[Veritas]

Do what?

[RACHEL02189]

Originally Posted by Veritas

Do what?

Making a baby disappear the way Luke did

[Veritas]

Chaper Eight: The Suspect

Luke Blade was on top of the world. He seemed to have it all--money, fame, adulation, talent, good looks and charm. His face was on every entertainment periodical in print, his merchandise flew off the store shelves: CDs, T-shirts, posters, jackets, jewelry, anything with the Luke Blade name on it. A men's cologne had been marketed by L'Oreal called Blade, packaged in a Mind, Body and Spirt triangle-shaped bottle. Whatever Luke touched turned to cold, hard cash, and he was raking it all in.

He had friends among the glitterati, beautiful women at his beck and call. He could be found at the local hot spots, dancing and drinking until dawn. But there was always work to do. Luke had his own office in midtown New York City, not far from his duplex across from Central Park. Unfortunatly for Luke, it overlooked the gutted remains of Ground Zero, so he made it a point to keep the blinds closed. He still recalled the horror of that day, as millions of Americans did. He tried to shut out the memory as he shut out the view.

In mid-spring, 2007, Luke Blade produced his biggest show ever: a three-night extravaganza he called "Death Becomes Me". The site he chose was on 44th Street, where Houdini made a full-grown elephant vanish in 1917. It was Luke's homage to the greatest magician and escape artist in history. The show took two years to plan; every detail was carefully laid out. Nothing would be left to chance.

During that time, there was dissention in the ranks of the Family. Luke's assistant, Vienna Hyatt, and his stunt coordinator, Austin Cannon, had been dating for most of 2006. Vienna, however, was being stalked by one Rupert Lanaghan, the Irish-born manager of Magic Paradise, a shop selling magic and illusion props and kits. Lanaghan first met the beautiful Vienna when she came into his store to pick up some props for Luke. Lanaghan claimed later that she was "a big flirt, and may have taken it the wrong way," but records showed he became obsessed with her. Vienna had to file a restraining order to keep Lanaghan at bay, finally culminating in his arrest in September of 2006, and twice more in late September and early October of that same year, for harrassment and criminal trespass. He was sentenced in early 2007 to six months' probation, with compulsory attendance to anger management classes.

Austin Cannon, for his part, was weary of doing all the hard work of co-ordinating Luke's stunts but not getting any of the credit. He was paid well enough, but he was dissatisfied with working behind the scenes. Things came to a head when Austin approached Luke's RV one day during rehearsals. He knocked on the door, but no one answered. He opened the door and looked inside, discovering, to his shock and disbelief, Vienna asleep beside Luke in his bed. From the pile of clothes on the floor, it was clear that Vienna was not there just to ward off Luke's night terrors. Austin was ready to leave the Family right then and there, and told Luke so in no uncertain terms. To Luke, this was betrayal. No one left the Family for any reason.

Vienna, herself, was causing grief for Luke as well. Two weeks before the "Death Becomes Me" show, Luke fired her for allegedly selling his secrets to the tabloids for an undisclosed amount of money. Like Bill Whitmore before, Luke felt he had been betrayed by someone whom he had trusted and loved. For Vienna Hyatt, it would have tragic consequences.



The first night of "Death Becomes Me" arrived. An enormous crowd mobbed 44th Street to see what the great illusionist was going to do. Even those who were farthest back from the stage area could see the huge rotary saw blade suspended high above their heads. Luke, wearing a simple sweatshirt and jeans with a black ski cap but no shoes or stockings, perched himself above the stage, screaming out loud, "Are you ready?" Luke was lowered onto a suspended platform specially designed to accomodate what was to come. He was held down by his wrists and ankles by two female assistants. A large metal bracket was secured over his waist.

Suddenly the huge saw blade began spinning rapidly, lowering itself onto Luke's prone body. Screams and cheers filled the air as the blade "cut" through Luke's body through the bracket. Luke was severed in two, but there was no blood. The two platforms swung above the ground, one bearing Luke's upper torso, the other his legs. The first night was a rousing success.

Meanwhile, Raymond Rogers, a seventy-five year old security guard, had been patrolling the area around an abandoned theater. He had left for a while to check on the Luke Blade stunt. When all was satisfactory, he walked back to the theater. Noticing the backstage door was open, he went inside to investigate. What he saw almost gave him a heart attack.

On the stage of the theater, two boxes with moons and stars painted on them were standing apart from one another. A pair of women's feet stuck out of one, cuffed together with plastic handcuffs. Rogers saw the blood on the floor, and the severed remains of a young, blond haired woman, her mouth stuffed with a red silk kerchief. The elderly guard rushed out to call for help, then collapsed. He was treated for shock by paramedics. Investigation by the police revealed the identity of the woman as Vienna Hyatt, former assistant to Luke Blade.

CSI specialists took photos, gathered evidence such as the saw used to kill Hyatt, used electromagnetic film to pick up footprints from the stage area, and wheeled the two halves of the victim to the morgue. One officer stated that "Of all the top ten, this one is the most twisted."

The autopsy revealed serration marks identical to the saw used to sever Hyatt's body in the box. The saw itself, a standard hand saw found in any hardware store, was tested for fingerprints on the handle. The red silk kerchief revealed to have the Magic Paradise logo. There was also an "invisible" tattoo on Hyatt's right forearm, visible only under infrared light, of the triangular Mind, Body, Spirit logo.

Fingerprints on the magician's box were found to belong to Rupert Lanaghan. His arrest record and complaints filed against him by Hyatt seemed to confirm his guilt. However, on the night of the murder, Lanaghan stated he was at his anger management class as part of his probation. A quick inquiry confirmed this, and Lanaghan was cleared as a suspect.

Luke himself was questioned about Vienna. "Vienna chose money over Family," he said to the investigating officers. She had been motivated by greed when she tried to sell Luke's secrets to the tabloids. He seemed to show no grief over her; it was as if her death was justified as far as he was concerned. The interrogation was interrupted by Austin Cannon, who wanted to go through the safety checks for the next stunt.

"If that's all, detectives," Luke said dryly, "I have to light myself on fire."



The second night promised to be as spectacular as the first. Luke Blade was going to be a human torch for four hours, the longest anyone could endure. If he succeeded, he would make the Guinness Book of World Records for 2007. If he failed, he would be severly burned, even killed. Luke had rehearsed this for months on end, using gallons of stunt gel to protect him from the flames.

"Someone please light me on fire!" Luke screamed.

Cannon came up with a blowtorch and touched off Luke's alcohol-soaked clothes. The timer started. Luke walked around and around the stage area in flames, but showing no signs of distress. Every half-hour, a couple of crew members covered him with a sheet soaked in flammable liquid, reigniting him. As the final minutes ticked by, the suspense grew. The audience counted off the final seconds as if it was New Year's Eve. At the end, the flaming figure fell to the ground, doused by a fire extingusher. When the CO2 cleared, there was nothing but charred clothing. The "assistant" who held the extinguisher pulled off his hooded sweatshirt. It had been Luke himself, posing as his own assistant.

The two CSI officers were present when Luke finished his act. Mac Taylor received a call on his cell phone, urging him to come to an alleyway three blocks from the show. A corpse had been found, burned to death. Taylor immediatly identified the body as Austin Cannon, the stunt engineer. Cannon's footprint had been taken from the theater where Vienna Hyatt had been murdered, but he could not be placed at the time of the crime. It did not match the bloody ones on the stage. And now Cannon could not be questioned for anything. A gasoline can was found in the trash dumpster not too far away. Stranger still, a magician's wand was found inside, with one end charred.

The two murders shook New York to the core. Luke showed co-operation by cancelling his final performance to allow the investigation to go on. Fingerprints were taken from the gas can. The charred wand was examined thoroughly, and one tiny speck of human tissue was retreived from it. The speck was taken to the lab for DNA testing. There was no record of the person's identity on file, but there was one of his father: George Clark.

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[Veritas]

Chapter Nine: The Psychopath

With Vienna Hyatt and Austin Cannon gruesomely murdered in imitation of Luke's stunts, investigators looked into the illusionist's past. A detailed report showed Luke's rejection and abandonment as a child, and his affliction with FAS. With the DNA evidence of the skin sample taken from the wand, Luke's guilt was confirmed as far as Austin Cannon was concerned. Vienna Hyatt's murder needed more investigation. The plastic handcuffs which bound Vienna's feet in the box matched that of the magic kit Luke had carried around with him since childhood. But both murders took place when Luke was on stage in front of a live audience. How could he, even with his skills as a magician, be two places at once?

The investigators watched video footage of Luke during his human torch stunt. They discovered that Luke's assistants covered him with a fuel-soaked sheet every half hour. At 10:30 PM, Luke turned his back to the audience and the cameras to make a switch with an assistant dressed like himself in flames. The murder of Austin Cannon took place about 10:58 PM that same evening, three blocks away. Luke had allegedly beaten Cannon, doused him with gasoline, and ignited him with a flaming wand. Then he returned to the stage area to complete his act--and give himself an alibi.

Now that the show had been cancelled, there was no alibi to hide behind for Luke. While he openly co-operated with the police regarding the murders, he was secretly planning his final act of revenge on the one person whom he believed had wronged him more than anyone in his life.



Sylvia Walker was a middle-aged divorcee living in a small suburb in Long Island, New York. She and her then husband, Gary Walker, had adopted Luke as an infant, but had been forced to give him up at the age of six because of her pregnancy and her fear of what the uncontrollable youngster would do to a newborn. It had been a painful decision for her, but one she felt she had to make to preserve the peace and the safety of her baby. Six months later, she gave birth to a healthy daughter, Amanda Elizabeth.

On the morning of the third day of Luke's "Death Becomes Me" show, Sylvia was on her way to the supermarket when she was abducted from the parking lot into a truck, according to eyewitnesses. The license plate was never recorded. The police were notified, and forensic evidence was taken, but it was too late. Sylvia was gone. A missing person's report was filed the same day; this prompt action would save Sylvia's life.

Sylvia was bound and gagged, and taken to a warehouse on 23rd Street and !1th, where Luke stored his props and other equipment. There, she was forced to confront the son she had given up twenty-five years earlier. Worse, she discovered she was to suffer an unspeakable horror.

The investigating team tried to contact Luke at his hotel, office and everywhere else. A "make" was done on Sylvia Walker, in hopes of getting any information from her about her former adopted son. That was when the missing person's report showed up, explaining the abduction. The team knew that Luke's third and final stunt was Houdini's famous underwater escape, as a homage to Luke's hero and idol. They put two and two together, and realized that the missing Sylvia Walker was Luke Blade's finale--and potential third victim. A big break came when a member of the Family reported one of their trucks missing; the Lojack system Luke had installed on all his vehicles to prevent theft was activated, revealing the location at the 23rd Street warehouse. The investigating team moved quickly, hoping they were not too late.

From Sylvia's testimony, Luke had bound her mouth with duct tape, trussed her in a straitjacket, chained and shackled her, then hoisted her up by her ankles over a large tank of water, all the while addressing an imaginary audience. Then she was slowly lowered into the tank. Luke released the clamp from the hoist, dropping Sylvia into the tank. He stepped off the stage to the rows of seats to enjoy the show. Sylvia lost consciousness. Suddenly, like the calvary charging to the rescue, Mac Taylor and his team burst in with guns drawn. With one shot, Taylor shattered the glass tank. Water rushed over the stage in a torrent. Luke howled in outrage, charging through the water and onto the stage. The officers tackled Luke, forcing him to his knees and pinioning his arms behind his back, while Taylor rescued Sylvia Walker. Detective Taylor stated later in a candid interview that he never forgot the experssion of pure animal rage on Luke Blade's face as he was being placed under arrest.

The arrest of Luke Blade for attempted murder made international headlines; it was on the same scale as the OJ Simpson case in popularity. As in the case of the famous former football star and actor, the public was divided into two camps as to Luke's guilt or innocence. His merchandise, however, continued to sell in enormous quantities. Luke Blade was never more popular.

The Family was questioned carefully by the authorities. Most did not want to be identified, for fear of reprisal. There were claims of Luke treating his crew like "dirt", yet always referring to them as his "family". Some, like Austin Cannon, were ready to quit. The few who were brave enough to confront Luke about their dissatisfaction were either ignored or accused of disloyalty. Even Nurse Soames, who had some degree of control over the tempestuous star, was ready to leave the Family. Only Beckie Winslow, the "baby" of the Family, stuck with Luke. Having no one to care for her, Luke became her big brother. She defended him to the end, fervently believing in his innocence and pleading for his release.

Criminal psychologists were called in to determine Luke's fitness to stand trial. His medical and personal records were scrutinized carefully. Luke Blade, they determined, suffered from the effects of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, coupled with deep feelings of rejection and abandonment, and delusions of grandeur. When the Family pulled away in fear and loathing of what Luke had become, he had snapped, triggering the psychopathic responses which led to his crimes. If they could not stay with him, then they would suffer the consequences. Luke Blade, they concluded, was criminally insane.

As the evidence piled up against Luke, more and more people were convinced of his guilt. His friends among the glitterati deep-sixed him. His assets were frozen. A fundamentalist church in North Carolina publicly burned Luke Blade paraphenalia in protest of "the depravity of the so-called entertainment world, which corrupts the souls of young people". The tabloids milked the story for all it was worth, exaggerating the truth in their headlines as usual. Luke Blade had ridden high, and now he had crashed and burned.

He was incarcerated in a mental hospital, since the jails were so overcrowded, and, given Luke's reputation as an escape artist, he was considered a security risk and, therefore, put under twenty-four hour surveillance. For the first time since his rise to fame, Luke Blade was once again institutionalized.

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[Veritas]

Chapter Ten: The Defendant

During the summer of 2007, the tedious process of jury selection for Luke's trial began. Fourteen jurors had to be selected out of nearly a thousand candidates, a seemingly impossible task given the high profile of the defendant. Many were dismissed because they had children who were Luke Blade fans, others were convinced of his guilt. One overly religious individual claimed that Luke was a minion of Satan. She was summarily dismissed.

Luke's legal counsel knew the odds of aquittal were slim to none, so they tried to go for an insanity plea. At least Luke would be spared prison life, which would make him even more dangerous, in their view. They had the backing of the psychologists in the mental hospital, who provided their findings about Luke and his mental condition. Sending Luke Blade to prison would just add fuel to the fire, they argued. At least in a mental hospital, he could get the help he needed.

The prosecution, however, was loaded for bear with the help of the CSI team's forensic evidence. The fingerprints from the gas can, the footprints taken at the crime scenes, the DNA from the wand torch, and the eyewitness accounts of Sylvia Walker and Investgator Mac Taylor made it a slam-dunk as far as the DA was concerned. Luke was as good as convicted.

The trial began on October 5th, 2007. Luke had been incarcerated for seven months at the hospital. He had been placed under twenty-four hour surveillance, sedated to a near zombie-like state to keep his rages under control. Now he arrived at the courthouse in prison orange, his wrists and ankles shackled. He glowered at the court assembled to try him, especially at Mac Taylor, the man who had ruined his greatest trick, but he remained silent.

The presiding judge, the Honorable Thomas Williams, read the charges against Luke: Two accounts of first-degree murder, one account of attempted first-degree murder. How did the defendant plead?

The counsel for the defense pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. Luke was unaware of his actions, being unable to distinguish reality from fantasy, cause from effect. The defense recommended that Luke Blade was unfit to stand trial, and should be committed to a psychiatric ward.

The court turned down the insanity plea, stating the defendant had meticulously planned the murders. The plea was recorded as "not guilty". The case of State of New York v. Luke Blade began.

Transcripts of the trial were unavailable to the author; only summaries and second hand information was available. The prosecution opened with a brief outline of the crimes and Luke's involvement. He was not insane, as the defense claimed, but had premeditated his crimes down to the last detail. Luke was intelligent and totally aware of his actions, even if he was not aware of the consequenses at the time. He was a dangerous psychopath, on the level of Ted Bundy and Jeffery Dahmer. He should be removed from society forever, the Prosecution stated.

The defense was called to make its opening statement. Luke Blade suffered from the effects of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, which left him unable to distinguish reality from fantasy. They stated the example of Luke addressing an imaginary audience in the warehouse on 44th St. A CAT scan revealed minimal brain damage in those areas of the brain which controlled perception. Also, there was his past to consider: given up for adoption as an infant by an ex-con father; given up again at age of six; the shuttling between foster homes and various institutions. For the first time, Luke's stay at the infamous St. Mary's Children's Asylum was brought to light: the abuse the children who stayed there were a matter of public record. It was enough to push anyone over the edge, they argued.

With the opening statements out of the way, the cross-examination began. The first to be called was Sylvia Walker, Luke's former adoptive mother. She related the kidnapping at the supermarket parking lot, the warehouse, and the terror Luke had inflicted upon her. She had sought professional counseling just to get up the courage to testify against him. When asked whether she was sorry that she relinquished Luke at age six, she said no. The ordeal had confirmed the rightness of her decision, she said. She had given him up out of fear for the safety of her unborn child, and with good reason. Luke had been so uncontrollable she became afraid of him herself. She had tried to love him, be patient with him, but with FAS, it was impossible. She told of the great sense of relief she felt when the doors of the children's home where she left Luke closed behind her. Luke had cost Sylvia her marriage, she said. She and Gary had thought him a gift from God when they adopted him. He turned out to be a demon from Hell.

Sylvia Walker was dismissed. Investigator Mac Taylor was brought to the stand. With an air of professionalism honed from years of experience dealing with lawyers, he clearly stated the evidence he and his team had found--the bloody saw which had ripped Vienna Hyatt in two, the footprints on electromagnetic film, the gas can, the charred wand, the fingerprints found on those items, and, most damning of all, the tiny speck of flesh burned off from Luke's finger which provided the DNA evidence pointing to his guilt. Taylor also recounted the scene at the warehouse on 23rd and 11th: Sylvia Walker hoisted upside down in a water tank, bound and gagged, with Luke watching on with a satisfied look on his face. Taylor fired a single shot at the tank, shattering the glass, and freeing Sylvia from her watery prison. He also described Luke's reaction of outrage and fury over his stunt being destroyed. He was aware of Luke's past, having a copy of his record. He had described Luke Blade as "a ticking time bomb" when they got word of the missing truck. No cross-examination from the defense could trip him up. Taylor was a pro; like Dragnet's Joe Friday, he wanted, and got, just the facts. His invetigative and scientific skills were unquestioned.

Things were looking bad for Luke at this point. When he was called to the stand, he swore to tell the truth, but only as he saw it. he was not at the murder of Vienna Hyatt. He had only fired her instead. She had been disloyal to the Family. He had been on stage performing his illusion. Also, he was not at the scene of Austin Cannon's murder; that was three blocks away, and he had been in flames for four hours during that time, in front of a live audience. They were persecuting him, he claimed, because he was famous, because he was better than anyone. There were members of the Family who had wanted to leave him--they were responsible for the killings, just to get back at him. He stated this with so much conviction the jury were overwhelmed.

The court was adjourned for the day. Luke was taken back to his holding cell. Beckie Winslow dashed over to give Luke a farewell hug, but was rebuffed by security. Luke gave his one remaining Family member who had stayed loyal to him a sorrowful look. Beckie burst into tears as Luke was led away. Nurse Victoria Soames, who had taken Beckie in when Luke was arrested, led the mentally handicapped woman away as well.



The second day of the trial began at promptly 9:00 AM. The first witness of the day was Victoria Soames, Luke's personal nurse. She recounted Luke's behavior toward his Family and herself. Soames also told of Luke's bedtime habits, where he slept with many of the female members of the Family and sometimes with female fans, two or three at a time most nights. He never took drugs, but he had been known to be drunk sometimes, though never at a show. Luke had become a monster over time. All he thought of was himself. He cared for no one's feelings or opinions.

As the trial wore on, Luke was becoming increasingly agitated. His "Nursie", his adoptive mother, his "Family"--everyone was against him. There was only one person who would stick up for him, and she was not allowed to testify because she was retarded. He felt abandoned by all who said they had loved him, just like before. Didn't anyone believe in his innocence?

The court was adjourned for the day. Tomorrow, the jury would deliberate Luke's fate.

[RACHEL02189]

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