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Surprise flared on the reporter’s face. “What?” He scowled. “Cameras?”
“Four motion-activated in the alley. He was monitoring them in his apartment.”
Ellis recovered quickly from his surprise. “Tommy wanted a safe community, safe from cops. If he put up cameras, then he was trying to catch them and any other troublemakers in the act.”
“Cameras went up while Barton Plaza was declared an autonomous zone,” Danni guessed. She wasn’t sure when the cameras went up. She made the statement to gauge Ellis’s reaction. “There weren’t any cops there to watch. So your argument doesn’t hold water.”
“There was something going on while cops were excluded from the area,” Marrs continued, following Danni’s lead. “Since Thomas put up the cameras, he wanted the activity recorded. Is it possible you’re on any of the recordings?”
Ellis took a step back. Danni could see the wheels turning. He didn’t know about the cameras, and he had been in the alley. His face was a billboard for the unasked question “Was I filmed without my knowledge?”
His face returned to a scowl, and he folded his arms. “You don’t know what you’re talking about. Tommy was a hero killed by an out-of-control cop. What a joke; you all are out of control. Try and muddy the waters all you want. There is nothing else to say.” He turned on his heel and disappeared down the hallway.
“Good idea to hit him about those cameras,” Marrs said when they got back in the car. “He obviously is worried he might be on a recording.”
“A lot of people seem to be worried about being on camera. I sure wish we knew for certain who put those cameras up, when they were put there, and why. And if there are recordings, who has them.”
“Agree.”
“You up for some coffee at Beans and Bacon?” Danni asked.
“Always up for coffee.”
They stopped and Danni ordered a large coffee and a buttermilk doughnut, needing a caffeine and sugar jolt. She was in no hurry to get back to the station. The chief might suddenly find a reason to see her and suspend her. They had just sat at an open table with their coffee when her phone rang. It was the lab.
“This is Detective Grace.”
“I’m calling about the weapon Investigator Fox dropped off last night. He asked us to make it a priority.”
“Yes.”
“I’ve got good news and bad news. The gun is not traceable. It’s a ghost gun, no serial number.”
“I figured as much. What’s the good news?”
“We pulled a partial off the trigger. It was the only print we got because the plastic of the first evidence bag melted and destroyed all the others. We sent the print to records to be run. The gun is also still operable. We’ll be test firing some of the ammo you sent with it.”
Danni was elated. “Awesome. You need to make a comparison to the bullets taken from Thomas Johnston.” She recited the case number.
“Will do. I’ll get back to you with what we find.”
Danni put down the phone and looked at Marrs. “Finally some headway on this case.”
