Calls were already coming in about sightings of Josh Stevens.
“That’s what happens when idiots like him wander the streets without wearing a hat or sunglasses to camouflage himself,” Lutz said. “He had to know it was only a matter of time before his face would be plastered all over the TV screens again. He must have needed something pretty badly to take that risk.” Lutz turned to Kip. “Any sightings of him in residential neighborhoods?”
Kip shook his head. “Not yet. Several clerks from strip mall stores on South Stoney Island Avenue have called. Other sightings didn’t seem likely—north side of Chicago and the Schaumburg area, that type of thing.”
Lutz pointed at Tony and Kip. “Get to those locations, confirm it was Josh, and find out what he bought.”
The detectives pushed back their chairs and headed out the door.
“Any information yet from those plainclothes cops who are watching the houses?” Shawn asked.
Lutz responded. “Everything is quiet at both locations. The officers have stationed themselves about five houses away from each home, so the only chance of Josh seeing them would be if he actually went outside and stood on the sidewalk.”
“And it’s doubtful that he’d even realize somebody was in the vehicles from that distance,” Frank said. “I’ll get some copies of the floor plan printed out for SWAT.”
“Speaking of SWAT, they’re going to meet up with us on South Constance, exactly four houses south of Seventieth Street, the same distance from the corner as Hanna’s house. We’ll be on the next block, but everyone is going in dark. We don’t want to give Josh any chance of seeing cop cars or light bars between the yards.”
Six o’clock finally came, and Jesse’s desk phone rang. Lutz answered to hear Debra on the other end saying the officer who operated the drone was there and she was about to escort him up to the bullpen.
As soon as they walked through the door, Lutz stood. He introduced himself with an outstretched hand. “I’m Commander Bob Lutz, and speaking for myself and my team, we’re grateful to have your help.”
“Thanks, Commander. I’m Chris Moore, and I’ve been the lead drone operator on the night shift in Special Services for seven years. I’m pretty confident we’ll have success tonight if the people in question are actually at the residence. With your team, the drone, and the SWAT officers, everything should go according to plan.”
“Then let’s get to that plan.” Lutz tipped his head toward the back of the room. “Let me show you the maps of the area and what we’re dealing with. We have a lot of tree cover to take into consideration on that street. The parallel street is where the SWAT team suggests we station ourselves, and here is the hand-drawn floor plan of the house that we’ll fly the drone over. There are two houses in question, but the one we’re going to first is the one that Josh Stevens is likeliest to be holed up in.”
“Good enough. Let’s take a look at that.”
Chris, Lutz, and the team reviewed the floor plans, the neighborhood, and the power line locations, then Chris explained the drone’s capabilities.
Just before seven o’clock, they headed out, Lutz and Frank in one cruiser, Phelps and Gaines in another, and Chris Moore in his SUV with the drone. Twenty minutes later, they arrived at the designated location. The SWAT team of four was already on site.
Lutz made the introductions, then the SWAT team leader, Dan Crane, handed him a radio.
“We need to be in constant contact since we’ll be at the house and you’ll be here guiding the drone. We’ll need the exact locations of the people inside just before we make the breach.”
“Got it.” Lutz walked to the cruiser, where he unrolled an enlarged diagram of the house’s layout and spread it on the hood. He tapped every entry point. “The front door is secured with a dead bolt and knob lock. Rear entry is a set of glass French doors that lead from the patio into the kitchen’s dining area. Backyard does have lights, and the doors have blinds that may or may not be closed. The overhead door is the only outside access to the garage, and the inner door leads into the laundry area, and finally, next to the refrigerator is a door to the half basement.”
“Looks good. Now all we have to do is wait a few more minutes for darkness to take over. My gut says if the man in question is watching, he’ll be facing the front of the house, where he can see incoming movement. We’ll have better luck taking him by surprise from the French doors since he probably doesn’t feel the backyard is a threat. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, though. We need to see where the victims are located inside the house first.”
Chris set up the drone, and as soon as he got the okay from Dan Crane, he would release it to the sky. There were trees to consider, and Hanna’s house was under a canopy of several large maples.
“We’ll be able to see the thermal images whether there’s trees in the way or not. I need to get high enough above the trees and power lines, then we’ll be able to follow the drone’s movements since it’s equipped with anti-collision lights. We need to get it up high quickly so even if the perp is watching out the window, it’ll be above his visual field immediately. I’ll guide the drone directly over the house in front of us, through their backyard, over the street, and to the house in question. We already know the shape of the home and the driveway location. I guarantee you we’ll have the right house, even if all the lights are off.”
With the go-ahead nod from Dan Crane, and guiding the drone with the joystick, Chris watched it rise above the house directly in front of them.
Lutz and the SWAT leader stood at Chris’s side and watched the monitor as the drone rose above the rooftop of the house across the street. It passed the backyard, flew over the fence, then reached the roof of the house directly across from Hanna’s.
Frank rubbed his brow. “That’s pretty loud. Can a person hear that from inside the house?”
“Unfortunately, it’s possible. If your perp recognizes that sound, he’ll be watching for it.”
“Doubt if he does. He’s been in prison for twelve years.”
“Then that’s good. If he has a TV on inside the house, that’s even better, but I’ll go up as high as I can without compromising its ability.” Chris looked from Lutz to Dan. “Ready to take it over her residence?”
Lutz gave him a nervous nod. “I guess we’re as ready as we’ll ever be.”
Chris toggled the controls left and right until he had the drone above Hanna’s house. He slowed down and made a back-and-forth grid over the rooftop.
“There!”
Chris set the drone to a controlled hover as they took in what they saw. Three shapes glowed a reddish orange. Two were stationary, and one moved about the interior of the house.
“That’s them,” Lutz said. From the bulkier size of one of the two shapes, he was sure the one lying on the floor in the kitchen area was Jesse. The other, presumably Hanna, sat on a chair in the living room.
“Okay, we know the locations of the victims,” the SWAT leader said. “We’re moving in. I’ll let you know when the house is surrounded, and at that time, you have to tell us exactly where the perpetrator is. Our plan is still to breach the French doors, but we’ll make that final decision once we arrive, depending on if the backyard is illuminated or not.”
“Wait,” Lutz said. “It makes more sense if Chris goes with you. We’ll hang back here and communicate via radio if you need anything from us. It’s better to have the monitor with you so you can see exactly where Josh Stevens is at all times.”
With an okay from Dan, Chris took off on foot while still controlling the drone. The SWAT team drove off and planned to park several houses away from Hanna’s and then surround the property.
“Staying put isn’t easy, Boss,” Frank said. “I just want to rush in, beat the shit out of Josh, and save Hanna and Jesse.”
“I know, and so do the rest of us, but we have to leave that up to SWAT. They’ll get them out of there safely. I have complete confidence in their ability.”
They watched as the SRT van drove away with the four specialists inside, and the taillights disappeared around the corner.