Free The Vanished by Tim Kizer

up his Plano house as collateral for the bail bond. When he was released, Brady told him that the State’s case was very weak.
    “They can’t use the results of a polygraph test,” the lawyer said. “The statements made under hypnosis are inadmissible, too. They don’t have a body. If all they have is that knife, they’re not going to get a conviction.”
    After talking to Brady, David called Vincent and asked how his visit to Roger Kemper had gone.
    “No one answered the door,” Vincent said. “Maybe he’s out of town.”
    When he came home, David sent Eddie Hicks an email asking Eddie to meet him as soon as possible. Eddie replied two and a half hours later. He suggested that they meet at the Starbucks on Forest Lane and Greenville Avenue in Dallas tonight at seven.
    Eddie showed up at the coffee shop at five minutes to seven. David asked if he would agree to testify in court about what he had seen in Ardmore Park, and Eddie said that he would do it.
    “But you’ll have to compensate me for my time,” he said.
    “How about five hundred dollars?” David asked.
    “Sounds good, boss.”
    “Did you buy a cellphone yet?”
    “Yeah.”
    Eddie gave David his cellphone number, and then they parted ways.
     
    3
    It was 6:14 in the morning when Vincent rang the doorbell of Roger Kemper’s apartment. Since Roger had a regular nine-to-five job (he worked in the accounting department of a truck sales company called Texas Fleet Sales) and his commute was less than twenty minutes, it was reasonable to expect him to be home at this hour. There were a dozen possible reasons why Roger hadn’t answered the door: he might be out of town, he might be recovering from a hangover, he might be in jail, he might be dead, or he might be in the hospital. Vincent thought that most likely Roger was out of town.
    According to the records of the Department of Motor Vehicles, Roger Kemper owned a gray Scion tC. Vincent searched the parking area for Roger’s car for twenty minutes but was unsuccessful. He went back to the front door of Roger’s apartment and placed a thin inch-long piece of transparent Scotch tape across the gap between the door and the frame two feet below the knob. That was a simple yet effective way to find out if anyone had entered the apartment after he left.
    Three hours later Vincent called Roger’s cellphone from a payphone. His call went straight to voice mail. He hung up the receiver, got into his Chevrolet Suburban, and dialed the number of Texas Fleet Sales.
    “Texas Fleet Sales. How may I direct your call?” the operator asked.
    “Can I talk to Roger Kemper in accounting?”
    “Just a moment.”
    After about five seconds a brisk female voice said, “This is Christine.”
    “Good morning. Can I talk to Roger Kemper?”
    “He’s not here. He’ll be back in two weeks.”
    “Do you know where he is?”
    “No. He’s on vacation, that’s all I know.”
    “When did he go on vacation?”
    “Last Thursday.”
    “Thank you.” Vincent terminated the call.
    That night at nine o’clock, Vincent returned to Roger Kemper’s apartment and checked the tape on the door. The tape was intact. He rang the bell. Silence. He rang it again. Still no answer.
    Vincent knocked on the door of the apartment next to Roger’s, and a young woman opened it.
    “Excuse me, ma’am,” Vincent said. “I’m trying to find Mister Kemper from Apartment 62. Have you seen him today?”
    “No. I haven’t seen him since last Thursday.”
    “Thank you.”
    On the way home, Vincent received a call from Tom Lunsford, his contact at Fort Worth Memorial Hospital. By the time the conversation ended, he was all but convinced it was Roger Kemper who had kidnapped Annie Miller.

Chapter 8
     
    1
    David was in the study watching a video of Annie’s fifth birthday party on his laptop when Vincent called him.
    “I believe Roger has your daughter,” the investigator said. “I’ve just found out that four years ago Roger was