Page 16 of Justice for Aleta

“Yes. I’m presenting at the morning briefing tomorrow. I’ll let you know what’s going on. If you get more information?”

“I’ll definitely call you.”

“Same here. And thanks for working with us on this.”

“If it’ll get the case off our books, gladly!” Dax said and laughed.

They hung up and Jack sat there, his head spinning. BlakeMoss. The WyattEarp-wannabe with a huge Ruger and a bad attitude. Oh, and .454Casull rounds?couldn’t forget those. He was worried. If that guy figured out Aleta had seen him, he’d come after her. Jack couldn’t let that happen.

They’d have to have a little chat, he and the beautiful brunette. Keeping her safe was at the top of his list of priorities.

* * *

The room filled with uniforms,and Jack was ready. After the morning preliminaries, NathanBarr presented his case of a missing woman and her derelict husband who was suspected in her disappearance. When he was finished, Cappy nodded to Jack, so he rose and carried his notes to the podium.

A little murmur ran through the room when he said, “I spoke with TexasRanger DaxtonChambers last night and he was able to give me the following information.” When he finished, he asked, “Any questions?”

“Yeah. How the hell did you get a TexasRanger to work with you?” one of the guys called out.

“Actually, he’d called here about a case they were working on. The missing chemist. We’re trying to come up with his name, thinking maybe that would lead us somewhere. We know who took him, and who he was taken for. But we still don’t have his name. And now, because of what I learned from the ranger, I’m worried for the witness’s safety. So if you see something, say something. Anything you hear could be useful. If you’ve got an informant, they might know something. Keep that in mind. I really don’t want to have to call KDCI in on this, but if I have to, I will.” The Kentucky Departmentof Criminal Investigations took criminal cases the KSP couldn’t solve. Jack didn’t want this one to be one of those.

When he was finished, he took his seat with the rest of the guys. Cappy outlined the things he needed them to be thinking about for the day. When he turned them loose, he looked to Jack and motioned to his office.

“Close the door,” Cappy told him as soon as he entered the big glass office, and his captain pointed to the chair in front of the desk again. As soon as Jack sat down, his superior grinned at him. “Good work. So you’ve got a TexasRanger working with you on this?”

“Yes, sir. I do, thanks to TrooperColvin. He fielded the original call and made the connection.”

“What’s your next move?”

“I’m planning to call the other posts and the police departments around the area to see if they have a missing person’s report on file for a guy who might be a chemist.”

“Good plan. Get on it. And you said you were worried about the woman’s safety?”

“Yes, sir. RangerChambers told me this guy would kill her just because he can.”

“Then you’d better be thinking of something to keep her safe.” Cappy turned back to his desk. “That’s all, trooper. Sounds like your plan is clear.”

“Thank you sir.” With that, Jack hopped up from his chair and took off out the door. He had a lot of territory to cover.

He started checking missing persons reports all over the region. Most of them were older people with dementia who’d wandered away from home. It seemed the rest were teenagers who ran away and their parents reported them missing. None of them looked promising.

At lunchtime, he took a break and went to the pancake house. Aleta was working in the back, but all she could do was wave at him, her yellow rubber gloves making her look cartoonish through the round windows of the swinging back kitchen doors. He started to ask if she could come out and talk to him, but decided against it. That job was part of her plan to exert her independence, and he wasn’t about to jeopardize that for her.

He decided to spend the afternoon combing over those missing persons reports. He didn’t really anticipate finding anything of any use, but it could happen. One by one, he went through them. Hitting the older individuals first, he found the same description over and over: “Occupation: Retired plumber.” “Occupation: Retired teacher.” “Occupation: Retired singer.” Well, that one was a little different. But none of them indicated anything that would tie them to his investigation. Matter of fact, most of them said something about “needs medication” or “wandered away.” If they were so impaired that it could be called wandering away, they sure weren’t cooking meth.

Then he started through the ones for the teenagers. Many were boys, but most were girls.Most likely Mom told them they couldn’t date the boy they’re sure they’re in love with, Jack thought, shaking his head. One girl was a student at PikeCounty High School. He looked at her report out of curiosity: “Occupation: Student.” She was seventeen, and the picture of her showed a beautiful, smiling young woman who could’ve easily passed for twenty-two. Then he looked at the date she was reported missing. The day before his incident. Her name? KennedieStrickland

But what caught his eye was the detailed description, and he whispered it to himself. “Parents report student is all As, honor roll, winner of several science fairs. Intends to go to college for…” Jack stopped dead and read it twice. Chemistry. She wanted a chemistry degree. Was it possible? Surely not. He looked at the report. It had been taken by a deputy sheriff in PikeCounty, someone named K.Patrick. Jack picked up his phone and made the call.

It turned out DeputyPatrick was off with a back injury, so he asked to speak with someone else, but they couldn’t really give him details about the report, since they hadn’t taken it. When he hung up, Jack decided to do the next best thing.

Call the parents.

Here goes nothing, he told himself as he dialed. A woman’s voice answered with a boisterous, “Hello?”

“Yes. Are Mr.or Mrs.Stone available?”

“This is Mrs.Stone.”

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