Commander Randall’s office was packed with people. Lutz and I sat in the guest chairs facing him, and Andrews, Sergeant Everly, and the other two commanders stood against the wall. Lutz was well-acquainted with the Terry Lasko home invasion case and knew I had befriended him after speaking at a grief counseling meeting three weeks back. He was okay with it, and now, I was ready to accuse my new friend of murder.
Len Andrews and the commanders wanted detailed reasons for why I would consider Terry a person of interest. We couldn’t go after somebody on a gut feeling alone.
I directed my comments to Len. “You mentioned that the suspect weighs his odds of being caught. That was the first time Terry Lasko popped into my head. I’d never known an actuary up to that point and really didn’t understand the job. Terry explained it to me the first time we went out for a beer, and his words were nearly identical to what you’d said. They weigh the odds of something happening. I’ve never asked him if he works from home or not, so that much, I don’t know.”
Len nodded. “Easy enough to find out. What about a military background?”
“The subject never came up, but he looks like the kind of guy who would be afraid of guns.”
“I’d have to agree,” Lutz said, “but don’t let that fool you. The best criminals don’t look the way we’d expect them to. That’s why they get away with their crimes for as long as they do.”
“And the trigger?” Len asked.
“The one-month anniversary of his wife’s murder was on the same day the four patrol officers were gunned down in the Second District.” Commander Randall was writing down every word I’d said.
“His height and weight fit the profile as well as the age range, but—”
“But?” Everly asked.
I looked into Lutz’s eyes. “You’re acquainted with him slightly, Boss. What do you think?”
Lutz directed his question to the profiler. “What is needed in order to pull his background on the NCIC database?”
“A little more than what Detective McCord has given us.” Len locked eyes with me. “Would you be willing to dig a little deeper with him? Find out if he’s been in the military, ask if he has any interest in going to the gun range with you, that sort of thing. Look for tattoos on his arms, if they’re ever exposed, and check out the watch he wears. Those are all benign things people take note of and talk about. I highly doubt if they’d raise suspicion. Depending on the results you get, it should be enough to consider him a person of interest and pull his records.”
“I can do that. I’d rather eliminate him as a risk than to hold off, have more people die, and find out later that he was the shooter.”
Commander Randall rapped his knuckles on his desk and read over the notes he’d taken. “You’ve brought up good points, Jesse, and it’s appreciated. Now let’s find out if any of those points hold water. Meanwhile, we can have a unit watch his moves.”
Len waved his hand through the air. “If he is the shooter, he’s definitely watching out his windows and noting every vehicle in the neighborhood. He may even have hidden cameras scattered across his yard. Your patrol unit could be in harm’s way. Let’s see if he’s a possible suspect before we go that far. If he is, then we’ll haul him in for questioning and do it when he’s least expecting it.”
I thanked everyone for listening to my concerns and felt better after getting that burden off my chest. Now it was time to plan a move that I, and I alone, would put into action. We began putting our thoughts on paper.
An hour of brainstorming had passed. I’d make a call to Terry and ask if he wanted to join me at the gun range for a little practice session since it was time for my pistol recertification, anyway. Every question he answered would move us closer to knowing more about Terry Lasko. At ten o’clock, I was given the go-ahead to make the call. We didn’t want anything to seem forced.
All eyes were on me as I dialed Terry’s number and waited for him to pick up, and he did on the fifth ring.
“Hey, Terry, how’s your Sunday morning going?” He had no idea he was on Speakerphone since I’d muted the background noise.
“Same old Sunday. Drinking coffee and reading the latest news on my computer.”
“Yep, sounds relaxing, but are you up for anything a little more exciting than that today?”
“Not sure. What do you have in mind?”
“My weapons recertification is coming up. How about tagging along to the range and firing off some rounds with me? My practice partner is out of town, and it’s always more enjoyable to go with somebody.”
“Yeah, I don’t know. I’ve never been a fan of guns, especially lately.”
“Jeez, man, I didn’t mean to be insensitive. Guess it’s second nature to me to work on my shooting skills, plus it’s just fun to get out and pop off a few rounds. Do you even have a gun?”
“Nope. Never thought I’d have a need for one. I think I’ll pass on the offer, but last night was a good time. You can’t beat Mario’s pizza and a couple of beers on a Saturday night.”
I shook my head at the group. “Yep, I’ll second that. Okay, buzz me back if you change your mind. I’ll be heading out in about an hour.” I hung up and raised my palms. “Maybe I’m completely off base here. I should have kept my thoughts to myself.”
“Not necessarily,” Len said. “What about you going in alone and just shadowing his moves for a day or two? A unit might attract his attention, but one man alone could easily stay out of sight. The rest of the group can keep working the leads and cases they have in front of them. It would be the fastest way to catch him if he were up to something.”
“But he’d recognize me.”
“Even better. That’s why you have to remain unseen.”
Andrews had a point, but with Terry saying he didn’t even own a gun, my confidence level had dwindled. I was sure that, as Mills had put it, I was barking up the wrong tree.
“His address is in the police report, correct?” Andrews asked.
Lutz nodded.
“Okay, let’s get a satellite and street view of the ins and outs of that neighborhood and see where the best place is to station you.”
Randall jerked his chin at Everly. “Call Commander Abrams in Patrol and have a car from impound cleared for Jesse’s use. He can follow Lasko from a distance, and the car can’t be tracked back to him or the station.”
The satellite view showed that Terry’s street weaved farther back into a residential neighborhood that went every which way, but there was only one entrance in and out. His was the eighth house in, and nothing about it raised a flag that would lend itself to being targeted in a home invasion. It was likely a random act that had ended with deadly consequences for his wife.
Everly pointed at the screen. “Let’s switch over to street view now and see what it shows us. Maybe there’s a place on the exit road where you can inconspicuously station yourself.”
We started at Terry’s house and worked our way out toward the main road, where his street ended. Anything deeper in the neighborhood beyond his house would be useless for setting up my surveillance—I wouldn’t be able to see him come and go. A house for sale caught my attention and gave me an idea.
“Hey, how about setting me up in a vacant house?”
Andrews looked at the upper left corner of the screen. “This street view is from 2017.”
“But we can still see if any house on his block is for sale and empty. Once inside, I can watch out the window, and if he leaves, I can pull out of the garage and follow him.”
“Great idea if there’s a house for sale, and if the homeowners aren’t living there, and if they would even allow it,” Randall said.
Lutz pointed his chin toward the commander. “But it can’t hurt to find out.”
Everly took care of that task by calling his sister-in-law, who was a Realtor. Checking the MLS listings, she said there weren’t any houses on that street currently for sale, but there was a foreclosure that had already been vacated. She gave Everly the lender’s name and the phone number of a person to call about the property. Andrews, who had the highest credentials there, said he’d make the call and left the room.
“Looks like you’re in,” he said as he returned to the commander’s office and pocketed his phone. “The house is three closer to the main road than Terry’s and on the opposite side of the street. You couldn’t ask for a better location. I guess the previous tenants left some furniture behind and—”
I held my hands up as if to stop him in his tracks. “I’ll bring my own food from home, my air mattress, a card table and chairs, toiletries, and some clothes. I’m not about to use trash that was left behind in a foreclosed house. All I need now is that impound car and keys and a garage remote for the house. It shouldn’t take more than a day or so to make an arrest or rule Terry out.”
Everly glanced at the vibrating phone in his hand. “It’s Abrams.” He swiped the screen and answered. “Commander Abrams? Yes, that’ll do just fine. Appreciate it.” Seconds later, he clicked off. “Okay, Abrams said two units will be here with the impound car in ten minutes.”
“I hope I’m getting something reliable.”
“He said it was a dark-blue 2010 Chevy Impala.”
I shrugged.
“With some rust around the wheel wells and a dent on the passenger-side front fender.”
I rubbed my head. “Anything else I need to know?”
“It runs.”