last known addresses for the teens, exact locations of where they went missing, and get current phone numbers for their next of kin, start setting up face to face appointments if we have to.”
“I’m going out with you tonight,” Josh stated out of the blue. “There’s no point in arguing about it either.”
She narrowed her eyes. “A serial killer delivers flowers to me personally at home and you think I’d be foolish enough to turn down company or go out by myself? Tsk, tsk, after all this time you still underestimate me.”
“Who, me? No way. It’s going up against that hard head of yours time and again that has me prepared for battle each time I mention helping you on the streets.”
Skye took hold of his shirt with both hands, pulled him closer in front of Leo. She smacked his lips with hers in a fierce kiss. “Besides, we make such a good team and you’re my right-hand man,” she cracked. “How could I go out at night without you to protect my back?”
“’Bout time you realized it.”
Assembling the team was the easy part. Skye had a long list of people willing to help. Longtime friends like Velma Gentry and Lena Bowers had become staples. There were others on standby that could be counted on when the foundation needed to rally ground troops for searches or make phone calls.
Getting down to the nitty-gritty was a piece of cake. But reaching out and touching base with moms and dads who were still hurting from a disappearance was another matter entirely. Some of the couples hadn’t even stayed together. Divorce often occurred after the traumatic loss of a child. Statistics proved that. But these particular instances when a daughter went missing without a trace could put a different kind of pressure on a relationship. No closure, nothing to latch onto, meant it was easier to go their separate ways than to deal with the pain together.
On top of separation and strain, it was a sad fact the families of the missing were often pushed aside by members of law enforcement. The same could be said about the media. Once the case grew cold, interest tended to evaporate on both fronts. Unless a family member took matters into his or her own hands and kept the case alive by giving TV interviews, becoming a regular contributor online, or establishing a website or Facebook page, or became a pest in general with detectives, the file, more than likely, sat in a box somewhere gathering dust. After all, it rarely fell into the “homicide” category because without a body, cops often felt they had no reason to pursue the case. Investigators could only follow available leads. If no leads materialized or didn’t pan out, there wasn’t much more they could do except wait for tips to come in from the general public. Which meant many case files fell into their own abyss, that special circle of hell with no answers.
By early afternoon, reinforcements showed up—Judy, Velma, Lena, and Travis arrived to pitch in. As they mulled over all the names on the list, Velma commented, “Oh, wow. It’s for sure that making these phone calls will be a lot tougher than waitressing. These stories just break my heart.”
Skye agreed. “I know. The families want so much for someone to talk to them, to find them any kind of resolution. They’re usually very cooperative, but tread carefully with the prickly questions.” Skye went over the same spill with these volunteers she’d had with Leo earlier.
Once Lena had gone over all the names there was disbelief. “So many victims. Are these ages correct? Some of these are just kids.”
“Kids are the most trusting and vulnerable,” Skye said. “But let’s face it, any age is susceptible to falling victim to a clever killer. Predators are good at coming up with the perfect ploy to fit the occasion.”
“If the phone numbers the team gathered still work and you get to talk to a family member, suggest a meeting, either at their place or coming in to the foundation,”
“I’m going out with you tonight,” Josh stated out of the blue. “There’s no point in arguing about it either.”
She narrowed her eyes. “A serial killer delivers flowers to me personally at home and you think I’d be foolish enough to turn down company or go out by myself? Tsk, tsk, after all this time you still underestimate me.”
“Who, me? No way. It’s going up against that hard head of yours time and again that has me prepared for battle each time I mention helping you on the streets.”
Skye took hold of his shirt with both hands, pulled him closer in front of Leo. She smacked his lips with hers in a fierce kiss. “Besides, we make such a good team and you’re my right-hand man,” she cracked. “How could I go out at night without you to protect my back?”
“’Bout time you realized it.”
Assembling the team was the easy part. Skye had a long list of people willing to help. Longtime friends like Velma Gentry and Lena Bowers had become staples. There were others on standby that could be counted on when the foundation needed to rally ground troops for searches or make phone calls.
Getting down to the nitty-gritty was a piece of cake. But reaching out and touching base with moms and dads who were still hurting from a disappearance was another matter entirely. Some of the couples hadn’t even stayed together. Divorce often occurred after the traumatic loss of a child. Statistics proved that. But these particular instances when a daughter went missing without a trace could put a different kind of pressure on a relationship. No closure, nothing to latch onto, meant it was easier to go their separate ways than to deal with the pain together.
On top of separation and strain, it was a sad fact the families of the missing were often pushed aside by members of law enforcement. The same could be said about the media. Once the case grew cold, interest tended to evaporate on both fronts. Unless a family member took matters into his or her own hands and kept the case alive by giving TV interviews, becoming a regular contributor online, or establishing a website or Facebook page, or became a pest in general with detectives, the file, more than likely, sat in a box somewhere gathering dust. After all, it rarely fell into the “homicide” category because without a body, cops often felt they had no reason to pursue the case. Investigators could only follow available leads. If no leads materialized or didn’t pan out, there wasn’t much more they could do except wait for tips to come in from the general public. Which meant many case files fell into their own abyss, that special circle of hell with no answers.
By early afternoon, reinforcements showed up—Judy, Velma, Lena, and Travis arrived to pitch in. As they mulled over all the names on the list, Velma commented, “Oh, wow. It’s for sure that making these phone calls will be a lot tougher than waitressing. These stories just break my heart.”
Skye agreed. “I know. The families want so much for someone to talk to them, to find them any kind of resolution. They’re usually very cooperative, but tread carefully with the prickly questions.” Skye went over the same spill with these volunteers she’d had with Leo earlier.
Once Lena had gone over all the names there was disbelief. “So many victims. Are these ages correct? Some of these are just kids.”
“Kids are the most trusting and vulnerable,” Skye said. “But let’s face it, any age is susceptible to falling victim to a clever killer. Predators are good at coming up with the perfect ploy to fit the occasion.”
“If the phone numbers the team gathered still work and you get to talk to a family member, suggest a meeting, either at their place or coming in to the foundation,”
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