Chapter 7
Jonathan, Stephen, and Max pored over Jennifer's yearbooks. Jennifer was in alot of pictures. She was very popular, was a cheerleader, and in a lot of clubs. Her picture seemed to be on every page. They looked at the group shots. Jennifer was usually in the center of things. Jonathan looked at pictures taken at ball games. There seemed to be a group of kids off to themselves. Jonathan looked at it more closely. "Steve, do you have a magnifying glass?"
"In my desk drawer. Why?"
"I want to look at this girl a little more closely."
Stephen went over to the desk and got out a magnifying glass, which he handed to Jonathan. "Here you go."
"Thanks." Jonathan took the glass and looked closely at the picture that interested him. "I can't be sure, but I think I have seen this girl around Hart Industries."
"Let me see, Mr. H," Max came over to look, as did Stephen. Max read the names under the pictures. "Jennifer Edwards, Nelly Simpson, Monica Smith, Natalie Miller, Jessica Nelson..."
"Wait a minute! Natalie Miller! I'm sure I've hired someone by that name recently. Steve, do you know if any of Jennifer's old classmates live around here?"
"Gresham Hall was a boarding school. Students came from all over the country. So did the staff. " Steve took the book and looked at the page. He flipped through to the faculty section. He found the page he was looking for and ran his finger down it. "Here she is, Mrs. Conway. She lives here in town. 90 years old, and still as sharp as a tack. I'll call her and take you to her right away."
Stephen called to his chauffeur to bring the limo around. He looked up Mrs. Conway's address, and then the three of them ran for the limo.
The limo soon pulled up in front of Mrs. Conway's residence. It was a modest home, much smaller than the Edwards home. Mrs. Conway had lived alone since the death of her husband many years before. She had hired help that came in on a daily basis. Her housekeeper was just getting ready to leave for the day. She let them in, and then showed them to Mrs. Conway's sitting room. "Please be seated. Mrs. Conway will be with you shortly."
The men stood up as Mrs. Conway came in. She was thin, gray, and feeble. Stephen took her arm and led her to a chair, after placing a kiss on her cheek. "Mrs. Conway, please forgive us for barging in on you like this. This is Jonathan Hart, and his butler, Max. Jonathan's wife, Jennifer, disappeared yesterday morning. Do you remember her? Jennifer Edwards? You were her favorite teacher at Gresham Hall."
Greetings were exchanged. Mrs. Conway slowly sat in the chair to which she was led. "Jennifer Edwards. Oh, yes, I do remember her. Such a bright girl. One of my best students."
Jonathan brought the yearbook over to Mrs. Conway. He opened it to the desired page and showed her the picture. She put on her glasses that were hanging on a chain around her neck. Jonathan gave her the magnifying glass. "Mrs. Conway, what can you tell us about this girl, Natalie Miller?"
Mrs. Conway looked closely."I remember her. She was kind of a loner. Very shy. She didn't make friends easily. She wanted to be part of the 'in' crowd, but never seemed to fit in with them..The last I had heard, she had moved away from here. To California, I think. "
"Would she have handled rejection or disappointment easily?"
Mrs. Conway shook her head. "No. She didn't. I remember one time, we had an essay contest. Jennifer wrote an excellent essay, and won first prize. Natalie was first runner up. She got very upset. She cursed at me and at the judges. She only calmed down under the threat of expulsion."
"Mrs. Conway, you have been a big help. I think we now have a clue as to who may have taken Jennifer. Thank you very much." The men excused themselves and saw themselves out. As soon as they were in the limo, Jonathan picked up the phone. "Hello, mobile. I need to place a call to Lt. Harry Moss of the LAPD." To Stephen, he said, "I will reimburse you for it."
"LAPD, Sergeant Morris speaking."
"Is Lt. Moss in? This is Jonathan Hart."
"I am sorry, Mr. Hart. He just left for a meeting."
"Did he leave a number where he could be reached? It's urgent."
"I think he did. Let me look it up for you. It's 555-0127. He's at Townsend Investigations."
"Thank you." Jonathan hung up and dialed the agency number.
"Townsend Associates."
"Scott, it's Jonathan Hart. Is Lt. Moss there yet?"
"He's right here, Mr. Hart."
The Angels had gone over the groundskeeper's van. The only finger prints they found were Harry Jones'. There was some blood on the steering wheel where he had been shot. Other than that, nothing. The police had fanned out over the Santa Monica area, but did not have any ideas as to how the van had gotten there. Scott, Lt. Moss, and Stanley and Deanne met with the Angels in the office, when Jonathan's call came in. They called Charlie on a conference call. His voice came out of the squawk box.
"Well, Angels, what did you find out?"
Once again, Lisa and Kianna looked at Sarah. Sarah spoke up. "Well, as far as the van goes, nothing new. The only fingerprints in it were Mr. Jones', so the theif had to be wearing gloves. There was some blood on steering wheel. However, we spent the day at Hart Industries. Lisa, tell us about the letter you found."
"I was sorting mail in the mail room. I came across a letter with no stamp or return address. It was addressed to Mr. Hart. I took it in the steam room and opened it. Sorry, Mr. Hart. It had references to romantic interludes and them spending time together. I took it to Deanne. She had a whole desk drawer of them ready to turn over to Mr. Hart. We made copies. I have both sets right here. " She gave one set to Lt. Moss, and put the other on Scott's desk. Moss looked them over, as did Scott.
"It looks like a fatal attraction, Jonathan. The writer has all kinds of fantasies about you. She signed them, 'N.' " Moss said as he leafed through the papers.
"Mr. Hart, when you came through the typing area yesterday, one employee in particular seemed to be staring at you. Natalie Miller." Kianna said.
"We just interviewed one of Jennifer's school teachers. I think Natalie Miller is the person we need to be looking for," Jonathan said, relieved that they were making some progress.
"Mr. Hart, when I was in the break room with Natalie today, she crossed her legs and I got a look at her ankle. There is a nasty bite mark on her leg, one that could have been made by a dog about the same size as yours," Kianna told him. "She said it was made by a neighbor's dog when she surprised it. Breaking into the house and kidnapping Mrs. Hart would've surprised the dog."
"Harry, I want you to get a search warrant for Natalie's house. We are coming back to LA right away."
"Sure thing, Jonathan."
Jonathan hung up. Stephen directed the driver to go by his house. Jonathan and Max picked up their bags. They were surprised to find Stephen waiting for them by the front door, also with luggage. "I'm going with you."
"It might be dangerous," Jonathan warned him.
"PShaw! I used to work for the CIA. I'm going to help find my daughter."
"Let's go, then."