Ridge
Beth asked, “Do you guys know each other?”
Tom said, “Yes Beth, this is Drake Ridgeway. He was my neighbor when we were kids, this is the Drake that I always told you about, the man we named our son after.”
I said, “Tom, it’s great to see you again. I would love to catch up, but I think we need to concentrate on finding DJ right now.”
He nodded, “Of course you’re right, what do we need to do first?”
I sat down and said, “Tell me what you know about the day DJ went missing.”
He said, “We really don’t know too much. DJ always calls us on Sunday, and usually once during the week. I knew we shouldn’t have let him move here.”
I asked, “Did he tell you what his plans for the day he disappeared were?”
Beth said, “Yes, when I talked to him on Wednesday, he said he had a date. They were going to some club downtown.”
Blake asked, “Did he say who his date was with?”
Tom took a deep breath, “I think his name is Noah. He said it was someone he had met at a new group he had just joined. DJ came out to us about six months ago.”
I was making notes, “So, DJ is gay?”
Tom sighed, “Yes, does that make a difference?”
I shook my head, “Not at all, we just need to gather all the information we can, he’s still missing. We will do everything we can to find him and bring him home safely. Do you know what club they were going to?”
Beth shook her head, “No, he didn’t tell us the name.”
I turned to Ollie, and asked, “What do you think, do you know of any clubs that underaged, gay college students might frequent.”
Ollie nodded, “My first guess would be Club 1902, at least that was the hot spot when I was in college.”
I wrote that down, “We should check there first. How about any of DJ’s friends? Can you give us the names of anyone that DJ talked about?”
Beth said, “The only one he mentioned was Todd, Drake’s next-door neighbor. He goes to U of M too. When I couldn’t reach Drake, I called him, and he went to check if he was home. Todd also tried calling Drake, and just like when I called, his phone went straight to voicemail.”
Blake asked, “Do you know Todd’s last name?”
Tom shook his head, “No, I’m sorry we don’t. DJ has only been here a couple of months; we don’t know a lot about his friends or his life for that matter. God, I wished we would have never let him move here.”
I said, “Tom, this is not your fault. This could have happened anywhere.”
Beth agreed as she took her husband’s hand, “Tom, Drake is an adult now, he wants to live his own life.”
Tom sighed, “I know, but he is still my son. I feel so helpless right now.”
I said, “That’s understandable Tom, but I promise you, we will do everything we can to find DJ.”
Over the next hour, we gathered as much information as Tom and Beth had. They left to go find a hotel.
As they were leaving, Ollie told them, “Ridge will not rest until he brings DJ home, he really is the best man for this job.”
Blake, Ollie and I went to my office to make our game plan.
Blake asked, “Where do you want us to start?”
I said, “I’m going to go to the college to see what I can find out about the group that DJ belongs to. Blake, you go talk to the neighbor Todd, and Ollie check out that club, maybe they have surveillance cameras.”
I looked at my watch and said, “We’ll meet back here in two hours to see where we are.”
DJ
DJ woke up in a dark room; the only light was coming from the small window above the bed. It was too high to look out of. His mind was racing, where was he? Where was Noah? Why was he here?
He paced around the room after trying the locked door. He didn’t have his phone or his wallet. His mind went back to the night before. As soon as he and Noah were pulled into the van, a rag was placed against his mouth and nose. That was the last thing he remembered. Although he had nothing but soda to drink at the club, he felt like he had a slight hangover. He was trying to clear his head as he heard the door being unlocked.
A man that appeared to be just a few years older than him walked in and locked the door behind him.
The man said, “I see you’re awake.”
DJ backed up against the far wall and asked, “What do you want with me?”
The man looked through DJ’s Wallet and said, “Don’t worry Drake, you are here to get the help you need.”
DJ scowled at the man, “What help? I don’t need any help from you. Who are you?”
He smiled as he handed DJ back his wallet, “I’m Sam, I’ll be your sponsor during your stay. Someone that loves you thinks you need some guidance and called us to help with that.”
DJ asked, “Who called you? What have you done with Noah?”
Sam said, “Relax Drake, Noah is fine and getting help too. It’s not important who called us. Now we just need to see how much help you need.”
DJ put his wallet back in his pocket, “I prefer DJ and I sure as hell don’t need any help from you. Now let me the hell out of here.”
DJ clenched his fists as if he was getting ready to charge Sam.
Sam shook his head, “Don’t get any ideas DJ. Even if you get through me, you won’t make it out of the building before the others catch you.”
Sam started to walk toward DJ.
DJ yelled, “What others? What the hell do you want with me?”
Sam was still moving closer to DJ, “Things will go much smoother for you if you just cooperate.”
DJ just pushed himself tighter against the wall. Sam took DJ’s hand and pulled him close to the bed and told him to sit down.
DJ asked, “What the hell do want from me?”
Sam sat next to DJ and said, “We just need to have a long talk about all the bad things you are doing.”
Ridge
I headed to the U of M. From the information I got from Tom and Beth, the group that DJ had joined was an LGBTQ+ group. I decided to start there; I also needed more information on Noah. The first thing I needed was his last name. Where was Noah now? Could he have something to do with DJ’s disappearance?
As I drove to the campus, I was still amazed at seeing Tom. It had been almost thirty years since I left Augusta. What are the odds that our paths would cross again?
I got my head back on the case as I parked in the parking lot of the Administration Building. I wanted to start by getting a little more information on the LGBTQ+ group.
The young lady at the reception desk listened as I introduced myself and told her what I was looking for.
She smiled, “I think Lindsey Carroll can help you with your questions Detective. She is our Student Group Coordinator.”
I quickly remembered Lindsey. She was the first person I talked to when I investigated the disappearance of Joey Morris.
I said, “Thank you. Could you give me her phone number so that I can set up an appointment?”
She said, “Her office is in this building, I can call her to see if she can talk to you now.”
I smiled, “That would be great, if it’s not too much trouble.”
She picked up her phone and quickly hung up and said, “She is happy to see you, she is in office 337 on the third floor. Just walk down this hall and take the stairs, her office is to your left at the top of the stairs.
Lindsey greeted me as I walked into her office. She said, “It’s nice to see you again, Detective Ridgeway.”
I nodded, “Good to see you too, Lindsey. I see you have graduated. Do you work for the University now?”
She smiled, “Yes, I am the liaison between the University and our student groups. I handle any issues that arise and take any concerns raised by any of the groups to the administration.”
I sat in the chair in front of her desk. I said, “Good for you. From what I know about you; you are well suited for such a position.”
Lindsey said, “Thank you Detective. But I am afraid you are here for another reason. Please don’t tell me that we have another missing student.”
I sighed, “I wish I could. But yes, I have another missing student.”
She said, “I will do whatever I can to help. What do you need from me?”
I opened my notebook, “Our missing student is DJ Willers, first name is actually Drake. He is a member of the LBGTQ+ group. He went missing after a date on Saturday night.”
Lindsey immediately started typing on her computer. She nodded, “Yes, all that is correct. He has been a member since the start of the semester. I, of course, don’t know anything about his date though.”
I nodded, “I understand that. Can you tell me if a student named Noah is also part of that group? I’m sorry, I don’t know his last name.”
She studied her screen for a moment, “Yes, I have a Noah Chang as a member. He joined the group about the same time as DJ. Is he missing too?”
I shook my head, “I don’t know. No one has reported him missing. I really need to talk to him to see if he knows anything.”
Lindsey gasped, “Oh no. You don’t think he has anything to do with DJ being missing do you?”
I shrugged, “I’m not sure. Like I said, I need to talk to him.”
She sighed, “I just remember last time with Joey and Tyler.”
I nodded, “Yes, I have to look at all possibilities.”
She looked at her screen again and began writing on a post it pad. She handed me the paper.
Lindsey said, “Here is Noah’s address. I’m sorry I don’t have a phone number.”
I smiled, “Thank you. I appreciate all your help.”
As I stood to leave, she said, “Please let me know if there anything else I can help you with. And Detective, maybe you can stop by sometime just for a visit instead when you are working on a case.”
I chuckled, “I will do that Lindsey, thanks again.”
I drove straight to the address that Lindsey had given me.
Devin
All of the research I had done on Ridge was mostly just through the police department records. Understandably, they really didn’t list any personal information on their police officers. I did a quick search and found that Ridge had been with Lucas Mills for over 12 years. Lucas worked at a lab in a local hospital. I will have to do some more research when I have time, or maybe I will get a chance to talk to Lucas when Ridge invites me to his home for dinner. I already had plans for today with other interviews.
After I left the police station when Ridge had to leave, I called Joey Morris. He was one of the victims of the Slocum sex ring. I knew he was living with Dylan Walker, another victim. I was hoping to talk to both of them at the same time.
Joey told me that he finished his classes at 3 and Dylan would be home from his shift at the hospital shortly after that. So, I grabbed some lunch and went through my notes from my brief talk with Ridge this morning.
I arrived at Joey’s apartment at 3:30 and he greeted me with a smile. I sat at the small table in the kitchen as he poured a cup of coffee for each of us. We were just about to begin our talk when Dylan walked in. He was a very nice-looking young man and looked great in his blue scrubs. We all sat back down at the table and started our talk.
I asked, “Which one of you was… um, taken first?”
I wasn’t sure what how to phrase that without sounding bad.
Dylan chuckled, “I guess I was. I wasn’t really taken, I kind of came here on my own.”
I said, “Wait, what do you mean you came here?”
Joey said, “This is the same apartment we were held in.”
Dylan said, “I was kicked out of my house when my parents found out I was gay. I was living on the street. A guy saw me and asked if I wanted to a place to live and a job. He brought me to this apartment, and I never saw him again. Tyler was already living here when I arrived. Joey moved in about six months later when Tyler moved out.”
I sat there in awe as they took turns telling me that a man by the name of Mr. Edwards basically bought them. He kept them locked in the apartment to use for his perverted pleasure. While they were being held, they developed feelings for each other. Once they were rescued by Ridge and his crew, they decided to stay together.
Joey is in his last year of college and will be a math teacher when he graduates. Dylan is also in his last year of college and will be a pediatric nurse. He already has a job at the hospital that he has been working at while he attended college. They also told me about the settlement they received that allowed them to pay for their college. Dylan noted that he would be working in the same hospital that Ridge’s husband, Lucas, worked at. In fact, Lucas helped him get his job at the hospital.
I asked, “So it doesn’t bother you to live here? Aren’t there any bad memories associated with apartment?”
Joey said, “Not really. I wasn’t here as long as Dylan, but my only real memory of being here is of meeting Dylan. That’s a good memory for me.” He smiled at Dylan.
Dylan said, “To be honest, I was glad to be off the street. I didn’t have anything, and when I got here, I was fed and had a roof over my head. I guess I have blocked out the stuff that Mr. Edwards made me do. Joey is also the best thing to ever happen to me.”
Joey added, “We’ve changed some things in here make it our own. This is our home.”
I sat and listened as they continued to tell me about their time locked in this apartment. They told me that it was Tyler that had ‘recruited’ Joey. They also told me that Tyler apologized a year later when Malik had also been kidnapped in Miami. They accepted his apology and even spent some time with Tyler and Malik in Key West. Maybe I would have enough information to write a whole series of books on Drake Ridgeway and the cases he worked.
They really were good together and I could tell how much they cared for each other. After about an hour and a half, I felt I had enough information.
I stood up and said, “I want to thank you both for talking to me. I wish you both the best and it was my pleasure to meet you.”
I headed back to my hotel room and called Mike.
He answered, “Hey, how was your day?”
I smiled at the sound of his voice. I said, “It was good. How about yours?”
Mike said, “It was ok. I miss you though.”
I said, “I miss you too. Where you busy at the shop?”
He sighed, “It was steady, nothing too serious. How did your meeting go with the detective?”
I chuckled, “I only got a few minutes with him. He had to leave to start working on a new case. He seems like a nice guy, and he invited me to his house for dinner. I did get to talk to a couple of the victims though.”
Mike asked, “How did that go?”
I replied, “Really good. I got a lot of good stuff. They just amazed me with what they told me. They didn’t seem bitter at all. They only talked about the good things that came out of the whole thing.”
He said, “Wow, I think if I had gone through something like that, I would be pissed forever.”
I said, “I know, I would be too.”
I thought a few seconds and said, “To tell you the truth, I kind of envy them.”
Mike asked, “Why?”
I said, “They look so happy together. They are in their early twenties and look like they have found their soul mate. I think about us, we were robbed of those years. I mean, I can’t say what would have happened if Conrad hadn’t broken us up. But we didn’t even get the chance to find out.”
He sighed, “I know, but we are together now. That’s all that matters.”
I said, “Yeah, you’re right. I’m really looking forward to you getting here on Friday. The weather is perfect.”
Mike said, “I can’t wait either.”
We talked for a few more minutes and said good night to each other. I took a quick shower and sat down to type up my notes from my talk with Joey and Dylan. I had picked up some dinner and a six pack on my way back to the hotel. After I ate and had a few beers, I crawled into bed for the night.
Ridge
There was no one home at Noah’s apartment. I talked to a couple of his neighbors, but they had not seen Noah in the last couple of days. I wasn’t too surprised; most people around here don’t keep track of their neighbors. I drove back to the station, Blake and Ollie should be back by now.
Ollie was pulling into the parking lot at the same time as I was. We walked into the station and found Blake already at his desk.
I asked Blake, “Did you learn anything from the neighbor?”
He sighed, “Not too much. He was more worried that his apartment smelled like weed and if I was going to bust him for having pot.” Blake chuckled, “Once I finally convinced him that I couldn’t care less about that, he told me that he knew DJ had a date with Noah and that that they were going to the club that Ollie mentioned. Noah’s last name is Chang by the way. He did give me the names of a couple of DJ’s other friends. I was just getting ready to call them when you guys walked in.”
I nodded, “Yeah, I got that too, I’ve already been to his apartment, he wasn’t home, and no one has seen me since Saturday night either.”
Blake asked, “Do you think Noah was kidnapped too?”
I shrugged, “Right now, it looks like it.”
Blake said, “Todd didn’t really know anything else. I have placed a call to the apartment manager to see is they will let us in DJ’s apartment. They are supposed to call me so we can set up a time.”
I turned to Ollie, “How about you?”
He held up a flash drive, “I have the surveillance footage right here, I’ll start looking at it now. I did talk to a bartender that remembers DJ and Noah being there on Saturday night. He said he didn’t notice anything strange and had no idea what time they left.”
I let out a deep breath, “So far we have just confirmed what we already knew.”
Blake asked, “Why hasn’t Noah been reported missing yet?”
I nodded, “That’s a good question. I think I will try to track down his parents or any other family. Blake, you talk to DJ’s friends and Ollie, check out that surveillance footage.”
I did a quick search of public records to see if I could find Noah’s parents. I found a William and Nora Chang that lived in a very nice part of Miami. William was a partner in an Investment Firm and Nora was well known for her charity work. They have had three children, Owen, 25, who had just started working at his father’s firm. Katie, 22, a senior at the University of Miami, and Noah, 19, also a student at the University of Miami. I called the Investment Firm and asked for William Chang.
He answered, “This is Willaim Chang.”
I said, “Mr. Chang, this is Detective Ridgeway, with the Miami Police. Can I ask you when the last time was you talked with your son?”
He paused, “This morning at our weekly staff meeting.”
I said, “No, not Owen. I was asking about Noah.”
Again, I heard a long pause, “I only have one son, Owen. Noah ceased to be my son when he decided to live the life of a pervert.”
I shook my head. How can a parent turn their back on a child when they need their parent’s support the most?
I asked, “So, you don’t care that he hasn’t been seen or heard from for three days?”
He said, “I haven’t seen or heard from him for over six months.”
It was clear that William Chang was not going to be much help. I told him what I knew up to this point and told him if he did care he could call me for an update. I hung up the phone frustrated.
I checked back in with Blake and Ollie. None of DJ’s friends had heard from him and Blake was going to meet DJ’s landlord at his apartment in the morning.
Ollie still had several hours of footage from the club to look at. So far, he saw DJ and Noah arrive at a little after nine and they appeared to be having a good time. No one had been giving them any trouble.
It was after 7pm and it didn’t seem like we would make any more progress today, so we called it a night.
To be Continued…
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