Two years back, Sharon slid into Jake's life posing as the ultimate caregiver.
She was on point with everything, whipping up his favorite dishes and picking outfits he'd love like she had a direct line to his heartalmost as if Julia was still with us.
Six months ago, Sharon hit a rough patch back home and needed cash fast.
Tears streaming, she asked Jake for an advance. Knowing her high salary always went to her family, Jake didn't hesitate. He knew she was good for it.
Perhaps something terrible happened to her family, and she demanded a large amount this time.
Instead of making her wait for a transfer, Jake went straight to his bank app and sent the money to her account.
That's when he saw itthe bank account for Sharon's transfers was at the same branch used for the ransom when Julia and I were kidnapped.
The loss of Julia haunted Jake. He had played by the kidnappers' rules, not alerting the cops and paying up like they asked.
Still, they killed her.
Jake had never really seen the kidnappers, just caught a fleeting glimpse as they escaped.
Even with a police report, they got away with it.
The coincidence of the bank branch set off alarm bells.
Jake began discreetly digging into Sharon's backstory while keeping up appearances.
He transferred the money and showed Sharon some good feelings in the following days.
He didn't let on but sent investigators to her small town to find out what they could.
What they uncovered was shocking.
Sharon had been Julia's confidante!
She had been the one who gave Julia postnatal care.
Two years after that connection, they became friends closer than sisters.
Even after her official duties ended, they kept in touch.
Sharon and her brother, Tom, struck it rich in Riverland but had squandered their fortune and were back to square one.
Tom was now a habitual gambler, barely scraping by on Sharon's handouts.
The time of their newfound wealth coincided precisely with our kidnapping.
This revelation shifted Jake's suspicions squarely onto Sharon and her brother.
He decided it was time to confront the past head-on.
After their engagement, Jake announced their wedding.
He even planned a massive three-day celebration in her hometown to win over the locals.
Sharon couldn't contain her excitementshe was on her best behavior around Jake, but her true colors showed when she thought no one important was watching.
My own recollections confirmed Jake's fears.
I was only five when the kidnapping happenedtoo young to remember much, but not the terror.
Trapped in a dark room, starved and scared, I clung to Julia and every word she said, especially her reassurances that Jake would save us. That memory is so fresh I can never forget it.
The kidnappers demanded ten million dollarsa fortune 20 years ago.
Jake was just getting his business off the ground and managed to scrape together three million dollars.
Jake negotiated for more time over the phone to meet the kidnappers' demands.
Julia broke down in tears, claiming she was a burden to Jake.
But Jake managed to pull together the ransom.
He mortgaged everything, even taking on crippling debt.
As the money was transferred, Julia told me with a resigned smile,
"Linda, Jake's coming for us. We're going to be okay. "
But the release never came.
Instead, we overheard a heated argument outside,
"The money's here, what more do you want?"