The Investigators (Badge of Honor 7) - Page 80

“It was quickly determined, by their serial numbers, that the recovered firearms were among those stolen from Indiantown Gap. Labeling of the C-4 uncovered at the West Hendricks location indicates it is from the same manufacturing lot as the C-4 stolen from Indiantown Gap; laboratory analysis of the Primacord indicates that it is from the same manufacturing lot as the Primacord stolen from Indiantown Gap; and other tests indicate the detonators are of the same type and age as those taken from the National Guard depository.”

The screen now went back to shots of the sparsely furnished apartment in the old house on West Hendricks Street.

“In addition to statements made by other residents of the building at 1101 West Hendricks that Mr. Cole was a frequent visitor to the premises, physical evidence, including fingerprints and personal property, indicates this is the case.

“On 16 April, the Grand Jury of Allegheny County returned indictments against Mr. Chenowith, Mr. Cole, Miss Ollwood, and Miss Fitzgerald, charging them with causing the unlawful deaths by explosive device of eleven individuals.”

The screen now showed—in most cases snapshots, in one case a standard high-school graduation portrait, and in two others police photographs taken in an autopsy room—photographs of the eleven individuals who had lost their lives as a result of the explosives detonated by the Chenowith Group on the University of Pittsburgh campus.

“Mr. Chenowith’s and Mr. Cole’s difficulties brought them under FBI attention, and after Miss Fitzgerald and Miss Ollwood were positively identified as having been at Bennington College, Vermont, subsequent to their indictment in Pennsylvania, federal indictments were sought and obtained charging both females with unlawful flight to avoid prosecution.

“Because of the nature of the offenses alleged, FBI supervision of the cases involved, collectively referred to as ‘the Chenowith Group,’ has been assigned to the Anti-Terrorist Group at FBI Headquarters.

“The fugitives sought are known to be armed, and should be considered highly dangerous.”

Abruptly the screen went white, and the room lights brightened.

“Nice friends you have, Payne,” Wee Willy Malone said.

“I think that we should keep that in mind, Detective Malone,” SAC Davis said.

“Excuse me?” Malone asked.

“If I had to offer one reason that the FBI has so far been unable to apprehend these fugitives, the so-called Chenowith Group, it would be that they are ‘nice.’ They all come from upper-middle-class backgrounds—in the case of the Ollwood woman, an upper-class background. Not only are they highly intelligent, but they can move, with relative ease, from one socioeconomic environment to another. We don’t really know where to look for them at any given time.”

“Okay,” Wee Willy said after considering that.

“Should we go on, sir?” Williamson asked.

“Please do,” Davis said.

Special Agent Leibowitz got up from the table and took Williamson’s place at the lectern.

The lights dimmed again and the slide projector began, with a thunk, to show a color slide of what Matt recognized as the Bennington College campus in the spring.

“We wondered why Ollwood and Fitzgerald went to Bennington, which is way to hell and gone from Pittsburgh in Vermont,” Leibowitz began. “I mean, they both got the boot from the college, and there was still a local warrant outstanding against Ollwood for socking the campus cop, so why go back? Unless, of course, they had a good reason. We found it. There’s a little white box around a blonde’s face in the next couple of slides. Take a good look at her.”

The slide machine thunked, and a black-and-white slide of a group of young women sitting on the wide steps of a large brick house appeared on the screen. There were circles around the faces of Misses Ollwood and Fitzgerald and a white box around the face of Susan Reynolds. And he recognized two other faces in the photo.

“I know a couple of other faces in that picture,” Matt said. “Is that important?”

The slide was replaced by another snapshot.

“It could be,” Davis said. “Who?”

Leibowitz, with some difficulty, managed to get the group shot back on the screen.

“The blonde, second from the left in the second row, is the former Daphne Elizabeth Browne,” Matt said. “Now Mrs. Chadwick Thomas Nesbitt the Fourth.”

“Interesting,” Davis said. “The hostess of the party, right? We should have picked up on that.”

“I don’t think Daffy is the type to blow things up, and/ or help fugitives,” Matt said.

“Take my word for it, Detective,” Jernigan said. “As suming that ‘nice’ people can’t be involved in some pretty nasty business isn’t smart.”

“Which is rather what I had in mind when I mentioned to Detective Malone that ‘nice’ is something we should all keep in mind.”

Matt didn’t reply.

Tags: W.E.B. Griffin Badge of Honor Mystery
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