New York Chief of Detectives (33 page)

The radio crackled again.

“Truck four Central.”

“Truck 4, go ahead.”

“We need a bus to the parking garage of the Kings Building 645 Park Avenue, GSW to the chest.”

Pat’s phone vibrated. He grabbed it quickly.

“Pat O’Connor.”

“It’s Bryan. Everybody is okay, Chief. Well, everybody except Joey DeCarlo.”

“What happened?”

“It looks like DeCarlo came out of a stairwell and was challenged by Mike Logan. He whipped out a Glock forty-five and took a shot at Mike. Mike ended it with three to the chest. The ESU guys are working on him, but he is on the way out, I’m sure. He has that grey, death-mask look.”

“How’s Mike?”

“He’s fine.”

“Do you have any sign of Harrison or Pellegrino?”

“No. All the guys saw was DeCarlo.” 

“Okay. Thanks, Bryan.”

Pat could not understand how Donald Harrison had escaped. He called central communications, and had them put out a nationwide alert for him. Donald Harrison was now a fugitive. He called Karla Adams, who was downstairs on the thirty-ninth floor.

“Adams.”

“This is Pat O’Connor.”

“Yes sir, Chief.”

“Donald Harrison has escaped us somehow. We need to get the fugitive task force rolling on him. Flag all of his phones and accounts. I’ve already put out a nationwide alert. I don’t know how he escaped. He might be in the company of Daniel Pellegrino. We haven’t found him either.”

“Wilbur and I will find him if he can be found, Chief.”

“Thanks, Karla.”

Pat sat down in a chair in Harrison’s Office. He received reports from Harrison’s residence, where his wife was home and quite hysterical. There was no sign of him. Entry was made to DeCarlo’s residence. There was no one to be found there. There was radio traffic again.

“Team 4 to Command Post.”

“Team 4 go ahead.”

“Be advised, we have a confirmed DOA at this location. Please make sure that the Chief of D’s copies.”

“Car 3 I copy, have him call me as soon as possible, K.”

“Team 4, 10-4.”

Pat’s phone vibrated.

“Pat O’Connor.”

“It’s Alverez.”

“Whatcha got over there?”

“We’re at the apartment of Salvatore Cortez, Chief. He his dead in the doorway, shot in the head.”

“It looks like he has been here since maybe last night, but he’s not ripe yet.”

“Okay Ricardo, make sure we do a full court press crime scene on this one!”

“Of course, Chief.”

Pat also received a call from the team checking the last known address of Hector Garcia. They reported that it had long been vacated. Pat really thought that Hector was probably the crispy critter. He was puzzled as to how Donald Harrison had slipped through their fingers. He knew that with his resources he could disappear indefinitely and maybe forever. Pat instructed that all employees should be debriefed before they were released. Pat asked that they be questioned about any knowledge of where Harrison had gone. He knew that the chances were slim that the questioning would be productive. Pat decided that he would let the teams do their work, and he and Dickie left the offices in the Kings Building. They stopped by the parking garage where Mike Logan had shot Joey DeCarlo. The entrance was blocked as it was a sea of orange cones and crime scene tape. Mike Logan had been taken to One PP. The Crime Scene Unit was hard at work.

Pat saw Harry Doogin talking with some IAB detectives and walked over to him.

“Hello, Patrick. Your task force has been giving us a lot of business lately.”

“I think they’re clean shootings, Harry.”

“Off the record, so do I, but we have to consider every possibility, just like you guys do.”

“I know that, Harry. Did you know Joey DeCarlo?”

“When he left the job, he was building quite a thick IAB file. I didn’t know him. I just knew of him.”

“He is officially dead yet?”

“Yes, as of a few minutes ago.”

“Okay, Harry I appreciate the information.”

Pat and Dickie headed over to Queens to the location where Salvatore Cortez had been found.

CHAPTER 71

Saturday, April 17-Day 16

Courtyard Apartments

Borough of Queens, New York

1345 Hours

Pat
and Dickie arrived at the Courtyard Apartments in Queens. Yellow crime scene tape surrounded the scene and the NYPD Command Bus was out front. Pat also saw George McBain, who immediately walked over to talk to Pat.

“Hello Chief. The bodies keep piling up in this case, don’t they?”

“I hope that this is the last one.”

“So do I. My job security is at an all-time high!”

“What do we have?”

“Pretty much like Curtis Gee. Cortez was shot three times in the head, just inside the door. My guess is that he knew his killer. He was also shot with a 9 mm.”

“What do you need?”

“I think we’re in good shape Chief. You might check with Alverez. He’s catching the case and is inside the bus.”

“Thanks George. I appreciate the update.”

Pat walked over to the command bus and went inside. Alverez was on the phone. Pat sat down and waited.

“I appreciate you stopping by the scene, Chief.” Alverez said.

“No problem, has anything changed since we talked?”  

“Not really, my gut says that it’s just like the others and probably committed with Tony’s gun, as well.”

“I think so, too, but we still need to pull out all the stops with canvassing and evidence processing. I don’t want us to get tunnel vision.”

“I understand, Chief. We’ve already done some preliminary canvassing, and the 107th Squad is helping out with that as well. I heard that Harrison got away.”

“I prefer to say that we just haven’t caught him yet. I still don’t know just how he got away.”

“I’m sure that the U. S. Marshals will find him.” McBain assured him.

“They’re already working on it.”

“How is Mike doing, Chief?”

“I haven’t talked to him yet, but Captain Flannery said he was doing okay.”

Pat got back in the car, and dialed Mike Logan’s cell phone.

“Logan.”

“Hi, Mike, it’s Pat O’Connor. How are you holding up with all this going on?”

“I’m okay, Chief. I just can’t believe that the idiot tried to shoot me. I did what I had to do, simple as that.”

“I know it’s clean, Mike. Just play nice with the IAB boys, and if you need anything, let me know.”

“Thanks, Chief, and make sure my partner knows I’m okay.”

“I’ll call Mary.”

“Thanks, Chief.”

Pat and Dickie grabbed a sandwich and headed back to the Kings Building. It was hours after the search, and there was still no sign of Donald Harrison.

CHAPTER 72

Saturday, April 17-Day 16

Kings Building - 645 Park Avenue

Borough of Manhattan, New York

1800 Hours

Pat
talked with Bryan Flannery when he returned to the Kings Building. It had been searched top to bottom, and there was no sign of Donald Harrison or Daniel Pellegrino. Detectives had checked taxi records and security videos and could find no sign of either. Every employee of DHA International had been interviewed. Several of the employees reported seeing Harrison in his office shortly before police broke down the glass entrance. Bryan asked for guidance.

“Can you think of anything else we need to do, Chief?”

“Has there been any word on his phones?”

“No activity according to Karla and Wilbur. The phone has been shut off.”

“Has there been any credit card use or withdrawals?”

“None at all, since this morning.”

“How about airline travel or private charter?”

“The Marshal’s Task Force has that covered. He officially has no booked flights. It’ll be hard to determine if he’s booked a charter flight and with his kind of money, it wouldn’t be difficult. However the marshals are checking that, as well. He’s in NCIC for murder.”

Pat felt like a failure. He felt like they’d taken every precaution, yet Harrison had still slipped through the cracks. Pat wasn’t so worried about Pellegrino, because they had yet to connect him to the murders. The only charges against him would be an obstruction charge for locking the doors, and allowing Harrison to escape, although he wouldn’t rule out being an accessory after the fact to murder. Pat walked around in the DHA International offices, looking for any clue. From the inside DHA International looked like any other large corporate office. There certainly wasn’t anything sinister on the surface, although Pat didn’t have to be reminded of what he’d seen on the video from Tony Rodriguez’s pen camera. Most of the files and computers had been seized from key offices, and the search was winding down. Only a few detectives and crime scene investigators remained. Bryan Flannery was taking notes and seated in a conference room.

It was about 1800 hours, and Pat went back into Donald Harrison’s office. He looked through his desk for any possible clue as to his whereabouts. His computer had already been removed by Dennis Phillips for a forensic examination at the NYPD Cyber-Crime Lab. Pat had even had the building checked to make sure there was no helipad on top. He was at a loss as to how Harrison had slipped through their fingers. He wouldn’t sleep until they found him.

Pat just sat at the big glass desk and tried to think of any possible clue they could have missed. The other searches had ended. Pat’s cell phone buzzed, and he answered it.

“Pat O’Connor.”

“It’s George McBain, I have some good news, Chief.”

“I could use some good news about now.”

“It looks like Joey Decarlo kept a little trophy. My team searching Joey DeCarlo’s place out in Brooklyn have found Tony Rodriguez’s 9 mm in Joey’s closet. You would have thought, being an ex-cop, that he’d have ditched it. The serial number matches. Of course, we’ll still test fire it for a positive ballistics match.”

“Thanks, George. I appreciate it.”

“You bet, Chief, and I’m sorry about Harrison getting away.”

“So am I!”

Pat was tired and continued to sit at Harrison’s desk. Maybe it was the whole mental thing of trying to think like a criminal and get inside his head. Maybe he was just so pissed that he didn’t want to admit he had been outsmarted. He heard a cough and footsteps and looked up to see who was coming, but it seemed that there was no one there. He discounted it, and then he saw the large mirror in front of the desk move. He thought it might be a vibration from the elevator. Seconds later the mirror popped open revealing a door. Pat quickly pulled his .357, trying to be as quiet possible.

After what seemed like forever, Donald Harrison stepped out of a narrow concealed stairway. He didn’t see Pat at first, but as their eyes met, Harrison’s got big, and Pat raised his revolver.  

“Don’t move a muscle! You are under arrest!”

“I am the NYPD Chief of Detectives. Do exactly as I say!”

Harrison was profusely sweating and seemed to be covered in dust.

“I know who you are, Chief O’Connor.”

“Just keep your hands where I can see them.”

“Can we be sensible about this? I can change your life for the better.”

Pat reached down and keyed the microphone on his portable to alert the others. Harrison paid no attention to it.

“I can give you enough money that you can live like a king. I mean millions of dollars. I can send it anywhere in the world for you. You could retire, and nobody would ever know. I promise you’d never hear from me again. Just let me go, and you can have the world at your fingertips.”

“I guess I could do those things, but Tony Rodriguez was my friend.”

“I’m sorry about that. It was that stupid Mexican. I never intended for that to happen. Please, O’Connor, let me go!”

“You’ve already heard my response to that. You are busted! The arrest team can come in now.”

Pat released the microphone key and Bryan Flannery and Mary McDonald came through the door, with guns drawn. Harrison was quickly handcuffed. There were uniformed officers standing at the door.

Mary McDonald looked at Pat and smiled.

“Thanks for everything, Chief.”

“No problem, Mary.”

“You need anything else from me?”

“No, let’s put this piece of garbage where he belongs.”

Mary grabbed Harrison by the arm. His hands were hand-cuffed behind his back. She walked out with the uniformed officers escorting her.