Page 52 of Bring Them Home

“Uh-huh. But she doesn’t have a criminal record.”

“There’s always a first time.”

“I’m not going to disagree, but are we seriously considering that Bill and Peggy Johnson kidnapped a family because a loan was turned down? What do they think they are going to accomplish?”

“Based on his reaction, we can say that Bill has a temper. He also doesn’t sound like he’s mentally stable. Maybe he thought he could convince Valerie to reverse her decision about the loan and he had roped Peggy into going along with him.” Amanda’s phone rang, and she looked at the caller’s identity. “It’s Briggs,” she said before answering on speaker. “You have me and Trent,” she told Briggs.

“Good because you’ll both want to hear what I have to say. The carrier came through in spades. So the most recent texts with a burner phone were from just over a week ago. Arrangements were made to meet up at Caffeine Café. You know the place?”

Amanda did for a couple of reasons. One, they visited there during a previous investigation. She shared the second with Briggs. “There was a receipt in Valerie’s purse from the coffee shop. It was dated a week ago Saturday.”

“That was the day Valerie and this person agreed to meet.”

“I’m going to guess you haven’t been able to track down their name,” Trent said.

“Nope, as I told you before all the burners aren’t in service.”

“Just thought I’d ask.” Trent glanced over at her.

“But that’s not all by a long shot. The cell carrier sent over voicemails that were still stored on their servers. That caller from the pay phone left a message each time he called.”

He… Could it be William Johnson? “What do you make of them?”

“Let’s just say the guy didn’t sound too happy. Every message became more aggressive.”

“No person in their right mind leaves seven voicemails. Tell me he left his name.” He wouldn’t have been the first person to do something stupid.

“Bill, that’s all he said. No last name.”

“Bill? You’re sure?” There’s a note in the system he likes to go by Bill…

“No doubt. Does the name mean something to you guys?”

Amanda’s breath froze as she turned to look at Trent. “More than you can imagine.” She shared what they’d learned at the bank. “Can you send audio recordings of the voicemails over to me?”

“Not a problem, and what you just told me explains some things. You’ll understand once you listen to the voicemails.”

“I’ll look for them. Thanks again.”

Their call ended, and Amanda checked her email. As promised, a message rolled in from Briggs.

“Here goes,” she said as she hit play on the oldest one.

“It’s Bill. I’m not just going to go away. You’re being completely unreasonable. Call me back.”

The second message.

“You’re a smart woman, so why are you letting other people tell you what to do? Come on, now, do what you know is right.”

The third message.

“You can’t just ignore me forever. I have rights and I know what I deserve. You’re being unfair and using the power you’ve been given to lord it over me. That’s not okay. Call me back. It’s Bill.”

They listened to all seven of them, and just as Briggs had observed they became more threatening. In the last one, left Saturday at noon, Bill said, “I’ll make you see my side.”

“Huh.” Trent leaned back in his seat.

“Huh is right. This Bill has to be the William Johnson from the bank. We already discussed his potential motive.”