generation after generation just below our surface level.
Fred then shifted his thoughts to the bank robbery. He wondered for a moment if he, like political test audiences, was somehow being manipulated. Perhaps he had been intentionally exposed to a selective slice of the truth, constructed to drive him in a pre-planned direction. No, he thought; that is much too complicated a possibility. The solution has to be much simpler than that.
* * *
Arriving back at the station, Fred learned that Slivers was still maintaining his innocence. His lawyer had arrived and was monitoring all interrogations. Fred suspected that his lawyer must be having a hard time developing a defense that would reconcile the clash between witness testimonies and Sliver’s unwavering declaration of innocence.
Fred walked by the police artist’s room where the frustrated ticket taker was feebly trying to provide details of the facial makeup of the theater killer.
“How’s it going?” Fred asked the artist.
The artist didn’t look up from his sketch. “Not good, I’m afraid; we’re working on it, but I wouldn’t expect too much.”
Officers returning from the theater reported they found no one who had seen where the assailant went after he left the theater. All in all, the news was pretty bad.
Fred gathered the chief and Jim, and entered the conference room for the bank video viewing. The chief ordered that Paul be included in the viewing. Fred did not relish Paul’s presence, but determined that it was not worth his dwindling energy to battle with his chief. He knew that future conflicts would be unavoidable; but as the new kid on the block, Fred wanted to delay that day as long as humanly possible. Perhaps in the interim he would develop more credibility with his chief.
The video was not at all clear, but they could see Slivers as he first entered though the bank doors. Fred thought, with all the high definition systems now available, why couldn’t bank security systems get up to speed? However, even from the blurry film, it was obvious that Slivers’ suit jacket was bulging on the right side. Slowly pacing himself, Slivers walked a few feet into the marbled lobby in the direction of the tellers’ cages. Suddenly, Slivers became highly animated. He had some sort of interaction with a woman who was on her way out of the bank. The video was silent, but it was obvious that she had responded with some type of comparable social amenity. In the next few frames, there was no hint of future blood letting.
Suddenly Slivers pulled out a semi automatic weapon from his suit coat and immediately started firing. The video vividly displayed bright bursts of gunfire as multiple victims dropped simultaneously. Slivers started firing on the left side of the lobby, first killing the bank’s security guard and then proceeding to mow down bank customers in line at the tellers’ stations. Now he was slowly, and seemingly systematically, revolving his blasts around the room.
To Slivers’ extreme right, just beyond Slivers’ peripheral vision, a large man started to exit the front door of the bank. A moment later, seizing the opportunity, a much smaller man left from the same door. Fred recognized the two as those that had run into him on the sidewalk. Since neither of the men had any interaction with Slivers, it was pretty clear that they had taken no part in the slaughter.
Slivers appeared oblivious to the escape of the two and continued firing. When he had turned almost fully to his right, he stopped firing and froze for a second. At the next instant, he looked at the gun in his hand and threw it down hard on the marble floor. Chunks of large black marble fragments scattered from the impact. Inexplicably, Slivers immediately slumped to the floor. Several frames later, behind him, in the background, the camera picked up Fred entering the bank. The rest of the video displayed what Fred had already noted from his personal
Fred then shifted his thoughts to the bank robbery. He wondered for a moment if he, like political test audiences, was somehow being manipulated. Perhaps he had been intentionally exposed to a selective slice of the truth, constructed to drive him in a pre-planned direction. No, he thought; that is much too complicated a possibility. The solution has to be much simpler than that.
* * *
Arriving back at the station, Fred learned that Slivers was still maintaining his innocence. His lawyer had arrived and was monitoring all interrogations. Fred suspected that his lawyer must be having a hard time developing a defense that would reconcile the clash between witness testimonies and Sliver’s unwavering declaration of innocence.
Fred walked by the police artist’s room where the frustrated ticket taker was feebly trying to provide details of the facial makeup of the theater killer.
“How’s it going?” Fred asked the artist.
The artist didn’t look up from his sketch. “Not good, I’m afraid; we’re working on it, but I wouldn’t expect too much.”
Officers returning from the theater reported they found no one who had seen where the assailant went after he left the theater. All in all, the news was pretty bad.
Fred gathered the chief and Jim, and entered the conference room for the bank video viewing. The chief ordered that Paul be included in the viewing. Fred did not relish Paul’s presence, but determined that it was not worth his dwindling energy to battle with his chief. He knew that future conflicts would be unavoidable; but as the new kid on the block, Fred wanted to delay that day as long as humanly possible. Perhaps in the interim he would develop more credibility with his chief.
The video was not at all clear, but they could see Slivers as he first entered though the bank doors. Fred thought, with all the high definition systems now available, why couldn’t bank security systems get up to speed? However, even from the blurry film, it was obvious that Slivers’ suit jacket was bulging on the right side. Slowly pacing himself, Slivers walked a few feet into the marbled lobby in the direction of the tellers’ cages. Suddenly, Slivers became highly animated. He had some sort of interaction with a woman who was on her way out of the bank. The video was silent, but it was obvious that she had responded with some type of comparable social amenity. In the next few frames, there was no hint of future blood letting.
Suddenly Slivers pulled out a semi automatic weapon from his suit coat and immediately started firing. The video vividly displayed bright bursts of gunfire as multiple victims dropped simultaneously. Slivers started firing on the left side of the lobby, first killing the bank’s security guard and then proceeding to mow down bank customers in line at the tellers’ stations. Now he was slowly, and seemingly systematically, revolving his blasts around the room.
To Slivers’ extreme right, just beyond Slivers’ peripheral vision, a large man started to exit the front door of the bank. A moment later, seizing the opportunity, a much smaller man left from the same door. Fred recognized the two as those that had run into him on the sidewalk. Since neither of the men had any interaction with Slivers, it was pretty clear that they had taken no part in the slaughter.
Slivers appeared oblivious to the escape of the two and continued firing. When he had turned almost fully to his right, he stopped firing and froze for a second. At the next instant, he looked at the gun in his hand and threw it down hard on the marble floor. Chunks of large black marble fragments scattered from the impact. Inexplicably, Slivers immediately slumped to the floor. Several frames later, behind him, in the background, the camera picked up Fred entering the bank. The rest of the video displayed what Fred had already noted from his personal
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