“Really?” Her jaw dropped in surprise. “The name doesn’t sound familiar.”
“When did you arrest him?” Grady asked.
Detective Kramer frowned at him. “Who are you again?”
“Grady McFarland, a longtime friend and new fiancé of Lauren’s.” Grady didn’t flinch. “I really need to know when you arrested this guy.”
“At four thirty this afternoon,” Detective Kramer said. “I would have been here sooner, but we’ve been trying to get him to cooperate. Unfortunately, he’s not saying much.”
Grady shook his head in disgust. Lauren understood why he was annoyed. Clearly, Jorge Dombach, whoever he might be, wasn’t the kidnapper.
And she was beginning to doubt the Chicago PD was capable of finding the man who was.
3
“He’s not our guy, unless he’s working with someone else.” Grady held the detective’s gaze. “Someone in a black SUV followed us from an office building downtown and fired shots at us. That was between five fifteen and five thirty this evening.”
“Shots?” Kramer frowned. “Why would the kidnapper change his MO? Maybe we have the kidnapper and the shooter is someone else.”
“Both using black SUVs?” Lauren shook her head. “I don’t think so. I believe I may have been followed when I went to our, uh, appointment.”
Grady understood she was trying to avoid telling Kramer that she’d gone to meet with his boss to hire him as her bodyguard. He reached for her hand, in what he hoped was a concerned-fiancé type of gesture. “I agree with Lauren, this guy must have been keeping an eye on the building and managed to follow us as we got into my Jeep.” There was no other way the kidnapper could have known Grady would be with Lauren and Lucy. He hadn’t even known what case his boss had assigned to him. “What makes you think this Jorge Dombach is the kidnapper?”
Kramer scowled, as if annoyed to learn about the shooting that had ruined his theory. “We spotted a black SUV on a traffic cam about a mile from the site of the kidnapping. He has a criminal record for drug possession and robbery.”
“Can we see the video of his SUV?” Lauren squeezed his hand, as if thanking him for being there. “Maybe Grady can tell if it’s similar to the one that shot at us.”
“Yeah, I guess.” Kramer still looked disgruntled as he pulled out his phone. Then he held the device toward Grady. He released Lauren’s hand to take it, moving closer to her and holding the screen so they could both watch the traffic cam video.
The SUV in question was an older model Honda, with a large dent in the back bumper. It looked to him as if the paint was scraped off the rear portion of the roof of the car too. He suspected there were other dings and dents on the vehicle, but the angle of the camera was such that they could only see the back and part of the roof as the driver passed through the light. He shook his head and handed the phone back. “I don’t think he’s our guy.”
“Based on what?” Kramer demanded.
“You mentioned witnesses saw a black SUV at the scene of the kidnapping. I think they’d have noticed if there were dents in the car. And the vehicle I saw behind me had tinted windows and looked new. This one doesn’t.”
“Maybe Dombach is working with someone else.” Kramer clearly didn’t want to believe they were on the wrong path. “He’s being arraigned in the morning. We’re going to ask the judge to hold him without bail because he’s a danger to children.”
He shrugged and glanced at Lauren. “That’s up to you. But I don’t think you should stop investigating other suspects.”
Kramer scowled again and pocketed his phone. “How many shots were fired?”
“Only one, which I thought was strange at the time.” Looking back, Grady wondered why the gunman hadn’t fired several shots, barraging his Jeep with bullets. “He took out the rear window. I have my Jeep parked down in the parking garage if you’d like to see the damage for yourself.”
Before Kramer could answer, the intercom buzzed. Lauren walked over to answer the summons. “Yes, please send Lieutenant Olson up. Thank you.” She turned to look at him. “We may as well wait until the lieutenant arrives. Then we can take them both down to the parking garage.”
“Fine with me.” He’d snag his overnight bag while they were down there, although he doubted he’d get much sleep. Being in the army had taught him to fall asleep just about anywhere, but he couldn’t afford to let his guard down while protecting Lauren and Lucy.
Despite the seemingly tight security, he wasn’t convinced that staying in a penthouse apartment with only one way out via an elevator ride or a zillion stairs was the best option.
Lauren opened the door to let the lieutenant in. The two cops exchanged a look before the lieutenant turned toward him. “You heard about our arrest?”
“Yeah. Did you know that someone in a new black SUV with tinted windows shot at us at between five fifteen and five thirty, well after that arrest?” He gestured to Lauren, getting the sense she was annoyed at how the men deferred to him, rather than addressing her. “We’ve looked at the traffic cam video. I understand why you grabbed this Dombach guy, his criminal record makes him a good suspect, but I don’t think he’s responsible.”
“Why would a kidnapper decide to shoot at your vehicle?” Olson asked.
“Good question.” He’d wondered about the change in MO too. “My best guess is that he figured he’d disable us long enough to make an attempt to get Lucy.”
“Let’s head down to the parking garage.” Lauren looked as if she wanted both of the police to finish their report and get out of there. “It’s been a long day, and I’m exhausted.”
