The Esther Code Read online

  There is a half-eaten bowl of popcorn sitting next to the kitchen sink. A wine glass and a drinking glass sit randomly on the counters.

  “Thanks a lot,” Jamie whispers. She leaves the kitchen and heads to the bedroom.

  Before she even makes it down the hallway, she can hear Chris’ snoring. She enters her bedroom and swiftly changes into her pajamas, all the while watching Chris skeptically as he continues to snore. Jamie stands in the bathroom doorway looking sourly at her bed.

  Her decision to sleep on the couch is made when she hears another loud snore from Chris. She heads to the living room and curls up on the sofa.

  Chapter 27

  Jamie arrives in the conference room early. Within minutes, she has her presentation ready to go. Joey Hughes and Phil Clark come in talking about March Madness. Fredericks and Thompson arrive right at eight o’clock.

  With a polite glance at those seated, Jamie jumps right in.

  “Great. Thanks for coming. I have visited all of the murder scenes. I am going to present the data in the chronological order of the murders. The first victim lived in Schenectady and was found in front of the Post Office in Salem.” She quickly scrolls through several pictures that provide a panoramic view of the road, forests, and post office.

  “As you can see, this is a very secluded spot. No one lives nearby, and there were no witnesses whatsoever. The Sheriff’s Department in Salem, which has jurisdiction over the small hamlet of Shushan, suspects the killer used some boards to make a ramp and dump the body without leaving any footprints in the dirt. It also rained after the perp left the body.”

  Jamie moves on. “The second murder took place in a nursing home in Abilene, Texas. As you can see, this is not the place a serial killer heads to find a victim. It’s full of staff and people. The victim’s room was not at the end of the hallway, near the exits, but close to the nursing station instead. He was clearly not a random victim.

  “This is a video recording from the nursing home in Abilene. As you can see, here is the perp signing in. Note the wide-brimmed hat shielding her face. She is using her left hand. Note the lace gloves. And here she is leaving. She was in the nursing home for about fifty minutes. No crime was committed during that time. Here is the footage of her returning. The receptionist that day says the woman forgot her cell phone and wanted to run and get it. In seven minutes, she returns—the murder was done then.”

  “So what is the gender of the perp?” Thompson interjects with a frown.

  “Although dressed as a female, I am certain that the murderer is male. Here is a picture of the perp’s signature,” Jamie explains, as the next slide comes on the screen, showing the name Esther Shushan. “The name is significant, and I will address that in a moment. It looks like it could have been written by a right-handed person, using their left hand. It is easy to see that the handwriting matches the name ‘Simon W.’ that was left in Illinois. I am convinced that the woman in Abilene is the same perp. He knew right where the cameras were, so he could avoid a direct shot; he wore a wide hat and gloves to cover his face and man-hands.

  “Third. This next set of pictures is from New Orleans, the Bywater neighborhood. These homes are practically built on top of each other. There are plenty of prying eyes, and, in fact, a neighbor did see the killer, but thought nothing of it because the perp was dressed as a pizza delivery guy. The witness said it was dark, and he only thought he saw a black man. We are dealing with a person who spares no details in his disguises, down to the beat-up car. Note that this is the murder Kim Hammond from Research found. It was not in our original presentation. The police attributed this to some sort of gang initiation, as it appeared so random. The perp actually spoke to the wife, who was in another room, and said that her husband was having a heart attack and instructed her to call 9-1-1. He then said he was going to go get help. This kept her from screaming while he was getting away. He is clearly very clever.

  “Fourth. The next set of slides shows the home in Flint, Michigan. If you recall, this victim was found the next day, by the cleaning lady.”

  “Fifth. A week and a half ago.” She continues to the next set of slides, which show the inside of the Crestwood Assisted Living Center. “This assisted living facility has a full staff, and even requires visitors to sign in with their names and times of arrival. He signed in as ‘Simon W.’, with no time. The victim’s room is again in the middle of the corridor, not near any exits. There are many residents roaming the hallways at all hours. Again, these murders are not crimes of opportunity.”

  “What about the most recent murder?” Fredericks asks, interrupting Jamie.

  “Sixth. Tuesday. Atlanta, Georgia.” Jamie advances the slide presentation with the shots taken from the Rossi house. “His home is very secluded. This was the first scene that afforded the perp some cover. I’ve talked with all of the detectives, and the files have essentially gone cold. Nothing was stolen or missing from any crime scene.”

  Clicking to the next slide, Jamie continues, “Here is a report prepared by the analysts. I had them check flight arrivals in each of the cities three days before and after looking for similarities of passengers, and nothing was found.”

  “Is it possible the perp could be driving across the U.S.?” Phil inquires, holding up a hand.

  “That is entirely possible. Now, let’s go over the newest victim. Martin Rossi, age eighty-nine, found dead in his home three days ago. His wife returned from her once-a-week water aerobics class and discovered her husband's dead body in the living room right off of the entryway.” Jamie brings up the next slide. On the screen behind her are the pictures of Martin Rossi, post mortem, and a few pictures of the crime scene in the home.

  “The Coroner in Atlanta believes the perp to be right-handed and under six feet tall, based on the wound on the victim,” Jamie adds before she clicks over to the next slide.

  The slide shows a close-up of the flower arrangement sitting in the middle of the side table near the front door. “The perp gained access to the home by posing as a flower deliveryman. A note was found that was similar to the others, but this one had the following on the reverse side.”

  Fools

  Behaving

  Irresponsibly

  Fredericks’s expression does not change. Moving along, Jamie comments, “This taunt only adds to the fact that this perp thinks he will not be caught.”

  The next slide shows pictures of the footprints on the freshly-vacuumed carpet.

  “One significant finding is these footprints, discovered at the scene of the crime. Forensics tells us the shoe is a size twelve, men’s Converse All Stars. From the tread marks, we know that the shoes are new and that the perp tends to walk on the balls of his feet.”

  A photo of the wound on Mr. Rossi’s neck appears on the screen.

  “According to the Medical Examiner, Rossi was killed from asphyxiation by a ten-gauge wire ligature, just like all of the others.”

  The next slide is the picture of the note. Jamie looks around at the small group, preparing to explain her discovery. She takes a moment to gather herself, then says, “Thus far, the notes have been a mystery. After some research, I’ve discovered that the words here,” Jamie points, “comprise a phonetic spelling of a name from the Bible, from the book of Esther. The names are probably chopped into pieces just to make them harder to decipher. Taking out the space, each name on the notes matches the name of one of the sons of Haman. The names are assigned chronologically to the murders.”

  “Haman?” Fredericks echoes doubtfully.

  “He was the enemy of the Jews in the Biblical story of Esther. His ten sons were all hanged, and each of their names is listed in the Bible,” Jamie answers, putting the next slide up on the screen.

  pars hon dota Parshandata

  dol fon Dolphon

  a spat a Aspata

  por ot ha Porata

  Adalia

  Aridata

  parmo sh ta Parmashta

  Ari Sai Arisai
>
  Displayed is a close-up of the book of Esther with the verse containing the names of Haman’s sons. The next slides pop up next to the names, each one coordinating with notes found near the victims. “As you can see here, the names match almost perfectly,” Jamie points out. “And he skipped two names. I’m going to look into why the names Adalia and Aridata may have been skipped. It is possible that they weren’t skipped and that we are still missing some victims. As soon as we are done here, I’m going to start research to find out if there are more murders.”

  “Interesting,” Thompson says.

  “What about the initials on the notes?” Fredericks asks.

  “Honestly, I still have no idea what the initials on the notes mean. I am still researching those as well.”

  Jamie moves on to the next slide, which shows side-by-side images of the post office with “Shushan” written in white letters, and the sign-in sheet with “Esther Shushan” written on it. “On an interesting note, there are two murders where the name Shushan comes up. Shushan is the city in which the book of Esther takes place. The book of Esther chronicles the Jewish holiday of Purim, which is a festival in the early spring. Three of our murders took place on Purim. So we have the names of the ten sons of Haman from the book of Esther; we have Shushan and Esther Shushan, both from the book of Esther; and we have some of the murders occurring on the Jewish holiday of Purim, which is celebrated in the book of Esther. It seems obvious that the perp is trying to make a statement.

  “The other two murders occurred on another, lesser-known Jewish holiday called Hoshana Raba. It is some sort of minor judgment day.”

  “So does this point to a Jewish killer?” Fredericks asks without emotion.

  “It might be. There is more to consider here, sir. I uncovered some crucial information when speaking to our last victim’s wife.”

  The next slide that comes up on the screen is a black-and-white picture of a young man in a Nazi uniform, his arm wrapped around a young girl.

  “Martin Rossi was a former Nazi soldier stationed at Auschwitz in 1943. His real name was Stefan Kleiss,” Jamie informs the group. “He changed his name in Italy and then moved to Brazil. It was from Brazil that he and his wife immigrated to the United States.”

  Fredericks gives her a thoughtful frown, looking carefully at the old picture. Phil subtly glances over at Fredericks, then at Thompson. Jamie also pauses, letting the information sink in.

  “I am currently tracking down the other victims’ whereabouts during World War II, but I feel confident in saying that we have a Nazi-hunter on our hands.”

  Fredericks says nothing; his expressionless eyes are still staring at the photograph on the screen.

  “A Nazi hunter?” Thompson echoes.

  “I suspect that our perp is, in fact, Jewish, based on the Biblical connections and the Rossi’s Nazi background. Instead of a serial killer, I am convinced that we have a vigilante.”

  “Maybe it is the Mossad or some other organization. What makes you so sure it is an individual vigilante?” Phil proposes, as the others pause to ponder the question.

  “I don’t think the Mossad would leave the cryptic notes or include the other symbolic elements. The perp could, however, be a paid professional hired by a wealthy individual or organization.”

  “Get the background information on the other victims, and discover if they also have Nazi ties of some kind. Otherwise, it could be a coincidence, and the victims are linked in a different way,” Fredericks surmises.

  The group is silent. Jamie senses their astonishment at the connection, their struggle to comprehend the consequences of such a possibility.

  “I will email you all a copy of my presentation,” Jamie concludes, turning off the projector.

  “Good work, Golding,” Fredericks pronounces. “Keep me informed.”

  “Of course,” Jamie agrees. She begins to gather her things together.

  “We have to go public with this,” Fredericks says with a commanding voice. He glances over at Thompson, who gives an ever-so-slight nod of approval. “Let’s see, it is 8:15. I’ll call a press conference for 11:00 A.M. I’ll prepare a statement, and we’ll send out a wire to law enforcement across the country. As always, the exact details of the murders will be withheld, but we could use the help of the public, as well as local law enforcement, to look out for this guy.”

  Jamie and Phil both bob their heads briskly.

  “Jamie, I would like you to attend the press conference. It will be at H.Q. in D.C.

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Great. Now I have to prepare my remarks,” Fredericks states, by way of farewell, as he departs.

  Phil stands up and leans in, saying, “Good work. You wrapped that up all nice like a present.”

  “Thanks,” Jamie smiles.

  “You want to ride together to the press conference?”

  “Great, I’ll drive.”

  Jamie leaves the room. She expected a press conference, but she did not think it would be today, and she certainly did not think she would have less than three hours. Jamie heads back to her office. After putting her things away, she sends an email with her presentation to the group.

  At 10:45 Jamie arrives at the pressroom, where she sees the familiar FBI seal displayed prominently behind a solid mahogany lectern. Even with such little notice, all of the major national news agencies are present: Fox News, CNN, USA Today, MSNBC, and others. Jamie stays off to the side, against the wall. After a few minutes, Phil arrives and takes the position next to the wall directly behind her.

  “Ready for this?” Phil asks, his voice quiet, but still audible in the noisy room.

  “Yeah. Except that now I’m going to be inundated with hundreds of leads to filter through.”

  “Maybe it will spook him and cause him to slip up. Or maybe he’ll confess to a buddy or something. Sometimes this works to our advantage,” Phil reminds her.

  “I don’t think so. Not this guy.”

  Jamie has already thought of those scenarios, but this guy is not like the usual serial killers. This guy wants the FBI to be looking for him. The result will be hundreds of tips pouring in, and each of them will need to be looked into, no matter how fruitless. Of course, a good tip could break the case for her. Maybe all of those extra eyes will help, but, either way, the perp is too intelligent to be found by just any nosy lady in the neighborhood.

  Phil looks at his watch and remarks, “Fredericks is always right on time.”

  Jamie looks at her cell phone to check the time. At precisely eleven o’clock, Fredericks and Cynthia walk into the room. Fredericks places his notes on the lectern and adjusts the microphone. Cynthia stands to his right and a few feet behind.

  With barely a scan of the eager faces in front of him, Fredericks starts in his formal, no-nonsense manner. He does not even clear his throat.

  “Good morning. Thank you for coming. My name is Howard Fredericks, Special Agent in Charge at the NCAVC at Quantico. The purpose of this press conference is to inform the public and law enforcement agencies at the state, county, and local jurisdictions, of six murders that have taken place over the last two-and-a-half years. The first murder occurred on September 29, 2010, and the most recent occurred on Tuesday of this week. The murders were committed in Schenectady, New York; Abilene, Texas; New Orleans, Louisiana; Flint, Michigan; Harwood Heights, Illinois (which is right outside of Chicago); and the most recent was in Atlanta, Georgia. All six victims were elderly white males with ages ranging from eighty-eight to ninety-four years old. All were strangled with a wire ligature. The murders are likely to have been committed by the same individual or group of individuals. We believe that one perpetrator is a white male in his late twenties or early thirties. We are here today promoting public awareness and soliciting the public’s help in amassing any and all information about these murders and who might be responsible. We deem the perpetrator or perpetrators to be extremely dangerous, and we believe that they pose a serious threat to our communi
ties. Anyone with any information is strongly encouraged to contact their local police department or the FBI, via our online tip center or telephone tip center, 1-800-C-A-L-L-F-B-I.

  “I will not be taking questions right now. We plan on having another press conference in the near future, when we have more facts. Thank you.”

  With his statement read, Fredericks turns and heads toward the door, followed by Cynthia. A roar breaks out from the crowd. Immediately, five or six simultaneous questions are called out to them as they leave. Fredericks does not slow down his gait or even slightly divert his eyes from the door. Jamie admires his steadfastness and focus. She turns to Phil, who merely shrugs his shoulders.

  “My sentiments exactly,” Jamie concurs with a smile as they both make their way out of the pressroom.

  Chapter 28

  Jamie stares blankly at the computer screen in her office.

  Now, with the press conference, and this thing going national, the pressure is really going to be on her to get an arrest. She needs to make the most of her time before she gets inundated with loonies claiming to be the killer.

  Who are you, Simon W.? A serial? A vigilante? A paid professional?

  The buzzing in her mind is so irritating that she needs a diversion before she dives back into the case. She tries her luck at calling Chris, but the phone goes to voicemail. She does not leave a message. By the time Chris calls her back, she will most likely be busy and not want to be disrupted.

  Where do I find a Nazi hunter? Are you alone or part of an organization? Is it revenge, or are you just taking the law into your own hands?

  She Googles “Nazi hunters” and sees several articles about active crusaders. Even today, there are rewards advertised on the Internet for information leading to the arrest of Nazis in hiding. She clicks on the Wikipedia page for “Nazi Hunter” and sees a picture of Simon Wiesenthal.