April 4: A Different Perspective by Mackey Chandler Read Free Book Online

Unlike the Swiss bank, you didn't have to be there in person to open an account. This evening he'd spread the money around even further, safe from clawbacks. He'd leave just a couple thousand in the account the new card serviced.
    While Keith spent most of the time on his own phone, Otis pulled out his small computer and opened a program called Lineup Artist. He worked quickly, familiar with the program and proficient with it. He made a face for each of the three who met him at the airport, concentrating on the senior player. In a half hour he had likenesses that would have taken him days of back and forth with an expert artist, or forever if he depended on his own freehand drawing skills.
    The easy part done, he considered what to write. He got a sheet of paper from the mid-stack of Keith's printer and wiped the table clean changing his gloves again.
    "FBI - Imperative we inform you there will be attempt on life of President." he started. He intended to imply he was speaking for an organization and leave a few articles out and print some of the letters in a form that would suggest a well educated Eastern European who had learned English in a British setting. He printed, working to make it different than his normal printing. An expert would find subtle similarities, but only if they had a decent sample of his writing and were already on to him.
    "We find ourselves able to frustrate this scheme by communicating, but unable to halt entirely on our own. Your Mr. Polzinsky returned to Atlanta by ONI only the first layer involved. On enclosed chip please find artist's best rendering of men working directly with your suspect. If  attempt made on President then you will know these words true. Strongly suggest you remove President Wiggen from area under strictest security when this happens. If you temporarily refuse to divulge President's condition and imply she is receiving medical attention, will prevent launch of backup attempt planned. We have identified second attempt layer for you - next is up to you.  Sincerely – Friends."
    It wasn't perfect. It might cause them to pull Wiggen out of the event entirely, which wouldn't bother him too much. It might cause a more intense search, which would find the sniper's nest. It might be, probably would be, ignored as the work of some demented flake. Certainly no real intelligence agency would communicate this way, he was pretty sure, but once the attempt was validated, could they afford to ignore the warning and recommendation? He didn't think so. It was after all cheap insurance and all the plans would already be in place for an emergency removal to medical attention. If they went along with it and the implication was that Wiggen was injured, he might just get the second payment in the Swiss account. That would be delicious.
      "I need some DNA spray," he told Keith.
    "That stuff is illegal in California now, you know."
    "I hope that doesn't mean that you didn't spray the golf bag down as I asked."
    "No, I'd have told you if we couldn't. I just wanted to make sure you knew. They're getting smarter too. Instead of outlawing a particular reagent, they outlawed any chemical agent that interferes with the replication and identification of DNA residues for criminal analysis." He rummaged through his drawers and brought Otis a can that proclaimed it was Acme Premium Glass Cleaner. When he applied it to the paper and chip it was more a fine fog than a spray.
    "I want this delivered today to the FBI, through at least three cut-outs. The last two should be somebody you have never used. A courier service or a cab. and they need to be watched, so we have positive confirmation of delivery."
    "I'll call some off shift people in. I need to have somebody else boss it, so we can get over to the signing." He didn't ask Otis what was in it.
    * * *
    The studio signing was anticlimactic, after the other events of the day, but he got fully engaged in it, assuring the executives more by presence than words