Prophet of Death

Chapter 12

     "No need to show off, Detective." The commissioner stood up. "This is Special Agent Brown of the FBI. The man sitting across from him is Agent Avery from Homeland Security. They're here to assist us."

     "Are they here to take over the case?" McManus asked.

     "Not yet," the mayor answered. "That's what we're here to discuss."

     "Just a note," Pete said as he looked over at the suits. "If we know you're here, you can assume he also knows you're here, too."

     "Who does?" another suit asked.

     "Who do you think?" McManus snapped back. "I doubt you're here to talk about anything else except the deranged nut ball who tried to blow up the exchange building this morning. He's been ahead of us every step of the way, so I'm pretty sure the Prophet anticipated your arrival."

     "Well he is exactly why we're all here," the mayor said, his patience wearing thin. He wasn't in the mood to watch the cops at the table play games. "This man has been terrorizing our city for the past week, and we are no closer to getting him."

     "So you called in the feds?" Pete asked.

     "We don't need to be invited," Avery replied.

     "The exchange building is federal property," Agent Brown added. "That gives us the right to claim jurisdiction in the matter."

     "The fact that he used a bomb," Avery continued, "also makes this a Homeland case. We deal with acts of terror, foreign or domestic."

     "The bomb was a dud," McManus declared. This was not public knowledge and only he and the bomb squad knew it. "It was never going to go off."

     The mayor still wasn't impressed with the morning's activities. "So what was the purpose of planting a fake bomb in the exchange building?"

     "It was a decoy, wasn't it?" Agent Brown asked.

     "Yes it was," Pete answered, as it was not his turn to go on the offensive. "And we all fell for the bait."

     The room went quiet when it seemed clear that declaration was pointed at the commissioner and the mayor.

     "Explain yourself, Detective," the commissioner replied. Despite the accusation, he was still cooler than a cucumber. That kind of demeanor under fire was why he was the top man in the force, a true leader.

     "Someone pulled some of our guard details to assist with securing the exchange building," Pete replied. "The Prophet was hoping you would value that building more, and he was waiting for the guards to vacate their posts before attacking again."

     "There's been another attack?" the mayor repeated. McManus was running a tight ship and the Blitzer homicide had yet to reach the press as it was only a few hours ago since discovering the body.

     "Yes," Pete answered. "Kyle Blitzer is missing."

     "We found his wife dead at their apartment," McManus said. "She was killed in the exact manner of the Prophet's first victim, so there is no doubt here."

     "Another CEO." The mayor sighed. "Blitzer Technologies isn't going to fare well without their captain at the wheel."

     "You said he's missing," Agent Brown repeated. "Does that mean he could still be alive?

     "For the time being," Pete concurred. "He might be."

     "What does that mean?" the mayor asked.