by C. M. Sutter
When we reached the next intersection, I craned my neck at the street sign. We had seven more blocks to go.
“Looks like we’re almost there,” Cam said as we made a few quick turns into a run-down industrial park that appeared as if it had been abandoned years earlier. The brake lights flashed on the SUV about a block away from the fenced-in group of buildings. We pulled up to the curb behind it and parked.
Sergeant Saunders and Deputy Spence climbed out of their vehicle. We exited our cruisers and met up with them at the back of their SUV. Deputy Spence pointed toward the buildings and explained why they chose that spot.
“If we get any closer, I won’t have a wide field of vision. By standing back a bit, I’ll be able to see the red lights flashing on the drone and get it positioned in the best possible location. It looks like there are a handful of buildings in there, so I’ll just do a wide sweep over the rooflines of all of them.”
“And you’ll be able to see if there’s body heat coming from the buildings right on the transmitter’s screen?”
“That’s correct, Agent Lewis,” Deputy Spence said. “Shall we begin?”
We stood out of the way while Deputy Spence set up the drone. “If people are in these buildings, the heat-seeking device will kick in, and we’ll see red dots indicating body heat on the screen. If they’re actively moving about the building, we’ll see that too.”
“Okay, go ahead.”
With the drone engaged and hovering in the air, we watched as the deputy maneuvered the joysticks to position it right above the first building’s roofline. Deputy Spence kept his eyes on the drone as we watched the screen.
“I don’t see any evidence of body heat in that building,” I said. “Chances of there being electricity, as in lighting that’s still connected, are slim too, correct?”
“As old and dilapidated as these buildings look, it’s doubtful. I’m sure that would be a fire hazard, and the county probably doesn’t want to encourage squatters, either.”
“Understood.”
“I’ll fly it over all of the buildings in one large pass, then I’ll do a second round to double-check.”
“Sure, thanks.” I lifted the binoculars that I’d hung over my neck when we exited our cruiser. I held them up, adjusted the focus, and watched the drone make its passes over the buildings.
“Looks like a dead end here, Agent Monroe, but I’ll do another quick sweep.”
Ten minutes later and with no results at that first location, Sergeant Saunders suggested we move on to the west side of the search grid. We climbed back into our vehicles and left. Our next stop, on the far side of Wauwatosa Avenue, was fifteen minutes away. I made an update call to Spelling’s cell phone.
“Hey, boss, we’ve just cleared the first location on the north side. That complex of buildings was a bust, dead quiet, and now we’re heading to the abandoned warehouse on the west side. Yes, sir, we’ll keep you updated.” I clicked off and stared out the window as we followed Sergeant Saunders west.
“Something on your mind, Jade?”
I shrugged. “What isn’t on my mind, Cam? None of this makes sense. We have no idea what it’s about. We don’t have anything to go on except our hunches. So far, there’s no chatter on the Pirellis’ phone taps, nobody has called in about the van, and we don’t have any ransom demands, because it’s obvious that C.V. Loomis thinks that Curt, and now J.T., is more valuable than money. I’m not ashamed to admit I’m at a loss. I keep replaying those notes that were spread across Julie’s lap. They were vindictive and full of hate. This has to be about exacting revenge on Curt and J.T. more than anything else.”
Cam was quiet for a minute as he clicked his blinker and got into the far right lane. “And you checked through the folders for deaths caused by agents, right?”
“Yes, of course, and the only one that went in front of the Internal Affairs board was when J.T. shot and killed a man who was involved in an armored car robbery months earlier. I guess with the eyewitness reports and video of the heist, they were able to locate the suspects, and a gun battle ensued.”
“Yeah, that case sounds familiar. That was in 2014, right?”
I nodded.
“That was about the time J.T. began thinking about transferring into a different department. The Violent Crimes Division can get pretty hairy.”
My cell phone rang in the cup holder. I pulled it out and looked at the screen. “That’s weird, it’s Spelling again. Hello, sir, I’m putting you on speakerphone.” I pressed the icon and set the phone back in the cup holder.
“Jade and Cam, listen closely. A motorist just called in a sighting of a gold Mercedes sedan heading west on Wauwatosa Avenue near Forty-Fifth Street. They’re behind the vehicle right now and said the plate number is the same as the one that aired on the news.”
“What! We just passed Forty-Fifth Street two blocks back. They’re absolutely positive?”
“I just hung up with them seconds ago.”
“I’ve got to go. I’m going to have Saunders double back at the lights and get behind him. We’ll keep going straight then box the car in and take them down.”
“Be careful.”
“We’ve got this, boss.” I quickly called Saunders. I told him to turn right at the next set of lights, double back a block, and get behind the Mercedes. I hung up, called Bill Lewis, and told him what was going on. I asked if they could identify the car at their rear without looking back over their shoulders.
“Hang on. I’m putting you on speakerphone,” Bill said.
“Val, can you tell what kind of vehicle is behind you through your side mirror? It’s possible that it could even be a few cars back. A motorist just called in the sighting.”
“All I can see are headlights behind us, Jade. I can’t even make out the grille or see the hood emblem. There is a silhouette of the driver, though, and it looks like a large person.”
“Okay, we’re going to slow things down. Saunders is circling back and scooting in behind the car. We’ll box them in and take them down. Be aware that the driver, if it’s actually the right car, will most likely be armed. We have to wait for confirmation from Saunders that he has eyes on the vehicle before we do anything. No wrong moves here.”
Bill responded, “Got it, Jade. We’ll hold steady until we hear back from you.”
Chapter 32
“We’ve just circled back and cut across on Emmer Street. As soon as the light turns, we’ll be getting back onto Wauwatosa Avenue, Jade.”
I tried to get a glimpse of the Mercedes in my side mirror but I couldn’t identify any cars behind us, not even the cruiser at our rear bumper. “How far ahead of you are we, Sergeant Saunders?”
“I’m turning now. I’d say you’re a half dozen cars in front of us. I’m sure a few cars will split off at the light. That car is sandwiched between us somewhere. I’ll have eyes on it in a few seconds. Shit!”
“What happened?” I spun in my seat and caught the rear quarter panel of a gold Mercedes cutting through oncoming traffic three car lengths back. It smacked the curb, bounced over it, and disappeared down an alleyway.
“Son of a bitch, how did he know we were on to him? Hit your lights and go after him.” I clicked off and yelled for Cam to cut a sharp left over the boulevard and pull a U-turn. I engaged our lights and siren. Bill Lewis did the same. Tires squealed and brakes locked up as cars came to an abrupt stop in the street. Horns blared, and motorists cursed each other with near misses. I looked back and saw Bill’s cruiser jump the boulevard and hit the ground hard. The car bounced, and with a quick correction, he fell in at our rear bumper. We flew through the alley, right behind the SUV. “Do you have eyes on him?” I yelled into my cell phone to Saunders, who was ahead of us.
“No. We’re checking every cross street too. No taillights anywhere.”
“Damn it. Hang a left and drive parallel to us in the next alley. I’ll have Lewis do the same to our right. Call in some backup too from the nearest police depar
tment.”
“Roger that.”
I jerked my head left as Saunders turned off at the next cross street. A half block away, the alley ran parallel to the one we were driving through. That entire ten-block grid was riddled with alleys and short cross streets. I called Bill’s phone. “Turn off as soon as you can and take the next alley to our right. Saunders and Spence are doing that on our left. We need to get the local PD to block the main intersections and sandwich him in. He’s in here somewhere, but these alleys are like a maze.”
“We’ll flush him out. Just keep your eyes peeled.”
We had to slow down at every street so we wouldn’t get sideswiped by oncoming cars. Our sirens blasted out warnings, and our cars bounced over every intersection.
With my head on a swivel, I looked up and down each cross street as we passed. I had barely enough time to hope for a sighting of tail or brake lights before we were already at the next intersection. I called Bill’s cell again. “Where are those local cops? We need their help!”
“I’ll try again.”
We had gone through roughly a half mile of alleys and over intersecting streets. The gold Mercedes was nowhere. I pounded the dash with my fist. “Where the hell did he go?”
Cam jerked his head at me. “Call Saunders again. See if they have eyes on the car. The guy couldn’t get away that fast.”
The phone hadn’t even rung on the other end when Deputy Spence picked up. “Jade, we have the car.”
“Thank God, and the driver?”
“He’s in the wind. The car had been pulled into a carport, and the overhead garage door that goes to the same address is wide open.”
“Check it out. Block the alley exit and clear the car. Then go bang on the door and see if the owner is home. What block are you at?”
“We’re in the alley to your left, and we’re just past the intersection with Franklin Street.”
“Got it. Where are the local cops?”
“They just radioed that they’re three minutes out.”
“No help there. We’re heading over.” I clicked off and could feel the hot anger climbing up my neck. “Son of a bitch, Cam. He may have taken another car or, even worse, the car and the vehicle’s owner.
Chapter 33
“What do you want with me? What did I do?”
“Nothing, to both questions, so shut up. Hand over your cell phone. I wouldn’t want you to get any ideas.”
The man reached in his pocket and dug out his phone.
Antonio tipped his head. “Put it in the cup holder. What’s your name?”
“Frank Wyatt.”
“Man, the timing on that was perfect for me, but I can’t say the same for you. Where were you going?”
“To the store for milk, and my wife is going to worry when I’m not back in ten minutes.”
“Yeah, that sucks, but I’m sure once the cops find my car, they’ll explain everything to her. Tell you what.”
“Yes?”
“If you behave, I won’t kill you. How about that? That should improve tonight’s outlook for you.”
Frank nodded and dropped his chin to his chest. “May I ask where we’re going and why you’re wearing gloves in the summer?”
“No, just keep quiet. We’ll be there in ten minutes.”
Antonio merged onto I-43 South and headed back to the warehouse. Taking the interstate was risky and he didn’t need the exposure, but it was the fastest way to get back to the building. The cover of night would help for that short ride.
He pulled into the crumbled concrete parking lot that belonged to the long-deserted building that had once served as a thriving manufacturing company. Now it was only a shell of what it had been a decade earlier. Weeds sprouted from every crack in the pavement, and window glass was a thing of the past.
Antonio drove the car around to the side door and parked it out of view. He turned his head toward Frank. “Don’t move a muscle.” He slipped Frank’s phone into his inner jacket pocket and pulled out his own. He grasped the fingertips of his right-hand glove with his teeth and pulled it off so he could make the call. With a swipe of his index finger, he woke the screen, tapped in the four-digit code, and scrolled to the contact that read Loomis.
“Boss, I need Anthony to unlock the side door. We have an unexpected guest, and I had to ditch the car.” Antonio pulled the phone away from his ear. Carden’s words were loud and angry. He waited as the man calling the shots ranted. “I’ll explain everything once I’m inside.”
The outer door slammed closed at Antonio’s back as he and Anthony walked across the building side by side. With a finger prod in his back every few feet, Frank inched grudgingly forward. Carden stewed in the shadows as he watched Antonio escort Frank Wyatt to an empty room away from view of Agent Harper.
Antonio gave fair warning to the shaken man as he patted him down. “I’m locking you in this room for the time being. Make one sound and you’ll either be knocked out cold or tied up with your mouth gagged. It’s your choice. Got it?”
“I’ve got it.”
Antonio closed the door and locked it behind him. He gave the handle a jiggle to make certain it was secure.
“Mr. Vetcher is pissed,” Anthony said as they crossed the large open space.
Antonio spoke in a low voice. “He’s the one who told me to follow them to see what they were up to. I stayed far enough behind not to be noticed. Somehow, somebody knew of the car and alerted the Feds. There was nothing else I could do but dump the Mercedes and grab another vehicle.”
“Stop your whispering.” The tone of Carden’s voice was enough to give fair warning—he wasn’t happy with the situation. “Now we have someone else who has seen your face to deal with. Have a seat and explain everything to me.”
Antonio and Anthony each took a seat at the card table. The chairs squeaked under their weight. Antonio tapped his fingertips on the table as he waited for instructions to go ahead. Carden took a sip of red wine from his plastic cup as he eyed the giant of a man.
“Please explain to me how you managed to be detected.”
“I have no idea, sir. I was several car lengths behind the last cruiser on a busy street and didn’t do anything unusual to give myself away. Suddenly, the sheriff’s department SUV turned right at the next set of lights, and the others continued going straight. That caught my attention. A few minutes later, when I checked my rearview mirror and saw that same vehicle trying to turn right and get into traffic behind me, I knew it was time to bail off. Somehow, they knew the description of the Mercedes and that I was following them.”
“Where had they gone before you were detected?” Carden folded his arms over his chest and let out a puff of air.
“They’re smarter than we thought, boss. They released a drone over a warehouse complex. The only thing a drone would help with at night—”
Carden interrupted, “Is body heat. So, for some reason they’ve concluded that we’re holed up in an empty building. That means we have to vacate this warehouse. Antonio, bring all of our supplies downstairs. They’re going in the van. Anthony, make a few calls to your family. We need a place to stay that isn’t on anyone’s radar.”
Chapter 34
“What kind of car does your husband drive, ma’am?”
Sally Wyatt wiped her swollen red eyes as she sat nervously on the edge of the couch, her feet planted firmly on the floor in front of her. Cam faced her from the other side of the coffee table. As the only female agent in the room, I took the seat nearest her and rested my hand on her shoulder.
“It’s our secondary car, for errands and such.”
“Understood, and it’s…?” I asked.
“A 2001 Ford Focus.”
“Four door or two, and the color?” Cam held his pen over the notepad he’d pulled from his inner jacket pocket.
“It’s a four-door. We had young kids at the time. It made things easier. Oh, and it’s black.”
“Okay, and Frank just happened to go out to pic
k up a gallon of milk, you said? Nothing more than bad timing?”
“Yes.” She looked up with hopeful eyes. “You will find my husband, won’t you, agents?”
“We’re going to do everything in our power to bring him home as soon as possible, ma’am. What we need now is a recent picture of Frank. We also need to know his height and weight, that sort of thing, to air on the news as a missing person.”
“Certainly, I’ll be right back.”
I watched as she exited the living room and walked down a side hallway out of earshot. I whispered to Cam three feet away, “How the hell are we going to find her husband? We can’t even find J.T.”
When we heard her footsteps getting louder, Cam put his finger to his lips. Sally was back with a handful of photographs and took the same seat as before on the couch.
“We just got these in the mail last week from my niece’s wedding. My sister sent the duplicates to us.”
I took the photographs from her hand. “And the wedding was when?” I flipped through the stack of pictures.
“It was on May twenty-seventh. We had a great time, it being Memorial Day weekend, and even extended our trip by a few days. Kate and Bobby were married in Dubuque, Iowa. We took a riverboat cruise and did a little gambling too.” She dabbed her cheeks with a tissue. “Anyway, there are a few close-up pictures of Frank and me together. I’m sure you can cut me out of the ones you post on the news.”
I found two that would do just fine. “I’ll make sure you get these back, Sally. Go ahead with your best guess of his height and weight.” I brought the picture closer to my face but couldn’t make out Frank’s eye color. “Are his eyes brown?”
“Yes, brown eyes”—she pointed at the photos—“and light brown hair. He weighs around one hundred eighty pounds and is five foot eleven inches. That’s what it shows on his newest driver’s license, anyway.”
I stood and tipped my head at Cam. “Ma’am, I think that’s all we need. We’ll be out back with the other agents. Don’t be surprised if there’s a bit of commotion for the next few hours. The car left behind will be towed to the county’s crime lab, and the forensic team will be here for a while. I’ll make sure they lock everything up and let you know when they’re about to leave.” I pulled a contact card out of my pocket and handed it to her. “We’ll be in touch. Thank you.”
