THE CLOSED CASE

WHERE IS JASON?

The campus felt different. Mostly boys and a few female touts roamed freely, while the rest of the girls were nowhere in sight—just as the Vice Chancellor had instructed. It was general room inspection day, and female students were confined to their dorms.

Soon, a convoy of black SUVs rolled into the compound. From the lead vehicle stepped a dark-skinned, middle-aged man, speaking quietly to his personal assistant as they made their way to the VC’s office.

“DD! Mr. DD! What’s up, man?” the VC greeted with forced cheer.

“Looks like you’re in a good mood today,” Mr. DD replied, settling into a chair. “How are you?”

“Fine, fine. Damien—DC! What’s up?” the VC added, shaking hands with DD’s assistant.

“Get me Stephanie,” Mr. DD said, voice firm.

“DD, relax. Female students aren’t coming out today. It’s inspection day—they’ll stay in until their rooms are cleared,” the VC said with a smile.

“Oh, that’s cool. Good, good. Well then, let’s make the most of our time,” Mr. DD replied.

“What can I get you?” the VC asked, sighing inwardly.

“Water. My throat’s sore,” DD said.

---

**DORM ROOM – LATER THAT DAY**

“Kira, where’s Jason? You need to apologize,” Xeida said casually.

“I dunno. He wasn’t in his unit this morning. Maybe he’s at Jasey’s,” Kira shrugged.

“And you’re this calm?” Xeida frowned, dialing Jason’s number. His phone rang—inside the room.

“He’s not with his phone?” she asked, eyes wide.

“Oh yeah, I found it in the kitchen earlier,” Kira replied, still unfazed.

“And you’re still this calm?” Xeida began pacing. Just then, Jasey walked in.

“Have you guys seen Jason? We’re supposed to go to the movies today. If we don’t leave soon, the tickets will be gone,” he said, checking his phone.

“He left the condo without telling anyone?” Xeida asked, still pacing.

“I guess. It’s his style—he never drops his location. He’ll be back soon,” Kira said with a shrug.

*Click.*

The sound of a camera shutter echoed.

Kira froze. Then she snapped.

“They got him. No, no, no—they got him. I’m finished!” she cried, suddenly frantic.

“You were calm a minute ago. What changed?” Xeida asked, startled.

“You don’t get it! I heard the camera click again. Someone’s here!” Kira shouted, tears streaming.

“There’s someone else in the room?” Jasey asked, now alert. He began checking behind curtains, under the bed, everywhere. Then he called Mrs. John.

No sign of Jason. Not on campus. Not in his unit. Not in the library. Nowhere.

“We need to call the cops. We’ve been searching for eight hours,” Jasey said.

“Sounds good,” Xeida replied.

---

**PHONE CALL – 911**

“911, what’s your emergency?” the officer asked calmly.

“Hi. I want to report a missing person. My friend’s been gone for eight hours. We’ve searched everywhere,” Jasey said.

“Your name and location?”

“Jasey Jordan. I’m at Crystal Palace Charity Home.”

“I hear laughter in the background. If this is a prank, you’ll be fined, Mr. Jason,” the officer said sternly.

“Laughter? Are you deaf? That’s my best friend’s sister losing her mind. If she doesn’t see her brother tomorrow, she’ll break down,” Jasey snapped.

“What’s your friend’s name?”

“Jason John.”

“Okay. Please return to your condominium. We’ll take over the search. Try to keep his sister calm. Thank you.”

*Call ends.*

---

**POLICE STATION – CRYSTAL PALACE**

“Detective Xavier, check the camera footage. I need a close survey,” Officer Alexander said flatly. “Detective Diane, standby—you’re assisting on this case.”

“I’m on it,” Diane said, heading to the operating room.

---

**OPERATING ROOM**

“Can you access his phone? Check the call logs. We need a clue,” Xavier said, eyes locked on the CCTV screens.

“Sure,” Diane replied, fingers flying across the keyboard. She hacked in and pulled up the logs.

“His last call was with his mom—1:39 p.m. yesterday. He was trying to explain how hard he’s working to care for his sister. They argued. Then he hung up,” Diane said sharply.