I've been giving the note some more thought. For reference, here is the text:
"I know I'm going to catch it, but we just had to get away. We're going to Houston. See you in about a week. The car is in Sear's upper lot. Love Rachel."
First of all, I agree, a career criminal would not write a note like this. It seems to me it was written without preplanning - the pen ran out of ink, they had to switch to pencil. The sheet of paper was wider than the envelope. These things make me think this was written by someone who had never worked in an office or gone to college. The switching from pen to pencil leads me to theorize it may have been written by a teen scrambling around in their car or bookbag for something to write with. I theorize teen here, because back then, we all had to carry a pen and a pencil to school - that was required in high schools in Ft. Worth at the time. The possibility remains that this is an uneducated adult.
In the case of this sort of abduction and a career criminal, there would either be no note or the note would be designed to taunt and torment the families in some way and/or ask for ransom.
There is the obvious part of the note, which is to throw the police and families off the trail and delay the search for the girls. But since the note was sent from Throckmorton or Weatherford, which is in the exact wrong direction if you are traveling from the Mall to Houston, it reveals that the person writing the note either wasn't smart enough not to think of that or was trying to signal she was in trouble (if Rachel or one of the other girls wrote it.)
In addition, there is some subtext to the note.
1. Whoever wrote the note may have felt guilty about leaving the car behind, but I believe it is actually intended to get the car back to whoever owns it or has rights to it as soon as possible. No career criminal would care about that, but a teen might and so would someone who owned the car. So we have a note that shows the person wanted to slow down the investigation into the disappearance and simultaneously wanted to get the car back to the owner, and I suppose that was either Rachel or Tommy, in Rachel's absence.
It seems to me that the writer was naive about the way the police would investigate this case. It seems like the writer or person who dictated the note (we don't know which it was) thought the note would slow the investigation, but the car seems to be the prioirity.
2. Possible emotional investment in the Christmas present for Shawn and getting it to him in time for Christmas. For most teens, Christmas presents are a big deal. I feel like whoever wrote this note may have wanted to be sure that Shawn got that present by Christmas. The present may have been discussed with the writer or it may have been Rachel writing the note.
Diege: Some questions, if I may?
1. If someone had to be with your dad at all times, why did Rachel ask your mom to go shopping that day? Was there someone else who would normally be there to help so you mom might have been able to go?
2. What kind of paper was the note written on? What color paper? What color ink?
3. Before you saw this note, had you ever heard anyone in your family use the expression "I know I'm going to catch it" ? If so, who? If not, had you ever heard anyone else use that expression or a variation of that expression such as "You're going to catch it!" For example Renee or Tommy or Renee's mom or dad or any of Rachel and Renee's high school friends?
4. Did Rachel have any classmates or friends with the first or last name, Houston? If you aren't sure, can you get her yearbook and look for someone with that name or ask you mom? Note: If you happen to find someone, you are not allowed to post the full name here, just initials. So, just tell us if you know of someone by that name or found someone with that name.
5. Was there anything about the word Houston that you associate with your sister? For example, did she and Tommy go there on their honeymoon? Did she ever travel to Houston with anyone? I am wondering if there is some reason that Houston was the city used.
6. Did Rachel normally sign her cards, letters or notes "Love Rachel" with no comma? Girls are usually fastidious about the punctuation at the end of a note. I'm wondering if this was normal for Rachel. I'm sure you or you mom must have cards, letters or notes from her that you could look at for reference.
7. Who was the owner of Rachel's car? If it was Rachel, who bought it for her?
8. What happened when the letter arrived? After Tommy received it did he:
a. open it and then give it untouched by anyone else to police
b. not open and give it to police
c. open it and pass it around to you and your parents?
d. other, please describe
9. Did police find anyone's fingerprints on the letter?
10. Have police been able to get DNA off the envelope or stamp? If so, do you know whose it is?
11. From the article, it appears that Tommy received the letter when he was by himself. Is this true?
12. What time of day did he find the letter and what time of day was your normal postal delivery. The articles claim early morning but others have noted they remember mail delivery in that neighborhood being much later than that.
Thank you, in advance for your consideration of these questions.