Just as Intelligence began discussing John Miller’s description Sheldon Jin hurried upstairs from the tech room with several printouts in his hands.
“Sergeant, I found four similar sexual-assault cases in New York over the last six months.
The methods are almost identical.”
Hank Voight took the reports and quickly scanned them.
Sheldon pointed to the one detail shared by all four cases.
“A Midwest Industrial Supply Company trade show was held nearby within a week of every attack.”
Jack Stacy immediately saw the connection.
“Do we have attendee lists or photographs from those shows?
If the same people also attended the Chicago event we can put the photos in front of John.”
Hank nodded.
“Do it.
Everyone who attended the New York and Chicago shows.”
Not long afterward John Miller sat in the interview room flipping through a stack of photographs Sheldon had prepared.
His hand suddenly stopped and he pulled one photo free.
“That’s him.
That’s the guy I saw following Charlotte.”
Jack took the photograph and matched it to the personnel file.
Jeffrey Baker, thirty-four years old and from St.
Louis.
He worked as a sales manager for Midwest Industrial Supply Company.
His travel history immediately raised more red flags.
Baker had traveled to New York four times during the previous six months and each trip matched one of the four attacks.
He had also traveled to Chicago twice and both visits lined up with the two Riverwalk cases.
The file photo showed an ordinary-looking white man with short brown hair and a square jaw.
His polished smile looked exactly like something taken from a corporate sales brochure.
Hank studied the picture for several seconds before looking toward Al Olinsky and Jay Halstead.
“Bring him in.
Quietly.”
By noon Jeffrey Baker was sitting inside the 21st District interview room wearing a crisp suit and the same practiced smile from his file photograph.
Antonio Dawson sat across from him and asked where he had been between ten the previous night and six that morning.
“My hotel room,” Baker answered without hesitation.
“Crowne Plaza.
Room 412.
I have receipts if you need them.”
Antonio told him a witness had placed someone matching his description near Charlotte Matthews shortly before her death.
Baker’s smile barely changed.
“Then show me your evidence.”
He leaned back in the chair.
“If you don’t have anything more than that I’m done talking.
I want an attorney.”
The interview ended there.
Intelligence had John Miller’s identification and Baker’s suspicious travel history but neither was enough by itself to charge him with the attacks.
The team kept working while Baker sat in custody under the lawful grounds they already had.
Then another call came in.
A third attack had happened on the Riverwalk less than thirty minutes earlier.
Antonio stared toward the interview room.
“Baker has been sitting here the whole time.”
Hank’s expression darkened.
“Then either he isn’t our guy or he isn’t working alone.”
Jack immediately looked toward the others.
“Could be an accomplice.
Baker may be choosing victims or helping organize it while someone else carries out the attacks.”
Hank nodded.
“Keep digging.
Once we can’t legally hold him anymore we release him and stay on him.”
The third victim was taken to Gaffney Chicago Medical Center.
Her name was Vanessa and she was only sixteen.
Her face showed signs of a struggle and thick gauze covered the injury near her left ear but she was conscious when Intelligence arrived.
“When he grabbed me I fought back,” Vanessa said weakly.
“I scratched his right eye as hard as I could.
He tried to hurt me again but I kicked him and ran.”
Catherine Hayek sat near the bed.
“Did you see his face?”
“Not clearly.
He had a mask.” Vanessa took a slow breath.
“White guy.
Short.
Maybe five-three.”
Her mother held her hand from the other side of the bed.
Vanessa’s eyes filled with tears but she forced herself to continue.
“I’m not letting him scare me.”
Catherine gently squeezed her hand.
“You did everything right.
We’re going to find him.”
Outside the room Hank immediately divided the team.
Erin Lindsay, Jay Halstead, Antonio Dawson and Adam Ruzek would check nearby hospitals, urgent-care centers and pharmacies for anyone seeking treatment or medication for fresh scratches around the right eye.
Al Olinsky would return to the district and handle Baker’s release once there was no longer a lawful basis to keep him.
Jack and Catherine were ordered to stay on Baker afterward.
“If he has a partner he may lead us straight to him,” Hank said.
By six that evening the first real break arrived.
Erin found a pharmacy transaction involving a man named Neil Vance.
He had bought medication for an injured eye and the store’s surveillance footage clearly showed three fresh scratch marks around his right eye.
Sheldon quickly ran the name.
“Neil Vance.
Current address listed as the Fontleroy Hotel.”
Jack heard the name over the radio and immediately looked toward Catherine.
They were already inside the Fontleroy.
“You sure?” Jack asked quietly.
“Positive,” Sheldon answered.
Hank’s voice came through next.
“Stacy.
What do you have?”
Jack lowered his voice.
“Catherine and I are at the Fontleroy right now.
Baker is at the front desk talking to the manager.”
Catherine watched Baker from across the lobby.
“He may be looking for Vance.
Baker could be the planner and Vance the one carrying out the attacks.”
Hank didn’t hesitate.
“Stay on Baker.
Everybody else move to the Fontleroy.”
Baker suddenly stopped talking to the manager.
His eyes moved around the lobby.
Then he ran.
“Baker’s moving,” Catherine reported as Jack immediately went after him.
“He didn’t spot us.
Something spooked him.”
Hank answered calmly.
“Stay with him.
Patrol is sealing off the area.”
Jack studied Baker’s route and cut around the opposite side of the block.
His superior speed let him intercept the fleeing salesman at the next corner.
Jack drove him onto the sidewalk and controlled his arms before Baker could recover.
Baker tried to fight back but Jack struck him hard enough to stop the resistance and locked the cuffs around his wrists.
Catherine arrived seconds later.
Together they took Baker back inside the hotel just as Hank and the others entered.
Hank grabbed Baker and led him toward a service room away from the lobby.
Antonio and Jay exchanged uneasy looks but neither had a better lead to offer.
Jack watched Hank disappear through the door.
Whatever happened inside was clearly outside normal procedure.
Several minutes later Hank came back out.
His expression was unchanged.
“Navy Pier.
Vance is at Navy Pier.”
Jack glanced through the open doorway as they left.
Baker was on the floor and blood was running from his right ear.
No one said anything.
At Navy Pier Intelligence immediately spread through the crowd.
An event was underway and hundreds of visitors filled the walkways which made finding one man difficult.
Jack focused on Character Sketch Lv.1 and Hearing Positioning Lv.1 while moving through the crowd.
He watched posture, movement and direction while filtering the noise around him for anything that felt out of place.
Near a public restroom he finally noticed a man in a hoodie.
The man kept avoiding other people and repeatedly looked over his shoulder.
When he turned slightly Jack saw three fresh scratches around his right eye.
“Catherine.
I have Vance.”
Jack approached while pretending to be another visitor heading toward the restroom.
Neil Vance looked up.
Their eyes met.
Vance ran.
Jack immediately accelerated after him while Catherine moved from the side to cut off the escape route.
The two officers were beginning to close the gap when Vance suddenly pulled a handgun and grabbed a woman from the crowd.
He dragged the tourist against his chest and pressed the gun to her head.
“Back off or she dies!”
Jack and Catherine raised their weapons.
“Chicago Police!” Jack shouted.
“Vance, put the gun down!”
The hostage began sobbing.
Vance’s eyes were bloodshot and his breathing was out of control.
“Stay back!
Let me go!”
Jack slowly holstered his Glock and raised both hands.
“You don’t want to make this worse.
Nobody else has to get hurt.”
“It’s over either way!”
Jack caught Catherine’s eyes.
She was moving toward Vance’s blind side.
Jack kept talking and slowly shortened the distance.
Catherine continued moving until she was close enough to reach the hostage if the opportunity appeared.
Ten yards became nine.
Then eight.
“Stop!” Vance screamed.
“I’ll count to three!”
Jack kept his eyes locked on the gun.
“One—”
“Down!”
Catherine grabbed the hostage and pulled her clear.
Jack’s hand dropped to his holster.
Quick Draw Lv.2.
Gun Duel Lv.3.
The Glock cleared leather and fired almost instantly.
One shot struck Vance in the forehead.
His body went rigid and the handgun fell from his hand before he collapsed against the wall.
Catherine pulled the tourist farther away while Jack kept his weapon trained on Vance until he was certain the threat was over.
Hank and the rest of Intelligence rushed in seconds later.
Paramedics checked the shaken hostage while Forensics began securing the scene.
Hank looked toward Jack.
“Clean shot.
Necessary?”
“He still had the hostage and the gun.” Jack holstered his weapon.
“He was about to lose control completely.”
Hank gave a small nod.
The familiar system notification appeared before Jack’s eyes.
[Case Completed: Serial Sexual Assault Investigation.]
[Neil Vance neutralized.]
[Jeffrey Baker arrested.]
[Reward obtained: Bronze Treasure Chest ×1.]
Late that night Jack drove the black Mercedes-AMG GT back to Ivanka Anderson’s apartment.
When he stepped inside she was still awake and preparing dinner.
Ivanka looked him over as he entered.
“You look like you fought a war.”
“In a way I did.”
Jack dropped onto the couch and finally allowed the exhaustion to show.
Ivanka walked over and leaned down to kiss him.
“Welcome back.”
For the first time all day Jack finally relaxed.