The Room Where It Happened

by Jason Letts

  Tera followed him away from her row of desks, which were just set end to end in a long row, and went to his farther in the back of the room with its own walls. Except for the lack of a door, it impressively resembled a private office. He even had a second chair for a guest.

  His computer wasn’t just a laptop like the one she’d brought in on her own; he had an honest to goodness desktop, and when he sat down and turned the monitor on she could see it was hooked into all of the CPD databases. He brought the fingerprint scans they’d taken up.

  “Nothing matches Chechy, I’m sorry to say. That means the low-hanging fruit tying him to the scene is off the table. He still easily could’ve been there for all of the reasons I mentioned. A pair of gloves is all it would take.”

  “OK, so what do we do next?” Tera asked.

  Brady brushed some of his curly light-brown hair over his ear.

  “I’m tempted to go back and try to dig into the floor for the bullet to try to get a lock on what exactly the murder weapon was, but if there aren’t prints on it this may also prove inconclusive unless Chechy is walking around with the same gun on him.”

  “He could very well be,” Tera said, trying her best to be positive.

  “That’s a hard thing to count on,” Brady said. “We’ve only got one shot at taking him down, and we need more before we confront them. Fortunately Clearwater Bank has just given us some serious help.”

  “Oh really?” Tera asked, leaning forward.

  Brady pulled up another file on the computer, a spreadsheet with what appeared to be row after row of transaction records.

  “They were able to crack the code Kim and Chechy were using in the calls, and a review of the compromised accounts did all point to another account at Monolith Bank that had been receiving the transfers. I’ve already got a call into them for any information they might have and am waiting to hear back, but Clearwater has identified more than fifty accounts that were feeding transfers to this one at Monolith,” he said.

  Tera’s eyes widened.

  “The calls with Kim were far from the only way he’d been getting people’s login information.”

  “Exactly. Clearwater has ruled out that any other reps were involved in the scheme. It’s possible Chechy might’ve been stealing people’s debit cards, buying credentials off of shady black market websites, or running other identity theft schemes. But do you want to know what I think?”

  Tera looked at him, and when she did she couldn’t help but wonder if those eyes and cheekbones that she’d found so enticing actually reminded her of her father, who she had nothing but the vaguest memories of.

  “You’re going to tell me regardless of what I say, aren’t you?”

  “How did you know? But this is a lot bigger than just one guy and his accomplice. We could be looking at the tip of the iceberg that involves illicit transfers from a number of sources funneling money to Wayne Chechy and his group.

  “Detective Stetman has been mentoring me since I’ve come on, and I’ve had him look some of this over. He’s right next door.”

  When Brady got up and led Tera around, she noticed that Stetman’s office did actually have a door to it. The perks of seniority were all over, including being right by another entrance and having his parking spot not ten steps from the door. It didn’t escape her notice that the precinct didn’t have a female detective either.

  Stetman, an older guy who’d lost most of his hair except for some around his ears, waved them in. Tera had seen him around, but like with most people she’d never said a word to him.

  “So what did you think? Am I right that this has the makings of a bigger operation?”

  Stetman glanced over some files, peeling pages back for a moment in search of something.

  “It gets easier when you’re more familiar with the hierarchy around here. A lot of the gang types that this Chechy might typically be involved with are generally little more than nuisances to each other. Fighting, small firearms, shows of bravado. And then we have the mafia groups uptown that have been the domain of financial crimes and more organized operations.

  “But the ages of the mafia guys has advanced, and the risks are so high that most of the key players can’t leave their homes for fear of being shot dead as soon as they show their faces. Some haven’t been seen for over ten years, and that’s created a vacuum. Then you have this explosion of technology and new ways to bilk cash out of people on a wide scale.

  “This looks like a gang that’s breaking out into something bigger. Widespread fraud, murder, key sources and informants placed different places. This could be the start of a new criminal paradigm, and that makes it vital that we put a stop to it quickly before it catches fire and spreads,” he said.

  Brady nodded emphatically, and Tera could tell he was enthralled by what he was hearing. What detective wasn’t hungry to break new ground and take down a growing threat to the community? Tera just couldn’t believe that somehow Kim had gotten wrapped up in this, and her murder had been the thing to lead them here.

  “We’re hoping with just a little more information we’ll be able to identify more of the individuals involved and the techniques they use. But what do you think they’re doing all this for?”

  Stetman sat back in his chair and stared at the ceiling.

  “It’s hard to say. Most of the gangs are in it for status, fast cars or other displays of wealth, but it looks like this has been going on for a while without us catching wind of any obvious tipoffs. Chechy might be smarter than he looks, and he may really be putting the money through a serious wash cycle before using any of it. But if he is that smart it won’t be long until a growing operation finds its way into the drug game and some of the older, more established rackets.

  “My hunch is that the money is going back into the black market for guns and recruitment. Any of these criminal groups that quickly gain power usually go through a cycle of revenge killings as well, so be on the lookout for more related murders.”

  They shook Stetman’s hand and left his office, but instead of simply returning to Brady’s desk he went right for the door and hustled down the steps to the unmarked cars.

  “I’ve got a feeling we’re onto something big, and it can’t wait for us to sit around anymore. Monolith Bank is holding the key to this for us,” he said.

  It seemed like a big claim, but Tera didn’t have any better ideas. The more they dug into these bank transactions, the farther they seemed to be getting from Kim’s murder, and all Tera could do was hope that once they started actually tracking people down that they’d come back around to it eventually. In the meantime, she wouldn’t mind if they could put a stop to people’s bank accounts getting drained.

  CHAPTER 7

  Monolith Bank’s headquarters was downtown nestled among the skyscrapers. For all the time she’d spent living in Chicago, the high-rise district still had a level of intimidation for her. The people who frequented here lived in another world. At least Monolith bank had branches and ATM’s throughout the city she was familiar with.

  When they entered the bank’s main offices, they were immediately directed to a security division that was lightyears beyond what Clearwater Bank had. It made Tera wonder why Chechy was using this bank as the recipient for his fraudulent transactions anyway. Probably just because he’d already had an account with them and had no conception of their security measures.

  A woman in a striped dress shirt and pencil skirt met them when they got off the elevator at the fourth floor. The way she looked Brady up and down made it clear to Tera she’d be playing third wheel again. He gave her an effortlessly charming smirk.

  “You’re visiting a little sooner than we anticipated, but we should be ready for you,” she said.

  “I’ll take whatever you have to give,” Brady said, and the young lady seemed to have trouble focusing for a second.

  “I’m Denise Facari, by the way,” she said, reaching for his hand. Tera gritted her teeth. Yes, he’s a man. Try not a
cting like it’s your first time seeing one.

  “Detective Brady Lance, I think we spoke on the phone. And this is Officer Tera Caldera.”

  “Pleasure,” Denise said. Tera didn’t have time in the fraction of a second she had Denise’s attention to form any kind of expression.

  She showed them into a conference room with a large computer screen and sat down beside the keyboard and mouse at one end of the table.

  “We’ve been able to go through the records for the account. There has been a dramatic increase in activity in the past sixty days, but the smaller accounts and lack of any kind of flagging hadn’t raised our suspicions or resulted in any kind of punitive action on our part,” she said.

  “What can you tell us about the sources?” Tera asked, determined not to be a fly on the wall this time. After hearing her question, Denise seemed to check with Brady to see if it was one he also wanted an answer to.

  “It does seem strange that the transfers are entirely from other regional or local banking entities. Given a random sample of people, many would be with national banks. They appear to be picking their victims well or weeding through a number of people in order to try to exploit a reduced level of security from these smaller financial institutions.”

  Brady got up from his seat and went to the wall in order to take a closer look at the large screen.

  “Anything you can tell us about the origins of these transactions, any commonalities among the different accounts?”

  Denise rapped her fingernails on the table, creating a grating sound that echoed around the room.

  “These were all transfers initiated by the senders, suggesting that they have access to all of these different accounts. We don’t have much more information than the account numbers and the amount of the funds,” she said.

  “And nothing got flagged for fraudulent activity?”

  Denise scrolled down the spreadsheet.

  “Just a couple, but we’re talking about hundreds of transactions. Without you tipping us off, it looks to us like a pretty normal business. The reality is that really only about ten percent of people check their bank account on a weekly basis. A quarter check monthly. And over fifty percent never actually check their balance more than once a year. If the expectation is on individual customers to know they’re being robbed, that’s unlikely to work out well.”

  As revolting as the thefts were, for Tera they were just one more reason to feel agitated and on edge. This case got started because of how much she cared about Kim, and now both of them seemed to be on the verge of being forgotten.

  “Has Chechy made any purchases from the account?” she asked, and Denise turned her head like she hadn’t remembered anyone else was in the room.

  “No, but I think this’ll be useful to you. He does make nightly withdrawals from an ATM way down at the end of 87th in the South Works area,” she said. That rung a bell for Tera.

  “You mean by the old dockyard? That’s a pretty dead area, or at least it was.”

  “There are some active industrial sites inland, but yes, most of it is urban blight. Here’s the security footage we’ve got of them using the ATM,” Denise said, bringing up a two-minute video. What they saw was grainy, but Tera had a good enough sense that it was Wayne Chechy along with three other men in dark clothes.

  “That’s quite a group he’s got with him. And look, you can see they’re coming and going right from the shoreline. Nightly withdrawals make for a tempting pattern,” Brady said.

  “Should we freeze the account?” Denise asked.

  Brady gestured to Tera that she should get up. They were about to leave.

  “Absolutely not, at least not yet. This is the perfect chance to take a closer look at what they’re doing. It’s time for us to get going. Thanks for the help, Mrs. Facari.”

  “It’s Miss!” the young lady called back to them before the door to the conference room swung closed.

  As Tera followed Brady to the elevator, she could tell from the way he was striding with purpose that he had something in mind.

  “You want to ambush him at the ATM?” Tera guessed as the elevator doors closed. He was twitchy, strung up as if he were walking into a fight.

  “No, not with his boys around. But getting a closer look to see where they are and what they’re doing could answer a lot of these questions faster than the banks are doing. What do you think, are you up for a stakeout?”

  Tera took a deep breath.

  “So much for being done with the night shift,” she said, getting a smirk out of him. But actually getting out there and taking the evidence necessary to close in on these guys was more than appealing.

  Every step of the way in this investigation she’d found herself kicked, put down, and overlooked, and as she changed out of her uniform at her apartment and into casual street clothes that would make her less conspicuous, the rage and indignation of it all made her feel like she was going to snap.

  Even Olivia’s sweet invitation to join the parade left Tera incensed. The traffic cop didn’t even consider her a potential rival or a threat, and Tera was more than tired of being dismissed and disregarded. Her mind was an incomprehensible jumble of thoughts, but one thing she knew for sure was that she had to find some way to make a change.

  But as she stood in front of the mirror with just a bra on trying to decide if a jacket and t-shirt or athletic wear would be more suitable (and, she admitted to herself, whether Brady would find it more appealing), it was a good reminder that she was just another person made of muscle and bone and covered in skin. Her father had lost control and it got him killed. If she wasn’t careful, the same thing could happen to her.

  She met back up with Brady shortly after 8 PM. The sun had set but the darkness wasn’t much of a respite from the sweltering warm air. Tera had decided the jacket would’ve been too bulky and went with a black form-fitting merino top and jeans. According to Monolith Bank, Checky often made his withdrawals between ten and eleven, giving them plenty of time to scope out the area and find a spot.

  “I hope Olivia doesn’t mind that you’re going to be spending the night with me,” Tera said, sliding into the passenger seat.

  “She made sure I didn’t leave empty-handed,” Brady said. OK, that one backfired, she thought. Come to think of it, she noticed his tie was a little loose.

  The black sedan had no end of supplies they might need for surveillance in addition to their typical armaments, but Tera was skeptical about how much information they’d really be able to gather. Sitting in a car, was watching Chechy walk to an ATM really going to tell them anything new?

  As they set out and approached the South Works area, Tera’s memory of this section of town matched the blocks of dark warehouses and boathouses beside the docks. One time she’d gotten lost down here and had to drive for miles to find anybody that could help. The roads were vacant and the active businesses had long since closed.

  “Approaching the target area,” Brady said into the radio as they came up on 87th St. He killed the lights as they passed the Monolith ATM and began to look for a suitable hideout location. Between some of the buildings they could glimpse Lake Michigan and the reflection of the moon on its surface.

  “How about over here?” Tera suggested, pointing to what appeared to be a shipyard with some large storage containers. Brady nodded and turned off the road, slowly bringing them around behind the building near the docks and alongside a section of fence not far from one of the piers.

  “Look at that,” Brady said with a smile, and Tera followed his finger to an illuminated window a couple of buildings over. It wasn’t just yellow from a bulb; some glowing blueness to it suggested that a computer was on. And it was pretty much a straight shot from there to the ATM. They had a fantastic view of all of it.

  Straining her ears, she noticed something else.

  “Can you hear that beat? Somebody’s got some music on somewhere,” she said.

  Brady hit the button to roll the window all the way do
wn and leaned his head out.

  “This is getting interesting. Something is going on over there.”

  Despite breaking out the binoculars they weren’t able to get any kind of an idea what that could be, and they didn’t see anyone either. They had a sound amplifier, but the music prevented them from hearing anything, if there was anything to be heard. The minutes passed, and Tera settled in. As best she could tell they were on the lookout for Chechy to make a move to the ATM or for any other comings and goings.

  From her perspective, she could see the moonlight shining across the lake to the right of what appeared to be Chechy’s hideout. Nothing changed in the lit window, and Tera found her vision drifting just a little to take in Brady’s profile against the darkness. She couldn’t really have a half-brother she didn’t know about. That would be ridiculous.

  The more she looked at him, the more she believed he couldn’t be related, but maybe that was just what she wanted to believe.

  “I’m surprised you went for Lawrence Asper. He doesn’t seem to be your type,” Brady said out of the blue.

  Tera was so surprised to hear him say something like that she almost asked him to repeat himself to make sure her ears weren’t playing tricks on her. What got him looking into Lawrence? And why, considering their nasty falling out? Talking about him with Brady was the last thing she wanted to do.

  “And what exactly do you think my type is?” Tera asked, at once skeptical and intrigued.

  Brady shrugged, never taking his eyes off of the scene in front of them.

  “He’s a party boy in college with a hint of fame. I’d expect you to go for someone more down-to-earth, stable, less showy,” he said, and Tera couldn’t help but laugh.

  Was he saying she’d like someone like that because she wasn’t similar or because she was? If he thought her quiet side at events was who she was, it was a good thing he hadn’t spent any time researching the few times she’d come up in the papers.

  “What if I told you that I’d be more likely to see myself with someone who acts on instinct, has a creative streak, and never forgets his sense of humor? And besides, considering some of the things you’ve said about Olivia it seems apparent we don’t always end up with the exact kind of person we dream of.”