Chapter 11 Together at Stanford
It was a beautiful Indian summer afternoon in the SF Bay area. Kensi and Marty were sitting on 'their' park bench. As usual, they were mingling kisses with talking. Marty had settled into his off-campus apartment which had been touched up by his girlfriend. Turns out he could afford her help after all. There had been a price, he had gladly paid up. The place looked really nice.
"So, you haven't heard from Nell yet?" He asks.
"Not yet, I told the asst dean that I would stay solo in the room until after Christmas break. It's strange; my TXT messages are not declined as undeliverable and my calls go to voice-mail without saying that the number has been disconnected or is no longer in service. But I get nothing back from her. I don't understand it."
"Do you get a feeling of foul play?"
"No."
"Is there anyone else you can try to contact? Did she give you contact info for any family or friends?"
"No."
"What about the University? Have you talked with anyone in the Dean of Students office, for example?"
"Yes, but no help, Mr. Hetty."
"Ha-ha!" Marty smirks.
"I got nothing!"
"This really is weird."
"Yeah. Ok, are we going to try and pull off that fun, safe Halloween party we talked about?" Kensi wonders.
"Do we have a venue and sponsors" Marty muses.
"For sponsors and hosts Roger, James, and my dad with spouses all seemed to be on board – we need to confirm. Roger and Cheryl mentioned using their home but I'm not sure if they were kidding or not." Kensi listed the possibilities. "How shall we proceed?"
"Well, it seems logical to confirm details; I will take Roger and Cheryl, you take your folks, that leaves James and Karen."
Kensi thinks out loud, "Well, I am working with that committee down there so why don't I call them. I'd like to get to know Karen better, she seems really nice."
"Great idea, so we're checking on whether they will host/chaperone, and if Roger and Cheryl will make their home available, correct?" Marty seeks to confirm.
"Correct. Do we have a date? The 31st is Sunday, what about Saturday the 30th?" Kensi asks.
"Yeah, Sunday evening would be tough. Let's do Saturday, October 30."
"It's a date, lover boy!"
"Hm, I like that sweetheart! Let's make those calls." Marty goes to his bedroom to call; Kensi stays in the living room.
Marty comes back out and they compare notes. All 3 couples 1) agree to host/chaperone, 2) insist on ticketed invitees (free tickets), 3) want to approve invitee list, and 4) limit of 3 alcoholic beverages to of-age guests only. And, they want Kensi and Marty to ride herd on the DJ & the music. That should be interesting! Techno, or not?
So, they need to produce tickets and agree on who to invite. This will be fun.
"Kens, is what I hear from Chester true?"
"Probably, but what did you hear?"
"Are Chester and Syd giving it another go? Really?"
"Well, Syd has been talking to me a lot lately," Kensi admits. "She is starting to realize her MO of being in charge during a friendship. She has thought back to last summer and recognizes where she went overboard. I encouraged her to talk with Chester; she reached out to him and he agreed to listen to her. Apparently, they had a nice talk and are going to give it another try. She is really happy that he is giving her a second chance. I hope this works."
"I do too! He and I have talked and he seems happy that they are giving it another try. They looked so good together! Say, why don't we invite them to come up to our Halloween party?"
"Great idea, Marty. Do you want to ask him, then he can ask Syd?"
"Yeah, I will do that. So, no word from Nell yet? Are you worried at all?"
"I don't know, what should I be worried about?"
"I'm not sure, but may I look into her no show? Will you get upset with me?"
"Not upset, but what are you going to do?"
"I'm not sure, but I'd like to try."
Marty makes a call, with trepidation.
"Marty! Great to hear from you; how can I help you."
"Well, Hetty, I'd like your help if it is at all appropriate."
"Tell me what the problem is and I'll decide."
"It's about Kensi's roommate last year at Stanford . . ." He goes on to tell Hetty everything he knows about Nell and the situation. He wishes he could tell her more, but he can't. "I'm sorry that I can't afford to pay you much, but can you do something for Kens and me?"
"Obviously this will be on my own time and pretty much my own dime, but I've done it before for good friends. Since I consider you such, give me a few days and I will get back to you."
"Oh, Hetty, please only call me – or TXT is better and I will get back to you. Kensi knows I am looking, but she doesn't know that I am asking you for help."
"I understand. I will TXT when I know something."
"Many thanks!"
TXT from Hetty:
H: call me when U can, I have info.
M: OK
Hetty's cell rings later that evening. "Hi Marty, are you alone?"
"Yes, Hetty. What do you know?"
"Well, this is quite strange. The family members she was living with before she went west to Stanford (a cousin) have not seen or heard from Nell Jones since she left for college. She did not return last spring when she left Stanford after her first year. She just disappeared. We did find a bus ticket to Reno, Nevada, but nothing further. Do you know if she left anything in the room, or in storage?"
"No, Kensi hasn't said."
"Have you told Kensi what you and I are doing?"
"Not yet."
"You need to do that immediately, or I will."
"I'm not sure what to say."
"Marty, withholding info like this from a person you care about is a terrible idea."
"Care about?"
"Marty, I have eyes and ears. I'll give you thirty minutes, then I'm calling Kensi."
"Hetty! Wait, Hetty! Hetty . . . "
Dial tone – SHIT!
Knock, knock on Kensi's door. She opens it a crack to see Marty standing there, he rarely comes to her dorm room.
"Ah . . . can I come in; I have some info about Nell."
"Yes, come in. I'm not dressed for company but you're . . . not company, I guess." She has on a tank top and yoga pants, bare feet. Books strewn on the bed.
"I called Hetty and basically asked for a favor."
"You - OMG Marty! How could you?"
"I didn't know where else to turn. Anyway, she or her team did some looking . . . " Marty relates everything Hetty told him. "She asked if Nell left anything in the room or the storage area?"
"Not that I know of, we can look."
"No, I think she may send an agent or two to check for clues. I just talked to Hetty tonight, Kens, I was trying to decide what to say to you."
"How about the truth?"
"Yeah, you are right. I'm sorry for not leveling with you right away. Forgive me?"
"Yes, but please let's not do this again, promise?"
"I promise. I want a real, truthful relationship with you Kens. I love you and don't want to lose you."
"I love you too!"
Kensi's cell rings. It's Hetty.
"Hi Hetty, Marty was just telling me what you've found. I'm really sorry he dragged you into this – and so is he, I made sure of that! What else can you advise us?"
"Well, my dear, I am sending Agent Hanna to you, to check for clues in the storage area and the dorm room. Please don't disturb anything until he is done. Also, did Nell have a locker in any buildings? Please direct him to any and all places Nell frequented. Then, I am sending Agent Callen to Reno to look for clues in that area. Both gentlemen will be doing this on their own time so it may take a while. When I have their reports, I will contact you. Do you have any questions?"
"No, and many thanks Hetty. I'm really confused about what may have happened."
"We'll do our best to sort it out. My best to you and Marty."
"And our best to you and your team."
