Page 7 of The Fragile Ones
“Okay, I’m guessing we start with the newest case and then work backward since the trail would have gone stone cold on the earliest one?”
“Not necessarily. If cases are too old, say twenty and even thirty years, many things can change. People change and might give or remember information that they didn’t originally when the report was filed. Or, sometimes enough time has passed for people who weren’t willing to talk to come forward.” McGaven nodded and began reading over her shoulder. “But, I agree with you. We should begin with the cases that we can bring closure to quickly.”
“What’s the Stanton case?” he said reading the label.
Katie opened the file and pulled out the missing person’s poster, the report filed by the family, and statements by friends and family. “This is it.” The photo was of a young teen with brown hair and dark eyes.
“Not much to go on,” he said, skimming the report.
“Jared William Stanton, just turned eighteen, had an argument with his parents, walked out of the house about six months ago and went missing. No one has heard from him since.”
McGaven read from the report. “It says the argument was about attending college. Jared wanted to take a year off and his parents wanted him to attend right away.”
“And note, his keys and cell phone were left behind,” Katie said grimacing. “Not jumping to conclusions, but how many teenagers would even leave the house without their cell these days?”
“Detective Alvarez spoke to the parents several times, but they vouched for each other and there were no other witnesses. And Mr. and Mrs. Stanton have stayed strong and consistent with their story. With no other leads the case went cold,” read McGaven. “What do you think?”
Katie skimmed through the statements from friends. “There was some speculation that he was hiding out with a new girlfriend, but that doesn’t seem likely since the police talked with her several times and no one had seen Jared. We will have to reread every statement.”
“And I think we need to check some background more thoroughly before we start making visits.”
“You’re right. Check the parents and the two best friends and see what else shakes out. And if you can find out anything about the girlfriend.” She leaned back in her chair and looked at her watch. “Looks like we have a couple of hours for background and alibis, and then I’m going to be getting ready for my fieldtrip tomorrow.”
Chapter Four
Thursday 0630 hours
Katie woke to the sound of light rain tapping on her farmhouse roof. By the time she had finished loading her car with rural maps, extra clothes, an extra pair of hiking boots, bottles of water, energy bars, and her usual law enforcement duffel bag filled with gear, it had turned into a steady downpour. She also tucked in behind her seat a small ice box with two turkey and cheese sandwiches, two bottles of iced tea, and a couple pieces of fruit.
The temperature was cool with a brisk wind blowing. It was unclear if the weather would hold, or become a full force storm—the local weather channel didn’t say one way or another. Katie made sure Cisco had his lightweight rain harness and packed him some doggie snacks and water too.
As she stood in her driveway zipping up her navy windbreaker, gazing at the overcast day, she thought about the Jared Stanton case and wondered if he was truly alive and had just run away to escape his parents. She knew McGaven would be hard at work finding out information so that they could move forward with the case once she was done with the film crew.
She watched Cisco in the front yard, sniffing the bushes and plants, working his way from one to the next, and then made ready to go as he approached the Jeep.
Suddenly deciding that she should be ready for anything, Katie doubled checked her Glock in its holster inside her jacket. It was a usual precaution when she travelled, and whenever the anxious soldier inside her would arise. It was better to be prepared than not. Glancing at her watch, she saw it was time to get to the sheriff’s department.
As Katie backed down the driveway there was a rumble in the distance, low and long, but she ignored it as she made her way along the winding road. The rain pounded her Jeep, like an omen. But the storm clouds seemed to be moving south, and, if she had to estimate, the weather would clear within the hour and shouldn’t be a problem during the trip. She wondered how the film crew would cope with the hike in this weather.
The rain subsided a little as she turned into the sheriff’s department’s parking lot. She slowed as she approached the crew from Wild Oats Productions, counting five men next to a large white SUV. Some were dressed for the Andes Mountains, while two were only wearing lightweight shirts and blue jeans.
She swung into a parking place and cut the engine, muttering “Be nice, Cisco” before pulling up her hood, her hiking boots hitting the pavement.
“Hi, Detective Scott,” said the director.
“Hello, everyone,” she said, trying to sound upbeat while moving slightly to stay warm. “Please, call me Katie.”
“Okay, Katie,” he said, turning to his crew. “You already met my camera operator Emir Patel. And that’s Keith Cooper, our sound guy. Butch Price, grip and grunt. And our writer and researcher, Ty Windsor.”
“It’s nice to meet you all,” Katie said. “Okay, a few things before we get started. First, everyone needs to dress in layers. Fall here can be unpredictable, even on a day like today—raining one minute and then steaming sun the next.” She pointed to Butch. “You need to layer up with a sweatshirt and lightweight windbreaker.” Pointing to Keith, “You need to do the same, and change your shoes. Your feet will be killing you in those leather work boots within an hour.”
Both men went back to the large SUV and began rummaging through their luggage.
“Sorry to be blunt, but trust me, we’ve got a long hike ahead and you don’t want to be uncomfortable. Okay?”
“No problem, Detective—I mean Katie,” said Matt. “I think our four-wheel drive is sufficient, but we have one problem.”
“What’s that?” Katie kept her patience in line and reminded herself that they were a film crew and not a combat military team.
