by C. M. Sutter
Chapter 44
The siren was loud and getting louder as the car swerved around others with its flashing blue light bar engaged. Other vehicles pulled to the shoulder to allow it through. The tires squealed to a stop next to a man standing against the wall of an abandoned warehouse on Chicago’s south side, then the driver rolled down the passenger window and peered out.
“Get in, and what’s your damn emergency?”
The man climbed into the passenger seat and laughed. “No emergency, but if you can legally speed and run red lights, why not take advantage of it?”
“Son of a bitch, Mason, that wasn’t funny.”
“Don’t be so uptight, dude. I thought you’d be stoked to get this.”
The driver was handed a stack of money. A wide smile crossed his face as he fanned the bills. “Yep, this ought to keep those mob dogs at bay for a while. How’s our enterprise going, anyway?”
“Running like a charm, and the proof is in your hand, John. Just keep those cop buddies of yours away from the lab and we’ll be set for life within a year’s time.”
The reality of the dream jarred me awake and my brain kicked into high gear as soon as my consciousness took over. I reached for the light switch on the table lamp and propped up my pillows. I rubbed my eyes to clear my focus and quickly wrote down the name Mason before it slipped away again.
How did I miss the obvious? Chicago police cars are white with a blue stripe running the length of the car just below the windows.
I thought about my previous dreams and remembered that all I saw of the vehicle was the portion from the door handle to the roof. I saw the white framework but nothing from a distance. My dream had been showing me a police vehicle all along, but I’d had no idea. The car was the missing link, and John was a cop. There was no other explanation for it. I checked the time—3:47. I couldn’t call Henry, he needed his sleep, and there wasn’t anything we could do until IA allowed us access to Jim’s investigation report in the morning. Jim Crosley had shot a drug dealer named Mason, and John was exacting his revenge. The easy, sideline business that afforded him anonymity and plenty of money was now entirely on him, and he was the one taking all the risks. Once we learned Mason’s last name, we’d be one step closer to finding John and rescuing Jesse.
I went back to bed and willed myself to turn off my brain. I’d be no help to anyone if I was dead tired in the morning.
I woke at seven o’clock feeling energized. There was a good chance we’d have answers that day. With my dream diary tucked safely in my purse, I filled the four-cup coffeemaker with water and a compressed coffee packet and took a quick shower. Minutes later, a text came in from Lutz that he was sending a patrol unit to the inn at seven forty-five to escort me to the station. I appreciated his concern for my welfare and happily accepted the gesture with a return text of a thumbs-up. I was excited but apprehensive about sharing my dream with the group. I’d talk to Lutz and Henry first and see where Mason’s last name led us, then spend the day going through the police roster again if I needed to and pull out every file that belonged to an officer named John. It was somewhere to start.
I chewed on a sweet roll as I stood on the porch and waited for the patrol unit to arrive. I suddenly felt silly. It was broad daylight, quiet, and safe-looking outside, yet I still needed an escort to the station. I’d let the officer know I’d be fine. He could follow me to my parking spot then go on with his morning patrol duties.
Moments later, he rolled up to the curb. I waved to get his attention and exited the inn’s front yard through the gate. After checking for oncoming cars, I crossed the street and approached the patrol car. He lowered his window.
“I feel ridiculous needing an escort to the precinct. You can follow me to my car if you like, and I’ll be fine after that.” I pointed over my shoulder. “The parking lot is right behind the building.”
He nodded and rolled up the window.
In my peripheral vision, I saw the squad car driving slowly alongside me. I pointed left into the parking lot, and he turned in. With his car at my rear bumper, he opened the driver’s door and in two strides was at my side with a pistol pressed against my stomach.
“Just like old times, right, Kate? Give me your weapon and phone or I’ll blow a hole through you right now. You’ve got two seconds.”
“My phone is in my purse.”
He ripped my purse off my shoulder and put the strap over his neck. “Open your jacket slowly and take out your weapon with your thumb and index finger. One wrong move and you’re dead.”
“Everyone knows who you are, John. You won’t make it through the day.”
“Shut up and give me your gun.”
I lifted my sidearm out of the holster as he instructed. It dangled between my thumb and index finger and he snatched it away and pocketed it.
“Get in the backseat.”
I knew once I was inside the vehicle there would be no getting out. My eyes darted from side to side, looking for an escape route.
“I said to get in.” He jammed his gun into my ribs and opened the back door then pushed me forward.
I reluctantly climbed in as my heart pounded with worry. The man was a ticking time bomb, and I had no idea if we were going to Jesse’s location or if John’s plan was to take me somewhere secluded and kill me right then. Now that I’d seen his face, he wouldn’t have much of a choice. Being able to identify a criminal usually didn’t turn out well for the victim.
“They can track this vehicle, you know. Where are we going? Is Jesse still alive?”
“I told you to shut up.” John drove through several alleys until we were a good five blocks from the inn. He shifted into Park and attached the suppressor to the barrel of his pistol. “There. Sit back, shut up, and don’t say another word. If you do, I’ll cap you in the head and throw your body alongside a dumpster. Nobody will hear a thing. Do we have an understanding?”
I nodded and sat back. At that point, there was nothing I could do except wait for an opportunity to make a break for it.
Chapter 45
“Sir, Officer Thompson is on line four.”
“Okay, put him through.” Lutz waited for the call to click over. “What’s going on, Billy?”
“Sergeant Lutz, wasn’t Detective Pierce supposed to be watching for me at seven forty-five?”
“That’s the time I texted to her, and she acknowledged it with a thumbs-up. Why?”
“There’s nobody on the porch, sir, and it’s seven fifty now.”
Lutz sighed into the phone. “Stay put. I’ll give her a call. Maybe she’s on her way down.” He hung up and tapped Kate’s name from his contact list, but the call went straight to voicemail. Lutz called Officer Thompson back. “She doesn’t answer. Pull around the back and see if the cruiser is still in the lot. If it is, go to her room and check on her. Maybe she got delayed but call me as soon as you know something.” Lutz hung up and caught a glimpse of Henry as he passed his office door. “Johnson, come in here.”
Henry turned back and peeked in the doorway. “What’s up, Boss?”
“Have you spoken to Kate this morning?”
“Nope. Was I supposed to?”
Lutz rubbed his forehead then tipped his wrist. “Thompson said she hasn’t come outside yet. She was supposed to be watching for him fifteen minutes ago.”
“And she knew what time he was coming?”
“Yeah. I texted her, and she confirmed it. What the hell is going on?”
“No idea. What do you want me to do?” Henry stuffed his hands in his pockets and jangled his keys.
“Tell me exactly what the man on the sidewalk said to her last night. I want to know everything she remembered about him and what you two discussed while you were at the inn.”
“Sure.”
Lutz jerked his chin toward a guest chair. “Sit down, Henry. Your fidgeting is bugging me.”
“Sorry. Okay, Kate said the man passed her on the sidewalk as he came out of the parking lo
t area. She assumed he was a guest at the inn and said good evening to him. He called her by name and told her to watch her back.”
Lutz groaned. “Jesus. Did she get a good look at him?”
“No, and that really bothered her. She did say he was wearing a ball cap and jacket, though.”
“So do most men in Chicago this time of year.”
“Right. When her brain registered who the man was, she reached for her gun and turned, but he was gone. She said she looked down every sidewalk but didn’t see him anywhere. At that point, she ran inside and called me. From our conversation, we concluded that he’s always one step ahead of us. John is getting inside information from someone. How else would he know where she was staying?”
“Good point. Did Jesse or Jim have enemies here or at the narcotics unit?”
“Not to my knowledge, sir, but I can ask around.”
Lutz nodded. “Let me check in with Thompson one more time. We may have a crime scene at the inn for God’s sake.” Lutz lifted the phone and asked Dispatch to connect him to Thompson’s phone. Seconds later, he was speaking with the patrol officer. “What did you find out, Thompson?” Lutz pressed the speakerphone button.
“The cruiser is parked behind the building, sir. The inn’s front door locks automatically, so I had to contact the proprietor to buzz me in. I followed the owner upstairs to Kate’s room and knocked on the door, but nobody answered. The owner allowed me in, and I cleared the room and just got back to my car. She isn’t here.”
“Son of a bitch. Does the inn have security cameras outside?”
“Hang on, I’ll ask.”
Lutz let out a frustrated breath. “It isn’t even eight fifteen, and we already have a crisis on our hands.” He waved Henry off. “Get over to the inn and take Forensics with you. Maybe they can find something.”
Henry pushed back his chair. “You got it, sir, and I’ll keep you posted.”
Lutz returned to the call. “What did you find out?”
“The owner said the only camera is in the delivery area and only covers ten feet to either side of the door.”
“Damn it. Okay, Henry and Forensics are on their way. Stick around and start banging on doors once they arrive.”
Chapter 46
I didn’t want to push my luck, so instead of talking and getting shot in the head, I watched the route John was taking. It might not matter because I could be dead at the end of our road trip, but if I wasn’t, knowing where we were might come in handy. I wasn’t all that familiar with the Chicagoland area, and I was sure he was taking a roundabout way to wherever we were going, but I stayed alert and focused.
John glared at me through the rearview mirror as he made an abrupt exit off the highway. Once he reached the top of the ramp, he ordered me to the backseat floor.
“Get down now, and if I even see the top of your head through the mirror, I’ll blow it off. Understand?”
I nodded and crouched to the floor. There went the only chance I had of knowing where he was taking me. I felt our speed slow down, then he made a half dozen turns, a few stops, then more turns. We went straight for what felt like another few minutes, then everything above me became dark. He had turned in to a building.
Shit, my demise is going to be in a vacant building where disgusting rats will eat my corpse until there’s nothing left of me. My body will never be found. This is likely the same abandoned building where Mason was waiting for John in my dream.
John slowed to a stop and killed the engine. He looked back at me as he climbed out of the seat. “Stay on the floor and don’t move. I’ll be able to see if you get up, so I’d advise you not to try it.”
I stayed down and wondered how I would make my escape. Things weren’t looking very good for me. I didn’t have a phone, a gun, or even a pocketknife. I was unprepared for his ambush that morning. He blindsided me like a pro, but cops were trained for those types of tactics, and he knew them well.
He opened the door and ordered me to put my hands behind my back. I felt the zip ties pinch my skin as he tightened them around my wrists. I winced. He grabbed my hair and pulled me toward him then knotted a blindfold at the back of my head. With a hand locked in each of my armpits, he pulled me out of the squad car and told me to stand. He led me to another vehicle, pushed me into the backseat, then zip-tied my ankles together. I was as helpless as a hog-tied calf.
“The gun is on the passenger seat, so don’t try anything stupid like jumping out. You’d probably die when you hit the road, but if you don’t, I’ll finish you off myself. Get down on the floor like you were before and don’t say a word.”
I estimated the drive to our final destination was fifty minutes or so. After a good number of turns—which I imagined were designed to confuse me—John finally left the main road. I assumed we were on a potholed driveway because of every dip and bump he hit. My ears perked when he stopped. Birds sang from the treetops, and the sound of traffic had disappeared. We were in the country. That was even worse for me—no nosy neighbors to witness John’s actions. I heard an overhead garage door open then he drove in and it closed at the back of the vehicle. John exited the car and pulled open the rear door.
“Sit up and slide to the edge of the seat. You’re going inside.”
“How am I supposed to walk?”
I felt the hot sting of a slap across my face. “I told you not to talk. I don’t care if you slither on your belly, just get out of the car.”
I slid to the seat’s edge and planted my feet on the concrete floor. I’d probably fall as soon as I tried to step forward. I thought of hopping, but without a visual of things ahead of me, I dropped that idea. I lowered myself to the floor and scooted on my rear. John shoved me in the right direction with his foot, and crossing the garage took a good five minutes.
“You have two upward steps ahead of you.”
I turned, leaned on my right elbow, and lifted myself up. I heard the jangling of keys, then the door opened.
John pushed me with his foot, and once I cleared the threshold, he locked the door. “Sit still. I’m going to cut the zip ties off your ankles and you can walk the rest of the way.”
I had a feeling we were at his home and I prayed that Jesse was here too. In hindsight, I wanted to kick myself for not calling Henry after my dream. That information could have helped them find me and Jesse. Now I was alone, and I’d have to get by on my wits and police training. John, my biggest obstacle, had the same training and likely a lot more years of experience under his belt. He’d be a worthy adversary, and at that point, he definitely had the upper hand.
Chapter 47
Henry exited his cruiser and approached Thompson, who was leaning against his squad car. “Any news?”
“Nothing. Lutz said to hold my position until you and Forensics arrived. He said I should bang on doors up and down the street after that. Hopefully a neighbor witnessed something.”
“And you checked Kate’s room?”
Thompson nodded. “Nobody is there, and the cruiser is still in the parking lot.”
“Okay, go ahead and get started on that knock and talk, and let me know if you need help.” Henry turned at the sound of a vehicle’s door opening—the forensic team had arrived. He headed in their direction. “Danny, Mike, we have a problem, and we need your expertise. Detective Pierce has disappeared into thin air. According to Lutz, he made contact with her via text about an hour ago.”
Danny Philips shook his head. “Text messages aren’t reliable, Henry. Anybody could have responded using her phone.”
“Yeah, I know, but it’s all we have to establish a time line. I need you guys to check her room and the cruiser in the back lot. There could have been a scuffle in either place.”
“What do you want us to check first?”
Henry rubbed his chin and studied the area. He tipped his head toward the intersecting street. “The parking lot is back there. Whatever happened must have taken place outside since the front door to the inn is alway
s locked. The guests and owner are the only ones who have keys. Pull the van back to the parking lot and take a close look around the cruiser. I’ll catch up with you guys, but first I want to retrace the steps Kate would have taken.”
Dan climbed in the van, and Mike took to the sidewalk.
Henry stood at the front door and looked out just as Kate would have done if she was waiting for her police escort. Thompson’s car was parked across the street, along the curb.
Okay, Kate, what made you leave the porch and disappear without a trace? You wouldn’t have walked away voluntarily. You confirmed Lutz’s text about the police escort—unless that wasn’t you.
Henry saw Thompson walking the sidewalk several houses away. He exited the gate and caught up with him. “Hey, Billy, how were you notified to come here this morning?”
“Dispatch put Lutz through to me. Why?”
“So it went through the police channels? Lutz didn’t call your cell?”
“He doesn’t have my personal number, plus everything has to be documented.”
“Right, I know. I’m just thinking out loud. What’s the owner’s name at the inn?”
“Sherry Harrison. She lives a few blocks from the inn, but her car is still here.” He pointed down the street. “That green Odyssey is what she drove up in. I guess she’s hanging around in case somebody needs her.”
“Good to know. Any luck yet?”
“A woman in that two-story brick house catty-corner from the inn said she saw a patrol car turn in to the parking lot this morning. The lot leads into the alleys that run behind all the buildings and homes. She said it wasn’t unusual to have units patrol the alleys. So far, that’s it.”
“Did she give you an approximate time?”
Thompson pulled out his notepad and checked. “Yeah, she said it was between seven thirty-five and seven forty. That’s normally when her husband leaves for work, and she usually walks out to his car with him.”
“Hmm… this is our precinct’s jurisdiction. Do you patrol alleys too?”
