Chapter Four
Another knock on the door sounded. Jessica shook her head no at Harry and he eased up to the peephole and looked. He shook his head and opened the door. Mort entered.
"What's the Boston PI doing here, Mrs. F?" Mort asked sauntering in.
"He came down to help, Mort. He believes in me." She looked down at the table then looked up again. "Why are you here?"
"Because I believe in you too. I did some checking and thought I'd come down and tell you what I learned. I'm sorry I didn't try sooner." He apologized.
He relayed what he learned and Jessica jumped up and gave him a huge smack on the lips.
"Mrs. F!"
"Mort, we're getting proof that Seth's alive!"
"Hold on, Jessica. I don't want you getting your hopes up prematurely. What it means is he wasn't taken to the funeral home and probably not the hospital but we'll have to check out all the other hospitals and funeral homes." reasoned Harry.
"He's right. We have a lot of calls to make."
Jessica went to her room and got her laptop. Powering it up she told them she would list all the hospitals in the state of Vermont and He and Harry could call them while she called the funeral homes and crematoriums. It was nearly 10 at night so they might not get call backs until morning but hospitals had 24 hour staffing so Mort in his official capacity and Harry with his PI experience could help eliminate a lot of hospitals.
People don't realize the true monotony of detective work until they've made dozens of fruitless phone calls. The good news was each and every hospital had been helpful so far. The story Harry was using was his uncle was away on business and died but no one told him which hospital and he didn't want to wait until morning as he was in New York and might have to drive up. Somehow it seemed plausible to hospital workers which worried Jessica there were more human errors than she imagined.
Mort was going the official route and since Seth was a citizen of Cabot Cove, he was immediately believed and again the hospital workers were as helpful as possible.
Jessica was only capturing voicemail so she left information and a call back number. She doubted she would get many callbacks unless her plea of finding her 'brother' to pay his funeral bill had the business double checking to make sure he was not there. It was nearly midnight when a knock sounded again. Harry was closest so he answered the door. Jessica stood and followed him, it was probably Senator Harbin. It was, but it was also George Sutherland and Michael Haggerty.
"We came together," greeted Michael, giving Jessica a hug. The senator shook her hand and kissed her cheek then took a chair at the table. Mort rose and introduced himself before grabbing an additional chair.
"Lass, you need to sit down so we can discuss a few things," George kissed her cheek and wrapped an arm around her.
Everyone settled into chairs and Harry began by telling them what they learned. Everyone turned to look at either George or Michael so George started. Two British citizens recently died near Shelburne, Vermont, less than forty minutes from the convention. Both were older gentlemen in their sixties, unmarried or at least, widowed, or divorced and living alone. It didn't trigger an investigation until they looked into the background of the two men. Both had been screened thoroughly for military posts to treat senior military personnel but were denied the security clearance needed. The denials had come within the last 3-4 months.
Senator Harbin needed their assurance that the information he revealed wouldn't be repeated. Scotland Yard and MI6 were already aware since he briefed them on the way over but local police and definitely not private investigators were on the need to know list. A private citizen like Jessica with access to the media would never even be considered.
Homeland Security had discovered whispers, mere whispers of a possible terror attack but they didn't know the city. There were a few disgruntled groups that appeared to be gathering in several small towns. Two in New Hampshire, one in Vermont, and one in Maine. There was enough internet traffic to have Canadian involvement in case the target is to their friends north of the US. The FBI and CIA were monitoring as well but letting Homeland Security take charge for now.
Everyone mulled over the information.
"What you need to know is that Seth is the fourth American missing. No bodies had turned up on any of the four." stated the senator.
"Do you think it's a matter of stealing their identities to use somehow?" asked Jessica. "Should we go to Vermont?"
Senator Harbin spoke up quickly. "I know you take a hands on approach, Jessica but I must impress upon you to do nothing."
"Nothing?" exclaimed Jessica.
"Absolutely nothing, Jessica. Not only is Seth at risk if he's alive, depending on the information we've received this could be large and dangerous for many people. Let the people in charge of it handle things for now."
"I can't just do nothing!" she exclaimed.
George patted her hand. "You got things started, Jessie. Without your determined obstinate nature we wouldn't have most of the information we've gathered."
The group discussed matters for another hour before the senator left and Michael Haggerty followed. George claimed the guest room and Harry camped on the couch. Mort headed over to his mother-in-law's house in The Bronx.
George knocked on Jessica's door the following morning. He only got four hours sleep but he would only be in New York another day or so and he didn't want to waste any time.
Jessica answered wearing her robe but her damp hair told him she had just gotten out of the shower.
"Lass, I made breakfast for you. I hope you don't mind." He watched as she clutched one hand to the lapels of her robe. "I'm not planning to rip it off you." He tried to smile for her.
"George, don't be silly. It's just a habit." she assured him. "I'll be out in a few minutes," she promised. Jessica dressed quickly. She was grateful for the help her 'men' were giving, not to mention the time and expense. She was comfortable with the group of men but not being dressed around even George still made her uneasy.
George returned to the kitchen and fixed himself a plate of food.
"You have it bad, George." remarked Harry. He buttered a bagel and took a huge bite. "In the absence of her brothers and because I owe her big time. If you hurt her, they'll never find your body."
"Understood." he agreed. He listened out for Jessica and as promised she came out dressed in casual slacks and blouse rather quickly. He rose from his seat as she entered and Harry rolled his eyes but got up as well. He sat as soon as possible and continued eating.
Feeling like a third wheel, he finished quickly and promised to return as soon as he followed up on a lead. Jessica asked questions but George put his hand over hers and she subsided. For now.
Clean up was quick and George led Jessica over to the couch and sat down with her. He leaned over and began massaging her neck and shoulders. She was as tense as he expected and it took several minutes to knead out some of the knots. She bent her neck forward so George had better access and couldn't stop the moan that came out.
Encouraged, George moved onto her arms then back to her neck. "Trust me, lass?" he murmured in her ear.
"Of course," she replied softly.
George leaned her back onto his chest and deftly unbuttoned her blouse. Removing it but leaving her bra on, he leaned her forward again and began working her back. Unhooking her, he began massaging her in earnest. He went lower and got off the couch so he could have her lie down onto her stomach. Leaning over her he worked up and down and then side to side, relieving the tension she carried for the past few days. Her moans had gotten softer and softer until silence and George realized she had drifted off to sleep. He continued to rub her back and neck until his hands slowed completely. He hooked her bra again and quietly got up and got a blanket with which to cover her and went back to the table.
George was concerned about Jessica. She would never allow such liberties normally. He couldn't recall ever removing an article of her clothing before. Even when they kissed she wasn't going to give him free reign. He guessed she probably wasn't sleeping well either. He knew she was in a vulnerable state and he would have to make sure he didn't take advantage of the fact because once she was back to normal she would be furious he had tried.
He worked on his own laptop until Jessica began showing signs of waking up. She awakened feeling much better than she had the past few days and stood up and stretched. Realizing her top was off, she grabbed the blanket and covered herself.
"Where's my blouse?" she asked.
"On your bed. How do you feel?" asked George looking up at her. She looked better, not as pinched in the face and the dark circles around her eyes were lighter.
"I feel better, thank you. My neck and shoulders aren't as tight."
"Let me know if you want another. I do a great whole body massage." He smiled slightly and turned away before she could look into his eyes.
Not sure if he was teasing or not, she changed the subject. "Did we get any calls from funeral homes?"
"None so far but Mort is going to drop by before he heads back to Cabot Cove later today."
He watched her face as she struggled to maintain her composure. She certainly had a tight control over her emotions. Mort had warned him she never shed a tear but was a ticking time bomb about to explode either in anger or tears.
The phone rang and he picked it up on the first ring. It was a fifteen second call.
"Lass, that was Haggerty. A body has been found that fits the parameters of the four Americans and he's on his way to pick us up. Harry will meet us there and Haggerty is leaving a message for Mort and the senator."
Jessica stood stock still staring at George. She was unable to speak. What if the body is Seth's?
George went to her room and grabbed her blouse. He reached her and removed her blanket before she realized he was trying to hurry her up. He helped her put on the blouse, buttoning it where she was fumbling and told her to grab her purse and laptop. He shut down his own and put it in his bag. He would take it with him. Choosing the elevator over the stairs, they entered and began to descend. Jessica was shaking slightly so he put an arm around her waist and pressed a kiss to her hair. "Let's wait to find out who it is before worrying, lass."
They entered the lobby just as Mort arrived. "I was almost here when the call came so I'll ride along with you," he explained. He looked at Jessica's pale face and knew she needed a hug. He looked at George with a are-you-an-idiot look? Fortunately he got the hint and wrapped Jessica into his arms and leaned her head against his chest. He felt her relax a little and smiled at Mort who rolled his eyes.
Michael Haggerty pulled up and the group exited out of the lobby and into his car. George made sure that he and Jessica rode in the back seat. He held her hand just as Haggerty announced they found a second body not far from the first.
Senator Harbin wouldn't join them but he paved the way for them to gain access to the crime scene.