Her Silent Cry (Detective Josie Quinn Book 6)(64)

Amy flew at her husband and used both hands to tear the phone from Colin’s grip. “Stop,” she shrieked. “Stop! Stop! I’m here. I’m listening. Just stop. Leave her alone! Leave Lucy alone. Please.”

The sound stopped abruptly but Josie could hear the sounds of faint whimpering between the kidnapper’s words. “You tell him to stay off the line, Amy.”

Colin fell to his knees, his face ashen. For a moment, Josie thought he might vomit.

“He’s off the line,” Amy said. “I promise. You can talk to me. Just stop what you’re doing to Lucy. Tell me what to do.”

“A million dollars.”

“Yes.”

Oaks’s chin dropped to his chest.

Amy turned away from him, clutching the phone with both hands against the side of her face. Her chest heaved as she waited for more instructions.

“You’ll split it up. In half.”

“In half,” Amy repeated.

In the background, Lucy’s whimpers faded.

“You’ll go to Walmart and buy two waterproof duffel bags. They have to be waterproof, do you understand?”

“Waterproof, yes,” Amy breathed.

“You’ll put half the money in each bag.”

“Five hundred thousand in each bag, okay,” Amy said.

“Be ready by six-thirty tomorrow evening.”

“We’ll be ready. What do I have to do?”

The line went dead.

Amy pulled the phone away from her face and stared at it in disbelief. She put it back to her ear. “Hello? Hello? Are you there? Where do we take the money? Hello? What do we do? What do we do with the money?”

“He hung up,” said one of the agents stationed at his laptop.

“No!” Amy screamed. “No, no, no!”





Forty-One





Amy dissolved into a heap on the floor, tears streaking her face, her entire body shaking. She dropped the phone. Colin crawled to her and gathered her in his arms. Josie and Oaks looked at one another. Josie said, “Go to Graham’s. I’ll head over to the police station in a minute.”

He raced out of the room. Josie went into the kitchen where she knew Amy’s prescription for Xanax sat on the counter next to the toaster. She snatched it up, hearing the pills rattling inside. She took a bottle of water from the refrigerator and returned to the dining room. She shook a pill into her hand and held it out to Amy. Colin nudged her and she took it, washing it down with the water Josie offered.

“They’re on scene,” one of the agents said, tapping against a headset he had donned when Oaks’s team left.

Josie gave Amy another minute and then she and Colin hoisted her up and set her gently down in a chair. Josie said, “Amy, do you know Bryce Graham?”

Amy didn’t answer.

The agent said, “The house is clear. No one there.”

“Amy?” Josie said, her voice taking on an edge.

Amy’s chin lifted so she could meet Josie’s eyes. “Yes, I know him. I was… I was getting therapy.”

Colin gasped. “What? You were seeing a therapist and you never told me?”

“It was a long time ago,” she muttered.

“You didn’t think to mention this to the police?” Colin said, his voice rising with anger.

“How long ago?” Josie asked.

“I stopped seeing him about four months ago.”

“How long were you seeing him before that?” Colin asked.

Her gaze swept toward the floor. “Since Lucy was born.”

Colin threw his hands in the air. “Jesus, Amy. Why didn’t you tell me?” When she didn’t answer, he said, “How often did you see him?”

“A few times a week at first. Then once a week. We had a standing appointment. We only contacted one another if one of us had to cancel.”

“Were you screwing him?” Colin asked.

Both Josie and Amy’s heads whipped in Colin’s direction.

“Wh-what?” Amy stammered.

“You saw this man for years, several times a week without ever telling me. Why would you do that unless you were having an affair with him?”

“Colin,” Amy said. “You know I’ve always struggled with depression and anxiety. I needed help.”

“No one needs that much help. No one like you. You’re a goddamn stay-at-home mother, for chrissake. What is wrong with you?”

Amy said nothing.

“How did you pay for it?”

“I took the cash out of the account you made for me. He didn’t charge much.”

Colin put his hands on either side of his head and grabbed handfuls of his hair. He pulled violently. A frustrated growl tore from his throat. “What else are you hiding, Amy? Do you understand our daughter’s life is on the line? Are you involved in this somehow?”

Josie thought Amy could not look more hurt or stricken than she already did, but she was wrong. “How can you even ask that?”

“How do you know this psychologist didn’t take Lucy? What if he took her? You said you didn’t know him. He doesn’t have an alibi for the day Lucy disappeared.”

“He wouldn’t take her!” Amy shouted. “I know he wouldn’t. I didn’t think it was important. I thought if I told everyone about having seen him, it would cause a fight between us and take the focus away from finding Lucy. I stopped seeing him months ago. He had nothing to do with Lucy. He never even met her, and he would never do something like this anyway.”