Hunted by the Moon

The Vanishing Trail

✰Caitlin✰

I sat at my desk and flipped through page after page of witness statements, autopsy reports, and crime scene photos. The precinct was quieter than usual, the hum of the fluorescent lights above made my already pounding headache worse. Stanley sat across from me, his eyes scanned over the same files.

“This case is a f*****g mess,” he muttered as he rubbed his temples in frustration.

"Tell me about it," I muttered in agreement as I dropped another folder onto the growing pile beside me. "But we have to be missing something. There has to be a pattern," Stanley leaned back in his chair and stared at the whiteboard where we had pinned every missing person’s name, every victim, every crime scene. Red lines connected them, but none of it made sense. "Nineteen victims," I said, as I also looked over at the board. "Nine dead. Ten are still missing. And yet, there is no connection between them,"

“No type, no clear motive, nothing,” Stanely said. “Except the van,” he added as he tapped his pen against the desk. "Almost every single witness that saw something mentioned a van. And we have security footage to prove it,” I frowned as I flipped to the latest witness statement.

"A black van with no plates. Four masked men,” I read off the statement and he nodded.

"We know they have been using it to transport their victims. That’s something, at least," he said, and I stood up to approach the board. I scanned all the details. Again.

"We need to focus on the van. Find the van, we find them," I said. Stanley grabbed his coffee cup and took a sip.

"Easier said than done. There are thousands of vans in this city. Could be any make or model. If these guys are smart, they probably swap out vehicles or use stolen ones," he said, and I crossed my arms and glared at him.

“Well, let’s start with the traffic cameras. Maybe we can track where the van went after each abduction,” Stanley snorted in response.

“Do you really think these guys are dumb enough to get caught on a main road?” he asked, and I shrugged.

"You would be surprised how often people make mistakes," I remarked as I grabbed my phone. "Besides, even if they avoid the main roads, they still have to drive somewhere. All we have to do is find them and follow the trail,” Stanely slowly nodded, and I quickly sent our tech guy, Rodriguez, a text. I asked him to pull any footage of similar vans in the areas surrounding the abductions. Thankfully, Rodriguez was on the ball and responded back pretty quickly. I shoved my phone into my pocket while Stanley stretched lazily.

"So now we wait?"

"No," I stated as I grabbed my coat. “Now we go back to the crime of the scene. Maybe we are missing something,” Stanely groaned, but stood up and grabbed his coat. We were out the door in just a few minutes and the first location we visited was the alley behind a club where one of the earlier victims, Danny Harris, had been taken. The place was deserted, aside from a few stray pieces of trash along the pavement.

"Witness said he last saw Danny leaving through this exit," Stanely said as he pointed at the back door. "Security footage cut off right after he stepped outside. The van was parked just beyond the camera’s range," he crouched near the ground and scanned the pavement. “I have to say, these guys are smart. No cameras, no lighting…they sure do know how to pick their spots,” I kicked at a discarded beer can.

“Yes, but why here?” I asked curiously.

"Less risk," Stanley said. "They could sit out here all night, waiting for the right target," I sighed as I stepped back to take in the whole scene.

“I still feel like we are missing something,” I said as Stanley stood up and brushed the dust from his knees.

“What if they weren’t just waiting for anyone? What if this isn’t random? What if they are picking their victims ahead of time?”

“Go on,” I urged curiously.

"Think about it. They seem patient and methodical. They don’t take just anyone wandering into an alley alone. Maybe they already knew Danny would be here that night. Maybe they knew all the victims’ routines," he explained, and my stomach tightened at the thought.

"I mean, since there is no connection…aside from those three college guys…it doesn’t seem like it is planned…but maybe you are on to something,”

“It has to be planned. They seem prepared for just about everything. Little to no witnesses. The masks, the unmarked van, and avoiding the cameras,” he said, and I slowly nodded.

“Well, then we need to figure out how they are choosing their victims," I said, but before we could discuss it further, my phone buzzed. It was Rodriguez. "Tell me you have something," I said as I answered.

"You are going to want to see this,” Rodriguez said. "I cross-referenced the van from the footage with traffic cam data. Found it on three separate occasions, all near different crime scenes," my pulse quickened.

“And where is the most recent sighting?" I asked. Rodriguez rattled off an address and I knew exactly where that was. It wasn’t far from where we were. “Ok, thanks,” I said to him before I hung up.

“Looks like we might have a lead," Stanely said, and I nodded. The location Rodriguez had given me was an abandoned parking lot behind a row of old warehouses. The moment we pulled up, I knew something felt off. "This place is perfect for hiding something," Stanley muttered as he scanned the empty lot. I nodded as I gripped my gun, and I climbed out of the car.

"Stay sharp," I whispered. We moved cautiously, eyes scanning for any signs of movement. The air was heavy and thick with the scent of rain on the asphalt. The van wasn’t there, but the tire marks on the pavement told us it had been. Stanley knelt down and ran his fingers over the tracks.

"These look pretty fresh. I think they were here within the last twenty-four hours," he said as he looked up at me. I clenched my jaw.

"Then we probably just missed them,"

“I’m not sure why they come here, but it’s clear they come here often,” he said as he stood up. “All we have to do is monitor this place,” I slowly nodded, but then I spotted something near the edge of the lot. It looked like a small piece of torn fabric, caught on a rusted piece of fencing. I walked over and picked it up. Dark material.

"Bag this," I said, as I carefully lifted the fabric with my pen. "Let’s get it tested," Stanely nodded as he ran back to the car to grab a bag. I looked around and sighed. It seemed like we had to do a bit of surveillance.