Chapter 44 “You're My Sunshine”

• He nodded.
• “It was almost two whole days later when they called. The person that called used one of those machines that scrambles and changes your voice. They said they wanted two million dollars in cash. I wasn’t the kind of wealthy that you are son. Much of my wealth in those days was in assets… stocks, real estate, and business ventures. I told them I would get the money but I would have to have a day or two to get it together. They told me I had twenty-four hours or they were going to bury Christopher alive and we would never see him again. Your mother and I began scrambling to sell anything and everything we had that we could sell, the cars, boats… we pulled out every extended line of credit that we could, all of our savings, your savings… everything. By the twenty-second hour with help from some very good friends, we were able to make the two-million. We sat by the phone and waited. Twenty-four hours went by and nothing happened, and then forty-eight and seventy-two. They never called back and we never saw our son again.”
• “Oh my God!” Vicki had her hand over her mouth like she was going to be sick.