The Terrorist Next Door (22 page)

Chapter
52

“OFFICER DOWN!”

Gold called Silver’s cell, but it rolled into voicemail. He left a message. He turned to Fong. “Get me a location on her phone—right now.”

“One sec.” Fong called his office and barked instructions. He listened intently for a moment, then he said, “She’s at home.”

“Why didn’t she answer?” Gold tried her again, but the call rolled into voicemail. He tried her home phone, but he got a busy signal. Vanessa’s cell was out of service. Finally, he tried Robinson. The recorded voice said his cell was out of service, too.

Gold was alarmed. “DeShawn never turns off his phone.”

Fong’s BlackBerry was pressed to his ear. “We just lost the location of her cell. Either the battery ran out, or she turned it off.”

Or somebody else turned it off
. Gold punched in the number of the commander at Hyde Park station as he headed toward the door.

“Koslosky,” the voice said.

“Koz, it’s Dave Gold. When was the last time you heard from DeShawn?”

“About ten minutes ago.”

“I can’t get an answer over there. I need you to send backup to check Assistant State’s Attorney Silver’s townhouse right away.”

“We’re on it.”

* * *

Gold and Battle were speeding north on South Chicago Avenue when the police band crackled. A voice identifying itself only as Officer McDowell was shouting.

“Officer down! Officer down! 5206 South University. Request immediate assistance. Undercover Officer DeShawn Robinson is down in his car. Gunshot wound to the head. No pulse. No vitals. Need assistance immediately! Need an ambulance immediately!”

* * *

The young man listened to the police band through his earpiece as he hunkered down behind the wheel of a stolen Toyota RAV4. He was parked at 53rd and Dorchester, about four blocks from Silver’s townhouse. The lights were off. The visor was pulled down. He had abandoned Silver’s car and switched to the RAV4 in the parking lot of Kozminski Elementary School at 53rd and Ingleside—one of several stolen cars he’d planted over the course of the past week.

Attention to detail
.

He saw the Crown Vic barrel westbound on 53rd followed by a convoy of police cruisers, their lights flashing.

They found the dead cop
.

His laptop was on the passenger seat. The red dot representing the Crown Vic had disappeared from the screen ten minutes earlier.

Did they find it? Did the battery go out?

It wasn’t important. He turned around and looked at the back seat, where Silver lay unconscious, eyes covered, wrists bound behind her. “Your daughter looks just like you,” he whispered. He leaned over and touched Silver’s shoulder. “I’m sorry you ended up in the middle of this. It’s nothing personal.”

After the last cop car disappeared, he turned on the ignition and made a right onto 53rd.

They would find Jenny and the babysitter shortly. That
would trigger a full-blown search for Silver.

He would make sure they found her.

Chapter
53

“I NEED TO TALK TO JENNY”

“Is Lori here?” Gold asked.

“No, Dave.” Commander Chuck Koslosky’s tone was measured, but the steely eyes of the native East Sider reflected the gravity of the situation.

At least they didn’t find a body.

Gold and Battle had found Koslosky in Silver’s driveway, where the spotlights from the emergency vehicles had made it look like broad daylight. The normally unflappable “Koz” was pacing furiously. The cops had cordoned off a ten-block radius and were going door to door. A team from the coroner’s office was lifting the body bag holding Robinson’s corpse into their van. The press wasn’t allowed inside the restricted area. Homeland Security finally had grounded the media helicopters.

Gold’s mind raced. “Where the hell is she?”

“We don’t know yet,” Koslosky said. Koz had spent thirty years battling the gangs of Woodlawn and Englewood south of the U. of C. campus. The worry lines in his leathery face became more pronounced as he tried to sound reassuring. “We’re stopping every car within a two-mile radius. We’ll find her, Dave.”

Gold’s heart was pounding. “What about Jenny?”

“She’s okay. We found her asleep in her room. The door was closed. She didn’t see or hear anything. She’s inside with one of my people.”

Thank goodness
. “Have you talked to her father?”

“He’s in Korea on business. Assistant State’s Attorney Silver’s sister lives a few blocks from here. She’s on her way.”

“What about the babysitter?”

“She’s okay, too. We found her unconscious in the laundry room. She was attacked from behind and didn’t see anything. They took her to Stroger Hospital.”

“What did you tell Jenny about her mother?”

“That she’s working late.” Koslosky tugged at his tie. “We’ll tell her more when we know more.”

Gold glanced over at Robinson’s unit and fought to keep his voice from cracking. “What happened there?”

“Single bullet to the back of the head. Point blank. No witnesses.”

Dammit.
“How did he get so close? DeShawn was very careful.”

“Don’t know.” Koslosky’s lips formed a tight line across his angular face. “We’re going to get this asshole. Nobody shoots a cop in Hyde Park.”

“Has his girlfriend been informed?”

“Yes.”

“What about the press?”

“Not yet.”

Good
. Gold swallowed. “I need to talk to Jenny.”

Chapter
54

“IT SMELLED BAD”

Jenny scowled. “Why are those police cars outside?”

Gold held up a reassuring hand. “One of our officers had an accident.”

“Is he going to be okay?”

No.
“I hope so.”

“Where’s Mommy?”

Gold stuck to the party line. “Working. She’ll be home soon.”

“How soon?”

“I’m not sure.”

He was sitting next to Jenny on her canopy bed. The cozy room was painted bright yellow. He was anxious to bring in the evidence techs to search for prints and DNA, but he wanted to talk to Jenny first. He thought she might be more forthcoming in a familiar setting. Battle was kneeling on a small chair next to her desk. A young policewoman named Harris stood by the closet. A giant Winnie the Pooh smiled at them from a rocking chair in the corner.

Jenny’s eyes narrowed. “Where’s Vanessa?”

“We took her home
. She wasn’t feeling well, but she’s going to be fine.” Gold reached for her hand, which she grasped tightly. “Are you okay, Jenny?”

She nodded bravely.

This was going to be a finesse game. If Gold could get her talking, she might remember something helpful. “I heard you were asleep when Officer Harris came in.”

She nodded again.

“What time did you go to bed?”

“My regular time: nine-thirty.”

“Did Vanessa read to you?”

Jenny corrected him. “I read to her.”

“I should have known.” Gold smiled. “What did you read?”

“
The Lorax
.”

“That’s one of my favorites. Did you go right to sleep?”

“I think so.”

“Did you get up during the night?”

“No.”

“Did you notice any strange noises? Anybody moving around inside the house?”

“No.”

“What about outside? Did you look out the window?”

“No.” Jenny’s eyes opened wide. “Why are you asking so many questions, Dave?”

“Vanessa told us she heard some funny sounds.”

“I didn’t hear anything.”

Gold shot a frustrated glance at Battle, then he turned back to Jenny. “Do you remember anything out of the ordinary tonight? Barking dogs? People outside? Funny smells?”

Jenny leaned over and hugged Gold. Tears welled up in her eyes. “I’m scared, Dave.”

“That’s okay, Jenny. I get scared sometimes, too.”

“But you’re a policeman.”

“Everybody gets scared. You’re being very brave.”

Her eyes opened wider. “What do you do when you’re scared?”

I put the scary guy away for the rest of his life.
“I think about the people I love.”

“That’s a good idea.”

Gold forced himself not to think about Lori. “Do you remember anything else, Jenny?”

She looked over at Battle, who smiled. She smiled back. Then she turned to Gold and scrunched her nose. “It smelled bad.”

Jenny had a mild case of asthma that was exacerbated by strong odors. “What kind of smell?” Gold asked.

“Like paint.”

Gold shot a knowing look at Battle.

Jenny tilted her head in a manner that mimicked one of her mother’s favorite mannerisms. “Can I see my mom now?”

Chapter
55

“WE FOUND HER CAR”

“Kuliniak,” the weary voice said.

Gold was standing next to Fong inside the FBI’s mobile command center in Silver’s driveway, his BlackBerry pressed to his ear. “Roman, it’s Dave Gold. I need a favor.”

“You planning to arrest another FBI agent?”

Gold let it go. “I need you to take a team to Mike Janikowski’s house over by St. Hyacinth’s. I want to know if he’s home.”

“Sally’s sick. It’s late.”

“It’s important, Roman. The bomber may be a painter.”

“Do you have any idea how many painters live in Chicago?”

“I’m only interested in one. Janikowski has military training. He spent time in Baghdad. He was trained to dismantle bombs.”

“He’s a war hero with a Purple Heart.”

“And if he’s at home, I’ll buy you a case of Old Style.” Gold waited a beat. “One more thing. Could you send a unit over to St. Hyacinth’s to pick up Father Stash? He may be helpful with Janikowski and his mother.”

“Fine.”

“Roman?”

“Yes?”

“Thanks.”

* * *

“Father Stash,” the voice said. The priest was upbeat even at eleven-twenty at night.

“Sorry for calling so late,” Gold said. “I hope I didn’t wake you.”

“God doesn’t sleep, David. Neither do I. Besides, I was reading the Good Book.”

“The Bible?”

“Lee Child. I have a man crush on Jack Reacher.”

“I won’t tell the Archbishop.”

Gold was still inside the FBI mobile command unit. Chicago PD and FBI technicians were hunched over their computers searching for the BlackBerrys belonging to Silver and Robinson. Silver’s sister had accompanied Jenny to Comer Hospital at the U. of C. for observation. Evidence techs were sifting through Silver’s townhouse for fingerprints and DNA. Koslosky was updating Maloney on the search for witnesses, which had turned up empty.

Father Stash’s voice turned serious. “You didn’t call me at this hour to discuss my reading list.”

“I need a favor. Roman Kuliniak is checking on Mike Janikowski’s house. I asked him to send a unit to pick you up. It would be helpful if you’re available to talk to Sally.”

“What’s going on?”

“I need to know if Mike’s at home.”

“What if he is?”

“Then we’ll know he wasn’t involved in a cop shooting in Hyde Park a little while ago, and he hasn’t been setting off bombs for the past two days.”

The priest’s tone turned somber. “I’ll do whatever you need.”

“Thanks, Father Stash.” Gold pressed Disconnect. He realized that Koslosky had come up behind him.

The commander’s tone was somber. “We found her car.”

Chapter
56

“I’M THE ISLAMIC FREEDOM FEDERATION”

Koslosky tried to sound reassuring. “She wasn’t in the car. There were no signs of blood or foul play.”

“Where’s the car?” Gold asked.

“A few blocks from here. My best evidence techs are going over the vehicle. An FBI team is on its way.”

“Did they find her BlackBerry?”

“No. We haven’t found Robinson’s, either.”

Dammit
. Gold called out to Fong, who was staring at his laptop. “Any update on Lori’s cell?”

“Still turned off. Robinson’s is out of service, too.”

“Keep monitoring them. They’re issued to law enforcement, so they should be operational.”

“Only if he turns them back on. And if he does, he could use them as detonators.”

It was a hard choice. “It may be the only way we’ll be able to find him,” Gold said. “Let’s give him a few more minutes to contact us.”

* * *

“You awake?” the voice whispered.

Assistant State’s Attorney Laura Silver’s head throbbed as she struggled to locate the direction of the unaccented male voice. “Yeah,” she said.

She tried to get her bearings, but the room was pitch black. She was seated on a hard chair. Her arms were pulled behind her. Her wrists were crossed and bound together. Her ankles were secured to the legs of the chair. When she tried to lean forward, she was held in place by a binding wrapped tightly around her breasts. A heavy vest weighed on her shoulders. “Who are you?” she asked.

“I’m the Islamic Freedom Federation.”

Her heart beat faster. “Why are you doing this?”

“To make our country safe again.”

“What are you talking about?”

“You wouldn’t understand.”

Silver swallowed in an attempt to generate a little saliva in her parched throat. She blinked in a futile effort to locate a glimmer of light. Then she realized her eyes were covered with tape.

“Thirsty?” the voice asked.

“No,” she lied. She licked her dry lips and struggled against her bonds.

“I wouldn’t do that,” the voice said. “It’ll only make you more uncomfortable. You can scream if you’d like, but nobody will hear you.”

Silver swallowed again and felt a little moisture in the back of her throat.

“You want that water now?”

“Sure.”

She felt a plastic bottle touch her lips. She gulped the warm water, and felt droplets running down her chin. He wiped her face with a coarse cloth. “Where am I?” she asked.

“Someplace safe.”

“Are you going to kill me?”

“Not if they release Hassan Al-Shahid.”

Silver’s heart sank. “I can help you. I’ll find you a lawyer.”

“I don’t need a lawyer. I have no intention of getting caught.”

“I-I have a daughter.”

“I know. I’ve met her.”

Silver felt her neck burning. “If you’ve done anything to her, I’ll kill you.”

“She’s fine,” the voice said. “I don’t hurt children.”

“You’ve killed dozens of adults.”

“Innocent people get killed in war.”

“I’m not at war with you.”

“I’m fighting a bigger war, and you’re in no position to be making threats.”

True
. Silver felt tears welling up in her covered eyes. “You don’t have to do this. I can’t identify you.”

“And you won’t be able to identify me.”

“How will they find me?”

There was a chill in his tone. “They will.”

She heard a tearing sound. Then she felt a piece of heavy tape being pressed over her mouth. She strained to breathe as he wrapped it around her head several times. She heard footsteps. The stuffy room turned silent as she struggled against her bonds.

Then she smelled gasoline.

* * *

Gold was still in the FBI mobile unit when his BlackBerry vibrated. His heart pounded when he saw a text from Silver. He immediately sent a blank reply that went through. Then he shouted to Fong, “Your people need to get on this right away. I got a text from Lori’s cell. I just sent a reply.”

“I know.” Fong punched in a number on his BlackBerry. He held it up to his ear and barked orders about a trace.

Gold’s stomach tightened as he studied the text. The lighting was poor, but he recognized a photo of Silver, eyes and mouth covered with tape. A handwritten message on the strip covering her eyes read, “Free Hassan.” The one over her mouth added, “Or I will die at midnight.”