Tim held up the palm of his hand to Kaitlin. “Pipe down.” He placed the picture of Hugh Watt on the table in front of Bill. “Do you know this guy?”
Bill shook his head. “I’ve never seen this guy in my life.”
Tim slid the photograph over in front of Mary who looked at it and shook her head. Tim slid it in front of Kaitlin.
Kaitlin grabbed the photograph and stared at it. “That’s him! That’s the guy who kidnapped me.”
The Smyths jumped up and started shouting. Tim managed to get everyone quiet after a couple of minutes. “We already know this guy kidnapped Kathy. We are searching for him now. His name is Hugh Watt.”
“Who? What?” Bill asked.
“Funny you should ask,” Tim said. “Everyone makes that mistake. His name is H-U-G-H… W-A-T-T, Mr. Hugh Watt.
“It’s also funny that you,” Dick pointed at Mary, “didn’t make that mistake. You knew his name was Hugh, not Who.”
Tim put the photograph away. “Mrs. Smyth, we have reviewed all your telephone logs and we know you and Hugh Watt have been texting and calling each other.”
Kaitlin stood up and screamed, “You know this guy!”
“Shut up!” Tim barked at the child.
“You can’t make me!” Kaitlin yelled back. “I know my rights.” She stamped her foot and crossed her arms.
“Go stand in that corner,” Tim said as he pointed to a corner.
Kaitlin stamped her foot again and shouted, “No!”
Tim stood up and leaned on the table, towering over the smaller girl. “Go stand in the corner or I’ll confiscate your cell phone and review all your calls for the last three years.”
Kaitlin’s face fell. “Okay, okay. Don’t get your panties in a knot.” She stomped over to the corner and stood with her arms folded.
Tim looked at her. “Turn around! Face the corner. Don’t talk.” He sat back down. The Smyths sat with their mouths open. “Now, back to you, Mrs. Smyth. You said you didn’t recognize this picture, and yet you do know Hugh Watt.”
“No, no. I mean I have been texting Hugh Watt, I didn’t know what he looked like. I mean, I met him on Tinder, but his picture looks a lot better than this one.”
“What!” Bill yelled. “What were you doing on Tinder?”
“Looking for someone to replace you, obviously,” Kaitlin said from the corner.
Mrs. Smyth started to stutter, “I, I, I, was just checking to see what is out there. I didn’t intend anything. I was just messing around.”
“Screwing around is more like it,” Kaitlin muttered, more to herself than to her mother.
Dick leaned forward. “And yet he knew where Kaitlin’s bedroom was. Nothing else in the house was disturbed. How do you account for that?”
“I, I, …I don’t know. Maybe he was stalking me?”
Shirley leaned forward opposite Mary. “We know your house had a security system, but when we checked, it wasn’t activated. Why not?”
Bill and Kaitlin both looked at Mary. “I’m usually the one who sets the alarm at night. I guess I forgot.”
“How convenient,” Kaitlin said with a sneer.
Tim yelled back at her, “Shut your pie hole! One more word, and your cellphone is seized as evidence.”
Ralph stuck his head in the door. “I got something.” Tim, Dick and Shirley stepped into the hallway. “I checked out the pizza story. I found the delivery guy. He said he never saw Hugh. When he opened the door, Kaitlin handed him $30 and ran down the street. He called out and when no answered, he left the pizza on the floor and left.”
“Okay, that checks out,” Tim said. “Any prints on the box?”
Jones chuckled. “Yeah, half the Crime Scene Investigators. None of the pizza was eaten by Hugh.”
“What’s this Tinder thing Mrs. Smyth mentioned?”
Ralph looked at Dick and Shirley. Shirley pointed to him, indicating he should explain. “Yes, sir. It’s an app people use on their cellphones to hook up with other people.”
“It’s an ape?” Tim asked.
“Negative, sir,” Ralph answered. “It’s an application. People call it an ‘app’ for short much like we say ‘perp’ for ‘perpetrator.’”
“So, this perp… perpetrator finds Mrs. Smith by using this ape… Tinder application, finds out she has money and a daughter. Then he kidnaps Kathy?”
“Apparently,” Ralph answered.
Bill shook his head. “I’ve never seen this guy in my life.”
Tim slid the photograph over in front of Mary who looked at it and shook her head. Tim slid it in front of Kaitlin.
Kaitlin grabbed the photograph and stared at it. “That’s him! That’s the guy who kidnapped me.”
The Smyths jumped up and started shouting. Tim managed to get everyone quiet after a couple of minutes. “We already know this guy kidnapped Kathy. We are searching for him now. His name is Hugh Watt.”
“Who? What?” Bill asked.
“Funny you should ask,” Tim said. “Everyone makes that mistake. His name is H-U-G-H… W-A-T-T, Mr. Hugh Watt.
“It’s also funny that you,” Dick pointed at Mary, “didn’t make that mistake. You knew his name was Hugh, not Who.”
Tim put the photograph away. “Mrs. Smyth, we have reviewed all your telephone logs and we know you and Hugh Watt have been texting and calling each other.”
Kaitlin stood up and screamed, “You know this guy!”
“Shut up!” Tim barked at the child.
“You can’t make me!” Kaitlin yelled back. “I know my rights.” She stamped her foot and crossed her arms.
“Go stand in that corner,” Tim said as he pointed to a corner.
Kaitlin stamped her foot again and shouted, “No!”
Tim stood up and leaned on the table, towering over the smaller girl. “Go stand in the corner or I’ll confiscate your cell phone and review all your calls for the last three years.”
Kaitlin’s face fell. “Okay, okay. Don’t get your panties in a knot.” She stomped over to the corner and stood with her arms folded.
Tim looked at her. “Turn around! Face the corner. Don’t talk.” He sat back down. The Smyths sat with their mouths open. “Now, back to you, Mrs. Smyth. You said you didn’t recognize this picture, and yet you do know Hugh Watt.”
“No, no. I mean I have been texting Hugh Watt, I didn’t know what he looked like. I mean, I met him on Tinder, but his picture looks a lot better than this one.”
“What!” Bill yelled. “What were you doing on Tinder?”
“Looking for someone to replace you, obviously,” Kaitlin said from the corner.
Mrs. Smyth started to stutter, “I, I, I, was just checking to see what is out there. I didn’t intend anything. I was just messing around.”
“Screwing around is more like it,” Kaitlin muttered, more to herself than to her mother.
Dick leaned forward. “And yet he knew where Kaitlin’s bedroom was. Nothing else in the house was disturbed. How do you account for that?”
“I, I, …I don’t know. Maybe he was stalking me?”
Shirley leaned forward opposite Mary. “We know your house had a security system, but when we checked, it wasn’t activated. Why not?”
Bill and Kaitlin both looked at Mary. “I’m usually the one who sets the alarm at night. I guess I forgot.”
“How convenient,” Kaitlin said with a sneer.
Tim yelled back at her, “Shut your pie hole! One more word, and your cellphone is seized as evidence.”
Ralph stuck his head in the door. “I got something.” Tim, Dick and Shirley stepped into the hallway. “I checked out the pizza story. I found the delivery guy. He said he never saw Hugh. When he opened the door, Kaitlin handed him $30 and ran down the street. He called out and when no answered, he left the pizza on the floor and left.”
“Okay, that checks out,” Tim said. “Any prints on the box?”
Jones chuckled. “Yeah, half the Crime Scene Investigators. None of the pizza was eaten by Hugh.”
“What’s this Tinder thing Mrs. Smyth mentioned?”
Ralph looked at Dick and Shirley. Shirley pointed to him, indicating he should explain. “Yes, sir. It’s an app people use on their cellphones to hook up with other people.”
“It’s an ape?” Tim asked.
“Negative, sir,” Ralph answered. “It’s an application. People call it an ‘app’ for short much like we say ‘perp’ for ‘perpetrator.’”
“So, this perp… perpetrator finds Mrs. Smith by using this ape… Tinder application, finds out she has money and a daughter. Then he kidnaps Kathy?”
“Apparently,” Ralph answered.
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