Disclaimer: I do not own Scandal
Chapter Twenty-Five
I was screaming, "Long live the look on your face!"
Olivia glanced through the file the police had put together on Jenny Nystrom. It was thin at best. They either weren't taking the case seriously or had truly only come up on dead ends.
When the conference room door opened, Stephen, Harrison and Quinn came in. "We've got nothing interesting on our preliminary run." Harrison caught her up to speed.
"And the Nystroms don't know anything." Stephen sat down heavily. "So, what's our next move?"
Olivia thought quietly for a moment before rising. "A press conference." She decided. "We need to get America looking for Jenny. I want her to go from being the Nystrom's daughter to America's daughter."
Stephen nodded. "I'll call Kim. We'll get the ball rolling."
"I'll draft a statement." Harrison stood as well.
Quinn tipped her chair back. "I'll keep going over things. I just cracked the tip of her social media accounts. I'm sure there's more than I've seen."
Olivia nodded. "Keep on it. Picking up the baby monitor and checking to ensure both Karen and Jerry were still napping before she moved into the room where the Nystroms were waiting. "Sorry to keep you both waiting." Olivia set the baby monitor on the conference room table.
Peter Nystrom nodded. "Of course, Mrs. Grant. Do you need anything else from us?"
Leaning forward, Olivia nodded. "Yes, there is something I need both of you to do." When they motioned for her to continue, she did. "We're going to put together a press conference."
"A press conference?" Janet Nystrom questioned.
Olivia nodded. "Yes, we want this to be a national story. We want people everywhere to be looking for your daughter. Stephen is pulling together the conference and Harrison is drafting your statement." She paused for half a second before continuing. "What we need from you is the picture."
"The picture?" Peter Nystrom questioned.
Olivia hummed. "The picture of Jenny. The picture of innocence. We're making Jenny America's daughter. We want to create a media storm around this so that everyone helps us bring Jenny home."
SCANDAL
"Is there anything I can do?" Fitz's voice echoed through Olivia's cell phone.
Adjusting her grip on Karen, Olivia nodded. "Just your support. We're setting up a press conference. We want to try to get the support of the American people. Get more eyes searching for Jenny."
"You've always got that, babe." Fitz promised her. Olivia heard some commotion in the background. "Hey, Liv, Cy is here making a fuss. I've got to go deal with his crankiness."
Olivia chuckled in understanding. "Tell him to take a breath before he has a heart attack."
"Will do. I'll come by when I wrap up here. We can eat at the office. I know you'll be working late." He offered.
"Sounds good." Olivia agreed. "Love you."
"Love you too, baby."
SCANDAL
Olivia watched from her office floor, coloring with Jenny while Karen rolled around on her mat as the Nystroms took the microphone in front of the Metro PD. Stephen had done a great job with the press conference. And after reading the statement Harrison drafted, she knew the entire country would be up in arms over Jenny.
SCANDAL
Two Days Later
Olivias groaned as she read the page two article on Jenny Nystrom. The police had nothing and every lead they turned up was a dead end. Olivia's gut churned as the realization that Jenny Nystrom was dead settled in the pit of her stomach. Jenny was dead and she was fast becoming old news as the conflict with East Sudan worsened. Olivia couldn't blame the media. East Sudan was becoming a bigger and bigger threat. Still, they needed another tactic regarding Jenny.
"Knock, knock." Olivia looked up and found Harrison leaning in the kitchen doorway of the Residence.
"Uncle Harry!" Jerry clamored down from his chair at the breakfast table to run straight into Harrison's legs.
Scooping Jerry up, Harrison tossed him over his shoulder. "Morning, Livie." He dropepd a kiss on her head and Karen's before depositing Jerry in his chair once again. Currently, Karen was splattering her baby food all over the tray of her high chair.
Dodging a bit of mashed sweet potato, Harrison took a seat. "Morning, Harrison. What brings you to chaos this morning?"
Harrison didn't answer right away. Instead he picked up a napkin and wiped a bit of oatmeal from Jer's chin. Instead of pushing, Olivia waited patiently for his response. "I had an out of the box thought. Quinn thinks I'm losing it, though." He sighed and scratched the back of his head. "I just can't shake it, though." After another moment of thinking, he asked. "Have you heard of the Beltway Unbuckled blog?"
SCANDAL
"It's the craziest theory I've ever heard in my life." Stephen shook his head. "And that is one high bar."
Quinn snorted. "That's what I said last night, but he doesn't listen to me apparently." When no one responded, she sighed, "No one does."
Harrison was still glaring at Stephen even as Quinn's cell phone rang and she got up to answer it. "It's not that crazy."
"This is a smart, church going girl. What on earth would she be doing at these events?" Stephen protested.
Frustrated with Stephen's lack of support, Harrison snapped. "Then why has no one heard from her since the last blog post?"
Rolling his eyes, Stephen let out an exasperated sigh. "Coincidence?" He suggested.
"Guys," Quinn came back into the room with her phone in hand.
"You and I both know there's no such thing as a coincidence." Harrison shouted.
"Of course these are coincidences." Stephen argued.
"Guys!" Quinn shouted over them. The room quieted almost instantly. "I have a lead." Quinn told them. "A girl in Baltimore is in the hospital from alcohol poisoning. They're faxing over a picture."
Smacking his hand down on the conference room table, Stephen grinned. "Ha! See, your theory was total bull." He pointed at Harrison.
Olivia sighed, "You both are children." She turned to Quinn and placed her hand over Quinn's phone. "Calling the Nystroms now will only get their hopes up." She murmured.
SCANDAL
An hour later the photo from the hospital came through as a dead end. Out of curiosity, Olivia flicked through the Beltway Unbuckled blog. Something about Harrison's theory was eating away at her gut. Stephen and Quinn were right. It was insane and the timing was simply a coincidence. Her phone ringing stopped her perusal of the website. "What?"
"Mrs. Grant?"
"Yes, who is this?" Olivia asked quickly.
"Brenda Johnson of the Metro PD. My team landed a body. A girl. College aged. We're off 95."
Rising, Olivia turned the monitor of her computer off. "I'll be there shortly with the Secret Service."
SCANDAL
With the SSAs at her side, Olivia trekked down the side of the highway. "I'll let you know what we find." She promised Fitz.
"And stay with the SSAs." He ordered.
Olivia chuckled as she grabbed onto a tree for support. "Yes, Mr. President." Hanging up her cell phone, Olivia and her SSAs moved down into the tree-lined highway. "Chief Johnson?" She called out.
"Oh my, Mrs. Grant. It's not everyday I have a First Lady at my crime scenes." The blonde southerner stepped forward. "I'm Deputy Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson."
"Thank you for calling me, Chief Johnson. Let's get this over with." Olivia sighed as she moved toward the body. At Chief Johnson's nod, the ME moved the sheet covering the body back. Glancing at the body, Olivia rocked back on her heels. The silver anklet with the cross glinted in the sunlight.
"Well?" The chief asked.
Olivia nodded. "It's her. It's Jenny Nystrom."
SCANDAL
XOXO
MAF