that DeShawn had been the victim of random violence, far more likely he was the victim of a wrong choice.
“You forgot to mention that girl who’s been calling him,” Mr. Simmons put in.
“That girl is not his girlfriend,” Mrs. Simmons argued. “She’s just a friend he helped out by getting her a job.”
“Who is this girl he helped out?” Jess inquired, searching both faces for that telltale flare of knowledge that could prove far more important than either one understood. Anticipation spurred a little burst of adrenaline. This could be the element of DeShawn’s background that might provide some insight as to why he’d gone missing.
“She’s Mexican,” Mr. Simmons said with obvious disdain. “Her name’s Nina something. She was all mixed up with one of them thirteen gangbangers. And our boy was doing a lot more than helping her get a job. He was helping her hide.”
“We don’t know any such thing for sure,” his wife argued. “Whatever she was involved in, DeShawn would not have gotten mixed up in that gang mess. He said she was hiding. He didn’t say he was helping her hide.”
That burst of adrenaline became a full-fledged flood. “Mr. Simmons, are you referring to
MS-13
?”
“That’s it! DeShawn said her ex-boyfriend—or whatever he was—was some kind of leader of that trash. He was scared they might hurt her if they found out where she was hiding.”
On a scale of one to ten, with ten being bad, this was a twelve. “Do you recall her last name?”
Mr. and Mrs. Simmons exchanged a look. Both shook their heads.
“Where was she hiding when DeShawn was helping her?”
“In that empty house down the block on the corner. DeShawn took her a blanket and a pillow and food. He was worried about her safety but she refused to go to the police. Then she just disappeared. Poof!” He made an abrupt gesture with his hands. “Next thing we knew DeShawn was gone, too.” His voice trembled on the last. “They’ve done something bad to our boy. I know it.”
“We don’t know that,” Mrs. Simmons argued again. “DeShawn was just being nice. He didn’t do anything wrong.”
Jess knew exactly the house Mr. Simmons meant. The one with all the gang tags. She also understood that Mrs. Simmons was in deep denial. If this young man had crossed someone in the MS-13 in any capacity, his grandfather was correct. They would do or had done something bad to him. “When did Nina go missing?”
“On Wednesday,” Helen answered as she dabbed at her eyes. “DeShawn was very upset that she didn’t answer the door when it was time to go to work Wednesday afternoon. He went inside that old house and she was gone. I tried to tell him that she probably just took off. With girls like that you can’t never tell.”
Jess made a note to check the house. “Did he notice signs of a struggle?”
Helen shook her head. “She was just gone and he was worried sick. Two days later he was gone, too.”
“Did you tell this to the police when you filed the missing persons report?”
Helen exchanged another look with her husband. “I didn’t. I was afraid you wouldn’t look for him if you knew about that part. I knew the police would try to say he was involved with that mess. But I can promise you right now he didn’t run off to join no gang, not for that girl or anything else. They took him. That’s all there is to it.”
Jess dug for her pad and pencil. “I need as much information about the girl as you can give me.” She turned to a new page in her notepad. “Don’t leave anything out,” she warned. “I can’t help you or your grandson unless I know
everything
.”
• • •
8:45 p.m.
Jess promised Mr. and Mrs. Simmons she would find their grandson. The department’s sketch artist was scheduled to meet with the Simmonses tomorrow morning to work on a rendering of this unidentified person of interest called Nina. Jess suspected she was the key to DeShawn’s troubles.
Harper exited the
“You forgot to mention that girl who’s been calling him,” Mr. Simmons put in.
“That girl is not his girlfriend,” Mrs. Simmons argued. “She’s just a friend he helped out by getting her a job.”
“Who is this girl he helped out?” Jess inquired, searching both faces for that telltale flare of knowledge that could prove far more important than either one understood. Anticipation spurred a little burst of adrenaline. This could be the element of DeShawn’s background that might provide some insight as to why he’d gone missing.
“She’s Mexican,” Mr. Simmons said with obvious disdain. “Her name’s Nina something. She was all mixed up with one of them thirteen gangbangers. And our boy was doing a lot more than helping her get a job. He was helping her hide.”
“We don’t know any such thing for sure,” his wife argued. “Whatever she was involved in, DeShawn would not have gotten mixed up in that gang mess. He said she was hiding. He didn’t say he was helping her hide.”
That burst of adrenaline became a full-fledged flood. “Mr. Simmons, are you referring to
MS-13
?”
“That’s it! DeShawn said her ex-boyfriend—or whatever he was—was some kind of leader of that trash. He was scared they might hurt her if they found out where she was hiding.”
On a scale of one to ten, with ten being bad, this was a twelve. “Do you recall her last name?”
Mr. and Mrs. Simmons exchanged a look. Both shook their heads.
“Where was she hiding when DeShawn was helping her?”
“In that empty house down the block on the corner. DeShawn took her a blanket and a pillow and food. He was worried about her safety but she refused to go to the police. Then she just disappeared. Poof!” He made an abrupt gesture with his hands. “Next thing we knew DeShawn was gone, too.” His voice trembled on the last. “They’ve done something bad to our boy. I know it.”
“We don’t know that,” Mrs. Simmons argued again. “DeShawn was just being nice. He didn’t do anything wrong.”
Jess knew exactly the house Mr. Simmons meant. The one with all the gang tags. She also understood that Mrs. Simmons was in deep denial. If this young man had crossed someone in the MS-13 in any capacity, his grandfather was correct. They would do or had done something bad to him. “When did Nina go missing?”
“On Wednesday,” Helen answered as she dabbed at her eyes. “DeShawn was very upset that she didn’t answer the door when it was time to go to work Wednesday afternoon. He went inside that old house and she was gone. I tried to tell him that she probably just took off. With girls like that you can’t never tell.”
Jess made a note to check the house. “Did he notice signs of a struggle?”
Helen shook her head. “She was just gone and he was worried sick. Two days later he was gone, too.”
“Did you tell this to the police when you filed the missing persons report?”
Helen exchanged another look with her husband. “I didn’t. I was afraid you wouldn’t look for him if you knew about that part. I knew the police would try to say he was involved with that mess. But I can promise you right now he didn’t run off to join no gang, not for that girl or anything else. They took him. That’s all there is to it.”
Jess dug for her pad and pencil. “I need as much information about the girl as you can give me.” She turned to a new page in her notepad. “Don’t leave anything out,” she warned. “I can’t help you or your grandson unless I know
everything
.”
• • •
8:45 p.m.
Jess promised Mr. and Mrs. Simmons she would find their grandson. The department’s sketch artist was scheduled to meet with the Simmonses tomorrow morning to work on a rendering of this unidentified person of interest called Nina. Jess suspected she was the key to DeShawn’s troubles.
Harper exited the
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