The Vanished Man Read online

  Kara disagreed. "I'm not sure. Close-in artists, parlor magicians--they work alone. But he's an illusionist, remember? They always work with other people. You've got volunteers from the audience. Then assistants onstage that the audience knows're working with the performer. And then there're confederates too. Those're people who're working for the illusionist but the audience doesn't know it. They might be disguised as stagehands, members of the audience, volunteers. In a good show you're never quite sure who's who."

  Christ, Rhyme thought, this one perp was bad enough, with his skills at quick change, escape and illusionism. Working with assistants would make him a hundred times more dangerous.

  "Mark it down, Thom," he barked. Then: "Let's look at what you found in the alley--where Burke collared him."

  The first item was the officer's handcuffs.

  "He got out of them in seconds. Had to've had a key," Sachs said. To the dismay of cops around the country most handcuffs can be opened with generic keys, available from law enforcement supply houses for a few dollars.

  Rhyme wheeled over to the examination table and studied them carefully. "Turn them over. . . . Hold them up. . . . He might've used a key, true, but I see fresh scratches in the hole. I'd say it was picked. . . ."

  "But Burke would've frisked him," Sachs pointed out. "Where'd he get a pick?"

  Kara offered, "Could've been hidden anywhere. His hair, his mouth."

  "Mouth?" Rhyme mused. "Hit the cuffs with the ALS, Mel."

  Cooper donned goggles and shone an alternative light source on the cuffs. "Yep, we've got some tiny smears and dots around the keyhole." This meant, Rhyme explained to Kara, the presence of bodily fluid, saliva most likely.

  "Houdini did that all the time. Sometimes he'd let somebody from the audience check his mouth out. Then just before he did the escape his wife'd kiss him--he said it was for luck but she was really passing a key from her mouth to his."

  "But he'd be cuffed behind his back," Sellitto said. "How could he even reach his mouth?"

  "Oh," Kara said with a laugh. "Any escapist can get cuffed hands in front of his body in three or four seconds."

  Cooper tested the saliva traces. Some individuals secrete antibodies into all bodily fluids, which lets investigators determine blood type. The Conjurer, though, turned out not to be a secretor.

  Sachs had also found a very tiny piece of serrated-edge metal.

  "Yeah, it's his too," Kara said. "Another escapist tool. A razor saw. It's probably what he used to cut through those plastic bands on his ankles."

  "Would that've been in his mouth too? Wouldn't it be too dangerous?"

  "Oh, a lot of us hide needles and razor blades in our mouths as part of the acts. With practice it's pretty safe."

  Examining the last of the trace from the alley scene, they found more bits of latex and traces of the makeup, identical to what they'd seen earlier. More Tack-Pure oil as well.

  "At the riverside, Sachs, when he went into the river? You find anything?"

  "Just skid marks in the mud." She pinned up the digital photos that Cooper had printed out from his computer. "Some helpful citizen managed to screw up the scene," she explained. "But I spent a half hour going through the muck. I'm pretty sure he didn't drop any evidence or bail out."

  Sellitto asked Bell, "What about the vic, the Marston woman? She have anything to say?"

  The Tarheel detective gave a summary of his interview with her.

  An attorney, Rhyme considered. Why pick her? What the hell was the Conjurer's pattern with the victims? Musician, makeup artist and attorney.

  Bell added, "She's divorced. Husband's out in California. Wasn't the friendliest divorce in the world but I don't reckon he's involved. I had LAPD make some calls and he was accounted for today. And there's no NCIC or VICAP sheet on him."

  Cheryl Marston had described the Conjurer as slim, strong, bearded, scars on neck and chest. "Oh, and she confirmed his fingers were deformed, like we'd thought. Fused together, she said. He was hush about the neighborhood he lives in and he picked the alias 'John.' Now there's a clever boy for you."

  Useless, Rhyme assessed.

  Bell then explained how he'd picked her up and what had happened afterward. Rhyme asked Kara, "Anything sound familiar?"

  "He could've hypnotized a pigeon or gull, pitched it at the horse then used some kind of gimmick to keep the horse agitated."

  "What kind of gimmick?" Rhyme asked. "You know any manufacturers?"

  "No, that's probably homemade too. Magicians used to use electrodes or prods to get lions to roar on cue, things like that. But animal rights activists'd never let you get away with that now."

  Bell continued, describing what had happened when Marston and the Conjurer had gone to have coffee.

  "One thing she said that was odd: it was like he could read her mind." Bell described what Marston had told him about the Conjurer's knowing so much about her.

  "Body reading," Kara said. "He'd say something and then watch her close, check out her reactions. That'd tell him a lot about her. Coming on to somebody like that's called 'selling them the medicine.' A really good mentalist can find out all kinds of things just by having an innocent conversation with you."

  "Then when she was gettin' comfortable with him he drugged her and took her to the pond. Dunked her upside down."

  "It was a variation of the Water Torture Cell routine," Kara explained. "Houdini. One of his most famous."

  "And his escape from the pond?" Rhyme asked Sachs.

  "At first I wasn't sure it was him--he'd done a quick change," she said. "His clothes were different and"--a glance at Kara--"his eyebrows too. I couldn't get a look at his hand, to see the fingers. But he distracted me, used ventriloquism. I was looking right at his face--I never saw his lips move."

  Kara said, "I'll bet he picked words that didn't have any b's or m's or p's. Probably no f's or v's either."

  "You're right. I think it was something like, 'Yo, look out, on your right, that guy in the jogging suit's got a gun.' Perfect black dialect." She grimaced. "I looked away--the same direction he looked, like everybody else. Then he set off that flash cotton and I got blinded. He fired the squibs and I thought he was shooting. He got me cold."

  Rhyme saw the disgust in her face. Amelia Sachs reserved her worst anger for herself.

  Kara, though, said, "Don't take it too hard. Hearing's the easiest sensation to fool. We don't use sound illusions much in shows. They're cheap shots."

  Sachs shrugged this reassurance off and continued, "While Roland and I were still blinded from the flash he took off and disappeared, slipped into the crafts fair." Another grimace. "And then I saw him fifteen minutes later--this biker, wearing a Harley shirt. I mean, for God's sake, he was right there in front of me."

  "Man," Kara said, shaking her head, "his coins definitely don't talk."

  "What's that?" Rhyme asked. "Coins?"

  "Oh, an expression magicians use. Literally it means you can't hear any clinking when you do coin tricks but we use it in general when somebody's really good. We'd also say he's got 'tight tricks.' "

  Walking to the whiteboard reserved for the magician profile, she picked up the marker and added to it, commenting, "So, he does close-in and mentalism and even ventriloquism. And animal tricks. We knew he does lock picking--from the second murder--but now we know he's an escapist too. What kind of magic doesn't he do?"

  As Rhyme leaned his head back, watching her write, Thom brought a large envelope into the room.

  He handed it to Bell. "For you."

  "Whatsis?" the Tarheel detective asked, pulling the contents out and reading them. He nodded slowly as he read. "This's the report on the follow-up search at Grady's office. The one you asked Peretti to run. You mind taking a gander, Lincoln?"

  The curt note on top read: LR--As requested.--VP.

  Rhyme read through the details of the report, Thom flipping the page for him with every stern nod. The CS techs had completed a thorough inventory of t
he secretary's office and had identified and mapped out all the footprints in the room, exactly as Rhyme had asked. He read this carefully several times, closing his eyes and picturing the scene.

  Then he turned to the complete analysis of the fibers that'd been found. Most of the white ones were a polyester/rayon blend. Some were attached to a thick cotton fiber--also white. Most were dull and dirty. The black fibers were wool.

  "Mel, what do we think about the black ones there?"

  The tech scooted off his stool and examined the images. "Photo work isn't the best," he said. After a moment he concluded, "From some tight weave, twilled fabric."

  "Gabardine?" Rhyme asked.

  "Can't tell without a bigger sample to see the diagonal. But I'll go with gabardine."

  Rhyme read down the page and learned that the single red fiber found in the office was satin. "Okay, okay," he mused, closing his eyes and digesting everything he'd read.

  The criminalist asked Cooper, "What do you know about fabric and clothing, Mel?"

  "Not a lot. But if I can quote you, Lincoln, the important question isn't 'What do you know about something?' It's 'Do you know where to find out about it?' And the answer to that is yes, I do."

  THE CONJURER

  Music School Crime Scene

  * Perp's description: Brown hair, fake beard, no distinguishing, medium build, medium height, age: fifties. Ring and little fingers of left hand fused together. Changed costume quickly to resemble old, bald janitor.

  * No apparent motive.

  * Victim: Svetlana Rasnikov.

  * Full-time music student.

  * Checking family, friends, students, coworkers for possible leads.

  * No boyfriends, no known enemies. Performed at children's birthday parties.

  * Circuit board with speaker attached.

  * Sent to FBI lab, NYC.

  * Digital recorder, probably containing perp's voice. All data destroyed.

  * Voice recorder is a "gimmick." Homemade.

  * Used antique iron handcuffs to restrain victim.

  * Handcuffs are Darby irons. Scotland Yard. Checking with Houdini Museum in New Orleans for leads.

  * Destroyed victim's watch at exactly 8:00 A.M.

  * Cotton string holding chairs. Generic. Too many sources to trace.

  * Squib for gunshot effect. Destroyed.

  * Too many sources to trace.

  * Fuse. Generic.

  * Too many sources to trace.

  * Too many sources to trace.

  * Responding officers reported flash in air. No trace material recovered.

  * Was from flash cotton or flash paper.

  * Too many sources to trace.

  * Perp's shoes: size 10 Ecco.

  * Silk fibers, dyed gray, processed to a matte finish.

  * From quick-change janitor's outfit.

  * Unsub is possibly wearing brown wig.

  * Red pignut hickory and Parmelia conspersa lichen, both found primarily in Central Park.

  * Dirt impregnated with unusual mineral oil. Sent to FBI for analysis.

  * Tack-Pure oil for saddles and leather.

  * Black silk, 72 x 48". Used as camouflage. Not traceable.

  * Illusionists use this frequently.

  * Wears caps to cover up prints.

  * Magician's finger cups.

  * Traces of latex, castor oil, makeup.

  * Theatrical makeup.

  * Traces of alginate.

  * Used in molding latex "appliances."

  * Murder weapon: white silk-knit rope with black silk core.

  * Rope is a magic trick. Color changing. Not traceable.

  * Unusual knot.

  * Sent to FBI and Maritime Museum--no information.

  * Knots are from Houdini routines, virtually impossible to untie.

  * Used disappearing ink on sign-in register.

  East Village Crime Scene

  * Victim Two: Tony Calvert.

  * Makeup artist, theater company.

  * No known enemies.

  * No apparent connection with first victim.

  * No apparent motive.

  * Cause of death:

  * Blunt-object trauma to head followed by postmortem dismemberment with crosscut saw.

  * Perp escaped portraying woman in her 70s. Checking vicinity for discarded costume and other evidence.

  * Nothing recovered.

  * Watch smashed at 12:00 exactly.

  * Pattern? Next victim presumably at 4:00 P.M.

  * Perp hid behind mirror. Not traceable. Fingerprints sent to FBI.

  * No matches.

  * Used cat toy ("feke") to lure victim into alley. Toy is untraceable.

  * Additional mineral oil found, same as at first scene. Awaiting FBI report.

  * Tack-Pure oil for saddles and leather.

  * Additional latex and makeup from finger cups.

  * Additional alginate.

  * Ecco shoes left behind.

  * Dog hairs found in shoes, from three different breeds of dog. Manure too.

  * Manure from horses, not dogs.

  Hudson River and Related Crime Scenes

  * Victim: Cheryl Marston.

  * Attorney.

  * Divorced but husband not a suspect.

  * No motive.

  * Perp gave name as "John." Had scars on neck and chest. Deformed hand confirmed.

  * Perp did quick change to unbearded businessman in chinos and dress shirt, then biker in denim Harley shirt.

  * Car is in Harlem River. Perp presumably escaped.

  * Duct tape gag. Can't be traced.

  * Squibs, same as before. Can't be traced.

  * Chains and snap fixtures, generic, not traceable.

  * Rope, generic, not traceable.

  * Additional makeup, latex and Tack-Pure.

  * Gym bag, made in China, not traceable. Containing:

  * Traces of date rape drug flunitrazepam.

  * Adhesive magician's wax, not traceable.

  * Brass (?) shavings. Sent to FBI.

  * Permanent ink, black.

  * Navy-blue windbreaker found, no initials or laundry marks. Containing: * Press pass for CTN cable network, issued to Stanley Saferstein. (He's not suspect--NCIC, VICAP search negative.) * Plastic hotel key card, American Plastic Cards, Akron, Ohio. Model APC-42, negative on prints.

  * CEO is searching for sales records.

  * Dets. Bedding and Saul canvassing hotels.

  * Restaurant check from Riverside Inn, Bedford Junction, NY, indicating four people ate lunch, table 12, Saturday, two weeks prior. Turkey, meatloaf, steak, daily special. Soft drinks. Staff doesn't know who diners were. (Accomplices?) * Alley where Conjurer was arrested.

  * Picked the cuff locks.

  * Saliva (picks hidden in mouth).

  * No blood type determined.

  * Small razor saw for getting out of restraints (also hidden in mouth).

  * No indication of Officer Burke's whereabouts.

  * Harlem River scene:

  * No evidence, except skid marks in mud.

  Profile as Illusionist

  * Perp will use misdirection against victims and in eluding police.

  * Physical misdirection (for distraction).

  * Psychological (to eliminate suspicion).

  * Escape at music school was similar to Vanished Man illusion routine. Too common to trace.

  * Perp is primarily an illusionist.

  * Talented at sleight of hand.

  * Also knows protean (quick change) magic. Will use breakaway clothes, nylon and silk, bald cap, finger cups and other latex appliances. Could be any age, gender or race.

  * Calvert's death = Selbit's Cutting a Woman in Half routine.

  * Proficient at lock picking (possibly lock "scrubbing").

  * Knows escapism techniques.

  * Experience with animal illusions.

  * Used mentalism to get information on victim.

  * Used sleight of hand to drug her.<
br />
  * Tried to kill third victim with Houdini escape. Water Torture Cell.

  * Ventriloquism.

  Chapter Twenty-two

  Harry Houdini was renowned for his escapism but in fact there were many great escapists who preceded him and many who were his contemporaries.

  What set Houdini apart from all the others was a simple addition to his act: the challenge. A major part of his show involved an invitation to anyone in the town where he was appearing to challenge Houdini to escape from a device or location that the challenger himself provided--maybe a local policeman's own handcuffs or a cell in the town lockup.

  It was this competitive, man-versus-man element of performing that made Houdini great. He thrived on these challenges.

  And so do I, Malerick now thought, walking into his apartment after his escape from the Harlem River and a bit of reconnaissance work. But he was still badly shaken up by the events that afternoon. When he'd been performing regularly, before the fire, there was often an element of danger in the routines. Real danger. His mentor had beaten into him that if there was no risk how could you possibly hope to engage your audience? There was no sin worse to Malerick than boring those who'd come to be entertained by you. But what a series of challenges this particular act had turned out to be; the police were far better than he'd expected. How had they anticipated that he'd target the woman at the riding academy? And where he was going to drown her? Trapping him in the crafts fair then finding him in the Mazda, chasing him again--getting so close that he'd had to send the car into the river and get away in a very narrow escape. Challenges were one thing--but he was now feeling paranoid. He wanted to do more preparation for his next routine but he decided to stay in his apartment until the last minute.

  Besides, there was something else that he needed to do now. Something for himself--not for his revered audience. He drew the shades of his apartment and placed a candle on the mantelpiece, next to a small inlaid wooden box. He struck a match and lit the candle. Then sat on the rough cloth of the cheap sofa. He controlled his breathing. Inhaled slowly, exhaled.

  Slowly, slowly, slowly. . . .

  Concentrating on the flame, drifting into a meditation.

  Throughout its history the art of magic has been divided into two schools. First, there are the sleight-of-hand artists, the prestidigitators, the jugglers, the illusionists--people who entertain their audiences with dexterity and physical skill.

  The second school of magic is far more controversial: the practice of the occult. Even in this scientific era some practitioners contend that they actually possess supernatural powers to read minds and move objects mentally, predict the future and communicate with spirits.