The Beast of 1977 (Book 1)

Chapter 10

"We preempt Hollywood Squares to bring you this Action Seven News, Special Report!"

"Good Saturday evening. And welcome to this special, seven o'clock edition of Action News. I'm Paul Jensen. This evening, we take a more in depth look into the mind of a kidnapper. With me is Cypress police detective, Linus Bruin. Detective Bruin has been with the Cypress P.D. now for thirty-four years, and he is currently heading up the search for the Broad Open Daylight Kidnapper. Thank you for being with us this evening, Detective."

"Thank you, Paul; it's good to be here."

"Let's get down to business. Since September of '76, sixteen people have been, literally, snatched right off the streets and taken away. The latest of these abductions taking place just four days ago when Gloria Cohen was taken on her way to class at Cypress State Community College. Detective, what exactly are we dealing with here when it pertains to this individual?"

"Well, Paul, we're obviously dealing with an individual that has no fear of getting caught while snatching people right off the streets. Now, I'm no psychologist, but it almost seems that the suspect, if you'll excuse my tone, gets off, on committing these crimes not only during the daytime, but also where large associations of people just happen to be gathered. To him, it may be a very clever game that he enjoys playing."

"Detective, you mentioned getting off. I'm not sure if you and I can get away with such terminology on broadcast TV, but, are we possibly dealing with a rapist? I mean, so far, the only people that the suspect has had any interest in abducting are young white females and young black males. Could there be a possible connection between the two, or are these abductions just random?"

"It's difficult to figure out the suspect's motives at this time, Paul. While it is possible to assume that the abductor may have, what we call, a fetish, we cannot bring ourselves to believe that these are just random kidnappings."

"C'mon, Detective, ten white females and six black males. It sounds to me like this person has an obsession if I've ever seen one." © 2024 Nôv/el/Dram/a.Org.

"Like I said, Paul, we're not assuming anything at this point. Right now, we are more concentrated on the kidnapper's modes of transport. We have assessed that in each abduction, the suspect used a different color van. All Chevy's. Either this person is of great wealth or he must be stealing vans and then ditching them along the way."

"What leads, if any, do you have on the suspect?"

"So far we are going on the assumption that this person lives outside of town. Possibly westwards, near Cuyahoga Falls. One onlooker managed to catch a glimpse of his license place that read Summit County. As far as a description goes, all we have to go on is a stocky, well-built man that has a noticeable limp. No race has been established as of yet."

"Last night, a candlelight vigil was held in honor of Gloria on the campus of Cypress State. Are we to assume that these sixteen victims are all dead?"

"Paul, as hard as we at the Cypress Police Division like to hope above hope, we really do not want to toss salt on already open wounds. There is still a possibility that all sixteen of these people are still very much alive."

"What would you tell others out there to do if they are approached by an out of the ordinary individual?"

"Well, the best thing to do is stay within a group. Never travel alone if possible. Don't talk to strangers was probably some of the best advice our parents ever gave us. Be aware of anything suspicious. Anything out of place. If you suspect something out of the ordinary, do not hesitate to contact the Cypress Police Department immediately. We are doing everything within our power to find not only the

suspect, but also all sixteen victims. It is imperative to remember that screaming and yelling will possibly scare the individual away and save your life in the process."

"Good advice, Detective Bruin. Thank you for being with us this evening. Coming up next, the odd lives of The Cypress Zoo's first set of African lions. Can they adapt to our frigid environment? We'll talk to zoologist, Gary Ziggler, right after these messages."