The Kill Room

“I’ll let you get away with a preposition at the end of that sentence but I won’t allow the improper pronoun.”
    “Sorry. I should’ve said, ‘with who him was sleeping,’” the young officer fired back.
    Laughter all around.
    “Okay, Ron, I probably deserved that. Yes, everything you can find.”
    For an hour, then two, Pulaski, with Sachs helping, dug into the journalist’s personal life and career and downloaded what articles and blog posts of his they could find.
    They printed out everything and brought it to the table in front of Rhyme.
    The young officer spread the material out and the criminalist began reading through those that were in English. Then he summoned Pulaski. “Ron, I need you to be Berlitz.”
    “Who?”
    “Translate these headlines.” Gesturing to the Spanish-language articles de la Rua had written.
    For another hour they went through the stories, Rhyme asking questions, which Pulaski translated quickly and with precision.
    Finally, Rhyme gazed up at the whiteboards.
    Robert Moreno Homicide
    Boldface indicates updated information
Crime Scene 1.
Suite 1200, South Cove Inn, New Providence Island, Bahamas.
May 9.
Victim 1: Robert Moreno.
COD: Single gunshot wound to chest.
Supplemental information: Moreno, 38, U.S. citizen, expatriate, living in Venezuela. Vehemently anti-American. Nickname: “the Messenger of Truth.” Determined that “disappear into thin air” and “blowing them up” NOT terrorism references.
Shoes contained fibers associated with carpet in hotel corridor, dirt from hotel entryway, also crude oil.
Clothing contained traces of breakfast: pastry flakes, jam and bacon, also crude oil.
Spent three days in NYC, April 30–May 2.
May 1, used Elite Limousine.
Driver Tash Farada. (Regular driver Vlad Nikolov was sick. Trying to locate. Prob. homicide. )
Closed accounts at American Independent Bank and Trust, prob. other banks too.
Drove around city with interpreter Lydia Foster (killed by Unsub 516).
Reason for anti-U.S. feelings: best friend killed by U.S. troops in Panama invasion, 1989.
Moreno’s last trip to U.S. Never would return.
Meeting in Wall Street.
No record of terrorist investigations in area.
Met with unknown individuals at Russian, UAE (Dubai) charities and Brazilian consulate.
Met with Henry Cross, head of Classrooms for the Americas. Reported that Moreno met with other charities, but doesn’t know which. Man following Moreno, white and “tough looking.” Private jet tailing Moreno? Blue color. Checking for identification.
No leads.
Victim 2: Eduardo de la Rua.
COD: Loss of blood. Lacerations from knife wounds.
Supplemental information: Journalist, interviewing Moreno. Born Puerto Rico, living in Argentina.
Camera, tape recorder, gold pen, notebooks missing.
Shoes contained fibers associated with carpet in hotel corridor, dirt from hotel entryway.
Clothing contained traces of breakfast: allspice and pepper sauce.
Victim 3: Simon Flores.
COD: Loss of blood. Lacerations from knife wounds.
Supplemental information: Moreno’s bodyguard. Brazilian national, living in Venezuela.
Rolex watch, Oakley sunglasses missing.
Shoes contained fibers associated with carpet in hotel corridor, dirt from hotel entryway, also crude oil.
Clothing contained traces of breakfast: pastry flakes, jam and bacon, also crude oil and cigarette ash.
Chronology of Moreno in Bahamas.
May 7. Arrived Nassau with Flores (guard).
May 8. Meeting out of hotel all day.
May 9. 9 a.m. Meeting two men about forming Local Empowerment Movement in Bahamas. 10:30 a.m. de la Rua arrives. At 11:15 a.m. Moreno shot.
Suspect 1: Shreve Metzger.
Director, National Intelligence and Operations Service.
Mentally unstable? Anger issues.
Manipulated evidence to illegally authorize Special Task Order?
Divorced. Law degree, Yale.
Suspect 2: Unsub 516.
Determined not to be sniper.
Possibly individual at South Cove Inn, May 8. Caucasian, male, mid 30s, short cut light brown hair, American accent, thin but athletic. Appears “military.”
Could be sniper’s partner or hired by Metzger independently for clean-up and to stop investigation, or working for cartels.
Determined to be perpetrator of Lydia Foster and Annette Bodel homicides, and IED attack at Java Hut.
Amateur or professional chef or cook of some skill.
Suspect 3: Barry Shales.
Confirmed to be sniper, code name Don Bruns.
39, former Air Force, decorated.
Intelligence specialist at NIOS. Wife is teacher. Have two sons.
Individual who placed a