Free Found With Murder by Jenn Vakey Page A

out.
    Lori looked like she hadn't moved a muscle since she left her.  She appeared almost like a statue, staring blankly out the window.  It didn't last long, though.  The moment Rilynne made to sit down, the phone across the room rang.  Lori spun around and crossed the room before anyone else.  Her shaking hand hovered over it impatiently until Jerkins nodded.
    “Hello?” she said timidly.
    Jerkins pushed a button seconds later that sent the conversation echoing through the room.
    “If you want to see Kim again, you will deliver three million dollars to the bench at the north side of the park at nine o'clock tonight.  If I see police or anyone following me, you won't ever see her again.  When I'm confident I'm safe, you will receive instructions that will take you to where she's being held.”
    The voice was distorted.  His tone was harsh, though, which left her with an uneasy feeling.  The look on Wilcome's face as he stood against the back wall said he felt the same.
    “Let me talk to my baby,” Lori stated.  She was fighting back tears.  “You won't get anything until I know she's all right.”
    They sat in silence for close to thirty seconds before another voice came through the line.  Unlike the first, this one sent a spark of hope through everyone in the room.
    “Mommy?” Kim said.  She sounded scared.
    Tears flooded down Lori's face.  “Baby, are you all right?”
    “Yes.  I miss you, Mommy,” she said.  “I want to go home.  I want to see you and my daddy.”
    Before Lori could say anything else, the man came back on.
    “Nine o'clock tonight, not a minute later.”
    When the line went dead, Rilynne turned back toward Wilcome.  His brow was furrowed as he stared at the phone.  She knew without asking that he noticed the same thing she had.  The abductor's tone was different at the end of the call.  He was angry.
    If Lori had noticed it, she wasn't reacting.  The only thing showing on her face was relief.  After the initial joy of hearing her daughter's voice, though, worry settled back in as she seemed to absorb the rest of it.
    Without a word, she stood up and walked quietly back to the living room, everyone else following close behind.
    “I'm going to get the location from the trace,” Jerkins said, reaching for his phone.  Wilcome nodded and he walked out of the room.
    “Three million dollars?” Lori asked.  She sat down on the large couch, Wilcome and Joe sitting on either side.  Rilynne lowered down on the other sofa and dug her fingers into the back of her neck.  Ben looked pensive as he sat down next to her, his knuckles dragging across his chin.
    Rilynne glanced up at him curiously for a moment.  She knew him well enough to know when he was simply worried or if he was battling with something.  This was the latter.  She wondered about it for a few seconds before pushing it aside and turning back toward Lori.
    “I don’t know how we can pull together that much before the deadline,” Lori said.  “I don’t even have a fraction of that.”
    “We can get it together,” Wilcome said.  “It will take too long to get all of it from the department, but we'll be able to get some.  As for the rest, Sherri and I have two hundred thousand dollars in savings.”
    Rilynne looked over at Wilcome, both shocked and impressed with his offer, then looked back at Lori.  “I have a little over three hundred thousand dollars.  I'll be able to get a couple thousand back on my dress,” she said, remembering the dream she'd had.  “I can also…”
    Ben stood up and let out a deep breath, sending the room into silence. 
    “I’ll pay it.”
     
     

Chapter Seven
    “ I can have the full amount here within six hours, less if I can get access to a helicopter to get me to San Antonio and back,” he said.  “If that's possible, I can have it here in about three.”
    All eyes shifted to Ben, including Rilynne’s.  She stared at him, not understanding exactly what was