Lieutenant Hillmans cell phone rang but he indicated for Edgerton to continue as he stepped out of the room to take the call. Kevin picked up where hed left off.
And Ive been running a program using her SIM card to look for suspicious activity. It just finished. But theres nothing out of the ordinary. Every single call she made or received in the last three months is from either her family or friends.
Keri and Ray exchanged a silent glance. Even the tension between them couldnt undermine their shared concern that this case was going downhill fast.
Before anyone could respond to Edgerton, Hillman walked back in. Keri could tell from his expression that there was more bad news coming.
That was Dr. Feeney, he said. He buys the con man theory too. He thinks this guys faking the crazy stuff and just wants the money.
Great. Every lead we have has gone nowhere and now the unit consensus is that this guy is just a run of the mill kidnapper.
Keri couldnt explain it, even to herself. But her instincts were telling her that the consensus was dangerously wrong; that this kidnapper was something else entirely. And she feared that if they didnt get on the right track soon, Jessica Rainey would pay the price.
CHAPTER SIX
As the minutes leading up to the drop passed, Keri tried to ignore the pit of anxiety growing in her stomach. Time was running short and Keri felt like they were losing options fast. She actively told herself not to lose hope, to remember that Jessica was out there somewhere, desperately waiting for someone to find her.
Since the FedEx office and Jessicas backpack and phone were dead ends, the team began pursuing less case-specific, and therefore less promising, options.
Edgerton put the case parameters into a federal database to see if there was any record of similar kidnappings. The results would come in soon but culling through them would be time-consuming.
He also input the ransom note in the system on the off chance that the language checked the boxes of any previous letters. That was a long shot. If a letter this strange had been sent to someone before, they felt confident they would have heard about it.
Suarez was looking at a list of registered sex offenders who lived in the area to see if any of them had a record of this kind of crime. Castillo had gone to the park to prep for surveillance. Brody had left the station, claiming he was going to talk to some of his street informants. Keri suspected hed just gone out to get something else to eat.
She and Ray pored through old case files, looking for any old or unsolved cases that matched Jessicas. It was possible that this was the work of someone back out on the streets after a long prison stretch. If that was the situation, it would predate either of their time on the force and they wouldnt remember the particulars. Neither of them thought the exercise would bear fruit but they werent sure what else to do.
After over an hour without success they headed out. It was almost 10 p.m. and she and Ray were returning to the Rainey house. It was the same route theyd taken that morning, when everything had been normal, right up until the moment hed asked her out. Both of them were aware of that fact, but they were too busy to allow that to get in their way at the moment.
As they drove, Ray was on the phone with Detective Garrett Patterson, who was still at the station coordinating the surveillance for the drop location, Chace Park.
Patterson, a quiet, bookish guy in his thirties, was a tech geek like Edgerton. But unlike his younger colleague, Patterson seemed content to focus on the minutiae of cases. He loved activities like poring over phone records and comparing IP addresses, so much so that it had gotten him the nickname Grunt Work, which he didnt mind at all.
Patterson wasnt the kind of detective who was going to make instinctive leaps of deduction. But he could be counted on to set up a thorough perimeter of video and electronic surveillance that would be both effective and undetectable.
Theyre prepped, Ray told her as he hung up. The surveillance team is in place. Manny is headed over to Raineys bosss place now to accompany him and the money to the remote headquarters in the van at the Waterside shopping center.
Great, Keri said. While you were talking, I had an idea. I have a friend I know from when I used to live on the houseboat in the marina. He has a sailboat and I bet hed take us out so we could observe the drop area from the water. What do you think?
I say reach out, Ray said. The more eyes we can get on the drop area without being noticed, the better.
Keri texted her friend, a crusty old sailor named Butch. He was actually less of a friend than a sometime drinking companion who liked scotch as much as she did. After she lost Evie, her marriage, and her job in quick succession, shed bought a decrepit old houseboat in the marina and lived there for several years.
Butch was a friendly, retired Navy man who liked to call her Copper, didnt ask about her past, and was happy to swap professional war stories with her. At the time, that was exactly the kind of companionship she was looking for. But since shed moved from the marina to her apartment and significantly reduced her alcohol consumption, they hadnt hung out much recently.
Apparently he wasnt holding a grudge as she heard back almost immediately with a text that read: no problem see you soon, Copper.
Were good, she told Ray, then let her mind drift to something that had been eating at her. She didnt realize how long shed been quiet until Ray broke into her thoughts.
What is it, Keri? Ray asked expectantly. I can tell youre turning some clue over in your head.
Once again Keri marveled at how he seemed capable of reading her mind.
Its just the drop. Something about it bugs me. Why would this guy, assuming its a guy, give us the location so early? He must know that if the Raineys contacted us, wed have hours to do exactly what were doing establish a perimeter, install surveillance, gather manpower. Why give us a head start? I understand demanding the money early to give them time to gather it. But if it was me, Id call at eleven forty-five p.m. to reveal the drop location and say the meet was at midnight.
Fair question, he agreed. And it fits with your suspicion that he doesnt really care about the money.
I dont want to belabor it, but I really dont think he does, she said.
So what do you think he cares about? Ray asked.
Keri had been mulling this over in her head and was happy for the opportunity to share it out loud.
Whoever this guy is, I think hes fixated on Jessica. I feel like he knows her or has at least met her. Hes been watching her.
That fits. Everything suggests hes been planning this for a while.
Exactly. Those special sunglasses he used at FedEx, knowing where the cameras were there, abducting her at the perfect time when she was out of sight of the school but not yet to her mother, in a part of the neighborhood where no neighbors had exterior security cameras. These are all signs of someone who has been working on this for a long time.
That makes sense. But the security officer at the school came up empty with staff. I checked again at the station. No teachers had records of anything more than parking tickets.
What about school janitors or bus drivers?
Theyre employed through outside companies. But everyone who comes in contact with the school has to pass a background check. We can go through the list again. But the guy was pretty thorough.
What about school janitors or bus drivers?
Theyre employed through outside companies. But everyone who comes in contact with the school has to pass a background check. We can go through the list again. But the guy was pretty thorough.
Okay then, what about employees at businesses along her bike route or construction workers on a house being built nearby people who would see her every day and be familiar with her routine and who have a record?
Those are good leads we can pursue in the morning. But Im hoping we nab this guy tonight and none of that is necessary.
They pulled up to the Rainey house and noticed a police car parked far down the block. It had been instructed not to park too close to the house in case the abductor drove by. They walked to the door and knocked. An officer opened it immediately and they stepped inside.
How are they doing? Ray asked him quietly.
The mom has spent most of her time upstairs with the little boy, trying to keep him busy, the officer replied.
And keep herself busy, Keri added.
I think so, the officer agreed. The dad has been mostly quiet. Hes spent a lot of time studying the park layout on his laptop. Hes been asking us all kinds of questions about our surveillance, most of which we dont have answers to.
Okay, thanks, Ray said. Hopefully we can provide a few.
Just as the officer said, Tim Rainey was seated at the kitchen table, with a Google map of Burton Chace Park on his laptop screen.
Hi, Mr. Rainey, Keri said. We understand you have a few questions.
Rainey looked up and for a moment, barely seemed to recognize them. Then his eyes focused and he nodded.
I have a lot actually.
Go ahead, Ray said.
Okay. The note said not to contact the authorities. How are you going to keep from being seen?
First, weve set up hidden cameras throughout the park, Ray answered. Well be able to monitor them remotely from a van in a nearby parking lot. Also, the park is populated by some homeless people and weve dressed up an officer accordingly to fit in. Shes been there for hours so as not to draw suspicion from the others. Well have people at the Windjammers Yacht Club next door, watching from a second-floor room with tinted glass. One of them is a sniper.
Keri saw Tim Raineys eyes widen but he said nothing as Ray continued.
Well have an overhead drone available but wont use it unless absolutely necessary. Its almost silent and can operate up to five hundred feet. But we dont want to take any chances with that. In total, well have almost a dozen officers offsite but within sixty seconds of the location to assist you if things go south. That includes Detective Locke and myself. Well be on a civilian boat in the marina, far enough away to avoid suspicion but close enough to watch events through binoculars. Weve thought this through, Mr. Rainey.
Okay, thats obvious. So what exactly do I need to do?
Im glad you asked, Ray said. Thats what were here to go over now. Why dont we prep right here, since you already have the map up?
He and Keri sat down on either side of Rainey and she took over.
So youre supposed to meet him on the bridge between the pergolas at the back of the park near the water. And thats exactly what youre going to do, Keri said. The park itself will be officially closed so you cant park in the metered lot. Thats probably partly why hes doing this at midnight. Any car in the lot would look suspicious. Youll park in the public lot a block away. Well give you change. All you have to do is park, pay, and walk toward the drop area. Does all this make sense so far?
Yes, Rainey said. When will I get the ransom money?
Youre going to pick it up at Waterside shopping center near the park.
What if the kidnapper is watching?
Thats okay, Keri assured him. Your boss will be making the handoff to you, right in front of the Bank of America ATMs. Hes being prepped by one of our detectives right now. There will be officers in the area, also out of sight, in case the abductor tries to grab the money then.
Are you tagging the money with some kind of GPS locator?
We are, Ray admitted, jumping in, and the bag too. But the locators are all very small. The one in the bag will be sewn into the stitching. The tags placed on the money are tiny, clear stickers placed on individual bills. Even if he found the exact bills, the tags are very hard to see.
Keri knew why Ray had answered that question. It was clear from Raineys sour expression that he wasnt happy about the locators. He didnt say it but they could tell that he was worried they might put Jessica at risk.
Ray had spoken up so he would be the bearer of that unwelcome information. That way, the rapport and trust Keri was developing with the anxious father wouldnt be undermined. Keri nodded her imperceptible thanks to her partner. Rainey didnt seem to notice. She could tell he was agitated by what Ray had said but didnt object. He moved on.
So what do I do next? he asked Keri, pointedly looking away from Ray.
Like I said before, after you get the ransom money, drive to the parking lot a block from Chace Park. Then just get out and walk to the bridge between the pergolas. There will be officers in the area but you wont see them. And its not your job to worry about any of that. All you have to do is go to the bridge with the money.
What happens when he arrives? Rainey wanted to know.
Youre going to ask for your daughter. In theory, hes going to be under the impression that youre alone. So it wont feel right if you just give him the money without a fight. Hed get suspicious. I seriously doubt hell have brought her with him. He may give you a location. He might tell you hell text you the location once hes safely away. He might say hell FedEx the location
You dont think shell be there? Rainey interrupted.
Id be very surprised. Hed be giving up all his leverage if he had her with him. His best bet to keep you in line is to keep you in fear for Jessicas safety. You need to prepare yourself for the likelihood that she wont be there.
I understand. What next?
After you express your misgivings about giving up the money, give up the money. Dont try to negotiate some other plan with him. Dont try to overpower him. He might be jumpy. Hell probably be armed. We dont want to do anything that will cause a confrontation.
Tim Rainey nodded reluctantly. Keri didnt like his vibe and decided she needed to be more forceful.
Mr. Rainey. I need your promise that you wont do anything foolish. Our best bet is for him to either tell you where to find your daughter or return to her after the drop. Even if he tells you nothing, dont panic. We will track him. When the time is right, we will apprehend him. If you take matters into your own hands, it could end badly for both you and Jessica. Are we clear on that, sir?
Yes. Dont worry. Im not going to do anything to put Jessica at risk.
Of course not, Keri said reassuringly despite her doubts. What you will do is complete the drop, return to your car, and drive back here. Well deal with everything else as it comes, okay?
Will you be putting a microphone on me? he asked, notably not answering her directly.
Yes, Ray said, jumping in again, and a tiny camera as well. Neither will be noticeable, especially at night. But the camera may help us identify him. And the audio will let us know if youre in any danger.