PREDATOR: AN ANDREW HALE SERIES

THE ASSIGNMENT

I sat on the chair, trying to hide the tight knot forming in my stomach. Jesse sat behind his desk, the permanent scowl etched deep into his features, while the captain perched stiffly in the chair beside him, like he’d been swallowed by nerves. Not exactly the welcome I’d hoped for after a morning spent basking in the glory of my last case.

“Andrew,” the captain began, voice measured but serious, “we’ve got a situation. Something I don’t trust anyone else with.”

I raised an eyebrow, leaning casually against the edge of the desk, masking my unease with a shrug. “You’ve got my attention.”

He exhaled, rubbing the bridge of his nose. “Cedar City. Utah. There’s been a string of kidnappings over the past few months. Local law enforcement is stretched thin, and frankly, they’ve hit a wall. We need someone who can handle this… someone thorough, someone you’ve proven yourself to be.”

Cedar City. Small town, quiet—or at least, it had been until now. The thought of stepping into a case that had already gone cold for months intrigued me, but there was no denying the weight of responsibility.

Jesse leaned forward, eyes sharp, voice clipped. “I don’t trust anyone else to get this done. You’ve got a record of seeing things others miss, Hale. This is why you’re here.”

Yeah, right.

I caught the subtle tension in the captain’s posture. He clearly respected my skill, but he didn’t enjoy asking me to shoulder the burden alone. And Jesse… well, Jesse’s approval was never free of judgment, jealousy, or some mix of both. The way he looked at me now, all thinly veiled irritation, made it obvious he was hoping I’d slip up. That alone made my teeth grind.

I kept my expression neutral. “I understand. Give me the details. Every lead you’ve got, every witness statement, everything that’s gone wrong so far. I want it all.”

The captain slid a folder across the desk, and I opened it immediately. Photographs spilled out first, then witness reports, police notes, and maps marked with pins. I scanned the faces in the pictures, letting their eyes settle on me.

I've heard of the kidnap that's been going on for the past couple of months but I thought the case was resolved because I didn't hear anything about it again.

Why did the case suddenly go quiet only to resurrect again?

What was the deal exactly?

Abby Collins—fifteen, disappeared last month on her way home from school. Witnesses saw her coming back from school with her friends and getting into her house, but nothing more. Her parents were frantic, practically living at the police station.

Miranda Dillon—twelve, vanished after a weekend volleyball game. Security cameras saw her leaving the court and that was the last anyone heard or saw of her. 

Lila and Laura Grayson—siblings, ages seventeen. Taken together on their way from choir practice. Nobody saw anything, even their friends who were also at the choir practice said they baded them goodnight and parted ways.

I flipped through the pages, noting patterns in timing, locations, and methods. Whoever was behind this wasn’t sloppy—they were deliberate, careful, and patient.

The victims were the same,teenaged girls.

What could be the intent or purpose here.

With all my years in the agency, I've come to realize that these sons of bitches either serial killers or kidnappers always had this particular affinity or obsession to a trend.I just never could understand what goes on in their minds.

Just last year,we apprehended a serial killer who felt that slim girls shouldn't be on the surface of the earth, there just wasn't reasoning to their madness or was it that doctor who had this satisfaction in raping 14yr old girls and slashing their private parts.

It was sickening, this was sickening but I guess the joy of everything was seeing them brought to Justice.

Jesse cleared his throat, drawing my attention back to the present. “These are high-profile cases, Hale. Media’s starting to pick up on them. You get one wrong, and…” His voice trailed off. He didn’t have to finish the sentence. I already knew: failure wasn’t an option.

I nodded slowly, keeping my tone neutral, though I could feel the familiar surge of irritation boiling under my skin. Jesse had to make everything about him, even when my work spoke for itself. It was as if he wanted me to fail just to feel superior.

 “Understood,” I said. “But let me make one thing clear—I don’t need your approval, Jesse. And I don’t work for you—I work for results. If the job gets done, we both know it. If not, I’ll deal with the consequences.”

He blinked, momentarily thrown off by my bluntness, while the captain cleared his throat nervously. The tension in the room thickened, but I didn’t flinch.

I returned my attention to the folder. The captain continued, “The thing is, Andy, we’ve had leads, but every time we think we’re close, they evaporate. Witnesses disappear, evidence goes cold, and the local PD is… ineffective. Honestly, we’ve reached a point where I don’t trust anyone else to handle it but you.”

I let out a low whistle, flipping through a map of Cedar City marked with red pins where the incidents occurred. Patterns emerged immediately. The timing formed an irregular grid, all within the hour of 5pm to 7pm. I needed to know more about the location to get the hang of things. Whoever was doing this knew the town intimately.

“Do we have any suspects?” I asked, scanning witness statements. Every report here says that the victims were all alone, no one ever said they saw anything “Anything tangible?”

Jesse shifted uncomfortably in his chair. “Nothing concrete. That’s why you’re here. You can read what I’ve read. Connect the dots we couldn’t. And don’t screw this up. Cedar City’s counting on us.”

I suppressed a smirk. His thinly veiled attempt at intimidation was laughable. If anything, it motivated me. I’d never been one to let a petty boss get under my skin for long, especially when lives were at stake. Still, I made a mental note to stay sharp. Jesse would try to undermine me at every turn, subtle or otherwise.

I spent the next few minutes absorbing every piece of evidence in the folder. Abby Collins had been taken after she got home from school , Miranda Dillon from the volleyball court, the Grayson siblings from their quiet suburban street. None of the cases seemed connected at first glance, but patterns were subtle. All disappearances happened in early evening, all victims were girls under eighteen, and all locations were within five miles of each other.

I could almost feel the tension building in the room as Jesse leaned back, arms crossed, waiting for me to speak. I ignored him. I focused on the kids—their faces. It was one thing to close a case that ended with criminals in handcuffs; it was another to rescue someone before it was too late.

“Captain,” I said finally, looking up from the folder, “what resources are we talking about? Local PD is stretched thin, I assume. Any federal support available?”

The captain nodded. “You’ll have a small team. Experienced, but minimal. We don’t want to alarm the locals. And you’ll be flying under the radar. Keep this tight, keep it discreet.”

“Good,” I said. “We’ll need access to all surveillance footage, vehicle registrations in the area, and witness statements not yet filed in the case. I want to talk to everyone who saw anything, even if it seemed minor at the time. Sometimes the smallest details matter most.”

Jesse’s jaw tightened. He clearly wanted to interject, but I didn’t give him the chance. Part of me wanted to tell him to stay the fuck out of it entirely. He had no patience for the kind of work this required, only for appearances and credit.

I closed the folder and stood, feeling the familiar surge of focus and determination that always accompanied a serious case. Jesse’s glare followed me, but I refused to let it sway me. Not today. Not ever.

“Captain,” I said, “when do we leave for Cedar City?”

“As soon as you’re ready,” he replied. “Flights arranged. You’ll be briefed further once you arrive.”

I nodded, my mind already running through the case, the patterns, the gaps. I could feel the challenge in my bones, and for the first time in months, I felt truly alive. This wasn’t just another file to close. These were real people, and it was on me to find them before it was too late.

And as I left the office, Jesse’s smirk behind me only fueled my resolve. Let him try to meddle. I didn’t need his approval. I never had. And in Cedar City, I would prove, once again, that I was the one you called when no one else could get the job done.