Tracks Of His Father

To Tell you the truth.. We knew when we got this case that not only was it one of our more stranger cases...but that it was going to take more than 48 hours to crack..We were already in hour 96...


It served us right..We had gotten too lazy, too cocky...

Monica was the primary on three Homicides the week before..We cracked them both in under 12 hours...

Then I had a couple of homicides..One double and one domestic...both cracked within 24 hours..

Lt. Cotton told us...


''Pretty good work you two..You guys cracked five easy ones and helped Kylie crack hers too..

"She was heading into 48 hours with that one...but don't get too cocky...I just have a feeling a real hum dinger is coming...One that won't be so easy.." he said.


That case was this one...A man decapitated in his apartment...days ago..We still hadn't found the head ...Hell we didn't have motive or suspect...

We had a grainy photo, taken by a street camera of a hulking man,dressed in black, who entered the apartment complex carrying a case that looked like it might contain a sword...What we speculated took our victim's head off..

Today , we were headed to the last known place, The victim's father was known to work for... A Digital News streaming service located in center city...

The Victim's father had vanished about ten years ago and was never seen again...So here was a mystery inside of a mystery...

When our Lieutenant told us a humdinger was coming down the pike...We never imagined this.

But when you've cracked 300 plus cases ,like Monica and I had cracked..you're up for the challenge..

 ''This is the address bae." Monica said to me softly as I landed my flying car on the roof..

"Wow..We 're investigating one murder and questioning somebody about a long cold missing person's case.."I said.

'

"This was your idea...And I have to admit..I thought it was a good one." said Monica.

''Yeah,I know...Let's go." I said.

II-

"Yeah, I knew Sinclair Reynolds...Best damn investigative reporter I ever hired...He brought me in some great pieces...real whistle blower pieces." said Jackie Culbertson, the city editor of the Digital News streaming service..

''Was he working on something big when you last saw him?"asked Monica.

''He said he was...of course.. He always had the big story...." laughed Jackie..

''So what was he working on?" I asked.

''Sadly..We'll never know...He never told us...He walked out of here on a Wednesday Avenue ten years ago almost to the day...and he never returned..We called him...I even went to his apartment...Same place you say his kid was livin...The door was unlocked...Everything was as he left it..As if he hadn't gone far and he was just comin back.. But he never did...Weeks past, Months passed...He was never seen or heard from again.." said Jackie.

"You call the police?" asked Monica.

"Sure did ..They worked it hard...Never turned up..We paid him..You know by direct deposit.. His bank account is still open to this day and there hasn't been any movement.. He never spent a dime of that money or any of the other money in that account..Left his car in front of the apartment...Never returned to the apartment.. Mail just piled up...and after a year...He was evicted....In absentia of course....I really liked that guy...I had no idea he left a wife and kid back in Toronto..." he said.

"He have a girlfriend?" I asked.

"Yeah..Her name was Edie...I have an address for her...but hell, that was ten years ago.....She might still be there..Go talk to her...She waited for that guy for two years before she just decided to move on...She was a nice girl.."said Jackie.

"Wow...this story gets murkier and murkier..."I said.

"Well, thanks for your time sir."said Monica.

"I'm sorry I couldn't be of more help and real sorry his kid got killed...And the way you say he got killed..My goodness..What is the world coming to?" asked Jackie.

"Tell me about it." I said as we left..

III-

 We found Edie and we talked to her..She was married now ,with two children....

''I waited for two years for something...A word..a phone call, a text..Nothing.."she said. "Two years is a long time to wait for anybody....I figured by the time I got married he'd show up...Fate is like that you know..But he never did...I just figured he was either dead in a ditch somewhere or he had to get out of dodge real quick." she said.

With that our interview was concluded..She ,like his former editor lost sight of him ten years ago.There was really..nobody else to talk to as far as that went.

We headed back to the squadroom...

''So, what's your next move?" asked Monica.

''You're the mind reader, you can't tell?" I asked, smiling..

"I wasn't listening...At least not since you stopped wondering what fragrance I'm wearing and wondering if I'm wearing the matching Yellow and white striped bra and panty set from Victoria's Secret you bought me, with this skirt...AndYes I am.. In case you wanted to know..." she said.

I smiled..

"You only hear my dirty thoughts.." I said.  "But to answer your question..I want to head to-"I said.

"Missing persons...Okay, I heard your thoughts that time.." she laughed..

"Know what I'm thinking now?" I asked, looking at her salaciously...

''Yesssssssssss...and maybe we can do that after we go to Missing persons..." said Monica...

I smiled sheepishly....Monica just shook her head and laughed.

''You're so cute when you're horny." she said.

At missing persons we looked at the file the two case detectives amassed on Sinclair Reynolds... It was a pleasure to see somebody who was as  meticulous as Mo -Mo and I..They had photos of the room, exactly the way it was left...a running video vigil of the hallway ,just in case he returned...Street and Traffic cam footage of his comings and goings..and his financials as well as photos of him..

"Partner...I may have found something...Two things really."said Monica.

''What bae?" I asked.

"Well, these photos from his room....Look ,Model cars, Model Planes and Trains....He liked models just like his son."said Monica.

"Good Chance, he may have gotten the son interested in them..."I said.

''Yeah and on his credit card slip...He made a trip to the Abbott Hobby Shop on the day he was last seen alive." said Monica.

''..Hmm...And the son made a trip there on the day before he died. Co-incidence?" I asked aloud...

''We did say we wanted to check that place out." said Monica.

"Maybe sooner...Rather than later.."I said.

IV-

"This is definitely the place..." I said.

"It's closed Bae...They open up at 10:00 am tomorrow, We'll come back.." said Monica.

"Wish I didn't have to be in until ten..." I said.

"Why? You wouldn't sleep...You'd be all on top of me.." said Monica..

"Yeahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, I would.." I laughed slyly...

"You're so nasty...Come on...Let's go see my sister."said Monica.

So we took another trip across town to the Medical Examiner's Office...

Monique saw us...and frowned...

"No new leads huh?" she said.

"We went to Missing Persons and looked up his father's file and we found something interesting.." I said.

''What?"asked Monique...

"Ten years ago...His father went to the Abbotts Hobby Shop and bought a model car..." said Monica..

"And the day before he was murdered....Blair bought something from the same Abbotts Hobby Shop..."I said.

"They both lived in the same Apartment complex....That can't be a co-incidence..." said Monique...

"I think he was looking for his father...and I think he knew that was where his father last shopped and he was going there trying to get information.."said Monica.

''It's my phone....It's Kylie..."I said.

''Nate....I aint even gonna try to explain this on the phone...You need to get to Liberty Park..All of you..This will blow your mind."said Kylie.

IV-

The scene was gruesome......Kylie stood with the man and his girlfriend who had found the discovery...

"They were taking a shortcut through the park, when the girl slipped on what turned out to be a shovel and she discovered this." said Kylie, who showed us the severed head of  Blair Reynolds...it had been in a bag..

"Oh My God!!" said Monica..

Lieutenant Cotton walked over..

"There is more..Apparently these two interrupted something..Look at these footprints..They're big and look at the mud and the direction...Somebody was out here digging...They wear a size 13 shoe...and look what's here.." he said.

"Oh My god...there's a body in that hole..."I said..

We watched as the body was brought up...it was mummified...

''From the looks of it...This body has been buried here for about 10-12 years...Judging from extreme decomp.."said Monique...

''That's Blair's missing head....Wanna bet this is the long missing Sinclair Reynolds..His father?" I said.

''That means we are looking for the same killer."said Monica.

"Get some guys out here...Get a plaster cast of these footprints...Scrub all of the street cams and traffic cams leading up to this park..We might get lucky..."said Lt. Cotton..

"Geez..I'm staying with Wally tonight...This damn case just got creepier than it already was."said Kylie.

Kylie had said a mouth full...


I was definitely headed to that Hobby shop...I don't know what it was..but I had a gut feeling that the key to this mystery started and ended in that Hobby shop.



(DEFINITELY TO BE CONTINUED)