Prisoner of Dreams

Chapter One

Corey Jeffers was a young investigator who had come on to the Las Vegas City Police Department only three years before. He was now assigned to the Henley Marlow case with the older and more seasoned, Bill Mattingly. The two were an incongruous pair, as Corey was an African American, hailing from the streets of LA, and Bill had been on the force seventeen years, after moving mid-career out West with his family from a small WASPish town in rural Pennsylvania. Both men, ages 28 and 60, were already responding to the case of the missing beauty queen with dedication and only what can be called, intense pressure.

"So here's what we got," Police Chief Meyers told the two, cloistered in his office for the briefing. "She's young, gorgeous, high profile, and I've got the FBI breathing down on my throat for as much as I can give them about this case. Which is not damn much at this point. Hell, it's only been a matter of hours, people!"

Both Jeffers and Mattingly sat across from their boss, sensing in his demeaner this was no usual missing person assignment. Coming up "non-existent" could be called fairly routine in Las Vegas, a town with a reputation of escapism, transience, corruption, gambling debt, and a general fly-by-night, anything-goes attitude by both locals and what are often called "customers" who come to play in that surreal city.

"No. This is a bombshell, you two. The media is already onto this story like flies on shit. You've seen that already, right? Last night, the national news? You two aren't going to waste time or leave any stones unturned while fleshing this one out. Got that? Corey, Bill?"

Both men silently nodded back, knowing the Chief was a man of few but consequential words.

"I'm putting you both on this thing . . . and frankly? Because you're the best I've got. Mattingly, you've handled a number of missing female cases in this town. And I wish we could say more of them turned out better than they did. Right, Matt?"

Bill just nodded solemnly again, his balding head tipping forward, catching a dull shine through the window from the Nevada desert light.

"Corey, I'm counting on your youth and agility, man. That USC running back you were before taking on law enforcement. I'm depending on you to get into this quickly and curiously. There's gotta be some leads out there, guys. Before everyone who could be a witness packs up and leaves the Hotel Luxor. A lot of those girls will be outta there in the next few days. Somebody's got to know, had to see, something strange."

Corey just nodded.

"Son, I've been impressed with your work these past three years. Getting into the underground . . . Rubbing elbows with the filth we got operating in this town. Then having the juevos to bring 'em in. Capiche, Corey?"

"Yeah Chief," he replied humbly, looking over at Mattingly for relief.

"But right now, on what little we've got, there's no guarantee it's some of that slime in this town we're talking about. Chances are, it could be an outside deal. An abduction with a fat ransom bill attached."

Both men remained silent.

"See, my guess? We'll hear within twenty-four hours . . . the price, and the conditions to get Miss Beauty Queen back. So I want the two of you to keep your eyes and ears open for that. Wherever it might pop up."

"Alright, Chief," Mattingly said softly. "That's probably the deal. Some heavy cash on return for the girl."

"Could be something else, tough," Corey added, looking over at his partner. "Someone wanting to make a big media splash here, maybe? Some kind of international attention. Over politics, maybe? Domestic terrorism?"

"You can't rule anything out, gentlemen." the Chief answered, looking at his watch and frowning. "So look. I've got these big shot FBI guys com'n in right now. Gonna share what they've learned. And what they want from us. These guys can be total ass-bites, trust me. About jurisdiction and shit like that. So I want you two to stick around and hear their pitch. Get their intel, OK? Just sit tight."