Midnight Abduction, page 9
part #1 of Finnegan First Responders Series
Brady repeated the names, glancing at her curiously. “Thanks, boss. We’re on our way back to the office. We’ll need to go through their social media files to see if any of them look like our UNSUB.”
“Fine, let me know if any of those pop for you,” Donovan said. “Later.”
Brady hit a button ending the call. “Do any of those names sound familiar to you?”
“No, but looking at their social media sites for photos is a great idea.” A surge of excitement hit hard. “If we can identify the kidnapper, you’ll be able to find his license plate number, right?”
“Yes.” Brady hit the gas, quickly passing the slower traffic. She wished he could use red lights and sirens like the local police could. “I’m anxious to start looking through the list of suspects to compare them to your sketch.”
“The motel clerk was the one who got most of the details, right? If we find someone that’s close to a match, you may want to get Andy back to the office to identify him.”
“If the sketch is a close match, that will be enough to get a search warrant to find this guy,” Brady said grimly.
“That’s good.” She frowned. “I think he must be from out of town, likely the Chicago area. I know my brother had investors located all over, but his not being from Milwaukee would explain why he’s hanging out at local parks.”
“I thought of that too,” Brady admitted. “But I didn’t want to focus on out-of-state license plates, he could have easily rented a car near the airport. Especially if he took the train in from Chicago.”
“Yeah, you’re right.” After all, she’d taken the train from Chicago to Milwaukee herself six years ago. After she’d given an anonymous tip to the Securities Exchange Commission about her brother’s fraudulent practices. Yet even after she’d made that call, it had taken them more than four years to arrest Adam. Plus another nine months for the case to move through the system. It wasn’t until her brother had been sent to a federal prison to serve his time that she’d rested easy.
Until now.
“I wonder why this guy waited so long to try to get his money back.” She grabbed the armrest when Brady made a fast turn. “Adam’s been in prison for over a year now.”
“Maybe it took him that long to find you. And to come up with a viable plan.” Brady grimaced. “Although he still didn’t plan it very well.”
“He hasn’t been caught yet,” she pointed out.
“True. But we’re getting close. I can feel it.” Brady hit the gas again, passing several cars on the interstate, clearly in a hurry to get back to the FBI offices.
“I pray you’re right.” His enthusiasm was infectious.
Five minutes later, they reached the FBI office building. Brady escorted her inside, heading for a cubicle first to grab his laptop computer off his desk, before detouring to the conference room they’d used earlier.
Ian was still there. He glanced at them in surprise. “I don’t have a name and number yet, I’m still working on it.”
“We have some potential suspects too. I may need your help, though.” Brady booted up his computer. “There are three names we need to dig into. Are you ready?”
“Yep.” Ian gave a nod.
“Lawrence Abrams, Joseph Custer, and Dominic Powers,” Brady said. “I’ll take Lawrence. You take Joseph. We want to compare any recent photos of them to the sketch.”
“Got it.”
“What can I do?” Grace didn’t like sitting there doing nothing.
“I’ll need you in a few minutes.” Brady did not look away from his computer screen. “Maybe more than a few,” he added with a sigh. “It appears like there are more Lawrence or Larry Abramses than I anticipated.”
“Same with the Joseph Custers,” Ian added. “All three of these guys could be going by shortened versions of their name. Dom, Nick, Joe, Joey, Larry, Law, et cetera.”
The flicker of hope in her heart dimmed. Identifying their kidnapper suspect could take hours.
Hours they didn’t have.
Brady had to force himself to slow down, taking each matching name that popped up on the social media site one at a time, peering intently at each photograph. The last thing he needed was to rush and miss the suspect entirely.
Of course, some of these guys used their pets as a cover photo, which meant delving deeper into their site. Not always easy if they had privacy settings enabled.
“I’m going to get more coffee.” Grace stood. “Would either of you like some?”
“I’m good,” Ian said absently.
“That would be great.” He tore his gaze from the computer to offer her a reassuring smile. Their brief but electric kiss flashed in his mind. “Thank you.”
Grace nodded and slipped from the conference room. He watched her walk away for a moment, before dragging his attention back to the task at hand. It was tempting to narrow the search to Larry or Lawrence Abrams in the Chicago area, but he decided to use an age range instead.
That didn’t help much. Swallowing a groan, he continued searching through the photos one by one.
Grace returned with his coffee, then asked, “Don’t you have a third computer? I can go through social media sites too.”
“I’ll get her one,” Ian said. “I need a break anyway.”
“Okay, thanks.” He took a sip of his coffee. He wanted to warn her not to get her hopes up too high but held his tongue. She’d already experienced the turmoil of an investigation, so it wouldn’t be her first disappointment.
Besides, he felt certain one of these three guys was their kidnapper. They just had to find him.
It didn’t take long for Ian to return with another laptop for Grace. He signed in under his own name, then turned it to face her. “Don’t forget to use all the various nicknames for Dominic,” he told her.
“I won’t.” She eagerly went to work.
They sat in silence for almost twenty minutes before his phone rang. He startled so badly he almost spilled what was left of his coffee. He pounced on the phone when he saw Matt Callahan’s name on the screen. He hit the speaker button so that Grace and Ian could hear too. “Did you and Duchess find something?”
“No, I took Duchess all around Greenland Park, but she didn’t alert on Caleb’s scent. Did you find anything at White Park?”
“No, but a witness claimed she saw a black Honda sedan there. Maybe you could take Duchess to check out the bathrooms?”
“I will, right after I give her a break. She’ll go until she drops if I don’t make her rest a bit.”
“Please give her time to recover, especially since we may need her later. Even if Caleb and the kidnapper were at the park earlier, they weren’t there when we drove through.”
“Understood. I can try more parks too. I think there’s another one in Brookland that may fit our criteria,” Matt offered.
“Only if you think Duchess is up to it. I want her fresh if we experience a glitch with the exchange.” Brady hid a wince when Grace shot him a stunned look. “It’s better to be prepared for any possibility,” he added, hoping to reassure her.
“Checking out just the restroom area of both White Park and the one in Brookland shouldn’t be too much for her. I agree we want to be on alert in case something else comes through. Let me know if you hear anything more about the location of the exchange.”
“I will. Thanks, Matt.” He disconnected from the call, wondering if he should contact Lieutenant Krull, the day shift commander at the local precinct, to see if there was any new information from the tip line. Although he firmly believed Krull would call him if they had a viable lead.
He drained his coffee, feeling as if he was juggling too many balls at one time and risked dropping something important.
For the first time, he was at a loss as to how to prioritize. Normally, he didn’t have this problem. But knowing Caleb was his son added an emotional connection.
One he couldn’t ignore.
He abruptly stood and grabbed his phone. He called Marc Callahan, needing advice. His call went straight to voice mail, so he left his fellow agent a quick message to call him back.
“What do you need Marc for?” Grace asked as he dropped back into his chair.
“Nothing really.” He didn’t want to worry her about his sudden attack of self-doubt. She needed him to be confident. Working cases like this was his job, one he used to be good at. “Let’s keep searching for a photo that matches our sketch.”
“It’s ten forty-five,” Grace said. “Shouldn’t the kidnapper call soon with a location for the exchange?”
“If he gives us too much time, we’ll have the place staked out by dozens of undercover cops.” He managed a smile. “He’ll call, but probably closer to the deadline.”
“The waiting is killing me,” she whispered.
“Me too.” He touched her hand, then turned back to the computer screen. He’d gone through three more names when he stumbled upon a Larry Abrams from Chicago who was in the right age group. He had a large family picture as his cover photo, so he blew it up on his screen to see better.
This Larry Abrams did not resemble the sketch, although the way he stood with his arm around his parents made him wonder if he wasn’t the victim they were looking for. “Hey, Ian, see what you can find out about Larry Abrams from Chicago. His date of birth is November tenth of 1990.”
“Give me a minute.” Ian switched over to enter the information into the database. “I found his driver’s license, but he doesn’t have a car registered under his name.”
It could be listed under his parents’ names. “Dig deeper, will you? I’d like proof that his parents are the victims of the investment scheme. If so, I think we can cross him off our list as he has roughly a hundred pounds and different hair color than the perp in our sketch.” Eliminating suspects wasn’t as fun as finding the diamond in the sand, but it would allow them to switch their focus to other suspects.
“Yep, found them.” Ian whistled under his breath. “Looks like they lost two million and change in the scam. I agree he’s not our guy, though. No way does he match our sketch.”
“Agreed.” Brady tried not to sigh loud enough for Grace to hear. “It’s good to know we can move on.”
“There are so many possibilities,” Grace said. “I don’t think I’ll ever find the right Dominic Powers.”
“We will. I’ll help you. You keep searching on Dominic Powers, and I’ll use Nick. Oh, and exclude anyone over the age of fifty. That will also help narrow the list of suspects down.”
“I used the age of fifty-five, but fifty works too,” Ian said.
He’d only gone through a dozen names when Callahan returned his call. He scooped up the phone. “Please tell me you have something.”
“I’ve been helping Lieutenant Krull go through the tips, and we just received a call from a witness claiming she saw them,” Marc said. “At another fast-food joint if you can believe it.”
“Where?” Brady was torn between drilling into social media posts and heading straight over to talk to the witness.
“It’s a drive-through ice-cream and burger joint in Greenland.” He could hear the sound of a car engine in the background. “I’m heading there now.”
“We’ll meet you there.” He couldn’t pass up the chance of interviewing a witness or maybe getting a glimpse of the car on a security camera. “Thanks, Marc.”
“I’ll keep digging into these names,” Ian said. “I’ll let you know if I’m able to eliminate another suspect from the list.”
“Thanks.” He reached for Grace’s hand. “Let’s go.”
“Hold on.” She hung back long enough to grab the laptop, clutching it to her chest without closing or logging off. “I’ll work in the car.”
He didn’t mention that he had more faith in Ian’s ability to find their suspect. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Grace, he did. But she wasn’t an investigator. Still, he wasn’t about to argue. “That’s fine.”
“What was that about an ice-cream and burger place?” Grace asked as they headed outside.
The sun was warming the temperatures. He pushed up the sleeves of his sweatshirt, wishing he could change into something lighter. “That’s where the witness claims she saw the guy in your sketch and Caleb.”
“I’m glad he’s taking the time to give Caleb something to eat.” She slid into the passenger seat, keeping the computer on her lap. “I was afraid he’d avoid doing that after the breakfast incident.”
“Keep in mind the kidnapper may not realize we have witnesses calling in sightings of him.” Brady started the engine and pulled out of the parking lot. “I doubt he has kids of his own, so maybe he’s underestimated the power of a mother’s keen eye.”
“You’re probably right.” She settled the laptop on her legs. “I’m so thankful for every person out there who took the time to call in a tip.”
“Me too.” He concentrated on driving, wishing now that he’d stayed at White Park rather than heading back to the office. Maybe it was better to stay out in the field, leaving Ian and others to work the case from their headquarters.
As if he needed more proof as to how his being emotionally involved in this case was getting in the way. He felt like a yo-yo bouncing between clues. Maybe he should call Donovan and ask for Marc to be assigned as the lead.
“I found a guy named Dominic Powers in Chicago!” Grace’s excited voice broke into his thoughts. “I can’t see any other pictures of him, though. He has a cartoon image uploaded as his profile picture.”
“Call Ian, give him the information.” He didn’t dare take his eyes off the road to look at the screen for himself. Not when he was already pushing the speed limit. “He has better tech skills to dig into that stuff.”
“Ah, okay. What number do I call?” She had her cell phone in hand.
He gave her the number, listening as she explained what she’d found to Ian. A few minutes later, she lowered her phone. “He found a Joe Custer living near the Illinois/Wisconsin state line. He’s going to get both of their driver’s license photos for us.”
“That’s good news.” Adrenaline surged as he realized they were starting to gain traction on this case. As the clock now read 11:22 a.m., he knew they needed every lead they could get.
He hadn’t heard from Rhy about the ransom but decided not to worry about it. Rhy would let him know if there was a problem. In the meantime, he hoped they’d find Caleb before the one o’clock exchange.
In a location as yet to be determined.
The ice-cream/burger restaurant was up ahead. It was a popular place, so he wasn’t surprised to see it was busy. The parking lot was almost completely full of cars, and for a moment, he wondered if the witness had made a mistake.
Spying Marc Callahan’s SUV, he pulled into the parking lot. The only empty spot was on the other end of the lot, so he drove that way. In the rearview, he saw Marc Callahan jogging over to meet with them.
“Witness’s name is Martha Logan,” Marc said as they got out of the car. “She’s an employee here. I see a couple of cameras, too, so maybe we’ll get video of this guy and his license plate.”
Grace left the laptop in the car. Together they went inside the busy restaurant. They must have looked official because a young woman wearing a polyester uniform and a hairnet slipped out from behind the counter to meet them.
“Hi, I’m Martha.” Her eyes were wide. “I am absolutely convinced I served the kidnapper two small burgers and an ice-cream cone.”
“Start at the beginning,” Marc suggested. “What time was this?”
She pulled her phone from her pocket. “Twelve minutes ago. I tried to stall, but he didn’t wait for his change. He grabbed the food and told the little boy that he needed to behave to get the ice-cream cone. Oh, and the boy wasn’t wearing the Avengers pajamas either. He had a worn T-shirt on that was too big and shorts that covered his knees.”
The kidnapper had changed Caleb’s clothes? It was a smart thing to do, but he wondered where he’d gotten the items. Possibly at a secondhand clothing store. “Did the little boy say anything?” Brady asked. “Indicate in any way that he was being held against his will?”
“No, but he did this motion with his hands.” She demonstrated what she meant, making a fist with one hand and placing it in the palm of the other hand. Then she brought both up to her chin. “He did this twice,” she emphasized. “I knew that meant he was in trouble.”
Brady frowned. “I don’t understand.”
“It’s sign language,” Grace spoke up excitedly. “We teach some sign language to the little kids at the day care center so we can understand what they want. It’s easier for them to learn that than to say certain words. This sign”—she repeated the movements Martha had done—“means help.”
“Yes, I learned some sign language babysitting for some little kids in the neighborhood,” Martha said. “It took me a minute to figure it out, and by then, the driver had pulled away.”
“We need to see your video of the car he was driving.” Brady tried to contain his excitement. He was thrilled his son had managed to signal for help, and even more happy that this Martha had recognized the sign-language gesture he’d preformed. “Please, we need that license plate number.”
“I told my manager you would, this way.” Martha led them behind the counter to a very small office located off to the side of the kitchen. “This is Jeremy, my manager. These are the FBI agents who’d like to see the video.”
“I have it pulled up for you.” The manager was young but eager to please. He turned his laptop computer around so the three of them could see the screen. “It’s a little blurry, but it’s the best I can do.”
“We’ll take anything you have,” Marc assured him. “Thanks for your cooperation.”
“Of course.” Jeremy pressed the play button, and they all watched as a dark car pulled up to the drive-through window. The angle of the camera was such that it was difficult to see Caleb in the back seat. Even the profile view of the perp’s face was grainier than he’d have liked. But the resemblance to the sketch was uncanny.
The guy handed over a twenty-dollar bill, took the food, and quickly drove off. There was a very blurred image of a little boy in the back seat wearing a dirty white shirt, and then he was gone.
