The Vanished

by Tim Kizer

  Why didn’t he remember being hypnotized by Tom Powell (or his hypnotist-partner)?

  Tom (or his partner) must have made him forget they had ever met.

  Have you ever felt someone was reading your mind?

  Have you ever done something unusual, and then thought someone might have drugged you to make you do it?

  A wave of doubt swept over David when he recalled the questions the psychiatrist had asked him during the evaluation interview.

  Thankfully, it was Vincent who had come up with this theory. He was a professional private investigator, a smart man, and if this explanation didn’t sound crazy to him, then it was worth considering.

  And come to think of it, the theory wasn’t really crazy. Hypnotic suggestion was a scientifically proven phenomenon, and it had been used to commit crimes. For example, several years ago in Italy, a thief had hypnotized a bank teller into handing over cash from her cash drawer.

  As Sherlock Holmes said, ‘When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.’

  “I think you’re right,” David said.

  Where had he been hypnotized? At home, when he was alone? Or had Tom caught him during one of his trips to town? Tom might have forced him into a car. It was probably a van without windows. The back of a van must be as good a setting for hypnosis as any.

  If he were Tom, he wouldn’t have done it in the house because there were surveillance cameras there.

  He might have been hypnotized at Tom’s, or his accomplice’s, place when he came to visit. He might know Tom, or his accomplice, personally.

  Whom had he visited in early May? In April? In March?

  Had he gone to strangers’ homes in early May, April, or March?

  “I need you to show me Tom’s picture,” David said. “Can you come tomorrow?”

  “Yes.”

  Chapter 22

  1

  He needed to figure out a way to lure Tom out, to trick him into a trap.

  Vincent opened his notebook to the first blank page and picked up a pen.

  What did he know about Tom Powell?

  He knew what Tom looked like. He had Tom’s fingerprints. He knew that Tom had studied business in college and had never been married. That wasn’t much, was it?

  He had searched every social website there was, and was unable to find Tom Powell there.

  Did Tom miss his parents? Did he miss his sister? Did he miss them enough to want to contact them?

  Tom’s parents and Carol might not know where he was, but they might keep in touch with him.

  Tom’s mother’s name was Elizabeth Riggle and his father’s Samuel Powell. The couple had divorced eleven years ago. Elizabeth had remarried two years after the divorce, and Samuel was still single. Would Tom’s folks agree to help him find Tom, knowing that their son could be sentenced to life imprisonment for what he had done to Annie?

  They might warn Tom that I’m after him.

  Vincent was sure Carol would help him search for Tom if he managed to convince her that her brother was the kidnapper (assuming she wasn’t Tom’s accomplice).

  When had Tom begun to plan his revenge? Probably sometime before he faked his death. Vincent was willing to bet Tom Powell had faked his death to avoid being suspected of kidnapping Annie and killing Judge Gutterud and Andrew Woulard.

  Had anyone helped Tom kidnap Annie and kill Gutterud and Woulard? Theoretically, he could have pulled all this off on his own. However, it was possible that the woman Ed Hicks had seen with Annie in the park that day was real, which meant that Tom had at least one accomplice.

  Why would a woman agree to help a man kidnap a child?

  She might be his lover. Women committed all kinds of crimes to make their boyfriends happy.

  How long does it take to learn hypnotism? And how does one do it? Are there hypnosis schools? You had to be an expert hypnotist to be able to plant memories in other people’s minds. Could Tom have mastered hypnotism in a year and a half? Vincent didn’t think so.

  Tom might have learned hypnotism before he went to prison.

  Suppose Tom had had someone else hypnotize David. Had the hypnotist done it for money? For friendship? For love? Maybe the hypnotist was a psychopath who liked tormenting people.

  They had to be pretty close because this sort of task required a high level of trust.

  Did the hypnotist live in Arizona? Texas? On the East Coast? How had they met?

  They might have met in prison. They might have met on the Internet.

  It would be great to get hold of Tom’s cellphone, computer, notebooks, or diaries: they might contain information that would lead him to Tom’s accomplices.

  2

  David looked at Tom’s photo for half a minute and then said that he didn’t recognize him.

  “I might have been hypnotized at my dentist’s office,” he said. “I was there on April fifteenth.”

  A dentist’s office was a suitable place for a hypnosis session: it was private and quiet and had chairs.

  “What’s your dentist’s address?” Vincent asked.

  David gave him the address, and said, “His name’s Arthur Rifkin.”

  “How long have you known him?”

  “Three years. I don’t think he’s the hypnotist. I believe the kidnappers might have made him help them.”

  “I’ll talk to him tomorrow.”

  “By the way, I asked Carol why she never told me about Tom. She said she was ashamed of him.”

  “Speaking of Carol, I want to tell her that Tom kidnapped Annie.”

  “Why?”

  “She may have information that can help me find Tom.”

  “Are you going to tell her Tom made me confess to killing Annie?”

  “Yes. Why do you keep it secret from her, anyway?”

  “I don’t want her to interfere and try to save me from prison.”

  “Well, there’s nothing she can do now. You’ve been convicted, and you’re about to go to prison.”

  “That’s true. Okay, you can tell her everything.”

  3

  Arthur Rifkin was part of a two-dentist practice in Plano that was called Rifkin & Williams, DDS. After printing out Rifkin’s picture, which he had found on the practice’s website, Vincent searched for his home address and phone number. He was glad to see that there was only one Arthur Rifkin in the Dallas metropolitan area, who lived in an upscale neighborhood in North Dallas.

  The office of Rifkin & Williams was in a one-story professional building, which was home to several other dental businesses. Vincent arrived at four in the afternoon, one hour before Rifkin was scheduled to get off, and parked five spots from Rifkin’s BMW.

  At ten past five, Rifkin came out of the building and went straight to his car.

  The dentist drove south on U.S. Highway 75 for twenty minutes before he merged onto North Central Expressway. Half a minute later he exited at Lemmon Avenue. At Washington Street, he made a right turn and then headed down a driveway leading to the parking garage of a four-story apartment complex. He stopped at the keypad, entered a code, and then proceeded toward the gate, which was slowly rolling open. Vincent followed Rifkin into the garage, keeping about fifty feet behind him. They spiraled up the ramp to the fourth floor and parked in the visitor area. Pretending to do something on his cellphone, Vincent caught up with the dentist at the elevator.

  Paying no attention to Vincent, Rifkin stepped into the elevator, pressed the third-floor button, and stuck his hands in his pockets. Vincent stood behind him, looking at his phone. Rifkin got out on the third floor and walked down the hall until he reached Apartment 314. Vincent kept moving toward the dentist when he rang the bell. The door opened a few seconds after Vincent passed Rifkin, and he was unable to see the person behind it. As soon as Rifkin entered the apartment, Vincent stopped, waited a minute, and then strolled to the end of the corridor. After he spent fifteen minutes at the corner watching the door to Apartment 314, Vincen
t returned to the garage and got into his car.

  Were they holding Annie in that apartment?

  It was two hours later that Vincent saw Rifkin going back to his BMW.

  The dentist drove home. Vincent watched his house for an hour, then returned to the apartment complex Rifkin had just visited, and rang the bell of Apartment 314. A young blond woman opened the door.

  “I’m looking for Ricky Morales,” Vincent said.

  “I’ve never heard of him, I’m sorry,” the woman replied.

  “Sorry, ma’am.”

  It was half past nine, and Vincent decided to talk to the dentist tomorrow.

  4

  Vincent arrived at Rifkin’s house at six in the afternoon. The dentist was home, and he agreed to answer Vincent’s questions.

  “Do you know David Miller?” Vincent asked.

  Rifkin shook his head. “No.”

  “He’s one of your patients. You saw him on April fifteenth.”

  “I see a hundred and fifty patients a month. I can’t remember all of their names.”

  Vincent took David’s picture from his jacket pocket and showed it to the dentist. “Do you recognize him?”

  Rifkin looked at the photo for about ten seconds, and then nodded slowly. “Yes, I remember him. I believe I cleaned his teeth and did a filling the last time I saw him.”

  “How long was he in your office on April fifteenth?”

  “I can’t tell you exactly how much time he spent in my office. Probably around an hour.”

  “Were you alone with him?”

  “No, my assistant was there.”

  “Was there anyone else?”

  “No.”

  “Were you there the whole time?”

  “Yes.”

  “So it was you and your assistant? No one else entered the room?”

  “That’s right.”

  “What were you doing in Apartment 314 in Broadstone Apartments yesterday?”

  “How do you know I was there?”

  “A little birdie told me.”

  Rifkin pointed his index finger at Vincent and said, “I remember you. We met in the elevator in Broadstone Apartments.”

  “So what you were doing there?”

  “I was visiting a friend. What are you investigating, Mister Daley?”

  That blonde in Apartment 314 might be Rifkin’s mistress (the dentist was married to a woman named Katelin).

  “A kidnapping. I suspect you unwittingly helped perpetrate it.”

  “How?” Rifkin frowned.

  “Besides you and your assistant, was there anyone else in the room with David Miller?”

  “No.”

  Vincent leaned forward. “Did they threaten to kill you if you start talking?”

  “Who are they?”

  “Give me their names, and I’ll take care of them.”

  “Nobody threatened me. Who was kidnapped?”

  “A child. They kidnapped a child.” Vincent took out Tom Powell’s photo. “Do you recognize this man?”

  “No.”

  Vincent handed Rifkin his business card and said, “If you remember anything, call me.”

  Chapter 23

  1

  Vincent pressed the doorbell button, and about twenty seconds later Carol opened the door. She was expecting him because he had warned her he was coming.

  “Is it about David?” Carol asked when they went into the great room.

  “Yes. And Annie.” Vincent paused. “Your husband didn’t kill Annie.”

  “How do you know?”

  “He told me.”

  “Then why did he tell the police that he’d killed her?”

  “He did it to save your daughter’s life. The kidnapper said that he’d kill Annie if David didn’t confess to killing her.” Before Carol could say anything, he continued, “We believe it’s your brother Tom who kidnapped Annie.”

  “Tom? Tom died a year ago.”

  “We think he faked his death.”

  “We?”

  “David and I.”

  “You said you weren’t working for my husband anymore.”

  “I lied.”

  Carol looked at him for a long time, and then said, “Why do you think it’s Tom?”

  “Your brother served six years in prison, didn’t he?”

  “Yes.”

  “David was the prosecutor in his case. Tom wants to get even with him. He said he’d let Annie go in six years.”

  “So Annie’s alive?”

  “I hope so.”

  “Do you have any proof Tom kidnapped Annie?”

  “No, not yet.”

  “So, it could be someone else, right?” She didn’t sound hopeful.

  “Do you remember why he went to prison?”

  “He tried to burglarize a house.”

  “Did he tell you he was innocent?”

  “Yes.”

  “Did you believe him?”

  “He was my brother. Yes, I believed him.”

  “Why did you marry David? Why did you marry the man who put your brother in prison for a crime he didn’t commit?”

  Carol adjusted her hair and dropped her eyes. “I didn’t know Dave was the prosecutor in Tom’s case.”

  “I don’t believe you. I think you married David because you wanted to avenge your brother on him. What was your plan?”

  Staring at her clasped hands, Carol said, “It was Tom’s idea. We were going to ruin Dave’s life, and we thought I’d be able to do a lot of damage if I was his wife.”

  “You were certainly right on that one.”

  He thought about his ex-wife. The last two years of his marriage were hellish.

  “And then I fell in love with Dave and realized I couldn’t hurt him.”

  “Was it before or after he became a millionaire?”

  “Money has nothing to do with it.”

  “Did you plan to kill David?”

  “No.”

  “Did you know Tom was going to kidnap Annie?”

  “Of course not! I would have gone to the police if I did.” Her cheeks turned red. “Look, Vincent, I thought Tom was dead, I swear.”

  Vincent sensed she was telling the truth, but he couldn’t be sure, could he?

  He had his doubts. However, he was willing to take a chance and believe Carol because he needed her help.

  “Did Tom have a girlfriend?”

  “He had a girlfriend before he went to prison. Her name was Christina. But I don’t know if they got together after Tom was released.”

  “Do you remember her last name?”

  Carol thought for a moment, then said, “I believe her last name was Meyer or Moyer. But it could be something else. I remember for sure it started with M.”

  Vincent wrote down both versions of Tom’s former girlfriend’s name and asked, “Do you have her contact information?”

  “No.”

  “Does Tom have children?”

  “Not that I know of.”

  “Does your brother know how to hypnotize people?”

  “No.”

  “Did he have friends who were hypnotists?”

  “If he did, he never told me.”

  “Can you describe Tom’s relationship with your parents?”

  “He loved them, and they loved him.”

  “Did he trust them?”

  “Yes.”

  “Did your parents know about your plan?”

  “No.”

  “Do your parents have cellphones?”

  “Yes.”

  “Are they smartphones?”

  “Yes.”

  “Do you have keys to your father’s apartment and your mother’s house?”

  “No. Why?”

  “I need to get into their homes while they’re out. Can you help me do that?”

  “Why do you want to get into their homes?”

  “There might be some clues there that could help me find Tom.”

  Carol stared at Vincent for a moment, and then s
aid, “Okay, I’ll help you.”

  “I need you to keep quiet about this investigation and everything I’ve told you. If Tom finds out that we’re looking for him, he’ll kill Annie.”

  “I’ll keep quiet.”

  “Can you go to Phoenix tomorrow?”

  “Yes.”

  “Tell your parents you’re coming to visit.”

  “Okay. Are you going to tell Dave about… about me?”

  “You don’t want him to know the truth about you, do you?”

  “What good would it do? Everything has changed. I love him. He doesn’t need to know how I felt about him eight years ago.”

  “You know what they say—honesty is the best policy.”

  “I’ll tell him the truth… when the time’s right.”

  Vincent rose to his feet and said, “I’ll try to keep my mouth shut on this, but I can’t give you any promises.”

  Should he tell David why Carol had really married him? Vincent wasn’t sure. On the one hand, it was an honest thing to do, but on the other…

  They say that a good marriage is based on trust. Vincent knew it wasn’t true. If he had been honest about everything with his wife (or rather ex-wife), she would have divorced him a year after the wedding instead of five and a half.

  It was safe to assume David and Carol’s marriage would be destroyed if David learned the truth. Was their marriage worth preserving? Vincent supposed it was up to David and Carol to decide.

  Was Carol telling the truth now? Did she really love David?

  Only Carol knew the answer to this question.

  Perhaps a better approach would be to ignore the moral aspect of the matter and see if Carol, by action or inaction, had contributed to the crime. Would Tom Powell have kidnapped Annie if Carol hadn’t married David or had revealed her reasons for marrying him?

  Yes, he would. Tom Powell seemed to be one hell of a determined fellow.

  Could Carol have prevented her brother from abducting Annie?

  No. She had thought her brother was dead (assuming she had told the truth about that).

  When he got home, Vincent called Carol to ask if she had Tom’s voice on tape: he decided to have Michael Camp listen to Tom’s voice to confirm whether it was Carol’s brother who had contacted Camp last February.