Tim agreed to come in at nine thirty. He said he’d be at the Ashland Street station that day, doing the yearly infrastructure inspection. Ashland Street wasn’t far from our precinct. I had a half hour to wait and took that time to look online for services that could lead Gina in the right direction. She needed a job or at least the proper education to find work in a field that interested her. I jotted down the names and phone numbers of several resources for her and placed the list on Frank’s desk with a note to call Gina later. He seemed to take to her in a big brother sort of way, so I was sure he wouldn’t mind talking to her again. Seconds later, my phone rang. It was Debra saying Tim had arrived and she was bringing him upstairs. I thanked her and made a quick call to Lutz.
“Hey, Boss, Tim is on his way up. Do you want to sit in on the meeting with him or not?”
“Nah, go ahead. He’s told you everything he knows already. All he has to do is confirm that the man in the photograph is or isn’t the Hispanic guy who attacked Leslie.”
“Sure, and I’ll take him into the conference room so I can record his statement.” I hung up just as Debra and Tim walked in. I reached out and shook his hand. “Tim. Thanks again for taking time from your job to come in, and I promise not to keep you here too long.”
“My pleasure. I sure hope you catch those murderers.”
“That’s the plan.” I led Tim to the conference room on our floor and pointed at a chair. “Get comfortable wherever you like. The camera in the corner catches the entire room. I need the identification on record, whether it’s the same guy from the murder scene or not.”
Tim pulled out the third chair on the left side of the table and sat down. I placed my laptop on the table and took a seat next to him.
“I have some good news to share with you. After our tech department sharpened up the image of the man, we were able to make out the logo on his shirt. I don’t want to get ahead of myself here with wishful thinking, so I’ll show you the screen grab and get your opinion. Ready?”
He nodded and scooted his chair in closer. I tapped the mouse, and the screen came to life, then I clicked on the attachment that Todd sent to my in-box.
“Okay, here it is. I want you to take your time since there’s no right or wrong answer. All I need is your honest opinion of whether that man is or isn’t the guy you saw behind your condo.”
Tim sucked in a deep breath and stared at the screen. With Todd’s enhancement of the image, even I could tell the man’s hair was pulled back in a ponytail, but I kept my mouth closed. I didn’t want to sway Tim in one direction or the other.
After studying the man for a solid minute, Tim spoke up. “That’s him.”
“You’re sure?”
“No doubt in my mind.”
“Okay, that’s great. Now we’ll put this enhanced image on the news and see if we get more reliable leads.” I rubbed my hands together.
“Detective McCord?”
“Yep?”
“I’m familiar with that company name on his shirt.”
I jerked my head back at the words written across the man’s chest. “Really? I still can’t read them.”
“I don’t need to know the words—I recognize the logo. Nobody would have that shirt unless they’re an employee or they donated the shirt to charity. It’s from RailGears.”
“RailGears?”
“Yep, and the company I’m employed at works hand in hand with them.”
“Wow! My day just improved by a thousand percent. I’ll head to that company right now with the picture. I look forward to putting cuffs on that murdering piece of trash.” I thanked Tim and walked him out then made a beeline for Lutz’s office.
“Boss?” I stuck my head in through his half-opened door. The office was empty.
Hmm, I wonder where he is.
I passed the lunchroom on my way to the bullpen, and Lutz was standing at the coffee machine. I backed up and entered the room. “Bob, Tim positively identified the man as one of Leslie’s attackers.”
Lutz jerked his head at the nearest table. “Sit down and tell me what he said.”
“He said it was the guy, and I’ll admit, Todd did a good job of enhancing the image. The most important thing, though, was the T-shirt the man had on.”
Bob took a sip of coffee and stared at me. “I don’t follow. Why does his T-shirt matter?”
“Tim recognized the logo. It belongs to RailGears, and Tim’s own company works with them.”
“Okay, that’s a good start.”
“I’m heading there now to find out the guy’s name and address.”
Bob shook his head. “No way in hell. What do we have that ties him to the crime?”
“Tim’s statement.”
“Anybody can be an eyewitness, and look at the number of witness accounts that are wrong. We need physical evidence, not just the word of a man who had a ten-second look at two assailants. Although Tim may be one hundred percent correct, we still need something to work with. If you go storming into that company and demand that employee’s records, it’s doubtful you’ll get them without a warrant and probable cause.”
“We can’t follow him without knowing where he lives.”
“Sure you can. Find out the hours of that company and if they work weekends too. He exited the subway at twelve oh three a.m. Saturday night, or literally Sunday morning. He had on a work T-shirt. It’s doubtful that he’d wear that if he was barhopping on Rush Street. My guess is he works second shift and was heading home. Maybe he lives with the guy who actually stabbed Leslie, giving us both birds with one stone.”
“Yeah, surveillance is key, and you’re absolutely right. If we want the district attorney to even take on a case against him, and a conviction to stick, we need proof like Leslie’s phone or purse before they ditch that evidence. I need to get online and find out where that company is and the work hours.”
“And then go to the Grand Avenue subway and watch for him to board. Start at one p.m. and wait. Chances are his shift starts at three or so. Take Frank with you, and if you do spot him, two people are better than one. He won’t realize he’s being followed. I’ll have somebody from the night crew do the same thing on his way back. They can follow him all the way home, get his address, and then we can watch the residence.”
“I’ll do it then too.”
Lutz held up both palms toward me. “No you won’t. I know you’re gung ho to get these killers off the street, but he can’t know he’s being followed, especially when he’s leading us right to his house.”
“Yeah, you’re right. We’ll help out with the tip-line leads then until it’s time to go.”