We broke for a late lunch at one o’clock. Over our burgers and fries, I explained to J.T. the conversation I’d had earlier with Jack.
“Jack said Washburn County hasn’t heard or seen anything relating to Max. He actually said North Bend seems eerily quiet. That in itself gives me goose bumps.”
“They’re still keeping your house and your mom’s under surveillance, right?”
I swished a fry around the pool of ketchup on my plate then popped it into my mouth. “Yeah, they aren’t sitting on my house, but they do a drive-by every hour. I had a pretty intense security system installed after the incident last summer.” I didn’t need to go into detail about what I meant. J.T. understood. “An unmarked unit is sitting on my mom’s house, though, and what they’ve reported is that everything is quiet in the area.”
“Good to hear. Is this Max’s typical MO?”
I nodded. “Absolutely. Until recently, we hadn’t heard anything about him. He disappeared for nearly six months and stayed off everyone’s radar.”
J.T. took a sip of his soda and stared off, as if in thought. “That makes me wonder why he’s appeared now. Is there a specific reason he’s resurfaced?”
I shrugged. “We’re still keeping tabs on his communication with Darryl, but they write in code, and we have no idea what they’re saying to each other. They communicate occasionally by phone too, but even then the conversation is coded. They may as well be talking a foreign language. Max hasn’t visited Darryl since last summer, either.”
“I guess we’re in a holding pattern for now. The car hasn’t been seen, and nobody has called in a carjacking or even a stolen car for that matter. He has to be moving around, doesn’t he?”
“Not necessarily, but if he is hunkered down in a motel between the border and here, we’ll find that out pretty quickly. We need to make sure his face is still being broadcast on every news channel too. I don’t want those stations to drop the ball on us. Come on. Let’s finish eating and get back to work.”
Again at our desks, we continued the calls to the frontage road motels. Jack took the Highway 41 corridor, and I took Route 31, which was closer to the lake as it meandered through the outskirts of Kenosha and Racine and then connected with Route 32 when it neared Milwaukee.
At three thirty, I stood and heaved a deep sigh. So far we hadn’t had a single hit. “I need a break. Want something to drink?”
“A soda would be good, thanks.”
“Sure thing.” I pulled two dollar bills out of my wallet and headed down the hallway to the lunchroom.
I returned to our desks with two soda cans in hand, one dark and one clear. J.T. had just hung up his phone and was scratching out something on his notepad.
“We have to go.” He stood, secured his shoulder holster, clipped his badge to his waistband, and put on his jacket.
“What the hell is going on?” I reached for my gun and jacket too.
“We have a hit.” J.T. handed me the slip of paper. “Program this address into your GPS. I’ll tell Spelling we’re leaving.”
I walked at a quickened pace alongside J.T. as I programmed my phone. “What did the desk clerk say?”
“No hits on the credit cards, but he said a huge guy checked in yesterday and paid cash. He also said the guy had a full beard.”
I punched J.T. in the arm.
“What was that for?”
“Sorry, I’m just excited.”
We knocked on Spelling’s door, and he ushered us in. By the expression on his face and the fact that we had our coats on, he likely assumed we had a lead. He rose from his chair and walked around his desk.
“What’s up?”
“We have a hit, boss. We’re going to check it out now.”
“Where?”
I looked at the slip of paper still clutched in my hand. “Twenty Winks Motel on the north side of Milwaukee. It sounds familiar. I’m sure I’ve driven by it before. It’s located on Fairview Street, which is a frontage road parallel to Highway 41.”
“How do you want to handle this? Call the local PD or surveil the motel first?”
“We need a positive ID before anything else. The clerk only said a man checked in yesterday, paid cash, and fit Max’s description. I’d prefer to go in quietly, talk to the clerk, and show him the picture we have of Max. The clerk didn’t know what Max was driving, though. He said there was never a vehicle parked in front of the room Max was assigned to. It’s probably hidden nearby.”
“Okay, go ahead and keep under the radar. Just because you don’t see a vehicle doesn’t mean he isn’t there. And to be fair, we don’t know for sure if the man is actually Max at all. I want an update the second you arrive and the second you leave. Both of you put vests on under those coats.”
“Yes, boss.” I nudged J.T. “Let’s go.”
J.T. and I hopped into one of the unmarked cars we kept in the lot. I checked the distance on the GPS.
“Looks like it’s a half-hour drive from us. The motel is on the far north side of Milwaukee County. Take 43 North then cut west on Good Hope. That should keep us out of traffic. I’m pretty sure I know which motel it is. There are two of them within a block of each other. You can see them from the highway.”
J.T. smiled. “This could be over with by tonight, Jade. I’m sure that would be a big weight off your chest.”
“And Amber’s too. If the desk clerk makes a positive ID, I’m going to call Jack. I’d like anyone that may be on Max’s radar to stay at my house tonight where it’s the safest. There’s no reason to spread the North Bend PD and the sheriff’s department too thin. If everyone is hunkered down at my fortress”—I smiled—“that could free up the cops to keep an eye out for him.”
“Agreed.”
“We’re getting close. I think we should pass by on the highway first, where we can see the parking lot, then cut back on the frontage road and walk in.”
J.T. merged with traffic once we reached Highway 41.
“Stay in the right lane, where you can go slower. I’ll check out the parking lot when we pass by. The exit for the frontage road will be a half mile beyond the motel. We’re almost there.” I pointed a quarter mile ahead on the left. “The motels are by that billboard. Slow down a bit.”
J.T. drove past while I craned my neck to the left. I snapped three pictures with my cell phone while I had the chance. At the top of the ramp, J.T. turned left at the green light.
I pointed to my right. “Pull into that gas station so we can look at these pictures.”
J.T. pulled in and parked between two cars on the side of the building.
“Okay, let’s see what we have.” I tapped the gallery icon and pulled up the last three pictures. I spread my thumb and index finger across the screen to enlarge each image, one by one.
“Did the desk clerk say which room the man was given?”
“Yeah, the third room to the left of the office. No vehicle there, and nothing in the lot that resembles a black Ford Focus, either.”
I turned my phone sideways to get the widescreen view. I mentally counted the rooms. “There are ten rooms and three cars in the lot. I don’t even know what that’s telling us. Either the place sucks, it’s inconvenient to get to from the highway, or it’s closing in on dinnertime.”
J.T. stared at the photo. “I’m going with the place sucks. They’re lucky to get three tenants. The clerk said the man only paid for one night in advance.” He jerked his chin toward the frontage road and pulled back on the street. “Let’s check it out.”
“Park in the back, and we’ll enter from the south side. That way if he actually is in room three, we won’t be passing his window.”
J.T. drove the half mile back to the motel and parked on a residential side street. We took off our coats and slipped the vests over our heads then snugged the Velcro straps tightly. We put our coats back on before we exited the car. Once outside, we crossed the street and made our way to the motel office. I pulled my hood up over my head and stared at the ground as we walked.
“Cold?”
“No, I’m trying to remain incognito. Max knows my face.”
“I’ll walk ahead and scope it out. He’d have no idea who I am, anyway. Keep your eyes peeled for that car.”