by C. M. Sutter
I stood and gave him a pat on the shoulder. “You’re the man, Joe. How soon can you get us that information for all twenty-nine buildings?”
“Wow. It’s going to take a while. I’ll get Jamie to help me.”
“Thanks, and call us when it’s ready. You know where we’ll be.”
I made a stop in the ladies’ room and splashed more water on my face. Then I leaned against the sink and fired off a short text to Amber. I hadn’t seen her since yesterday morning when I left to have breakfast with J.T. Back then, a short thirty-five hours ago, I thought everything was fine with the world. Now, I had no idea if my partner and his sister were even alive. I scooped up another handful of water, drank it, and patted my cheeks with my wet hands. I dried my face and headed back to the conference room.
With an exhausted breath, I took my seat and began jotting down every idea as it popped into my mind. “Where exactly is that tint shop, Bill?” I asked.
He stood and went to the Milwaukee County map on the back wall. “Let’s see. Here we go.” He stuck a red pushpin into the map.
“Something on your mind, Jade?” Spelling asked.
“Not sure. Is there any kind of statistic that tracks how far a perp normally conducts business from their ground zero point?”
“That’s a tough one,” Hopkins said. “Each case and situation is different, depending on the size of the city and its demographics. If someone wants to feel safe, they’re going to do everything away from their home base.”
“Even if it’s a one-time shot, like getting his windows tinted?”
Spelling raised his brows. “I see where you’re going with this, and that one-time incident might be an exception to the rule. The perp wouldn’t likely run into the shop owner again, especially if most of the daily activities he conducts are in the opposite direction of the tint shop. Let’s go with fifteen blocks in each direction. Give me a second.” Spelling got on the phone and called Joe. He ran that information past him and hung up. “Joe is having Erin map out a fifteen-block circumference around the tint shop. We’ll have the printout in a few minutes. Everyone grab a snack, use the facilities, and stretch. Be back here in ten minutes.”
I joined our team in the lunchroom and stood in line as we plugged change into the vending machines. With our sandwiches and sodas in hand, we headed back and took our seats.
Erin followed at our backs and passed out a dozen copies of the fifteen-block circumference she put together using the tint shop as the center point.
“Fifteen blocks out is a pretty wide perimeter,” she said, “but if there are vacant buildings within that area, you may be on to something.”
Spelling thanked her and she left, closing the door behind her. “Okay, everyone, keep busy until Joe has the information on the vacant buildings.”
I had been in my chair for only five minutes before I stood again. The group looked up at me.
“I have an idea that could be more useful than us sitting here without a plan. I’ll be right back.”
Chapter 28
J.T. heard footsteps walking back and forth through the building. The men hadn’t left earlier as he had thought, and he wondered what they were up to.
They’re likely making plans for Saturday.
Julie had been dragged away earlier, and J.T. didn’t know what room or area in the building they had taken her to. He hadn’t heard a peep from her since then.
He listened closely but couldn’t make out their words from across the building. Laughter rang out between the men, infuriating him. There was nothing J.T. could do to help his sister or himself.
The click clack of shoes on the cement floor was getting louder. J.T. looked up and saw Anthony coming toward him. He carried a paper plate of food and a plastic water bottle.
J.T. glanced to his left at the broken-out second-story window. The night sky was as dark as ink.
Guess it’s dinnertime.
Anthony set the plate and water bottle on a skid and approached J.T. “Boss says you need to eat.”
“Have you ever formed a complete sentence in your life, Neanderthal?”
Anthony delivered a swift kick to the right side of J.T.’s knee. “I’d kill you in a heartbeat if Mr. Vetcher would let me, but he thinks you’ll come in handy during the heist. I have my doubts, and if I accidentally shoot you”—he laughed at J.T.’s pain-filled grimace—“well, shit happens, you know.”
Anthony went to the left chain and unlocked it from the pillar. J.T.’s outstretched arm and the chain dropped to the floor. Anthony took the plate of food and set it in front of J.T. He cracked the plastic lid of the water bottle and placed it next to the plate. “Don’t move until I tell you to.” He stepped back and took a seat on the skid. “All right, eat.”
“I have to use the bathroom.”
Anthony rose and walked away. He returned moments later with a rusty bucket and pushed it with his foot. It slid across the floor and rattled to a stop next to J.T. “There, problem solved. Now eat.”
“Did my sister have dinner?”
“Yes. You have ten minutes. I’d suggest shutting up and eating. You aren’t getting anything else until tomorrow.”
“What’s the plan for tomorrow?”
Anthony grinned. “Wouldn’t you like to know?” His cell phone rang, and he pulled it out of his pocket. “Yes, sir, I’ll be right there.”
J.T. yelled out as Anthony walked away. “What’s in it for you to be his trained monkey? Are you and Antonio each getting a third of the take?”
Anthony’s middle finger shot up as he rounded the corner and disappeared from sight.
Chapter 29
“Sorry, Joe. I hate to interrupt, but I have an idea.”
Joe leaned back in his chair and entwined his fingers behind his head. “Not a problem. We all have our roles, right? I could use a few minutes to rest my eyes and brain, anyway. What can I help you with, Jade?”
“I know how hard you’re working on those vacant building maps. As you know, Erin brought us that mapped-out fifteen-block perimeter around the tint shop.”
“Yep, that’s correct.”
“Are any of those vacant buildings within that fifteen-block circumference?”
“Great question. The fastest way to find out is to drop the map image of the circumference around the tint shop over the aerial view of the vacant buildings. Otherwise we’d have to check it by street names. Let’s see what we get.”
With a few keystrokes and after moving layered images around, Joe placed the circumference map on top of the aerial-view map of the vacant buildings in that quadrant. He lined up the tint shop address as the center point on both maps.
I leaned over his shoulder and looked at the composite image. “Son of a gun, it worked. There’s three empty buildings within that perimeter.”
Joe smirked. “I swear, you’re a genius, Jade.”
“Nah, just practical and Type A—I need to stay busy, or I’ll go crazy. Pull up the addresses of each building and the square footage we’re looking at. Can you get me a satellite image of each one that shows the doorways, the parking lot, and any nearby buildings that we may need to use as cover?”
“Sure thing, but keep in mind that Google satellite images are dated. They only update them every five years or so. What we see now may not look the same as in real time.”
I nodded. “Yeah, but it’s a start. Call me when that’s done, please. Nobody knows why I wandered off.”
Joe gave me a nod and got back to work, and I headed to the conference room. I took my seat again and asked for everyone’s attention.
“Go ahead, Agent Monroe,” Hopkins said.
“Okay, I had an idea that I needed Joe to test. With overlapping transparencies, he was able to place the perimeter map over the aerial-view map of the vacant buildings. It turns out that three of those buildings are in that fifteen-block circumference around Tony’s Tint and Trim. He’s getting us satellite images of each of those buildings with entry and e
xit points and so on. He should be done with that in a few minutes.”
“Great work, Jade,” Spelling said. “Let’s get a plan in motion.”
Hopkins’s phone vibrated on the table. He picked it up and glanced at the screen. “The ME is calling.” He excused himself and walked out into the hallway.
I watched his expression as he talked on the other side of the glass wall. Hopkins paced as he scratched his head and dragged his fingers through his hair. The air in the conference room had become thick with sadness as everyone stole a glance at their anxious supervisor.
He returned and blew out a deep sigh as he sat. “Well, I’m sure you all know what that was about.”
We kept quiet out of respect and gave SSA Hopkins a moment to regroup. Curt was one of the top agents in the downtown headquarters, and we all knew how much he’d be missed.
“The ME said Curt had three gunshot wounds in his body. One was about ten hours older than the others, meaning he suffered and lost a good quantity of blood before he was killed.”
I saw the pain and sadness in SSA Hopkins’s eyes as he relayed the information he had just received from the ME. His lower lip began to quiver. I looked down at the table and kept quiet. I was the newbie in the department and had never met Curt. The looks in everyone’s eyes told me how much he was cared for, though. Now it appeared my own partner might end up with the same fate.
Hopkins continued. “Curt’s first bullet wound was to his shoulder, and the others were to his back and head. He had suffered a broken nose and jaw, likely from earlier beatings. The ME says those injuries are the oldest. I’m under the assumption the abductors wanted information and thought beating it out of Curt would work. Apparently it didn’t, or they wouldn’t have needed J.T.” He glanced at each face at the table. “Tomorrow you’re on your own while I take that drive to Waukegan and explain to Mrs. Belmont that her son died in the line of duty. Find J.T. and his sister and get them home safely.”
Joe knocked and pushed open the door. “I have the satellite images and information on those first few empty buildings.”
Spelling waved him in.
Joe placed a stack of copies on the table. “I should have information on the rest of the empty buildings within the hour.”
“Thanks, Joe.” Spelling gave him a nod. “We appreciate you moving so quickly on this.”
I leaned across the table and reached for the copies. I took one for myself and passed the stack to my right. “We need to check out these buildings tonight, sir. The cover of darkness will be a big help.”
Spelling turned to Hopkins. “I’d like to hear your opinion, Tom.”
“Do it. Get those maniacs before somebody else we care about dies.”
We studied the images of the three vacant buildings and memorized the entrances and exits. I noticed how nothing blocked the rooftops in the aerial views.
“May I make a suggestion? I know it sounds farfetched, but it could be a real time-saver.”
“Go ahead, Agent Monroe,” Hopkins said.
“I’m wondering if we can call in favors.”
“What organization are you talking about, Jade?” Cam asked.
“How about the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Department Search and Rescue team? They have drones that can detect humans by their body heat. I’m sure from these satellite images that they can be successful, even at night. There isn’t anything over these buildings that would block the heat-seeking signal. That could speed everything up exponentially. We’ve helped them in the past when they needed our resources, and we’ve also sponsored their fundraising events for more equipment. They owe us a little help.”
Spelling jerked his head toward the door. “Maria, get on the horn to them right now. We need the deputy sheriff, or whoever makes the decisions on that, and their best drone controller here, immediately.”
Maria left the room to make the call.
“Sir, that’s only three buildings out of twenty-nine. I wonder what the chances are of using their help to clear all of those buildings.”
“I don’t know, Jade, but I intend to find out as soon as they show up.”
By eight o’clock, we had Sergeant Kyle Saunders and an SAR expert, Deputy Mark Spence from the sheriff’s department, entering the building to meet with our group. Maureen showed them to our third-floor conference room. Hopkins and Spelling stood, shook their hands, and made the introductions down the line of agents at the table. Hopkins explained the situation and the dire need for their immediate help. Time wasn’t on our side, and we feared J.T. and Julie’s lives were in jeopardy.
Sergeant Saunders spoke up after reviewing the images and consulting with Mark Spence. “Mark is confident we can get the drone over these three buildings. He needs to have plenty of unobstructed space in order to maneuver the drone over the rooftops, and he needs to be in visual contact with it at all times. We can clear the other buildings tomorrow with the help of a second drone.”
Hopkins slapped the table with his open hands. “Then let’s get these three done tonight. We have to know if anyone is inside so we can plan our course of action. I want four agents to escort Sergeant Saunders and Deputy Spence to each site. If nothing pops at one, move on to the next. If any of them show signs of human inhabitants, get back here immediately so we can plan our method of breaching the building. We’ll catch them by surprise, under the cover of darkness.”
“May I go along?” I looked from Spelling to Hopkins.
Spelling responded, “This was your suggestion, so hop aboard and keep your eyes peeled. Bill, Cam, and Val go along too. The rest of us will review the other images as soon as Joe is finished with them. Monroe?”
I stopped at the doorway. “Yes, sir?”
“Report back here immediately if there are people in any of the buildings. You’re the lead agent tonight.”
“Absolutely, sir, and thank you.”
Chapter 30
“I think something is brewing, Mr. Vetcher.”
“I’m sure you aren’t talking about coffee. What’s going on, Antonio?” Carden bit into the Red Delicious apple he held between his fingers then dabbed the corners of his mouth with a cloth napkin. He set down the mapped-out armored truck route he had been studying for days.
“I heard chatter over the airwaves about thirty minutes ago. Several people from the sheriff’s department were summoned to the FBI headquarters downtown.”
“Interesting bit of information, and I wonder why.” Carden scratched his chin as if in thought. “The cops are looking for the van, according to earlier news reports. Take the Mercedes and sit outside the FBI parking structure but stay in the shadows. Surveil the situation and follow anyone who leaves the building, just stay far enough back so you aren’t noticed. Call me immediately with an update if there’s movement. Do you understand everything I just said?”
“Yes, Mr. Vetcher.”
“Good, now go quickly before you miss something.”
Antonio disappeared out the side of the building. The heavy steel door slammed with a loud thud at his back. Carden rose from the folding table and crossed the warehouse to the stairs. On the second floor, a large locked cabinet stood against the wall in a room that once served as office space. Carden dug through his front pocket until he felt the padlock key. He twisted the key in the slot, removed the lock, then temporarily set it on the floor. He pulled open the double cabinet doors wide and smiled at the contents.
Inside was an array of weapons including seven handguns, two AK-47 assault rifles, an AR-22, two shotguns, magnetic IED explosives, tear gas canisters, masks, Kevlar vests, hundreds of rounds of ammunition, and zip ties. Carden ran his fingertips over the smooth wooden stocks of the rifles. Saturday, the weapons would be put to good use. The armored truck driver and guards wouldn’t know what hit them until it was far too late.
Chapter 31
The plan was for Cam and me to follow in one cruiser and Val and Bill Lewis in the other. We pulled out of the parking garage and lin
ed up behind the sheriff’s department SUV. I jumped out of the passenger seat of our cruiser and approached the driver’s side window. Sergeant Saunders rolled it down.
I peeked in and nodded at Deputy Spence in the passenger seat. A large tote containing several drones and the equipment that went with them sat on the folded-down back seat. “We’re ready when you are, sir.”
“Sure thing. Because one building doesn’t stand out more than another, we’ll go in order of location. There’s one due west of the tint shop, another north, almost to the fifteen-block perimeter, and the final one is due south. Let’s begin with the northern one, just because it’s the farthest one away, and then work our way back.”
“That’s fine with us. Cam and I are in the first cruiser, and Val and Bill Lewis will be taking up the rear. Let’s stay off the radio just as a precaution. Here’s my cell number.” I rattled off my phone number and watched as Sergeant Saunders programmed it into his personal phone. “Okay, are we good to go?”
“We sure are. We’ll jump on Martin Luther King Drive and head north.”
I slapped the doorframe before I walked away. “Yep, let’s do this.”
The fifteen-block trip on MLK Drive, as the locals called it, would take a good twenty minutes. The wide street with a boulevard in the center held dozens of storefronts with barred entrances and windows. We weren’t in the best neighborhood and the number of abandoned buildings in that area didn’t surprise any of us. The lights at every intersection seemed to turn red as soon as we reached them. I sucked in a deep sigh at every light.
“Nervous?” Cam turned toward me.
“I’d call it apprehensive since I don’t know what to expect. I guess this is a process of elimination and the fastest and most efficient way of doing it. We have to find them, but what if they aren’t at any of those buildings?”
“Then we keep looking, Jade. God knows, the longer it takes, the worse their chances are.”
“Exactly, and that’s my fear.”