Amber's Story

[COUNTRY MUSIC PLAYING ON RADIO]

HI. WOULD YOU LIKE TO BUY SOME COOKIES?

WELL, HELLO THERE, HONEY.

YEAH, I'LL TAKE SOME COOKIES.

CAN YOU GUESS WHAT IT IS?

HOW MANY?

TEN.

TEN BOXES OF COOKIES?

YOU'RE A GOOD LITTLE GIRL SCOUT.

SHE SAID SHE WAS GETTING READY

TO PLAY CARDS,

BECAUSE SHE ALWAYS PLAYS ON SATURDAYS,

AND I SAID SHE COULD GIVE THEM TO ALL HER FRIENDS.

YOU'VE GOT A GIFT, GIRL.

I THINK WE'VE GOT TO GET YOU SET UP

WITH BRUSHES OR VACUUMS OR SOMETHING.

GET YOU OUT HERE

MAKING MONEY FOR THIS FAMILY.

I'M A KID, MAMA.

I'M NOT SELLING VACUUMS TO GRANDMAS.

THAT'S TOO BAD,

BECAUSE I THOUGHT WE WERE ON TO SOMETHING HERE.

SPEAKING OF GRANDMAS, YOURS IS WAITING ON US.

HURRY UP!

LAST ONE.

HEY, DADDY.

HEY, BABY.

GRANDPA!

OH!

YOU HAVING A GOOD DAY?

GREAT DAY.

I LIKE TO HEAR THAT.

GO ON.

HEY, HEY, HEY!

HOLD ON, LITTLE MAN.

WHAT ABOUT YOUR OLD GRANDPA?

HI, GRANDPA.

GO AHEAD. GO ON.

WHAT ABOUT ME?

HEY, DARLING.

SHE SOLD HALF THE COOKIES IN TEXAS TODAY.

INCLUDING US?

NO, YOU'RE BUYING THE OTHER HALF.

I WAS AFRAID OF THAT.

HEY, DONNA.

HEY, MAMA.

WHERE'S MY GRANDKIDS?

RIGHT BEHIND YOU.

HI, GRANDMA!

BYE, GRANDMA.

DON'T YOU WANT A SNACK FIRST?

WE'LL BE BACK IN FIVE MINUTES.

OH, YOU GOT THAT RIGHT.

I KNOW!

HEY, ONE TIME AROUND THE LOOP,

THAT'S IT, THEN STRAIGHT BACK HERE,

AND YOU STAY WITH YOUR BROTHER

NO MATTER WHAT. OKAY.

RICKY, YOU STAY WITH SISSY, NOW.

I WILL.

OKAY. OH, YOU GOT IT.

GO ON, THEN.

YOU GOT IT.

AND DON'T HURT NOBODY!

GRANDPA!

BYE-BYE!

Y'ALL GONNA FEED ME, OR WHAT?

WELL, OF COURSE WE ARE.

OKAY, LET'S GO.

[COUNTRY MUSIC PLAYING ON RADIO]

THAT'S NOT YOUR STYLE.

WASN'T IT JUST YESTERDAY

SHE WAS COMING HOME FROM THE HOSPITAL,

TINY LITTLE THING,

ALL WRAPPED UP IN A BLANKET?

AMBER OR DONNA?

YOU GOT A POINT THERE.

SHE IS GROWING UP, HUH?

MM. SCHOOL OKAY?

YEAH, SHE'S DOING GREAT.

SHE'S READING THREE BOOKS A WEEK,

GETTING As IN EVERYTHING.

TEACHERS SAY SHE'S A DREAM KID.

WELL, OF COURSE SHE IS.

I WASN'T,

I'LL TELL YOU THAT MUCH.

IT SKIPS A GENERATION, SWEETHEART.

WHY ARE YOU LAUGHING?

SHE GOT YOU THERE.

GO ON, RICKY.

I'M RIGHT BEHIND YOU.

MAMA SAID.

I'M RIGHT BEHIND YOU.

MAMA!

OH, MY GOD!

MAMA!

MAMA!

I WANT TO REPORT A...

SIR, ARE YOU THERE?

WHOA!

WHERE'S SISSY?

I DON'T KNOW, MAMA.

WELL, WHAT DO YOU MEAN,

YOU DON'T KNOW, BABY?

AMBER WENT TO THE LOADING DOCK, MAMA.

WELL, GO ON AND GET HER,

BECAUSE WE'RE WAITING ON HER FOR DINNER.

I'LL GET HER.

RICKY, YOU COME WITH GRANDMA.

SPOILED, SPOILED, SPOILED.

WE'LL PUT YOUR BIKE AWAY

AND WE'LL GET YOU SOMETHING TO DRINK.

SO YOU'RE THE ONE WHO CALLED THIS IN, SIR?

YES.

OKAY, NOW, IS THAT YOUR RESIDENCE OVER THERE?

YES.

NOW, THIS IS HER BIKE.

THE LITTLE GIRL THAT HE TOOK, THIS IS HER BIKE--IT FELL HERE.

MR. REDDEN, PLEASE STAY CALM. TELL ME EXACTLY WHAT YOU SAW.

WELL, I WAS IN MY BACKYARD, I HEARD HER SCREAMING,

AND THE MAN CAME OUT OF THE TRUCK.

THE BLACK PICK-UP, SIR?

YES.

COULD YOU SEE THE LICENSE PLATE

OR ANYTHING ELSE ABOUT THE TRUCK THAT STOOD OUT TO YOU?

NO, MY EYES ARE VERY POOR.

I KNOW IT WAS BLACK,

AND IT WAS A TRUCK,

AND THE MAN WAS WHITE,

AND HE WAS WEARING A HAT, A COWBOY HAT,

BUT THAT'S ALL I COULD SEE.

SHE WAS SCREAMING AND FIGHTING.

HE RAN UP AND GRABBED HER

OFF THE BIKE,

AND JUST GRABBED HER AND THREW HER IN THE TRUCK!

OKAY. THANK YOU, SIR.

EXCUSE ME.

MY NAME IS JIMMIE WHITSON.

WE'RE LOOKING FOR MY GRANDDAUGHTER.

SHE WAS ON HER BIKE.

THAT-- THAT'S IT.

THAT'S AMBER'S BIKE.

THAT'S HER BIKE.

SIR...

WHERE'S MY GRANDDAUGHTER?

WHAT HAPPENED?

MY NAME'S OFFICER PERRY, MR. WHITSON, OKAY?

NOW, WE DON'T KNOW EXACTLY WHAT'S HAPPENED JUST YET, OKAY,

BUT THERE'S BEEN A REPORT OF A CHILD ABDUCTION

AT THIS LOCATION.

ABDUCTION?

WHAT ARE YOU SAYING?

SOMEBODY TOOK AMBER, IS THAT WHAT YOU'RE SAYING?

SOMEBODY TOOK AMBER?

NO, SIR, I'M NOT SAYING THAT, MR. WHITSON.

I CAN'T CONFIRM ANYTHING, OKAY?

BUT SOMEONE REPORTED THAT THEY DID SEE WHAT HAPPENED.

THERE'S AN EYEWITNESS.

OH, JESUS.

SWEET JESUS.

: I'VE GOT A GRAND SENSE OF HUMOR.

: WELL, LOOK WHO'S HERE.

YES, HE IS.

I LOVE THAT OLD COOT.

HEY, GOOD-LOOKIN', WHAT ARE Y'ALL DOING?

HEY, DADDY.

SHE'S GONE, DONNA.

SOMEBODY TOOK HER.

WHAT?

THE POLICE ARE AT THE WINN DIXIE NOW.

NO!

THERE WAS AN EYEWITNESS.

NO, NO, NO, NO, NO!

A MAN IN A BLACK TRUCK TOOK HER.

NO, NO, NO, NO, NO!

NO!

GOD, NO!

YOU'VE GOT TO STAY, DONNA.

THE POLICE ARE COMING.

OH, MY GOD.

GOD! OH, MY GOD.

IT'S GOING TO BE FINE.

THE POLICE ARE COMING.