“He drove and followed me,” Simpson continued. “Said he wanted to be able to leave for a doctors appointment he had at the first of the week. I know now I should have checked the car over. Because I found this tracker hidden in the back tire well.”
The man held up a square device to show them. “After finding the device, I had his car towed. It should be at the garage soon for the crime scene techs to go over. They’ll notify you immediately if they should find anything else that should have been there.”
“What about the safehouse?” Hawkeye asked. “Has it been searched?”
“Yes. I processed the crime scene myself, checking out the entire location while I waited on Dr. Holland to show up to collect the body. He will contact you when he has the COD.”
“What about Graves?” Brand asked. “Have you heard from him lately?”
Hawkeye shook his head. “Not since he left my office day before yesterday to go undercover. He said he’d be in touch.”
“That’s relatively a good amount of time to go without touching base when we just found another person murdered,” Brand said.
“It is,” Hawkeye agreed. “Perhaps I should reach out rather than wait for him to contact me.”
“In the meantime, I better go call my team in,” Brand said. “It sounds like you are going to need all hands-on deck today.”
“Thanks,” Hawkeye said. “Simpson, sit down and tell me again why you think there is a mole in the department if you found a tracker on Rogers car? Couldn’t that be the reason he was followed to the safehouse?”
Brand left the office, shutting the door behind him and called Don Juan. “Hey buddy, can you round up the troops. We’re needed down at the police station today. I’ll explain when we’re all here. If Wyatt wants to tag along, let him know he’s welcome.”
“Sure thing, Brand.”
When the call ended, he gave Rookie a call since he wasn’t sure if he had left for the task force office yet or not. “Hey Brand,” Rookie said, answering on the second ring. “What’s up?”
“Just calling the troops together to meet down at the police station today,” Brand explained. “Don Juan is getting the guys at the brownstone to come down here, but I thought if you hadn’t headed there yet I’d save you some travel time..”
“Thanks,” Rookie said. “I just left, so I will change directions and head your way instead.”
“See you soon, then,” Brand said.
After Simpson left his office,Hawkeye took out his cell phone and made a call to Detective Graves. The phone rang twice before it was picked up.
“Graves.”
“Commander Burns here. We’ve had a development and I thought I should check in to make you’re aware of what’s happened.”
“I understand, but I can’t talk. Could you call back?” Graves said.
“Someone’s died. Is something wrong detective? Are you in danger?”
“Not now,” Graves stressed.
“Detective,” Hawkeye said before the line went dead.
Hawkeye had the detectives location traced by his cellphone’s GPS and he contacted Brand. “Is your team close by? I think Graves is in danger. He hung up on me when I was talking to him.”
“Rookies here,” Brand said. “We’re downstairs waiting on the others.”
“I’ll be right down,” Hawkeye said. He grabbed his tactical gear and the backstairs. When he got to the lobby he saw the rest of the task force entering the building.
“Good, you’re all here now,” he called to them. “I believe Detective Graves needs our help. I had his call traced and got his GPS location after we hung up.”
“Let’s go then,” Jett said.
The headed back out into the cold gray morning with blistering winds and snow flurries flying. A total one eighty from the day before when the sun had been shining and even though it was cold the sun’s presence had been bright and felt.
The men divided up into three SUVs and each driver followed the leader speeding out of the parking lot determined to get to Graves’ location in North Chicago in the quickest amount of time possible even if it was technically out of their precincts district.
