The Killing Hands (11 page)

Petrov writes it down in his notebook. “I'll e-mail the file through as soon as it comes in.” He looks up. “And take Agent Kim when you visit Mee. It might help to have a fellow Korean-American there.”

“Great idea.” I give Agent Kim a little nod and she smiles.

Petrov moves to Ramos. “Where are you at?”

“I've got Singapore Airlines calling me back today. Call's scheduled for ten-thirty.”

“Anything else?”

“Lab. We should have the final fingerprints lifted from the fence, bricks, mortar and loose bits of wood that were found around the body. Hopefully we'll have some prints other than the victim's that I can follow up, maybe even an AFIS match.”

“Okay.” Petrov looks up at De Luca, Kim and Williams. “I want you three to spend the morning going over the case file. Then you can team up with Anderson on the victimology, Kim. And De Luca and Williams can join me.” He turns to Ramos and me. “The three of us are going to concentrate on possible scenarios. We need to have a closer look at who might be behind the hit and why they targeted Saito. Then we can project the potential repercussions.”

De Luca, Kim and Williams all accept their assignments with a nod.

Petrov lays his pen down. “Any questions?”

We all shake our heads.

“Okay, I'll leave you three here to work on the file.” He looks at Ramos. “Detective Ramos, you okay with working from a spare desk here?”

“Sure.”

“What about you, Anderson?”

“I'll head downstairs for the moment, if that's okay. I've got everything set up at my desk.”

Petrov nods. “Okay, but I'll get two workstations set up here. Going forward, we should be together, and it'll be useful to be working alongside the rest of the Gang Impact Team so we can easily pass on information. Particularly if this case takes a while.”

Back on the twelfth floor, I move quickly to my desk, barely stopping for a sociable nod as I pass my colleagues. Even Melissa and Mercedes only get a few seconds out of me. I want to talk to Mee at her school. Maybe interviewing her in a different environment will reap rewards. Certainly the FBI showing up at your workplace can be embarrassing, or at the very least dramatic. It might work to our advantage, with Mee wanting to give us more information just to get us out of there.

Once my computer's fired up, I open up the ViCAP database and type my first set of parameters into the search boxes. This time I leave the MO and cause of death blank, focusing on the victim characteristics.

 

State: All

Victim race: Asian

Victim sex: Male

Victim age: 20–60

MO: Unknown

Signature: Unknown

Timeframe: Last 10 years

Keywords: Organized crime, gangs

 

I keep the victim age range large, wanting to cast a wide net, but the keywords will help narrow down the search.
After about a minute, the ViCAP software comes back to me with one hundred matches. So we're probably talking every Asian male killed in the past ten years who had ties or suspected ties to organized crime or gangs. It's a large result, but not too overwhelming. I scan through the summary information for my first page of results. At page ten, I decide caffeine is in order. I don't want to take the time out for a trip to the Westwood Village Starbucks for my favored caramel macchiato, so I settle with coffee from the floor's kitchen.

I resume the search with fresh eyes and a cup of brewed coffee in hand. It's not until I hit the seventy-sixth result that I find something that intrigues me. In New York in 2004, a high-ranking gang member by the name of Li Chow was killed. His face had been badly beaten, but the cause of death was asphyxiation. Saito also showed signs of asphyxiation, even though it wasn't the cause of death. I click on the entry to see the full case details the New York cops entered into the system. They've taken the time to fill out most of the standard ViCAP questionnaire, and uploaded photos, so I'm working on a solid ViCAP entry, which is great.

When the first photo comes up, I'm shocked by his facial injuries. The man's cheekbones and eye sockets have been so badly smashed that his eyes are no longer contained by his bone structures. Rather, they hang over his face, connected only by the optic nerve. Even though the wounds are different to Saito's, the forensic pathologist was unable to determine what sort of weapon was used in the beating, just as in our case. Nor was he able to make an exact determination on what caused the asphyxiation, with no sign of strangulation. I look at the photo again, with a mixture of repulsion and curiosity. The damage to the facial bones is catastrophic. Yet the forensic pathologist noted the bruising was extremely localized as if maybe the damage was done with only one or two strikes, not repeated blows to the face.

Then it hits me—break the face, take the breath away…kung fu's Ten Killing Hands.

Oh, no.

I
sit back in my chair and shake my head, processing the validity of my hypothesis. The Ten Killing Hands are a set of strikes developed by Wong Fei Hung in China as the most effective killing strikes. It boils down to ten principles: strike the eyes; stop the breath; break the face; explode the ears; crush the groin; twist the tendons; break the fingers; dislocate the joints; break the elbow; attack the nerve points. It's nasty, but effective. And, in the hands of a trained practitioner, deadly.

One of the strikes used to break the face is the Double Back-fist targeted directly below the eyes—the aim is to blind your opponent by shattering their eye sockets so their eyeballs literally collapse over their face structure. Another option is a direct strike to the eyeballs, which usually causes permanent blindness. I look again at the photo of the New York victim, Li Chow—it fits.

And then we have the principle of taking the breath away, something that can be done in several ways. One of the Ten Killing Hands is the Dan Gwai, in which the attacker stops the blood flow to the brain by squeezing the neck and then dislocates or breaks the neck. In Jun Saito's case, there was no dislocation or break in the neck, but the killer may have used a tiger strike to literally rip his throat out, after he'd already blocked the blood flow along the carotid artery.

If I'm right, we're looking at a kung fu master, someone who's skilled enough and creative enough to adapt the Ten Killing Hands. He's deadly, and while his performance at the Little Tokyo scene tells us he's relatively skilled with a gun, he has no need for a weapon. He can kill in many different ways with his bare hands.

A small snippet of my dream from last night comes back…I was fighting someone trained in kung fu. Perhaps in the dream I was Jun Saito. Did Saito know any martial arts? He could have taken up his native tae kwon do or karate in honor of his Japanese heritage. In the dream I was punched in the ribs, and Saito's rib was broken.

I bring my focus back to the killer…someone who's trained in kung fu to an extremely high level—at least first or second dan, and probably sifu stage. Another idea pops into my head. Hollywood's just around the corner—we could be talking about someone who's a stunt double or even a choreographer on set. I punch Petrov's cell number into my landline, but then hang up before it rings. It's too early to run this by Petrov, or anyone else for that matter. I need to make sure this isn't a coincidence and the best way to do that is to search ViCAP again, this time focusing on injuries that would be present if someone was using the Ten Killing Hands. More matches would substantiate my theory enough to present it to Petrov.

I start the new search, this time searching only on cause of death and injuries. I start with the first of the Ten Killing Hands, the Side Tiger Claw. In this technique the throat is crushed and the eyes are poked simultaneously. Out of the twenty matches I get, only one looks related—the 2004 murder in Chicago of Shen Chan. After I've printed out the full details of Chan's murder, I move on to the next technique, the Double Back-fist. The technique is used to severely damage the opponent, to soften them up for the kill. It's obviously something our killer could use to his advantage whenever he wanted, but Li Chow is the only result that matches the injuries a victim would sustain from this type of strike.

Next I search for indications of the Heaven Piercing Fist. This time I get two matches, one from 1996 and New York, and one from here in L.A. in 2002. To my shock, I notice that the New York victim survived, even though he also suffered one of the other Ten Killing Hands, the Tiger Leopard Fist, which bursts an opponent's eardrums. The 2002 L.A. victim, Bao Tran, had two cracked ribs and a ruptured spleen. I print out both files and, despite my excitement about maybe finding a victim who lived to tell the tale, I put the files aside to continue with the search. I can't afford to get sidetracked, not when I've got so much to do before visiting Mee this afternoon.

The Hungry Tiger Catches the Lamb is next on my list. The injuries would vary greatly for this strike, as it can be used on the groin, the face or as a way to gouge out the victim's eyes. While ViCAP returns some results, I decide they're not in line with the Ten Killing Hands, so I move on.

The Angry Tiger Descends the Mountain targets the opponent's elbow, delivering a crushing blow to dislocate or permanently crush this vulnerable joint. Like the Heaven Piercing Fist and Double Back-fist, it's used to soften the opponent for the next set of strikes and to inflict permanent damage rather than to kill. Two of the victims I've found to date had this injury—the 2004 New York victim and the 2004 Chicago victim—and a new ViCAP search brings back one more match from 1998. I'm about to check the entry when my phone rings. I'm annoyed by the interruption, but can't let it ring out.

“Anderson.”

“Hey, it's Ramos. I just heard back from Sam Gould. The DNA on the cigarette butt matched the victim's, Jun Saito.”

“Damn. It would have been nice to have the perp's DNA.”

“Real nice.” Ramos sighs. “What you working on?”

“I'm searching ViCAP for similar attacks.”

“And?”

“Not much so far.” I'm still not ready to go public with the theory. I really need to do a detailed analysis of the files
and autopsy results first. “I better get back to it. Speak to you later?”

“Sure.”

I hang up and go back to my ViCAP screen and the Angry Tiger Descends the Mountain. The additional victim I've found is from San Francisco. However, the cause of death was cardiac arrest. I put this file with the 1996 New York victim's file for closer examination, they may not be related to our hit man.

The next technique is translated as the Squeeze and Crush; the victim's blood supply is cut off at the neck and then a twist of the hand breaks the victim's neck. One match comes back from 2000 in Chicago, and the victim was tagged as having links to the Yakuza. A grumble of my stomach breaks my concentration and a glance at my watch confirms it's well and truly past my usual lunch hour. The day's running away from me. I duck out to the Federal Café at our building's entrance and grab a tuna sandwich, which I gobble down at my desk while I keep typing. I resume the search with the seventh Killing Hand, called the Reincarnation of the Fulfilled Crane. In this strike, your hand forms a beaklike shape and you strike at your opponent's eyes. In ViCAP, I search for major eye damage, but the results are all ones that have come up previously.

The next technique is translated into Monkey Steals the Peach, and is another hard-hitting but nonlethal technique. The idea is to grab on to your opponent and twist their digits or limbs to the breaking point. Nothing in the ViCAP database looks likely.

The ninth of the Ten Killing Hands is called Double Flying Butterfly, and is used to dislocate or break the tailbone, the coccyx. I get one match, this time from 2001 in Philadelphia. The victim's name is obviously Italian and I can't help but wonder if he's a mobster. I scan through the case file and soon come across the magic word
Mafia
. I print out all his details before moving on to the final Killing Hand, the Tiger Leopard Fist. For the ViCAP search I type in burst eardrums as the injury. In Tiger Leopard Fist, you
slap both hands on the opponent's ears. The hands are slightly cupped, and the striking points are the palms, a blow that bursts the eardrums and leaves your opponent disorientated and in pain. I've practiced this strike in kung fu as a defense against a front bear hug when my hands are still free. In real life, an attacker might pick me up to throw me into a car. The Tiger Leopard Fist would hurt them enough that they'd release their grip, allowing me to either escape or counterattack.

I get four hits on burst eardrums. Two of them involve only one eardrum—in both cases the forensic pathologists hypothesized that the injury occurred during a fight. But with only one, we're looking at a regular punch, not a Killing Hand. The other two look plausible—one from 2007 in San Diego and the 1996 New York victim who survived. While the 2007 San Diego file prints out, I look at the collection of cases on my desk. I think I have enough for Petrov now. I dial his cell, not bothering with his extension in case he's not at his desk.

“FBI, Petrov.”

“Hey, it's Anderson. I've got something.”

“Shoot.”

“In kung fu there's something called the Ten Killing Hands. They're basically ten different strikes that someone skilled in kung fu can use to severely disable or kill their opponent. I think Jun Saito was killed using an adaptation of one of these strikes and I've found quite a few other victims in ViCAP that match, too.”

“Go on.” Petrov's all ears.

“One of the ten principles is to take your opponent's breath away. Some of the strikes simply wind the opponent, allowing you to dominate and then kill them with other strikes, but some are enough to kill.”

“One strike?”

“If it's done right, yeah. Like Saito.”

“Damn.”

“Uh-huh.”

“And Saito's throat wound? Take me through it.”

“It would be easier to demonstrate in person, but I'll try to talk you through it. Hold your hand out, but bend the top half of your fingers so they're flush against the bottom part of your fingers.”

“Yup.”

“Now spread your hand out a little, making the gap between your thumb and index finger as wide as possible.”

“Okay.”

“They should almost be at right angles, forming an L-shape.”

“Gotcha.”

“Now imagine that hand shape strikes Saito's throat, then squeezes on either side, targeting the carotid artery to block the blood supply to his brain. The killer then retracts his hand, strikes again, but this time it's a hard and fast strike, and he grabs the skin and muscle on either side of the neck, tearing out Saito's throat.”

“Ouch.”

“Uh-huh.”

“And the broken rib?”

“Again, that fits perfectly. The technique our killer would have used is called Piercing Heaven Fist.” I use the English translation. “It's basically a strike to the floating ribs. It steals their breath away, and breaks a rib…or two.”

“Okay. What else you got?” I'm not sure if Petrov isn't convinced, or if he just wants me to cut to the chase. I go with the latter and read out the victims' names and the cities in which the murders took place. When I get to the 2004 murder of Li Chow in New York, Petrov interrupts.

“Li Chow? Really?”

“You've heard of him?”

“He was the number two in New York's Hip Sing Association. It was huge news, Anderson.” Petrov seems shocked that I don't know the case.

“I was in Australia in 2004. I'm afraid it didn't make the news, or the law-enforcement rounds there.”

“Of course…sorry. I forget sometimes.”

“Guess my accent's softening.”

He gives a little laugh. “Maybe.” He pauses. “Okay. Leave this with me. I need to let it sink in. Could be the hits are only related by the killer, and not the underlying employer, but I need to cover all bases.”

“Is it possible our guy works in Hollywood? As a kung fu consultant, stunt man or the like.”

“Possible. But my time in organized crime tells me that if they're hitting someone big, they fly in the killer.”

“I see.”

“Are you ready to brief the others on this?”

“Not yet.” I chew on my bottom lip. “I really need to take a closer look at the autopsy reports, and I'd like to touch base with my kung fu teacher, too. Just to triple-check a few things.” I want to run my hypothesis past someone who knows more about kung fu and the strikes than I do.

“Tomorrow morning?”

“That should be okay.” I still want to speak to Mee Kim today, but I can call Sifu Lee tonight and go through all the files in detail then, too.

“Let's make it nine. Then you can brief everyone on the Ten Killing Hands and these ViCAP results.”

“Sure. One other thing, sir.”

“Yes?”

“The 1996 victim, Corey Casey…he survived.”

“What?”

“I know…but I can't be sure it's related, especially given he wasn't killed.”

“Well, let's make sure before we contact New York and start asking the cops there questions,” Petrov says.

“Yes, sir. I'll have an answer for you tomorrow morning.”

Did Corey Casey survive the Ten Killing Hands? And if he did, was he meant to for some reason?