“Okay, how long will it take?” Her enthusiasm started to kick in.
“It’s a simple swab. Should only take a few minutes.” He shrugged and went to the van to call the lab.
“Let me know when you’ve got the results.” She turned to Travis, who held a hand out to help him up. She pulled him up, put her hands on her hips, and surveyed the scene again. “What do you think?”
“It certainly fits, and would explain the footsteps you heard after.” He looked towards the bushes. “And the freaky shit we found over there.”
“I’m going to have to report this to Regan and let Andy know, but I’ll wait till Palmer and his team have finished here.” She looked at her watch. “Probably won’t get the DNA results till the morning.”
“So, what’s the plan?” he asked.
“When Palmer comes back I’m going to put the pressure on for getting some answers ASAP.” She glanced at the van to see if the CSI was returning. “I’ll call a meeting in the office first thing to bring everyone up to speed.”
Palmer returned from his call to the lab. “Okay, Detective Hernandez, the test shows no sign of GSR on the perp’s hands. He didn’t fire any weapon. Looks like you’re one hundred percent right.”
“I knew it!” she shouted. “This thing just got a whole lot more serious.” She paused to catch up with her thoughts, which whirled around in her head. “This guy is good. If he can stage a murder scene like he did here, he’s a lot smarter than we think.” Her eyes grew wide. “I’ll bet he’s the one who tapped into our database and wiped the files.”
“You think?” Travis looked pissed.
“Yeah.” She nodded. “I’ll also put money on him being responsible for the Seaton murder at the station.”
“How the hell would he do that?” Palmer asked.
“If he can manipulate the computer system, he can wipe CCTV footage and gain access to the station. Think about it.” She held her hands out in a questioning pose. “All he needs is a code or key card to get in through the back door at the holding cell area, which, if he’s that good on computers, is going to be a piece of cake for him.”
“Jeez.” Travis was astounded. “This fucker could know our every move.”
“Yeah.” She stared straight at him. “And what’s worse is Coop knew him, which means there is a possibility that we know who he is.”
The Genesis Chamber
Chapter 33
“Come on, Palmer,” Maria said impatiently. “I’ve called the meeting for nine thirty. That’s fifteen minutes away!”
Palmer sat behind his desk, reading through his report for the third time to make sure he had covered every angle of the investigation. He finally got to the last page and signed the sheet at the bottom, closed the file, and passed it to the female detective.
“I’ve got to hand it to you, Maria, you were right about the blood on the mask matching Tobin’s. The DNA is unquestionable.”
“I knew it.” She was elated.
“I personally retested for GSR on the perp; he didn’t fire a weapon.” He looked confident. “You should be able to light a fire under Regan’s ass with the information in that file.”
“That’s what I’m looking for.” She smiled. “When he finds out Coop was murdered by someone else he’ll be gunning for the right result.”
“Let me know if there’s anything else you need.” He nodded.
“Thanks, Palmer,” she said, as she headed out of his office. “Will do.” On the way to the meeting she called Travis on her cell. “Hey, how are you doing?”
“I’m making progress, but slowly,” he told her. “This guy’s face was pretty messed up by the gunshot wound. Trying to make a positive ID is not easy.”
“I’m on my way to the meeting now so it would be good news if you could get something for me before we finish,” she pressed him.
“Hey, I want to be there, but I know this is important to the case so I’ll keep at it and either call you or get to you ASAP,” he replied, and disconnected the call.
She looked through the information that Palmer had given to her as she walked to the briefing room. When she entered the homicide office the room was empty apart from Regan, who was waiting by her desk.
“Give me a rundown on what you’ve got, Detective,” he ordered.
“In short, sir,” she said as she continued walking, “The shootout scenario on Coop’s death was incorrect. We were going over the scene yesterday when new evidence was found. I called CSI Palmer, and his team have spent the last eighteen hours rushing through tests for me.” She waved the file in the air. “I have all the information here.”
“Okay.” He looked at the file in her hand. “If you’re right on this, Maria, I’ve told everyone that this takes priority. They’re in the briefing room waiting. Let’s see what you’ve got.”
“Thanks, boss,” she said, looking at the packed briefing room. “No pressure.”
They entered the briefing room. She felt an uneasy feeling in her stomach when she saw Andy calmly sitting in the front.
“Hey, partner,” she greeted him
“Hey, you.” He looked at her, then at the file in her hand. “You’ve been busy.”
She nodded. “You might not like what you’re going to hear, bud.” She put a hand on his shoulder. “But this is going to make more sense when I’m finished.”
He looked deeply into her eyes for a moment, then patted her hand that rested on his shoulder. “I know.” He nodded his head to the front of the room, indicating for her to continue.
She moved to the desk and turned to face her colleagues, who sat silently staring at her. She took a deep breath and commenced. For the following forty-eight minutes she presented the evidence. The disturbed undergrowth, the results of the mask that turned out to be homemade, the shoe print in the soil, and finally how she used two other detectives to re-enact the shooting as she now believed it went down. All the time she checked on Andy, monitoring his reactions.
“Right. Listen up,” Regan said when she’d finished. “This case is now reopened. It takes priority over every other case you’re working on. Detective Hernandez is lead investigator, so she will be letting you know what she needs.” He stopped and waved his pointed finger across the officers present. “Make sure you give her your full cooperation.”
“Sir,” Andy said as he stood up. “I want to be in—”
“Detectives Hernandez and Cooper,” he interrupted. “A word in my office,” he barked, and marched out of the room.
Maria watched Andy follow the lieutenant to his office. “Okay. Our main priority is to find that kid,” she said, as she straightened the documents on the desk and replaced them in the file. “I have Detective Travis from CACU reaching out to his contacts, and he’s trying to ID the perp from his files. Until he gets a lead, I want you guys to get out there and ask questions.” She paused to take a breath. “Let’s go.”
The room suddenly burst into life with the sound of chairs scraping on the floor and officers talking to each other as they filed through the door. Maria pushed her way past a few of them to get to the lieutenant’s office as quickly as possible.
She could hear the angry exchange of words between Andy and Regan from the other side of the Homicide Department so quickened her pace. As usual, she didn’t bother waiting when she knocked and just walked straight in. Regan was sitting back in his seat behind his desk, looking up at Andy, who had his hands on the desk, leaning over it to get his point across.
“Sit down, Detective Cooper,” the lieutenant said sternly. “I won’t tell you again.”
The detective pushed himself away from the desk and put one hand on his hip and waved his other at Maria. “Can you tell him I need to be in on this?” he pleaded.
“I’ve told Detective Copper to take a backseat and stay out of your way,” their superior informed her before she could say anything. “There is too much of an emotional attachment here, one that could jeopardize the case in court.”
He looked at her and nodded his head towards Andy to signal for some backup.
She put the file on the boss’s desk and faced her partner. “He’s right, Andy. We can’t afford to take any chances on this. It’s Coop we’re talking about here.” She gently put a hand between his shoulder blades both to calm and comfort him. “Your dad.” She looked at Regan, then back to Andy. “When we catch this guy we have to make it an airtight case. No mistakes. He’s going to get the needle for what he’s done.” She rubbed his back. “I promise.”
The detective sighed, dropped his shoulders, and slumped into the chair opposite his superior. “You’re right.” He looked up. “I’m sorry, sir—”
“Andy.” The lieutenant shook his head. “You don’t need to apologize. I would be saying the same thing in your situation; but Maria is right. This case has to be airtight to secure a conviction. And I guarantee, I will personally push for the death penalty.”
“I know, sir. And thank you.” He relaxed into the seat.
“It’s not me who needs thanking.” He nodded towards the female detective.
He looked at his partner as she sat next to him. “Of course. Maria, thank you.”
“Hey.” She put her hand on his shoulder again. “I’m your partner. This is what I’m here for.” She looked at Regan, but continued to direct the conversation to Andy. “Why don’t you take some time? Go and let Cathleen and the family know what’s happening.”
“Although, I would prefer it if you didn’t mention any of this to Christopher or his staff at AppTech,” the lieutenant insisted.
“Come on, sir.” Andy looked vexed. “Surely you don’t think my brother has anything to do with this.”
“I’m not discounting anybody from this investigation, Andy.” He lurched forward to lean on his desk. “There is still the question of how Maria’s gun was used on Tobin when it was allegedly in the custody of your brother.”
“There has to be some logical explanation for that!” he pleaded.
“Maybe so.” He nodded. “But until we get this cleared up, I have to treat Christopher and Sinclair as suspects in the murder of Hector Tobin.”
“Okay.” The detective held his hands up in defense. “But please give me something to do. If I sit around doing nothing, I’ll go crazy.”
The lieutenant looked at the female detective for some approval. She acknowledged her agreement. “Maria will let you know how you can help. But, Andy, if either of us thinks you are at risk of jeopardizing the case, we’ll pull you in and suspend you until we catch this guy.” He glanced at the female detective again for confirmation. She nodded. “Do I make myself clear?”
“Absolutely,” he approved. “One hundred percent, sir. Thank you.”
“Now, please.” He held his hand out to the detective. “Go and tell your family what is happening. They need to know before this gets out to the press.”
“Yes, sir.” He smiled, stood up, and patted Maria on the shoulder as a form of thanking her. “I’ll call you later.”
She patted his hand and watched him leave the office, then turned to the lieutenant. “Thank you, sir.”
“Just find out who did this, Maria, and fast.” He pointed at the door. “If Andy is anything like Coop, he won’t be able to stay away for long. The last thing we need is for him to get impatient.”
“I agree, sir,” she said.
“What’s your next move?” he inquired.
“We need to find that kid.” She held one hand up, signaling for him to wait while she got her cell out. She dialed a number and waited for the call to connect. “Wilson. It’s Hernandez. Have you traced where the kid got on the bus?”
“His journey originated at Fourteen and West Sussex bus stop,” he informed her. “The assailant got on five stops later and sat four rows behind him, and two rows in front of Coop.”
“We need a clear shot of the suspect’s face. Travis is having a hard time trying to ID him because of the facial wounds. See if you can get one from the footage,” she ordered.
“It’s not going to be easy. He had that red cap on and kept his head down,” the officer said.
“In that case, find the driver, pull him in, and sit him down with a sketch artist,” she said, and disconnected the call. She looked at the lieutenant, who was staring at her. “What?”
“I’m impressed, Detective.” He bowed his head quickly. “You’re thinking on your feet now.”
“Thanks.” She stood up to leave. “I’m going to get Travis and get over to Fourteenth and West Sussex to look around for the kid.” She turned to leave. “I’ll keep you informed, sir.” She closed the door behind her, leaving the lieutenant alone.
Regan thought for moment, then picked the phone up and pushed a button. The call connected immediately. “This is Lieutenant Regan from Homicide… I need all information you can gather on a John Sinclair… He’s head of security at AppTech… Send it to my office as soon as you can… Thank you.”
He replaced the handset, leaned on the desk and rested his chin on his interlaced fingers as he went into deep thought.
***
By four thirty that afternoon, the two detectives had canvassed the whole area to no avail. They had talked to every kid they could find who pretty much matched the description of the victims from the earlier abductions.
“Come on, we might as well call it a day,” Travis said, wiping the beads of sweat from his forehead with a paper towel he’d picked up from a hot dog stand when they had stopped for lunch. “We’ll start again in the morning.”
“Yeah, I think we’ve done all we can for today,” she agreed.
“Can you drop me at my car? I need to stay at my place tonight,” he asked, looking slightly nervous. “I’m expecting a delivery in the morning and I don’t want to miss it.”
“Sure thing.” She shrugged. “I’m getting sick of the sight of you anyway.” She smiled and lightly tapped him on the shoulder. “Come on, let’s get going.”
As they walked back to her vehicle, her cell started ringing. She quickly got it out of her pocket and checked the screen. “It’s dispatch.” She looked at Travis and pressed the button to accept the call. “Hernandez.”
“Detective Hernandez, this is Julie at dispatch. I have a person-to-person call for you. The kid won’t give his name,” the voice on the other end of the line said.
“Kid? Are you sure it’s a kid?” She looked puzzled.
“He certainly sounds like a kid,” she replied.
Maria’s mind began to race. “Get a trace on the call and put him through.”
“Will do,” she confirmed. “Connecting you now.” The detective heard a few clicks. “Sir, you’re through to Detective Hernandez.”
“Hi, this is Detective Hernandez. What can I do for you?” she asked.
“You can stop looking for me,” the obviously nervous young voice replied.
Her eyes opened wide as she looked at Travis. “Are you the kid that was at Sunny Glades?” she nearly shouted as excitement mounted.
“Yeah, I was there, and now I just wanna be left alone,” he said.
“Can’t do that; we need to talk to you.” She tried to contain her excitement.
“I don’t want to talk to anyone. I didn’t see anything. I just want to be left alone.” His voice wavered. “You’ve been looking for me for the last week, going all over the place asking questions. You aren’t going to find me.”
“Who’s been asking questions about you?” She frowned.
“You guys!” he snapped. “The police.”
She suddenly realized how much danger the kid was in. They had only started their search for him earlier that day. Genesis must be looking for him. She didn’t want to scare him any more than he was.
“Listen, you have two choices, kid. First choice, you make this difficult and I have to find you. It might take a couple of days, but I will find you. I’ll have to inform Social Services, which will make things very difficult for you.” She paused to let th
at option sink in. “Second choice, you come to me, we talk, and I let you go on your way.” She put her hand over the mouthpiece and whispered to Travis, “Get on to dispatch and find out where this call is coming from.” He got his cell out. She removed her hand and went back to the call. “So, kid, which is it going to be?”
The line was silent. She thought she had scared him.
“I’ll meet you in the morning.” She breathed a sigh of relief when she heard his voice. “I’m at my dad’s house tonight. I don’t want my parents to know. I’ll meet you at the park tomorrow at ten a.m.” He paused. “Okay? But just you. If I see anyone else I’m gone, and you’ll never find me.”
“Okay, kid, but promise me one thing,” she said adamantly. “You stay in your dad’s house. Don’t go anywhere until you meet me tomorrow. Promise.”
“I promise,” he hesitantly replied.
“Good. Now, if you’re not there, I swear I will hunt you down and make your life hell,” she said.
The phone line went dead and she looked at Travis.
“Tell me they got a trace.” The urgency in her voice was obvious.
“Yes.” He nodded, still holding his phone to his ear as they relayed the information to him. “Okay, thanks.” He disconnected the call. “It’s an address downtown. They’re sending it to you via text message now.”
“Yes!” she shouted.
“Are we going for him now?” he asked.
“No. We’ll let him consider the first option overnight.” She continued walking to her car. “I’ll tell you one thing. If that little bastard is one minute late I will be knocking on the door of that address by ten thirty.”
“I’ve got to hand it to you; you really know how to handle things with kid gloves,” he joked.
“Bite me.” They got to her car. “Okay, I’ll drop you off and I’ll call Andy to let him know about the meeting tomorrow.” She started the car and pulled away.
***
She had called Andy immediately after dropping Travis off. He told her he would be at the diner, sorting some paperwork out in the morning if she wanted a coffee before work, so she agreed to meet him there at eight.
The Genesis Chamber Page 26
