Protagonists#

• Short, Lance - Agent Myra - Foreign Service Officer (John)
• Tucker, Jamal - Agent Sentinel - U.S. Secret Service - Personal Protective Detail Division (Panagiotis)
• Veronica Mare - Agent Artemis - Professor of Anthropology (Tasos)
• Bennet, Wendy - Agent Locke - Criminal Intelligence Analyst / Assistant Professor of Criminology (Konstantina)
• Coniglio, Heath - Agent Blacktail - FBI Intelligence Case Officer (Istvan)

Journey to St. Louis#

During the trip, Agent Locke informs Agent Cod about the case with a summary. Agent Jocko, in his frail state, reveals everything and in every detail.

Agent Cod becomes nervous and constantly checks her phone for messages from her partner.

Agent Jocko gets rid of his phone once and for all. He is now fearful of technology.

The Plagiarist#

Lee Jarnigan (a.k.a ScribeLife420) lets the Agents in his home, after being shown Pitzerelli’s FBI warrant. They manage to get him to talk and convince him to leave for Colorado, as soon as possible, because he might be in danger.

He shares everything he knows about Conradin:

• Initial Connection (2009–2011):
  • Lee Jarnigan (alias ScribeLife420) first became involved with Conradin through Chasten Laugherty, son of prison executive Kyle Laugherty.
  • Jarnigan provided fraudulent academic “tutoring” that helped Chasten gain admission to Duke University.
  • Chasten later recommended ScribeLife420 to his Duke roommate, Esau Tillman (Conradin), beginning a long-term academic fraud arrangement.
• Conradin’s Academic Support:
  • Tillman had significant written language impairments, with poor syntax, spelling, and comprehension.
  • Jarnigan spent extensive time deciphering assignments and effectively became his teacher.
  • Over four years, Tillman’s language skills improved significantly through rote memorization and mimicry.
  • He earned a criminology degree from Duke in 2016.
  • Jarnigan believed Tillman earned his degree more than most of his other clients.
• Personal Communications:
  • During the 2016 election period, Jarnigan grew isolated and developed a more personal online relationship with Conradin.
  • He learned Conradin’s real name was Esau Tillman, formerly known as “Jacob,” son of a Christian homeschooling author.
  • Conradin continued using his pseudonym even in informal exchanges.
• ICE Application (2016):
  • Shortly before graduation, Conradin asked for help applying to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
  • He stated he wanted to join ICE to “change from within.”
  • Jarnigan assumed this meant subversive or reformist motives and helped finalize the application.
  • This marked their last contact until 2020.
• The 2020 Assignment:
  • Conradin, now working at ICE, contacted Jarnigan to rewrite job applications for two employees with language difficulties.
  • The shared documents were blank except for identifying information; Conradin asked Jarnigan to fabricate responses.
  • Suspicious, Jarnigan accessed file version history and reviewed the original deleted answers.
  • What he found disturbed him enough to report the matter to the FBI’s IC3 tip line.
• Metadata and Final Email:
  • PDF metadata identified the Adobe account holder as “Frank Harvey Water Reclamation Plant.”
  • A subsequent thank-you email from Conradin further alarmed Jarnigan and reinforced his decision to report.

The Breakthrough#

The Agents inform Anthony Pitzerelli about their findings. He orders them to cease field operations immediately and learn everything they can from this material and then give him a briefing.

Research Topics:#

• Government Records (Locke & Taramis)
  • Identity of Jacob Tillman
  • Background of Esau Tillman
  • Esau Tillman Tax Return
  • Case Summary: 07-195121
  • Recommendation to the Assistant Director
• ScribeLife420 Files (Jocko)
  • Chat Log
  • Email to ScribeLife420
• Searching Online (Cod)
  • Eli Tillman’s Memoirs
  • The Illegal Agenda
  • BMIA