Snipers nest, p.16
Sniper's Nest, page 16
“Where’s my wife? I have kids in school, and Laurie is always home when they get off the bus.”
“Well, that’s a real shame. I guess they’ll have to stay with the neighbor for a while. Now, I’m going to put duct tape over your mouth, and I’d advise you not to fight it.” Terry secured a foot-long strip of tape over Tommy’s mouth and opened the rear door of the truck. “Scoot out, stand up, turn left, and walk through the breezeway. It goes directly to the cabin.”
Terry lowered the overhead and locked it from the inside, then he followed Tommy through the breezeway. He held up his hand when they reached the cabin. “Don’t move. I have to unlock the door.” He turned the key in the knob and pushed the door inward. With a head tip, he motioned for Tommy to continue on.
Built in the forties, the cabin was made of fieldstone and log and sat on a small but pristine lake southwest of Chicago. The interior mimicked the façade—a massive stone fireplace with log walls and beams. A living room, eat-in kitchen, two bedrooms, and a bath completed the space. Outside, on the wooded two-acre parcel, stood a shed and a long pier with a boathouse and deck at the end. The next vacation cabin was a quarter mile away.
Terry nodded at the support beam. “Have a seat on the floor over there.”
Tommy did as told and leaned against the beam then slid down into a seated position.
“Are you left- or right-handed?”
Tommy jerked his chin to the right.
“Good, then I’ll release your left hand.” With his foot, Terry pushed a bucket close to the beam. “I’m sure you know what that’s for. I’m going to chain your entire body to the beam, except for your left hand. You’ll be able to stand if you can find a way to get your feet under you, and you can use your left hand for pissing duties. Just so you know, I’m going to blindfold you, too, since you can never be too careful.”
Twice, he wrapped a twenty-foot length of chain around Tommy’s chest, right arm, and midsection then padlocked it to the eyehooks at the back of the beam. More duct tape was placed over Tommy’s eyes and sealed at the back of his head.
“If you pull it off, I’ll shoot Laurie. Her blood will be on your hands, so take me seriously, Detective. I won’t hesitate to kill both of you.” Satisfied that Tommy wasn’t going anywhere, Terry closed all the blinds and left the cabin.
Chapter 45
I drove around for over an hour, searching for Terry Lasko’s car without luck. He was gone, and the way he blasted down the street made me wonder if he knew he was being watched. I hadn’t noticed cameras outside his house last night, but it was dark, and we didn’t have the luxury of taking our time while we snooped. The only way he could have known somebody was inside the foreclosed house was if he saw the yard light go on for those few seconds.
Tommy hadn’t answered my calls, and I was getting pissed. I needed to know if he went back to the house and if he’d talked to any neighbors, but so far every call went to voicemail—he was MIA too.
I dialed Everly as I headed to the house to have a look around. I knew I’d get an earful about losing Terry, and in my opinion, he was a person of interest if for no other reason than the fact that he’d lied to me about owning a gun. Why would he buy .223 ammunition if he didn’t own a rifle? We needed to dig deeper, see if he worked outside the home, and find out if he had ever been in the military. He’d definitely know how to use different weapons if he’d been in the service. As far as I was concerned, it was time to conduct a background check on Terry Lasko.
Ron picked up the ringing phone right away. “What’s the latest?”
I clenched my teeth then told him those dreaded words—Terry had given me the slip, and Tommy hadn’t answered his phone in more than an hour. I was at a loss as to their whereabouts.
“What do you mean Terry gave you the slip? Does he know you’re watching from across the street?”
I sighed with frustration. “I really don’t know. Maybe he does have hidden cameras in the yard. It isn’t like we have free rein to walk around his property. What I can tell you for sure is he barreled out of the neighborhood and was gone before I even got out of the driveway, and the last time I spoke to Tommy, he was sitting in the drive-through of a fast-food restaurant.”
“Did he charge his phone last night?”
Ron’s question was a valid one, and truthfully, I hadn’t seen Tommy put his phone on a charger.
“I don’t know. Maybe I should call Laurie and ask if Tommy stopped by the house.”
“That’s not allowed on work time, especially when you’re working surveillance. Go ahead and call the wife, though, and let me know what she says. If she hasn’t seen Tommy, I’ll have Tech ping his phone.”
“Okay but—”
“Yep?”
I knew my opinion would be heard but not necessarily taken into consideration, yet I needed to say my peace. “I think we should consider Terry a person of interest and check into his background. He had no reason to lie about owning a gun unless he didn’t want us to know about it.”
Silence filled the phone line for a few seconds before Ron responded. “Lying doesn’t make him a killer. If we don’t have evidence of some sort that he’s involved, the DA will never allow an arrest, and at this point, we have zilch.”
“So no questions at all?”
“Here’s how I see it playing out. We bring him in, he lawyers up, we have to let him go, and then he flees because we have nothing to hold him on.”
I knew Ron was right, but having my hands tied didn’t sit well with me. “All right, I’ll get back to you as soon as I talk to Laurie.” I clicked off the call and scrolled to both numbers for Laurie. One was the home phone and the other, her cell. Tommy had given them to me when we teamed up on the task force. We were temporary partners and exchanged contact information with each other—my contact was my neighbor, Dean. I pulled into the garage, hoping Terry hadn’t circled around and was watching my every move. As soon as I stepped into the house and called out to Tommy—with no answer—I tapped the phone icon when I got to Laurie’s number and tried her cell first. I walked the house while the phone rang. She didn’t answer. Clicking off, I opened the slider, stepped out to the backyard, and walked the fence line while I tried the house number without luck. I wondered what was going on since Laurie didn’t answer either phone.
Maybe their service got disconnected.
I dialed Everly for the second time in less than ten minutes. “Hey, it’s me again. Tommy’s wife doesn’t answer the house or cell phone. Seems odd to me.”
“I’ll talk to Abrams and ask if he’ll send somebody from Patrol over there to conduct a welfare check. She’s pregnant, right?”
“Yeah, Tommy said she’s seven months along.”
“Okay, I’ll get back to you.”
Ron hung up, and I was on my own. I had no idea if Terry was back at his house, Tommy didn’t answer his phone, and now, Laurie didn’t either. My concerns were growing by the minute.
I was sure to be reprimanded by Everly, Commander Randall, and my own commander, Bob Lutz, but precious time was ticking away. I could sit on my hands and watch out the window or be proactive and do a background check of Terry Lasko on my own time. If nothing about him seemed off, I’d keep the search to myself.
With my phone, I got online using my data minutes since the house had no internet service. I pulled up the database we used at the police station, entered my password, and typed in Terry Lasko’s name, then hit the “complete background search” tab instead of only searching an address and phone number. Up came his address, age, possible relatives, phone number—which was left blank because he didn’t have a landline—education and work history, arrests with misdemeanor or felony charges, and military service. My eyes darted to the last entries—arrests and military background. The rest, I either already knew or it didn’t concern me at the moment. Terry had never been arrested in his life, but he had served eight years as a U.S. Marine.
I sucked in a deep breath and let it out slowly. Now I knew without a shadow of a doubt that Terry Lasko was our man, but the only way to prove it was by getting my hands on those guns.
Chapter 46
I picked up my ringing phone, and it was Everly. He was likely calling to update me about the welfare check.
“McCord here.”
“It’s Ron.”
I knew that from the cell number, but I was sure he wasn’t in the mood for jokes, and neither was I.
“Was Laurie home?”
“According to the officers that were sent out, nobody answered the door. They rang the bell and knocked a dozen times. They even asked the immediate neighbors, but nobody saw her this morning or heard anything unusual.”
“Did the officers say if her car was in the garage?”
“No garage windows.”
I cursed under my breath. We didn’t know if Laurie was okay, but we didn’t have anything to say she wasn’t. For all we knew, she’d gone somewhere and forgotten her phone, it was turned off, or she’d left it in her car.
“Nothing from Tommy?” Ron asked.
“Nothing, and no movement at Terry’s house. Maybe I should call him and see if he wants to do lunch. At least that would tell me if he’s at home or not. He could have doubled back when I was out trying to find him.”
“Not the worst idea. Do that and then let me know. I’m getting a bad feeling about this. I’ll tell the officers to return to Tommy’s house and breach the door.”
I was thankful that my concerns were getting through to Everly. He was the sergeant in charge of the task force, and everything we did had to pass his sniff test and get his stamp of approval.
I turned my attention to Terry, dialed his number, and was surprised that he answered on the first ring.
“Hello.”
“Terry, it’s Jesse.”
“Jesse? It seems that I’m on your mind a lot these last few days. What’s that about?”
“Guilt, I guess. I had to turn down your lunch invitation a couple of days ago, so how about today? I can spare an hour. We all have to eat, right?”
“Yeah, but I’m feeling under the weather today. Maybe another time.”
I couldn’t say that I’d seen him peel down the street, so I had to accept his lie. “Really, stomach flu? It’s going around.”
“Maybe, not sure, but I think I’ll spend the day in bed.”
“I could swing by and drop off some juice or medicine if you need it.”
“Thanks, but everything I need is within arm’s reach.”
There was no more I could do without raising suspicion. I had to hang up and think of something else. I wished him well and clicked off, then I called Everly back. “No dice. He made up an excuse that he was sick. Can you give Tech his phone number and have them track it? If his locations are on, his phone would have pinged from a tower near his house. As far as I’m concerned, he’s full of shit and hasn’t gone back home yet. That story of lying in bed all day because he’s sick is bullshit.”
“Yeah, I’ll do that right now while I’m waiting to hear about the house breach.”
“I hope Tech can get me answers quickly so I can get inside and look for those weapons. If I find them, Terry will never see the light of day again.”
“We don’t have a warrant, Jesse.”
“But we have probable cause to enter the house, and I’m pretty sure that will hold up. All I’m going to do is look around, not do a complete search. A rifle can’t be hard to find.” I clicked off the call and waited.
Fifteen minutes passed while I paced back and forth in front of the window with my eyes focused on Terry’s house, then the phone finally rang.
“McCord here.”
From the sound of Ron’s deep sigh, I knew it couldn’t be good.
“Patrol breached the house, and Laurie’s purse, keys, and phone are on the kitchen counter, her car is in the garage, but she’s nowhere in sight.”
“Terry is our guy, Ron, and he’s holding Laurie somewhere. I’m heading into his house.”
“Hang on until we know where his phone pinged from. He could have taken her back home while you were still out trying to find him. Tech should be calling me any minute.”
“What about Tommy? Did Tech ping his phone?”
“It’s got to be turned off since they couldn’t get a signal on it. Just keep your eyes on Terry’s house until you hear back from me.”
Chapter 47
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.
Chapter 48
I entered a darkened kitchen. A small amount of light filtered between the blind’s slats at the window above the sink and cast horizontal rays onto the black refrigerator across the room. The rooms split left and right at the end of the kitchen. The dining area was directly ahead on my right. Patio doors, I assumed, stood behind the drawn vertical blinds next to the table. I peeked around the wall to my left. A formal living room was there, also dark, with the drapes closed. It looked like the type of room people walked by but never entered. Straight ahead lay the hallway with four doors and a closet, and if Terry was home and sick, he’d be in one of those rooms.
The first door on my right was halfway open. I gave it a gentle nudge. A room that might have once been a bedroom was now converted to a den. A TV sat on a shelving unit against the wall, a couch with a coffee table in front of it was centered over a braided oval rug, and a desk and chair jammed into the far corner were the only pieces of furniture in the small space. That was likely the room that had the light on and the TV playing the previous night.
Three steps farther and on my left was a bathroom with the linen closet next to it. Two rooms remained at the hallway’s end—one on the right and one on the left. I figured the master would be on the left since simple logic said the bathrooms would be back-to-back on either side of the wall. Both doors were closed. I chose the right door first and turned the knob. The door swung open silently, and I held my breath as I looked inside. Beyond the door stood an empty nursery that had once awaited the arrival of Terry’s daughter. I shook my head and turned to the last door. Either Terry would be in there waiting for me with a gun in his hand, or the home would be empty like I’d hoped.
