Chapter 57
[Marcus's POV]
Chief Owen Walker slammed his coffee mug on the conference table. "Swan Lake Forest Park missing college student case. Six days, and what do we have? Nothing."
I straightened in my chair. Around the table, other department heads avoided eye contact.
"The media is having a field day," Walker continued. "Channel 7 questioned our competence last night. The Tribune is asking if we can handle missing persons cases. The girl's parents call the mayor every two hours."
Walker's gaze swept the room. "The university is considering additional security. Parents are talking about pulling their kids from Trinity State. Do you understand what that means for this city?"
Silence filled the room. I felt my stomach tighten.
"Detective Reid," Walker's eyes locked onto me.
"Yes, sir."
"You're taking over the Ashley Brown case. I'm pulling it from Missing Persons." Walker's tone was final. "I want your best people on this. Every stone turned, every lead followed."
"What's our timeline?"
"Three days. I want results—dead or alive. We need closure before this media circus gets worse."
I nodded. "We'll get it done."
"I hope so, Detective. For all our sakes."
Five minutes later, Detective Jake Morrison waited by my desk with a thick case file.
"Here's everything on Swan Lake," Morrison said, handing over the file. "Wish it was more helpful."
I opened it. "Talk me through it."
"Ashley Brown, nineteen, Trinity State sophomore studying environmental science. Good student, no problems." Morrison settled into the chair. "Parents are divorced but cooperative. They're at the Hampton Inn, calling constantly."
"What happened?"
"March fifteenth. She planned to hike Swan Lake Forest Park with her roommate. Her roommate got the flu, couldn't go. Ashley went alone."
Morrison spread a park map on my desk. "She entered the main gate at 8:30 AM. Surveillance caught her clearly—blue jacket, day pack. That's the last confirmed sighting."
"She never left through any exit?"
"None we could identify. We reviewed all six park exits." Morrison pointed to the map. "Eight square miles of forest. We did a carpet search—dogs, volunteers, helicopter. Nothing."
I studied the map. "Your gut feeling?"
"Someone was waiting for her. Someone who knew she'd be there. Making a person vanish that completely takes planning."
"Suspects?"
"None. No boyfriend issues, no stalkers. Normal college kid—study groups, environmental activism. Nothing dangerous."
Morrison gathered his things. "University's getting antsy. They might close the park if this drags on."
After Morrison left, I addressed my team. "Listen up. Hannah Clark goes on the back burner. Chief assigned us Swan Lake, three days to produce results."
Sarah looked up. "Three days for a week-old cold case?"
"Political pressure," I said. "Media attention is making everyone nervous."
Derek leaned back. "What about Hannah Clark? We just got developments."
Zoey Cross from technical appeared with a folder. "Detective Reid? Updated forensic report on Hannah Clark. You need to see this."
I opened the folder. "What am I looking at?"
"We re-ran DNA and fiber analysis," Zoey explained. "The victim's clothes tested positive for feline blood."
I looked up sharply. "Cat blood?"
"Definitely feline. Not from the victim, not human. Someone killed a cat near Hannah, or she contacted cat blood before death."
The team exchanged glances.
"How much blood?" Tony asked.
"Not large amounts, but enough for direct contact."
Sarah frowned. "Could be from a pet?"
"We interviewed everyone in her circle," Derek said. "No one mentioned cats. Her building doesn't allow pets."
I felt the weight of two complex cases. Hannah Clark was yielding evidence, but Swan Lake had a deadline and political implications.
"Here's how we handle this," I decided. "Cat blood is interesting but not going anywhere. Hannah's been dead for months—a few more days won't matter. Ashley's been missing six days. If she's alive, time is critical."
I assigned tasks. "Derek, review all surveillance around Swan Lake—not just park entrances, but every camera within two miles. Look for repeat vehicles, suspicious individuals."
"What timeframe?" Derek asked.
"Day Ashley disappeared, expanding to the week before. If someone was planning this, they might have scouted."
"Mike, contact Trinity State campus security. Get all surveillance from dormitories, parking lots, anywhere Ashley was before the park. Also check other area universities."
"Sarah, Tony, you're with me. We're going back to Swan Lake for hands-on search. Walk every trail, look for what previous searches missed."
As the team scattered, I gathered the Swan Lake file. Three days to find a girl who'd vanished without trace. Three days to prevent another unsolved case.
I thought briefly of Claire, waiting for her interview.