San Francisco
Examiner
Thursday
November 25, 1999
Dr. Derek Rayne Rayne Death to be Ruled Suicide __________
Angel Island Holocaust:
Financial Woes, Doomsday Millennium Cult, or the End of San Francisco? Or...
By Alan Smithee
Staff Writer
SAN RAFAEL - Confidential sources have confirmed that a Coroner's Inquest has determined that Dr. Derek Rayne took his own life in the conflagration that destroyed the headquarters of the Luna Foundation on the night of November 12. A death certificate will be issued in the matter as soon as the Marin County Recorder's Office opens on Monday morning. The contributing cause of death will be listed as extreme emotional distress exacerbated by clinical depression.
2.8 ON RICHTER SCALE
So horrific was the explosion that night that it broke windows in Sausalito, set off car alarms in the City, and was heard as far away as Napa and San Jose. The shock wave registered as a 2.8 on the Richter scale at UC Berkeley's Lawrence-Livermore facility and was also picked up by instruments at Cal-Tech in Pasadena and the US Geological Survey in Golden, Colorado.
FISCAL PROBLEMS
It has been speculated that Dr. Rayne's purported depression was due to recent financial set backs and a rumored investigation by the IRS. However, this paper has found little out of the ordinary. The IRS denies plans for an investigation, and the fiscal reversals seem to be nothing more than what could be expected by all financial institutions, corporations, and foundations following the severe drop in the stock market in October.
Like everyone else, Dr. Rayne's personal assets and those of the Luna Foundation were affected, but the market is again climbing, stocks are on the rebound, and upon examination no extreme difficulty has been discovered. In fact, in recent months, Dr. Rayne's prudent foresight had led him to realign both his own and foundation portfolios. The damage in October was minimized and all financial affairs had been placed on a much healthier footing.
STAFF WORRIED ABOUT WILD BEHAVIOR
It is reported that the most significant factor in the Coroner's ruling was the testimony of Dr. Rayne's physician of record, Dr. Rachel Corrigan, a Bay area psychiatrist, who also serves on the Luna Foundation's Board of Directors.
Having first retained legal counsel, Dr. Corrigan refused to testify, claiming doctor-patient confidentiality. However, following the disclosure of a deposition made by a member of the household staff, Dr. Corrigan's attorney urged her to comply with the court's request.
According to our source, a maid employed within the private residence stated that Nicholas Boyle, the head of foundation security, and Alexandra Moreau, Rayne's administrative assistant, had summoned Dr. Corrigan to Angel Island early on the morning of 11th, and again on the 12th. The, as yet unnamed, servant disclosed that it was rumored amongst the household staff that their employer had nearly demolished the library in an attempt to find a misplaced manuscript and that both Boyle and Moreau had seemed extremely concerned about Rayne's erratic, even wild, behavior and sudden, obsessive desire to translate the missing book, which he called the "Testament of Golgotha".
When called to testify, Mr. Dominick Fitzgerald, Dr. Rayne's majordomo and general factotum, risked contempt by refusing to comment. Mr. Fitzgerald stated that he had been "in service" for his entire working life and had trained himself to be like the three monkeys: to see nothing, to hear nothing, to say nothing. Therefore, he could be of no further assistance. To a discerning mind, it would seem that Mr. Fitzgerald's discretion substantiates his fellow servant's statement.
LOVER KILLED IN AUGUST EXPLOSION
Upon the advice of her attorney, Dr. Corrigan confirmed that Boyle and Moreau had called her and had expressed "mild" concern about their employer's behavior and lack of sleep. "Little wonder," she said, "it has been a year filled with grief."
Psychiatrist Corrigan says, "It has been a year filled with grief."
The psychiatrist revealed that within the past few months Rayne had lost several friends and colleagues under tragic, macabre circumstances. In early August, longtime friend, Jane Witherspoon, who headed Luna Foundation affairs in Boston, had met an especially gruesome death by crucifixion, the victim of a serial killer with apparent cult connections. A former Rayne employee, Kristin Adams, and her brother, Ethan, had been killed at the same time, possibly by the same perpetrator. In all cases, Dr. Rayne was either present, or called upon to identify the bodies.
Only weeks later, journalist Megan Torrance, said to have been Rayne's lover, was killed when a bomb destroyed her car. Dr. Rayne was a witness. On the same day, Dr. Rayne's personal psychiatrist was also murdered. None of the cases has yet been solved, nor has the murder some years ago of Rayne's academic rival, Prof. Reed Horton, a case in which Derek Rayne was the prime suspect.
Dr. Corrigan admitted that, because of the series of tragedies, she had become concerned about the deceased's mental state. She confirmed that he often seemed tired and depressed. Upon her arrival on the morning of the 12th, they had spoken of his father, archaeologist Winston Rayne, killed in a rock fall in Peru in 1969, an event which his 15-year-old son had witnessed. Dr. Corrigan stated that it was her professional opinion that Dr. Rayne blamed himself for being unable to prevent his father's death, and that guilt had haunted him for much of his life. She also suggested that, as a result, he may have blamed himself for other deaths that had occurred around him. She indicated that, as the discussion had progressed, he had expressed sadness at the apparent futility of life. He had commented that it was as if life was a cruel hoax and God was the ultimate stand-up comic with "death as the blackest joke of all."
Rayne: Life, a cruel hoax... God, a stand-up comic... death, the blackest joke of all.
The psychiatrist stated that, in her professional opinion, Dr. Rayne might have been displaying some suicidal characteristics, but, considering recent events, the absence of depression would have been more worrisome. However, based upon her personal knowledge of the man, whom she admitted to having known less than five years, Corrigan stated that she could not believe that he would kill himself, especially not in this spectacular way, which destroyed his family's home, his life's work, and his legacy. Unfortunately, friends and families of suicide victims often seem at a loss to explain events.
EXPLOSIVES ILLEGALLY OBTAINED
On a different front, Oakland authorities have discovered that Nicholas Boyle made a large purchase of C4 explosives, commonly called plastique. When called to testify, Mr. Boyle indicated that it was common practice for the Luna Foundation to keep such quantities on hand to allow for easy distribution to foundation supported archaeological digs and construction projects. However, under stringent questioning, he admitted that Dr. Rayne had suddenly requested that he make an additional purchase in those quantities and that he had called Dr. Corrigan to come speak with the deceased. He refused to confirm that he had been "extremely" concerned about Rayne's behavior, admitting only that he thought his employer had something on his mind that he might more easily discuss with his physician than with anyone else.
Upon being confronted with evidence, or lack thereof, Mr. Boyle also confessed that the purchase of this batch of explosives had been made in haste, outside usual procedures, and that normal paperwork had been incomplete, an oversight that may lead to state and county prosecution.
FBI TESTIMONY
A government explosives expert indicated that for such total and complete destruction to have occurred from that amount of plastique, charges would have had to have been planted throughout the substructure and the house itself by someone with blueprints or an intimate knowledge of the premises. The presence of C4 traces found throughout the rubble by forensics investigators confirms this theory.
When asked about storage practices, Mr. Boyle revealed that explosives were customarily housed in a vault, specially constructed in the caverns that formed the substructure of Luna Foundation headquarters. The former Navy SEAL admitted that, had that amount of C4 exploded within the vault, which was embedded in bedrock, damage to the structure above should have been minimal.
Luna security confirms Rayne was capable of constructing explosive devices.
However, stating that computers, security systems, and communications had gone down earlier in the day, Boyle reiterated his belief that a terrorist cell, which had made threats against the Luna Foundation in the past, was responsible. When asked, the former SEAL denied that his allegations were the result of wishful thinking by a soldier loyal to his superior officer.
But upon further examination, the Luna security chief indicated that it was possible that Dr. Rayne was capable of sabotaging the electronics system and of constructing the explosive devices described by the FBI expert, though he insisted that he had no memory of ever having seen his employer engage in any such action. He was also forced to confess that Dr. Rayne would have had ample opportunity to do anything he wished.
RADIATION PRESENT
In a further mystery, however, a military demolitions
expert has stated that C4 alone, even in such quantities as were present, was unlikely produce the destructive pattern and certain other residual trace elements found at the site, nor can it explain the slightly elevated levels of radiation present in certain areas. It is his belief that there was another, as yet unknown, explosive agent present. INTENDED TO BE LONE VICTIM
It is interesting to note that all persons who would normally have been within the structure were not. Earlier in the day Dr. Rayne had given the entire staff, including security officers, the evening off and had insisted that they leave the island, even those who lived on the premises.
FBI: blast blew over heads.
Dr. Corrigan, Ms. Moreau, and Mr. Boyle all said that late on the evening of the 12th, Dr. Rayne had asked them all to meet him in the sunken gardens near a particular statue. He had told them that he would join them to discuss a landscaping project. By being where they were, some ten feet below ground level, beside the wall nearest the explosion, the blast essentially blew over their heads. Had they not been in precisely that location, it is likely that all would have sustained significant injuries.
A DOOMSDAY BOOK
In an unexpected bombshell, the contents of the mystery book, "the Testament of Golgotha," have been discovered. When examined regarding the text, Mr. Boyle, Ms. Moreau, and Dr. Corrigan, all denied knowledge, saying that Dr. Rayne tended to be a secretive person who made revelations in his own time or not at all. All stated that they had assumed that Dr. Rayne was planning on writing a monograph on the book. Having been "scooped" before in a matter of scholarly publishing, he was always particularly secretive concerning his literary endeavors. In this instance, all declared that Dr. Rayne had shared no information with them regarding the translation.
The Courier has managed to obtain the assistance of noted Biblical scholar, Dr. Rahel bar Yeshua. According to Dr. bar Yeshua, who examined portions of a copy held in the collections of the Prado in Madrid, the book is a companion piece to the more famous "War Scroll," one of the Dead Sea Scrolls which details the final war between the Sons of Light and the Sons of Darkness. Prof. bar Yeshua explained that the "Golgotha" text foretells the end of time, believed to coincide with the Millennium, but which Millennium cannot be established. Dr. bar Yeshua translated the following, "The Apocalypse will be foreshadowed by the arrival of a Messiah, a 'Chosen One,' who will sacrifice himself that his minions might conquer."
Golgotha Testament: The Apocalypse will be foreshadowed by the arrival of a Messiah, a 'Chosen One,' who will sacrifice himself that his minions might conquor.
It has been with dread that both military and civil authorities around the world have anticipated the coming Millennial celebrations. They have feared, particularly in the Middle East, that religious fanatics who wish to bring about the Apocalypse and the Second Coming of Christ, might, by terrorist means, try to instigate Armageddon, the final battle between Good and Evil. Israeli police have been particularly concerned with the security around the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem, the flashpoint of Islamic/Judaic relations.
EXPERT ON ZODIAC KILLER TESTIFIES
Of particular interest has been the presence of Fr. Joseph Thomas, an authority on cults and serial killers. Fr. Thomas, who has consulted with Interpol, the FBI, and many other agencies on numerous occasions, was asked to testify as a friend of the court. In the past, he has assisted in the investigation of the still unsolved Zodiac murders, which terrified the Bay Area for several years, as well as the Manson Family, Jim Jones and the People's Temple mass suicide, all with San Francisco connections, the Heaven's Gate mass suicide in San Diego, the Solar Temple mass suicides in Montreal and Switzerland, the Branch Davidians in Waco, and the Tokyo subway gassing by the Apocalyptic cult, Aum Shiri Kyo.
Fr. Thomas, who admitted that he was casually acquainted with Dr. Rayne, was asked if a book, such as the "Testament of Golgotha," could affect the mind of an emotionally unstable person in such a way as to produce messianic delusions. Would someone attempt act out the details depicted in such a book? Could a person in a delusional state transfer the site of Armageddon to anywhere in the world?
Expert says Jim Jones and David Koresh acted out their Apocalyptic delusions.
The priest replied that persons had done so numerous times throughout history, particularly with the Bible. He stated that fulfilling an Apocalyptic delusion was the precise thing that Jim Jones had done in Guyana and David Koresh had done in Waco, Texas.
MURDERED PSYCHIATRIST'S FILES MISSING
When directly asked if he believed that Derek Rayne was capable of such actions, Fr. Thomas declined to respond, saying that he could "profile" an anonymous personality, but he did not know Derek Rayne well enough to give an opinion and had not been given the opportunity to study the deceased's psychological records, which, in an amazing coincidence, were said to be missing from Dr. Goddard's office, after the psychiatrist's murder.
When this reporter asked the SFPD to confirm that Dr. Rayne's records were missing from the murder scene, Det. David Royce, the lead investigator on the case, revealed that it was possible that some documents were missing. We might add that Royce was yet another Rayne acquaintance, who has recently been seen in the social company of Dr. Rachel Corrigan.
A MISGUIDED MESSIAH OR
ANOTHER CAGLIOSTROThus far there is little but rumor, speculation, and a spider's web of coincidence to substantiate any scenario.
Derek Rayne's home was literally a "castle fit for a king," or a sorcerer, which sat on an island atop a vast network of caves and tunnels, on the very edge of the monster called the "San Andreas Fault". He was widely known for his Rasputin-like personality, charming and hypnotic, but controlling, manipulative, and secretive.
When asked to comment upon Rayne's demise, fellow financier Victor Arkadi declared that he did not wish to speak ill of the dead, but would say that Derek Rayne was a formidable opponent, whose ruthless and vindictive business practices had cost him much more than a few nights' sleep.
The deceased held a doctorate in theology, and possessed an enormous collection of both Christian and occult tomes and artifacts. Former colleague, Randolph Hitchcock, revealed that Rayne had once confided to him a fascination with the black arts, with death, and bizarre crimes, which led to a second doctorate in biological anthropology, a discipline akin to the forensic pathology of a medical examiner - scarcely the norm for a financier and philanthropist.
All that exists are the strands of this elusive spider's web - what lies at its heart? Are these the descriptions of a man whose grief had placed him on the edge of an emotional abyss, or are they merely a smokescreen to conceal what Derek Rayne really was?
Was Derek Rayne the head of some, as yet unidentified, cult that sought to bring about the Apocalypse? Were all of these grotesque deaths surrounding Derek Rayne merely a series of ghastly coincidences? Were they an integral part of some bizarre scenario? Were the deaths of friends and colleagues aimed at him in some sort of cult warfare? Or were they cult sacrifices? Or were they perpetrated by Derek Rayne against intimate acquaintances who had learned of his Millennial plans.
How many more murders besides Horton, Torrance, and Goddard have the fingerprints of Derek Rayne on the scene? What other bizarre occurrences have had their origins in that feudal kingdom ironically called Angel Island? To what extent are Moreau, Boyle, Fitzgerald, and Corrigan involved? Were they merely loyal employees or the enthralled "minions" he chose to protect?
THE SECOND COMING OR THE ANTI-CHRIST
In the weeks ahead, The Courier, which owes nothing to San Francisco's "old money" network, of which Derek Rayne was an established member, will continue to tenaciously pursue this story.
What nasties lie behind the sedate facade of the Luna Foundation? Is Bay area bureaucracy involved in a cover-up? Is the attempt to paint Derek Rayne as an emotionally disturbed man, who took his life as a result of financial problems, depression, and grief, in reality a cover-up tailored to preserve the region's Luna Foundation gravy train?
Were the previous deaths just tragic, bad luck or efforts by a madman to conceal plans for the Apocalyptic destruction of Angel Island and, perhaps, of San Francisco itself? Could the explosive goal have been to trigger "the Big One" exactly where the forces on "the monster" are the greatest - a 9 point plus on the San Andreas at the Golden Gate? An Apocalyptic image indeed.
Did Derek Rayne see himself as a messiah who would bring about the end of the world and the Second Coming of Christ? Or, as the "Testament of Golgotha" purportedly suggests, would a "Chosen One" seek to raise the Anti-Christ from Hell itself and so, begin Satan's dominion?
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