The next day, Michael stood at the entrance to the DA's office, and felt the hum of energy. Since he had returned, it had been crazy busy, with officers from the Seattle police department and FBI special agents together in a boardroom west of Nick's office. Michael stopped by his desk and checked his inbox to see if any new documents had come in on the cases he was working overnight, but there was nothing major. After checking his email one more time, he went to Nick's office and knocked on the door.
"Come in," Nick said.
Michael opened the door and went inside. Nick was on the phone, as usual, but pointed to the chair across from his desk.
"Yeah, that sounds good," Nick said. "Next time you're in town, we'll have a drink and talk about old times. See you then." He hung up the phone and turned to face Michael.
"Hey, Michael," Nick said and gave him an exasperated look. "Can I tell you again how glad I am to have you back? This place is busier than an outhouse at a county fair."
Michael gave a rueful smile. "Maybe I should take a road trip more often," he said with a laugh. "I could go and search for Rachel and Sadie in Utah or Colorado, if it would keep you giving me praise."
"No no no," Nick said. "Enough fun in the sun for you. I need you here. If anyone understands Kincaid, it's you."
"I'm not so sure about that," Michael said. "He fooled me for years."
"You never liked him."
"I didn't," Michael said. "But it wasn't because I thought he was a serial killer. I thought he was a fucking creep."
Nick laughed. "He's that as well."
"So, what's up?" Michael asked, folding his arms. "What have you got for me to do on his case? I've finished updating the files on Rachel and Sadie, and now I'm itching to get back into the Kincaid case and go find the bastard."
"I've had Diane make you a copy of the case file," Nick said. "Take some time and read it over. Talk to the detectives in charge. Tell me what you think."
"I will," Michael said and stood. "Let me know when you want me back to it discuss further. What's your schedule like today?"
"I'll be here all day, and probably most of the evening," Nick said. "This is priority one for us. I need someone who knows FBI procedures in a case like this."
"I'm your man," Michael said. "I can't wait to nail the bastard."
"I like your thinking," Nick said with a laugh.
Michael stood and left the room. Before he had even closed the door, Nick was back on the phone. As he watched Nick flipping pages in a file, Michael realized he never wanted to be a supervisor. He always wanted to be in the thick of things rather than overseeing personnel or a department.
Once back at his desk, Michael picked up the file and began to look through it, reading the first reports of the police who arrived to find that Eugene had escaped. He checked over the notes on the ambulance driver's identity and past employment history. The man was new to the job. He wasn't an EMT. He had a Class A license and had no business transporting prisoners to and from the hospital, based on his past. Someone really screwed up when they hired him.
Eugene's police escort had lost track of the ambulance after it turned down a back alley a few blocks from the hospital. By the time the patrol car found the ambulance, Eugene had escaped. They called in the K-9 team, but the dogs were only able to track Eugene through a park to an empty garage a few houses from the ambulance. After that, they lost Eugene's scent.
Patrol officers performed a canvas of the neighborhood, checking all outbuildings and empty houses, but there was no sign of Eugene. Detectives in charge of the case interviewed the prison guards who worked the night Eugene escaped. They learned he had been in a fight with another prisoner, and had to be taken to the hospital because of his injuries.
Officers spoke to the man Eugene got into a fight with, and the man seemed to suggest that it was Eugene who picked the fight -- not him. In a case like that, Michael could believe that Eugene set it up on purpose so he could escape during transport. Michael suspected that the ambulance driver was in on it somehow, but he couldn't prove it. When asked why he turned down the back alley, the driver couldn't answer. He claimed he didn't know that part of town well and lost sight of the police car ahead of him.
"I thought I saw him turn down the alley," the driver said. "When I saw that he wasn't in the alley, I stopped and tried to get him on my radio. But my radio wasn't working. I think the battery ran down."
Michael didn't believe it. Of course, it was possible the man was a moron, and that the simplest explanation was right. Eugene took the opportunity to escape when he found it. A string of errors and incompetence led to his escape. Instead, Michael suspected that, somehow, Eugene had set it up.
That was unsettling.
If that was the case, then it would be hard to find Eugene. It suggested he had someone in the prison itself and someone outside helping him.
Whatever the case, they had to find him. He was a clear danger to the public. If Eugene was smart, he would leave town before he did anything. It would be hard to find him once he left the city. Police had asked that all CCTV camera feed be reviewed to check for any sign of Eugene. They had checked all security cameras in the neighborhood surrounding the escape location.
If Eugene was smart, he would try to disguise his appearance. That way, no one would be suspicious of him. Michael checked the reports from traffic cameras and other security camera footage and only one hit had been turned up. A man wearing prison overalls entered a small late model sedan two blocks from the location where Eugene escaped. The sedan, a late model Toyota, was lost in traffic. Technicians were unable to make an ID on the plates.
If Eugene was smart, and Michael knew that he was, he would change cars quickly, knowing that police would be tracking him.
Police had already held a press conference to let the public know that a dangerous criminal had escaped custody and was at large. They showed pictures of Eugene taken during his hearing. They asked for any tips on Eugene's whereabouts.
The tip line was busy with sightings, but none of them panned out. The most fruitful avenue of investigation was Eugene's girlfriend, Mary Ann. Unfortunately, she was gone. She sent text messages to her family saying that she was going on a trip to Vegas. Michael suspected that Eugene was with her. They put out a BOLO on her car and contacted authorities in Oregon, Idaho, Montana and Nevada, to let them know that Eugene might be on his way there.
Michael was very interested in the girlfriend, Mary Ann. She was older than Eugene and from her pictures, Michael could see she seemed excessively made up, like she was compensating for her age. He figured she was one of those women who thought she could redeem a prisoner. She was mistaken if she thought she could redeem Eugene. The only thing that could redeem him was death.
For the next couple of hours, Michael read up on the case, absorbing as many of the details as he could in preparation for his meeting with Nick. He popped down the hall to the boardroom and spoke with the other officers working the case. They agreed that Eugene was most likely gone from Seattle. If so, who knew where he was now? He could have driven anywhere in the five days since he escaped.
Later that afternoon, after Michael read all the case files and had spoken with the officers working Eugene's case, Michael went back into Nick's office. He sat across from Nick, the file on his lap and sighed.
"Sorry boss," he said. "I'm pretty sure Eugene is out of Seattle by now. He could be anywhere. There were sightings of Mary Ann's car leaving town, heading south, but then nothing since. That means he could have changed vehicles somewhere and is out of the state by now or he's laying low somewhere he thinks is safe."
"I'm sad to say that I'm in agreement with you," Nick said. "Where do you think he'd go? What do you think he'd want to do? You know him pretty well."
Michael shook his head. "I honestly don't know," he said. "If it were me, and I was a psychopathic child killer, I'd want to go right back to my old ways. Kincaid told Tess that he wanted to be the most notorious serial killer in Washington State history. I suspect that he's hoping he can accomplish that before he's dead. That means he'll disguise himself and he will start over again somewhere new. He's very mobile. He knows the state intimately. He had lots of hiding places. This is going to be a bitch to solve."
"Well," Nick said. "I'm glad it's you not me who has to solve it."
"Yeah yeah yeah," Michael replied. "I live for the challenge." He gave Nick a grin and stood up. "If there's nothing else you want to discuss, I'll go back to my desk and get cracking."
"Not at the moment," Nick said. "Keep me updated."
"Will do," Michael replied. He stood and left Nick's office, returning to his desk for the rest of the afternoon.
When Michael got home, Tess was waiting. She gave him a kiss hello and then held out a bottle of Michael's favorite beer.
"How was your day?" she asked, opening her own bottle.
Michael shrugged. "Got a lot done. The place is crazy, as you can imagine. Everybody's focused on Eugene's escape. Looks like he had some help."
"What do you mean?" Tess asked. "What kind of help?"
"I think he had help to escape. The ambulance driver seemed a bit dense, but that doesn't mean he wasn't on the take. The cops denied knowing anything, but how do you lose the vehicle you're escorting? Plus, Eugene had a girlfriend who gave him money. I suspect he's with her somewhere."
"There's no way he had a real girlfriend," Tess said. "She was more likely a patsy intended more to help him than a romantic interest. He likes little girls. Women are props for him to make it look like he has a normal life."
"Of course you're right," Michael said. "Eugene's a pedophile and he'll never be anything else."
They sat down and had supper, talking the entire time about the case.
"There was no sign of him?" Tess asked.
"We saw him on a couple of security cameras," Michael replied. "We tracked him until the edge of the city, but lost him on the highway."
"Now what?"
"Well, we keep looking. Someone has to have seen him."
They finished their supper, and then went to the living room to watch the game.
If Michael wanted to have a relaxing night at home with Tess, he was mistaken. Before even half an hour had passed, he got a call on his cell. It was Nick and that meant only one thing.
"Hey, boss, what's up?"
"We found something you might be interested in," Nick replied. "I need you to come in right away."
Michael sighed. As much as he wanted to stay home and watch the game with Tess, he had to admit being excited about what Nick had found.