"It's possible that the chess piece was someone's signature, but I think that it's equally likely that it was a message. The note 'your move', or something to that effect, sounds like it was directed at someone besides the authorities. Almost as if what a challenge directed at a third party, but that's just suspicion. Obviously your right, we should check whatever databases we can, but that's my impression of the piece," Beatrix explained.
"Also, we definitely need to question the gardener and grocery boy, but we could also try contacting the bio-chemistry departments at the universities Hertz taught at or studied in. Even if his research was classified he might have contacted an old mentor, friend, or rival for advice on something related to what he was studying. That might give us some more clues as to what was going on down in that basement. Now, the reason why I brought up the research and the basement lab is that so far the only possible motive that I've noticed is connected with Hertz's work. He had no social contacts, his family is deceased, and he works as one of the Military's mercenary R and D specialists. I'm not saying that we should jump the gun but that's something to keep in mind." She pursed her lips, realizing that she sounded more like a crazed conspiracy theorist instead of a trained investigator and seasoned officer of the Law, but that was what she saw in the case.