The Darkness of Evil (Karen Vail #7)(125)

Micheal Weinhaus, Special Agent, ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement), Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, wore several hats. Mike is a former Fairfax County police officer and served on the US Marshals Service’s Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force (CARFTF), so his stories, background, and fugitive hunting tips were invaluable. In addition, his intimate knowledge of the area helped me find proper locations for my action and characters, and his experience working with the Bureau of Prisons and its correctional facilities oriented me as to how an escape could occur and what would happen in its wake. Mike also schooled me on warrant procedures, helped me get the police procedure ballpark accurate, and he refreshed my memory of the Mason District station. As if that were not enough, his review of the manuscript and attention to detail helped me get it right.

David Diliberti, Deputy US Marshal and inspector on the Pacific Southwest Regional Fugitive Task Force, was a wealth of information, recounting stories of the wild cases he has handled in his long career, instructing me on US Marshal fugitive task force procedures and the art of fugitive tracking, providing Bureau of Prison and correctional facility background, and sharing insider terminology and stories of what’s it’s like in the trenches of the job. He also related the nuances that exist in the relationship between members of the Marshals Service and the FBI. Last but just as important, he reviewed the manuscript to ensure I didn’t make any egregious procedural flubs.

Carl Caulk, Assistant Director, Office of Professional Responsibility, US Marshals Service, for his many hours of counsel and instruction on procedure. I first met with Carl back in 2003 when he was a Supervisory Deputy Marshal in charge of the fugitive squad in Phoenix. He gave me my first in depth look into the tough work this crucial arm of the Department of Justice does—and does very successfully—in apprehending dangerous offenders. Carl also gave me my first look into maximum-security prisons and how escapes are often perpetrated. I’ve carried that knowledge with me since then, and it served me well in Darkness of Evil.

Mary Ellen O’Toole, FBI Supervisory Special Agent and senior FBI profiler (ret.) and Program Director for the Forensic Science Program at George Mason University’s College of Science, reviewed the manuscript and provided key input on psychopathic personalities, which helped me fine-tune both Marcks characters. And all I had to do was promise that I’d one day feature GW rival GMU in a future book—yes, that’s a joke.

The accelerant/anesthetic issue required specialized information from a number of experts to make sure I was not writing fiction (which is, of course, what I am doing). Rachel Jacobson, Pharm.D., pharmacist, helped with my initial search, and research, into flammable anesthetics. David Sheinbein, MD, anesthesiologist, picked up the ball and counseled me on inhaled anesthetics in general and sevoflurane in particular, and brought in diethyl ether expert and anesthetics historian R. Dennis Bastron, MD, anesthesiologist, University of Arizona College of Medicine, who gave me historical perspective on ether’s prior use in anesthesia and stories of accidental misuse (including the explosions mentioned in the novel); his discussions regarding ether and cyclopropane and the properties, usage, and effects of both were invaluable.

I then consulted with Jane Willoughby, PhD, biochemist, for her background and experiences working with ether; its chemical nature and properties; types of storage vessels; and how the killer would deploy it. She then reviewed, researched, and corrected the pertinent excerpts of the novel that deal with ether. It all ended up being a much bigger deal than I had initially thought, but because it was an important piece of the story I wanted to make sure I didn’t muck it up.

John Cooney, Special Agent, ATF (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms), supplied arson and bombing information, and reviewed those parts of the novel to make sure I was true to life, and fact, with my fire-related references, procedures, and terminology.

Joseph Ramos, Captain, San Diego Police Department and former SWAT Lieutenant reviewed—and corrected—the SWAT chapters. Joe’s attention to detail is extraordinary and he knows exactly what I’m looking to accomplish in a scene. Christopher Schneider, assistant SWAT Team Leader, Anaheim Police Department (ret.) and Executive Director, agency relations, 5.11 Tactical, provided background on SWAT’s approach to Gaines’s trailer, including the Bearcat deployment and breaching procedure.

Mark Waldo, Crime Scene Investigator, Santa Ana Police Department, Forensic Services Section, helped me get the forensics right relative to indented writing and latent prints.

Larry Wein, Squad Detective, New York Police Department, explained the scenarios involving the commissioner’s good guy letter and Leslie Johnson’s dismissal from the police force.

Jeffrey Jacobson, Esq., Associate General Counsel, Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association, and former Assistant US Attorney, gave me a general overview of the CARFTF and how it operates, as well as the Stingray program, the proper legal approach to the Kubiak scene, and other legal issues/procedures Robert Jordan, automotive industry consultant, gave me the background behind the anti-theft ignition locks and safety device that were not present on the 1964 Buick LeSabre. My parents owned one, similar to the storyline, and it was the car I drove when I got my license. I remember quite well the ability to remove the keys while the engine was running. According to Robert, who researched it for me, the ignitions were, indeed, designed this way until 1969, when General Motors was the first carmaker to comply with the new federal law, which went into effect in 1970. It was technically an anti-theft device, but it was enacted, ultimately, as a safety measure. Stolen vehicles were more frequently involved in accidents, 200 times the normal rate. So preventing people from shutting the engine and leaving the keys in the ignition was a safety device that functioned as one designed to prevent vehicular theft.