My eyes darted back and forth between Terry’s house and my watch, then my phone finally rang on the end table. Everly had to have news. I swiped the screen before it rang the second time.
“What did Tech find out?” I asked.
“Terry’s phone pinged off towers south of Chicago. Go ahead and search for the guns but don’t linger. I’ll have Tech update me every five minutes, and I’ll text you on his location, so keep your phone handy.”
“Will do.” I clicked off and took note of the time as I slipped out the gate at the side yard. It was closing in on noon.
Terry’s garage window was just beyond his gate, and if memory served me, I remembered passing a door as we sneaked to the back of the house. It likely led into the garage. I would look through the window to make sure the coast was clear then breach that door. The last thing I needed was a nosy neighbor seeing somebody pick the lock of the front door and calling it in. For all we knew, Terry had a police scanner or a doorbell camera. I reached his house, and only one car drove by. The neighborhood was relatively quiet, and I gave the street a left-to-right glance before I reached over the gate and lifted the latch. Inching forward after passing into the side yard, I closed the gate at my back and checked the window before continuing on to the door. Pressing my face against the garage’s window glass, I pulled back immediately.
Son of a bitch! His car is in there.
I had to either stay put and call Everly again to make sure Tech pinged the right phone number or make a hasty retreat to the foreclosed house. I decided to stay. Maybe Terry really was sick, went out to buy medicine, and was back home and in bed like he said. I really wasn’t expecting him to pop out the side door and confront me since there was no way he saw me approach on that side of the house.
With my phone pulled from my pocket and staying close to the house’s wall, I called Everly again. “Hey, are you sure Tech pinged the right number for Terry?”
“It’s the number you gave me. Why?”
“I’m at his side yard right now and just peered through the garage window. His car is inside.”
“Then get the hell out of there!”
“Hear me out. I want to know how his phone pinged from towers south of the city if he’s home. I called his cell, he answered, and Tech said it pinged south of the city. It doesn’t make sense. He didn’t take Laurie’s car, because Patrol said it was in her garage. The only explanation is—”
Ron interrupted. “Is that he has Tommy, too, and that’s the vehicle he’s in.”
“Put a BOLO out for Tommy’s truck. I’m going inside.”
“Jesse?”
“Yeah?”
“If he’s in there and draws on you, shoot to kill.”
“Roger that, and I’ll keep you posted.”
I moved on to the garage’s side door and turned the knob—locked. I knelt at eye level and pulled the lock-picking tool from my tactical-pants pocket. With the tool inserted in the key slot and a few jiggles, I was able to trip the locking mechanism, and the knob turned. Standing up, I slowly pushed the door inward, hoping it wouldn’t squeak. Inside the garage, I touched the hood of the car with the back of my hand—it was cold.
Could he have brought it back here hours ago when I was out looking for him? But how would he know about us, especially Tommy, and what kind of vehicle Tommy drove?
I didn’t know how Terry figured out we were surveilling him unless he saw the backyard light go on when I hit the wrong switch. I still cursed myself for that careless mistake, and it could be the reason Tommy and Laurie were missing. Their fate was on me, and I had to make it right. Tommy was a cop—just the people Terry was targeting—and Laurie was a pregnant wife, home alone until an intruder stormed in. He was reenacting the home invasion that took Katlyn’s life, except this time, it was a cop’s wife.
His rage is escalating, and Tommy and Laurie’s lives are in danger. The task force has to find them now!
I didn’t have time to waste and crossed the garage to the door that went into the house. With my gun drawn and ready to fire if necessary, I turned the knob and gave the door a push.