Page 6 (1/2)

The debate was just war up when the police announced the arrest of Marion Scipio, a trusted associate of Rashid's and a member of his inner circle Scipio (nй Marion Sie with a nod to Scipio Africanus) had broken down under police interrogation and admitted he'd seized the opportunity of Will's open letter to right a longstanding injury Apparently Rashid's libido had not been slaked by his two official wives, sisters or twins or whatever they were, and he'd had a fling with Scipio's wife Scipio only had one wife, and he'd taken this the wrong way When his chance came around, he took the Senufo ax down from the wall and made Rashid a head shorter

Will was so pleased you'd have thought he did it himself His next letter, posted hours after Scipio's arrest and confession becae, restated the theme of his letter upon the death of Roswell Berry The people's will had found expression What did itthe ax?

And there he'd let it lie for the ten days or so since There were other voices-letters and phone calls purporting to be from Will, but clearly not, a couple of anonymous bo McGraw got a handwritten letter, "An Open Letter to the So-called Marry McGrahose sen of terror "You'll pay for this in your own blood, asshole," the letter concluded, and it was signed with a large red X that covered half the page (A lab analysis quickly established that the X was not in fact blood, but red Magic Marker)

It took the cops just two days to pick up Mr X, who turned out to be an unemployed construction worker who'd written the letter on a dare and then boasted about it in a saloon "He thinks he's hot shit," he said of McGraw, but outside of that he didn't really have anything against him, and certainly planned hi and coercion in the first degree, the latter a Class D felony They'd probably let hiet off with probation, but in theterribly proud of hi about Will There was a new joke about hiood news and bad news for you The good news is you're the subject of a column in to it") He kept winding up in your conversation, as had happened at least once that very evening, when TJ assured me that computers would ultimately reveal Will's true identity There was, of course, no end of guesswork about the sort of person he was and the sort of life he was likely to be leading There was guesswork, too, as to ould next draw his attention One shock jock had invited his listeners to subets the most votes," he told his unseen drive-time audience, "and I'll announce your top choices over the air Ifan"

"If he's listening," purred the fellow's female sidekick, "you better hope he's a fan"

That was on a Friday When he returned to the air on Monday ot lots of letters," he said, "but you knohat? I' the's sick, not just the poll but the whole Will fever that's gripping the city Talk about everybody's baser instincts You wouldn't believe so around, they are truly sick and disgusting" And, to prove the point, he told four of theht after the other

The police, of course, were under enoruy and close the case But the sense of urgency was very different fro Son of Sam, or any of the other serial killers who had cropped up over the years You weren't afraid to walk the streets, not for fear of Will stalking you and gunning you down The average person had nothing to fear, because Will didn't target average people On the contrary, he took aim only at the prominent, and more specifically at the notorious Look at his list of victims-Richie Vollmer, Patsy Salerno, Roswell Berry, and, if indirectly, Julian Rashid Wherever you stood in the social and political spectrum, your response to each of Will's executions was apt to be that it couldn't have happened to a nicer guy And now he'd set his sights on Adrian Whitfield

3

"I'll tell you," he said, "I just don't knohat toover the latest Will joke Next thing you know I find out that I'? All of a sudden it's not so funny"

We were in his apart on Park Avenue and Eighty-fourth Street He was a tall ood looks His dark hair had gonepresence that stood hi a suit but he'd taken off his tie and opened his collar

He was at the serving bar now, using tongs to fill a tall glass with ice cubes He added club soda and set it down, then dropped a couple of ice cubes in a shorter glass and filled it with a single- and sside an open wood fire

He gave lass and kept the short one for himself "You don't drink," he said "Neither do I" My face lass in his hand "What I mean to say," he said, "is that I don't drink like I used to I drank a lotin Connecticut, but I think that's because everybody in that crowd used to hit it pretty good One senerally as ht's an exception"

"I can see where it would be"

"When I left the office," he said, "after I got rid of those cops, I stopped at the bar down the block and had a quick one before I went and hailed a cab I can't remember the last time I did that I never even tasted it I threw it down and walked right on out again And I had another when I walked in the door, I went over and poured it without thinking about it" He looked at the glass he was holding "And then I called you," he said

"And here I am"

"And here you are, and this will be ht, and I'm not even sure I'll finish it 'An Open Letter to Adrian Whitfield' You want to know theabout it?"

"The company you're in"

"That's it exactly No the hell did you knoas going to say that? That's the clarity of club soda talking"

"It must be"

"Vollmer and Salerno and Berry and Rashid A child-killer, a raduated froe and Harvard Law School I'm a member of the bar and an officer of the court Will you please tellon the sa is," I said, "Will gets to decide who's on his list He doesn't have to be logical about it"

"You're right," he said He went over to a chair and sank into it, held his glass to the light, then set it down untasted "You said soerating to ht? Or were you serious?"

"I was serious"

"That's what I was afraid of"

"If I were you," I said, "I'd get the hell out of the country, and I wouldn't wait, either You have a passport, don't you? Where do you keep it?"