answering machine. Said she didn’t think it was strange.”
“That explains why no one came forward,” Horton said.
Mel nodded. “The mother finally got worried enough to call the condo and have somebody go up and check. Then they called the cops, who found out the girl hadn’t been to classes in four weeks. They found her car in the campus lot. It was unlocked and there was some blood inside. That’s when the BOLO went out.”
“Did the parents know she was pregnant?” Horton asked.
Landeta shook his head. “The mother was pretty shocked when I told them. She told me the daughter had a fiancé up in North Carolina, a med student named Jeremy Maynard.”
“Any chance this Maynard guy is the father?” Louis asked.
Landeta didn’t even look back at him. “Maynard said the last time he saw Shelly Umber was at Christmas. I called up to Duke and talked to some doctor who said Maynard is doing his residency at the university hospital there. It keeps him too busy to take a shit let alone fly down to Lauderdale and shoot his girlfriend.”
“How did he take it?” Louis asked.
Landeta turned. “Who?”
“Her boyfriend.”
Landeta stared at him for a moment. “How do you think?”
“Hey, look, man —- ” Louis began.
Horton sat up in his chair. “Save it. What else, Mel?”
“The parents say she was a great kid, good student, homecoming queen, the whole shot. She was also an athlete who made all-state lacrosse team in high school and liked to ski and hike. All she wanted to do was finish college, become a pediatrician, marry Dr. Jeremy, and climb Mt. Everest someday.”
“Family have any connections here?” Horton asked.
“No,” Landeta said. “They’ve never set foot in Fort Myers before and I get the feeling they never want to come back.”
“So we’re looking at an abduction,” Horton said. “We’d better get with Lauderdale and see if there’s anything similar over there.”
Louis took a step forward, but Landeta spoke first. “The father said something strange,” he said. “They said when they were taken in to ID the daughter they weren’t sure it was her at first.”
“How come?” Horton asked.
“They said she had changed, said she was a lot thinner. And the mother was upset about the girl’s hair being cut off. She said that her daughter had long hair, like down-to-the-waist long, and never wanted to get it cut. Always wore it in a braid.”
“I remember her hair,” Louis said. “I thought it looked weird, like someone had tried to cut it off with a knife or something.”
Landeta glanced at Louis. “Why didn’t you say something at the scene?”
“It didn’t seem important then,” Louis said. “But this is a girl from a family with money, a girl who cared about her appearance and was probably strong enough to put up a fight . Whoever abducted her might have cut off her hair to humiliate her as a control thing.”
“And kept her outside and starved her ,” Horton said. His voice trailed off as images filled the silence.
Louis shook his head . He had to get this over with.
“Chief, can I say something?”
They both looked at Louis.
“I think I have a suspect .”
Landeta stared at him through the yellow glasses. Louis couldn’t tell if Landeta was annoyed or impressed.
“You been doing a little investigating on your own?” Horton asked.
“ Not really. A woman came to me a day or two after the body was found and asked me to follow her father. She thought maybe he was involved.”
Horton and Landeta exchanged glances but said nothing.
“The father had the New-Press article on Jane Doe. He also had an old article on another missing woman from 1953.” Louis took a breath. “His name is Frank Woods. He works as a librarian here in town.”
“A librarian?” Landeta asked.
“So you investigated this man?” Horton asked, ignoring Landeta.
“I followed him. That’s all I was asked to do.”
“All you were paid to do, you mean,”
“That explains why no one came forward,” Horton said.
Mel nodded. “The mother finally got worried enough to call the condo and have somebody go up and check. Then they called the cops, who found out the girl hadn’t been to classes in four weeks. They found her car in the campus lot. It was unlocked and there was some blood inside. That’s when the BOLO went out.”
“Did the parents know she was pregnant?” Horton asked.
Landeta shook his head. “The mother was pretty shocked when I told them. She told me the daughter had a fiancé up in North Carolina, a med student named Jeremy Maynard.”
“Any chance this Maynard guy is the father?” Louis asked.
Landeta didn’t even look back at him. “Maynard said the last time he saw Shelly Umber was at Christmas. I called up to Duke and talked to some doctor who said Maynard is doing his residency at the university hospital there. It keeps him too busy to take a shit let alone fly down to Lauderdale and shoot his girlfriend.”
“How did he take it?” Louis asked.
Landeta turned. “Who?”
“Her boyfriend.”
Landeta stared at him for a moment. “How do you think?”
“Hey, look, man —- ” Louis began.
Horton sat up in his chair. “Save it. What else, Mel?”
“The parents say she was a great kid, good student, homecoming queen, the whole shot. She was also an athlete who made all-state lacrosse team in high school and liked to ski and hike. All she wanted to do was finish college, become a pediatrician, marry Dr. Jeremy, and climb Mt. Everest someday.”
“Family have any connections here?” Horton asked.
“No,” Landeta said. “They’ve never set foot in Fort Myers before and I get the feeling they never want to come back.”
“So we’re looking at an abduction,” Horton said. “We’d better get with Lauderdale and see if there’s anything similar over there.”
Louis took a step forward, but Landeta spoke first. “The father said something strange,” he said. “They said when they were taken in to ID the daughter they weren’t sure it was her at first.”
“How come?” Horton asked.
“They said she had changed, said she was a lot thinner. And the mother was upset about the girl’s hair being cut off. She said that her daughter had long hair, like down-to-the-waist long, and never wanted to get it cut. Always wore it in a braid.”
“I remember her hair,” Louis said. “I thought it looked weird, like someone had tried to cut it off with a knife or something.”
Landeta glanced at Louis. “Why didn’t you say something at the scene?”
“It didn’t seem important then,” Louis said. “But this is a girl from a family with money, a girl who cared about her appearance and was probably strong enough to put up a fight . Whoever abducted her might have cut off her hair to humiliate her as a control thing.”
“And kept her outside and starved her ,” Horton said. His voice trailed off as images filled the silence.
Louis shook his head . He had to get this over with.
“Chief, can I say something?”
They both looked at Louis.
“I think I have a suspect .”
Landeta stared at him through the yellow glasses. Louis couldn’t tell if Landeta was annoyed or impressed.
“You been doing a little investigating on your own?” Horton asked.
“ Not really. A woman came to me a day or two after the body was found and asked me to follow her father. She thought maybe he was involved.”
Horton and Landeta exchanged glances but said nothing.
“The father had the New-Press article on Jane Doe. He also had an old article on another missing woman from 1953.” Louis took a breath. “His name is Frank Woods. He works as a librarian here in town.”
“A librarian?” Landeta asked.
“So you investigated this man?” Horton asked, ignoring Landeta.
“I followed him. That’s all I was asked to do.”
“All you were paid to do, you mean,”
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