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She said, “What on earth would convince a homicide detective from Manhattan North to visit the juvenile unit at headquarters?”
“Actually, or at least officially, I had to talk to your husband about some missing persons cases.”
“Detective Avram does a great job. I hope he was able to help.”
I smiled at her deadpan response. “More than anyone has helped me in months. Or, I should say, he provided me with the most efficient help I’ve had this year.”
“I wish he showed some of that initiative around the house.”
We chatted about our families for a moment, then I explained to her the problems my boys had been having down the street from Holy Name.
Kathy listened and made notes. One thing the couple shared was their intensity and devotion to their jobs. I liked that.
“I hate hearing that one of the bullies had a gun,” she said. “Ever since the city cut out funding for the anti-crime unit, we’ve seen instances of gun crime increase. The city disbanded the unit but tells everyone to keep doing what they were doing. It’s crazy.”
“Do you have any advice or insight on what my boys should do?”
“Staying on the school grounds would be the first step. I get what you’re saying about not wanting them to be afraid to walk the streets of New York. But keeping them out of the situation is smart. I’ll ask around and see if any of our detectives have heard the same sort of complaints. Maybe we can even get a security video showing the instigators so we can try to identify them.”
“I appreciate anything you can do. My boys are a little rattled.”
“Who would’ve thought we’d long for the days when there were fistfights in the schoolyards. The anti-bullying initiatives have helped in some places, but it’s still a serious issue. Everyone is focused on cyberbullying right now.”
I said, “I guess it’s easy to bully someone over the internet when you don’t even have to show your face in person.”
“And herd mentality tends to favor the bully. Sometimes whole classes start to harass a student.”
“I don’t envy you. I’ll stick with homicide.”
Sergeant Figler said, “And we’re glad you will.”
Chapter24
I RACED DOWNthe front steps of One Police Plaza, already knowing what I was going to do. Detective Gary Avram had given me some great leads.
Conveniently, the first address he’d supplied was just on the other side of the Brooklyn Bridge. I looked at the file and saw that this girl was the right age, eighteen, but appeared to have run away from home last year.
Her mother answered the door and informed me that the young woman had sent her a text a month ago, telling her she was safe but that she never wanted contact with the family again. That was not an issue I needed to get involved in.
The second missing person’s case was in lower Manhattan. Very nice three-story walk-up. Turned out, the missing girl answered the door herself. She explained that she had fallen in love and run off with another student from Barnard but came home last week. The family was so happy, they’d forgotten to let the NYPD know. Case closed.
The third missing person’s case listed the missing person’s residence as a single-family home in Queens, a few blocks from Astoria Park. I drove out there, then sat in my car for a moment to glance at the file again. If it was another wild-goose chase, at least I’d have cleared up all three leads in one morning.
Cheryl Savage was a junior at Columbia when she disappeared last fall. She had been a stellar high school athlete, playing basketball, softball, and lacrosse. Her photo showed a tall, striking young woman with neat auburn hair and a dazzling smile.
Her roommate at Columbia had said Cheryl went out onenight and she never saw her again. A single security video from her dorm showed her leaving the building, dressed in a cocktail dress. No one had any idea where she’d gone, and there had been no activity on her phone since the night she disappeared.
I felt a little sad closing the file. Although I saw it all the time, I knew it would break my heart if any of my kids disappeared. I’m not sure I could ever function properly again.
A girl about seven was sitting on the home’s steps. When she looked up, I saw a resemblance to Cheryl Savage. She had the same auburn hair, and there was something about her eyes that seemed similar to the girl in the photo.
I stood back on the sidewalk to keep from startling the little girl. I smiled and said, “Hi. I need to get past you to ring the bell. Is that okay?”
The girl’s hazel eyes took me in. She looked like she was about to say something. I never heard it.
Something crashed into me on my left side. I saw a flicker of movement just before I felt the impact.
I hit a decorative light post, which sort of spun me and made me step off the curb. The cascading effect of the surprise blow and the loss of balance almost sent me into the street in front of a delivery truck.
