‘I want everybody looking at me.’
Gabrielle Grey stood outside Joseph White’s house, surrounded by an assortment of detectives, policemen and volunteer officers. A few passers-by were loitering, but there was no sign of any journalists, so she could afford to raise her voice. Speed was of the essence and those in front of her needed to know what was required of them.
‘According to the other tenants, White left the house roughly twenty minutes ago. His closet is empty, his room unlocked, so we can assume he’s gone for good. Our priority now is to find him as quickly as possible. We are going to fan out across this neighbourhood, canvassing local people, looking for evidence of break-ins, automobile theft and so on. We’ve no idea where he’s heading, but let’s cut him off before he gets there.’
There were murmurs of agreement from the assembled faces.
‘I’ve spoken to the CTA, who’ll be keeping an eye on the transport networks, but it’s our job to bring this guy in. Officer Montgomery will organize you into groups. Each of you will be covering four blocks. First sign of a sighting, you call it in. We want White surrounded before we make our move. Now, let’s go.’
They swarmed towards Montgomery, who handed them marked-up maps of the area. Gabrielle stepped aside, looking appreciatively at the youthful officer, who was organizing the search parties efficiently and professionally. This case had been so complex, so frustrating, but the fevered activity outside White’s former residence gave her real hope that their ordeal would soon be at an end.