Lou’s frustration was not only over the paucity of evidence at the scene. He was also frustrated that the local precinct of the NYPD hadn’t blanketed the area with personnel after Lou had specifically sent out a message to do so. He had given them the description of Pia from Jack and Laurie with the added information that she was carrying an umbrella and a canvas shopping bag. He had hoped that the police or the Columbia hospital security would have been able to pick her up. He had wanted to detain Pia not just to learn exactly what she knew but also for her protection, and now the bad guys had beat him to the punch. If the local boys had done what he had asked, the snatch-and-killing might have been avoided.

The only part of the operation that seemed to be going right was the radiation angle. Lou knew that the ME’s office had notified the relevant authorities about the possibility of alpha radiation at four sites in New York City: Columbia University Medical Center, the OCME itself, and the two funeral homes where the bodies of Dr. Rothman and Dr. Yamamoto were taken. But the ME wasn’t able to mobilize law enforcement. Soldano had had to do that, and his task force was still more on paper than in the field.

One of the other things that had frustrated Lou was how long it had taken to get a photo of the Grazdani woman. Lou himself had called Columbia hospital security to confirm that Pia was indeed a medical student. Lou had also asked for Pia’s details, as well as a recent photo, which the hospital security had trouble getting because it was locked up in the office of the dean of students, and the dean was unavailable. So it wasn’t until after the abduction that the photo was sent out to law enforcement. That was akin to locking the barn door after the horses were stolen.

“God damn it,” Lou said out loud for the umpteenth time. Nothing about the case seemed to be going well. The sole positive development was that a white van had been located that was believed to be the vehicle involved in the abduction. At that moment another team of forensic experts was going over it. Lou had no idea if it would lead to any clues, but he was hopeful. Meanwhile an APB had been put out in New York, Connecticut, and New Jersey. Lou was hoping they’d get lucky. But he doubted that would be the case. Lou’s intuition was telling him that organized crime was involved big-time. He knew for sure that this wasn’t a kidnapping for money—meaning he feared for Pia’s life.

All of a sudden several news vans showed up and parked just beyond the crime-scene tape. As their antennae rose, their doors burst open and a bevy of cameramen and journalists alighted.