Lutz clamped on the brakes, and the cruiser squealed to a stop in front of Frank’s condo. It was 8:50 a.m., and as everyone arrived, the officers were directed to search Frank’s truck from top to bottom. The rest of us funneled into the house and gathered at the kitchen table, where Frank showed us the contents of the box. He looked angry but also concerned, and I was sure it was because of the ponytail.
We slipped on gloves and snapped a few pictures of the box and ponytail while we waited for Forensics to arrive.
“You didn’t notice anybody following you this morning?” Lutz asked.
“No, but I wasn’t watching for it either. I didn’t hear a car outside or anyone on the porch, but my bedroom is on the opposite side of the condo, and I was in there changing clothes. I was only home for fifteen minutes. The killer had to have followed me from Jesse’s house, meaning he knows where both of us live.”
Lutz rubbed his wrinkled brow. “We should have assumed that, since he already knew your names. Finding your addresses was his next step and not something that’s difficult to do.” Lutz walked to the window and turned the wand on the blinds. He peered out and took in a deep breath. “He could be watching us right now, and since we don’t know what he looks like, he could get away with anything.” The commander slapped his hands together. “We’re setting up shop right here temporarily. I’ll get Judge Hendricks on the phone for that warrant right now, and you guys get the security company on the horn. We need to see that killer’s face so it’s us that’s doing the hunting, not the other way around.” Lutz left a message with the judge’s secretary and told her he needed a callback about a warrant as soon as possible.
Frank spoke up as soon as Lutz ended the call. “What happens if we do get his face, enter it in the system, and it comes up with a hit?”
“Then we ambush him,” Lutz said.
Frank shook his head. “It isn’t too much of a leap to go from slicing off Gina’s ponytail to slicing her throat. The last thing we want is for him to use her as a human shield.”
Lutz held up his hands. “Okay, okay, I understand, and we aren’t going to risk her life. First things first, though. Let’s see if he’s on camera.”
A knock on the door sounded, and Lutz answered. The lead officer reported that no tracking device or bomb was found in Frank’s truck and none of the lines had been cut.
“Good. Secure the perimeter and watch the street.” Lutz returned to our conversation. “Okay, make that call.”
Henry read aloud the phone number for Safe Home Security Systems as Frank tapped the phone keys and pressed Speakerphone. With the phone lying on the table, we gathered around and listened as it rang.
A woman picked up on the third ring. “Safe Home Security Systems. How may I direct your call?”
“This is Detective Mills with the homicide unit of the Chicago Police Department. I need to speak with the person who handles the monitoring accounts for the camera doorbell systems.”
“That would be Charles Pike. One moment, please.”
As we waited, I poured coffee for everyone, and seconds later, Lutz’s phone rang. He had a short back-and-forth conversation then gave us the thumbs-up. The warrant for Leslie’s account was approved, and we would have access to every doorbell video of hers that was stored in the cloud.
Frank cleared his throat when Charles Pike picked up on the other end of the call. As long as the company was actually monitoring Leslie’s account, we would be in business.
“Cloud Storage, this is Charles Pike speaking.”
Frank introduced himself and asked if Leslie Adams from Dearborn Park had a monitoring account on her doorbell camera.
“I’d need that account number, sir.”
“I’ve already given you her name, so look it up that way.”
“If you don’t have her account number, then her PIN will do.”
“Mr. Pike, I have a warrant for that information, and I intend to serve it on your company today, but right now, I need to know if her camera footage was stored in the cloud, and I need to know that immediately.”
“One moment.”
Frank’s face turned a deep shade of red. I told him to have a seat, then I pushed a cup of coffee in front of him. “Drink that and calm down.”
He closed his eyes, and I was sure he was mentally counting backward from ten.
Charles Pike returned to the phone. “Detective Mills?”
“Yep?”
“I’ll give you that information as a courtesy, but you’ll need to present that warrant to actually see the footage.”
“So you do have her videos on hand?”
“Yes, we can access them from the cloud.”
“Good. We’ll be there soon with that warrant.” Frank clicked off the call and sucked in a deep breath. “Finally, something is going our way.”
Lutz spoke up. “You’re staying here.”
“What!”
“You heard me. If that killer has an agenda for you, then you need to be available to answer the door, answer your phone, or comply with his demands. It’s the only way to track him down unless we’re lucky and get a hit on him using the facial recognition software. I’m having the officers stay behind, too, and watch your house. If the killer contacts you, I want a call immediately. Is that understood?”
Frank nodded. He was clearly upset by Lutz’s orders but complied. We all knew it was the right move. Lutz, Henry, Shawn, and I took off in our cruisers. Lutz and I had to stop at the courthouse first and pick up the warrant. Doing that would speed up the process exponentially. Lutz told Henry and Shawn to continue on to the security company, make the introductions, and have everything ready to go with Charles Pike once we arrived. We figured we’d be there in forty minutes.