Back at the 21st District Intelligence Unit, everyone gathered around the case board to compare what had been recovered from the scene.
The full forensic report was still pending, but the preliminary findings were already disturbing.
The child appeared to have suffered a broken neck, three stab wounds to the abdomen, and restraints around his wrists and ankles tied with a distinctive sailor-style knot.
The knot immediately stood out because it wasn’t something most people would use casually.
It was simple, secure, and common among people familiar with boating, climbing, or outdoor work.
Whether that detail meant anything remained unclear, but Intelligence had so little evidence that even a small clue mattered.
Adrian Knight entered the office carrying the victim’s identification file.
“We have a name.
Jeremy Doran, eight years old.” He handed the paperwork to Antonio Dawson and added, “Reported missing from Rogers Park about thirty-six hours ago.
Parents are Richard and Rochelle Doran.” Antonio opened the file and studied the addresses.
“Rogers Park is several miles north of where we found him.
That makes it pretty likely he was killed somewhere else and dumped afterward.” Adam Ruzek stood nearby with his arms crossed and shook his head.
“No witnesses, no vehicle description, and nobody saw him get dropped there,” Adam said.
“We’re not exactly drowning in clues.” Hank Voight remained leaning against the edge of a desk with his arms folded, silently processing everything.
After a long moment, he looked toward the rest of the unit and said, “Then we start in Rogers Park.
Pull every relevant call and report from that area over the last forty-eight hours.” “I want anything unusual,” Hank continued.
“Screams, strange vehicles, unfamiliar people hanging around, somebody seeing the kid on his bike, anything that helps us figure out where he disappeared.” His eyes then shifted toward Adrian and Antonio.
“You two go talk to the parents when they identify him,” Hank ordered.
“Ask about enemies, disputes, money problems, family trouble, anyone who’s been around the kid lately.
I don’t care how small it seems.” Antonio and Adrian stood at the same time.
“Got it.” The two left Intelligence and headed toward the morgue.
During the drive, Adrian kept thinking about how far Jeremy’s body had been moved from his neighborhood.
“You think whoever dumped him there chose that spot deliberately?” Antonio glanced toward him before returning his attention to the road.
“Possible.
If the killer wanted us looking in the wrong place, dropping the body somewhere disconnected from the kid’s normal routine would help.” Adrian nodded because the logic made sense; the dump site might have been nothing more than misdirection.
When they arrived at the morgue, Richard and Rochelle Doran were already standing behind the viewing glass.
A small body lay beneath a white sheet on the other side, and Rochelle leaned heavily against her husband as she cried.
“It’s him…
that’s Jeremy.” Richard wrapped one arm around his wife and closed his eyes for several seconds.
His face tightened as he reached forward and pulled the curtain closed, ending the identification.
Neither parent said anything afterward, and the silence between them carried more grief than words could have.
Antonio gave them time before gently asking them to step into a nearby family room.
Once everyone was seated, he opened his notebook and kept his voice as calm as possible.
“Jeremy went missing Saturday.
Can you walk us through what happened before you realized he was gone?” Rochelle wiped tears from her face.
“He went out on his bicycle.
He said he was going to see a friend.” She shook her head as though trying to force more details out of memories that weren’t there.
“He’d done it before,” she continued.
“He went out to play, and I thought he’d come home like always.” Antonio nodded.
“We found him about three and a half miles south of your neighborhood.
Would Jeremy normally ride that far by himself?” Rochelle’s grief immediately turned into frustration.
“No.
Of course not.” She stared at Antonio through red eyes and added, “My son wouldn’t just ride that far without telling us.” Antonio didn’t challenge her.
“We’re not saying he did.
We’re trying to understand how he got from your neighborhood to where we found him.” Rochelle lowered her head again, while Richard remained beside her with a rigid expression.
“You have to find whoever did this,” Rochelle whispered.
Antonio nodded firmly.
“We will.” Richard had remained almost completely silent until then.
After several seconds, he finally looked toward Adrian and asked in a strained voice, “Do you know if…
anything else was done to him?” Adrian understood what he meant.
“The medical examiner hasn’t completed the full examination yet, so we don’t have an answer.” He kept his voice quiet and respectful.
Antonio watched the couple carefully before asking, “Has Jeremy ever been around anyone you were concerned about?
Family members, relatives, neighbors, friends, anyone who made you uncomfortable?” He paused and added, “Any history of abuse, threats, or behavior that worried you?” Both parents suddenly became quiet.
Richard’s expression hardened.
After a long pause, he finally answered, “Jeremy had a normal life.
I grew up the same way, and there are no problems in our family.” His voice grew firmer as he continued, “There’s nothing wrong with our neighborhood either.” Antonio noticed the defensiveness immediately.
“We’re not accusing anyone.
We just need to know if there was ever something Jeremy told you about.” Richard looked away for a moment.
“If there was a problem, we’d handle it.” The answer made Adrian’s attention sharpen.
Antonio started to ask what he meant, but Richard was already standing.
He placed one hand gently on Rochelle’s shoulder, helping her to her feet.
Whatever openness they had shown when discussing Jeremy’s disappearance had suddenly vanished.
Adrian stood as well.
“Mr.
Doran, if we need to contact you again—” “We’ll be home,” Richard replied quietly.
He and Rochelle left the room without another explanation.
Adrian watched the door close behind them before turning toward Antonio.
The parents were grieving, and that alone could explain some of their reluctance, but Richard’s final answer had sounded far too deliberate to ignore.
Antonio seemed to be thinking the same thing.
Adrian rubbed his chin and exhaled.
“They’re hiding something.” Antonio gave a small nod.
Adrian looked toward the hallway where the couple had disappeared.
“And what exactly did he mean by, ‘If there was a problem, we’d handle it’?” His expression darkened slightly.
“Handle it how?
On their own?” Enjoyed the chapter?
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