Free WHERE'S MY SON? by John C. Dalglish

poorly organized cubicle farm.
    When they got to Sam’s desk, the big detective sat in his chair and Jason took the one opposite him.
    Jason slid the picture of Michael in front of Sam.
    “His name is Michael Barton. The last search on his computer was ‘St. Luke’s Missouri.’”
    Sam picked up the picture. “How can I help?”
    “The search results showed one here in town, and another in St. Louis. I want to pay a visit to the one here in town. Do you know anyone I can connect with?”
    “Sure, the head of security over there is an ex-cop. I'll give him a call for you.”
    “Great, and can I get you to show this guy’s pic at the pre-shift patrol meetings? Maybe one of your beat cops has seen him.”
    “That's no problem . Can I keep this copy?”
    Jason nodded as Sam picked up the phone. “I'll call over to the hospital. When do you want to go over there?”
    “Now.”
     
    *******
     
    Jason pulled up at St. Luke ’s carrying with him another picture of Michael Barton. He wasn’t sure if Michael had been to this St. Luke's yet, but Jason hoped if Barton had been here, someone would remember his face.
    When Jason came through the door, he found a horseshoe-shaped desk attended by a young lady in a candy striper outfit. Sam Garner had arranged a meeting with the head of hospital security, so Jason showed his badge and asked her to let Tom Evans know he was here.
    She smiled, picked up the phone, said a few words , and hung up. While he was waiting, Jason pulled out the picture of Michael and showed it to her.
    “Have you seen this man?”
    She studied the photo before shaking her head. “No, I don’t think so.”
    Tom Evans walked up and extended his hand to Jason. “Detective Strong, I'm Tom Evans. Sam asked me to give you any help I can. He and I go way back.”
    Jason sho ok his hand and looked back at the girl behind the counter. “Thanks for your time…Jessica, is it?”
    “Yes, and you’re welcome. Sorry I couldn’t help with the photo.”
    Tom led Jason to his office while Jason filled him in. Before ever getting seated, they decided to take the photo from floor to floor, stopping first at the nurse’s stations, and then the offices.
    They completed their tour two hours later. Nobody recognized the photo. If Jason came back the next day, there might be different staff, but he didn't want to waste time. Getting to the St. Luke’s in St. Louis seemed the next best step.
    He thanked Tom for his help and told him he'd call when he decided whether he would return the next day. As he walked past the entrance desk, he saw a different girl there. He stopped to show her the picture.
    “ Hi. My name is Detective Strong.” He showed her his badge. “Could you tell me if you've seen this man?”
    This girl ’s nametag read ‘Britney.’ She looked at the photo for a moment. “Oh sure, I remember him. He was here a couple days ago.”
    “Really? Are you sure?”
    “Yes. It was definitely him.”
    “Can you remember what he wanted?”
    “Sure. He wa s looking for one of our nurses, and asked if I knew her.”
    Jason's mind raced. “And did you?”
    “Actually, yes. He was lo oking for Susan Turnbull. He said she took care of his niece and he wanted to thank her.”
    “Did he see her that day?”
    “No, she’d gone home already. I think he planned to stop in on his way back through town from somewhere. I don't remember where, though.”
    “Is there anything else you can remember about the meeting?”
    “Just that he seemed very upset to find she wasn’t here.”
    “Britney, thank you very much. You've been a big help. If you think of anything else, will you call Tom Evans in security?”
    “Sure. Is the man in some sort of trouble?”
    Jason didn't hear the question. He was already on his way back to the security chief's office.
    Tom Evans was still at his desk when Jason got there. “Jason, forget something?”
    “No. I just showed the picture of my guy to a candy striper at the desk