Masquerade Harts
***Hart Industries***
Jonathan got to the office and told his secretary that he only wanted to be disturbed by Stanley, the police, or Jennifer.
"Yes, Mr. Hart".
He sat down and started researching the factory. In a matter of minutes, he found out several things, such as an employee was killed in a parking lot fight after his shift one night. Another employee had fallen from the catwalk at the top of the factory because it rotted out in the middle. There was also an article about an employee named Rodney Majors who died suspiciously. Employees said that he had told them that he thought the boss was stealing money, and that he confronted him about it. Soon after, he was electrocuted while working. He was supposed to be working with a partner, but instead he was working alone because the boss had sent the partner to another station.
This all struck him as rather odd. Obviously, someone wanted inside the factory desperately, but why? To cover up the electrical tampering? To retrieve evidence that would tie them to a crime? Jonathan had no idea.
But he was determined to find out.
***Friday***
Jonathan and Jennifer left early Friday morning, and flew to St. Augustine, Florida.
The flight took about 8 hours. Jennifer went upstairs and slept for most of the flight, while Jonathan made a few business calls.
He finally joined her upstairs around 11.
They landed around 3, and headed straight to the factory.
***Factory site***
They pulled up and slowly drove around looking at what was there. The fence was locked with a chain. There was a sign that said "New Owner-Hart Industries".
Jonathan went to the nearest hardware store, and bought some bolt cutters, a flashlight, and a few other tools. He insisted on also getting Jennifer a can of mace. She agreed only because it was pink.
"Darling, how long has the factory been closed?"
"Only about 6 months".
They headed back to the factory site, and Jonathan cut the chain off the fence. They drove in, and took a look around. Jonathan couldn't find anything that jumped out at him to show something out of place. They walked around a little bit, and found the office. They searched the office, and in the very back of the file cabinet, Jennifer found a pouch.
"Darling, look at this".
She opened the pouch and found a handgun and $20000 cash.
"Wonder what this is doing here?"
"No clue. But, I bet it's what someone doesn't want found".
"What are we going to do?"
"I'll show you".
He grabbed some paper that was laying on the back of the desk, and tore it into strips. He bundled the strips when they were as thick as the money packs, and put them in the pouch. He found a plastic bag and put the cash and gun in that, and then into Jennifer's purse. He then hid the pouch in the vent.
They took another look around, and found more cash hidden in other offices. All of the cash went into Jennifer's purse.
They were walking back towards their car, and were holding hands.
"I'm so ready to see our bed and breakfast, darling".
"Me too."
Just then, a car came barreling towards them at a high rate of speed. Jonathan heard it and looked back. He grabbed Jennifer and they both jumped out of the way and barely missed being hit by the car.
Something flew out the window of the car and landed at their feet.
"Next time I won't miss a stone-cold fox".
Jonathan sat up and read it. He looked at Jennifer.
"Are you alright?"
She nodded.
He helped her up and they headed to the car. He put the lock back on the fence and secured it, and then headed to their bed and breakfast.
***Southern Wind Inn Bed and Breakfast***
They checked in at the front desk.
"How many nights will you need?"
"4"
"Any bed requests?"
"King-sized, if you have it. And a whirlpool tub".
"We use the old Victorian sizes for our beds, so the bed might not be as big as you are expecting, but it will match the style of the architecture".
"We understand".
After they went over the rules about when meals were served and what time they could check out, they headed to their room.
They had been given a quaint little room on the 4th floor. It was a corner room. It had a terrace, but it was so small that only one person could be out on it at a time. Their bed looked to be about the size of a twin bed. The whirlpool tub was in their room, right in front of the bed.
As soon as they got settled, they got in the tub. Jonathan gave her a back massage, and they ordered some champagne from room service.
Jonathan poured them each a glass.
"To my lovely wife, who is always by my side".
"Oh, I'll drink to that".
They clinked glasses and kissed and then took a few sips.
"This is such a nice and cozy little place, darling".
"I agree. And it's even cozier with you".
She put her glass down and sat in his lap.
"What do we have planned for the weekend, darling?"
"Well, we are going to watch the Factory and see if anyone else tries to get in or out. Tomorrow, I am paying an electrician to come check out the electrical system of the building and all the machines, and I am paying a contractor to come inspect the roof and the beams. I might have to reopen on Monday, but I will not reopen and just let it fall apart. So, we will reopen and then we will give everyone a paid vacation while we do the repairs".
"Good plan".
They stayed in the hot tub a while and then got out. After they had dressed, Jonathan ordered them a candlelight dinner for two from room service.
After a lovely meal, they settled into the bed.
It barely fit the both of them.
After trying several positions and Jennifer actually falling onto the floor at one point, they figured out the only way to sleep was if they both faced the same way and snuggled really tight.
"Darling, I have an idea. We can call the front desk and see if they have a bigger bed, or if they have two, and we can put them together".
"Tomorrow. Tonight I want to sleep as close to you as possible".
He leaned over and kissed her neck.
"Who said anything about sleep?"
***Saturday***
Jennifer and Jonathan had breakfast in bed when they woke up, and then took turns giving each other massages.
"I love days like this, spent with you".
"Me too, darling".
They had to meet the electrician at 12, and the contractor at 1, so they did eventually have to get ready and go.
They finally left the bed and breakfast around 11.
***Factory site***
Jennifer and Jonathan pulled up to the factory, and parked.
Jonathan took the chain off and opened the fence.
They drove on up and headed to the office.
He went straight to the vent and saw that the pouch with the fake money was still in there. He put the vent cover back on.
The electrician brought a team of people with him, and they set out to check every outlet, all the wiring, every machine, every part of the factory. The contractor arrived around 1, and immediately climbed up on the roof to inspect the roof and the beams.
Jonathan and Jennifer were sitting in the office when both the electrician and the contractor came in.
"You definitely need a new roof, but it can be done quickly. I can start on it Monday, and have it finished by Wednesday".
"Can the factory run while the roof is being replaced?"
"Probably. It's best if it doesn't though".
"How about the electrical?"
"You have a few machines that need fixing, and a few outlets that need replacing, but other than that, you are good."
"How long will it take you?"
"About 6 hours. We can start first thing Monday morning".
Jonathan paid them for their time, and told them he would see them Monday morning.
He called the foreman of the factory and told him to have all of the employees there Monday at 10.
"We will see you there, Mr. Hart".
Jonathan went over to the bulletin board, and found a newspaper clipping.
"Factory worker killed in parking lot after shift".
"I think this clipping is related to the bag you found in the file cabinet."
"Maybe it was the gun used to shoot him. But why the money?"
"Who knows? Maybe the person was going to embezzle it and put it in there so nobody would see it and didn't grab it in time. I am sure when we find out who it is that has been calling us and tried to hit us in the parking lot, we will be able to find out about the money and the pouch".
They grabbed their things and headed back to the bed and breakfast.
***Southern Wind Inn***
They came in and got ready to go out for dinner. There was a very cute little Italian restaurant down the street from their hotel.
Jennifer put on a gorgeous strapless bright blue sundress, and some black sandals.
The weather was so nice and warm.
They walked to the restaurant and were seated right away.
After they ordered, Jennifer started asking Jonathan about Rodney Majors.
"Did the newspaper clipping say anything about how long he had worked at the factory?"
"No, but I checked out his employment history".
"Did it tell you anything?"
"Nothing other than he was a good employee. So, that tells me that the issue that happened in the parking lot that led to him dying was personal, or else he was trying to blow the whistle on something at the factory".
"That's an idea. I wonder if he has any family still in town. We could talk to them and see if they know anything".
"We can look them up and see if we can talk to them tomorrow".
After they finished their dinner, they walked back to the bed and breakfast.
They came inside and the lady at the desk told them they had a message.
Jonathan opened it.
"Don't ask questions about Rodney Majors. Just open the factory and go back home, or you'll be sorry".
He showed the note to Jennifer as they went upstairs.
They came into their room, and Jennifer immediately got out the phone book, and looked up Rodney Majors. She found a phone number and an address.
"Darling, I say we should still go see his family. I mean, you own the factory, and if he died on the property, you should pay your respects".
"I agree. A Sunday afternoon condolence call is in order".
She wrapped her arms around his neck.
"What's in store for tonight?"
"Well, there's a cute little restaurant down the street from here that has live music starting in 30 minutes. If you aren't tired, we can go just for the dancing".
"Sure thing, sailor".
They clasped hands and headed out.
***City Bistro***
They walked in, and sat at the bar till the music started.
They ordered some champagne, and sipped it till the music began. They went out on the dance floor and danced every song the band played. They finally left about 2 hours later, and walked back to the bed and breakfast.
Jennifer knew that it was important for Jonathan to be there in Florida when the factory opened, but she was glad they were having some alone time and romantic moments too.
She had this sinking feeling that opening the factory wasn't going to be the end of it.
***Sunday***
They woke up a little late on Sunday, and had breakfast in bed. Jennifer called the phone number for Rodney Majors.
"Hello?"
"Hi, I am looking for the family of Rodney Majors"
"This is his mother, may I help you?"
"Yes, ma'am. I was wondering, may my husband and I come by and speak with you today?"
"Sure. How about 2 p.m.?"
"We will see you then, thank you".
They got in the whirlpool tub for a little bit, and then got out and got dressed.
***Mrs. Majors home***
Jennifer and Jonathan parked in front of the house and went to the door.
They rang the doorbell and a very sweet lady opened the door and showed them inside.
"Hello, I am Rebecca Majors".
"Hi, I am Jennifer Hart, and this is my husband, Jonathan".
"Hello, welcome to my home. How can I help you?"
"Mrs. Majors, I bought the factory about 8 months ago, and closed it down around 6 months ago. And I have been receiving threats against my employees if I don't reopen the factory. In doing research, I found out that your son died on the property. And we found some suspicious items on the property, so we are wondering if your son's death is tied to all of this".
"All I know is that he had found out that a manager there wasn't doing things right. Rodney worked long hours, early in the morning, till almost dinnertime. Never called in sick, never did anything wrong. He started saying that he was being forced to work overtime. But then he would get paid and the money wouldn't be there. So, he finally confronted the manager and then all of a sudden, he would be the only one who had to work late, or he would get a flat tire when he had just bought a brand new one, or he would put in for a vacation day, and then get an emergency phone call that he had to come in. One day, we had a wedding to go to. He had put in for the day off and had been given the day off, but an hour before the wedding, he got a phone call that there was a mandatory meeting, and that he had to come in. He got dressed and went, and it was nothing. By the time he was allowed to leave, the wedding was over. He had started looking for a different job, and every interview went great, until they found out where he worked and who his boss was. I just don't understand it. The night he died, he was the only one who had to work the night shift. There was a guy who was scheduled with him, but he had been sent home an hour early. Rodney had given him a ride to work, so he just went and sat in the car. He laid down and slept for a bit, and he told me that he woke up when he heard shouting. He saw the manager and Rodney arguing, and then the manager shot Rodney and took off running, just leaving him there. So, the friend went to help Rodney, and then called the police. The manager was never seen again, and a few weeks later, a new manager took over. And the friend told me that whenever he or anyone else would bring up Rodney dying, the manager would say it was a terrible accident. But how can they know that if they weren't the manager that was there?"
"Do you remember the name of the manager who Rodney had?"
"Yes, his name was Steven Pike. He was from around here, but he took off that night, and we haven't seen or heard from him since."
"Darling, what's the name of the manager who took over?"
"Jason Carter. I have a guy looking for him".
"Mrs. Majors, I promise you, we are reopening the factory tomorrow, but we are closing it for the week soon after, and making needed repairs to the building. So, if we find anything, we will let you know. We will not let his murder go unsolved, I promise".
"Thank you, Mr. Hart. I appreciate it".
"Did he have a wife, kids?"
"He had a fiancé, Kelly Stewart. They were so in love, and were planning their wedding. She was such a nice girl. Married someone else a few years ago".
"Do you have any other children?"
She shook her head.
"No, sweetie. He was my only son, and after his daddy died, it was just me and him. Now it's just me. My niece looks in on me every few days or so, but other than that, I am all alone".
Jennifer leaned over and gave her a warm hug. "Thank you so much for your time, Mrs. Majors".
"You seem like lovely people. I hope that life treats you well. Thank you for asking about my son".
They left.
"My heart goes out to her, darling. That has to be tough".
"I am going to check out this manager. I am going to have my best guy dig up anything he can find".
They headed back to the bed and breakfast. Jonathan made some phone calls while Jennifer laid on the bed and did the crossword puzzle in the paper.
After a somewhat relaxing afternoon, they headed to a nice dinner in town and then a walk along the beach.
They were just getting back in their car, when Jonathan's phone rang.
After talking a few minutes, he hung up.
"So, my private investigator, found out that a man named Steven Pike had an operation at a hospital not far from here 3 days after Rodney was murdered. The doctor listed on the medical records is a plastic surgeon".
"So, he could be anywhere, as anyone".
"Exactly".
***Monday morning***
Jennifer and Jonathan got up early and headed to the factory. Jonathan opened the gate officially, and they were setting up for the press conference that he was holding that morning.
Jennifer was in the oven writing his statement.
He came in and made a few phone calls. The electrician and the contractor were standing by.
Jonathan had a bookkeeper there, who was going to do payroll in the system for all the employees.
After they got all the systems in place, they headed out to do the press conference.
They had set it up that all of the media was on one side, and all of the employees were on the other.
He and Jennifer stepped up to the microphone.
"Thank you all for coming. I am Jonathan Hart, I am the owner of Hart Industries, which owns this factory. I wanted to explain what is going to happen today. As you know from my press statement last week, I have been under threat to reopen this place, and I didn't want to, out of concern for the employees safety. I would never expect or allow anyone to work in a place that isn't safe. But, I am not going to let someone hurt my employees because of a decision that I have made either. So, I am reopening the factory today, and then promptly giving all of my employees at the factory paid days off, till the repairs are completed. You will clock in today like normal, and you will be paid for an 8 hour shift each day till the repairs are completed. We are expecting that they will take no more than a week, but never the less, we won't reopen till they are complete and it's safe for people to be in the facility. My beautiful wife and I are going to return to California, but I have a great team in place that will help oversee things here and will report to me what is happening. If I need to come back here, I will. I am confident that we will be able to make the same great quality of products that we always have before. So, employees, you will go inside and see the bookkeeper and sign in. For this week, you will be automatically clocked off at the end of your shift, but normally, you would clock out yourself. When we reopen, everyone will be retrained, at no cost to you, and recertified if necessary. I appreciate you showing up today, and I hope you enjoy this free vacation".
He turned to the media.
"I will now take questions, if anyone has any".
Jennifer stood right next to him and squeezed his hand while he answered the questions.
After the press conference was over, they headed back into the office.
He wanted to check the vent, but didn't want to make a big deal out of it.
"Darling, are you hot in here?"
"A little bit, yes".
"Well, I will just see what we can do about that."
He checked the vent, and the pouch was still there.
He went and met with the electrician and the contractor. They were waiting till everyone was off premises before they were starting.
"Darling, who is going to oversee the repairs when we go home?"
"I flew in my best executive. Mark Watson".
"Well, he's just perfect".
Mark showed up at 1, and Jonathan filled him in, and told him to contact him if he needed anything.
The contractor assured Jonathan that he would be finished by Friday. The electrician assured him he would be finished by Thursday.
"Mark, when they are finished, you can fly back to California. The new management team will take over Monday morning. Your point of contact here is David McAvoy. He will need you to give him the keys and the alarm code".
"Got it, Mr. Hart. You can count on me".
Jennifer and Jonathan thanked everyone and then left. They had one more romantic night together before they had to go back to California.
***Southern Wind Inn***
They came inside and asked the front desk to send them up a bottle of chilled champagne and 2 glasses, and some fresh fruit.
They went to their room, and put their stuff down.
Jennifer wrapped her arms around his neck".
"You were so sexy doing that press conference, darling."
"Is that why you kept squeezing my hand?"
"Yes, it is". She kissed him.
"What about it made it sexy?"
"Your command performance, the way you were taking charge".
He nuzzled her neck.
"Well, then maybe you should come to all my press conferences".
"I just might have to start".
He kissed her nice and slow, until they heard a knock at the door.
Their champagne and fruit had arrived.
Jonathan let him in while Jennifer went in the bathroom to change, and after he was gone, she came out. She drew them a bath in the whirlpool tub, and he poured them some champagne.
They got into the whirlpool, and snuggled up.
"To my sexy amazing husband".
"To my drop dead gorgeous beautiful wife".
They clinked glasses, kissed and then took a few sips.
He turned the jets on, and she sank back against them.
After they finished one glass of champagne, she leaned back against him.
"Darling, we need a hot tub at Willow Pond, don't you think?"
"I do think. And we will get one".
"What time are we leaving tomorrow, darling?"
"As soon as we get up. I want to be home in time to take you to dinner at La Scala".
"I would love that, but we don't have to go tomorrow night. We can go another night if you are tired".
"I am never too tired to spend an evening with you".
She kissed him.
"Darling, do you think opening the factory is going to resolve all this?"
"I hope so. But who's to know?"
"I can't imagine having the mindset of ever wanting to put people in danger. I just don't understand people like that".
"Me either. And to think they wanted me to just put people in danger, told me that they must have been after what was in the pouch."
"What are we going to do with that?"
"I have my private investigator working on it. If I am right, I am thinking that Steven Pike killed Rodney because Rodney caught him either embezzling, selling drugs on the property, or changing people's time cards. Something was up there. So, when he realized that Rodney knew, he had to kill him. And he sent the other employee home early, so that there wouldn't be any witnesses, not realizing that he would be waiting in the car and witness the whole thing. Then he leaves and gets plastic surgery and now that we have bought the factory, he demands for it to be reopened so he can get the pouch. He didn't care about putting people at risk as far as the roof goes or the electrical, which tells me that he just wants to go in, get the pouch, and then leave. And if you notice, we haven't gotten any more phone calls about not closing down the factory again".
"So, what do you want to do?"
"If we can figure out who the murderer is, we can turn the gun over to the police here along with the person. If the money has to be used as evidence, we will have to turn it in".
"I was kind of hoping we could give it to Rodney's mom. Kind of an insurance policy now that she's alone".
"Yeah, I do too. Maybe we can, later on."
He gave her a back massage in the whirlpool, and got her very relaxed. They drank some more champagne and then she gave him a back massage.
They turned the jets off, and he drained the whirlpool. He grabbed her hand and helped her stand up. He picked her up and helped her out of the whirlpool. They wrapped a big towel around the both of them and dried off some.
"Ok, sailor, what now?"
"Turn out the light and I'll show you".
***Tuesday***
Jonathan and Jennifer had one last breakfast in Florida, and then checked out of the bed and breakfast.
They stopped by the factory to check on things, and then headed to the airport.
Jennifer was laying in the bed upstairs on the plane, and had almost fallen asleep when Jonathan came and joined her.
He got a little handsy.
"Jonathan, what about the steward and the other pilot?"
"They are downstairs, they aren't coming up here. I promise".
They made love and then slept till they were about to land.
After they landed, they went to the office, and he checked in on a few things, and met with the private investigator.
"I am sorry, I have explored every avenue. All I can find is that Steven Pike had plastic surgery, and then was never seen again in that town or near it. So, he could literally be anywhere. He has not used the name Steven Pike since the surgery. I did see a picture of him after the surgery that the doctor sent me, but he was all swollen and bruised, so there's no way to recognize him now. So, at this point, we have to wait and see if he reveals himself. If you get another bomb threat, and you think it's the same person, then you need to try and meet with them in person to flesh him out. But other than that, the ball is in his court, unfortunately".
Jonathan and Jennifer thanked him, and then headed to dinner at La Scala.
***La Scala***
They were seated almost immediately and ordered cocktails.
As they ate their dinner, they talked about the dinner party coming up.
"It's masquerade, so we need to get masks".
"Can you pick me one up, darling? I think I want silver, half face, no feathers".
"Certainly".
They finished eating, and walked to the car, and drove home to Willow Pond.
***Willow Pond***
They got their suitcases out of the car, and came inside the house.
Max was waiting.
"How was your trip, Mr. and Mrs. H?"
"Good. How was your weekend?"
"Great, but quiet without you guys".
Freeway came running.
"Hey Freeway. Mommy and Daddy missed you, yes we did".
They both leaned down to pet him.
They spent a quiet evening by the fire, and then headed upstairs to bed.
***Saturday***
It was the day of the Brennan's dinner party. Jonathan and Jennifer had not received any more phone calls about bombs or the factory.
They hadn't received any more information about Steven Pike either.
Jennifer had picked up their masquerade party masks. Hers matched her dress. Her dress was sparkly black with sparkly teal accents, strapless with a sweetheart neckline. The teal accents made a flower pattern. Her mask was sparkly black with teal plumes. Jonathan's mask was shiny silver, and matched his gray bow-tie.
She and Jonathan had spent a lazy day at the house, and had gotten ready around 5. The party started at 7.
They got to the party right on time.
***Brennan residence***
They walked in, and the music was playing, and people were eating and mingling. It was buffet style and everyone could eat when they wanted.
Jonathan and Jennifer got their plates, and then Jonathan got them cocktails.
A business associate came over and asked to speak to Jonathan in another room.
"Darling, I am going to go talk with him, and I will find you when we are done".
She kissed him.
"You owe me a dance, Mr. H."
"You get all of my dances, Mrs. H."
He kissed her cheek, and then headed to talk to the business associate.
About 20 minutes later, Jennifer had finished her plate, and was about to go get another cocktail.
A man with a mask came up and asked her to dance.
"May I have this dance? I work with Jonathan".
"Sure".
They headed to the dance floor, and had a nice dance.
"So how long have you worked for my husband?"
"Not too long. Long enough to know that he's an incredible businessman".
"Yes, he is".
"Like the decisions he made regarding the factory. Not many bosses would close the factory for repairs and give their employees paid time off at the same time".
"Jonathan cares about his employees very much".
She looked around for Jonathan. They kept dancing and she finally saw Jonathan coming out of another room. She met his gaze and he headed towards them, but people were in his way.
"Well, in my opinion, the best business deal he ever made was marrying you. Mrs. Jonathan Hart is a stone-cold fox".
She dropped her hands away from him right away.
"It was you! You are the caller in the middle of the night, you are the one who tried to hit us with the car at the Factory, you are the one who had something to hide in the Factory".
He nodded.
She reached up and ripped his mask off. It was Mark Watson.
Jonathan was almost to them.
"Why are you doing this to us?"
She tried to get away from him and get to Jonathan, but he grabbed her and put her in a headlock. He pulled out a gun from his waistband, and held it towards Jonathan.
"Mark, let my wife go. She isn't part of any of this".
"I told you to stay away. I told you not to investigate it".
"Let my wife go, Mark, and we can talk about it".
Everyone was standing around, just watching all of this.
"All you had to do was just reopen the factory from here, and then everything would have been ok. But no, you had to fly in and save the day".
"You were embezzling from the company. That's on you".
"You have no proof of that".
Jennifer was trying to get out of his grip but it wasn't working.
"Let my wife go, Mark".
"I know you took the pouch that I hid in the file cabinet. I want it, now".
Jennifer tossed Jonathan her purse.
"I will give you the pouch, in exchange for my wife. You release my wife, and I will toss you the pouch"
He relaxed his grip on Jennifer, and she was able to stand up. She looked at Jonathan and he gave her the signal.
She elbowed him quickly in the ribs, very hard, and knocked the gun out of his hand.
Jonathan took off and head butted him and tackled him to the floor. He finally got him subdued, and yelled for someone to call the police.
Mr. Brennan helped hold him down, and Jennifer passed the gun to Jonathan.
He put his arm around and kissed her cheek.
"Are you ok?"
"I'm alright".
The police got there shortly afterwards and took him in. Jonathan gave them the murder weapon and the cash.
The Brennan's watched them take Mark Watson, aka Steven Pike away to jail.
"Jay, Melanie, we apologize".
"Oh, Jennifer, this is not your fault. I promise you, that. We were all taken in by him. He has been here for dinner countless times. Our children call him Uncle Mark. He is the one who convinced me to move the party back a week".
"Oh, really?"
"Yes, he said that more people would come, because last week they were on vacation".
Jonathan and Jennifer gathered their things and headed home.
***Willow Pond***
They came in the house and headed for the couch.
Jennifer took her mask and her shoes off.
"Darling, we never got to dance tonight. And you saved them all for me".
"Well, we can solve that".
He turned on some music, and took her in his arms.
"Darling, how did Mark get you to dance with him?"
"He asked me and said he was an associate of yours. He was a perfect gentleman until I figured it out".
"How did you figure it out?"
"We were dancing and he was talking about how you handled everything so well. And then he said "His best business decision was marrying you, because you are a stone-cold fox". So as soon as he said that, I broke away from him, and said "it was you" and he just nodded.
He held her a little closer.
"If he had hurt you…"
"I know. But he didn't".
They danced around the living room for a while, and then headed to bed. He could see she was still shaken up.
Just as they settled into bed, he got a phone call from Lt. Gray.
Jennifer curled up on his shoulder while he talked to him.
He hung up and then turned to her.
"Full confession. He was embezzling, Rodney caught him. He killed him in the manner in which Mrs. Majors described, and then fled. He had plastic surgery three days later and got a whole new face. Then, after he recovered, he came out here and got a job with Hart Industries, and then as soon as he knew I was buying the factory, he was encouraging me to close it. He said he flew back home one weekend, and tried to get on the factory property, but the police kept shooing him off. So, he devised a way to get me to officially reopen it. He felt like if it was open, he could just walk in, get the pouch he had hidden, and leave and nobody would be any the wiser. He didn't count on us investigating and going there in person. And he didn't care about anyone else being hurt by the structural damage because he wasn't going to stick around to see it".
"Unbelievable".
"There is one thing he got right though."
"What's that?"
"You are a stone cold fox".
"Oh, Jonathan, I love you".
He reached up and turned out the light.