Vanished (2006)

A man places an explosive device on the manhole cover of the underground area of the tunnel.

Leter gives Judy a video tape. He insists that he isn’t crazy and not trying to collect Jeffrey’s reward. He just wants to find “Nicky.”

Jeffrey finds a ringing cell phone locked in his desk drawer. A text message tells him to bring $5 million in hundred dollar bills to a location that will be given to him. If he tells the FBI, then Sara dies. Since his accounts are being monitored in the kidnapping investigation, Jeffrey’s chief of staff J.T. Mason suggests he get the money.

The FBI tests the swatch of fabric from Marcy and learns that it was Ben wearing the bloody shirt. Jessica Nevins is brought in to see Kelton. She says that she met with Sara to ask Jeffrey to allow her back into her children’s lives. Kelton shows her the hairs found in her hotel room. Jessica confesses that she asked Sara to come see her the night of the benefit. When Sara said she didn’t have news, Jessica claims to have reached out to grab her and might have caught some of her hair in her hands.

FLASHBACK – In her hotel room, Jessica blackmails Sara. She has proof that Sara birthed a child eleven years ago in Orlando, Florida. Jessica wants Sara “to disappear.”

PRESENT DAY – Kelton and Mei inform Jeffrey that Marcy’s boyfriend is now a suspect. They want to know what happened between Marcy and Sara. Jeffrey urges them to find his daughter. Kelton orders Mei to put a tail on J.T. Max calls Marcy, who insists that Ben is innocent. She tells Ben that the FBI is looking for him and suggests that they go to her father for help. He refuses, but Marcy doesn’t want to leave him.

The FBI tracks J.T. to a garage where he was given a briefcase from a woman who works for one of Jeffrey’s biggest campaign contributors. Kelton and Mei follow J.T. back to the Collins home and they see the $5 million cash in the briefcase. Jeffrey reluctantly shows them the text message. The phone is untraceable, but they hope to find a location when the caller contacts Jeffrey again. Unfortunately, the ransom demanders send Jeffrey a fax on another line so the trace takes longer.

Judy and Adam watch the tape that Peter recorded in 1994. It is his bachelor party. Sara is being referred to as “Nicky.” Peter says he doesn’t know why Nicky left. He insists that there is no “Sara” and becomes angry when he thinks Judy is trying to manipulate the story against him. He demands his tape back. Adam has made a copy, but Judy doesn’t want to put it on air yet because she knows there is a bigger story underneath.

The gun that killed the kidnapper is found in Ben’s apartment. Kelton orders a press conference announcing the search for Ben. Meanwhile, Ben and Marcy arrive at his friend Quinn’s place. Quinn is a beautiful woman is sweet to Marcy, who notices an odd tattoo snaking up Quinn’s wrist. Quinn pulls Ben aside. “So how much does she know?” she asks.

Marcy overhears Ben and Quinn arguing in the next room. The television has reports of Ben being wanted by the police. Marcy panics and takes her cell phone outside to the car. She calls 911 and mentions that she is with Ben. Suddenly, Ben bangs on the car door. Marcy claims she was only calling Max.

Kelton convinces Jeffrey to wear a wire when he delivers the money in a crowded outdoor mall. The fax was traced to a retail copy store, so the kidnappers know the FBI is involved. Agents get into position at the drop point. Kelton wonders why the kidnappers would pick such a public place. He notices the WCN headquarters and other news organization offices overlooking the mall.

Jeffrey arrives at the drop point where a cell phone is ringing inside a jacket left on a chair. He answers it. The caller says, “First he undergoes the trial by water.” The voice instructs Jeffrey to step inside a fountain pool. People in the mall watch and stare at him as he wades through the shallow water. The caller has Jeffrey open the briefcase over a manhole cover and walk away. This is the same manhole that the explosive was attached to. Sensing a trap, Kelton darts towards Jeffrey. The people in the mall start going for the money, but Kelton and Mei order them back. Adam and Judy film this from their window above. Jeffrey is told by the caller to go into a door. The manhole explodes and money flies everywhere. The FBI loses audio connection with Jeffrey. Kelton and Mei go after him but the door is locked.

As Jeffrey makes his way into a darkened corridor, the voice says, “And so has he passed the trial by fire.” The caller has Jeffrey enter a building lobby and take the elevator to the observation deck of a high rise. He is told to throw the phone away. Kelton sees Jeffrey enter the elevator, but he can’t catch him. As the elevator car climbs, it stops midway and alarms go off. The emergency phone rings, and it’s the same voice. “Now comes the trial by silence. Have you been silent, Senator?” The caller says that Jeffrey knows who they are. The video panel in the elevator shows the infamous “9” symbol inside a “V.” The voice tells Jeffrey to “confirm the ninth” to save Sara, but Jeffrey is confused. “Or then comes the trial by blood,” the caller says right before the elevator car plunges. The car stops safely on the ground floor, and the doors open up to reveal Kelton and Mei waiting outside. Jeffrey refuses to tell them what happened.

Ben drives Marcy, and they are surrounded by police cars. Marcy apologizes for turning him in. The officers find the duffel bag of money in the trunk. Marcy pleads with them that Ben is being set up because someone else took that money from her. The police won’t listen to her and they arrest Ben.

Later, Judy and Adam realize that the duplicate of Peter’s tape is gone. Their hard drive has been corrupted.

Tyner is furious about how the ransom money drop went down. He compares it to Kelton’s mishandling of the Nathan case. Kelton insists that this was not about money, but instead used to drive the Senator against the FBI. He tells Mei that he is sure Sara is still alive. The look on Jeffrey’s face when he got out of the elevator means that the culprits sent a message to him.

Max comes to see his father, who is alone in his study. Max’s cell phone rings, but the call is for Jeffrey. It is the voice, who gives Jeffrey proof that Sara is still alive. The caller also references a biblical passage about Nathan, but Jeffrey is confused. “King David thought he could hide from God, but God sees everything,” the caller says. “And so do we.”



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