“Sorry, Joe. I hate to interrupt, but I have an idea.”
Joe leaned back in his chair and entwined his fingers behind his head. “Not a problem. We all have our roles, right? I could use a few minutes to rest my eyes and brain, anyway. What can I help you with, Jade?”
“I know how hard you’re working on those vacant building maps. As you know, Erin brought us that mapped-out fifteen-block perimeter around the tint shop.”
“Yep, that’s correct.”
“Are any of those vacant buildings within that fifteen-block circumference?”
“Great question. The fastest way to find out is to drop the map image of the circumference around the tint shop over the aerial view of the vacant buildings. Otherwise we’d have to check it by street names. Let’s see what we get.”
With a few keystrokes and after moving layered images around, Joe placed the circumference map on top of the aerial-view map of the vacant buildings in that quadrant. He lined up the tint shop address as the center point on both maps.
I leaned over his shoulder and looked at the composite image. “Son of a gun, it worked. There’s three empty buildings within that perimeter.”
Joe smirked. “I swear, you’re a genius, Jade.”
“Nah, just practical and Type A—I need to stay busy, or I’ll go crazy. Pull up the addresses of each building and the square footage we’re looking at. Can you get me a satellite image of each one that shows the doorways, the parking lot, and any nearby buildings that we may need to use as cover?”
“Sure thing, but keep in mind that Google satellite images are dated. They only update them every five years or so. What we see now may not look the same as in real time.”
I nodded. “Yeah, but it’s a start. Call me when that’s done, please. Nobody knows why I wandered off.”
Joe gave me a nod and got back to work, and I headed to the conference room. I took my seat again and asked for everyone’s attention.
“Go ahead, Agent Monroe,” Hopkins said.
“Okay, I had an idea that I needed Joe to test. With overlapping transparencies, he was able to place the perimeter map over the aerial-view map of the vacant buildings. It turns out that three of those buildings are in that fifteen-block circumference around Tony’s Tint and Trim. He’s getting us satellite images of each of those buildings with entry and exit points and so on. He should be done with that in a few minutes.”
“Great work, Jade,” Spelling said. “Let’s get a plan in motion.”
Hopkins’s phone vibrated on the table. He picked it up and glanced at the screen. “The ME is calling.” He excused himself and walked out into the hallway.
I watched his expression as he talked on the other side of the glass wall. Hopkins paced as he scratched his head and dragged his fingers through his hair. The air in the conference room had become thick with sadness as everyone stole a glance at their anxious supervisor.
He returned and blew out a deep sigh as he sat. “Well, I’m sure you all know what that was about.”
We kept quiet out of respect and gave SSA Hopkins a moment to regroup. Curt was one of the top agents in the downtown headquarters, and we all knew how much he’d be missed.
“The ME said Curt had three gunshot wounds in his body. One was about ten hours older than the others, meaning he suffered and lost a good quantity of blood before he was killed.”
I saw the pain and sadness in SSA Hopkins’s eyes as he relayed the information he had just received from the ME. His lower lip began to quiver. I looked down at the table and kept quiet. I was the newbie in the department and had never met Curt. The looks in everyone’s eyes told me how much he was cared for, though. Now it appeared my own partner might end up with the same fate.
Hopkins continued. “Curt’s first bullet wound was to his shoulder, and the others were to his back and head. He had suffered a broken nose and jaw, likely from earlier beatings. The ME says those injuries are the oldest. I’m under the assumption the abductors wanted information and thought beating it out of Curt would work. Apparently it didn’t, or they wouldn’t have needed J.T.” He glanced at each face at the table. “Tomorrow you’re on your own while I take that drive to Waukegan and explain to Mrs. Belmont that her son died in the line of duty. Find J.T. and his sister and get them home safely.”
Joe knocked and pushed open the door. “I have the satellite images and information on those first few empty buildings.”
Spelling waved him in.
Joe placed a stack of copies on the table. “I should have information on the rest of the empty buildings within the hour.”
“Thanks, Joe.” Spelling gave him a nod. “We appreciate you moving so quickly on this.”
I leaned across the table and reached for the copies. I took one for myself and passed the stack to my right. “We need to check out these buildings tonight, sir. The cover of darkness will be a big help.”
Spelling turned to Hopkins. “I’d like to hear your opinion, Tom.”
“Do it. Get those maniacs before somebody else we care about dies.”
We studied the images of the three vacant buildings and memorized the entrances and exits. I noticed how nothing blocked the rooftops in the aerial views.
“May I make a suggestion? I know it sounds farfetched, but it could be a real time-saver.”
“Go ahead, Agent Monroe,” Hopkins said.
“I’m wondering if we can call in favors.”
“What organization are you talking about, Jade?” Cam asked.
“How about the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Department Search and Rescue team? They have drones that can detect humans by their body heat. I’m sure from these satellite images that they can be successful, even at night. There isn’t anything over these buildings that would block the heat-seeking signal. That could speed everything up exponentially. We’ve helped them in the past when they needed our resources, and we’ve also sponsored their fundraising events for more equipment. They owe us a little help.”
Spelling jerked his head toward the door. “Maria, get on the horn to them right now. We need the deputy sheriff, or whoever makes the decisions on that, and their best drone controller here, immediately.”
Maria left the room to make the call.
“Sir, that’s only three buildings out of twenty-nine. I wonder what the chances are of using their help to clear all of those buildings.”
“I don’t know, Jade, but I intend to find out as soon as they show up.”
By eight o’clock, we had Sergeant Kyle Saunders and an SAR expert, Deputy Mark Spence from the sheriff’s department, entering the building to meet with our group. Maureen showed them to our third-floor conference room. Hopkins and Spelling stood, shook their hands, and made the introductions down the line of agents at the table. Hopkins explained the situation and the dire need for their immediate help. Time wasn’t on our side, and we feared J.T. and Julie’s lives were in jeopardy.
Sergeant Saunders spoke up after reviewing the images and consulting with Mark Spence. “Mark is confident we can get the drone over these three buildings. He needs to have plenty of unobstructed space in order to maneuver the drone over the rooftops, and he needs to be in visual contact with it at all times. We can clear the other buildings tomorrow with the help of a second drone.”
Hopkins slapped the table with his open hands. “Then let’s get these three done tonight. We have to know if anyone is inside so we can plan our course of action. I want four agents to escort Sergeant Saunders and Deputy Spence to each site. If nothing pops at one, move on to the next. If any of them show signs of human inhabitants, get back here immediately so we can plan our method of breaching the building. We’ll catch them by surprise, under the cover of darkness.”
“May I go along?” I looked from Spelling to Hopkins.
Spelling responded, “This was your suggestion, so hop aboard and keep your eyes peeled. Bill, Cam, and Val go along too. The rest of us will review the other images as soon as Joe is finished with them. Monroe?”
I stopped at the doorway. “Yes, sir?”
“Report back here immediately if there are people in any of the buildings. You’re the lead agent tonight.”
“Absolutely, sir, and thank you.”