By the time Carter and Paul arrived at the Burmanian river where Steve's body had been discovered a great multitude of onlookers mingled on the embankment. As they got closer they saw a petite Chinese lady holding a microphone and interviewing people accompanied by a camera man wearing a New York Yankees ball cap backwards on his head.
"Oh great a newsy." Grumbled Paul. A heavy mist daunted the ambiance and caused the temperature to drop tremendously. Paul pushed the four wheel drive button and descended down the hill towards an ambulance guarded by police sitting adjacent to the river. Paul and Carter got out of the Navigator simultaneously and sauntered towards the back of the ambulance. A tall wiry officer with neatly cut,silky,light brown hair briefed them both quickly and to the best of his ability.
"He's in the ambulance." Said the cop," But I must warn you, it stinks really bad in there."
Carter grimaced and stared at the bridge the corpse had purportedly been dropped off of. There was all kinds of obscene vandalism spray painted on the side of the bridge. Paul kept his gaze on the Chinese lady reporter that was interviewing two fishermen . The murky river water was unusually high and flowing fast which indicated a heavy rain from the night before.
A throng of people waited eagerly in hopes of a chance to get on television. The wiry cop pointed to the two fishermen being interviewed." They're the ones that discovered the body. You might want to talk to them."
Carter glanced at the fishermen then turned around and faced the ambulance." We'd like to check out the body." Said Carter checking his wristwatch.
"Oh, sure thing." Said the cop getting out of their way. Carter opened the door and Paul followed him into the ambulance. There was a concrete block on the floor tied to a rope which led into a black body bag containing the corpse. Paul pulled a lemon scented sanitary napkin from his vest pocket as Carter unzipped the body bag. A ghastly odor emanated from the body bag making Carter a little nauseous. The rope leading from the floor was neatly tied to the foot of the headless corpse. Paul placed the sanitary napkin over his nose trying to block out the ghastly odor. Steve was wearing a Dale Earnhart t-shirt and faded blue jeans. His black Nike sneakers were covered in mud and slime. Paul examined the stitching on the rope a little more closely.
"I don't think our perp grew up in the city." Said Paul. " Why do you say that?" Asked Carter.
"This is no ordinary rope. Look at the fancy stitching and the clamp at the end of the rope. This is a trick rope often used at rodeos. I'm not trying to eliminate any theories, I'm suggesting the likelihood that our suspect may have spent time on a farm or worked at a rodeo." Paul leaned over and observed the knot wrapped around Steve's foot. Pointing with his index finger he said," Look, the very same peculiar knot as the one tied to the mannequin that blew up Travis."
Carter shot him a menacing look and placed his index finger over his lips." Shh-" He said looking around," That catastrophe is not to be known to the public." " My bad." Said Paul fondling the rope.
"Hey check this out." Said Carter lifting Steve's right arm. There were three burn marks made by a cigarette lighter on Steve's forearm.
"We don't know that the perp did that." Said Paul.
"Why not?" Asked Carter already feeling inferior by his partner's know-it-all attitude.
"Because it may have been self inflicted. Kids in High school did that stuff all the time just to show how tough they were."
Carter reminisced his High school days and vaguely remembered some teenage punks engaging in that kind of behavior. A sudden knock came from outside the ambulance doors. Carter zipped up the body bag and opened the ambulance doors. A haggard looking old man wearing a long black trench coat and smoking a pipe greeted them as the doors swung open.
"May I have a word with you guys?" Asked the old man.
"Sure." Said Carter and they both stepped out of the ambulance. The haggard old man had a vial of the murky river water sticking out of his trench coat pocket. Paul cleansed his hands with the sanitary napkin and breathed in the fresh air. The haggard old man quickly adjusted his red beret then pulled a business card from inside his trench coat pocket. He handed it to Paul and then cleared his throat.
"My name is John Stiller. I'm a private investigator."
Carter looked at his wristwatch debating whether or not they had time to talk to the man. John had wild hairs growing out the back of his neck including prominent clusters of hair growing out his ears. A tiny brown pin that said " Coffee Day" pinned to his lapel. Carter slammed shut the ambulance doors and briefly looked over the private investigator.
"What can we do for you?" He finally asked.
"I'm investigating the murder of Horace Burns. I've been hired by his wife. Are you familiar with the case?"
"I'm afraid not." Replied Carter. Paul whispered in Carter's ear then wended out towards the fishermen leaving Carter and the P.I alone.
John spoke quickly realizing the agents were pushed for time." About 6 months ago a midnight janitor working at a truck stop on the PA Turnpike discovered Horace Burns' body propped on a toilet and locked in a stall. There was an exuberant amount of paper towels crammed into his mouth."
Carter looked at him with incredulity and shook his head." What's that got to do with this?" He asked with a puzzled look in his eyes. John reached in his trench coat and pulled out a picture of an automated towel dispenser with loose wires hanging from it. He handed the picture to Carter who studied it intently. While Carter studied the picture Paul was conducting an interview with the fishermen that discovered the body.
"As you can clearly see," Said John," The pyro sensor is missing from the towel dispenser. Possibly the same pyro sensor used in the booby trap that killed agent John Travis."
Carter felt his heart pound against his sternum and he quickly looked around to see if anyone was eavesdropping." How the heck did you find out about that? That was supposed to be kept confidential." Carter glowered at the man and took a step closer and breathing heavier. John licked his lips and smiled wryly.
"I have friends in the FBI. People working in there leak information all the time." Said John.
Carter took a step back letting the man breathe." Did they lift prints off the towel dispenser?"
"None. The perp wiped them clean. We're still not sure what his motive was but people up my way have already given him a name."
"What's that?" Asked Carter now staring at Paul who was waving him over.
"The Gadget Man. People are calling him the Gadget man."
Carter handed the picture back to John then pointed to Paul." I've got to talk to my partner over there,you can come with if you'd like." Carter joined up with Paul who was holding a pen and legal pad jotting notes and listening intently to the fishermen. The fishermen turned out to be father and son wearing bright yellow rain coats. Their skiff had been brought out of the river and sat in the grass behind them.
Paul turned to Carter," These guys said they were fishing under the bridge and their boat made a horrible thunk sound. Mr.Martin here said he almost had a heart attack when he discovered the decapitated corpse. Evidently when the perp tied the cinder block to the victim's foot he didn't realize that part of the river isn't very deep."
Before Carter could respond he heard that annoying doo-wop music coming from Paul's pocket.
" Excuse me a minute." Said Paul answering his cell phone. Carter checked his own cell phone to make sure it was still on. It was. Why did Paul always get all the calls? Carter clenched his fist as his mind filled with jealousy. Everyone grew quiet as Paul's voice filled with exhilaration."Okay boss, we'll be there ASAP." Said Paul into the phone. Paul folded shut the cell phone then quickly wiped it with a sanitary napkin before placing it back in his pocket." We've got to get back to head quarters as quickly as possible." Said Paul turning around and heading towards the Navigator.
Carter shook John's hand then followed after his partner already in hot pursuit." I'll keep in touch." Hollered Carter back to the private investigator. Carter hopped into the Navigator which was already started up and ready to go. "Looks like the show is going to take place in Chicago." Said Paul stepping on the gas.