chapter 71
Sharon called the police – Jonny listened in.
“911 emergency.”
“I need to report a possible kidnapping.” Sharon was breathless.
“What is the name of the person missing?”
“Dana Drew...”
“Dana Hill,” Jonny corrected.
“Dana Hill,” Sharon repeated back into the phone.
“How long has she been gone?”
“Since yesterday, she got in a limo she thought her boyfriend sent and no one has seen her since.”
“And you are?”
“Sharon, her co-worker. Please send somebody, please help.”
“Where are you m’am.”
“I’m at WORR – the radio station on Biscayne Boulevard.”
“I have an officer on the way.”
Sharon hung up the phone in tears. “Jonny, what’s happened to her?”
Jonny himself was stunned and afraid. He put his arms around Sharon for himself as much as for her. “Let’s think this through,” he said. “Who would do this to her?”
Sharon wiped her eyes. “Whoever it was knew that she was away, obviously.”
“Yeah, well that narrows it down to the entire listening audience. We broadcast the trip.”
“Oh, yeah,” Sharon said, embarrassed at her stupidity.
“But this was someone that was specifically targeting her, right? I mean how did Dana know the limo was for her?”
“The guy had a sign with her name on it.”
“Did you see him?”
“Just briefly. He was short, skinny and had a big smile when Dana approached him, I remember that. He was really excited. Oh...and he had kind of an odd shaped nose.”
Suddenly a light went on in Jonny’s head. The letter. The picture. The poem. The caller ID. “I think I know who might have done this.” He grabbed Sharon’s hand. “Come with me.”
Together they ran upstairs to Dana’s office. It was locked. “Damn it...who has a key?”
Jonny thought quickly. Ted. He flew into his office. “Ted, Dana’s missing, I gotta get into her office.”
Jonny never saw Ted move so fast in his life. He opened Dana’s door and they went in.
“I know it’s here somewhere,” Jonny said as he rifled through Dana’s desk.
“What?” Sharon asked, pacing the floor.
“There’s this listener, this crazy listener...I can’t remember his name. He sent Dana some weird stuff...and a picture.” He flipped through her desk drawers, pulling papers out as quickly as he could. Finally, he found where she kept her listener stash of letters.
“Help me,” he said handing a stack to Sharon.
They methodically stared going through the papers. There were so many letters and cards, notes and liner cards. They moved as quickly as they could, tossing the papers aside as they moved from pile to pile.
Soon Jonny found what was he was looking for. He was staring at the card with the picture of a rose on it. He opened it. The picture spilled out. He showed it to Sharon.
“Is this him?”
She looked at the short, thin man with curly hair.
“I...I...don’t know, the guy was wearing a hat.”
“Look harder Sharon.”
She pulled the picture close to her eyes and looked long and hard at it. “It could be him. I think it could.”
Jonny reread the card. It was signed only by Larry, no last name.
Jonny ran to the computer and opened up their listener file. Whenever someone entered a contest, their info was logged into the station database.
Jonny did a search of listeners named Larry. Twenty-five names popped up.
“Dammit!” he said, combing through the names. “How are we supposed to find this guy?”
Sharon continued searching through the papers.
“Jonny,” she said holding up a red envelope. “I think I found him.”
Jonny grabbed the envelope and copied the return address. “Sharon, call the police and give them this information. I’ll call Cody.”
He grabbed his keys and ran toward door.
“Where are you going?” she said.
“To get Dana.”