The Voting Machine

Forensic Analysis

I was winding down my story for Agent Stevens, the story how I met Luke and Pam Dust. The rest was common knowledge. The shooting death of Zeke Legend, Jr. was widely reported in the news as a failed assassination of Salinger.

Forensic analysis revealed the shots were fired by an M40 sniper rifle from over 700 yards away in the sand dunes on the other side of MLK. Later the same day, local police, ATF, and FBI teams conducted a joint raid on the Midnight Riders' fortified compound in the desert, killing Bill Taylor and his pickup truck accomplices when they violently resisted arrest.

Inside the compound, the authorities found stockpiles of ammunition, explosives, gasoline, and firearms. One of the rifles tested positive in a match for the bullet that pierced Zeke Junior's neck.

Zeke Junior was eulogized as a fearless warrior who risked his life in battle in Iraq and once again in his hometown, sacrificing himself to save a Senate candidate from assassination.

Across the city, there was tremendous outpouring of sympathy for Salinger and the Sunflower Foundation, leading to a surge in money for the election and reconstruction of the clinics.

In the North Vegas clinic, the only one that survived the arson attacks, Luke and Fatima realized their dream of registering scores of homeless to vote in the election. An equal number were blocked from voting due to some problem with their paperwork or a glitch in the filing procedure.

Luke himself remained disenfranchised. His petition for the court to restore his voting rights was rejected after the police discovered he was carrying an unregistered weapon on stage after the shooting. He spent his days hanging around the campaign office, volunteering to drive poor voters without cars to the polling station.

Overall, the tragedies of the arson and the shooting created an unexpected momentum for our cause during the final weeks of the campaign. The phones at the Salinger headquarters rang constantly, as enthusiastic citizens volunteered to help with money, activism, and donations. We had to lease the neighboring storefront to get enough space and connections to handle all the inbound calls. Fatima and her father Abdul made extra accommodations to handle the surge of foot traffic through the voter outreach booths in front of the Dollar Delight stores throughout the city.

The tragedies had the opposite effect for the Founding Fathers and their candidate, weakening public support and internal morale. The biggest blow was Zeke Legend's immediate withdrawal from all campaign activities following his son's death. He cancelled all his personal plans for rallies and fundraising. He made no further public statements about the election and abdicated his role in the Founding Fathers.

After a lifetime in the political spotlight, Zeke Legend became disengaged and reclusive. Rumor had it that Zeke was in a state of deep depression, consumed with grief and regret after losing his son. The unshakeable leader of the Founding Fathers had been shaken to the core.

"This rendezvous took place October seventeenth, two weeks after Zeke Junior's death," Stevens said, showing me the photos of Zeke and David once again.

"We interviewed some of Zeke's followers in the Founding Fathers today. They said he was obsessed with the idea of some conspiracy behind his son's death. He rejected the explanation in the news, the idea that the Midnight Riders' mistakenly shot his son in an attempt to assassinate Salinger."

"That explains why he would meet with David," I said. "Zeke was searching for answers. David must have felt sorry for him, that's why he wanted Zeke to know about the list."

"It seems like David was the type who never gave up on the chance to help people, even men like Zeke who were hateful, racist demagogues. He always held out hope that he could make a connection," Stevens said. "That's why he sent you into Zeke's house that day."

"If David thought he was getting closer to the truth, he would've shared it with Zeke. He believed that the power of the truth could change anyone."

"Do you think Zeke was right about his son's death, Temo?"

I didn't answer. We both knew the truth.

"Zeke Junior knew that he was the real target, didn't he?" Stevens continued. "The bullet was never intended for Salinger. Zeke Junior was on David's list. He was too close to the truth, wasn't he?

"The tunnels are a perfect place to hide. It's dangerous, prone to flooding. It's pitch black. You can't take a clear shot down in the tunnels. The bullet might ricochet back on the shooter or maybe hit a gas line. But once you bring a man to the surface, it's easy to take a clear shot at him."

"You think the Midnight Riders planned it all?" I asked. "You think they burned down the clinics to smoke Zeke Junior out of his hiding spot?"

"We've been monitoring the Midnight Riders' finances for months," Stevens said. "They raised most of their cash through criminal activities. A few days before Zeke Junior's shooting, someone anonymously wired a hundred thousand dollars into one of their accounts."

"So the Midnight Riders were hired to kill Zeke Junior? That's your theory?" I said. "Who would hire them to do that? Who could come up with a plan like that?"

Stevens didn't answer. He didn't have to. He left me waiting in a sea of silence.

I remembered the last thing Zeke Junior told me as the life force was exiting his body.

Never tell anyone what I told you in the tunnels or they'll do this to you, too. Shiro hears everything. And once he knows that you know, you won't escape.

"Thank you for your time, today," the special agent in charge said.

"I am sorry I couldn't do more," I said. 'I've given you everything I have."

"The information you've provided throughout the day is being processed real time. It's feeding our computer searches and our investigations in the field. We're getting very close to figuring this thing out. Go home, get a good night's sleep, and we'll have progress to announce in the morning. Polk and Decatur are in the field so I am going to ask Chang and Weisbein to drive you home. They'll bring you back here early tomorrow for a status update. There's a good chance we'll have this thing solved by then."