It didn’t matter how many times Cooper came to the White House, with its state rooms and officers, residency and bomb shelters, basketball courts and a basement with a life of its own where carpenters worked alongside a florist, a chocolate shop bustled and a dentist and doctor’s office were on standby. The security checks were just as tight and as rigorous as ever. And today he could do without it. He could think of better ways to spend the next ten minutes or so than to stand and wait inside a state-of-the-art security check, prior to going through a metal and bomb detector, prior to going through another security check at the South Portico entrance, prior to having to put his admittance card under the ultraviolet scanner watched over by the Secret Service man who looked at him as if it was the first time they’d laid their eyes on him, before finally being allowed to get into the elevator which would take him up to the Executive Residence to see Jackson.
*
Sixteen minutes later, Jackson sat on his bed, with Cooper opting to sit on the floor as he listened to Jackson talk with enthusiastic animation.
‘I’ve got a friend who did ceramics at collage, I think you met him once. Jerry Weiner. Anyway, I got in touch as I figured if anyone would know about the pieces of porcelain you gave me, he would. He’s a member of the American Ceramic Society, so he knows his stuff.’
Cooper looked at Jackson. ‘You went to that trouble for me?’
‘Of course I did. Anyway, I gave him the pieces so he could analyze them. He got back to me yesterday. Jerry was pretty sure they’re not your regular ornament from Macy’s, and certainly not mass manufactured. More like a local craftsperson. It’s quite basic.’
‘Did your friend say whether he thought they were made at the same place?’
‘Well he couldn’t say for certain if they were made at the same place because there’s nothing to identify it. The stamp on one of the pieces is apparently more likely to be the number of the mold rather than a manufacturer’s mark. But he did say the composition of the porcelain was exactly the same. Apparently it can be highly variable depending on the mix, so it gives a good indication that it was made by the same person or company. And something else he did point out was the thickness of the pieces. He doubted anyone would use or want that kind of thickness for anything domestic, least of all vases or ornaments. But what I haven’t told you, and this is really interesting; the pieces with the copper wire embedded in them…’
‘Yeah, they’re the ones I collected from outside.’
‘Well, Jerry detected traces of the usual dust and dirt and insect residue but, and listen to this, the other thing he detected traces of was a nitroaromatic compound – more specifically, TNT – when he was doing a chemical profile to find out what, if anything, they’d used the pots for.’
Cooper was stunned. Of all the things he expected, this wasn’t it. ‘TNT? As in Trinitrotoluene?’
Jackson gave Cooper a bemused look. Good humor in his voice. ‘Coop, remember who you’re talking to. It’s me. I’m just a civilian.’
It made Cooper laugh. It was good to be around Jackson. Really good. ‘Sorry. I take it we’re talking…’
Jackson leapt in. ‘Dynamite, or similar to it. It’s odd isn’t it?’
Cooper nodded. ‘What about the third piece? The one I picked up from the Lemon water treatment plant? Did that have any residue?’
‘It had nothing on it. It pulled a blank. Here, take this, it’s the print out of all the findings. You know, I didn’t think people really used TNT so much now.’
‘They do. It’s a secondary explosive, meaning it requires a primary explosive to ignite it. Something like a detonator. Which might explain the embedded copper wire. The main things people use it for is stuff like mi…’
Cooper suddenly stopped, going into his own thoughts.
Jackson pushed him. ‘Go on, Coop, what were you going to say?’
‘Well I was going to say, mining. Though it doesn’t quite add up… Anyway, I have to give it you, you’ve done great. You should get yourself a PI license.’
‘Oh yeah, right, I think my cover would be blown straight away don’t you?’
Cooper leant forward. Changed the subject. ‘How did you get on with Dr. Foster, by the way? The guy from Bradadt Mining Inspection Company.’
‘Turns out a probable suicide.’
‘Jesus.’
‘There wasn’t a great deal written about it. A few articles saying how he owed money and was a heavy drinker. So the thinking is, it all got too much for him.’
Cooper was surprised. ‘Really?’
‘The way they’ve portrayed this Dr. Foster, they’ve made him sound like a real douchebag. According to the papers, the guy was, and I quote, a difficult man, who had a heavy gambling habit along with a massive debt. Apparently he was depressed about it all. Jumped off the balcony of his sixth floor apartment in Georgetown – though that wasn’t his main residence. His main home was in Woodstown, Salem County.’
‘Having an apartment in a nice part of DC as well as having another place in Woodstown doesn’t really sound like someone with money problems.’
‘I know.’
Picking up his well-worn suede fawn jacket, Cooper gave Jackson a hug.
‘You know what, I think I need to go visit Dr. Foster’s old office sometime soon.’