The next morning was the same as the previous, warm and clear and promising
to be a beautiful afternoon. But inside Cory's apartment she as frantic
with worry. Jesse hadn't come home last night and as far as she knew he
hadn't called either. She ran to her answering machine and checked for
messages, her fingers crossed, but there were none. "Damn!" She muttered,
"Where the hell are you, Jesse?" She spoke to the walls.
She half expected Jesse to swing open the door and surprise her with breakfast or something unreal like that. But he didn't.
It wasn't like Jesse to take off and not come back, after years of friendship she knew that much about him. What could have possible happened to him? The only logical thing she could think of was that a car had hit him. Jesse was too shy around women, so it wasn't likely that he picked one up and stayed at her house for the night. No, she declared, something is definitely wrong here.
Picking up the phone, she dialed T.C.'s office number to report Jesse missing.
Monica Harper sighed as she took a seat in the briefing room at the SMBBP station. The others all looked as annoyed to be there as she was. What was there to say? Nobody had been killed or killed, nothings was stolen or missing.
T.C. entered a grave expression on his face. That, Monica realized, can't be good. "I'm sure you're all thinking what's the point of being here?" The others nodded. "Well, there is a reason. I'm sure most of you have heard of or at least know who Cory's new roommate is, Jesse Wilhelm. Cory called this morning to report him missing."
"So what's the deal then?" Monica called out from her spot at the back of the room next to Bobby.
"We treat this case as we would any other missing person's case. Cory isn't going to be working directly on this case, as you have already guessed, because she's too closely related. In which, case I'd like to have Monica and Bobby work directly on it."
Monica's jaw hit the floor and next to her Bobby beamed. Finally, a serious case and Bobby was having him be the main person on it, next to Monica of course.
"We have narrowed down the list of possibilities, and Cory says that, next to her, the only other person Jesse talked to was a guy by the name of Reeve Dellums. So I'm going to have Granger and Strickland talk to Dellums and found our if he knows anything or if he seems like he's up to something."
"How long has Jesse been missing?" Jamie Strickland asked.
"The last time Cory saw him was last night around eight-o-clock. It's been about eleven hours." T.C. cringed as the others realized just how dire their task was. After all, the first hour is almost the most crucial, any information that would led to a fast recovery would have been obtained in that frame of time. But instead, it had been eleven hours. "So let's wrap this up, I want to speak to Granger, Strickland, Harper, and Cruz. The rest of you, go on with your daily business, however be available to help at anytime."
Monica and Bobby were told to stay put in the station for the time being while Russ and Jamie went to talk to Reeve and find out what they might know about Jesse's disappearing act.
"So what do you think?" Russ asked Jamie as they pedaled hard to the small apartment where Reeve lived.
"I don't know. It's weird, it's not like the guy had time to make that many enemies or anything like that. Didn't he just arrive about a week ago?"
"Yes, but Cory said he grew up here." Russ shrugged and the pair picked up the pace, peddling harder.
Sooner then they expected they were knocking on Reeve's apartment door. The door swung open, revealing a tough looking man with bulging biceps and a shirt that looked like a washcloth on him. "I no do anything." He said in a thick, Mexican accent.
"Uh, we're not here because you're in trouble. But Jesse Wilhelm is missing and we were wondering if you might know anything about that." Jamie said.
"I no know anything. Jesse good guy, why he missing?" He said, still blocking the door.
"Sir, may we please come in and talk to you about this?" Russ asked, moving toward the door. "Thank you." He said as he followed Reeve to the living room and kitchen combination.
"May I call you Reeve?" Jamie asked as she sat down. When the man nodded she continued. "Was Jamie here last night around eight-o-clock?"
"No. He not come by yesterday. He say he busy."
"Do you know what he was doing?" Russ inquired while Jamie scribbled down what Reeve was saying.
"He say he have problems with man about money. That he spend to much money on bet."
"What do you mean?" Jamie looked up. "Was he a professional better?"
"No, no he no professional. He in football pool and he lose large money."
"Do you know who ran the pool?"
"His name is Bryon Sanchez." Reeve paused and then continued, "He big guy. You no want to get messed up with him."
Russ and Jamie nodded, standing up. "Thank you for your time and cooperation. Will you be around in case we need to ask you more questions?"
"Yes. I be here when you need me." Reeve opened the door for them and Jamie found herself surprised by the gentlemanly manners that Reeve possessed. He seemed too burly and bachelor-like to have such decent manners.
When Russ and Jamie got back they found Monica and Bobby itching to go out and start looking for Jesse. They went up to T.C.'s office and briefed him on their progress.
"OK, here's what we're going to do: Monica and Bobby, I want you both to get involved in this football pool-"
"What about money, T.C.?" Bobby asked. "It takes a lot of money to get started in a pool and if we want this guy to think we're serious, we need major money."
T.C. shook his head, "Don't worry about money." He assured them. "That will come from the department. Beside, once we bring this guy down all money will be confiscated as evidence. So you two are to get close to Bryon and make him trust you. I want you to find out all the information that you can, I don't care how you do it as long as he doesn't suspect anything." Monica and Bobby nodded while he continued, "Then on that note, try and get into the pool today. Here's an address I found, it's Bryon's apartment. He probably runs the whole operation out of that."
She half expected Jesse to swing open the door and surprise her with breakfast or something unreal like that. But he didn't.
It wasn't like Jesse to take off and not come back, after years of friendship she knew that much about him. What could have possible happened to him? The only logical thing she could think of was that a car had hit him. Jesse was too shy around women, so it wasn't likely that he picked one up and stayed at her house for the night. No, she declared, something is definitely wrong here.
Picking up the phone, she dialed T.C.'s office number to report Jesse missing.
Monica Harper sighed as she took a seat in the briefing room at the SMBBP station. The others all looked as annoyed to be there as she was. What was there to say? Nobody had been killed or killed, nothings was stolen or missing.
T.C. entered a grave expression on his face. That, Monica realized, can't be good. "I'm sure you're all thinking what's the point of being here?" The others nodded. "Well, there is a reason. I'm sure most of you have heard of or at least know who Cory's new roommate is, Jesse Wilhelm. Cory called this morning to report him missing."
"So what's the deal then?" Monica called out from her spot at the back of the room next to Bobby.
"We treat this case as we would any other missing person's case. Cory isn't going to be working directly on this case, as you have already guessed, because she's too closely related. In which, case I'd like to have Monica and Bobby work directly on it."
Monica's jaw hit the floor and next to her Bobby beamed. Finally, a serious case and Bobby was having him be the main person on it, next to Monica of course.
"We have narrowed down the list of possibilities, and Cory says that, next to her, the only other person Jesse talked to was a guy by the name of Reeve Dellums. So I'm going to have Granger and Strickland talk to Dellums and found our if he knows anything or if he seems like he's up to something."
"How long has Jesse been missing?" Jamie Strickland asked.
"The last time Cory saw him was last night around eight-o-clock. It's been about eleven hours." T.C. cringed as the others realized just how dire their task was. After all, the first hour is almost the most crucial, any information that would led to a fast recovery would have been obtained in that frame of time. But instead, it had been eleven hours. "So let's wrap this up, I want to speak to Granger, Strickland, Harper, and Cruz. The rest of you, go on with your daily business, however be available to help at anytime."
Monica and Bobby were told to stay put in the station for the time being while Russ and Jamie went to talk to Reeve and find out what they might know about Jesse's disappearing act.
"So what do you think?" Russ asked Jamie as they pedaled hard to the small apartment where Reeve lived.
"I don't know. It's weird, it's not like the guy had time to make that many enemies or anything like that. Didn't he just arrive about a week ago?"
"Yes, but Cory said he grew up here." Russ shrugged and the pair picked up the pace, peddling harder.
Sooner then they expected they were knocking on Reeve's apartment door. The door swung open, revealing a tough looking man with bulging biceps and a shirt that looked like a washcloth on him. "I no do anything." He said in a thick, Mexican accent.
"Uh, we're not here because you're in trouble. But Jesse Wilhelm is missing and we were wondering if you might know anything about that." Jamie said.
"I no know anything. Jesse good guy, why he missing?" He said, still blocking the door.
"Sir, may we please come in and talk to you about this?" Russ asked, moving toward the door. "Thank you." He said as he followed Reeve to the living room and kitchen combination.
"May I call you Reeve?" Jamie asked as she sat down. When the man nodded she continued. "Was Jamie here last night around eight-o-clock?"
"No. He not come by yesterday. He say he busy."
"Do you know what he was doing?" Russ inquired while Jamie scribbled down what Reeve was saying.
"He say he have problems with man about money. That he spend to much money on bet."
"What do you mean?" Jamie looked up. "Was he a professional better?"
"No, no he no professional. He in football pool and he lose large money."
"Do you know who ran the pool?"
"His name is Bryon Sanchez." Reeve paused and then continued, "He big guy. You no want to get messed up with him."
Russ and Jamie nodded, standing up. "Thank you for your time and cooperation. Will you be around in case we need to ask you more questions?"
"Yes. I be here when you need me." Reeve opened the door for them and Jamie found herself surprised by the gentlemanly manners that Reeve possessed. He seemed too burly and bachelor-like to have such decent manners.
When Russ and Jamie got back they found Monica and Bobby itching to go out and start looking for Jesse. They went up to T.C.'s office and briefed him on their progress.
"OK, here's what we're going to do: Monica and Bobby, I want you both to get involved in this football pool-"
"What about money, T.C.?" Bobby asked. "It takes a lot of money to get started in a pool and if we want this guy to think we're serious, we need major money."
T.C. shook his head, "Don't worry about money." He assured them. "That will come from the department. Beside, once we bring this guy down all money will be confiscated as evidence. So you two are to get close to Bryon and make him trust you. I want you to find out all the information that you can, I don't care how you do it as long as he doesn't suspect anything." Monica and Bobby nodded while he continued, "Then on that note, try and get into the pool today. Here's an address I found, it's Bryon's apartment. He probably runs the whole operation out of that."