Disclaimer: I don't own Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys. The OCs are all mine, for what that's worth.
It's a bonus day – this is an extra-long chapter.
Happy reading!
Chapter 20: Plans & Plots
Nancy glanced around the table. Joe's eager smile contrasted with Vanessa's studiously neutral expression but as usual it was Frank's dubious, dark-eyed gaze that caught her attention.
She cleared her throat and looked pointedly away from him. "We agree that whatever is going on at Mama's Kitchen involves exploiting young women. What we need is a young woman who is easily exploitable – a young woman who is unconnected, isolated and perhaps a little desperate to find a job and a place to live."
Several beats of tense silence followed as Vanessa and Joe glanced first at one another and then at Frank, waiting expectantly. Personally, Nancy was afraid to chance it – Frank was bound to be disapproving.
"Someone like you?" His tone was carefully controlled.
Joe snickered. "Well, bro, I don't think you can do it."
Vanessa interjected hastily, "Based on what I overheard they only hire through TNT, whoever that is."
"Turner Networking Temps," Frank said.
Nancy's eyes widened and she finally turned to look at him. "When did you figure that out?"
"Joe and I were rehashing everything earlier and the connection clicked," Frank said.
"Yeah," Joe said. "They even have a quarter-page ad in the yellow pages saying that they're dynamite at finding placements for anyone regardless of experience level."
Nancy was nodding thoughtfully. "That's even better. I can go talk to Pru, ask her to refer me to Turner's and provide a light cover story."
"What do you plan to tell Ms. Lawson to convince her to help?" Frank asked.
"I'll tell her the truth," Nancy said. "She'll have a vested interest in finding out what happened."
"Are you going in as yourself?" Joe asked.
"No, I thought maybe Nancy Morgan?" A slight shake of Frank's head had Nancy quickly modifying the last name. "Er, perhaps Miller? The last name doesn't really matter."
"Miller would work. You'll need documents, though," Frank said. "Joe –"
Joe sat forward, blue eyes alight with enthusiasm. "I have the stuff to mock up a driver's license and I'm sure Anna and Arthur would be willing to play the part of your foster parents – that gives us an Ithaca address."
Frank sat back, kneading his lower lip thoughtfully for several seconds before giving a curt nod.
"I can probably pull together a birth certificate. You can tell them you lost your social security card. That's plausible enough. I just hope they don't do background checks or we'll be screwed."
Nancy looked at Frank, eyes wide. "Is that it?"
"Yeah, bro. Are you feeling alright?" Joe's blue eyes danced with amusement.
Vanessa chuckled. "I must admit, when I heard the plan I figured for sure you'd put up way more of a fight, Frank."
"I'd tell you why I think it's a bad idea but you all know what I'd say so why waste my breath," Frank grumbled.
Nancy put an arm around his shoulders and leaned in to plant a kiss on his cheek. "Thank you."
He glanced sideways at her. "That doesn't mean I'm thrilled with the idea. But it probably is the fastest way to learn what we want to know and you're really the only option for our insider."
"That is my ever-logical brother talking. Now where is the over-protective part of the lecture?"
"The over-protective part comes tomorrow after I've had a chance to sleep on it. Sleep being the operative word. I can't think straight right now." As if to emphasize his point, Frank was overcome by a big yawn.
Joe stood from the table, a knowing smile on his face. "Yeah, I'm sure sleep is the only thing you have in mind."
Frank's voice rang with finality. "Good night, little brother."
"C'mon, Van. Let's hit the hay. I am pretty tired." Joe took Vanessa's hand and led her out of the kitchen.
Nancy cleared the few cups they had dirtied from the table and loaded them into the dishwasher. When she finished she could feel the heat from Frank's body. She turned to find him standing close behind her.
Looking up into his eyes she felt her heart rate increase. His eyes tended to reflect his mind-set – golden brown usually meant a light-hearted Frank, whereas more of a chocolate brown meant he was feeling mellow. Right now, his eyes were dark umber and burned with an intensity that warmed her from head to toe.
He hadn't even touched her yet but she knew he would and just the thought of it made her feel a little weak in the knees. His voice was low and husky when he spoke.
"Are you ready to resume our earlier conversation?"
Her shoulders slumped. He didn't really want to get into that again, did he?
"Our argument or our discussion?" She asked, irritation overshadowing her attempt at a light tone.
He smiled and moved closer. "Earlier."
"Earlier?" Nancy felt very confused as Frank leaned down, his lips whispering along her jaw line.
"In the car," he whispered in her ear.
"Oh!" Nancy managed just before Frank silenced any further discussion.
She lost herself in the kiss for several minutes. Eventually the fact that they were standing in the kitchen of a very nice elderly couple began to temper the passion that Frank was forging. She managed to gather enough of her wits about her to slip out of his embrace and put some distance between them.
She turned to find Frank watching her with a predatory intensity that she found very evocative. Still, they were in Anna and Arthur's kitchen.
"I think we should take this conversation upstairs," she said, trying for a firm tone and failing miserably.
"Probably," Frank said even as he closed the distance again.
Nancy grabbed a chair from behind her to use as a barrier between them and pointed a finger at her fiancé.
"Frank Hardy, you had better behave yourself."
She would have described his responding grin as lewd on any other man but she just couldn't think of Frank that way. He had always been so self-controlled and proper. It was difficult to reconcile the Frank she had been friends and colleagues with for so many years with the lover that he had become over the last couple of months. This side of Frank was fun and exciting and more than a little disconcerting.
He caught the finger wagging at him and engulfed her hand in one of his while he pushed the chair out of the way. His arm pinned her to him as the chair skidded away.
"I always behave myself. With you it's nice to be able to let loose."
"Yes . . ." Nancy whispered and then shook her head adamantly. "But not in Anna and Arthur's kitchen! Let's go upstairs."
"Joe says we make too much noise," Frank said teasingly.
Nancy felt her cheeks flame. "He couldn't hear us . . . could he?"
"Who cares?"
He lowered his head and bypassed her lips, kissing and nipping from just below her ear to the collar of her t-shirt. His lips settled in the curve of her neck. Nancy was preoccupied by the sensations until she felt her bra spring loose and realized that both of Frank's hands were under her t-shirt.
"Frank, not here."
"No, not here," Frank said, chuckling. "I just want to turn you on. Then I'll take you upstairs to finish the job properly."
"Mission accomplished. Let's go upstairs," Nancy said breathlessly.
Frank planted his hands on the table Nancy was leaning on and looked in her face. "Did I ever tell you that you're cute when you're cornered?"
Nancy sighed but couldn't keep the smile off her face. "You are an evil, evil man. Why did I never see this side of you before, oh, about two months ago?"
He brought a hand up to cup her face and ran a gentle thumb over her cheek. "Sweetheart, you are the only person who has ever seen this side of me."
"The only one? You mean to tell me –" She stopped herself. Do you really want to bring Callie into this conversation? She could have kicked herself.
But Frank's responding smile was soft and affectionate and Nancy was reminded why she had fallen in love with him despite a concerted effort not to.
"The only one. I've never felt comfortable enough with anyone else to let loose like I do with you, Nan." He leaned in and kissed her – a soft, loving kiss full of promise. Then he pulled back and looked at her intently. "Not even Callie."
Nancy could read the truth in his eyes and she knew she felt the same. What she had had with Ned could never compare to the wholly encompassing bond she and Frank shared. She grimaced at the unpleasant reminder of her ex. At some point she was going to have to return his phone calls.
Looking for a distraction from the unsettling thoughts, she slipped her hands up Frank's chest and pulled him down for another kiss.
As the kiss ended she whispered, "I love you so much, Frank."
A moment later he scooped her up into his arms.
"It is definitely time to take this upstairs."
nhnhnhnhnhnh
Morning sunlight shone through the window and sent shafts of gold glinting off Nancy's tousled hair. Frank watched her sleep, her peaceful countenance a stark contrast to his churning thoughts. Despite a determined effort to figure out some other way to short circuit the investigation he was coming up empty-handed.
He finally decided he should just admit defeat and get to work on making sure that Nancy's plan could be executed safely. He kissed her forehead before slipping out of bed. Within fifteen minutes he was showered, dressed and headed downstairs with his backpack.
He set up his laptop, portable printer and handheld scanner at the kitchen table and went to work. Anna came in from outside and made a pot of coffee. Frank accepted a cup gratefully.
He laid out the bare bones of the plan and Anna readily agreed to be Nancy Miller's foster mother. She was also able to help him by providing an original birth certificate for her daughter, who had died shortly after her pre-mature birth. It provided the perfect base to forge documents for Nancy's undercover identity.
By the time Nancy came downstairs at nearly ten o'clock, Frank had the birth certificate just about done.
"How long have you been up?" Nancy asked as she opened the cupboard to retrieve a cup.
"A couple of hours," Frank said. "You were dead to the world."
"You wore me out last night," she said teasingly and then yawned.
He slid out from behind the kitchen table and joined her by the coffee maker. While she poured herself a cup of coffee he snaked his arms around her, nudging her hair out of the way so he could nuzzle her neck. Nancy giggled and squirmed in his embrace until a chuckle from the open back door caught their attention. They turned to find Anna smiling at them.
"Don't stop on my account. Heaven knows you might find Arthur and I in much the same pose at times." She clucked at the surprise she must have recognized in their faces. "Oh, we're old, not dead. We still enjoy one another a great deal."
Frank smiled at Anna but his attention returned to Nancy, as it inevitably did when she was within sight. Her cheeks were bright pink but her blue eyes twinkled with amusement. She squeezed Frank's hand and then slipped past him to go to the table with her coffee.
"Anna, I hope we're half as active as you and Arthur when we get to your age," she said warmly.
"Definitely," Frank agreed.
"So, Frank," Anna said, coming through the screen door. "Did you finish what you were working on?"
Nancy picked up one of the draft copies he had printed out. "You could make a killing forging documents, honey."
"I learned all of the latest forging techniques and their flaws in one of my classes," Frank said. "I'm going to have to find a better printer to make documents that you can actually use, though. This is a thermal printer and it just isn't going to cut it."
Anna sat down next to Nancy. "Arthur has a very nice printer in the office that you can use, Frank. He even has some good paper if that would help."
"Thanks, Anna – that will be a huge help," Frank said. Turning to Nancy, he added, "Were Joe and Van up yet?"
"The shower was running shortly after I got out so at least one of them is moving," Nancy said.
"In that case, I should get breakfast started. Or perhaps we should call it brunch," Anna said.
Standing, Nancy said, "Let me help you, Anna."
The elderly woman smiled at her, "Well, you are part of the family now, after all. I would love the help, Nancy."
Frank unhooked his laptop. "I think I'm going to head to the office. Which room is it, Anna?"
"It's just the other side of the entryway. I think Arthur is in there. He'll be able to show you where everything is."
Frank jumped in surprise when Nancy pinched him on the butt as he moved past her and out of the kitchen.
Darn, why hadn't he thought of that?
nhnhnhnhnhnh
"I'll see you downstairs, babe."
Joe dropped a kiss on Vanessa's cheek and grabbed his backpack before heading out of their room.
His brother was walking past the bottom of the stairs when he entered the hallway above. "Hey, Frank. Where're you going?"
He jogged down the stairs and met his brother in the entryway.
"To use Arthur's printer. I have Nancy Miller's birth certificate mocked up and ready to print."
"I'm going to get Nan's driver's license. We can use it to make a fake ID."
A few minutes later he and Frank were wired into Arthur's office equipment and hard at work. Arthur was thrilled to be able to help and brought out all of his photo mounting and preservation equipment. He even had a laminating machine and offered his own Ithaca driver's license as a template.
By the time Nancy and Anna had brunch ready, Nancy Miller had become a real live person with an Ithaca driver's license and birth certificate. Frank had even developed a skeleton background story.
The mood at brunch was intense as Frank went over Nancy's cover story in detail – several times. Joe gave an exasperated grunt as his brother started reviewing it yet again.
"Frank, this is Nancy Drew you're talking to, remember? She had the cover down the first time you went through it, let alone the second, third and fourth. Give it a rest already!"
"I hate to be a wet blanket here but –," Van stopped as all eyes turned to her. "Well, I know Nancy is anxious to learn about her mother but we have other obligations this weekend. Laura has the landscapers scheduled, we have dress fittings planned with friends coming into town to attend, and the guys have tux measurements. We can't really stay here all weekend. It's Friday and we really should be headed back to Bayport no later than this afternoon."
Nancy's face fell. "Van's right."
Frank squeezed Nancy's hand. "So we go back to Bayport for the weekend. It will give us a chance to find out what Dad's learned about the Padovanos and TNT. We'll be more prepared."
"Frank, your defense is scheduled for next Wednesday," Nancy said.
"I'll delay my defense a week or two."
"And knock right up against our wedding date," Joe said.
Frank shot his brother a withering look. "So I'll delay until after the wedding. It's not that critical."
Nancy was playing with the food on her plate. "Actually, if there's anything that isn't critical, it's my mother's murder. She's been dead almost twenty years. What are a few more weeks?"
Van shook her head. "You need to know the truth, Nan. Besides, this isn't just about your mother's murder any more. Whatever is going on at Mama's Kitchen, it's been going on far too long already. We need to put an end to it."
Joe stared at his fiancée, feeling a mixture of admiration and irritation. He knew he was being stubborn but he didn't want her involved. Still, he was proud of the fact that she felt as compelled to catch the bad guys as the rest of them.
"Van's right, again," he said grudgingly. "We need to put an end to this."
"We're in agreement then," Frank said. "We'll go to Bayport for the weekend and then be back in Ithaca on Monday to continue the investigation."
"To put the plan in motion," Nancy said.
Frank shrugged. "Maybe we'll come up with a better option than putting you undercover."
Nancy opened her mouth to protest but Vanessa cut in.
"The weekend won't be a total loss, anyway. After the fitting Saturday, Nancy and I can look up Sara Fields and talk to her – she was Amy Morgan's friend and she lives on Long Island now."
Joe sat up and turned to Arthur and Anna who were looking on proudly at the four young people.
"Is it going to be a problem if we crash here again next week? You don't have other boarders coming in do you, Anna?"
Anna smiled. "Well, we do have folks coming in for the weekend but we'll be empty come Monday. You are all more than welcome to stay again next week."
"Just think, Anna," Arthur beamed. "We're like command central for their little operation. How thrilling! I'm going to have to break out the camera and begin documenting."
Arthur pushed away from the table and rushed toward the office.
Joe and Frank exchanged an amused glance.
Joe said, "Van and I still have our lunch date."
"And before we leave, we should at least talk to Pru Lawson about our plan," Nancy said. "I'd also like to talk to Jim Bowers today."
"If we fly back together we should be ok if we leave by four this afternoon," Frank said. "Mom doesn't usually have dinner ready until seven anyway. That gives us time to lay some groundwork so we can hit the ground running on Monday when we come back."
"So it's settled," Joe said. "We'll meet back here around three or three thirty and head to Tompkins."
nhnhnhnhnhnh
"Hi, Kiki! It's so great to see you again!"
Vanessa hoped she didn't sound overly enthusiastic. It was awkward to be watching your fiancé begin a blind date with a woman you yourself set him up with. No, 'awkward' wasn't the word. Maybe 'insane' better captured the reality.
She turned resolutely forward but not before she saw Kiki slide tight against Joe's side and plant a kiss on his cheek. She had always been steadfastly secure in her relationship with Joe and able to ignore his incessant flirting. Even so, this 'double date' they were on was going to be difficult.
"Where are we going for lunch?" Joe asked.
"Anywhere but Mama's Kitchen," Rod said.
Kiki giggled and Vanessa gritted her teeth and managed to grin at Rod. She hated those girly little flirty giggles – especially when they were directed at Joe.
"We could go into the city and find someplace," Vanessa suggested.
It felt like a very long drive to Vanessa, listening to Kiki and Joe in the back seat. Vanessa let Rod take her hand and smiled at him but they didn't really talk. The sounds from the back must have gotten to Rod, too, because he finally turned up the radio – on country. Vanessa sighed. She wasn't sure which was worse. They arrived at a chain Tex-mex restaurant less than twenty minutes later and Van stepped out of the car in relief.
They were seated at a booth for four and had their meals ordered within minutes. Vanessa had thought it was bad listening to Kiki and Joe in the back seat but it was worse having to both watch and listen. Kiki hung all over him and Joe played his part pretty convincingly. Vanessa couldn't help but think that he was paying her back for the last day or so. Two could play at that game.
She slid close to Rod and took his hand. "Isn't this fun? It's been ages since Joe and I have gone on a double date."
"You do this kind of thing a lot?" Rod asked.
"We used to when we were younger," Joe said.
"There's a year difference between us but Joe was held back a year and we went all through high school in the same class."
Joe grunted. "Thanks, sis. That's just what I want a girl to learn on a first date – that I got held back a year."
Waving a dismissive hand, Van said, "Well, it's only because that math teacher didn't like you."
"Yeah, the math teacher, the English teacher, the science teacher – they were all out to get me that year." Joe gave Kiki a roguish grin. "Of course, it helps if you actually show up for class."
"I thought Mom and Dad were gonna have a cow," Vanessa said. "Good thing you cleaned up your act after that."
Joe grimaced. "It was embarrassing enough being in the same grade as my baby sister let alone a grade behind her."
"What do you do for a living, Joe?" Rod asked.
"I work for the old man in his grocery business," Joe said and scowled. "I hate it."
Rod smirked. "I know where you're coming from, man."
"Yeah but at least you got away for college," Joe said. "I started straight out of high school. Dad made me get my associates degree after hours."
"That's the pits," Rod said. "Van got out, though."
"That's because I know how to say 'no,'" Vanessa said.
Joe exchanged a smirk with Rod who said, "She seems to think it's pretty easy."
"Yeah, well, she is Daddy's little princess. It never is that easy for the son, is it Rod?" Joe grinned at Rod and held up a fist.
Knocking knuckles with Joe, Rod returned the smile. "Definitely not, brother."
Kiki stood. "I need to go freshen up. When I come back I think we should skip past all this serious talk and figure out what we're gonna do for some fun."
Vanessa nudged Rod, "I need to powder, too."
Joe took Kiki's hand and pulled her down for a light kiss. "I promise – no more serious talk when you get back, beautiful."
With a wide smile, Vanessa bent down and gave Rod a kiss on the cheek before turning to follow Kiki.
"Your brother is so darn cute!" Kiki said, tucking her arm into Vanessa's as they wound their way to the women's bathroom. Van managed a tight smile in response.
They walked into the empty bathroom and Kiki ran straight to an empty stall. "I have to pee."
Van walked to the sink and extracted a compact and lipstick out of her handbag, more to have something to do than for any real purpose.
Glancing back at Kiki's feet under the stall, Vanessa ventured a leading question. "I was kind of surprised you agreed to come out to lunch today, Kiki. Especially after Rod told me he had to fire you."
"Well, it's not like he did it because I did a bad job," Kiki said. "I was pretty pissed. Not really surprised, though. I mean, I was the first local girl they'd hired at the diner in ages. I guess I should have been more surprised that I was hired in the first place."
"I would think it would be way easier to hire local girls. I asked Rod about that too. Seems odd."
The stall opened and Kiki appeared, wiggling her butt to get the form-fitting mini-skirt down over her hips. "My dad says that the reason Callisto doesn't hire local girls is 'cause he knows he'd have fathers lined up at his door. Dad was really happy I lost that job."
"Why?" Vanessa tried for an innocent tone but feared it came off too nosy.
Kiki didn't seem to notice. "Don't get me wrong, Mr. Padovano doesn't like, prostitute the girls or anything. He definitely doesn't discourage them from hooking up with the college guys that come in, though. It's good for business, you know."
"I thought he treated the girls really well?" Vanessa feigned shock.
"Oh, he does – gives 'em a place to live, helps them with learning to live on their own. He even holds their hand when they get into trouble – if you know what I mean. But still, given the situation, I guess I'm just as glad to not be working there, either."
"Why is that?"
"I just couldn't help but be a little creeped out by what happened to that one girl. Especially when I worked that first night shift."
Van shook her head. "I don't know what you're talking about."
Kiki turned around and leaned a hip on the counter. "I forgot you aren't from around here. There was a girl, one of the waitresses from the diner, got herself killed. They found her body just outside of town about a month ago. Threw the whole town into a tizzy. My old man went nuts."
Vanessa leaned forward, looking at Kiki in shock. "Did they find out who killed her?"
"I heard they picked up the guy that knocked her up – some frat boy from Empire."
Kiki pushed off the counter and headed toward the door. "Poor girl was probably just like all the rest of us – looking for her Cinderella story – her own prince charming coming to whisk her away on a white horse. I felt really sorry for her."
Vanessa followed Kiki back to the table, chewing her lip. Frank wasn't going to like this news at all.
nhnhnhnhnhnh
The Law Advocates offices in Ithaca spoke of frugal opulence. The furnishings were high quality but well-worn and the entire décor had a comfortable shabbiness about it.
The receptionist sat behind a large, walnut desk, her bright clothing and blond and green streaked hair a surprise in such somber surroundings. She looked up as Frank and Nancy walked in.
"Hi there! I'm Willy. Can I help you?"
It took Frank a moment to get over the receptionist's wild appearance and by then Nancy was responding.
"Hi. I'm Nancy Drew and this is Frank Hardy. We're here to see Jim Bowers. Is he in?"
"He is!" Willy responded enthusiastically. "And I believe he is expecting you. Please have a seat and I'll let him know you're here."
She bounced her way to the farthest of three doors in the wall behind her desk and knocked. A muffled 'Come on in' greeted her and she threw the door open.
"Hey, Jim. Nancy Drew and Frank Hardy are here to see you. They're the folks Betty left a note about."
"Send them in, Willy."
The voice was deep and soothing and moments later they were face to face with the man attached to it. Jim Bowers was in his early fifties. His intelligent, world-weary brown eyes seemed incongruous in a round, boyish face under a shock of straw-like, sand-colored hair.
He waved them into the office. "Come in, come in. I've been expecting you."
As Nancy moved into the office, Frank noticed that Jim Bowers' eyes locked on her. Though he tried to hide it, Frank was sure he recognized a flicker of shock followed by something that set Frank's nerves on edge.
Nancy took the outstretched hand. "Mr. Bowers, it's nice to meet you. I'm Nancy Drew and this is my fiancé, Frank Hardy. We would like to ask you some questions."
The man barely glanced at Frank during their handshake. His grip was limp and sweaty and Frank had to stifle the urge to wipe his hand on his pants afterward.
Jim Bowers indicated the chairs in front of his desk. "Please, call me Jim. Pru called yesterday to tell me you'd be stopping by. And why."
Jim's face was tight and his gaze remained focused on Nancy as they all took seats.
Going into this interview Frank and Nancy had agreed that she would do most of the talking. Frank figured that was probably just as well given that Jim had barely spared him a glance. Knowing his gaze was likely just as intense of Jim's he was glad that the man seemed oblivious to his presence in the room. It would make his observation much easier.
"You know Ms. Lawson?" Nancy asked.
"Pru and I have known each other for years. She started with the state about the same time I started here."
"She's been very kind," Nancy said. "I'm really just trying to get to know my mother."
"I just can't believe that Liz is dead. How long ago . . . ?"
"Nineteen years this past spring," Nancy said.
"She died in the spring?"
"Yes, in late May, as a matter of fact."
"How?"
"She died of a drug overdose."
Jim's face was a mask of sympathy but when Nancy mentioned how her mother died, his wide eyes snapped to her face.
"Liz was taking drugs?"
"Prescription drugs. She had been suffering from depression," Nancy explained in an even tone.
"Did she . . . she didn't commit suicide?"
The intense sadness reflected in Jim Bowers' eyes could not be feigned. For the first time since their arrival, Frank felt some empathy for the man.
"Her death was ruled a self-inflicted overdose," Nancy said.
Keeping his eyes trained on Jim, Frank reached over and covered Nancy's hand with his to give it a comforting squeeze.
Jim ran his hands down his face as he sat back. Shock, dismay and sadness warred for dominance in his expression and he shook his head as if to clear it.
"I just can't believe it. Liz was always so upbeat. She was an amazing woman . . . um, an amazing kid when I knew her."
"She was sixteen when she worked here, right?" Nancy asked.
He nodded and blew out a breath. "You have to forgive me, Nancy. You . . . you look so much like Liz did when I knew her. It's a little – disconcerting."
It dawned on Frank why he had such a visceral reaction to the man at first. Jim Bowers had looked at Nancy and had seen Eliza Morgan – a young woman that he had once had feelings for.
"Everyone is always telling me how much I look like Mom," Nancy said.
His smile was soft as he nodded. "It's uncanny, really."
"Jim, I understand from Pru that you wanted to contact Mom after she moved on to her next foster home. Did you ever actually get in touch with her after she left your employ here?"
He steepled his hands in front of his face, his eyes shifting from studying his fingers to stealing furtive glances at Nancy. He couldn't seem to quite meet her inquisitive gaze.
In an abrupt movement, he stood and strode over to a credenza. Stooping down, he opened a side door and pulled out a journal bound in a camel-colored cloth binding that someone had decorated with hearts. Jim closed the cabinet and carried the book back to his desk. Laying his hands over it, he glanced up at Nancy uncertainly only to look back down at the book as he started talking.
"I was fresh out of law school, had just passed the bar. I decided early on in my schooling that I was going into public service. I was very enthusiastic about what I considered my calling – to help other kids like me, kids from the system. I hadn't been here long when Liz was hired as a receptionist. She was so serious – so intent on making a good impression, doing a good job. And she was so . . . beautiful."
Jim finally raised his eyes to gaze at Nancy and Frank felt a jolt of irrational jealousy.
"I was very fond of your mother, Nancy. It was totally inappropriate and I recognized that. But I just couldn't deny that I had feelings for her. For her part, Liz . . . well, I guess you'd say she had a crush on me. I mean, I was ten years older than her. At that time of your life, ten years might as well be a century."
"She was in love with you," Nancy said quietly.
He chuckled. "Oh, it was hardly a one way street. I was head over heels even if I did know in my head that it was inappropriate. Sometimes the heart has a mind of its own."
Picking up the journal, he handed it across the desk to Nancy. "Your mother left rather suddenly. Please don't think poorly of me when you read it. I truly cared about her and I think she left this for me as a . . . a show of trust."
Nancy laid the journal in her lap and looked at Jim thoughtfully. "You didn't answer my question, though. Did you have contact with my mother after she left Law Advocates?"
"Yes I did. Liz called a few weeks after I talked to Pru. She was embarrassed that she had left the journal. I told her the truth – I loved her, too. But I just couldn't risk my career by pursuing the relationship."
He pointed to the journal. "You can have that. Maybe it will help you get to know your mother a little better."
"Thank you, Jim. That means a lot." Nancy paused and then asked, "Did you ever actually see Mom after she left Law Advocates?"
"We kept in touch by phone but we didn't get together again, no. I just didn't think it would be a good move for either one of us." Jim's tone was confident and steady but his eyes shifted as he spoke.
Frank's eyes narrowed and he sat forward, speaking for the first time, "You never saw her again?"
Jim Bowers turned his gaze on Frank, expression suddenly guarded. "No. Now, I hate to chase you out but I'm due in court on a juvenile case in an hour and I really need to prepare."
Nancy and Frank stood and thanked him for his time. Outside, they stopped by the car so Nancy could drop off the journal before they went to see Prudence Lawson.
As Nancy closed the door, she sighed. "Jim Bowers seemed nice."
"Yeah, he was nice enough. And I think he really cared about your mother," Frank said. "But I am wondering one thing."
"What's that?"
"Why did he lie about seeing her again?"
Nancy pressed her lips into a thin line. "I don't know. I do think you're right, though. He was lying."
Frank pointed to a sandwich shop. "It's nearly two. Let's grab a sandwich and then head to Pru's office."
Fifteen minutes later they were in the waiting room of Children's Services. Frank was relieved when Pru came out to greet them less than five minutes after their arrival.
"Nancy, Frank, I'm so glad you came! I was going to call but now I don't have to. Please, come on back to my office."
Pru led them through a maze of corridors and cubicles to a closet-sized office.
"I know it's not much but around here, if you have a door, you have it made. Now to the reason I was going to call. I found the name of your mother's other friend – it was Mary Boroski. I checked the file and it turns out that Mary and your mom were about the same age. Grace was actually a couple years older. I don't know where Mary is now but . . ."
Pru held out a note card with a name and address on it. "I just happened to have kept Grace's Christmas card this past year. I actually kept hers because it included a photo of her first grandchild."
Frank glanced at the card. The address was in Rochester – too far for them to have time to follow up before heading back to Bayport. He tucked the card into his pocket.
"Thanks, Pru. That's a big help," Frank said. "But we actually stopped by to ask a favor."
"What can I do for you?" Pru asked with an open smile.
Frank held out a hand to Nancy. "It's your plan."
Nancy explained their suspicion about Mama's Kitchen and then outlined the basics of her plan. Pru's face reflected more and more concern as Nancy's narrative progressed.
She leaned forward. "Well, I don't have a problem giving you a referral. However, if I may make a suggestion? Tell them that you ran away from your last foster home about, maybe, a year ago and didn't graduate. That would explain your lack of a high school diploma and make it less likely that they'll request transcripts, which you can't produce. Tell them you tried to make it in New York City but ended up hitching back here. When they call, I can provide some vague backup."
"Anna and Arthur Haggerty have agreed to be my foster parents," Nancy said.
Pru made a note. "Ok. You should be all set then. Please let me know what you find out. I am very concerned to think that we may have inadvertently been providing fodder to these people. I thought Turners screened their employers better than that."
"Do you know the Turners?" Frank asked.
"Not personally but some of my colleagues speak very highly of them – particularly Tiffany. She was a foster kid in the Ithaca system – before my time, of course. She started the agency specifically to help kids like herself find work."
"Kind of like Jim Bowers," Frank said.
Pru looked surprised. "Hm, I never knew Jim Bowers was a foster kid. It's inspiring, really, how so many find their calling helping other foster kids. I think a couple of the social workers here were in the foster system at some point in time, too. And we have several foster families where one or the other of the parents is a former foster kid."
"It is inspiring," Frank agreed.
They left a few minutes later, thanking Pru Lawson for her time and her help. They made their way back to the Lavender Lady and met Joe and Vanessa.
Frank threw his and Nancy's bags into Joe's trunk and looked up the walk toward his brother. "Pick up the pace, Joe. It's almost four thirty. We need to get moving."
"I know," Joe sighed. "I'm just trying to come up with an excuse for Dad. Do you think he's over me lying to him about this trip, yet?"
"No," Frank said.
"Gee, thanks for the moral support, bro."
"Suck it up, little brother."
Joe made a face at him. "What? My genius older brother has absolutely nothing constructive to say?"
Frank smirked at Joe's glum expression.
"You might try the truth. And maybe a heartfelt apology."
NH
A/N: Thank you to those who reviewed last chapter: JackieJacks (insert Chapter 4 of PD at the end of the first scene ;), smilingspaz, Confidential Brunette, Unidentified Reviewer (big smiles for you, even if I don't know who you are), Karmadevi (sorry . . . but not too ;), Serveredwasp, and Agent Striker.
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