Chapter  5

 

Detective Jason Strong was just leaving his Terrill Hills neighborhood when his cell phone rang. He turned onto the highway leading to the station before answering.

“Hello?”

“Hey, Jason. How’s it going?”

It was Jason’s regular partner, Vanessa Layne. She was on maternity leave but was having a hard time not being involved with his investigations.

“Hey! Vanessa! Long time, no hear.”

“Very funny. Just wanted to remind you that I come back in a couple weeks. Have you got a case you’re on now?”

“Nope. Nina and I are just putting the final touches on the murder case from the nightclub. You remember the one I told you about yesterday.”

Jason smiled into the phone. Nina Jefferson had been his temporary partner since Vanessa had taken maternity leave three months ago. She was a good cop but Jason missed Vanessa as much as she missed working. She acknowledged his teasing.

“Okay, okay. I get it. Just trying to stay in the loop.”

Jason understood.

“How’s Kasen?”

The mention of her son seemed to instantly perk her up.

“Good! You and Sandy need to come visit him.”

The thought of his partner’s son always made Jason smile.

“You bet. I’ll get with Sandy and we’ll plan on coming over.”

Sandy is Jason’s wife. They met in college at the University of Texas at Austin. She was finishing her teaching degree and he was there attending the police academy. They had no kids of their own but Jason could tell little Kasen has Sandy thinking about what color to put in a nursery.

Jason heard a baby cry in the background.

“Gotta’ run. Talk to you later.” Vanessa hung up without waiting for an answer.

Jason laughed and looked at the phone.

“I’m sure.”

A few minutes later, he wheeled his car into the station parking lot. The day was typical late summer, hot with very little breeze. The air conditioning was welcome relief as he came through the station doors. His long time friend Dave Connor was at the sergeant’s desk.

“Hi, Dave. How’s Vicky?”

“Mean as ever! And Sandy?”

“Great. Thinking a little too much about babies! Nina in yet?”

Dave let out his big laugh.

“Yeah, saw her a few minutes ago.”

“Okay, thanks. See ya’ later.”

Jason got on the elevator and pushed the third floor button, making it glow. Homicide took up the entire third floor of the station.

His desk sat facing Vanessa’s desk, the two pushed up against each other. Detective Nina Jefferson was sitting in Vanessa’s spot when he walked up.

Black, short and stocky with curly hair, she was the consummate officer. Jason had come to appreciate her calmness and professional demeanor when things got tense. Still, even after three months, he hadn’t got used to seeing her in Vanessa’s chair.

Jason had just pulled out his own chair when Lieutenant Patton stuck his head out of his office.

“You two, in here!”

The two detectives exchanged glances and headed into the office. Nina took a chair while Jason stayed standing, leaning on the door frame.

“What’s up?”

Lieutenant John Patton is a big man; he works out even on his days off. Balding, but with bushy eyebrows and an unruly moustache, he claimed his hair was moving from his head to his face. When he was under stress, his eyebrows would knit together to form a hedge, which was apparently the case this morning.

He handed Nina a piece of paper.

“I don’t like to do it but the captain didn’t give me any choice. I have to loan you two out to the guys downstairs.”

Jason groaned.

“Why? What did we do to deserve this punishment?”

“It’s not a punishment! You two are next up on the board and so you get to help out our brothers.”

Nina appeared less than thrilled as well.

“It’s not a narcotics case, is it?”

“No. A simple missing persons case. They’re covered up and need an extra set of detectives. You’re it, see Lieutenant Banks.”

Jason and Nina got up and went straight to the elevator. On the way down to second floor Nina asked what Jason knew about Lieutenant Banks.

“Well, I’ve never met her personally, but there are stories.”

“Oh. What kinda stories?”

“Horror mostly.”

Jason laughed but Nina did not seem amused.

“Great!”

The elevator doors opened and they stopped to talk to an officer at the front desk.

“Lieutenant Banks?”

A thumb jerked over a shoulder served as directions.

They found Lieutenant Sarah Banks standing behind her desk. Tall with Dark brown hair that she kept close cropped and green eyes. She was an imposing figure and Jason had heard getting on her bad side was not a good idea.

They knocked on the door of her office and she looked up.

“Yes?”

Jason put on a bright smile.

“Lieutenant Banks?”

“Yes?”

She did not return his smile.

“Lieutenant Patton asked us to come down and see if we can help out. I’m Detective Strong and this is Detective Jefferson.”

“Perfect. I appreciate the help.”

Still no smile as she rummaged around on her desk. Eventually, she found a file folder and held it out to Jason.

“Missing person. Twenty-eight year old male. Address is on the second sheet. Golfing buddy reported him missing this morning. Uniforms are there and have secured the location.”

Jason flipped the file open as Nina took notes on what the lieutenant was saying. Lieutenant Banks went back to what she was doing before they knocked. After a few moments, the lieutenant looked up again.

“Is there something else?”

Jason looked a Nina and they couldn’t think of anything.

“Well, I don’t know how it is in homicide but down here, when you’re handed a file, you get going.”

Nina and Jason exchanged glances and then beat a hasty retreat out the door. Back in the elevator, Nina did her best imitation.

“Well, I don’t know how it is in homicide…”

Jason laughed.

“She’s all business, that’s for sure.”

“She’s all something.”

The elevator doors opened and they went to their desks. Nina got on her computer while Jason read through the file.

Ed Garland was a factory worker, been at the same job for eight years, and lived on the west side. A uniform had taken the initial call at the address for a missing person. Apparently, Mr. Garland didn’t show for a golf date yesterday and his friend hadn’t been able to reach him in two days.

Nina looked up from the computer screen.

“No record. Valid driver’s license.”

“Okay. Let’s go out to his house.”

****

Donnie looked through the bars at his first ‘guest’. Ed Garland sat on the blanket, a padlocked chain wrapped around his leg and leading back to the wall. He couldn’t move more than about two feet in either direction.

Donnie unlocked the door and carried a glass and a granola bar into the room.

“Here. This is a protein shake and eat this granola bar.”

“Why are you doing this? Why am I here?”

“Can’t tell you yet. You’ll find out soon enough.”

Donnie could see the fear and confusion in Ed’s face, and he felt for him, but there was no choice. Ed was just one of the necessary pieces for Billy’s plan and Donnie had to focus on the mission, not emotions. Especially now that he’d taken his first captive. He had to see it through.

“Just let me go. I won’t tell no one. Please.”

Donnie left the food on the floor and exited the room. He closed the door behind him without saying anything more. Padlock in place, he went over to his desk and turned on the computer. A file popped up of the next person he was to go after. Chelsea Burt, now Chelsea Morris.

The face on the screen looked back at him with a carefree smile. She had no way of knowing Donnie was coming and he liked it that way. The women are the hardest for Donnie, his momma had always taught him respect, but he would do what he had to. He closed the computer and headed up the stairs.