Nick shook his head. "Believe it or not, I'm not actually interested in your story. At least, not right now."
His words stunned not only Hansen; even Gracie stopped what she was doing and stared blankly at him.
He continued, "I just want to know whether anyone else you know has gone missing the way Steven did."
"People leave here every day, and even more new people turn up. Wasn't Steven's death an accident? Why are you asking us this?" Hansen answered with questions of his own, seemingly having noticed something.
"I can't tell you the details yet, but Steven's death wasn't an accident. I'm looking for more victims, and there could be a lot of them.
"So I need to know whether anyone else around you disappeared after getting a so-called job, just like Steven." Nick looked earnestly at the two of them.
Before Hansen could answer, Gracie blurted out, "Yes, Kevin did. He left with Steven."
"Tell me about Kevin. Did he mention any specific details? About the work, or where he was going?" Nick perked up and took out his notebook.
"No. He only said it paid ten dollars an hour," Hansen volunteered.
In 2008, the federal minimum wage worked out to $6.55 an hour, while Oregon's minimum hourly wage was $7.95.
Ten dollars an hour was not particularly high, but considering that the income would most likely be tax-free, it was quite enticing. Especially for the homeless people it targeted, it was unquestionably "high pay."
"Did anyone ever approach you with a similar offer?" Nick asked next.
Although the Subprime Mortgage Crisis was already threatening to sweep across America, its subsequent effects would unfold gradually over the coming years. At present, there were only a few hundred homeless people throughout Portland, and not many were the