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“Maybe a place that burnt down?” Michael suggested. “If there’s nowhere that’s actively connected to fire, maybe a place that’s been damaged or destroyed by fire.”
“That could be it,” Faith said. “Are there any abandoned or lightly trafficked buildings in Chicago that have been damaged by fire?”
“You’re aware that there was a Great Fire of Chicago, right?” Hilary asked irritably.
“There’s no need to be sarcastic,” Michael said, coming to Faith’s defense. “Let’s make a list. The most likely places will be abandoned and burnt recently. We can order them in descending order from most recent to oldest fire and most empty and remote to least empty.”
“Not necessarily remote,” Faith clarified. “I think he’s desperate.”
“What makes you say that?”
“He rushed this one,” Faith said. “And he kidnapped her instead of looking for an opportunity near the scene of the murder. That’s why he was caught on camera when he’s never been caught on camera before.”
“You’re sure he just didn’t get unlucky?” Hilary asked.
“I’m sure. At Samantha Reynard’s apartment, he nearly walked into the hallway but stopped when he remembered the cameras. Tonight, he stood in full view of a camera for several seconds waiting for the elevator.”
“He was wearing his mask, though,” Hilary said. “He wasn’t afraid of being recognized.”
“The kidnapping thing, though,” Michael interjected. “Faith’s right. He’s never taken a live victim before. He’s always killed them as quickly as possible. This is different.”
“He’s desperate,” Faith insisted. “I think he’s terminally ill. Michael and I discussed this earlier before we went to Nina Verbeck’s house. He’s sick, and he’s trying to complete the Magnum Opus before his disease kills him. That’s why he’s moving quickly with each murder. I think something happened after Lorraine Hayes was killed. Either his symptoms escalated, or he had a medical episode or something, but he thinks he’s running out of time. He’s scared, and it’s making him sloppy.”
“So he might not be far away is the point,” Hilary said.
“Yes. In fact, he’s probably close to the building where he picked the victim up.”
“Okay. I’ll say a five-mile radius,” Hilary said.
He typed some commands into his computer. A moment later, dozens of tags popped up on the screen.
Faith’s heart sank. “Please don’t tell me those are all the buildings that could fit our profile.”
Hilary sighed. “I’m afraid they are. Damn it.”
“Jesus Christ,” Michael said, turning around and lacing his hands behind his head. “And that’s just what’s within five miles.If our guy’s willing to drive freeways, there could be hundreds more.”
“Fires happen,” Hilary said, almost defensively. “There are probably fewer buildings thathaven’tsuffered fire damage at some point or another.”
“Let’s narrow it down,” Faith said. “Get rid of those that have suffered minor damage. Leave behind buildings that have been condemned or abandoned because of a fire.”
That erased about twenty results but still left dozens behind. Faith swore. “Damn it. How many results is that?”
“Forty-five.”
She dropped her head, then lifted it and steeled herself for the nearly impossible task ahead. “Okay. Then we need eyes on all forty-five locations. How soon can we get officers there?”
“Are you serious? That’s at least ninety officers. The precinct only has half that number. We can cover the top half of the locations, but not all of them. It’ll take at least a half hour to borrow from the other precincts.”
“God damn it,” she swore. “Okay, let’s get the ball rolling then.”
“That’ll be too late for the victim,” Michael said.
“Well, it’s better than doing nothing,” Faith snapped. “Give me the top two locations. Turk and I will take one, and Michael can take one of your officers with him. Get the other pairs out to the other locations as fast as you can.”
“I don’t want you going alone,” Michael interjected.
“I’m not alone,” Faith said. “I’m with Turk, and I’m not going to entertain arguments right now. You’re right, it’ll take too long to coordinate the police response, so we need to get to everywhere we can.”
