The fibers turned out to be charcoal-gray carpet. The phony blood was paint. The databases they had access to didn't give any information about either of these materials so he sent the chemical composition analysis and photos down to the FBI, with an urgent request for sourcing.
Then an idea occurred to Rhyme. "Kara," he called, seeing the girl sitting next to Mel Cooper, rolling a quarter over her fingers as she stared at the computer image of a fiber. "Can you help us out with one thing?" "Sure."
"Could you go over to the Cirque Fantastique and find Kadesky? Tell him about the escape and see if there's anything else he can remember about Weir. Any illusions he particularly liked, characters or disguises he kept going back to, what sort of routines he repeated most often.... Anything that'll give us an idea of what he might look like."
"Maybe he's got some old clippings or pictures of Weir in costume," she
suggested, slinging her black-and-white purse over her shoulder. He told her that was a good idea and then returned to the evidence chart, which still stood as testimony to his earlier observation: the more they learned, the less they knew.
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.
. Sold to Erick Weir last month. Sent to Denver P.O. box. No other 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.
. 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 signin 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 (Mfeke") 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 Mjohn." 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.
. 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.
. Consistent with
clockwork mechanism,
possible bomb timer.
. 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.
. Narrowed down to Chelsea Lodge, Beckman and Lanham Arms.
. Hotel is Lanham Arms.
0 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?) 0 Alley where Conjurer was arrested: 0 Picked the cuff locks. 0 Saliva (picks hidden in mouth). 0 No blood type determined. 0 Small razor saw for getting out of restraints (also
hidden in mouth).
0 No indication of Officer Burke's
whereabouts.
0 Report body somewhere on Upper West Side.
0 Harlem River scene:
0 No evidence on riverbank,
except skid marks in mud.
0 Newspaper recovered from
the car. Headlines:
ELECTRICAL BREAKDOWN CLOSES POLICE STATION FOR ALMOST 4 HOURS NEW YORK IN RUNNING FOR GOP CONVENTION
PARENTS PROTEST POOR SECURITY AT GIRLS' SCHOOL MILITIA MURDER PLOT TRIAL OPENS MONDAY
WEEKEND GALA AT MET TO BENEFIT CHARITIES SPRING ENTERTAINMENT FOR KIDS YOUNG AND OLD
GOVERNOR, MAYOR MEET ON NEW WEST SIDE PLAN
Lincoln Rhyme Crime Scene
0 Victim: Lincoln Rhyme.
0 Perp's identity: Erick A. Weir.
0 LKA Las Vegas.
0 Burned in fire in Ohio, three years ago. Hasbro and Keller Brothers Circus. Disappeared after. Thirddegree burns. Producer was Edward Kadesky.
0 Conviction in New Jersey for reckless endangerment. 0 Obsessed with fire. 0 Manic, Referred to "Revered Audience." 0 Performed dangerous tricks. 0 Married to Marie Cosgrove, killed in fire.
0 He hasn't contacted her
family since.
0 Weir's parents dead, no next of kin. 0 No VICAP or NCIC on Weir. 0 Referred to himself as "Wizard of the North."
0 Attacked Rhyme because he
had to stop him before
Sunday afternoon.
0 Eye color-brown. 0 Psychological profile (per Terry Dobyns, NYPD): Revenge motivates him though he may not realize it. He wants to get even. Angry all the time. By killing he takes away some of the pain because of death of his wife, loss of ability to perform.
0 Weir contacted assistants
recently: John Keating and Arthur Loesser, in Nevada. Asking about the fire and people involved with it. Described Weir as crazed, overbearing, manic, dangerous, but brilliant.
0 Killed victims because of what they represented-possibly happy or traumatic moments before the fire.
0 Gasoline-soaked handkerchief, not traceable.
0 Ecco shoes, no trace,
Detention Center Escape Scenes
0 Squibs and bladder from fake wound-homemade, no source.
0 Artificial blood (sugar syrup + red food coloring), fragments of beef bone, gray sponge to simulate brain, real blood, razor knife blade.
0 DOC officer's Glock.
0 Handcuffs.
0 Unsuccessful attempt to clean
up blood.
0 Additional bits of latex and makeup, as at prior scenes.
0 Adhesive wax.
0 Permanent ink, black, similar
to that found earlier.
0 Dried artificial blood (paint), sent to FBI.
0 Carpet fibers, sent to FBI.
Profile as illusionist
0 Perp will use misdirection against victims and in eluding police.
0 Physical misdirection (for distraction).
0 Psychological (to eliminate suspicion).
0 Escape at music school was similar to Vanished Man illusion routine. Too common to trace.
0 Perp is primarily an illusionist. 0 Talented at sleight of hand.
0 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. 0 Calvert's death - Selbit's Cutting a Woman in Half routine.
0 Proficient at lock picking (possibly lock "scrubbing"). 0 Knows escapism techniques. 0 Experience with animal illusions.
...0 Used mentalism to get information on victim.
0 Used sleight of hand to drug her.
0 Tried to kill third victim with
Houdini escape. Water Torture
Cell.
0 Ventriloquism. 0 Razor blades.
0 Familiar with Burning Mirror
routine. Very dangerous, rarely performed now.
The Cirque Fantastique was coming alive, an hour before that night's performance.
Kara walked past the banner of Arlecchino and noticed a police car, which Lincoln Rhyme had ordered to remain after the scare that afternoon. Feeling a camaraderie with them since she herself had been playing cop, she smiled and waved to the officers, who, though they didn't know her, waved back.
No one was taking tickets yet so Kara wandered inside and made her way backstage. She noticed a young man holding a clipboard. An employee pass sat high on his belt like Amelia's gun.
