out of the bank with a lot more.”
“The ransom was an afterthought,” Emily said.
“That’s certainly a possibility,” Colin said. “Maybe not part of the original plan.”
“What I don’t get is, why would she go into the bank alone and withdraw the money and not say anything?” the attorney asked. “She easily could have told the security guard or the bank manager to call the police and then stayed in the bank until they arrived.”
“Unless they gave her some incentive —something they were holding over her.” They would have to check the bank’s security video. Maybe there would be clues. She pulled out her cell to leave herself a note to check on that.
Emily’s breath caught. She suddenly realized she’d gotten so busy with the case she hadn’t noticed she had not heard back from the daughter, even after leaving three voicemails. “You said she has a daughter at college. Kaitlyn, right?”
“That’s right,” Patrick said.
“That would certainly be enough incentive,” Colin said. “Maybe they know about Kaitlyn, where she lives, what she looks like. Maybe they threatened to kidnap her if Elise didn’t go along.”
“You know, I haven’t been able to reach her,” Emily admitted. “I left messages, but she hasn’t called me back.”
“Have you tried to contact her, Mr. Murphy?” Colin asked.
“No, I haven’t.” He answered defensively. “We don’t exactly get along. When Ms. Parker said she would call her, I assumed she had,” he said, seeming to throw the blame back on Emily.
“Mr. Murphy, I need you to give Kaitlyn’s contact information to my officer right away.” Colin motioned Ernie over. “Her full name, address, phone number, email.”
“Yeah, Boss,” Ernie said as he stepped up.
Colin put a hand on the officer’s shoulder. “Ernie, we need to find Elise’s daughter. Mr. Murphy will give you all her info. Get ahold of the local police there and have them check on her, make sure she’s okay.”
“Will do.” Ernie and Patrick wandered off toward the kitchen.
Patrick stopped abruptly and turned back. “Another thing. The bank manager said our account shows Elise withdrew some cash at the ATM too, out in front of the bank, earlier in the day. Don’t you think that’s strange?”
Colin cocked his head with a slight frown. “Yeah, that is strange.”
“We’ll head down to the bank,” Emily said. “See if we can get a look at the security video, inside and outside of the bank.”
“Maybe we’ll get lucky and it’ll tell us something,” Colin added.
“Like what?” Patrick asked.
Emily’s pursed her lips. “Well, I have heard of thieves coming up behind someone at an ATM, holding a weapon on them and making them withdraw all they can from it. That could be how this whole thing started.”
“Maybe,” Colin agreed. “If the thief, or thieves, figured out she was worth a lot more than the few hundred she got for them from the ATM, they might have forced her to give up her home address. All they’d have to do is rifle through her purse and find her driver’s license.”
“The bank’s security footage might show if that’s the case. And if those thugs thought they could get her to clean out your accounts, the crime could have escalated from there,” Emily added. She remembered hearing about a doctor in the news a couple of years back where the criminals made his wife go to the bank and clean out their accounts while they held the daughters hostage. Then they killed her and her daughters and set the house on fire.
“Oh, Elise,” Patrick groaned, an expression of anguish twisting his features.
“Now, Mr. Murphy,” Emily laid a sympathetic hand on the man’s arm, “let’s not get ahead of ourselves. We don’t know yet what has happened.”
“Then find out!” he demanded.
“That’s what we’re trying to do,” Emily shot back between clenched teeth.
“Patrick, stay calm,” his attorney advised. “Let them do their
“The ransom was an afterthought,” Emily said.
“That’s certainly a possibility,” Colin said. “Maybe not part of the original plan.”
“What I don’t get is, why would she go into the bank alone and withdraw the money and not say anything?” the attorney asked. “She easily could have told the security guard or the bank manager to call the police and then stayed in the bank until they arrived.”
“Unless they gave her some incentive —something they were holding over her.” They would have to check the bank’s security video. Maybe there would be clues. She pulled out her cell to leave herself a note to check on that.
Emily’s breath caught. She suddenly realized she’d gotten so busy with the case she hadn’t noticed she had not heard back from the daughter, even after leaving three voicemails. “You said she has a daughter at college. Kaitlyn, right?”
“That’s right,” Patrick said.
“That would certainly be enough incentive,” Colin said. “Maybe they know about Kaitlyn, where she lives, what she looks like. Maybe they threatened to kidnap her if Elise didn’t go along.”
“You know, I haven’t been able to reach her,” Emily admitted. “I left messages, but she hasn’t called me back.”
“Have you tried to contact her, Mr. Murphy?” Colin asked.
“No, I haven’t.” He answered defensively. “We don’t exactly get along. When Ms. Parker said she would call her, I assumed she had,” he said, seeming to throw the blame back on Emily.
“Mr. Murphy, I need you to give Kaitlyn’s contact information to my officer right away.” Colin motioned Ernie over. “Her full name, address, phone number, email.”
“Yeah, Boss,” Ernie said as he stepped up.
Colin put a hand on the officer’s shoulder. “Ernie, we need to find Elise’s daughter. Mr. Murphy will give you all her info. Get ahold of the local police there and have them check on her, make sure she’s okay.”
“Will do.” Ernie and Patrick wandered off toward the kitchen.
Patrick stopped abruptly and turned back. “Another thing. The bank manager said our account shows Elise withdrew some cash at the ATM too, out in front of the bank, earlier in the day. Don’t you think that’s strange?”
Colin cocked his head with a slight frown. “Yeah, that is strange.”
“We’ll head down to the bank,” Emily said. “See if we can get a look at the security video, inside and outside of the bank.”
“Maybe we’ll get lucky and it’ll tell us something,” Colin added.
“Like what?” Patrick asked.
Emily’s pursed her lips. “Well, I have heard of thieves coming up behind someone at an ATM, holding a weapon on them and making them withdraw all they can from it. That could be how this whole thing started.”
“Maybe,” Colin agreed. “If the thief, or thieves, figured out she was worth a lot more than the few hundred she got for them from the ATM, they might have forced her to give up her home address. All they’d have to do is rifle through her purse and find her driver’s license.”
“The bank’s security footage might show if that’s the case. And if those thugs thought they could get her to clean out your accounts, the crime could have escalated from there,” Emily added. She remembered hearing about a doctor in the news a couple of years back where the criminals made his wife go to the bank and clean out their accounts while they held the daughters hostage. Then they killed her and her daughters and set the house on fire.
“Oh, Elise,” Patrick groaned, an expression of anguish twisting his features.
“Now, Mr. Murphy,” Emily laid a sympathetic hand on the man’s arm, “let’s not get ahead of ourselves. We don’t know yet what has happened.”
“Then find out!” he demanded.
“That’s what we’re trying to do,” Emily shot back between clenched teeth.
“Patrick, stay calm,” his attorney advised. “Let them do their
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