Strange Happenings - First 3 Chapters

NOTE TO READER

This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters, and incidents either are the product
of the author's imagination, or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual
persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely
coincidental.

STRANGE HAPPENINGS. Copyright 2009 by Steven Payette.
All rights reserved. Printed in The United States of America.
No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any print or electronic
form without the express written permission of the author.

CHAPTER ONE
LAZY SUNDAY

Don't you love being woken up at 8:00 on a Sunday morning? It just starts the
day off right, especially when repeated knocking on your front door is the cause of your
rude awakening.
I stagger out of bed and try to get oriented. The bright morning sunshine is trying
to make an appearance between the slats of the Venetian blinds on my bedroom windows.
I grab my bathrobe and head for the stairs. The knocking continues as I stagger sleepily
down the risers.
I'm not in the best of moods when I open my front door, but the person on the
other side doesn't care about my mood. The short brunette standing on my front porch
looks a little worse for wear. The black bags under her eyes tell me she hasn't slept in
quite some time. A look of worry and despair hangs on her face, almost as if she'd
committed a crime, and is desperate to clear her conscience.
"Are you Trevor Samuels?" She asked in a sheepish voice.
"I am," I replied. "What can I do for you so early on a Sunday morning?"
"Sorry it's so early, but I've been going out of my mind. I'm Chelsea Dearden, my son
Matthew is a friend of Jesse's."
"....Okay."
"Matthew's missing. He didn't come home last night. I've called all of his friends and no
one has heard from him. Have you seen him by any chance?"
"No, I haven't, Mrs. Dearden. Would you like to come in?"
"Thank you," she said as she stepped into my dining room. "I can't sit around the house
anymore, I have to look for him. Matthew once told me that you're a detective. Tell me,
Mr. Samuels, where should I look for him?"
My mind is still groggy given the early hour of what I thought would be another
lazy Sunday. So far it's turning out to be a hell of a lot more exciting than I expected or
wanted it to be. This woman's thoughts seem scattered, and who can blame her. I always
thought missing children cases would be the most difficult to investigate. There's too
much emotional baggage to deal with.
"It's Trevor, and I think you should sit down and take a minute to collect your thoughts," I
said as I pulled a chair out from under the dining room table. "Would you like some
coffee?"
"Oh, yes, please," she said as she sat down.
I opened the blind on the window to let some light into the room, and then walked
into the kitchen to turn on the coffee machine.
"I'm actually an insurance investigator, Mrs. Dearden. I don't work missing person cases
unless there's an insurance aspect involved in the case," I said as I carried the milk, sugar,
two cups, and spoons into the dining room.
"Is Jesse here?" She asked as she pulled a tissue out of her purse. She proceeded to dry
her eyes.
"He is, but he's still sleeping. Why don't we chat for a bit, he's pretty grouchy in the
mornings," I said as I sat in the chair opposite Chelsea. "When was the last time you saw
Matthew?"
"I saw him right before he left for work yesterday. I haven't seen or heard from him since,
and he always tells me where he's going. He always calls me when he's going to be out
late, too," she said with a slight tremor in her voice. Her whole body is also shaking
mildly.
"I remember Jesse mentioning Matthew's name, but I haven't met him. How old is he?"
"Sixteen. He and Jesse are in a few of the same classes. I've met Jesse a few times, he's a
nice boy."
"Thank you. How did Matthew seem yesterday morning? Was he anxious, or did he
seem different, like something was bothering him?"
"No, not at all. He was his usual self. He wasn't in the best of moods, but he never is in
the morning. He ate some cereal, told me he would be home after his shift ended at 5:00,
and left on his bike."
I nod my head as I get up from the table to retrieve the coffee pot.
"Are you sure you called all of his friends? Someone must have seen him," I said while
returning to the table.
"I called everyone I can think of. The last time anyone saw him was at work on Saturday.
He went to work Friday night, came home after his shift, and watched a movie before
turning in for the night. He got up yesterday morning, left for work, and you know the
rest," she said as I poured some piping hot java into her cup.
"Do you know if he had a falling out with anyone recently, a girlfriend perhaps?"
"No, nothing like that. He would have told me if he has a girlfriend. He's pretty open
with me, especially since his father left."
"I see. Where did his father go?"
"Who knows? He never came home from work one night. He cleaned out our bank
account and disappeared."
"Sorry to hear that. How long ago was this?"
"About two years ago. We haven't heard from him since. After I got over the anger I
held toward him, I moved on with my life. It's harder for Matthew; I think he'd like to
know why his father left without saying a word. He doesn't talk about him anymore, but
he gets lethargic on Father's Day and holidays like Christmas, not to mention his
birthday."
"That's very sad."
"It is," she said as she held the coffee mug in both hands. "But we've moved on as best
we can."
"Do you have any other children?"
"No, Matthew is an only child. Before my husband and I got married, we decided we
only wanted one child. That way he or she would get our undivided attention."
"Have you notified the police?"
"Of course, I called them at midnight. They said they couldn’t do anything for forty-eight
hours. They told me he’d probably show up at home eventually."
"That's true with the majority of missing person cases, Chelsea. Especially when
teenagers are involved. Any little thing can set them off, and sometimes they just need
some time to themselves."
"That's not the case with Matthew, I just know it isn't. He's never done anything like this
before."
"As unpleasant as this may be, I should ask if you've checked the hospitals. If he was in
an accident of some kind, he may be unable to contact you."
"I called them all around 4:00 this morning, and they all told me the same thing. No
unidentified teenagers, and no one named Matthew Dearden has been admitted."
"Okay...Well, you help yourself to some more coffee while I get dressed, and wake up
Jesse. We'll see when he last saw Matthew."
"Thank you," she whimpered as she reached for the coffee pot.
After I put on my usual attire of jeans and a T-shirt, I walked into Jesse's room.
The deep, even breathing of one in a deep sleep could be heard immediately. I sat on the
edge of his bed, and gave his left shoulder a shake.
"Jesse, wake up," I said softly. When that didn't work I gave him a harder shake and
repeated his name a little louder. This time he began to stir, and his deep breathing
ceased.
"What the hell, Trev. It's Sunday," he said as he squinted at the alarm clock on his night
stand, "and it's only 8:30!"
"I know, but Mrs. Dearden is downstairs and she wants to talk to you."
"Who?"
"Matthew's mother."
"What's she doing here?"
"Matthew hasn't been home since yesterday morning, and she hasn't heard from him.
She's talking with all of his friends, trying to find out if anyone has seen him."
"Oh...Where is he?"
"How should I know? Come on, get dressed and come downstairs," I said as I stood up.
"All right, give me a minute," he said as he grabbed a pair of jeans off of the floor.
"When was the last time you cleaned your room? Things are starting to grow in here."
"Don't start with me, not this early, please," he said dryly.
I chuckled as I went back down that stairs.
"Jesse will be down in a minute. Can I get you something to eat? Some toast
perhaps?"
"No, thank you. I'm fine," she replied as Jesse came down the stairs. "Hi, Jesse."
"Hi, Mrs. D. Sorry to hear about Matt."
"Do you have any idea where he could be?"
"No. I talked to him at school on Friday, but I haven't talked to him since."
"Was he all right when you spoke to him, Jesse?" I asked. "Did he seem different in any
way?"
"No," Jesse replied as he sat down beside Chelsea. "He was his usual self. There was
nothing out of the ordinary about him."
"Can you think of anyone I can call, Jesse?" Chelsea asked. "I've already called Mike,
Lisa, Jim, Scott, and Todd. Can you think of anyone I've missed?"
"...No, I can't think of anybody else. This is really strange. He can't have vanished into
thin air. Did you check with the people at Subway?"
"Not yet, they don't open until 9:00 on Sunday's," Chelsea said as she looked at her watch.
"Oh, right. Well, it's almost 9:00 now. You should check with them. He worked
yesterday, didn't he?"
"Yes, he did. I'm going there now," she said as she stood up.
"Trevor's an investigator, he'll go with you. Maybe he can help you find him," Jesse said,
as he turned to look at me, or rather the look of surprise on my face.
"Just a minute here now. I'm an insurance investigator, Jesse. I've never worked a
missing persons case before. There are plenty of detectives who have experience with
this kind of case; they would be the ones to hire. Furthermore, I'd wait a little while
before even thinking about hiring a detective. The police will investigate after the forty-
eight hour's are up. We have good detectives on the force, they'll probably be able to find
him in no time," I said in an encouraging tone.
"Come on, Trev. Matt's a friend of mine, and he's disappeared. He wouldn't go anywhere
without telling someone where he was going. I know him. Something's wrong. You
have to help us," Jesse said with a look of worry on his face.
I remained silent while Chelsea and Jesse continued to stare at me. I don't want to
get involved in this case. With Matt being Jesse's friend, this case could get emotionally
draining, and very quickly. But how can I say no? This would be my first non-insurance
related case, but investigating is investigating. It's the same procedure whether insurance
is involved or not. Develop leads, piece together evidence, and follow your gut instincts.
"Maybe I can be of some help," I said. "If you like, I'll go with you to Subway, and then
to the police station. I have some friends on the force, maybe I can get things jump-
started," I said to Chelsea.
"Any help would be most appreciated, Trevor. I'm a bundle of nerves right now. I don't
make much money, but I'll do my best to cover your fee."
"Don't worry about that, Mrs. D. Matt's a friend, Trevor would never charge to help a
friend."
I was about to disagree with Jesse's last statement, but I thought better of it. He's
right. How could I charge a distraught mother panicked over the disappearance of her
child, who just happens to be a friend of Jesse's.
"Jesse's right, Chelsea. Don't worry about the money. I don't have any plans this morning
anyway. Let me grab my keys and wallet, and we'll head over to Subway."
"Thanks so much, Trevor. I really appreciate this."
"No problem at all. Why don't you park your car in the parking lot across the street while
I get ready? We'll take my car."
"All right," she said as she left the house. "Bye, Jesse. And if you hear from Matthew,
please have him call me on my cell right away."
"I'm coming too, we'll be right out," Jesse said as he breezed by me and headed upstairs.
I went upstairs and found Jesse putting on his make-up in the bathroom. A Goth
boy's work is never done...apparently.
"Can't you use a different shade of black?" I asked him as he applied thick mascara
around his eyes.
"Funny."
"Just between you and I, did Matt say anything unusual to you when you last spoke?
There's usually a reason people disappear, usually something's up."
"No, there was nothing. Just like I said downstairs, he was fine on Friday."
"Okay. Well, if you think of anything out of the ordinary, anything at all, make sure you
let me know immediately."
"Of course I will, just like I always do," Jesse said with a stone face. He always gives me
the stone face look when I ask him something he deems to be a given.
"By the way, thanks for helping. Hopefully Matt will show up on his own. That way you
won't have to work for weeks for no money."
"Work for weeks? I said I'd go to Subway and the police station. I didn't say I would take
the case if he doesn't show up. Like I said, I'm not the right man for this job. I do
insurance-related work, not general investigating. Besides, with Matt being your friend,
there's a conflict of interest here."
"As if. If he doesn't turn up today, you'll take the case. It'll eat you alive otherwise.
Especially if something happens to Matt, and you just sat on your hands without trying to
find him."
"We've only known each other for six months, Jesse. You think you know me that well,
do you?" I asked.
"No doubt in my mind."
"We'll see about that. Now let's go, you don't have to look pretty for the Subway staff."
"You're pretty funny for this early on a Sunday morning, Trev."
"I try."
"Have you thought about what you're going to say tomorrow?"
"Tomorrow?"
"You never remember anything! We have a meeting with Mrs. Folton and the
Thompson's, remember?" He said in an impatient tone.
"How could I forget," I said as I went back downstairs.
After Jesse's parents were murdered, I took him in as a foster child. His social
worker, Beth Folton, found a young couple that want to adopt Jesse. Social Services
spent the last two months checking out the couple, and apparently they came up clean.
The next part of the process is the "meet and greet" between the child and prospective
parents, and this is scheduled for tomorrow afternoon.
"I want to talk to you about the meeting before it happens," Jesse yelled after me.
"I want to talk to you about it as well, but it can wait until later," I yelled back. "Make
sure you give the dog some fresh water before you come out."
"Okay," he yelled as I headed out the front door.
This is not shaping up to be the best Sunday in history, and Jesse reminding me
about tomorrow's meeting isn't help any. But I can't think about that right now, I have to
concentrate on the case at hand. Despite Chelsea and Jesse being adamant that Matt
wouldn't go anywhere without telling someone, I still think he'll show up on his own.
That is, until I dug a little deeper into this case.

CHAPTER TWO
VANISHED

Subway doesn’t conduct very much business at 9:00 on Sunday mornings. The
smell of freshly baked bread infiltrated my nostrils as soon as I opened the door, and my
stomach groaned in anticipation. The restaurant is void of any customers at this hour, and
the two teenage girls behind the counter look bored. They didn’t perk up when we
approached the counter.
"Can I help you?" One of girls asked me.
"I hope so. Were either of you ladies working the day shift yesterday?" I asked.
"What’s it to you?" She replied with a frown.
"My name is Trevor Samuels, and this is Chelsea Dearden. She’s Matthew’s mother and
he never came home yesterday. We’re trying to find out where he may have gone after
work."
"Matty worked with me yesterday," the other girl said while looking at Jesse. "Hi, Jesse."
"Hey Kathy, how’s it going?"
"Not bad, but I’d rather be sleeping," she said dryly.
"Wouldn’t we all," Jesse replied.
"So, Kathy, was Matt here for his entire shift?" I asked.
"Yeah, he was. We worked until 5:00, and then he left on his bike. I walked to the bus
stop."
"Did he seem different in any way, or did he mention where he was going after work?"
"No, he acted like he always does, nothing strange. He didn’t say where he was going
after work."
"Okay. Was anybody else working with you and Matt yesterday?"
"Cooper was here, he worked the twelve to eight shift."
"Cooper?" I asked.
"Yeah, Cooper Jenkins. He works here part-time," the other girl said.
"He’s an asshole," Jesse said. Both girls chuckled at Jesse’s insightful opinion.
"Jesse," I said, "that’s enough."
"No, he’s right. Cooper moves to the beat of a different drummer," the other girl said.
"That’s putting it mildly, Kim," Jesse said. "The guy’s always picking fights at school,
and for no reason. If he thinks you’re looking at him the wrong way, he challenges you to
a fight. He’s an ass."
"Is Cooper working today?" I asked.
"No, he’s off for two weeks now, he asked for some time off," Kathy replied.
"Do Cooper and Matt get along? Any issues there?" I asked.
"No, not really. No more than anyone else. It’s like Jesse said, Cooper’s a bit different. I
think he has some anger management issues, but I've never heard of him getting into it
with Matty," Kim replied.
"Does anyone know how to reach Cooper?"
"Yeah, the staff list is in the back. I’ll get you his phone number," Kathy said as she
disappeared into the back of the restaurant.
"I hope he’s okay," Kim said. "I like Matty, he’s a nice guy."
"Thank you, I pray he’s okay too," Chelsea said with a thin smile.
Kathy returned with a piece of paper in her hand. I noticed Jesse checking her out
as she walked toward me, and I had to smile.
"Here’s his phone number and address. I don’t think we’re supposed to give out personal
information, but who cares," Kathy said. "It's only Cooper."
"We appreciate it, thank you," Chelsea said as I took the paper from Kathy.
"Yes, thank you for all of your help, ladies," I said. "If you think of anything else,
anything at all, please call Mrs. Dearden. Even if it seems insignificant, please let her
know. Sometimes it’s the smallest detail that cracks a case."
"Are you a cop or something?" Kim asked me.
"No, I’m a private investigator, and a friend of the family."
"Oh. I thought you were Matt’s dad."
"No, I’m not. I’m just trying to help find him."
"Aren’t you Jesse’s dad? I saw your picture in the paper a couple of months ago,
something about busting a car place," Kathy said.
"I’m Jesse’s guardian, and yes, that was me in the paper."
"Cool."
"Thanks again, ladies," I said as we started to walk toward the door.
"No problem," They both said in unison. "Bye, Jesse."
"Bye," Jesse replied.
"What’s the deal with this Cooper kid?" I asked Jesse when we got back into my
Camry.
"I told you, he’s an asshole. It’s just the way he is," Jesse replied. "Hey Trev, don’t
forget Brenda’s going to be calling you soon."
"Oh yeah, right," I said as I looked at my watch.
Brenda and I worked my last case. She’s a claim adjuster and we’ve been seeing
each other since we wrapped the case. You might say we hit it off, after a bumpy start,
that is.
"When is she coming back?" Jesse asked.
"Two weeks I think," I replied. "Isn’t the training she went on three weeks long?"
"I think so."
"I’ll ask her when she calls."
"She’ll be shocked when she finds out you're working on a missing persons case," Jesse
snickered.
"She might be," I said while looking at Jesse in the rear-view mirror.
"So tell us about Cooper, I mean beyond him being unpleasant. What’s his problem?"
Chelsea asked.
"I don’t know very much about him. He’s not in any of my classes, but I think we’re in
the same grade. He doesn’t have any friends I don't think, he’s alone every time I see
him. He’s usually sitting in the school yard listening to music on an old Discman," Jesse
replied.
"He sounds odd."
"He is odd. This one time, some kid walked up to him in the yard and asked him
something. I don’t know what he asked him, but Cooper started yelling and swearing at
him, then he punched the kid in the face and walked away."
"Did you ever find out what the kid said to him?" I asked.
"Nope, never did."
Everyone was silent as we headed for the police station. It's clear something
happened to Matt after he’d left the restaurant. He told his mother he would be home
right after work, but he never made it home. I don’t like the sound of this Cooper kid
and, when I looked at the paper with his particulars on it, I noticed he doesn’t live far
from the police station.
"Cooper lives pretty close to the police station. We should stop in on our way home," I
said to no one in particular.
"Good idea," Chelsea said anxiously. "I don’t know what happened to Matt, but
whatever happened, it happened during the fifteen-minute bike ride from Subway to our
place."
"Yes, I was just thinking that as well. Do you know the exact route he takes to the
restaurant?" I asked.
"I think so," Chelsea replied.
"I do. I’ve ridden with him a few times. He always goes the same way," Jesse
interjected.
"Good, then we’ll check that out as well," I said.
"I told you," Jesse said with a laugh.
"Told me what? What’s so funny?"
"I knew you couldn’t resist this case."
"I’m just doing some preliminary work here, Jess. That’s all."
"Sure, sure."
My Blackberry started to ring just as Jesse finished his triumphant laugh.
"That’s Brenda," Jesse said.
"Yup," I said as I looked at the screen on my wireless device. I'm just turning into the
parking lot of the police station when I answer the call.
Jesse and Chelsea milled around the front of the police station while I stayed in
the car and talked to Brenda. Contrary to Jesse’s belief, she was not surprised to find that
I’d agreed to help Chelsea find Matt. I filled her in on what had happened this morning,
and she filled me in on her training. She also confirmed she’d be back in two weeks.
Brenda asked that I keep her up to date on Matt’s case, and I assured her I would give her
an update every day. She did, in fact, call me at the same time every day. I got out of the
car as soon as I finished talking to her.
"How’s she doing?" Jesse asked.
"She’s good. She said she’s learning a lot, but she misses us. She’ll be back in two
weeks."
"Is she surprised you’re working on a missing persons case?" Jesse asked with a smile
that extended from one ear to the other.
"No, smart guy. She isn’t surprised that I’m helping a friend of yours," I replied with an
equally large grin.
"Huh. Well, when you put it that way "
"Let’s go see if Matt’s here," I said as we approached the front door of the station. "I
talked to him yesterday and he said he was working today."
"Matt?" Chelsea asked with a puzzled look on her face.
"Yes, a friend of mine. Matt Prince is an officer on the force. He’s helped me when I’ve
needed information in the past."
"I thought you meant my Matt for a second there."
"Oh, no. Sorry for the confusion."
"No problem," Chelsea said as we stood in line at the reception counter.
"Hey, Trevor. How are things?" Bonita asked me when we got to the counter.
Bonita is a good friend of Matt’s, and he introduced us some time ago. I don’t
know much about her, but she has beautiful hazelnut-colored skin. That combined with
her long black hair brought considerable stares everywhere she went. At least, I assume
they did.
"I’m great, Bonita. How are you?"
"I’d be better if I wasn’t working, but I can’t complain. Who can I get for you?"
"Matt, please."
"You got it," she said as she picked up her phone receiver.
"Thank you much," I said as we walked to the door that led to the main squad room.
A few minutes later, Constable Prince opened the door. As always, he had a big
smile on his face, and he shook my hand repeatedly.
"To what do I owe the pleasure, Trev?" He asked me while checking out Chelsea. "Hey,
Jesse."
"Hey."
"We have a bit of a situation, Matt. Can we go to your office and have a chat?" I asked.
"You got it," Matt said as he held the door open for us.
The squad room's as dreary as always. One big room with gun metal gray colored
walls and a flurry of activity. Matt led us to his small office. Jesse and Chelsea sat in the
two chairs, the only two that would fit on the other side of Matt’s desk. I stood by the
door after I closed it.
"What’s happening?" Matt asked.
"Matt, this is Chelsea Dearden. Chelsea, Matt Prince," I said.
"A pleasure, ma'am," Matt said as he leaned over his desk to shake her hand.
"Nice to meet you, Officer."
"Matt, Mrs. Dearden’s son, who’s also named Matthew, disappeared after he left work
yesterday. Nobody has seen or talked to him since 5:00 yesterday afternoon."
"I’m sorry to hear that," Matt said to Chelsea with a genuine look of concern on his face.
"Are you working the case, Trevor?"
"Not officially, but Matt is a friend of Jesse’s so I agreed to look into it. I hoped some of
the employees would be able to shed some light on his current whereabouts, but this
wasn’t the case."
"I see. Where does he work?"
Chelsea brought Matt up to speed on the day’s events, including the chat with
Kim and Kathy at Subway. Matt sat in quiet contemplation for a minute after Chelsea
finished rehashing the story.
"Technically, we can’t do anything until the person has been missing for forty-eight
hours," he finally said.
"That’s such bullshit!" Jesse barked.
"Jesse! Enough," I said to him. "How about off the record, Matt?"
"Off the record, you’ll never guess who accepted a promotion this past week."
"Who?’
"Sage."
"You’re kidding? Sage? The life-long traffic cop?"
"The one and only."
"What department is he in now?"
"Investigations."
"Isn’t that something. Isn’t he close to retirement? Why would he accept a change
now?"
"He said he has another five years before he wants to pack it in, and that traffic was
getting too mundane."
"Really?"
"I was as shocked as you are. Anyway, why don’t I call him in? Maybe he can do some
unofficial poking around."
"Good idea," I said as Matt picked up his phone and entered a three-digit extension
number.
"Hey Eric, Matt here. Can you come to my office? Trevor Samuels is here and he needs
some help," Matt said. "Right."
"He’ll be over in a minute. Have you checked with all of his friends and the hospitals,
ma'am?" Matt asked.
"All that I can think of, yes. No one has talked to him since Friday afternoon when he
was at school. The girl at Subway said he left work at 5:00 yesterday, but he never made
it home."
"Strange," Matt said.
"Isn’t it though," I said. "We’re going to drive the route Matt takes when he rides his
bike to work. See if anything stands out."
"Good idea," Matt said as Sage knocked on his office door. I opened the door so Sage
could shoehorn himself into the cramped office.
"Eric, how are things? Congrats on the promotion!" I said enthusiastically.
"Thanks very much, Trevor. I appreciate that."
After the usual pleasantries took place between everyone in the room, Chelsea,
Matt, and I brought Sage up to speed on the disappearance. He didn’t say a word until
we'd all finished speaking.
"First and foremost, I’d love to help. Unfortunately, my hands are tied for the first forty-
eight hours. We just had a meeting about this and, much to my disapproval, I can’t do
anything at this point," Sage said. "The chief tore us a new one after one of the other
guys started an investigation similar to this one within the forty-eight hour period. It
turns out the missing person had tied one on and fell asleep at an outdoor party in the
country. Luckily, she turned up safe and sound. When the chief found out about it, he
was as mad as hell, and said the next officer that didn’t wait out the forty-eight hours
would be suspended. We just don’t have the manpower to spare, you understand?."
"I can’t believe," I started to say, but Sage silenced me when he raised his hand.
"I would suggest that you do what you just told me you were going to do, Trevor.
Normally I would say don’t talk to this Cooper kid, but since our hands are tied for
another thirty-two hours, it might be a good idea. The first forty-eight hours are so
crucial, too. I’d also check out the route Matt takes to work. You do that, and let me
know what you find out. Keep investigating, and at 5:00 tomorrow afternoon, I’ll be on
the case. That is, unless Matt turns up between now and then. Are you absolutely certain
you’ve checked with everyone he knows? No matter how casually?"
"Everyone. I’ve checked with everyone. The Subway people were the last of them,"
Chelsea said.
"Where’s the boy’s father?" Sage asked.
Chelsea filled him in on the events surrounding her husband’s disappearance. Sage
merely nodded his head when she finished.
"Interesting. I can’t tell you how sorry I am that I can’t start now, but I’ll get suspended
as sure as I’m standing here. Trevor’s a good investigator, he’s more than capable of
starting the investigation and, if Matt hasn’t shown up by 5:00 tomorrow afternoon, I’ll
take over. That’s the best we can do at this point."
"I understand, Eric," I said. "I’ll give you a call later today, after I check with this Cooper
kid."
"Good. And good luck to you, I hope you find him safe and sound," Eric said as he
shook our hands. He then disappeared into the bowels of the building.
"Sorry about that, folks," Matt said. "I didn’t know they caught hell last week."
"No worries, Matt. I’ve already started looking into it, so I’ll just continue. Until
tomorrow afternoon at least."
After promising to keep Matt up to date, and to call him if we need anything, we
headed for the exit. Chelsea is dabbing her eyes with a tissue again, and Jesse is as
somber as I’ve ever seen him. I usually rely on my gut instincts, and right now my gut
isn’t sitting right. I have a terrible feeling, though I can’t figure out why. Matt can’t have
vanished off the face of the earth in a fifteen-minute period of time. Something happened
to him, and I only hope my gut instinct is wrong.

CHAPTER THREE
EVIDENCE

Cooper doesn't live in one of the better parts of town. Redmond Street consists of
row housing. There are several buildings, and each building contains five townhouses.
All of the buildings look the same. I slowed down as we approached the 1500 block of
townhouses, as Cooper resides in number 1578.
"This place is a shithole!" Jesse said.
"It doesn't look the best, does it," Chelsea whispered as she looked out the window.
"Not everyone can afford housing in the suburbs, Jesse," I said. "Some people live
paycheck to paycheck in this world. Truth be told, a lot more people than you think live
below the poverty line."
"That's very true," Chelsea said.
"Figures," Jesse said. "An asshole lives in a shithole. He probably feels right at home."
I lowered my head and closed my eyes for a second. I'm going to have to talk to
the lad about how to speak while in a lady's presence. I was about to speak, but Jesse beat
me to it.
"There it is, 1578. The biggest shithole of them all."
I stopped the car outside number 1578 and we all looked at the house before us.
Jesse's right; it's in very bad shape. Piles of garbage are strewn about the small front yard,
and all of the screens in the windows are in tatters. The front door to the unit looked to
be of the old fashioned, wooden variety, which are usually very nice. The door to the
Jenkins' home, however, has peeling white paint all over it. Even worse, it's stained by
god only knows what.
"We may as well get this over with," I said as I reached for the door handle.
We all exited the car at the same time. I walked around to the passenger side
where Chelsea and Jesse are waiting for me, and we walked single file to the front door. I
can't see a doorbell, so I knock on the cleanest portion of the door I can find. After a brief
period of time had elapsed, I knocked again, only harder. This time I hear a muffled
voice coming from the other side of the door.
"What did she say?" I asked.
"I didn't catch it."
"Neither did I."
Finally the door opened, and the stench that penetrated the air is...indescribable.
"What do you want?" A disheveled woman asked. Her voice sounds like she's speaking
through a mouthful of gravel.
The years have not been kind to the woman standing before us. Her long graying
hair is frizzy and unkempt. It protrudes at odd angles from her head as well. Her face is
twisted into a scowl, and the numerous wrinkles that line her face are very deep. If this
woman is Cooper's mother, I would guess she'd be in her forties at the latest. The woman
standing before us, however, looks to be in her seventies. A long cigarette hangs from
her lips as she eyes us suspiciously.
"Good morning, ma'am. My name's Trevor Samuels, and this is Chelsea Dearden.
Would Cooper be at home?"
"What's he done now?" She asked after her coughing subsided.
"Nothing that we know of, ma'am. Mrs. Dearden's son works with Cooper at Subway.
They worked together yesterday as a matter of fact. Matthew didn't go home after work
yesterday, and he hasn't been seen since he left the restaurant. We're checking with all of
the people that saw him yesterday, just in case he told someone where he was going. As
you can well imagine, his mother is sick with worry," I said while looking at Chelsea.
"Why would this kid tell Cooper anything? He doesn't have any friends," she hissed. "He
treats people like shit."
"That's too bad, ma'am. May we speak to him?"
"If I can get his lazy ass out of bed you can. Come on in."
To say we're hesitant about entering the house would be an understatement. I
went in first, and the thought of taking off my shoes never occurred to me. The inside of
the house is as well kempt as the outside. Dirty dishes and fast food containers litter the
small kitchen to the immediate left of the front door. I look straight ahead into what must
be the living room. A small card table is also littered with fast food cartons, and a ratty
old love seat is directly beside it. We remained standing in the entrance way. I don't
think any of us want to precede any further into the house. Mrs. Jenkins, if that's who the
woman is, disappeared up the stairs to the right of the front door as soon as we entered. I
heard a male voice start shouting shortly thereafter.
"What the fuck do you want, ma? Can't you see I'm sleeping?"
"Who?"
"Tell them to fuck off!"
After a loud commotion erupted above our heads, a gangly, pimple-faced teenager
came down the stairs. He's of average height, but under-weight. He's only wearing boxer
shorts, so I guess he isn't too particular when it comes to first impressions. Unlike Jesse,
he isn't wearing any make-up.
"What the fuck do you want?" He asked as he looked from me, to Chelsea, and finally
settled on Jesse. "I know you, you're that fag that goes to my school."
"Okay. Jesse, please go wait in the car," I said as I handed him the car keys. His face is
bright crimson, and I know he's about to lose his temper. As such, I grab him by the arm
and lead him out the front door. The last thing we need is a fist fight.
"I see what Jesse says about you is true, Mr. Jenkins, so I'll get to the point of our visit."
"What did he say about me?"
"You worked with Matthew Dearden yesterday. Did he mention where he was going
after work?"
"He didn't say shit to me. We aren't friends," Cooper scowled. "How the fuck would I
know where he went."
"I don't know, sir. That's why I'm asking."
"Why are you asking me?"
"Matthew disappeared after he left Subway. No one has seen or heard from him since.
We're checking with everyone he came into contact with yesterday to see if anybody
knows where he went."
"I have no idea where he went, he didn't say shit to me. Okay? Can I go back to bed
now? Are you done, pig?"
"Just so you know, I'm not a cop. I'm a friend of the family, and this is Matthew's
mother."
"That doesn't change anything, man. He didn't say shit to me."
"Thanks for your time, Mr. Jenkins," I said as Chelsea and I left the house. The wooden
door slammed shut as soon as we stepped outside.
"That's quite the young man," Chelsea said as we walked to the car.
"He sure is. Jesse's absolutely right about him. The girls at Subway were right as well,
there are definitely some anger management issues with him."
"I'm gonna get that son-of-a-bitch!" Jesse said as soon as we got in the car.
I turned to look at him over my shoulder. His face continues to glow red, and his hands
are balled into tight fists. He's staring at the front door of unit 1578.
"Jesse, look at me," I said calmly. He didn't turn to face me.
"Jesse!" I said in a loud, firm voice. This time I got his attention.
"You won't do anything to him, you understand me?"
"Did you hear what he called me? I'm gonna rip his balls off!"
"Yes, I heard what he called you. But if you try anything, you'll regret it. You'll only get
yourself into trouble."
"I don't care. Nobody talks to me like that!"
"You're going to come across many different attitudes over the course of your life, Jess.
You have to learn to turn the other cheek. If you let what others say get to you, they'll
have won. All the anger you feel isn't worth it, not for some ignorant kid anyway. Just
try and calm down, and we'll talk about this later."
For a change, Jesse remained silent. I looked in the rear-view mirror every few
minutes as we headed back to Subway. His anger is slowly relenting, and his face is
turning back to its normal pale tone. I guess everyone has his or her own degree of anger
management issues.
Nobody said a word until we got to Subway. I turned to face Jesse as soon as I
stopped the car in the parking lot.
"You okay, Jess?"
"Fine."
"Good. What route does Matt take from here?
I drove very slowly down the suburban streets, and turned whenever Jesse told me
to. All he said was "left here" and "right here," nothing else. I scanned the left side of
every street while Chelsea scanned the right sides. Jesse is looking out the passenger side
window as well, but I can't tell if he's looking for anything out of the ordinary, or if he's
still lost in his anger.
After ten minutes we came upon a park on the right side of Dover Court Road.
Trees line three sides of the perimeter of the park, and I can't see beyond the trees. I
pulled over and turned off the ignition.
"He doesn't go through the park," Jesse said.
"I still want to have a look. Just in case," I said as Chelsea and I got out of the car. Jesse
continued to stew in the back seat.
"Jesse gets upset easily, doesn't he?" Chelsea asked.
"Over some things, very easily. Other things, not so much," I replied. "Questioning his
sexuality definitely gets his blood boiling."
"I don't blame him, I'd be upset too. Not to that extreme mind you."
"With age comes maturity, my dear," I said. "Let's have a look around the park. Why
don't you walk the perimeter counter-clockwise, and I'll walk clock-wise. Then we'll
meet at 12:00."
"Okay."
"Just holler if you see anything familiar, or out of the ordinary, and I'll do the same."
"Will do."
I'm walking slowly around the brush and trees, looking for anything that looks out
of place. Chelsea's doing the same. I watched a news story a few days ago about this
very park. Needles from drug users, and many condoms have been found lying
innocently about. Teenagers frequented the park after dark, and the police asked local
residents to keep an eye out for anyone or anything that looked suspicious. We were
about three quarters of the way around the perimeter of the sizable park when I heard
Chelsea scream. I turned just as she disappeared into the brush.
Not being one for exercise, I ran a lot faster than I thought I could. I bolted
through the brush in the same place Chelsea had disappeared. I ran so fast I almost
knocked her over, for she had stopped in a small clearing on the other side of the brush.
She's now kneeling on the ground sobbing. A bicycle is lying on the ground in front of
her.
"Are you okay, Chelsea?"
"This is his bike," she said through her sniffles. "It's Matthew's bike."
"Don't touch it. There might be fingerprints and other evidence on it," I said in a soft
voice. The bike is lying on its right side in the clearing. I started to look around the rest
of the clearing, just to see if I can find any other evidence. Chelsea remained on her
knees at the bike, and she continues to sob. My search came up empty. I returned to
Chelsea and the bike just as Jesse walked into the clearing.
"Where'd you find that?" He asked.
"Right where it's lying. How did you know where we were?"
"I heard a scream, so I walked around and heard rustling in here. I followed the sound."
"Oh, right. Chelsea says this is Matt's bike."
"It is."
The bike looks fairly new. It's a black mountain bike, and the front wheel is
severely warped. There's no way it can be ridden in its current shape.
"I wonder what would cause that kind of damage," I said.
"Maybe riding it into something, like a tree," Jesse said. "There are lots of them around
here."
"Yes, but Matt left work at 5:00 in the afternoon. It's still light out at that time. Surely he
would've seen a tree ahead of him."
"True. But there's no way he rode the bike in here. He loves that bike; he saved for
months to buy it. He'd never risk getting it scratched by driving it through the brush."
"You're right, Jesse," Chelsea said as she got to her feet. "He wouldn't have ridden it into
the brush. Not unless he was trying to get away from someone."
Jesse and I watched as Chelsea dabbed her eyes for what seemed like the
thousandth time today. I looked down at the bike while I ran possibilities through my
mind. It's possible someone moved the bike to this spot. It's pretty secluded; you have to
walk through the brush to find this clearing. It's possible no one would've come across it
for days, even months. I don't want to share this thought with Chelsea, however. She has
enough on her mind. I entered the police station phone number into my Blackberry, I
have to get Sage out here to pick up the bike.
"Chelsea, why don't you go back to the car with Jesse? I'm going to call the police, and
they will come and get the bike...Hi, Eric Sage please...get the bike and take it back to the
station so forensics can go over it. Maybe we'll get lucky and they'll find some evidence
on it....Eric, Trevor Samuels. We just found Matthew Dearden's bike hidden in a clearing
at the park on Dover Court Road, you better get over here. It looks like the bike was
involved in an accident of some sort...Right, see you shortly," I said and hung up the
phone.
"I'm going to take some pictures for my file," I said as I walked toward the bike. I
took a lot of close-ups of the bike with my Blackberry, from every possible angle.
Chelsea, who had not returned to the car, stood silently beside Jesse.
"Okay guys, you should get back to the car. Sage will be here shortly. I'll stay here and
watch the bike, just in case someone shows up."
Without uttering a word Chelsea and Jesse turned and disappeared into the brush.
My heart goes out to the woman, I can't imagine how I would feel if Jesse disappeared,
and he isn't my kid. I looked back at the bike as I re-holstered my mobile.
I heard a rustling sound and voices five minutes later. Sage and three other
officers entered the clearing behind Jesse and Chelsea shortly thereafter.
"Doesn't take you long, does it?" I said.
"We're quick when we want to be," Sage replied. "Okay boys, fan out. Search every inch
of this place. Did anyone touch the bike, Trev?"
"Not any of us, that's for sure."
Chelsea and I told Sage about our meeting with Cooper Jenkins, and how she
found the bike. After asking a few routine questions, like how do we know it's Matt's
bike, Sage started taking pictures for his file. One of the other officers is spreading white
dust along the bike frame. He's checking for fingerprints.
"Well, there's nothing more you can do here. Why don't you take Mrs. Dearden home,
Trevor? I'll give you a call later, let you know if we find anything," Sage said.
"Good idea. Give me a call as soon as you wrap up the scene," I said.
"Will do."
I led Chelsea and Jesse back to the car.
"I guess they don't have to wait forty-eight hours now," Chelsea said.
"No, not when evidence like this turns up. They start investigating right away if foul play
is suspected," I said. "Let's drop by your place, Chelsea. I'd like to have a look at Matt's
room. It's doubtful I'll find anything helpful, but you never know. Then we'll go to my
place so you can get your van."
"All right, Trevor. Thanks for everything you're doing. I don't know what I would have
done without your help."
"Don't mention it. That's what friends are for," I replied as I looked in the rear-view
mirror. Jesse's back to his somber self. He isn't looking out the window as he usually
does, however. He's staring into the rear-view mirror, looking into my eyes.