hour plus on the phone, he was told that the number he was calling was pre-programmed. It was sold in retail stores across America, and there was no way to track down the owner or the phone in any way. The panic was beginning to set in as Sudhir now knew for certain that Jill was in trouble, and he had no idea how to help her.
He had a nagging feeling in the back of his head that he was missing something. There was an oddity about the voice, a familiarity of some kind that he couldn’t understand or place. It was almost as if he were talking to a friend in the brief verbal exchange, and that instant bond was baffling. Could he be so far removed emotionally from society that the one connection he felt subconsciously was to a killer; and if so, what did that say about him? Is it true that in order to catch a murderer you have to feel and connect on a level, lowering yourself to who and what the killer has become?
He told his captain immediately to ensure that he was aware of the pending doom Sudhir felt would have to be conveyed to Jill’s parents. His captain tried to put a calmer spin on the synopsis, but he too had to admit that the likelihood of Jill returning was growing slim. Shit, this was more than Sudhir had signed up for when he became a small-town police officer in a college area known for parties and corralling underage drinkers.
He decided to drive down to University Street and meet up with Mike and Scott so he could inform them of his discoveries. It was their investigation, as well after all, and he did not want to make more enemies than he already had. He made the short drive for what seemed like the 100th time in the last 24 hours and parked in the exact same spot he had the night before. He then called Mike’s cell phone number and was informed they were at Starbucks a couple of blocks away.
At this point they had not found out much. Sudhir was not thoroughly convinced they were even trying. They stated they had walked around to several of the local restaurants and bars in the 10-square-block area, but as of now they were not having any luck. Sudhir asked them for the picture of Jill they were using, and Scott stated they had just placed the entire file back in the car less than 10 minutes ago. He could retrieve it if Sudhir did not have his own.
Sudhir opened his file and had remembered to include the photo of Jill that had been given him by her mother earlier this morning. He then decided he would walk the same path and ask around himself. He was gaining (as he had hoped) a little more respect for the two detectives, but he just wanted to look as he had nothing else to do that afternoon. He couldn’t face the fact that he was incapable of helping Jill.
Sudhir spent the next few hours going from store to restaurant to bar to store, showing the picture to anyone who would listen. He finally did get a slight nod of acknowledgement at a local Italian restaurant where a waiter was pretty sure that he remembered her from the night before. It seemed that she had been in, having dinner with a gentleman who was very nondescript. The waiter could really give no details other than Caucasian, average build, brownish hair, and an odd bite.
He seemed to remember Jill as the two had ordered a bottle of red wine, and he remembered the gentleman drank most of the bottle, while Jill only had one small glass. Either the patron was a heavy drinker and could hold his alcohol or maybe he was inebriated enough to have made a mistake. So far, Sudhir was not finding out much that would lead to a conclusion.
He did talk to somebody by chance in the garage who apparently worked in one of the local restaurants. The man parked in the same spot most every evening and did remember the night of the exploding car. He also remembered a green Volvo XC90 SUV that had been parked in the corner close to the stairs. He remembered it because it was the same car that his sister drove and had the same small dent on the back of the trunk
He had a nagging feeling in the back of his head that he was missing something. There was an oddity about the voice, a familiarity of some kind that he couldn’t understand or place. It was almost as if he were talking to a friend in the brief verbal exchange, and that instant bond was baffling. Could he be so far removed emotionally from society that the one connection he felt subconsciously was to a killer; and if so, what did that say about him? Is it true that in order to catch a murderer you have to feel and connect on a level, lowering yourself to who and what the killer has become?
He told his captain immediately to ensure that he was aware of the pending doom Sudhir felt would have to be conveyed to Jill’s parents. His captain tried to put a calmer spin on the synopsis, but he too had to admit that the likelihood of Jill returning was growing slim. Shit, this was more than Sudhir had signed up for when he became a small-town police officer in a college area known for parties and corralling underage drinkers.
He decided to drive down to University Street and meet up with Mike and Scott so he could inform them of his discoveries. It was their investigation, as well after all, and he did not want to make more enemies than he already had. He made the short drive for what seemed like the 100th time in the last 24 hours and parked in the exact same spot he had the night before. He then called Mike’s cell phone number and was informed they were at Starbucks a couple of blocks away.
At this point they had not found out much. Sudhir was not thoroughly convinced they were even trying. They stated they had walked around to several of the local restaurants and bars in the 10-square-block area, but as of now they were not having any luck. Sudhir asked them for the picture of Jill they were using, and Scott stated they had just placed the entire file back in the car less than 10 minutes ago. He could retrieve it if Sudhir did not have his own.
Sudhir opened his file and had remembered to include the photo of Jill that had been given him by her mother earlier this morning. He then decided he would walk the same path and ask around himself. He was gaining (as he had hoped) a little more respect for the two detectives, but he just wanted to look as he had nothing else to do that afternoon. He couldn’t face the fact that he was incapable of helping Jill.
Sudhir spent the next few hours going from store to restaurant to bar to store, showing the picture to anyone who would listen. He finally did get a slight nod of acknowledgement at a local Italian restaurant where a waiter was pretty sure that he remembered her from the night before. It seemed that she had been in, having dinner with a gentleman who was very nondescript. The waiter could really give no details other than Caucasian, average build, brownish hair, and an odd bite.
He seemed to remember Jill as the two had ordered a bottle of red wine, and he remembered the gentleman drank most of the bottle, while Jill only had one small glass. Either the patron was a heavy drinker and could hold his alcohol or maybe he was inebriated enough to have made a mistake. So far, Sudhir was not finding out much that would lead to a conclusion.
He did talk to somebody by chance in the garage who apparently worked in one of the local restaurants. The man parked in the same spot most every evening and did remember the night of the exploding car. He also remembered a green Volvo XC90 SUV that had been parked in the corner close to the stairs. He remembered it because it was the same car that his sister drove and had the same small dent on the back of the trunk
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