Dead Drop

Homeless teen Chris certainly isn't the most reliable of witnesses. And so no one takes her seriously when she walks into a police station and claims that her boyfriend Max, nicknamed Zorro, has been kidnapped.

Detective Inspector Helen Shepherd is initially inclined to dismiss Chris as well. But then Chris mentions a ransom demand, a mysterious phone call demanding an envelope in exchange for the safe return of Max.

Chris claims she has no idea what the kidnappers are talking about. But when Helen and her team investigate the abandoned warehouse that Max and Chris have made their home, she notices unusual activities in the area.

But what precisely do the kidnappers want? And whatever happened to Max?

This is a mystery novelette of 8700 words or approximately 28 print pages in the Helen Shepherd Mysteries series, but may be read as a standalone.