Free For My Brother by John C. Dalglish Page A

here all night.”
    “Oh. Did you find out what the surprise is?”
    “I was just about to ask. So Doc, is this car you mentioned our surprise?”
    Doc Josie got off the stool and walked to her office with the detectives in tow. Grabbing a sheet of paper, she handed it to Jason.
    “If this set of prints is what you’re referring to, then yes, this is your surprise. Those partial prints were found on the car.”
    Jason gave her a quizzical look. “Let me guess. You’ve seen them before.”
    “Very good. You should be a detective.”
    Nina couldn’t help herself and started laughing. Doc Josie continued.
    “Not only have I seen them before, I’ve seen them recently. They match the ones we pulled from the two missing persons cases you’re working.”
    Jason looked up from the print sheet. “Who does the car belong to?”
    “A Suzanne Cooper. It was found abandoned, keys still in the ignition, behind a plaza near her home last night. Lieutenant Banks said they haven’t been able to find Miss Cooper.”
    Nina walked over to a table, put her briefcase down, and popped it open. After rummaging for a minute, she pulled some papers out. “What was that name again?”
    “Suzanne Cooper.”
    Jason watched as his partner ran her finger down the sheets. She stopped on the second page. “It’s here, Jason.”
    “Are those the McCollum reunion lists?”
    “Yes, and she’s on them.”
    Jason moved for the door as Nina packed up. “Thanks, Josie. Go home and get some sleep.”
    “You’re welcome, and I plan on doing just that.”
     
    *******
     
    Lieutenant Banks was in her office when they got to the second floor.
    “Got a minute, Lieutenant?”
    “Sure. Find your surprise?”
    “Yes. Do you have the report from the scene?”
    She slid the file across the desk.
    Nina followed Jason into the room and sat next to him opposite the lieutenant. Jason picked up file, but didn’t open it.
    “We’ve got a connection between the three missing cases, besides the fingerprints.”
    “Okay. Please fill us in.”
    Nina pulled out the phone lists and slid them across the desk toward Banks. She picked them up, glanced at them, and then up at Nina. “What are these?”
    “Those are the phone lists for this summer’s ten-year class reunion of McCollum High. All three of our victims are listed on them.”
    The lieutenant looked at them with a disbelieving stare.
    “You’re suggesting someone is stalking, then taking their classmates before the reunion. You’re kidding me, right? It sounds like a slasher film.”
    Jason shrugged his shoulders.
    “I know it’s thin, but right now it’s the only link we’ve found.”
    “Thin is one word for it. What’s next?”
    “We run a record search on everyone listed.”
    “So, you’re thinking the person or persons taking these people, or at very least possibly the next victim, are on these lists.”
    Jason nodded. The lieutenant stared at the sheets for a minute. “When’s the reunion?”
    “The fifth of next month.”
    “Okay. I’m going to have a press briefing on this at three this afternoon. We’ll see if the public can help us. Somebody must’ve seen something. I want you two present. In the meantime, that’s a lot of names, so you better get started.”
    Jason and Nina gathered their files and left the office. Nina gave Jason a grin. “Press briefing with Banks. Boy that sounds like fun!”
    Jason just laughed and rolled his eyes.
     
    *******
     
    Chelsea was cold. The basement was damp, and the blanket didn’t give much protection. In addition, the chain was rubbing her ankle raw. She had spent the last several hours trying to figure out who their captor was.
    “Suzanne?”
    “Yeah.”
    “I think the guy doing this has to be related to Billy.”
    “Why?”
    “Well, it doesn’t make sense for someone to go to all this trouble without a personal connection.”
    Ed agreed. “I’ve been thinking the same thing. Billy was my best friend, but I don’t