Thank you to everybody who read or left kudos for the last section. I always appreciate your feedback. For the following few chapters, we won't be switching back between the New York (Pennsylvania) and London contingent within the same chapter (at least not much). Instead, we will focus on one group before moving back to another. This is because it works better not to bounce around as much for this part of the story. However, this means we are backtracking in time for the next chapter. You'll see.

Chapter 91: Meanwhile, in Pennsylvania

Late evening EDT, September 21, 2010

Dad: Good news! The PI team found Becky's address. We're planning to visit early tomorrow before she leaves for work. It's too late to do that today.

The good aunt: Because it's like 20 minutes to midnight. At least there's been some progress today.

Dad: Vivian's specialist also believes that she can determine the sex of the remains by tomorrow evening at the latest. It would be sooner if the local medical examiner didn't keep dragging their feet. They're going to take the body back to DC.

Matt #2: That makes sense. We all hope the body is George and you find Tiffany at her friend's house.

Dad: I wish that would happen.

The good aunt: We all want that.

Dad: Since it's now public knowledge that Tiffany is missing, the team in New York is planning to canvas Tiffany's old neighborhood to see if anybody saw something suspicious the day she left.

The good aunt: I would love it if somebody caught Victoria sneaking around the neighborhood beforehand, but I doubt we'll be that lucky.

Dad: Unfortunately, my ex-wife isn't that sloppy. Have you heard anything else from London?

The good aunt: Victoria made a fool of herself at three shows, including fighting with her business partner and Vivian's younger sister. Lindsay blames Victoria for losing the EIC of one of his magazines but won't say who. Vivian's younger sister hates abusive spouses on principle. I managed to get a video of both altercations because I had representatives at the shows.

Matt #2: Betty quit when Lindsay tried to send her to Barbados to clean up Mom's mess. She didn't want to leave Amanda.

The good aunt: This is good since Amanda is currently in the hospital giving birth to twins.

Matt #2: Per the last update via Cory, it will be a while. She is only dilated about 5 cm, which is only a 1 cm increase since this morning.

The good aunt: I got a similar update from Alexis a few hours ago. I'm tempted to text Daniel for an update since it's early morning there, but I will restrain myself. Everybody's excited for the new babies to arrive.

Dad: They have a fascinating relationship. Betty seems completely okay with her fiancé having a child with another woman.

The good aunt: Because Amanda is not the other woman. Their best friends. It was Betty's idea to pass the twins off as Daniel's children when we knew Victoria would fake a negative paternity test, regardless.

Dad: Was Victoria always planning to pin the pregnancy on Claire's son?

Matt #2: She always planned a negative test for me. I assume she hoped Amanda slept with somebody else after I left. This would've been OK because we weren't together. However, the only option was me or Daniel.

The good aunt: Amanda even lied and said there was someone else because she didn't want to mess up Betty and Daniel's relationship. He wouldn't let her lie.

Matt #2: Daniel always wanted to be the dad of the twins. Now Amanda is just letting him.

Good aunt: Just because you end up making a child with somebody doesn't mean that you should be in a romantic relationship. Sometimes, for the sake of your child, you need to be apart. I think this is one of those times.

Matt #2: Have you kissed Alexis Senior lately? You are not the one to be lecturing me on this.

The good aunt: I am not answering that question.

Matt #2: I bet it happened right after the doctor's appointment.

The good aunt: Which went well. Big Alexis is starting to respond to treatment, so we might be able to relocate to France by January.

Dad: Not New York?

The good aunt: DJ wants to continue living with Daniel and Betty, and Alexis respects that. At least in France will only be a few hours away so that we can do weekend trips. Also, I'll be able to visit my niece and nephew regularly.

Matt #2: Because of Victoria finally leaving the foundation and Aunt Breanna needing to relocate to France permanently, I will do more for the foundation. I will take over the Labor Day yacht party fundraiser for 2011. We are still discussing what will be involved, including me potentially taking over the New York offices.

Dad: You're going to leave Player?

Matt #2: I will stay there as long as Austin is there. There's already talk of rotating him to a different magazine next semester. Working under my boyfriend might not be the best long-term either. We are discussing things. I want this relationship to last longer than a few months. Aunt Breanna is doing too much, and I realize I need to help her.

Dad: We could open an international branch of the foundation and run it out of France. Especially if my little sister will be there for over half the year.

The good aunt: We'll see. We still have twins that need to be born. Unfortunately, it's now too late for them to be born on the 21st night of September. It's already almost 6 AM over there and nearly midnight here.

Matt #2: You're very sad about that.

The good aunt: Yes. September is a great song.

Matt #2: I prefer my children not to have additional means for people to make fun of them.

The good aunt: Spoken like a true parent. Anyway, Baby Alexis just barged in and asked for a glass of water even though she was supposed to be sleeping. I have to deal with that. If it's already a decent time in London, I'll send a message when I'm done. However, Matt, please keep me updated on Austin as well.

Matt #2: I will. He is not doing well and I barely got him to eat dinner today. I will try again tomorrow.

Dad: Do what you can. We'll talk more later.

Xxxx

Morning September 22, 2010. Somewhere in the greater Harrisburg Hershey area.

After a quick breakfast in their room with Jerry the PI briefing them on the latest, Andie found herself behind the wheel of her boyfriend's giant Cadillac Escalade. She shouldn't be surprised that this is her boyfriend's most normal car. Nor should she be surprised that her boyfriend is on the phone with Corbin, trying to get a different hotel for tonight. It wasn't going well.

"You really hate the hotel we're staying in." It was a Holiday Inn right off the freeway with very few restaurants around it. They could've gotten something closer to the park, but that wasn't an option. It was fine. Andie has stayed in much worse.

"I don't hate it. I wish it were one of mine or at least one of Vivian's. I hate staying at a Holiday Inn on principle. We could have at least stayed at the Hershey Hotel. Corbin is looking into it for the rest of our stay."

"Even though it's September, it was still impossible to get a reservation on such short notice. At least that's what your assistant said. Also, it makes sense for us to stay at the same hotel as the rest of the PI team." Which is why they were able to have breakfast with Jerry. Jerry originally wanted to come with them to talk to Rebecca, but Cal talked him out of it. Rebecca's first husband was a private investigator before his death. Cal was worried that Rebecca would be even less likely to speak to them with Jerry there.

"Just because they have poor taste in hotels doesn't mean we must suffer. Corbin is trying again. If he can't get there, he'll find us rooms at one of Vivian's hotels. She has a few of her more budget-friendly hotels in the area."

"At least we had waffles for breakfast."

"Waffles are better at my hotels." Andie decided it was best not to point out that all of his hotels were luxury hotels.

"You know, I am just going to put in the GPS coordinates for Rebecca's house, and then we can leave this hotel behind," Andie said as she put the address into the vehicle's fancy built-in GPS.

"Thank you."

"Although I still think we should take Jerry with us," Andie said as she turned the vehicle on.

"She's more likely to talk to us if we don't. Although if she slams the door in my face, we will have him follow up." Cal told her, which caused Andie to become concerned.

"The GPS says that we will be there in 17 minutes. Although I have to ask, what do you think we are walking into? Considering you think she might slam the door on us."

"I'm not sure. I haven't seen Rebecca in almost 17 years. Not since she filled in for Tiffany after her abrupt departure. A lot can happen in 17 years." Cal explained.

"Tiffany left abruptly because your ex-wife tried to have her killed. I think the lack of two weeks' notice is completely justified, especially because you sent your sister to give her a suitcase full of guilt money." Andie was still a little upset about that, but she knows that Cal regrets his behavior back then. It was a start.

"It was protection money, not guilt money." If she weren't driving, Andie would glare at her boyfriend. "We don't know for sure Victoria was trying to kill her. She may have just been trying to trigger a miscarriage."

"That does not make things better."

"I know that. I was upset about losing the baby and felt it would be better if Tiffany just left me. I wasn't certain Victoria had arranged for the accident, but I was suspicious, especially because it happened a week after I told Victoria I would be a dad again," You could hear the guilt and sadness in Cal's voice.

"I wanted her help telling Matt about the new baby. She sent a message through my sister about being pleased it wasn't necessary anymore. Except I never told her about the miscarriage."

"She wouldn't have to be told about it if she arranged for it to happen," Andie concluded.

"Exactly. I was a mess after the supposed miscarriage happened. I didn't want something else to happen to Tiffany, so I sent Breanna the money to get Tiffany to leave New York." At least that showed he cared about Tiffany a little.

"I convinced Rebecca to come back from accounting to take over. I was drowning at the time. I offered Rebecca almost double what she was making before to come back permanently, but she refused and only stayed long enough to train Tiffany's replacement. We were already advertising the position because I was planning to move Tiffany elsewhere in the company. Rebecca and her husband moved to upstate New York shortly after." The 'with Tiffany' was left unsaid.

"I assume that assistant wasn't Corbin?" Andie asked, trying to do the math in her head. "I'm pretty sure your assistant is younger than Matt."

"Corbin is the same age as Tyler, and he's been with me for about five years. That assistant was Devon. He stayed with me for about four years, to be replaced by Marco. Corbin was his replacement."

"Do you realize you only had male assistance after Tiffany?" Andie asked.

"It wasn't intentional." At least not on a conscious level. Andie thought to herself. "I also think there were a few female temps somewhere in there. Enough for Victoria to assume I was sleeping with my assistants."

"Because she's an idiot," Andie remarked.

"Should we go to this empty-handed?" Andie asked after a couple of minutes.

"I would suggest wine, but it's too early, and it's hard to buy alcohol in Pennsylvania."

"Ask the GPS for someplace where we can get muffins. We're less likely to get a door slammed on our faces if we bring muffins." Andie commented.

"Probably," Cal said as he asked the GPS for the closest place that sold muffins on their route.

Thankfully, they found a small grocery store halfway to Rebecca's house. Andie went in by herself because even in jeans and a polo shirt, her boyfriend was recognizable. They didn't want anybody to realize they were in Pennsylvania. If the press figured it out, then Victoria would too, and who knows how she would react, especially if she knew that her hitman left a body there.

Xxxxxx

A little while later, Andie and Cal knocked on Rebecca's front door with fresh blueberry muffins.

"Hello, Becky." The woman glared in response.

"I wasn't expecting to see you again. I wasn't even aware that you knew I relocated to Pennsylvania." Rebecca responded glaring at Cal the entire time.

"You know what a private investigator can find out when motivated. Can we come in?" Rebecca made no move to let them inside the house.

"We brought muffins." Andie held up the box as Rebecca grabbed it from her. Afterward, she ushered Andie into the living room.

"I am letting your assistant come in because she was kind enough to bring muffins, but I guess you can come in too." She turned to Cal.

"Thank you. Although I'm his girlfriend," Andie corrected her.

"That does not preclude you from being his assistant," Rebecca commented as she ushered them into her living room.

"I'm not. I am Dr. Jackson. I know about Tiffany, but I'm not her. She's the reason why we arrived unannounced." Rebecca sighed before extending her hand to shake.

"Nice to meet you, Dr. Jackson. I wonder why you're with him if you already know about Tiffany. I wouldn't be surprised if he left out some important details like the suitcase of hush money."

"I know about that. We're working through it. We were already together for a couple of months when I found out that he got his former assistant pregnant, and Cal threw a briefcase of money at her after his ex-wife paid to have her fall down a flight of stairs because he was scared the ex would try something else." Rebecca was still upset even after that explanation or maybe because of it.

"Which was stupid." Rebecca glared at him. Andie just nodded her head in agreement. "She nearly died, and you threw money at the problem. You didn't even go see her."

"Because my ex-wife nearly got her killed and lost our child in the process. Or at least that's what I assumed. I know better now. But I was still dealing with a lot of guilt at the time. Even then, I knew it wasn't an accident."

"So, you know that Tiffany didn't lose the child? As well as the fact your ex-wife was involved?" Rebecca asked.

"Yes, and yes," Cal answered simply as Andie squeezed his hand in support.

If you're here, asking me to help you find Tiffany, I can't help you. I don't know where she is anymore. We stopped speaking to one another after she married the idiot. Not a word in the last seven years." Rebecca didn't make eye contact with anyone as she spoke. She also seemed twitchy to Andie. Being a doctor, Andie has gotten very good at realizing when people lie to her. It's a skill that is handy when working in an emergency room. She has this feeling right now that Rebecca isn't being 100% truthful. "I can't help you find your child. I'm sorry."

"I know where Austin is. He's in New York working with my other son, Matt. He's currently staying with the grandmother of a friend." Rebecca gives him a very peculiar look.

"How did that happen?" Rebecca asked.

"A couple of months ago, Matt realized his new intern could be a relative and did a DNA test over the summer. I found out about it recently." From the story she heard this weekend from Matt, it was close to the truth. "We don't have a relationship yet, but I would like one someday."

"Then why are you here if you already found Austin?" Rebecca asked.

"Because nobody has seen or heard from Tiffany since she left with her bastard of a husband a month ago for their new life in Chicago. Worse than that, fake postcards were being sent to Austin and his foster mother to keep him from looking into her disappearance." Andie watched Rebecca's face closely. She was upset, but not as much as you expect from somebody who discovered an old friend was missing.

"You realized they are fake and now suspect something bad happen to her?" Rebecca crossed her hands across her chest.

"Yes."

"I'm glad you came to that conclusion. Her poor child. However, that doesn't explain why you're here."

"I'm sure you're aware Austin isn't taking this well. Therefore, we're all doing our best to help. I'm doing that by contacting Tiffany's friends to see if they've heard from her in the last month. Austin unfortunately did not have a phone number for you, so an in-person visit was necessary." Andie explained.

"Which makes sense if you were here without your boyfriend. I was Cal's assistant for over two years. You never did your own dirty work. You even had your teenage sister drop off the hush money." Rebecca said bitterly.

"People change." Cal replied sharply. "I'm trying to help my son find his mother. Monday, a van matching the description of the van Tiffany left in was found about 20 minutes away from here. There was a body inside."

"Fuck," Rebecca exclaimed. She wasn't expecting that revelation.

"On the off chance it was Tiffany, I didn't want Austin here," Cal explained.

"At least you're finally acting like a father after 17 years. Have they identified the body yet?" Rebecca asked, concerned.

"Not yet. A part of me hoped we would find Tiffany here." Cal said honestly.

"I wish that were the case too, but it's not. As much as I would love to sit down and have a muffin and a cup of tea to catch up, I need to be at work in 43 minutes." That almost felt like an excuse to Andie. But it was nearly 9 AM on a weekday. Rebecca probably did need to get to the office.

"Of course," Cal said as he pulled a business card out of his pocket and handed it to Rebecca. "If you hear anything, call that number. My assistant will connect you with me no matter where I am."

"I'm sure that's probably a lot easier now with everybody having cell phones. I always hated having to chase after you between meetings to pass on phone messages or, worse, playing phone tag with the concierge seven time zones away."

"It is," Cal commented as they started approaching the door.

"Do you really believe your ex-wife was responsible for Tiffany's accident before?" Rebecca asked.

"Yes," Cal answered truthfully. "And possibly this current disappearance."

"Unfortunately, it's not something we can prove," Andie added because it's evident that Victoria has somebody cleaning up after her. They can't even find evidence to back up the fact that Victoria was responsible for Andie's apartment being broken into on Monday, let alone anything else more sinister. The timing of Tiffany's initial accident feels even more suspicious after what Cal told her.

"Does Victoria still work for the Hartley Foundation?" Rebecca asked. The question confused Andie. Why would that matter?

"No, she resigned last week." Or at least that's what the family interprets her comments at the black-and-white ball as. When she returns from London, she will be completely locked out of the system." Cal explained.

"Then it might be a perfect time to look at the books. You remember I was forced to fill in for her assistant for a few months until you rescued me."

"You did make me aware of what she was doing to Brianna. I couldn't leave you with her after the divorce." Note to self: ask more about that tonight.

"Which was the only reason why I came back from accounting after Tiffany left for that month. Anyway, Victoria tended to buy things with the foundation funds when she shouldn't have." That doesn't surprise Andie at all.

"I remember that you were the one who flagged that."

"I doubt it stopped. She just got better at hiding the illegal transactions. Who knows what else she's paid for out of foundation money." From everything that Andie has found out about her boyfriend's ex-wife in the last two weeks, Andie finds it entirely plausible that Victoria embezzled a charity to fund various illegal activities. They might be in Rico territory.

"I think her leaving is a good reason to go through all the foundation's finances," Andie suggested to her boyfriend.

"I agree," Rebecca told them.

"We will let you get to work. But if you think of something else to help us in our search, please reach out."

"I will." With that, both made their way back to the car. Andie is sure Rebecca only said that to get them to leave.

"She's lying," Andie told her boyfriend once they were back on the road.

"Of course she is. The picture Austin gave the private investigators was taken two years after the wedding. Although I'm glad you also picked up on her lie."

"I wasn't aware of that, but I could pick up on her being very uncomfortable and defensive with us. She was very twitchy, but she also gave us something to look into. I don't think that's a coincidence." Andie told her boyfriend.

"I agree. I'll talk to the accountants about doing an audit." Cal said reluctantly.

"And Matt taking over is the perfect excuse.

Have Matt order it. I think it would be less suspicious that way." And if things blow up, at least the members of the Hartley family she likes will be covered.

"You're right," Cal said as his phone rang. He quickly answered it. Andie could only hear half the conversation, but she knew he was talking to Jerry. Halfway through the exchange, Cal looked relieved. "We'll talk more when I arrive at the new hotel. Corbin found us a block of rooms at one of Vivian's hotels in the area. We will have more resources available since it's Vivian's hotel." Andie is not surprised. That must've been the text message her boyfriend responded to when they got into the car.

"I just spoke with one of Tiffany's former friends, and she suggested we have a close look at the foundation finances. I agree. The food at the annual yacht party was overpriced for the quality. Although considering what the forensic anthropologist just discovered, you should also look into George's finances." The private investigator agreed, and Cal ended the call.

"It was Tiffany's body in the van, wasn't it?" Andie asked as she pulled the car over to the side. She didn't want to be driving when receiving bad news.

"No, actually, it might be George. Vivian's forensic anthropologist has determined that the skeleton is male and too tall to be Tiffany. They will know for sure once they have his dental records and a DNA sample."

"Then, why do you want the PI to look at George's money?"

"A hunch, and maybe hope."

Xxxx

Becky #1: I don't know if you consider this good news, but they're looking for you.

TIF: It only took a month.

Becky #1: Apparently, fake postcards were being sent to Austin. It looks like it took them a while to realize you were gone.

TIF: She would do something like that. I assume that Vivian arranged for a private investigator.

Becky #1: Yes, although that wasn't who visited me. You should know the van was found with the prick inside, probably because it's been so dry lately. Victoria's minions picked a bad place to dump it.

TIF: I was hoping I would have a little more time.

Becky #1: You might still have time. That hasn't made the papers yet. I assume your son's foster mom is paying good money to keep it that way.

TIF: That's a possibility. They probably need to give Victoria a false sense of security.

Becky #1: From the short conversation I had, that seems likely.

TIF: It's a good thing I left before they found the body. I just wish I was farther away. I will also have to get another burn phone after this conversation.

Becky #1: Probably, just make sure I get your new number somehow. It was self-defense. He and the others were trying to kill you.

TIF: It's my word against a deadman and a hitman that left me to bleed out in the water. They'll never find him. It doesn't help that I have been entirely off the radar for the last month.

Becky #1: Because you want the witch to think that she won. Per the Google alert, I have on her, she's in London getting into fights with your son's foster aunt. I'm surprised punches were not thrown in the video circulating.

TIF: Victoria did win. My husband tried to kill me, and I can't be with my son right now. She might go after Austin next to keep him away from Matt and Cal. Her getting into fights in London will do little to stop that.

Becky #1: Cal is the one who showed up at my door with his new girlfriend. She's a doctor. He knows about Austin. He gave me some story about Austin becoming Matt's intern and deciding to do a DNA test. How much of that was true?

TIF: All of it from a certain point of view. Matt discovered he had a brother when he picked Austin up from my apartment for a work trip to DC and found me there. That made him question Austin's parentage.

Becky #1: You never mentioned that before.

TIF: I had other things to worry about while I was staying with you.

Becky #1: Like recovering from a broken arm and refusing to go to the hospital. Not to mention the gunshot wound. I really thought my days of digging out bullets was over once I became a widow.

TIF: Because I don't want Victoria to know I'm alive. I can't believe Cal knows about Austin. That's the one thing I did not want to happen.

Becky #1: Maybe he was brought in since you're missing.

TIF: Perhaps. I wish they wouldn't look for me right now.

TIF: You didn't tell them that I'm alive?

Becky #1: No, I told him I haven't heard from you since you married the idiot.

TIF: Good.

Becky #1: They are suspicious that you could still be alive. Of course, that could be wishful thinking on their part. Cal was almost hoping he would find you here.

TIF: That's surprising.

Becky #1: I think he's genuinely worried about you. I did tell them to follow the money. I know Victoria historically used the foundation as her personal piggy bank. Maybe they'll find a money trail that leads them to George. There has to be a reason why he had a suitcase full of cash when he did what he did. It's hard for a rich person to get out of Rico.

TIF: I hope so. That cash has come in handy.

Becky #1: Then maybe you can let your son know that you're alive.

TIF: It's not safe. I can't risk it. Not until Victoria is dealt with one way or the other.

Becky #1: Hopefully, that will happen soon.

TIF: Destroy this phone. I'll send you another one when I get where I'm going.

Becky #1: Okay. It's probably best not to contact me for a while since I'm sure a private investigator will be watching me.

TIF: Probably.

Becky #1: Be safe.

TIF: I'll try my best.

To be continued…

Yes, Tiffany's alive. George is not. I don't think anybody is that upset about that.