Perry Myers doesn’t know who murdered Lori Taylor one hot summer night in 1999. He can’t say for sure that Rosemarie Lombardi’s phone was tapped. And he has no idea whether DeAndre Wade’s claim that police let his cousin bleed to death holds any water.
He has a gun but doesn’t usually carry it. The tools of his trade are a briefcase, a cell phone, and a Palm Pilot; his uniform is a polo shirt and jeans. MSI charges anywhere from $65 an hour (for basic surveillance, for example) to $225 an hour (for electronic countermeasures like detecting bugs and taps). Interviews and interrogations are Myers’s favorite part of the job. “The more successful interviewers almost get a bit of friendship with their suspect,” he says. “I’ve gotten confessions where people shake my hand and say thank you.” Those run $105 an hour. These days a separate division, run by Myers’s partner, Scott Stern, oversees process serving.
It was lunchtime in the Loop and the streets were jammed, making it easy for Myers to surreptitiously take photos. He phoned the office. “Positive ID on Clint Eastwood and the suspect. I’m in pursuit.” At the corner of Van Buren and LaSalle, the couple abruptly turned right and the blond looked back–directly at Myers. Myers betrayed no emotion, and there was no sign of recognition on her face. She went into a tobacco shop, bought cigarettes, and then proceeded south with the man. Myers followed at a discreet distance.
“I’m sorry to have to leave, but Monique has handled many of these cases,” Myers said. “We’ll have videotape evidence for you.”
Candia took the video camera and got into Myers’s car. He drove down the block to where Darlene was already waiting.
English by birth, Stan had been recruited by British intelligence during World War II. “He spoke French, which was useful,” says Myers. “So they had him do a lot of interviews.” Stan’s siblings, who lived in Las Vegas, promised to put him through medical school after the war, but when he arrived in the States, they didn’t have the money.
