"Detective Darcy, it has been three days and no one is taking me seriously about my baby Kelvin. The other mothers sent me here about their babies as well. I know we are poor and black, but I also know you have a family from those pictures. Just think if one of them didn't come home like they normally do." Detective Michael Darcy had fifteen years experience and was assigned missing persons and other unusual cases. He had figured this was a gang related one and was going to suggest Phyllis seek a homicide detective. He looked into her eyes that were red from crying and decided to check this one out personally.
"How old is your son, Mrs Carter?" Phyllis asked to be called her first name as she didn't want this to just be a form being filled out and forgotten. "Kelvin is fifteen and has been quite a handful lately. He has good friends, but he wants to quit school and I know where that will lead to. But he is not in a gang or deals drugs. None of those boys do as we have been keeping as tight a leash on them as possible. We looked everywhere and could not find a trace of them." Mike told Phyllis to call him by his first name as well.
"Honestly, I was going to give you the runaround like most do in cases like these. Usually the kid runs away or joins a gang and his body is found. These stories rarely end well and I am going to make sure this one does. I am going to need the full names of the boys and what they were wearing and other descriptions of them. If you have recent pictures of them I can use them as well. I do want to tell you it will all work out, but I don't want to lie to you if this turns out tragic." Phyllis thanked the man and let him go out to do his job.
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Mike paid a visit to all the local hospitals, jails and other facilities to see if any young men had been admitted. He did this personally as asking on the phone never got him anywhere. If they were in jail, they could spend several months there before anyone was notified. Not one of them had young men fitting the description of the boys and Mike showed the pictures to anyone who had eyes that could see.
Mike then went to the neighborhood and looked through alleys for any blood or signs of violence. He found nothing and walked to the diner to interview Mary the owner. "Officer, they were far from perfect kids. I could hear them talk and tried not to pry, but they did smoke a bit of pot and drank with their friends. Nothing serious, just the usual stuff we all did as kids. They weren't in any gangs but wondered if they should join just to be on the safe side so no one would attack them. But they were mindful of the adults and respectful to all of us. I saw nothing to indicate any were in serious trouble." Mike walked to the gym and looked around it as Joe walked up to him.
"You seem to be a mentor to the boys. I do wonder how much of a mentor you were to them." Joe became angry at even the slightest hint of any sexual type contact with the boys. "Look, I work here over twelve hours a day as they have no one to come here in the morning to make sure things are unlocked. I get paid eight hours a day with minimum wage. I live close by so I don't need no car. I love this job as I am helping to keep our kids from being killed. I am a grandfather myself and would hope to God someone out there is looking after mine when I am not there.
"But if you think I would do anything to hurt them, I want you to leave this gym and the families alone." Mike apologized but had to ask some tough questions. "I saw those boys walk out the door and head toward the diner. I did not hear any other cars out there or any gunshots. It was a quiet night and I can hear if the cats are fighting for scraps in the alley. I left this place fifteen minutes after they did and found out they never arrived at the diner."
Mike interviewed the parents and friends of the boys and found out they were like most other normal kids. They weren't straight A students, but they all did well in school and seemed to be adjusted in life. Mike even interviewed some gang leaders and found they were talking about the disappearance and had no idea what happened.
After a few weeks passed, Mike visited the apartment of Phyllis to see several other younger children at the place. "I looked everywhere and checked all of those hospitals, jails and other places in person. I checked the morgue every day and not one of them showed up there. I looked for signs of blood, violence or anything else and could not find it. They walked out of the gym and headed for the diner but never arrived. This case is a real mystery and I am going to solve it. Seven kids don't just disappear like that. They had no money to run away and would of called or been found by now by someone." The case perplexed Mike and he vowed Phyllis he would devote at least an hour a day looking for leads.
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Fifteen years later...
The retirement ceremony was brief and to the point. Mike had not wanted anything big as he put in his years and did his duty. He thanked his friends at the department and cut the cake for all to enjoy. He then saw Phyllis and her now grown children at her side and walked up to her and gave her a hug. "I may have retired, but I will continue on this case until I find your son Kelvin, Phyllis." Phyllis had tears in her eyes as she thanked him for doing his job.
"You cared, Mike. That is what mattered the most. You cared."
Mike had nothing to show for it other than several thick files filled with interviews and evidence plus tips that went nowhere. He had vowed to keep on going as long as his health was good enough.
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"So, what do you think happened to the boys, Detective Darcy?" Mike looked at the young interviewer as he read through all the files of the case.
"It has been ten years after I retired and nothing. It is as if a portal opened up and they walked through it or a spacecraft landed and flew off with them. I honestly would be prepared to say those are possibilities because they up and vanished without a trace. I returned to institutions to speak with records keepers and looked at all of their files to find nothing. I used modern blood locating techniques to find out I was right about no blood being at those alleys.
"So, seven black teenagers walk out of an old gym and head to the diner for a bite to eat. No signs of violence or gang activity at the time and no trace of them. I will go to my grave not knowing what happened and it kills me."
Subject: Missing Chronicles: City Kids (2 of 2) 
Thu Jul 18, 2013 1:11 am
