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I turned to Terri and said, “They’re on the train that just left.”
Chapter101
WE HAD TOact fast. We jumped onto another train just leaving the station. That caused a few issues. We had no signal coming to the GPS, and Terri couldn’t raise anyone on the NYPD radio. We weren’t sure if it was because of the range of the tactical radios or the cover of the subway, or if all the other cops were occupied.
I stood right by the door, waiting for the train to make its first stop. I don’t know if I hoped to see them in the station, or see the signal. It didn’t matter. I had my phone out and in my hand, just staring at the GPS app.
Terri tried her phone and the radio over and over again, but she got no signal. Thankfully, the car was virtually empty. Two city employees in maintenance uniforms sat at the very rear of the train, talking quietly.
My heart was beating a quick rhythm in my chest. I had never wanted a train to go faster in my life. It felt like we were crawling along.
I turned to Terri and said, “Christ, I could’ve run to the next station faster than this.”
She said, “We’ve got plenty of cops at street level. As far as I know, we’re the only two following the signal.”
The train slowed and I saw the lighted station ahead of us. I even bent my knees so I could get a sprinter’s start out the door as soon as it opened. Terri looked out the windows at the few people in the station.
The train came to a complete stop and I darted onto the platform. I didn’t have to worry about running into people here. Terri turned in one direction and I sprinted directly to the stairs. I estimated I could make it back to the train if I didn’t have a signal. But just as I got to the bottom of the stairs, the app on my phone refreshed and I had a clear signal.
I looked back across the platform and yelled to Terri, “Looks like they got off here and are somewhere on the street level.”
Terri came racing across the platform. Her radio was still in her hand and she was trying to raise Harry Grissom. Just as she reached the stairs, I heard the squelch of the radio.
Harry’s voice was a welcome sound. “Where are you guys? We’ve got a perimeter set and are doing a grid search.”
Terri said, “They took the subway to the next exit north. We’re coming out on Kingsbridge Road.”
Now I had a good signal on my GPS.
Chapter102
TERRI HERNANDEZ ANDI stood just outside the exit to the subway. The GPS showed that Perry Martin and Allie Pritz had walked north at least a block. Terri got on the radio again and called out our exact position and where we were searching.
As we started to jog north, I heard Harry Grissom directing what sounded like an army of cops to start shifting north. It’s hard to effectively express how important it is to have a competent boss. I trusted Harry completely. I didn’t care how old he was or how many times he had to go to the doctor during a month. That son of a gun knew the city and how to handle dangerous situations. He barked more orders. Just his voice on the radio restored some of my confidence.
Now I was looking at the storefronts and buildings. I was hoping to see something obvious. Maybe another bar. Any place they might’ve walked into. The signal on my app wasn’t exact, but it was pretty close. It showed that they had to be in the area. It looked like the signal had stopped in one place now.
Terri and I looked up and down the street. A cruiser raced past us one block over. The help was coming our way. Then I noticed a shitty-looking hotel. The kind I didn’t see much in the city anymore. A tall, skinny building, wedged between a modern office and some older apartments.
The sign on the hotel saidTHE MALLOY ARMS, and had seen better days. The whole place seemed to have been made in the 1970s. It wasn’t only the design but the washed-out colors that told me how old it was. There was a neonVACANCYsign where thenwas burned out.
I looked at Terri and broke into a sprint. Terri had no problem keeping up with me. As soon as I stepped through the weathered glass door to the hotel, the GPS signal appeared to be right next to me. I realized they were on a floor above us. This was exactly the kind of place I would’ve expected Perry Martin to find. Cheap, hidden, and no one would ask questions.
The middle-aged clerk looked up at us but didn’t bother to speak. His brown ponytail and thick glasses made him look like a nearsighted otter. I pulled out my badge and rushed toward the tiny reception desk.
“Did a great big guy and a younger woman just come in here?”
The man took off his glasses and looked at Terri and me. He didn’t hesitate to say, “Yeah. They’re up on the ninth floor. Second room on the right after the elevator.”
Terri said, “What’s the room number?”
“We got no numbers on the rooms. There’s only four on each side of the elevator on each floor.”
I was about to take the three steps across the lobby to get to the elevator when the clerk said, “Elevator don’t work. Gotta take the stairs.”
Terri and I raced up the stairs, taking them two at a time. While we were climbing, Terri radioed in our position. We didn’t have time to wait for backup. We needed to act right now.
I’ll admit I was panting pretty hard by the time we came through the door on the ninth floor. I had enough energy to run down the hallway past the elevator. I found the second door after the elevator. The clerk was right—there were no numbers on any doors.
