The sun was up, and a half dozen people milled around Jesse’s campsite. Owens approached Lutz, who was deep in conversation with Hanna and Frank.
“Excuse me,” Owens said.
Lutz gave him his attention. “What have you got, Owens?”
“The blood analysis came back as human—A-positive as a matter of fact.”
Frank let out a groan. “That’s Jesse’s blood type.”
“Don’t get your shorts wadded up, Mills. There are plenty of people who are A-positive,” Lutz said.
Frank raised a brow. “That blood type right in front of Jesse’s tent? Seems a bit coincidental, don’t you think?”
Lutz changed the subject. “Does anyone know Mrs. Stanley’s condition?”
“I’ll call the hospital and find out for you, Commander.”
“Thanks, Owens. Appreciate it.” Lutz waved another officer over. “Where can I get access to a computer?”
“I believe the lodge has a business center, sir.”
“Okay, thanks. Let’s check it out as soon as Owens comes back. We need history on Leon Stanley—who his acquaintances are, where he grew up, and who he’s related to.”
Frank rubbed his chin. “Something doesn’t square with me.”
“Go on.”
“If Leon has Jesse, then we have one vehicle too many. Leon’s truck is gone, and so is Hanna’s Explorer. Doubt that Leon would let Jesse drive himself anywhere. One of those vehicles has to be parked nearby, unless—”
“Unless what?” Hanna asked.
“Unless Leon has somebody else along.”
Hanna buried her face in her hands. “Like an accomplice?”
“Just throwing out ideas, Hanna. That’s what cops do. We have to think of every possibility.”
“Okay, then every vehicle in this park needs to be accounted for. Luckily, it isn’t high season yet, so we should be able to knock it out in a few hours if everyone pitches in,” Lutz said.
Owens came back for the second time and addressed the commander. “Sir, the hospital said that Mrs. Stanley passed away an hour ago from brain trauma. She never regained consciousness.”
Lutz shook his head. “Shit.”
Hanna’s chin dropped to her chest, and she began to cry. “I can’t believe that bastard killed her. So what is that saying about Jesse’s fate?”
“That means we have to figure this out on our own. Owens, we need your boss on site so he can enlist the help of the officers. I want an account of every vehicle in the park, especially ones that are within walking distance of here. There’s a chance that Leon’s truck or Hanna’s SUV is somewhere close by. If not, then he has someone helping him out. We need to access a computer and get a list of his relatives and friends so we can figure out where Leon Stanley could have gone. He’s holding my detective hostage or worse, and I’m not about to take it.”
Owens reached his sergeant, who said he was on his way and would take care of looking for the vehicles. Lutz, Frank, and Hanna headed to the lodge, where Frank approached the concierge and asked about the business center. He was directed down the left hallway.
“It’s the second room on the right, sir. There’s a sign above the door, so you can’t miss it. Will the charges be put on your room bill?”
“I’m not a guest here, but I was hoping this might do the trick.” Frank discreetly showed her his badge.
“Absolutely, Detective Mills, and take as much time as you need.”
Frank nodded. “Appreciate it.” He jerked his head at Lutz and Hanna. “It’s this way.”
Once inside the business center, Lutz pulled sheets of blank paper out of the printer and grabbed a pen. “Hanna, if you don’t mind, I’d like it if you’d do the note taking. I’m sure your penmanship is far better than ours.”
“Of course I will.”
“Okay, thanks. Frank, you pull up the criminal database and log in. Enter Leon Stanley from Decatur, Illinois, and see if previous homes or possible relatives come up. That reminds me, I have to call that detective and find out if anything popped at the Stanley house. I’ll do that now while you try to find out where he grew up.” Lutz temporarily moved to the other side of the room and called the Decatur police detective that Owens had spoken with.
“Hello, this is Commander Bob Lutz from the Chicago Police Department’s homicide division. I believe there’s a detective named Sam Chesson who’s expecting my call. Yes, I’ll hold.” Lutz tapped his fingertips against the tabletop while he waited.
It took only a minute for the detective to come to the phone. “Detective Chesson speaking.”
“Detective, this is Commander Lutz from the Chicago PD. I believe an officer by the name of Todd Owens contacted you early today about Leon Stanley.”
“Yep. We’ve got it wrapped up, and he’s sitting in our holding cell as we speak.”
“Whoa, are we talking about the same person? Leon Stanley beat his wife and kidnapped my lead detective and then he goes home? His wife died this morning.”
“Shit. That changes everything. When we picked him up, we were under the assumption that he beat his wife and fled. That’s it.”
“Well, now you can charge him with murder. So where is my detective, Jesse McCord?”
“Sorry, Commander, but when we breached the home, Mr. Stanley was asleep in bed. There wasn’t anyone else around.”
“What kind of vehicle was there?”
“One second. It’s in my notes. Ah, here it is. His black Dodge Ram was in the garage.”
“So he beats his wife within an inch of her life, leaves her behind to die, abandons his trailer, and just goes home as if nothing happened?”
“Sir, we’ve been to the Stanley house at least ten times already this year. The wife calls 911 but refuses to file charges against that piece of shit because she knows when he’s released, he’ll just beat her again.”
“Well, he isn’t going to get out of murder charges. You need to get back in that holding cell and interrogate him. My detective is missing, and Leon Stanley was the person who kidnapped him. I want to know what he did with Jesse, and I want to know now! Make sure to tell him he has murder charges hanging over his head, and he won’t see the light of day again unless he coughs up the location of my detective.”
“You got it, and I’ll call you back as soon as the interrogation is complete.”
Lutz ended the call and stormed over to Frank and Hanna. “What did you find out?”
“Not much, Boss. Leon Stanley was raised in Decatur. He only lives four blocks from the family home he grew up in.”
Lutz slammed his fist against the workstation. “Decatur PD has Leon in custody.”
Hanna’s eyes bulged. “What? Then where is Jesse? Why hasn’t he contacted anyone?”
“I don’t have those answers, Hanna. The detective said Leon was in bed asleep when they stormed the house. Nobody else was there.”
Frank pushed back his chair and paced. “That means Hanna’s SUV is here in the park somewhere—it’s the only thing that makes sense. Leon bound Jesse, threw him in the back of his truck, and dumped him somewhere along his route home. How far is Decatur from here, and what back roads can get him there?”
Lutz raised his palms toward Frank. “Hold on, Mills. Detective Chesson is going to question Stanley about Jesse. The man is on the hook for murder now, not just domestic abuse, so he better start talking.”
Minutes later, Owens and his sergeant, a Terry Ludwig, entered the business center. Owens made the introductions, then the sergeant took over.
“We used the registration department’s list of all the vehicle owners that have paid for their campsite. We’ve done a drive-by of those sites and every one in between. None of those vehicles match the two in question. We’ve also checked the parking lot at the lodge and the spaces in front of every cabin. The results were the same. I had two of my officers drive the roads that weave in and out of the park. No abandoned vehicles. We found a black Corolla on that road along the ridge across from Jesse’s campsite, but nobody was around. The owner might be out hiking or fishing.”
“So no red Explorer?”
“Sorry, Commander, but no.”