SECTION 4: CHAPTER II – MEETING THE NEW CHALLENGE
THE RESEARCH and PLANNING
This new challenge would indeed require careful research and planning. To do something wrong, perfectly, fluttering in his thoughts, he began by studying other crimes and mysteries and the how’s and why’s the perpetrators were caught. Things like the type of evidence mistakenly left behind that contributed to the crime being solved, and who the perpetrator was. He also discovered certain types of crimes were more difficult to solve than others. He quickly surmised, a truly perfect crime, would be one that nobody knew a crime had been committed. What a challenge, he had thought. A crime so perfect, no one would suspect any wrongdoing.
Devoting four straight days and nights to his new challenge, he was beginning to feel liberated from the idleness and confusion he was struggling with. He was quickly absorbing everything he needed to know and applying it to his keen mind and logic. His logic was uncanny. It was quick, thorough and proven.
One problem he discovered was the fact he did not possess a criminal mind. How was he to execute this new challenge? Several more days of research had passed when suddenly his logic indicated he should offer his services to a select group of people who did. First, he would devise a way to contact them, offering his services. Next, there needs to be a faultless way for them to contact him, making sure there is no possible way for anything to be traced back to either party. Lastly, he must prove to them, he has the ability to do what he says he can.
His thorough research and newly gained knowledge solved every problem brought to question, as if every criminal, who had ever gotten caught, was there to tell him why.
Using a code in a newspaper entre nous personal column for communicating back and forth, solves the communication issue. Next, the letter of introduction with the offer of his talents, must also be totally untraceable. There could be nothing traceable back to him, or to the group making the request, including a money trail.
The coding part would be fairly simple. The letters, however, will take a bit more thinking because of the postmarks and handling. The concern regarding any money trail, which he had discovered was one of the most common issues for people getting caught, is also easily dealt with. Being financially independent, already addresses the money trail problem. He simply will not solicit any payment for his services. The next and last problem to solve was going to require a lot more thought. How to prove he has the ability to do what he says he can do. He would need to provide proof he had the ability to plan and commit a perfect crime. But in order to provide proof enough to entice a response, he would need to perform an act that was not completely perfect. One that was clearly a crime, committed by him, but was unsolvable.
THE RECIPIENTS
Carefully rechecking every detail of his plan and reassuring himself it was perfect in every way, he decided who to contact. He wanted only to contact those people, or organizations, he believed could offer the best challenges. His top choices were the Cosa Nostra, 'Ndrangheta, Camorra, Sacra Corona Unita, La Stidda, Mafia Capitale, Basilischi, the Bratva, and the O.S.I. He was quite surprised to discover O.S.I.’s existence. The O.S.I. was a secret American Intelligence Agency known only by its initials, and no one seemed to know just what their function was. Unlike the C.I.A., the O.S.I., specialized in covert operations within the United States.
THE OFFER
Completing his outline, he was eager to get things started. The first thing on the list was the letter of introduction. Wearing surgical gloves, he inserted a sheet of paper into the typewriter and began composing the letter.
THE ACTUAL LETTER; Page 1
July 24, 1975
To All Interested Parties,
Although you may surmise what you are about to read, difficult to believe, I assure you after reading the entire letter you will have sufficient evidence supporting all of my statements.
I will perform, without a fee for my services, any criminal act beneficial to your organization. I am capable of performing these requests in such a manner no one would know, or even suspect, a crime has been committed. There would be no evidence of any type, connecting your organization.
The only way to communicate with me will be through the entre nous section, in the New York Times personal column. The code to be used is explained on the next page and the instructions must be followed exactly as written. Any deviation from the instructions will void any request and thus will be ignored.
My proof to you of my abilities, and seriousness of this letter, is straightforward and truly without question. Exactly six days from the date of this letter, I am going to commit a crime. Mark your calendars. It will take place at approximately 2:00 p.m. EST and by noon the next day it will become nationally known. The only other information I will provide identifying my involvement, and proof of my ability, are the initials J & H are involved.
I assure you all necessary precautions have been taken to prevent the tracing of this letter. Any attempt to do so would be futile, and a waste of time.
THE CODE
Page 2
This code must be followed exactly as listed.
List as briefly as possible what it is you want done. Using the New York Times Newspaper, locate and note where the word can be located by section, page number, column number, paragraph and then what number the word is within the paragraph. Be sure to use the exact order as listed. Section, page, column, paragraph and then the number where the word is.
Using the entre nous section of the personal column, always start the post with the heading Hello SG and a keyword of your choice. The keyword should be used for any additional posts related to the same request. Since all requests received are anonymous, it allows me to be able to match the post to the correct requester. A new request, unrelated to a previous one, will require a new keyword.
Example; Hello SG ship, Now the boy is fifteen. e.g. The key word is SHIP and would be used for all posts related to the same request. (Now), which has three letters would indicate section three, (the) identifies page three (boy) would be column three and (is) would be paragraph two. The fifteen, would mean the fifteenth word in the paragraph is the code word. Use only three code words per post. Always use consecutive days for the entire request. They do not have to make sense, or be in any particular order. I will be able to unscramble them.
I will not accept any requests asking for immediate action, or any kind of time frame for completion. Perfection takes time. If for any reason I do not accept the challenge, I will post an uncoded message in the personal section containing the keyword associated with the request; e.g. From SG-ship. Sorry can’t make it. Maybe next time.
If accepted, the message would be; To SG’s Friend - Ship. See you there. A return message with no number indicates the request will be completed in 30 days or less. If any number is included it would indicate how many months it may take to complete the request such as To SG’s Friend - Ship. See you there at 3PM, would mean challenge accepted, and it may take three months to complete. If I don’t receive a response within 48 hours, it will mean you are okay with the time frame.
After typing, addressing and sealing the last letter, he picked up the typewriter and headed to the back yard. He was the last living heir of a secluded country estate he inherited, after a plane accident had taken the lives of his parents and two siblings, who were both young girls. The estate itself had been passed down from generation to generation, starting in the late eighteen hundreds. His great grandparents were immigrants, who over the years evolved from farming, to ranching and eventually manufacturing. During the evolution, the family had filed and owned more than one hundred patents. Although the house itself was somewhat modest, the estate rested on fifty-two acres.
Stopping at one of the outbuildings, he picked up a metal container. Carrying the typewriter and container, he proceeded about fifty yards beyond the shed. Laying the typewriter on the ground, he removed his gloves and placed them on top of the typewriter. Carefully opening the container, he poured some of its content onto the gloves and typewriter and quickly moved away. Almost immediately some thick, black smoke had begun to rise as flames developed, quickly engulfing the items he had doused with the liquid from the container. He stood by the shed and watched as the typewriter and gloves succumbed to the flames, and melted leaving only a small scorched area on the ground where they once sat. Satisfied with the total destruction of the pile of items, he returned to the house and began to arrange an itinerary of the things needing to be done next.
Every aspect of the plan was individually broken down, to arrive at its mathematical probability. There were precise timings associated with every task.
Intense research of past known criminal activities, and of those who had gotten caught, guided the what, how and why of each step. The goal was to make sure nothing could be traced to him or anyone else. He would often use self-hypnosis to clear his mind of any thoughts, not associated with the planning.
Mailing the letters was at the top of the list. The itinerary would take one day to fly to another city, spend the night and then return home. That would leave several days for him to locate a car he could temporarily steal. The car was a vital part of the overall plan and no one would know it. He made arrangements to charter a small plane and headed to the airport in his Jeep. He wasn’t about to leave one of his prized sports cars parked at the airport parking lot, while he traveled to mail the letters. If there was any damage discovered on the Jeep when he returned to pick it up, it would not be as devastating, as it would be, if it were one of his other vehicles.