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DETECTIVE BALD EAGLE sat in silence because she nor her partner had anything as significant as the AUSA to report. Usually she brought the assistant United States Attorney evidence or facts to have a warrant drafted to execute on a bank demanding that they turned over surveillance. But they’d beat her to the punch and that was surprising. The US Attorney’s office had miles of corridors and thousands of square feet of office space, all occupied by legal carnivores, but the bombshells needed to sharpen their teeth was typically garnered by detectives like her, so their revelation was vexing, and a blow to her ego.
“Care to tell us how you’ve so swiftly come across this video?” Detective McGee asked.
“That’s a good place to start,” AUSA Brown said. He slid a Manila envelope across the table. “Was sent over by courier late morning. A gift.”
“Not really. We don’t know who sent it,” Detective Bald Eagle said.
“That’s your job to find out,” AUSA Brown said. “The courier service is located at Wisconsin Avenue and M. Street in Georgetown. The manager is waiting on you to grab up surveillance of the sender.”
“I’m going to take a wild-ass guess and assume you’ve contacted the bank to verify authenticity?” Detective McGee asked.
“We have. Two things. Yes, it’s genuine, but it’s known to be off ten-to fifteen-minutes. I’ve talked to the branch manager,” AUSA Brown said. “A gentlemen passing as an FBI Agent secured it. They have a video of him, too. He’s in a ball cap, aviator glasses and a thick beard. Obviously, all three are designed to thwart facial recognition technology. The beard may be fake or even shaved off by now according to the manager. There was also a question as to whether he was a white man with a tan or a high-yellow black man.”
“Fair question, considering the bank’s location. It’s a Bank of America in Southeast,” Detective McGee said.
“This guy could really be trying to throw us into the wrong direction,” Detective Bald Eagle said. “Why not a bank in a white neighborhood over in Virginia. Why choose a very black section of the city to pilfer the judge’s account?”
“Maybe the ATM user is not the actual killer, but an accomplice?” Detective McGee replied.
AUSA Gucci listened. All quiet. This was not a brainstorming session. Cutting everyone off, he said, “I’ve prepared a press release, titled, Suspect(s) sought in Judge Weston’s Homicide. I’ve included the following statement: “Minutes after the murder an unidentifiable white male used Judge Weston’s bank card at an ATM at the Bank of America located in the 2100 block of Martin Luther King Avenue SE. A photograph of the subject was taken by the bank camera.”
Brown said, “We’re going to release the picture of this guy with the statement. We’re going to send it all media outlets, but it should be featured on the cover of the Washington Post and Washington Times bright and early tomorrow morning.”
“And to your point,” AUSA Gucci said, “if he is trying, and, I do mean trying, to throw us off by using an ATM is Southeast, but staying in a posh Washington hotel, he’ll know that we mean business when his photo is slipped under every hotel room door in town and exposed on every newsstand. He won’t be able to walk anywhere without being noticed.”
Detective McGee watched the prosecutor’s mannerisms. They were seriously talking about the capture of a Supreme Court justice’s murder. The search would be a huge undertaking. Lots of moving parts. Therefore all plans had to be on point. They had two days max, she figured, to get their ducks in a row. Or there may not ever be a resolution.