Chapter 17 Chapter Sixteen

The 1980s were a golden age of terrorism, and appropriate measures were taken when dealing with kidnappings affecting MPs: At 2:45 a.m., the special agent in charge of the FBI's Memphis branch reported to headquarters in Washington that Senator Ruth Martin's only daughter was missing. At three o'clock in the morning, two unmarked light vehicles pulled out of the dank subterranean garage of Thaddeus Point in Washington.One headed to the Senate office building, where technicians placed a monitor and recording device on the phone in Senator Martin's office; a wiretap on a No. 3 payphone was placed on the nearest public phone to the senator's office device.The Justice Department woke up the youngest member of the Senate Intelligence Committee to provide a mandatory notice of wiretapping.

Another was called the "Eye Cart"; equipped with one-way glass and surveillance devices, it was parked on Virginia Avenue in order to observe the front of West Watergate, Senator Martin's residence in Washington.Two people got out of the car, went into the apartment and installed a listening device on the senator's home phone. Bell Atlantic estimates that any ransom call from a home digital switching system takes an average of seventy seconds to track down. The Response Team at Barsad Point was on duty around the clock in case there was a clandestine ransom drop in the Washington area.Their radio program has also been changed with mandatory encryption in order to keep any potential ransom deposits secret and away from interference from news helicopters - such irresponsible practices of the journalism industry Although rare, it still happens.

The hostage rescue team is on alert and almost uses air power. It is hoped that the possibility that Catherine Baker-Martin's disappearance was a professional kidnapping for ransom offers her the best chance of survival. No one mentioned the worst possibility. Then, shortly before dawn, in Memphis, as a city patrolman was investigating a complaint of loitering on Winchester Street, he stopped a man who was collecting aluminum cans and junk along the shoulder of the road. older people.In his trolley the patrolman found a woman's blouse, still buttoned up in the front.The back of the shirt was cut from bottom to top, like a mourning dress.The laundry label bears Katherine Baker Martin's name.

It was 6:30 in the morning and Jack Crawford was driving south from his home in Arlington.Then the phone in his car rang, for the second time in two minutes. "92240." "40, ready to receive the Alpha 4 signal." Crawford caught a glimpse of a parking space, pulled in, and stopped to listen to the phone intently.Alpha 4 is the director of the FBI. "You know about Jack—Katherine Martin?" "The officer on the night shift just called me." "And you know about the shirt. Tell me about it." "Bassad Point is on a kidnapping level alert," Crawford said. "I hope they don't take it down just yet, and if they do, they keep the phone under surveillance."Whether or not the shirt was cut, we're not sure Bill did it yet.If someone else imitated, that person may call and demand a ransom.Who's wiretapping and searching in Tennessee, us or them? "

them.State troopers are at it.They're pretty good.Phil Adler called from the White House and told me the president was 'watching closely'.If we get it right this time, we can take advantage of it, Jack. " "I thought of that too. Where's the Senator?" "On the way to Memphis. She just talked to me on the phone at home. You can imagine." "Yes." Crawford had known Senator Martin during the budget appropriations hearings. "This time she went down with all her power." "You can't blame her." "I don't blame her," said the chief. "I told her that we are doing our best, and we have always done so. She... She knew your personal situation, and offered you a preferential treatment of Lear's aircraft." Airplane. Use this airplane—fly home at night if possible."

"Okay. The senator is tough, Tommy. If she wants to get involved in this business, we're going to fight it." "I know. If you can't help it, put it all on me. We've got days at most--six or seven, Jack?" "I don't know. If he panics when he finds out who she is - he might just fuck her and dump her body." "Where are you now?" "Two miles from Kundy." "Could the airstrip in Kundik be able to land a Lear plane?" "Can." "Twenty minutes for you." "Yes, sir." After Crawford dialed a few numbers on the phone, he drove the car back into traffic.