***Have decided to centrally locate all my Cody Schroder stories to another online location. That site will also be the home of my future Cody stories. Plan to start with this one. Please disregard the fact this story was originally written as a contest entry. That contest is long gone. What I am looking for, more or less, are any glaring errors that remain in this story before I post the tale to the new site.***


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"Are you going to put your video game down long enough for me to tell you this story?"

"Yes."

"Thank you. Now, come sit down on the couch and I'll begin. Bradley Carrigan was one of the toughest cases of my career for me to crack. It all began on the 12th of July in 2013. "Seventeen year old disappears without a trace!" That's what the headline on the front page of the Astatula Gazette screamed."

"Go, ahead, Sheriff. I'm listening."

"I knew the Carrigans lived over on Hathaway, down on the south side of town, even before Brad was born. A lot of conundrum surrounded this shocking case."

"Clue me in."

"It was another balmy morning when I received the call in my office. Brad had seemingly evaporated with no warning. I see you're getting into what I'm telling you. You just sat up straight. I appreciate that."

"Your stories are always good."

"As usual, a likely suspect entered the scene. You better buckle your seatbelt because this is going to be a crazy tale. Then again, almost every tragedy has a normal beginning."

"I'm all ears."

"The Carrigans' marriage dissolved and Brad chose to live with his mother, Julia Carrington-Smith. I was informed Brad suffered from a health issue. Despite this problem, he enjoyed being active. And, like you, Brad loved animals, particularly farm ones. Brad was also a cashier at the livestock pavilion when he departed. Shortly before then, he'd knocked on Marvin Bergman's door. Now, there was a real scoundrel."

"What was his problem?"

"Allegedly, Bergman provided Brad some kind of drug that influenced his psyche. That's one of the reasons I'm always coaching you not to take anything from anybody that you don't know what it is."

"You don't have to worry about that. So, what did you do?"

"My investigation of this event revealed instead of the good time Brad went searching for, the drug caused him to prance around Bergman's house completely undressed, and he participated in certain activities he otherwise never would have, and you certainly want no part of. When Brad sobered up, he was justifiably distressed."

"I would have slugged Bergman right in the mouth if he'd done that to me!"

"Beth and I would expect no less from you, you little bantam rooster. But, the following day, Brad felt profuse humiliation for his rendezvous with Bergman and turned to his father for advice."

"What did Brad's dad do?"

"His father was incensed at Bergman taking advantage of Brad, as I would be if someone did something like that to you. He wanted to go to Bergman's house and keelhaul him. He figured that would educate Bergman about respect and not to drug or use Brad. Can't say I blamed him. But, Russell Carrigan did not follow through with his threats. If he had, perhaps there'd been a suspect in Brad's vanishing act."

"Too bad he didn't follow through."

"Russell Carrigan ended up in Astatula General Hospital for an emergency gallbladder surgery. While he was admitted there, I found out Brad was not alone. There were two workers replacing the air conditioning unit at the Carrigans' house. Brad's friend Tony Newsome was also on the scene helping Brad do chores. Tony's sworn deposition stated he noticed one of the workers looked through the kitchen drawers. When Tony asked him what he was doing, the repairman remained silent and exited the house. From outside, Brad called to let Tony know he was running an errand."

"That's when Brad disappeared. Right?"

"Brad and his father were tight."

"Not as close as us."

"I would have to agree with you there, Cody. But, Brad had visited his father each day while he was in the hospital. Julia Smith came to see her estranged husband. She was surprised Brad had not come to the hospital the night before to see his father and decided to check their house for his benefit. When she arrived, the front door stood ajar, but Brad was nowhere in sight. His mother knew Brad was not the kind to wander away and not tell someone his destination. In this case, no one could attest to Brad's whereabouts. And, none of Brad's personal belongings were absent from his room."

"What did she do?"

"On July 21st, Julia Smith filed a missing person's report with my office. Immediately, I suspected foul play. First, I tracked Bergman down. When my questions for him reached an impasse, I kicked my efforts up a couple notches and formed a search party. Then, I interviewed everyone who might have had any involvement in Brad's removal. No one admitted a thing."

"How did the search go?"

"The search lasted the better part of two months. Tony confessed to me he and Brad had experimented with meth and marijuana."

"Not me. Never!"

"I catch you doing drugs it's me you'll have to worry about, not Earl Anthony Schroder! Ever again. That I promise!"

"Can we talk about anything but that maggot...PLEASE?"

"I suspected Brad's retreat was drug-related. But, then a new clue came along, as did a suspect, Blake Robertson. Definitely not a good role model. Robertson's behavior was violent, and he'd been charged with first degree felonious assault with a deadly weapon. While Robertson remained in custody, I searched his property for evidence. What I discovered on his home computer repulsed me although I've handled many grotesque incidents."

"What did you find?"

"I knew Robertson was devious to the core. His computer contained tons of illicit posts about rapes, tortures and murders of young men. One of the "victims" bore a striking resemblence to Brad Carrigan. That post really put Robertson in a quandary with my investigation. Robertson claimed the posts were all fabricated and stated he'd never met Brad Carrigan."

"Sure he hadn't."

"When I searched Robertson's two-door coupe, I found a necklace with a gold bear on it that matched the one Brad was known to regularly wear. But, similar necklaces aren't hard evidence. Though Robertson received thirty years in maximum security prison inside Huntsville for his assault charges, he never talked about Brad. Julia Smith's motherly instincts told her Robertson was probably not involved in Brad's demise."

"That was a good place for Robertson. Then, what happened?"

"I refused to give up on Brad's case. Six years later Brad was found living under an assumed name over near Fort Worth. Apparently, he couldn't handle his parents' break-up and split town. Unfortunately, both of his parents died unexpectedly before they could be reunited with their long lost son. He has reopened the family business in their honor."

"You mean Playmates Amusement Park?"

"One of your favorite hangouts. In fact, that's where Matt's birthday party is going to be Saturday. And, you're going to celebrate with your BFF. Those broad smiles on your face are what I like to see."

"Maybe if I ask him to, Rusty, I mean Brad, will want to help me with my feral chickens rescue."

"You're talking about the Free-Roaming Chickens Society of Astatula?"

"Yep. There's lots to do."

"Maybe you should ask him?"

"Thanks for the suggestion, Sheriff. I will."

"Just another day of living in Astatula."