Where's Ellen? (Mystery) (MPP A JOE MCFARLAND / GINNY HARRIS MYSTERY Book 1) by Stuart Safft
Authors: Stuart Safft
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you,” she said.
As he stretched his arm out, Steve responded, “Thanks. What is it?”
“I have no idea,” she responded as she handed the envelope to him. “It was sitting on my desk when I returned from making a bunch of copies down the hall. I asked a few people who sit near me, but no one noticed anyone leaving anything on my desk.”
Steve opened the envelope and took out a single piece of paper. As he unfolded the paper, one of Ellen’s small diamond earrings fell out onto his desk, instantly turning his casual manner to one of fear and shock. After a quick glance at the note, Steve dismissed the paralegal and then read the brief note, handwritten in block letters:
YOUR WIFE IS WELL. HER REMAINING SO IS UP TO YOU.
$5 MILLION TO SET HER FREE UNHARMED.
USE YOUR OWN MONEY OR KIDNAP INSURANCE MONEY FROM WIFE’S EMPLOYER.
WILL CONTACT YOU SOON HOW TO PAY.
YOUR WIFE’S LIFE IS IN YOUR HANDS. DON’T BE STUPID!
Steve called his boss and told him that he wasn’t feeling well and that he was going home. The drive home was a blur as Steve’s mind went through a rush of unanswerable questions. By the time he reached home, parked his car in the garage and walked inside, he couldn’t remember any of the red lights, traffic or other details of the drive home.
Steve spent the rest of Friday, along with all of Saturday and most of Sunday, just sitting in the house and pacing in the backyard, worrying and trying to figure out what to do. He did some checking and calculated that he could come up with almost $400,000 immediately by selling some investments that were solely in his name and with another $3 million by selling or borrowing against the mutual funds and money market funds that were either owned jointly by Ellen and him or were owned by one of the three trusts that he and Ellen had set up for estate-tax planning purposes.
Fortunately, he had a power of attorney that would allow him to sell the jointly owned assets and, as one of the trustees of all three trusts, he could authorize the sale of the trusts’ assets. But these sales would take a few more days to complete than the quick sale of the relatively small amount of assets held solely in his name. Steve was confident that he could borrow the remaining amount if he had to. But this also would take a few days to get done. If the ransom had to be paid quickly, Steve knew that he would have to contact Ellen’s employer to try to get money, either from the company directly or from the kidnap insurance policy he knew they had. Fortunately, with the copy of Ellen’s contact lists in the kitchen drawer, Steve could call Ellen’s boss on his cell phone rather than waiting for the Tycon offices to reopen on Monday.
Before calling Ellen’s boss, Steve struggled, trying to decide whether or not to inform the police or FBI. He re-read the kidnap note once again and reconfirmed for himself that it did not say anything about not contacting the authorities. Although he knew that the FBI was more experienced than the local police with kidnapping cases, he decided to contact the local detectives. He knew that both the FBI and the police considered him a prime suspect, but Steve felt at least some level of comfort with Detective Harris. She didn’t disagree when her partner remarked about the insurance money making Steve a suspect, but neither did she explicitly accuse him. Steve looked up and dialed the non-emergency police department number.
“Hello. Jasper Creek Police Department. Sergeant James speaking. How may we help you?”
“Detective Harris, or if she’s not in, Detective McFarland, please,” responded Steve.
“Sorry, they’re both off duty today. Detective McFarland’s not expected back here until 8 o’clock tonight. Detective Harris is expected back in at 6 this evening. May I take a message for her?”
“Yes, please. Ask her to call Steve Sanders. She has my home phone number. Tell her it’s about my wife and is very
As he stretched his arm out, Steve responded, “Thanks. What is it?”
“I have no idea,” she responded as she handed the envelope to him. “It was sitting on my desk when I returned from making a bunch of copies down the hall. I asked a few people who sit near me, but no one noticed anyone leaving anything on my desk.”
Steve opened the envelope and took out a single piece of paper. As he unfolded the paper, one of Ellen’s small diamond earrings fell out onto his desk, instantly turning his casual manner to one of fear and shock. After a quick glance at the note, Steve dismissed the paralegal and then read the brief note, handwritten in block letters:
YOUR WIFE IS WELL. HER REMAINING SO IS UP TO YOU.
$5 MILLION TO SET HER FREE UNHARMED.
USE YOUR OWN MONEY OR KIDNAP INSURANCE MONEY FROM WIFE’S EMPLOYER.
WILL CONTACT YOU SOON HOW TO PAY.
YOUR WIFE’S LIFE IS IN YOUR HANDS. DON’T BE STUPID!
Steve called his boss and told him that he wasn’t feeling well and that he was going home. The drive home was a blur as Steve’s mind went through a rush of unanswerable questions. By the time he reached home, parked his car in the garage and walked inside, he couldn’t remember any of the red lights, traffic or other details of the drive home.
Steve spent the rest of Friday, along with all of Saturday and most of Sunday, just sitting in the house and pacing in the backyard, worrying and trying to figure out what to do. He did some checking and calculated that he could come up with almost $400,000 immediately by selling some investments that were solely in his name and with another $3 million by selling or borrowing against the mutual funds and money market funds that were either owned jointly by Ellen and him or were owned by one of the three trusts that he and Ellen had set up for estate-tax planning purposes.
Fortunately, he had a power of attorney that would allow him to sell the jointly owned assets and, as one of the trustees of all three trusts, he could authorize the sale of the trusts’ assets. But these sales would take a few more days to complete than the quick sale of the relatively small amount of assets held solely in his name. Steve was confident that he could borrow the remaining amount if he had to. But this also would take a few days to get done. If the ransom had to be paid quickly, Steve knew that he would have to contact Ellen’s employer to try to get money, either from the company directly or from the kidnap insurance policy he knew they had. Fortunately, with the copy of Ellen’s contact lists in the kitchen drawer, Steve could call Ellen’s boss on his cell phone rather than waiting for the Tycon offices to reopen on Monday.
Before calling Ellen’s boss, Steve struggled, trying to decide whether or not to inform the police or FBI. He re-read the kidnap note once again and reconfirmed for himself that it did not say anything about not contacting the authorities. Although he knew that the FBI was more experienced than the local police with kidnapping cases, he decided to contact the local detectives. He knew that both the FBI and the police considered him a prime suspect, but Steve felt at least some level of comfort with Detective Harris. She didn’t disagree when her partner remarked about the insurance money making Steve a suspect, but neither did she explicitly accuse him. Steve looked up and dialed the non-emergency police department number.
“Hello. Jasper Creek Police Department. Sergeant James speaking. How may we help you?”
“Detective Harris, or if she’s not in, Detective McFarland, please,” responded Steve.
“Sorry, they’re both off duty today. Detective McFarland’s not expected back here until 8 o’clock tonight. Detective Harris is expected back in at 6 this evening. May I take a message for her?”
“Yes, please. Ask her to call Steve Sanders. She has my home phone number. Tell her it’s about my wife and is very
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