Chapter 25

"What the hell?!" Danny growled quietly as he compared the original crime scene photos for the third time with the space in the office they'd come to check out.

Hawkes wasn't any happier when he observed, "They don't match."

"Yeah which means that our crime scene has been tampered with." Danny growled again, this time in Italian leaving Hawkes in no doubt that it was a vicious curse.

Hawkes went back to the door and examined it once again. "We both checked the door before re-opening the crime scene. The tape on the door wasn't tampered with."

Danny nodded and told him, "Standard operating procedure. Adam and I double sealed the door due to the messy biologicals and Mack added his own check and initials to the tape. How the frick did someone get in and mess around with our scene?"

What Danny was referring to was that the void picked up in the original pictures of the crime scene had disappeared; or, more accurately had been disappeared. Whoever did it was good but Danny and Hawkes were seasoned investigators. However, if they hadn't been double-checking that specific location the tampering was so subtle it could have been missed which is part of what torched Danny the most.

Both men started checking for possible entry points. The two windows were as well-sealed as the door. The ceiling was made of plaster with no evidence of destruction. None of the furniture that was against the wall revealed the proverbial hidden panel. Then Danny looked behind the entry door and spotted it.

Hawkes looked at him and then where he pointed and said, "Boom."

Shaking his head doubtfully he responded, "A heating grill?"

Both men bent down to aim their flashlights into the void beyond the grill. "That don't look like no heating duct work that I've ever seen," Danny observed.

"That's not duct work … at least not for heating. That is some kind of … I don't know … what would you call it?"

For a moment both men were perplexed but set it aside to start gathering evidence. They also took plenty of pictures and forwarded them to Adam who got them as soon as he arrived at work.

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"Mac?" Adam said as Mack walked into the AV lab after receiving a text. "This is … weird."

"Define weird."

Adam took a moment to start pulling up the pictures and putting them on the big screen. While he did Mack caught a quick glimpse of some notes scratched out in pencil on Adam's work station. Before he could really register what he was seeing Adam started talking.

"Have you spoken to Danny yet?"

"Yes, but I want to hear it from you."

"There is no doubt that the crime scene for the third Amster vic has been tampered with." Mack could see frustration bubbling below Adam's attempt to remain calm and unagitated so he gave the man time to answer without additional prompting. Sometimes prompting Adam only caused him to take longer to communicate his message.

Adam ran his fingers through his hair in another show of agitation before he once again started to explain. "The seals and tape were still intact on the office door and windows but comparison of crime scene photos taken yesterday with what was observed today shows definite tampering. There are no other entrances into the room and no hidden panels like could be possible in any of those old buildings built in the early 20th century. However, there is what appears to be a heating or ventilation grill behind the primary entrance."

"The grill behind the door."

"Yeah," Adam said with a nod pointing it out in both before and after pictures that he'd displayed on the large wall monitor. He went on to show close ups of the differences in the suspected "void" space and what Danny and Hawkes had found upon arrival. Then he showed the minute evidence that the grill had been taken off and on at some point between the crime scene being closed and it being re-opened. There was a small scrap in a blood drop that hadn't been there before.

"They also found some smudges deep into the duct work that appear to be where someone crawled both in and out."

"Fingerprints?" Mack asked.

"If only," Adam said in disgust. "But there is some blood evidence that is too far into the duct work to be a result of splatter or cast off … angle is all wrong for it as well. It is around the bend in the duct."

"That doesn't look like it would be big enough for either Danny or Hawkes to crawl into."

"It isn't. Lindsey got called in. She easily got in and out."

"So we are talking about someone Lindsey's size?" Mack asked, already cataloging everyone that had been questioned.

"Actually I think it is someone of a larger build than her. The distance between the hand and knee evidence of crawling, the distance between the knee smudges and the shoe scrapes all indicate this. There are also some smudges along the top edge of the ducting like where a shoulder might have hit as they were crawling through. Lindsey is 5'3". Whoever used the duct work … which isn't duct work … is closer to 5'6" or 5'7" and of a wider build."

Trying not to regret getting off track Mack asked, "Explain 'isn't duct work' please."

"I compared the original building plans with the plans post rehab/re-fit/remodel/re-whatever. That space was originally … well … I've never seen anything like it. It looks like a dumbwaiter system only instead of being vertical, it moved things horizontally."

"What things?"

"Originally it was designed to move costumes and small props between dressing rooms and backstage. I'm not sure what it was used for after that; I can only find its original purpose. The tracks and pullies were removed during the building restoration but the space itself remained with the intent that when more money became available it was going to be where they installed additional wiring for whatever they needed it for rather than having to re-open sealed spaces like the floors and walls."

"Can you tell where the … let's continue to call it a duct. Can you tell where the duct work runs?"

"All over the place Boss. That's the point. The convenience of having an existing space like that was just too important to seal it off. All they did was put decorative grills over the openings and some flaps at different locations to try and prevent problems with the heating and cooling systems."

"How many people would know about the … er … duct system?"

"Maybe not as many as you would think. I called the security people at the theater and they tell me that only a couple of the grills are supposed to open. Most people think of them as decorative if they think of them at all. Danny and Hawkes are verifying the accesses now, while there is no one around."

Trying to remain patient Mack asked, "And why is there no one around."

Adam winced realizing things were coming out in a jumble. "Sorry Boss. I'm switching too many gears too fast. I was up late last night going old school and I'm fighting trying to do too many … dammit." Adam forced himself to stop, take a breath and start again.

"They had the last dress rehearsal before the play starts early this morning. Everyone was getting out of the way to allow the theater and dressing rooms and public areas to be given a thorough clean and polish before opening night. The manager himself walked everyone out of the theater whether they wanted to go or not according to the security guy spoke with. And that's not normal operating procedure but the manager is expecting some important theater donors and city officials to be at opening night and he wants everyone rested and the theater nice and shiny. Her personally locked up the area where all of the audience participation props are set up and has a half dozen security people riding shot gun on it to prevent anything from happening to it … or maybe to keep anyone from getting a jump on figuring out the clues … or reporters getting inside … or any or all of the above."

"And?"

"Like I said, it isn't SOP for something like that. Usually the day before is nearly as busy as the day of opening for a production of that size. That isn't suspicious on its own though. Nor does the theater manager … look, he might be the right height to match our unknown ductwork rat but his … er … width would prevent him from using it. And apparently he has a bum knee and is limping around the theater because of the weather making it act up. It is one of the reasons he had to leave acting and go into management."

"And we know this how?"

"Because he nearly drown me with the details the first time we were there."

"Okay but if it becomes necessary we'll need something to substantiate it. Next point?"

It was then that Adam reached over to his desk and picked up the jumble of papers that he'd noticed coming in.