Silver Justice

Chapter 15

Sam pointed to an image on the overhead projector and traced a circle with his finger.

“Right there. See? Long hair in a ponytail, beard, knit cap, wire-rimmed glasses. Dark jacket, carrying a backpack. He next appears about six in the morning the following day.”

The gathered agents peered at the grainy profile frozen on the wall.

The image changed to one of the same man at a different angle. The time stamp showed it as six hours later.

Seth nodded. “It’s the same guy, all right. But there’s hardly proof of anything except he wears the same jacket both coming from and going home. Am I missing something?”

“Yes. What you’re missing is that a man who looks remarkably similar also appears on the cameras at one of the intersections near our latest victim. It looks like the same guy near both crime scenes.”

Sam pressed a button on the remote, and the footage changed again. This time the angle was from farther away. Everyone squinted at the figure making his way down the street.

“The time stamp puts it in the window for the broker’s killing.”

“Agreed. And do we have him leaving, as well?”

“No. That’s one of the problems with that area of the East Side. The coverage isn’t a hundred percent.”

“This guy looks different,” Silver pointed out. “The facial hair isn’t the same. And no cap. We don’t really get a shot of his face in this one, either. I don’t know, Sam. Truthfully, that could be almost anyone — the same man, or any of a quarter million other long-haired pedestrians in New York on any given day.”

“Is it my imagination,” Seth asked, “or does he seem to be deliberately turning away from the camera and holding his hand up to his face?”

“Hard to tell. Looks like he’s talking on a cell phone. Could be deliberate, or could just be the angle.”

Sam finished his presentation with some closing comments and turned on the lights, looking at Silver expectantly.

“Okay. It’s a long way from anything conclusive, Sam, but at least it’s a start. Let’s get the images blown up and see if we can do anything with image enhancement to improve the clarity. The low light isn’t our friend.”

“The cameras are optimized to get license plates and drivers’ faces. They aren’t intended for this. We just got lucky.”

“Noted. But this is the first crack in the case we’ve gotten, assuming that the second man is the same as the one in the first set. What about his clothes? They look completely different. I’m not trying to argue, but other than the fact both of these characters have long hair…do we have anything more?”

“He is wearing different clothes, but I think he moves the same. From the quality of the footage it’s impossible to be sure, but the similarities are significant,” Sam insisted.

Silver looked around the room and nodded at her assembled team.

“Fair enough. Let’s get the image circulated to all law enforcement in the area. Maybe we’ll get lucky and somebody will recognize him.”

“Do you want to go public with it?” Sam asked. “Get it on the news?”

“That seems premature, doesn’t it? I mean, we have him in the vicinity of the scenes, but last time I checked there was no law against being on the streets of New York, even if the timing and locations are highly suspect. I’ll ask Brett to take it up-channel, but my guess is that they shoot down going public with it for the time being. But that doesn’t mean we need to sleep on it. Let’s get it out and see if anything comes back within twenty-four hours. If we don’t get something then I’ll push to make it public.”

“Going public with it could also spook him and drive him underground,” Sam said. “We might never find him then. It’s a risk.”

“Agreed. I think we do as I suggested and take this up tomorrow.”

The meeting broke up, and a few of the agents congratulated Sam. It felt like it could be their first break in the case, and it was his diligence that had paid off. Silver approached him as he was leaving.

“How long will it take to get the images ready for circulation?”

“It’s getting late. I’d say let the techs have it for the rest of the day, and then we can get it out tomorrow morning.”

“Good work, Sam. Let me know when we’re ready to rock.”

“Will do.”

Late that afternoon, Silver and Richard sat in the conference room going over his notes on the last victim. He’d been on the line with Washington most of the day, and he’d had a chance to lean on his contacts to dig into the organized crime rumors surrounding the brokerage firm. As he laid out the information he’d gleaned, she was amazed at how seamy the financial industry was the more she learned about it. She’d had no idea — typically when she thought about white collar crime, she envisioned embezzling accountants or crooked CEOs cooking the books.

“What’s truly shocking is that there’s no investigation into this,” Richard said.

“How can that be? A tiny brokerage suddenly swells to where twenty percent of all U.S. market trading is going through it, at a time when the economy is collapsing and the largest banks are howling about being manipulated into the ground by predatory short selling…and nobody raises an eyebrow? It’s all just business as usual? Explain that to me. Because I don’t understand.”

“I know. I can’t believe it myself. I simply had no idea about this until I started looking into connections between this victim and the others. But as incredible as it sounds, that’s the case. This guy went from a boutique broker, really a nothing, to one of the most active houses in the world in a space of a few months — and virtually all of the trading was on the short side.”

“Why isn’t the SEC investigating? This isn’t a smoking gun. This is video footage of a killer holding an Uzi to his victim’s head and pulling the trigger. It’s a no-brainer…”

“I completely agree. But they aren’t doing squat. It’s been four years since the crash, and the statute of limitations will run out in another year…and nothing,” Richard complained. “For the record, I’ve rarely seen anything this cut and dried. But it’s like they’ve gone deaf, dumb and blind.”

“What about the DOJ? What about us? Can’t we do something? I mean the Bureau, not me, obviously. Financial Crimes? Your usual beat?”

“DOJ will only go after financial types after the SEC recommends prosecution. But if the SEC isn’t doing anything, then neither will the DOJ. Remember Masenkoff. He basically had to turn himself in and admit to running the biggest fraud in history before he got arrested. There was no action until he walked through the door with a ‘guilty’ sign around his neck, even though for years most players on Wall Street knew his results couldn’t possibly be true. They had even been warned repeatedly by whistleblowers, and did squat. What does that tell you about the SEC?”

She rolled her eyes. “Nothing good.”

“Trust me, it’s frustrating.”

“I know it’s not really a part of this investigation, but surely you can do something with this evidence. Maybe lean on your boss again? This is too big to just ignore.”

“Silver, you’re singing to the choir, but there’s nothing I can do. The information is out there — there are websites devoted to it. There have been hearings, and speeches, and outraged fist-shaking. But nobody does anything. It’s like it’s all for show, and nobody wants to know the truth. And the media just ignores it all, so the average person thinks everything must be okay. People have short attention spans. I’ll hit my boss again, but I’m not hopeful.”

“I just can’t believe it. Really. That’s not how things are supposed to work.” Silver shook her head. “I walk into the corner liquor store and stick my gun in the owner’s face and steal four hundred dollars, I’m going to jail, but if I run a brokerage that takes the financial system to the edge of disaster and make billions illegally trading on behalf of the country’s enemies or for criminal syndicates, nobody does anything? That can’t be. It just can’t be, Richard.”

“I hear you. And I’m also telling you that’s exactly what happened and nobody wants to know about it.” He sighed and stretched, then smiled at her. “This stuff gets to me. It’s my specialty, and sometimes I get too close to it. Sorry.”

“No problem. I understand why you’re so passionate about it. It’s got me seeing red now too.”

She studied his expression and felt a stirring of something in her stomach. The same as the other night when they’d kissed. He must have felt it too, because when he glanced at his watch, he did so with an almost elaborate calm.

“I really enjoyed dinner the other night, Silver. I’ve been thinking about it a lot.”

No kidding. She had, too. A whole lot.

“Me, too. We should definitely do it again.”

“What about tonight? Are you super-busy, or could you fit in a few hours for your hardest working Financial Crimes liaison? You’ve been so busy getting shot and all, I haven’t had a chance to ask…”

A tremble of anxiety fluttered through her, but she didn’t try to duck the question. “I suppose I could see my way clear to working you in. Provided I can get the babysitter again.”

There was an undeniable magnetism to Richard, and she sensed that the pull was mutual. She’d had time to sort out her feelings about the prior dinner date, and she didn’t see any reason to say no to another one.

“Give her a try. If so, I’ll see if I can get us a table someplace nice. I’ve heard good things about a few places in this area.”

“There are world-class restaurants on the lower East Side. Some of the best in the city…” she said.

He stood, his hand brushing hers as he reached for his files. She felt a shiver run down her spine.

“All right, then,” Richard said. “It’s a date. Buzz me to confirm, okay?”

“I will. Want to shoot for seven thirty?”

“Perfect. You want me to give you a ride home?”

“No, let’s plan on meeting at my building. Assuming I can reach the babysitter, and that she’s free. I guess it’s all up to her schedule, now. I’ll let you know.”

Richard smiled. “Talk about power…”