Dark Star

7. Lowdown

Carter sat in the police station. There was about a dozen other detectives and officers surrounding him, as they waited for the debriefing to start. He'd informed his chief about everything he'd learned at the Hale household, and Harris wanted to make sure everyone was on the same page. Finally, it began and they all listened intently as Chief Harris began to share all of the information they had been able to gather.

“As you all know by now, our missing girl's name is Vesper Hale,” He started. “She is the only child of Kevin and Linda Hale.”

There was a large screen and a projector in the squad room. As Harris spoke, various pictures and information came up on the screen to correspond with what he was talking about. There was a family picture of the Hale's, and three separate photos of Vesper alone, which had been given to the police by Mrs. Hale. Also, there were many pictures from the security cameras at the bank.

One in particular caught Carter's attention. It showed Vesper standing in-between the woman and the bank robber. She looked scared, but resolved somehow. No one should have to go through something like that, but she chose it. Why did she?

“We have pictures from the security cameras of all six men who broke into the bank. None of them wore masks. Usually this would be a lucky break for us, but considering how skilled these men appear to be, I believe it is safe to assume that they didn't wear masks because they weren't afraid of getting caught.”

“Also, thanks to Detective Carter, we've discovered that Vesper was kidnapped and held captive for eighteen months when she was fourteen, by this man,” Harris pointed at the mug shot of a man in his forties, with dark hair. “His name is Blake Griffin, a complete sociopath. He raped and tortured her, and God knows what else.”

“Do we know if this is related to why she was taken?” One of the police officers asked.

“So far it seems unrelated, but I wanted you all to be aware of the victims background.”

“Now, we all know that the first seventy-two hours are the most crucial in finding a missing person. I need you all working as hard as you can, if we are going to have any chance at finding this girl alive. Chances aren't looking good for her, because they aren't wearing masks means she has seen their faces. They have no reason to keep her alive, so we need to find her, and find her fast.”

“I need someone to run the plates on the thieves getaway van, to see if it is owned by anyone. If it is, get me an address. Six other people need to each take one of our thieves and see what they can find out about them. Any information can be used, don't exclude even the smallest detail. Everyone else can find out anything they can on the girl, find out if she has a credit card or bank account in case anyone tries to access it. Also, we need people to be canvassing the area around the bank, and along the street where the getaway van went, in case there are any witnesses. Now, get to work, the clock is ticking.”

Everyone got up, going to do their own separate jobs. Carter could tell, though, that the chief's little speech had done it's job. Everyone was motivated and committed to working as hard as possible to finding the thieves, and bringing Vesper home.

“May I speak with you privately, Carter?” Harris asked, as walked to him.

“Of course.”

They went Chief Harris' office, and he shut the door once they had both entered.

“I'm putting you in charge of this investigation, Carter. You'll still answer to me, but you're the best detective I've ever had the pleasure of working with. If this girl is going to have any chance at surviving this, you need to be the one chasing down every lead. I've seen the way you've been acting since you spoke to the girl's mother. This case is important to you now, and not just because of all the money that was stolen. You care about this girl.”

“Thank you,” He replied. “I promise I won't let you down.”

“You can keep your promise,” Harris said. “We both know there is more on the line here then whether or not you disappoint me.”

Carter left his office, getting down to work as quickly as he could. The chief was right, there was much more on the line. He didn't know why he cared so much, but he did.

He held Vesper's life in his hands.