***Willow Pond***
Jennifer was rocking Jagger, but he just wouldn't go to sleep. Rachel poked her head in.
"Hey, I found his blanket downstairs. Thought he might be missing it".
"Thanks".
She sat down in the rocker next to Jennifer.
"Squishy, we are going to get through this, no matter what. You aren't alone".
"I just hate not knowing how she is, or where she is. And this person, they don't know her. They don't know that she likes "You are my Sunshine" better than "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star", and they don't know that she likes to be walked when she's fussy. And I feel like the worst mom in the whole world because I didn't say it at the press conference. But something told me that I didn't need to give them any tips on how to raise MY child".
"That's true".
"I keep picturing her lying in a ditch somewhere and it kills me that I can't get to her".
"Now come on, you can't do that to yourself. Just try and remember her like she was, happy and smiling".
"What?!"
"Why don't you let me take Jagger, I'll get him down, and you can go take a bubble bath?"
"Yeah, like me taking a bubble bath is really going to help me forget my child is gone."
"Jennifer, I was just-"
"And are you really trying to insinuate that she's gone and never coming back?!"
"No-"
"How dare you! Just go".
"What? You can't mean that".
"You upset me Rachel, and I'm scared, but I refuse to let you patronize me or make fun of me any longer. So, just go".
"Jennifer, this is-"
"Just go, and live your own life and since you are convinced my daughter is dead, let me take care of the only child I have left, alright?"
"Fine, be rude".
Rachel got up and kissed Jagger, and then headed out.
She went downstairs and found Jack.
"Take me home. Take me to the beach. Take me as far away from here as you can possibly get me".
"What's wrong?"
She dragged him into the study.
"Jennifer is being rude, and blaming me for all of this, and I don't know why. I want to go home. I don't want to be upset here".
"Ok, we'll go home".
Jack left a note for Jonathan while Rachel went and said goodnight to Marnie and Max.
"Jennifer is upset with me, and I don't have the foggiest idea what for. She's not making sense and she's not listening to reason and she asked that I go, so that's what we are doing".
"I'm sorry, sweetie. I think she's taking this much harder than we all thought".
"I agree. I'll be sure to let Mr. H. in on what is going on".
"Thank you. Aunt Marnie, if I don't see you again before you head home, it was so nice to spend these past few weeks with you, and thank you for teaching me about cooking and keeping me company".
"You were a joy to be around sweetheart. I enjoyed every second".
"Max, can you tell Jonathan I left him a note in the study, under the cigars?"
"Sure thing, Jack".
"Thanks, Man".
They headed out, leaving Max and Marnie alone to deal with Jennifer.
Rachel and Jack got in the car, and he agreed that leaving the house was the best option.
"I'm sure when they find Jessalynn, Jennifer will calm down some and you two will be able to work things out".
"I hope so".
He grabbed her hand and kissed the back of it.
"Just give her some space, baby. It will all work out".
***Jonathan***
Jonathan pulled into the parking lot of the Triple Cactus hotel, and ran inside.
"Hi. I'm Jonathan Hart, and I have reason to believe that my daughter and her captor are staying in room 119. Can you tell me if you've seen this woman or this baby?"
He slid some pictures across to the desk clerk.
"Oh yes, she was here. They checked out about an hour ago. Said something about heading to Lake Tahoe".
"Do you have a description of the car they were in, or anything?"
"Yeah, it was a blue Honda Accord, about 10 years old, with a cracked windshield and it had Arizona plates, and a bumper sticker that said something about soccer players and doing it in 7 minutes".
"Thank you. I appreciate your help".
Jonathan handed him a couple of $100 bills, and headed out.
He slid into the drivers seat, and called Stanley.
"Hey Stanley. It's Jonathan. I need a big favor".
***Willow Pond***
Jonathan wrestled with whether or not to tell Jennifer about the tip all the way home. He finally decided to only talk about it if she brought it up.
He pulled into the driveway and realized Jack's car was gone.
He parked and went inside.
"Hey Max".
"Hey, Mr. H. How did it go?"
"They had already checked out and taken off by the time I got there. Desk clerk gave us a general direction, so I have Stanley on it".
"I'm sorry, Mr. H."
"Thanks, Max".
"I waited up for you. Listen, I don't know what happened, but there was some trouble between Mrs. H. and Rachel, and Rachel and Jack headed home. I got the feeling that they wasn't planning on coming back. Jack said to tell you he left you a note in the study under your cigars".
"Thanks, Max. How's Jennifer?"
"I ain't seen her all night. She put Jagger down and hasn't been downstairs herself".
"Ok, thanks".
He headed to the study to find Jack's note and read it.
Jonathan-not sure what happened, but Rachel said Jennifer wanted her to go home and 'live her own life'. So, we are leaving-we are still here for you guys, so if there's anything you need, don't hesitate to call. Jack.
He sighed and left the study. He turned out all the lights, and checked all of the doors, and headed upstairs.
Jennifer was lying in bed, crying softly.
"Hey".
"Hey".
She rolled over to him.
"How was your meeting?"
"Worth it, but it could have gone better. How are you?"
He quickly changed into some pjs.
"I don't even know how to answer that".
He climbed into bed and got settled, and she settled onto his chest.
"Darling, talk to me. We'll get through it together".
"Why does everyone keep saying that?! I keep picturing her, lying in a ditch God knows where, and there's nothing I can do about it. I keep thinking the most God-awful things, and all anyone can say is "we'll deal with it!" Well, maybe I don't want to deal with it!"
"Jennifer, everyone is just trying to help. Everyone wants to find her just as much as we do".
"You know what Rachel said to me? She had the nerve to say that we should just enjoy Jagger and remember Jessalynn like she was, as if she's already been killed. The one person in my life besides you who is supposed to love me and care for me and she's already thinking that our child is never coming back".
"I'm sure she didn't mean it like that".
"Well, I'm sure she did".
Jonathan didn't know what to say, so he just wrapped an arm around her.
They were quiet for a few moments, and then he heard her sniffling.
"I just miss her so much".
***Two Days Later***
Jennifer had slipped into a major funk. She was barely talking to anyone. She had basically let Marnie take over Jagger's care, and she just sat and stared off into space.
Jonathan was trying to maintain a balance between keeping on top of the search for Jessalynn and being there for Jennifer, and he was completely exhausted from all of it.
Jennifer refused to get out of bed, so he kissed her goodbye and headed to the office. She barely acknowledged his presence or his kiss.
As he poured himself a cup of to-go coffee, he and Max had a talk.
"Keep an eye on Jennifer, will ya? She's really depressed about all of this. I'm going to try to be home as quickly as I can, but I need to be there for a while. If she doesn't talk to you, don't take it personally. She's barely talking to me".
"We will try our best, Mr. H."
"Thank you".
"Jonathan, don't worry about Jagger. I'll take care of him till she's back on her feet, as long as it takes".
"Aunt Marnie, you're one in a million and we are so thankful for you".
He came over and tousled Jagger's hair.
"Bye buddy. Have a good time with Aunt Marnie and Grampy today, ok?"
Jagger just smiled at him and patted his hands.
Just as Jonathan was about to leave for the office, the phone rang. Max quickly picked it up.
"Hello, Hart Residence….sure, hold one moment".
"Mr. H., it's that guy Stanley from your office. He says it's majorly important".
"Thanks, Max".
Jonathan walked over and took the phone from him.
"Hello?"
"Mr. Hart, we just got a tip, and it's a good one. I think this might be it. It's a long story-can we meet at the office to discuss it?"
"Yes, I'll be there in 20 minutes, Stanley".
"See you then".
He hung up, and then headed straight to the office.
"Nobody in or out, unless it's a regular Max. I'll keep you posted".
"You got it, Mr. H."
He got in the car and sped to the office as fast as possible.
The whole way there, he kept hoping and praying this one would pan out.
***Hart Industries***
Jonathan walked in and set his briefcase down.
Stanley came and joined him a few minutes later.
"Good morning Mr. Hart".
"Morning Stanley".
"Here's the printout of the tip we received. A lady called and said her neighbor is subleasing his house, and that a young mom and her baby moved in two days ago. She said she doesn't recognize the young woman, but she swears up and down the baby is Jessalynn. Here is the address. It's in a small town northeast of here, called Meadow Springs. It's roughly 3 hours away."
"Great work, Stanley."
Just then, Deanne came in.
"Mr. Hart, Lt. Gray is on the phone. He says it's urgent".
"Thank you, Deanne".
He reached over and picked it up.
"Hello?"
"Jonathan, hello. Listen, we just got a phone call from Border Patrol. They stopped a car going to Mexico, and found Tucker Collins in the trunk. He's in custody, and so is the driver but I'm sorry, he didn't have Jessalynn with him".
"Is the driver connected to Jessalynn in any way?"
"Not that we can tell. From all accounts, he simply got paid to let him hide in the trunk and drive him across the border to Mexico".
"Well, at least you got him. Keep me updated".
"Will do".
Jonathan thought for a moment, and then made a phone call.
"Hey, it's me. Can you guys come meet me at the office, in about 10 minutes? Ok, great. I'll tell the guards to let you in, and I'll fill you in when you get here".
Jonathan and Stanley formulated a plan, and Stanley went to his office to put the plan into place.
A few minutes later, Jonathan's guests were shown into his office.
"Hi, Jack, Rachel. Thanks for coming".
"Sure".
"How's Jennifer?"
"Not good. But I think I have a plan that could help her, and I'm going to need you two to help me pull it off".
"Sure".
He filled them in, and then made some phone calls to get it all in place.
"Ok, let's do this. Let's go get my daughter back".
***Three hours later***
Jonathan, Jack and Rachel were parked down the street from the address they had been given on the tip line.
"Car matches the description of the one from the previous tip".
"Jonathan, how do you plan on getting her to talk to you?"
"I don't. I'm planning on you getting her to talk to you".
"How?"
"Well, what if you went to the door, and offered her nanny services? Package it as a housecleaning/nanny combo thing, and tell her you can work around her schedule. As soon as you are in, we will go in behind you, and take her".
"Are you sure this is going to work?"
"No, but I am sure it's the only shot we have right now".
"Wait a minute. Don't you think we should go talk to the lady who phoned in the tip first?"
"Good point. Yeah, let's do that".
They got out and quickly walked to the house next door, and rang the doorbell.
"Hi, can I help you?"
"Yes ma'am. We are looking for a lady by the name of Evelyn Cartwright".
"I'm Evelyn Cartwright".
"Hi. My name is Jonathan Hart. Can we come in and speak with you a few moments?"
"Sure".
"My daughter is missing and I believe you phoned in a tip to the hotline".
"I thought I recognized you! Yes, I did".
He pulled out some pictures of Jessalynn.
"Is this the baby you saw?"
"Yes, it is. She's just darling."
"Thank you".
"When did you last see her?"
"This morning. She lives right next door."
They filled her in on the plan, and then started to leave.
"If you want, you two can wait here while she goes and checks it out".
"I can come here after I'm done with her".
"Perfect".
"Can I get you two some coffee or water or anything?"
"Water would be great, thanks".
"Baby, if you need me, just yell".
"I love you".
"I love you too".
Rachel headed next door, and Jonathan and Jack sat down and watched through the window.
***Next Door***
Rachel walked up the steps and rang the doorbell.
A young girl answered the door a few minutes later.
"Hi, can I help you?"
"Hi, my name is Amanda. I am going to door to door, because I just moved here about a week ago, and I'm looking for a job. I can clean your house, from top to bottom, spic and span. Or, I can watch your child so you can work. Or, I can do both".
"Childcare? I would love some childcare".
Just then, Rachel heard Jessalynn cry.
"Oh, there goes my daughter. Come in. Hi, I'm Katherine".
"Nice to meet you".
"Likewise. Let me run get her, I'll be right back".
A few minutes later, "Katherine" and Jessalynn came into the room.
Jessalynn got the biggest smile on her face when she saw Rachel and immediately reached for her.
"This is Tiffany".
Rachel immediately recoiled inside, knowing Jennifer would hate that name.
"Hi sweetheart. You sure are pretty".
"She just loves new people".
"Would you mind if I held her for a moment?"
"I suppose it's ok".
Rachel took Jessalynn from "Katherine".
"So, what is your work schedule like?"
"Well, I haven't gotten a job just yet. But I'm hoping to work swing shift, or something similar. I don't want to be away from her all day, it's just me and her here".
"That makes sense".
Rachel noticed that Jessalynn was holding on to her very tightly.
She and "Katherine" discussed the ins and outs of "Tiffany's" schedule.
"Ok, so I don't have a phone yet, so how about I check back with you on Sunday, say around 3?"
"That would be perfect".
"Thank you so much! I can't wait".
Just then, a timer from the kitchen sounded.
"Oh, let me run get that. Would you mind holding her for just a moment while I do?"
"Certainly".
As soon as "Katherine" was out of sight, Rachel whispered to Jessalynn, "hold on sweetie, Aunt Rachel is going to rescue you. I love you, just hang on".
"Katherine" came back and got "Tiffany" from Rachel.
"Well, we will see you Sunday. Tiffany, can you tell Miss Amanda goodbye?"
Jessalynn teared up and started to cry.
"Aww, it's ok, punkin".
Rachel made her exit and headed next door.
As soon as she rang the doorbell, they opened it.
"It's her".
"Ms. Cartwright, will you please call the local police and ask them to send one officer here?"
"Sure".
Jack was hugging Rachel.
"Rachel, how did Jessalynn seem? Did she seem ok?"
"Yes, but she knew something wasn't right. She immediately reached for me as soon as she saw me and she didn't want to let me go. She cried when the lady told her to tell me goodbye".
"What can you tell me about the lady?"
"She introduced herself as Katherine, but when Jessalynn was in the hospital, she was the one who came and sat with her so Jennifer could have a break. And at that time, she said her name was Misty".
"Did she seem to have any weapons or anything?"
"No, she didn't. Not that I saw anyways. She's been calling Jessalynn Tiffany".
"Good job".
Jonathan saw the officer pull up, and went and opened the door.
"Hi, come on in".
"Hello, I'm Officer McIntosh. How can I help you?"
"I'm Jonathan Hart, and my daughter Jessalynn was kidnapped about a week and a half ago. She's next door, with the kidnapper, and I just wanted some back up when I go over there and get her back".
"Well, I'm happy to intervene. But you need to let me determine first if it is your child".
"It is his child. I just went over there and saw for myself".
"Here is a flyer that has all the information on my daughter. Here are a couple of pictures of her. And my friend Rachel here just went over there and pretended to be looking for a babysitting job, and she recognized my daughter but also the kidnapper as someone who volunteered at the hospital with her before".
"Ok, let's go".
Jonathan and Officer McIntosh walked next door.
Jonathan stood out of sight until Misty opened the door.
"Hi, can I help you?"
"Yes ma'am. I'm Officer McIntosh, with the Noll County Police Department".
"Hi."
"Can we come in?"
"I guess".
Officer McIntosh and Jonathan walked in the house.
"Ma'am, we have reason to believe that your child is really Jessalynn Hart. And this is her father."
"We don't want any trouble. We just want Jessalynn back".
"She's mine. She's not yours, she's mine".
Officer McIntosh walked over to the playpen and picked up Jessalynn.
She immediately reached for her daddy.
"Hey there princess. I sure have missed you".
Misty sank to the floor in a bucket of tears.
Officer McIntosh reached into the playpen and got Jessalynn's lovie, and her bottle and handed it to Jonathan.
"Thank you".
Misty wiped her eyes and looked at Jonathan.
"I'm really sorry. She's a wonderful baby, just simply wonderful. She last ate about an hour ago, and she should be ready for a nap in about 2 hours".
"Thank you. And thank you for not hurting her. If I may, why Jessalynn?"
"She looks so much like my sweet Maribelle".
"Who is Maribelle?"
She started to cry again, and handed him a picture of a baby who looked very similar to Jessalynn. At the bottom were the words "Maribelle Elizabeth Stokes" and the dates of her birth and death.
"I'm sorry for your loss, but you had no right to put me and my wife and especially my daughter through this".
"I'm really sorry".
Jonathan and Jessalynn headed out, as Officer McIntosh read Misty her rights.
Jonathan found everyone outside.
"Ms. Cartwright, I cannot thank you enough. My wife and I are incredibly grateful".
"My pleasure".
They waited till Misty was walked to the car.
Officer McIntosh and Jonathan exchanged business cards and promised to be in touch.
He kissed her head a few times.
"Ok, princess. Let's go see Mommy".