Captive Justice: A Private Investigator Mystery Series (A Jake & Annie Lincoln Thriller Book 4) Read Free Page A

evident on his face made him appear a decade older, and as he invited them in, he sighed deeply and pointed through an archway toward the front room.
    Jake sat carefully on an overpriced couch as Annie sat beside him, leaned forward, and watched as the doctor settled into a matching armchair.
    Annie spoke first. “Dr. Gould, I want to say how deeply we feel for you in this situation. I’m aware how hard this is for you and I assure you, our top priority is to get your wife back. Apprehending the kidnapper is secondary and we’ll in no way endanger your wife.”
    Dr. Gould nodded slowly. “The money is no problem to me. The kidnapper said if anything goes wrong my wife will die. When I weigh the value of money against the value of my wife there’s absolutely no comparison.”
    “Our concern,” Jake said, “is that your wife be returned safely. The problem is, we have no way of guaranteeing the kidnapper will keep his word and let your wife go free once he receives the payment.”
    Annie said, “All kidnapping is serious, but the threat on your wife’s life shows he might be willing to carry out that threat.”
    The doctor drew a sharp breath. “So, what do you suggest?”
    “The question is this,” Annie said. “Should we call the police and endanger her life or, is her life in more danger if we don’t call them? That’s something you have to decide.”
    “What’s your opinion?”
    Jake glanced at Annie and then addressed the doctor. “I believe the best plan is to bring the police in on this. They’re well trained to handle these situations.”
    Dr. Gould gave a small nod and stared out the front window. Annie could almost see his mind weighing his options, knowing his wife’s life was at stake.
    “I . . . I can’t make that decision right now,” the doctor said. “I’ll need awhile.”
    “Of course,” Annie said.
    Jake asked, “Doctor, did the kidnapper say why he wanted me to deliver the ransom?”
    Dr. Gould shook his head. “He said he had his reasons.”
    Annie’s brow wrinkled in thought. “Perhaps he wanted someone emotionally unattached to the situation.”
    “Then he picked the wrong guy,” Jake said.
    Dr. Gould looked worried.
    Annie explained. “What Jake means, is he’s already emotionally attached. We both are, but obviously not as much as you. I’m just speculating, but he’s clearly aware of who we are and he might think that as professionals we’ll do everything exactly as he wants.”
    The doctor nodded and Jake changed the subject. “Doctor, did you by any chance recognize the kidnapper’s voice?”
    “No, he used one of those voice changing machines. It came through deep and unnatural.”
    “Did anything in his wording sound familiar perhaps?”
    “I . . . I wasn’t listening for that. I was in too much of a panic to pay any attention, but off hand I have to say no.”
    “It’s unlikely he would give himself away like that, but you never know,” Jake said.
    The doctor sprang to his feet and dashed from the room. He returned a moment later with a cell phone. “I almost forgot; he sent me a picture of my wife.” He swiped across the screen a couple of times, took a deep breath as he looked at a photo and then handed the phone to Jake.
    Annie leaned over and looked at the picture on the screen. A woman was tied securely to a chair, a gag in her mouth. Annie winced at how frightened the woman appeared.
    “Can we take this phone?” she asked. “The picture was likely sent from a burner phone. It’s unlikely he would use one that can be traced but just in case . . .”
    “Yes, please take the phone. It’s my private number, so if anyone calls, tell them I’m unavailable.”
    Annie took another look at the photo, shut the phone off and tucked it into her handbag. “We have someone who can take a look at it. I’ll get it back to you as soon as possible.”
    “Dr. Gould,” Jake said. “We need to know when your wife was last seen, and where.”
    “She