Cold Case

Without a Trace

Chapter Eight

Without a Trace

Matt

It had been a week since Blue went missing. Matt had no choice on the second day but to call Sharon and let her know what was happening. Since then, Sharon and Blue's sister Jade, had come to stay at Blue's house. Matt had come back to Bill's to give them more room although Sharon tried to insist he stay at Blue's house. Sharon organized a public awareness group to keep Blue's face and name in the paper. Flyers were put out everywhere in San Antonio and in the small surrounding cities. Vigils were held around the town in different places so news media would show up and her face would be placed on the news.

There was no trace of Blue. It was like she just disappeared into thin air. Her car hasn't been found and no credit cards have been used. Her cellular phone has been turned off or destroyed. And to make matters worse, it was approaching the three month time limit for the killer to send home Jill's body in a box. Tensions were high. Matt lost about ten pounds in the last week, wrecked with worry and stress, his appetite has all but disappeared too.

Sharon calls him every morning and he stops by Blue's house every evening just to check in on Sharon and Jade. He threw away all evidence of Blue's pregnancy, knowing that the fact she was with baby would hurt Sharon even more.

Matt's days consisted of the same routine. He'd get up, scan the newspaper to make sure Blue's picture was being ran and then head into the station. Check with every department to see if there have been any developing leads. Drive around for hours looking for Blue's car. Tow companies, parking lots and malls. Always good places to dump cars. In the evening, he headed to Blue's house and "update" Sharon and Jade. Usually, the update consisted of nothing. Nothing. Not one lead.

Sharon tried to stay hopeful, but things weren't looking too good.

After three weeks of Blue missing, Matt's office called him and asked if he had any leads in the three-month killer case. When he told them no, they called him back to Austin. They had four days until the three-month period was up for Jill and Matt requested to be able to stay as long as that, with reluctance, the Department gave the okay.

The Howard family was extremely nervous. Marge couldn't quit crying; so afraid every time the phone or doorbell rang.

But no phone call was ever made, or no package ever delivered. Three months turned into four then to five and finally to six. Six months Jill has been missing. The police begin to think that the idea that the three-month killer took Jill was just wrong.

They tried to search other leads, but nothing was coming up. The list of names from the camp director gave no clues. No names ran in the National Crime Information Center came back with any red flags. They were still trying to track down all the people on the list to interview them. They were about one fourth through.

Matt drove to San Antonio on his days off and unofficially checked out leads. The Chief was starting to look at him with sympathetic eyes, fearing the worse, that Blue was dead out there someone. The killer managing to get to her somehow.

Matt looked terrible and he knew it, but he just couldn't give up yet. Something inside told him he would feel if she was dead and he didn't feel that, not yet. His hope was still that he made the mortgage payments on Blue's house. He would tell Sharon and Jade he didn't want Blue coming back to a house that wasn't hers anymore. It didn't leave him with a lot of money but since he didn't do much of anything, he didn't suffer from a lack of money.

On the six-month anniversary of Blue's disappearance, Sharon sat down with Matt and had a talk with him. "I know you never admitted it to me, but I know you love my daughter. And as hard as it is for me to admit it to myself that she is gone, it's time that we did, both of us." Matt looked at Sharon, afraid of her next words. "Blue is gone Matt. She's left this life, and she has found peace in the next. You keeping her house out of foreclosure doesn't change that." Sharon was crying and her hands were shaking. "We can keep her in our hearts, but we have to let go Matt."