by C. M. Sutter
“Frank, take over while I answer this call. We need a technician to track Hanna’s phone immediately.”
Lutz stepped away from the counter and let Frank take the reins. He swiped the green call button and answered his phone. “Commander Lutz here.”
“Commander, it’s Gaines. A call just came into the precinct from Lee Bradley.”
“Good. Let her know that we have a phone Hanna can use for the time being.”
“Boss, let me explain why she called.”
Lutz frowned. “Sure, go ahead.”
“She said she hasn’t seen Hanna since three thirty. Hanna dropped off her mom at a friend’s house and said she was going out to buy a new cell phone. She promised to call Lee with the new number, but Lee hasn’t heard from Hanna at all.”
Lutz checked the time—8:58. “So you aren’t one hundred percent sure she actually got a different phone?”
“I guess not.”
“What else did Lee say?”
“Only that her friend was going to take her home.”
“Okay. Frank and I just arrived at the service provider’s location. I have to talk to the technician who can track Hanna’s phone unless it’s been completely disabled because she purchased a new one. Let me know if Lee calls back.”
“Will do, sir.”
Lutz returned to Frank’s side. “What’s up?”
“We’re waiting.”
“For?”
Frank shrugged. “Not quite sure. The counter person walked away.”
Moments later, the door behind the counter opened, and a man stepped out. “I’m the night shift supervisor. What can I do to help you officers?”
Lutz sighed. “I’m the homicide commander from Chicago’s second precinct, and this man”—he pointed at Frank—“is one of my top detectives. We have a warrant here, so I believe that’s self-explanatory. We need the cell phone of one of your customers tracked, and we need it done immediately.”
The man stared at the warrant Frank had handed him. “Looks to be in order. I’ll see who’s available in our tech department.”
“Can you expedite that? Better yet, we’ll join you.”
“Um—”
Lutz cut him off. “You don’t want to piss me off. You have the warrant, so let’s go.”
“Right this way.”
Lutz and Frank followed the supervisor down several hallways until they reached a large office space divided by dozens of cubicles.
The supervisor directed them to a particular man. “This is Tom Farcy, and he’s one of our best technicians.”
“Good.” Lutz slid a chair next to the man while Frank leaned against the cubicle wall. “You need to track this cell phone.” Lutz showed the tech the number to enter into his computer. “Supposedly, the young lady bought a replacement phone today. Is that going to be an issue?”
“If the phone has been deactivated, yes, since it’s not only turned off but essentially dead.”
Frank spoke up. “Don’t most people keep the same number as before?”
“They do unless they’re being harassed by somebody.”
Lutz frowned. “That isn’t the problem. The phone was stolen, and if we find it, we may find the thief.”
Tom rubbed his chin with a questioning expression. “A warrant for a stolen phone?”
Lutz nodded at the computer. “Go ahead, please.”
“Right.” The technician typed Hanna’s phone number and name into the computer, and two serial numbers came up. “Apparently, she bought a new phone since two phones are listed. Do you know which is the active phone?”
Lutz wrinkled his forehead. “Really?”
“I’ll take that as a no. I’ll have to try them both to see which one has been deactivated.”
They waited and watched the screen.
“Here we go.” Tom pointed at the screen. “That particular phone has been deactivated, so I’ll delete it from the system.”
After rearranging himself in the chair, Lutz continued. “So, can we track the new phone if she kept the original number?”
“We can track it by the serial number.”
“But can you tell if she kept the same phone number?”
“Yes, but let’s find its location first.” Tom entered the serial number on his map of the city. “You don’t have any idea where it was last located?”
“No. She just bought it today, and I have no idea where she purchased it.”
“Okay, it’ll take a few minutes—Whoa, that pinged fast. It seems the phone is turned on and is being used.”
“What! Where?”
Tom pointed at the red teardrop marker on the screen. “Nowhere good. The phone is in Englewood.”
“Why the hell would Hanna be in Englewood?” Frank asked. “Can you get an actual location?”
“I can get relatively close.” Tom enlarged the screen and pulled up the intersecting streets. It’s within a block of the intersection of South Wallace and West Sixty-First Street.”
“That isn’t good enough. How do we find the exact spot the phone is at?”
“Only by having Google Earth give you the exact satellite coordinates, and since the phone is a mobile one, the location can change constantly.”
Lutz cursed. “Plus that involves another warrant.”
Tom continued. “My suggestion would be to go to that area and look for the car the phone is in. It’s a larger target than trying to find a cell phone.”
“Yeah, that’s our next step. Okay, thanks.”
As they crossed the parking lot, Lutz told Frank to call the bullpen, get a description of Lee Bradley’s car and plate number, and put a BOLO out on it.
“Make sure you write down everything you’re told and then call Patrol after you get the information. We need local units combing that area, and tell them we’re on our way. Driving the neighborhood around South Wallace and West Sixty-First Street is likely going to be the only way we’ll find the car and Hanna.”
Chapter 45
With all the lights off, Josh peered through the slats in the blinds and watched as a woman dug around in the flower bed just off the front porch. She walked to a car idling at the curb and then returned with a flashlight.
“Determined old hag, aren’t you? You can dig all night long, but you aren’t going to find that spare key. I got rid of that a few hours ago.”
Josh watched as she went to the garage and tried to get in, but the door wouldn’t lift. He had changed the code earlier to make sure nobody would have the slightest chance of accessing the garage or seeing the Explorer parked inside. The only people who could breach the house were the police, but at that point, nobody realized that Jesse, Hanna, and Josh were inside.
The woman finally gave up and climbed into the passenger seat. The headlights came on, and the car drove away.
Josh retreated to the room Hanna was in. “Does your mom’s friend drive a white Nissan van?”
She nodded.
“Well, I doubt that she’ll be back. She couldn’t find the house key, and she couldn’t open the overhead door. Poor woman probably thought she lost her marbles. Anyway, good move being honest with me. McCord just lived a little bit longer.”
Hanna’s eyes darted toward the door, and she moaned through the tape.
“Are you worried about your boyfriend, or do you just have to take a piss?”
Hate was written across her face.
Josh shrugged. “Guess you can just stay put, then, while I go see what the detective is up to.”
Chapter 46
“We’re getting close,” Lutz said after Frank wrote down the information he had gotten from Gaines. “What kind of car are we looking for?”
“A silver Lexus sedan, Illinois plate number AH-22741. I’ll call the seventh district and get a patrol unit out there to lend a hand. Englewood is a sketchy neighborhood.” Frank made the call, and the search for Hanna and the missing Lexus was on. Seconds later, a call came in from the cruiser’s radio.
Lutz grabbed the mic. “Commander Lutz here. Yep, connect her through my cell phone.”
Lutz mouthed the name Lee to Frank, placed the mic back on the radio, then his phone rang. He answered and pressed the speaker icon.
“Hello, Commander Lutz speaking. Not a problem, Mrs. Bradley. I’m driving right now, so that’s why you’re on Speakerphone.”
“Thank you for taking my call, sir. I just wanted to let you know that I still haven’t heard from Hanna. I was hoping that she went home, even though I know she was told to stay with me.” Lee sighed through the phone lines. “I’ll admit I had my friend take me there just to clear any doubt. The spare key Hanna had hidden outside is missing, but I assume she put it in the house because she was going to be gone for a week. I tried the overhead garage door, but in my frazzled mind, I can’t come up with the right code to get in. Anyway, I rang the bell, banged on the door, and waited, but nobody answered. None of the lights were on either.”
Lutz slowed at the stop sign to make a left-hand turn. “Okay, that’s helpful, ma’am, but I’d suggest you stay away from Hanna’s house in case somebody is watching it. We’ll have patrol units drive by every so often.”
“So nothing on your end yet, Commander?”
“We’ve just begun the search, and if you have a cell phone, we’d like that number, too, so we can keep you abreast of any news.”
Lee gave him her cell number and ended the call.
“I think we’re in the right place,” Frank said as he stared out the passenger-side window. The sidewalks and yards were littered with trash. Houses were boarded up, and graffiti was rampant. Sketchy looking people who may have had bad intentions roamed the streets. “Why in God’s name would Hanna be in this area? Hell, I wouldn’t want to wander around out here myself, let alone an unarmed woman who isn’t a cop.”
“Make a quick call to the station again and find out if the news bulletin has gotten any leads. If not, tell Gaines to push it another few days.”
Frank made the call, got updated by the night crew, and told Gaines to let the news stations know that they needed to keep pushing Jesse’s segment on every broadcast.
Lutz jerked his chin at the windshield. “Looks like Patrol has arrived. Let’s get a grid set up and coordinate a sensible route through the neighborhoods.”
After parking at the curb, Lutz and Frank got out and approached the other officers. Extending their hands, the two introduced themselves as Scott Morrow and Kevin Banks.
“What do you guys know about this area?” Frank asked.
Morrow groaned. “It isn’t pretty, that’s for sure. A lot of crime, including drug dealing, theft, robbery, and assault.”
“So the whole gamut?” Lutz asked.
“Unfortunately, yes.”
“Would there be any reason on earth you can think of for a woman alone, who doesn’t live in the area, to be out here?” Frank asked.
Banks shook his head. “Nope. Either she knows someone who lives in this district, she came here for drugs, she got lost and accidentally ended up in Englewood, or she was brought here against her will.”
From what Lutz knew of Hanna, none of those scenarios fit. “It’s doubtful that a middle-class veterinarian who only moved to Chicago a year ago knows anyone who lives here. She doesn’t do drugs, and it doesn’t make sense that somebody in the Hyde Park area, where she’s from, would kidnap her in her own car and bring her here. How about my detective and I take the north-south streets and you two take the east-west streets? The cell phone hit in the area of South Wallace and West Sixty-First Street. Let’s start there and work our way out.”
“What kind of vehicle are we looking for?” Morrow asked.
“It’s a silver Lexus sedan with the tag AH-22741 unless that’s been swapped out with a stolen one. The car is registered to our missing woman’s mother, a Lee Bradley. If you find it, radio us, and we’ll do the same.”
“Copy that, Commander Lutz. Shall we head out?”
“Yep, stay safe and keep your eyes peeled. We need to drive through alleys too.” Once he was behind the wheel and had pulled out onto the street, Lutz checked the time again. It was nearly ten o’clock. “C’mon, Hanna, we need a little help here. Why are you in Englewood, and who are you with?”
Frank fidgeted as Lutz took to the streets.
Lutz noticed. “What’s up your ass? Is your head in the game or not?”
“Yeah, of course. My eyes and brain can function independently of each other.”
“So what’s your brain thinking about?”
“Maybe Josh has both of them.”
Lutz tapped his fingers against the steering wheel. “I don’t think so. It would mean that Josh left Jesse somewhere and had to have been following Hanna. That would only be possible if he was watching us at Jesse’s house, followed Conway to Lee’s house, and then followed Hanna after she dropped Lee off at her friend’s house. I’ll admit, it is possible he found the opportunity to catch her by surprise when she came out of the phone store, but that would mean the Explorer was parked in that general area, and there hasn’t been a BOLO hit on it.”
“It would also mean he knows we’re back in town. He’s already done all the damage he possibly could at Jesse’s house, so why go back there?”
“Exactly. That’s why I don’t think it’s him. If we only knew where Hanna bought that phone, we’d be able to see if there was surveillance of the parking lot. It’s the only thing that makes sense—somebody hijacked her and the car—and it could have been a random act.”
Lutz and Frank had gone up and down every north and southbound street and alley for forty-five minutes when the radio came to life with Banks on the other end. Frank engaged the mic. “What have you got, Kevin?”
“We’re hot on the trail of a silver Lexus that peeled away from the curb when they saw our squad car. The plates match. It turned right on South Halstead and Fifty-Ninth Street. We’re in pursuit, but it’s going at a dangerously high speed.”
“Okay, we’ll try to get in front of them and block the road. Call another unit to head north on Halstead from West Marquette. Hopefully, we’ll spot the Lexus and intercept it before it turns onto a side street and disappears.”
“Roger that, sir.”
Lutz engaged the lights and siren. The rear tires broke loose, and the car skidded as he floored the gas pedal and made a hard left on Halstead. When he saw flashing blue lights advancing quickly on their rear bumper, Frank looked over his shoulder. “The cavalry has arrived.”
Lutz lowered his window and waved the squad car ahead of them. As long as the Lexus didn’t turn off before they saw it, the likelihood of apprehending whoever was in it was pretty high. Morrow’s squad car would squeeze them in from the north, and Lutz and the other unit would do the same from the south. They’d find out soon enough who was behind the wheel of Lee Bradley’s car.
Frank pointed at headlights coming toward them from several blocks away. “That could be the Lexus.” He radioed the squad car they were following. “Heads up. That oncoming car could be the one.”
“Roger that, Detective Mills. Create some space between yourself and us and stay on the horn. We’ll know in a few seconds if it’s the Lexus, and if it is, you can block the road while we spin around and pursue.”
“Got it. Boss, let off the gas and hang back. We’ll know any second if it’s Lee’s car.”
They watched as the headlights got closer.
The officer in the squad car ahead of them yelled out as the car passed. “It’s the Lexus.”
Lutz cranked the wheel and spun the car sideways. The Lexus jumped the curb and headed east down a different street.
“Damn it.” The commander slammed the shifter in Reverse, spun the wheel, shifted into Drive, and continued after the car. Just ahead of them, both squad cars had already made the turn and were in hot pursuit. Lutz cranked the wheel to the right and saw flashing lights and heard wailing sirens just ahead. The squad cars were closing in.<
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“Whoa!” Frank yelled as the Lexus made a sharp left. It was going too fast, and when the driver overcorrected, the car hit a light pole. The Lexus came to an abrupt stop, and the driver and passenger bolted. Both squad cars gave chase. Lutz barreled past them and blocked the car thieves at a wall on a dead-end street. Frank leapt from the cruiser, his gun drawn on the two men, with Lutz on his heels. After jumping out of their squad cars, the officers cuffed both men then checked the car’s interior and trunk. Hanna wasn’t there.
“Throw one in each squad car!” Lutz yelled. “We’re going to get to the bottom of this right now. I want to know who they are, why they have Lee’s car, and where the hell Hanna is.”
Chapter 47
“Frank, take one of those misfits and question him. I’ll take the other.” The officers stood to the side and waited for instructions. Lutz continued. “Morrow, call the second district and have our evidence garage driver get out here with the flatbed. The Lexus is inoperable, and I want it gone through thoroughly in proper lighting. I’ll notify our forensic team, and you guys let your patrol captain know what’s going on.”
“Yes, sir.”
Lutz looked at Frank. “Got a preference?”
“Nope. Either punk will do.”
“Okay, I’ll take the car on the right.” Lutz climbed into the front seat and turned to face the cuffed man behind the steel mesh divider. “What’s your name?”
“Calvin.”
“Calvin what?”
“Jones.”
Lutz pulled a notepad from the door pocket and wrote that down. “I’ll be double-checking your driver’s license at the station.”
“Station? Why am I going to the station, man?”
“For stealing a car, man. Now, where is Hanna Bradley?”
“Who?”
“The woman who was driving that Lexus and whose phone you’ve been using.”
“I don’t know shit about any woman. The car was in the alley with the keys in the ignition and the phones on the seat.”