Avenge Thy Brother

Chapter 4: The Source

            After conducting several interviews with Kemari Whitlock's closest friends, we learned new facts. Kemari confided his relationship details to them about Denzel but none of them knew about his relationship with William. Two of his friends told us Kemari told them he was in love with Denzel while three others never heard him say that. We also had more insight into what happened the night Kemari disappeared. He'd been drinking heavily because he was upset about the argument he'd had with Denzel, according to his friends. They got him a ride with Lyft and were waiting outside with him until he assured them that he was fine and could wait by himself. He insisted that they go back inside and have fun. For some reason, he began walking away mere seconds after his friends reentered the nightclub.

"No one called or texted him," I began while making my case to Karen, Cox and Saunders. I pointed to the replaying footage of Kemari that was caught by nearby surveillance cameras that night. "As you can see, he's walking towards something or someone. There is an urgency in his pace."

"So, what are you saying?" Saunders asked me.

"I believe he saw someone in distress or someone caught his attention and he was either lured to them through wanting to help or by attraction. We don't know because the last buildings on that side of the street and across the street are vacant buildings without surveillance cameras. And that tells me something else: whoever did lure him in that direction knew the cameras were there and stayed out of frame."

"It could be a coincidence," Karen suggested.

"Yes, it could be, but do we have the time to come up with any other suggestions as to why Kemari walked away from that nightclub in the only direction that ends with no surveillance cameras pointed at the sidewalk?"

"Damn, I'm impressed," said Cox with a smirk. "Would you be willing to quit working for the FBI to come and work for this precinct?"

"Even if this explains how he disappeared," Saunders cut in, "it does nothing to prove he's still alive."

"I was about to get to that," I said while looking at him. "While thinking about all of this in my hotel suite last night, I came to the realization that this is more personal than I originally assumed."

"What do you mean?" Karen asked, sitting up in her seat.

"The way Kemari was lured away from safety and taken is not a coincidence. This is the exact same method that was used to get my friend Thomas Bennett in 2013. I am more convinced now that this is the network. It's keeping Kemari alive to toy with me."

Karen cleared her throat and began, "Rowell..."

"No, I haven't lost my mind and I'm not trying to make this about me; they are. Why go out of their way to stage the exact same tactic they used to get Tommy? Why try to make us think either Denzel or William caused Kemari's disappearance?"

"So, what about the other missing men?" Saunders asked me. "How do they fit into all of this?"

"They're already dead," I told them, causing both Karen and Cox to gasp. "I know, it's an extreme theory but this network is murderous. There were no surveillance cameras or witnesses when those men went missing. They disappeared without a trace and there are no clues for us to even begin searching for them."

"That doesn't mean they're dead," said Cox.

I looked at her and said, "Yes, it does. This network murders people they deem unimportant and only lets someone live if they can gain something by keeping that person alive, and that's only temporary. From this point on, we have to move carefully and not let much information get out. I was able to outsmart them largely due to them not knowing I was working with the FBI as a civilian off the record years ago."