The first got off the radio.
“Car belongs to a Suzanne Cooper. Address is not far from here.”
“Get a phone number?”
“Yes. Trying it now.”
The second officer turned back to Curt.
“Thanks for your help. You can go now. Sorry to keep you so long.”
“No problem.”
After the Dollar store employee walked away, the first officer hung up the phone.
“Answering machine.”
“Okay, call in for a car to go by the address and I’ll get a tow truck coming to take the car.”
By the time the officers heard that no one could be found at the residence, the car was on the truck and ready to go. Instead of the impound lot, it was sent to the forensics garage.
****
Ed Garland could hear both girls suck in their breath. Neither said anything and Ed waited while it sunk in. He had already figured out the connection, all three of them had been there the day Billy Jarvis had shot himself playing Russian Roulette with a .38 revolver.
What he hadn’t decided was who their captor was. Finally, Chelsea spoke.
“Ed, Ed Garland from McCollum High?”
“Yes.”
“And Suzanne Cooper, Billy Jarvis’ girlfriend?”
Suzanne didn’t answer immediately but Chelsea could hear her crying.
“Suzanne?”
“Ye…yes.”
“You’re Billy’s ex- girlfriend?”
“Yes.”
“That mean Dexter Hughes…”
Ed slammed his hand on the wall.
“That’s his name! I was sitting here trying to remember the other guy’s name that was there that day. That’s who the last cell is for.”
Suzanne had regained her composure.
“If you’re right, and Dexter is put in the last cell, then what? And who is the guy doing this?”
Ed’s answer chilled them all.
“I don’t know who he is and I don’t want to know what’s next.”
Chapter 13
Jason received a call the next morning from Lieutenant Banks.
“Go see Doc Josie when you get here.”
“Okay. What’s up?”
“You would have me ruin Doc Josie’s surprise? I wouldn’t think of it.”
The phone went dead. Jason called Nina, who was apparently just leaving the house.
“Hello?”
“Morning, Nina. You just heading in?”
“Yeah, why?”
“Banks called. She said we need to go see Doc Josie first thing, I’ll meet you there.”
“Okay. She say why?”
“Nope. Said it was a surprise.”
“A surprise? Okay, see you in about twenty minutes.”
****
Jason found Dr. Jocelyn Carter staring through a microscope.
“Morning, Doc.”
She pulled her head back, rolled her eyes and went back to the scope with a chuckle.
“Maybe for you, Detective. For me it’s more like afternoon. Got a call at midnight to come in and process a car.”
“Sorry to hear that.”
Nina came through the doors and joined them. Jason stopped her before she had a chance to wish Doc Josie a ‘good morning’.
“She’s been here all night.”
“Oh. Did you find out what the surprise is?”
“I was just about to ask. So Doc, is this car you were telling me about our surprise?”
Doc Josie got off the stool and walked to her office with the detectives in tow. Grabbing a sheet of paper, she handed it to Jason.
“If this set of prints is what you’re referring to, then yes, this is your surprise. Those partial prints were found on the car I’ve been processing.”
Jason gave her a quizzical look.
“Let me guess. You’ve seen them before.”
“Very good. You should be a detective.”
Nina couldn’t help herself and started laughing. Doc Josie continued.
“Not only have I seen them before, I’ve seen them recently. They match the ones we pulled from the two missing persons cases you’re working.”
Jason looked up from the print sheet.
“Who does the car belong to?”
“A Suzanne Cooper. It was found abandoned, keys in it but not running, behind a plaza near her home last night. Lieutenant Banks said they haven’t been able to find Miss Cooper.”
Nina walked over to a table and put her briefcase down. She opened it up and pulled some papers.
“What was that name again?”
“Suzanne Cooper.”
Jason watched as his partner ran her finger down the sheets. On the second sheet she stopped.
“It’s here, Jason.”
“Are those the McCollum reunion lists?”
“Yes and she’s on them.”
Jason moved for the door as Nina packed up.
“Thanks, Josie. Go home and get some sleep.”
“You’re welcome and I plan on doing just that.”
****
Lieutenant Banks was in her office when they got to the second floor.
“Got a minute, Lieutenant?”
“Sure. Find your surprise?”
“Yes. Do you have the report from the scene?”
She slid the file across the desk.
Nina followed Jason into the room and sat next to him opposite the Lieutenant. Jason picked up file but didn’t open it.
“We’ve got a connection between the three missing cases besides the fingerprints.”
“Okay. Please share.”
Nina pulled out the phone lists and slid them across the desk towards Sarah Banks. She picked them up, glanced at them and then up at Nina.
“What are these?”
“Those are the phone lists for this summer’s ten year class reunion of McCollum High. All three of our victims show up on them.”
The lieutenant looked at them with a disbelieving stare.
“You’re suggesting someone is stalking, then taking their classmates before the ten year reunion. You’re kidding me, right? It sounds like a slasher film.”
Jason shrugged his shoulders.
“I know it’s thin, but right now it’s the only link we’ve found.”
“Okay. Thin is one word for it. What’s next?”
“We run a record search on everyone listed.”
“So, you’re thinking that the person or persons taking these people, or at very least possibly his next victim, is on these lists.”
Jason nodded. The lieutenant stared at the sheets for a minute.
“When’s the reunion?”
“The fifth of next month.”
“Okay. I’m going to have a press briefing on this at three this afternoon. We’ll see if the public can help us. Somebody must’ve seen something. I want you two present. In the meantime, that’s a lot of names, so you better get started.”
Jason and Nina gathered their files and left the office. Nina gave Jason a grin.
“Press briefing with Banks. Boy that sounds like fun!”
Jason just laughed and rolled his eyes.
****
Chelsea was cold. The basement was damp and the blanket didn’t give much protection. In addition, the chain was rubbing her ankle raw. She had spent the last several hours trying to figure out who their captor was.
“Suzanne?”
“Yeah.”
“I figure the guy doing this has to be family of Billy.”
“Why?”
“Well, it doesn’t make sense for someone to go to all this trouble without a personal connection.”
Ed agreed.
“I’ve been thinking the same thing. Billy was my best friend and I don’t remember much family. His dad was dead by the time Billy killed himself and he had only his mom and brother.”