother by the pool side. After countless laps back and forth his mother bought out some fresh squeezed lemonade. They sat under a large umbrella and he listened while his mother talked about their retirement. “Your father is bored Brad. He needs more to do. He misses the action and if at all possible could you involve him more from your business?”