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CHAPTER 11 Although Jana felt that she had prepared herself to leave, saying good-by to her parents the next morning was very emotional. She rented a limousine and they went with her to the airport. Her mother was in tears the whole time and begged Jana to let her return to LA with her. But, Jana finally convinced her that she couldn't jeopardize her identity. The most important thing, right now, was finding Michael. She told them to keep the limousine and hotel room as long as they wanted to, but that she would like them to go back to Spencer. She promised that she would call them daily and then gave them some money. Ralph Walker had been on her mind quite a lot that morning even before she met with her parents. Since he was on-her-side now, she figured maybe she could strike up a conversation with him and possibly get some information. It had entered her mind that possibly he knew more than what he had told Charles or even J.D. Wanting to be accommodating (hoping he would be too) she offered him the front seat of the limousine when she found out he was already booked on her flight. The plane was a jumbo jet and after take-off Jana stopped by Ralph's seat and asked him if he wanted to join her for a drink in the lounge. He readily agreed and soon they were sitting across from each other with drinks before them. Her with her club soda and him with a stiff scotch. "I hope you don't mind my having a scotch," Ralph started, "but I rarely get a chance to have one since I'm working all the time. I figured that not much could happen to you on plane, so I thought I would indulge myself." "Sure, it's all right. I agree, I don't think anything will happen to me on the plane." Jana replied, nervously. She had decided that this wasn't going to be as easy as she thought. "I'm sorry, Mrs. Davenport, if I caused you any trouble while I was working for your husband." Ralph apologized looking quite guilty. "When I started working for him, I thought maybe it was just another case of a socialite cheating on her husband. I didn't realize until later that that wasn't what it was at all." "Tell me, why is Mr. Davenport having me followed?" "I really don't know. He never told me. All he ever said was that he wanted to know where you were at all times." "That sure is strange. You started working for him about six months ago?" "Yeah, that's about right. How did you know? Was I that obvious?" Ralph asked hoping that his work wasn't slipping. "No, I wouldn't have known if I hadn't found one of your dossiers in the penthouse." Jana replied seeing that he was relieved. Then she asked. "Do you know if he had someone following me before that?" "No, I don't think so." Jana noticed that he didn't look her straight in the face; always looking everywhere else. He also seemed distracted and his face was a bright red color, almost like he was nervous and embarrassed at the same time. His hand was shaking a little bit as he picked up his glass to take a drink, which she thought was a little puzzling for a private investigator. She decided to plow on with the questions. "Mr. Kline tells me that this new guy Charles has hired is dangerous. Is he really that bad?" "Yes, ma’am. He's not one that I'd want to mess with. Unless, of course, you were in immediate danger." "Thank you, Ralph. Mr. Kline must be paying you well for you to take a chance like this." "Mr. Kline is very generous but that's not the reason. I just take my job very seriously and I don't want you to worry, I'll be there if you need me." Ralph said with a very proud look on his face. Jana felt as if she might have insulted him so she changed the subject quickly. "What made you leave Charles?" "I really didn't like what he was doing. You seemed to be an all right lady and I just didn't like working for him." "Well, I'm glad your on my side now. Were you actually watching me night and day? Like at the ball? Wait a minute...I remember, you were at the ball and we danced together." Jana said with a smile. Ralph's face became a little more flushed as he said, "Yes, I hope you didn't mind..." "Of course not, as I remember right, you were a pretty good dancer." Ralph just looked down and started playing with his glass. Jana continued, saying lightly, "Did you follow me on that silly little trip I took after the ball?" "Yeah." Ralph said as he finally looked up and gave her a strange look. This worried Jana. Something strange must have happened that night and she needed to know what. All she could do was continue to bait Ralph and hope that his private investigator experience wouldn't keep her from discovering what she needed to know. "I guess the limousine gave you a merry chase, didn't it?" "I had a hard time at the beginning because I had parked my car down the road and I hadn't expected you to take off in some strange limousine. I was worried for a bit that I would lose you. But after I found the limousine again I didn't have any problems." "I fell asleep, was it a rough ride?" "The coast highway is pretty good but that drive up Malibu Canyon Road was a real doosie." Malibu! What was she doing in Malibu? Jana had to know at any cost. But how was she going to get the information out of Ralph? She couldn't tell him the truth, he could run back and tell J.D. Maybe she could pay him off, no, she still couldn't trust that he wouldn't tell J.D. She would have to think of something else. "Can you tell me if you told Charles about my little trip?" Ralph got a dark look on his face as he said, "I'm sorry to say that I did. I even told him about the nursing home but I told him you opened a door, I didn't tell him about the wall. I guess he's been trying to find that gadget you used to open it. Tell me, what was it? It had such a strange shape and I couldn't find where the wall had opened up after you closed it." "Oh, it's just a key." Jana replied. She was totally amazed by what Ralph had just been telling her but it sort of made sense. The nursing home must be where she got the information about what property to buy, and the gadget, could he be talking about the amulet? It was very strangely shaped and she had had it with her. She was beginning to realize that this amulet was very important indeed and that she had better keep it safe. Jana then noticed that Ralph was watching her with a hopeful look on his face. He wanted to know what had happened that night and she had no way of telling him. Finally she replied, "Listen, that whole night is something I would like to keep as private as possible. I know Charles knows but maybe we can keep enough from him so he really won't know what happened. All I can tell you is that it was business." Jana ended hoping that it would satisfy him for now. "That's what I thought when I saw all those computers in the room when you went in. Well, I quit Charles before he could find out exactly where the nursing home was and I think it will take him a while to find it. So you're safe for a bit if you don't go back there. But you can bet the new PI will follow you and tell Mr. Davenport if you do go back." How could she tell Ralph that she didn't remember going there at all and so had no idea when she would take off for the place again. She was just hoping that They didn't drug her again and whisk her off to the place. She had come to the conclusion that was probably what had happened. Otherwise, how would They have gotten control over her that way. From what Ralph had said it didn't sound like she had been forced into going. An awkward silence and a returned nervousness from Ralph prompted Jana to tell him that she was going to return to her seat. Before she left she told him that it had been nice talking to him.
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Ralph watched Victoria intensely, as she left the lounge to return to her seat. He was still shaking a little and was having a hard time controlling his sensations of desire. His face was flushed and he guessed that he was just experiencing how someone felt when they admired someone from afar and then, suddenly, were confronted by them. She had been pumping information out of him, but he didn't care, he would have told her anything she wanted to know. Still, during the conservation he had felt like a stupid fool, like he had said everything wrong. But it was his shaking he was worried about the most. Maybe she hadn't noticed. If she had, what kind of a private investigator would she think he was. He downed the rest of his drink and went back to his seat. From where he was sitting he could see Victoria. He watched her; wondering what it was about her that made her so special and that attracted him to her.
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Once again, it was comfortably reassuring to see Jake's cordial smile when he met her at the airport. Jana climbed into the limousine while Jake went to hunt for her luggage. Without thinking it through, she had asked Ralph if he needed a lift into town. But, he said he had his car in the lot and that it would be best that they not broadcast their new association. He had requested that she not leave the airport until he had time to catch up to them. Jana's thoughts went back to the men in her life. She tried to think about her beloved Michael but J.D., Ralph and Jake kept intruding her thoughts. It was beginning to look as though she would never have a simple life with Michael ever again. She was trying, to the best of her ability, to discount the whole romantic incident with J.D. She knew that even if you love someone completely, it is possible to be physically attracted to someone else. When it came to J.D., that was the only possibility that she would let her mind accept. She was extremely glad Ralph was on her side. He had seemed like such a nice person when she had talked to him on the plane, although he did seem like the nervous type. (It didn't even enter Jana's mind that he could be attracted to and a little intimidated by her.) Anyway, she hoped that he was a good private investigator even though she was sure that nothing was going to happen to her. The car door opened suddenly; interrupting her thoughts. Jana, in her innocence thought it was Jake, but a strange man forced himself in beside her, clamping his hand over her mouth, before she had time to react. "Don't worry, girlie, nothin's gonna to happen to you this time. But, I will get the information out of you and soon. I wouldn't want to miss out on my hefty bonus." Jana was frozen with fear, as the man unexpectedly grabbed her purse and dumped it on the floor of the limousine. As Jana started to fight the strangers grip on her mouth, he dropped the purse and grabbing her arm roughly saying, "If you value your life you'll just sit and listen." He sifted through the contents of her purse with his foot, but didn't take anything. He then said, "We will be seeing each other again." Then, as quickly as he had arrived, he was gone. Jana sat there shaking. Where was Jake? Where was Ralph? She felt so vulnerable and violated. All she could think about was his greasy hands and the horribly sickening smell of the liquor mixed with stale cigarette smoke on his breath. It repulsed her so much she thought she was going to throw up. She quickly locked all the doors, even Jake's. She jumped when Jake noisily opened the trunk to load the luggage. She felt as if it was taking him forever; she was so anxious to talk to him! When he finally finished, she unlocked his door just as he reached it. "How come the locked door, Mrs. Davenport?" Jake questioned, concerned. "Jake, Charles has hired this horrible new private investigator. And Ralph Walker who was working for Charles...well, he's protecting me now. He should be coming up behind us real soon. I want you to get him; I need to talk to him." Jake could hear the hysterical shaking in her voice and wanted to reassure her so he said. "I checked up on Ralph Walker and found out that he's an honest guy. I'm really glad that you have him working for you now." Ralph showed up and Jake went to tell him that Mrs. Davenport wanted to talk to him. The minute Ralph got into the limousine he knew something was dreadfully wrong. "He was here!" Jana exploded, as she burst into tears. "Charles' new PI?" "Yes." "Did he hurt you?" "No, not really. He just scared me really bad. Why would he do something like that?" "That's the way that jerk "Duke" works. He likes to intimidate people and shake them up. He feels that the more of a challenge he can make of a job the better. He's not a nice person, Mrs. Davenport, and I think we had better be a lot more careful from now on...did he say anything to you?" "He just indicated to me that he was going to get some kind of information out of me. I really don't know what he was talking about...and he searched my purse, like he was...was looking for something. Are you sure Charles never gave you any indication as to why he was having me followed?" "No...but obviously he's let this guy in on his little secret. Listen, do you want me to ride with you? I can have my car picked up later." Ralph asked, with true concern in his voice. "I'll be just fine now. I have Jake up front, and I don't think anyone would mess with him." "Well, I'll be right behind you all the way. I'll tell Jake to watch for me and make sure he doesn't lose me." With that, Ralph got out of the limousine, said a few words to Jake, and returned to his own car. Jake turned around in his seat, and said, "Are you sure you're all right?" "Yes, Jake, the jerk didn't hurt me. Just shook me up a little. I'll be fine." "I feel really bad that I wasn't here to help you, Mrs. Davenport." "That's okay, Jake, there really wasn't any way for you to know that I was in any real danger. All of this happened while I was away." "Well, I'm just glad you're all right." Jake said, as he turned back around and started the car. Jana thought how ironic it was that these two guys were calling her Mrs. Davenport, when it was because of that very name that she was in danger. She was going to have to do something about Charles. But what? She could throw him out of the house, and cut off his income, but that would just make him more angry and maybe he would tell this so called PI not to waste any time, and just do now whatever it was that he had planned to do. And, Jana needed time. Time to sort this whole mess out. She was really angry. Here she was doing whatever it was that They wanted her to do, and They weren't even protecting her. "Mrs. Davenport?" Jake said. "I have that information you wanted about J.D. Kline. Would you like me to tell you about it now?" "Let's wait until we get back to the penthouse and you can come up to the office. We can discuss it there." "Fine, Mrs. Davenport." She was going to have to pull herself together before her discussion with Jake. Right now, she couldn't care less about J.D. Kline, since it was him and Them that were responsible for this whole mess she was in. If it hadn't been for this work she was doing, she would be safe at home in Spencer with Michael, she thought; totally discounting the fact that her disappearance happened before the work started.
* * *
"Have a seat, Jake." Jana said cordially, as she motioned him to sit down across the desk from her. She was seated behind the desk with a pad and pencil ready for action. "Oh yes, Jake, before you start, I want to tell you that the new PI that Charles has hired is "Duke Harrison." "Boy, Mr. Davenport doesn't know what he's in for. I know Duke and as a matter of fact I have a small score to settle with him. Just let me know if you want his legs broken. It’ll be my pleasure." "Thank you, Jake." "Anyway about J.D. First, I tried to find out what kind of big business he was involved in. But the only thing I could find out is that he has a lot of power and money, and that he's heavily invested in the stock market and securities and things like that. My source said that Mr. Kline had used some of his money at least one time, that he knew of, to help in some kind of emergency securities bail-out. He really didn't know much more." Jake ended by saying, "I guess this guy is very hush, hush." "Stocks and securities, huh. Well, at least we know where he gets his money. What else?" "He's not married and has no children. In fact, he doesn't even seem to date much. Nobody ever sees him out on the town, but when he does go out it's usually alone. Although he does seem to date some of his business associates daughters once in a while. Of course, women have been all over him since the accident." "What accident?" "About four years ago, he was in a bad car accident. Someone ran a red light and broadsided him at about fifty miles-per-hour. Knocked the car all over the place and Mr. Kline, too. He had extensive facial surgery and turned out looking a lot more handsome than before." Jana felt a stab in her heart, as she barely got out, "You say this happened about four years ago?" "Yes, in fact it was only about six months after he burst on the LA scene. He had taken everyone by surprise, showing up with all that money and contributing to all those charities." Jana just sat there. She couldn't move. She couldn't think. She was just numb. It all fit together and she suddenly thought, Oh, my god, could it be possible? Could J.D. be Michael? How she hoped with all her heart that he was. Jake was staring at her. He had seen the color drain out of her face when he had told her about J.D. Kline's accident, so he decided he had better reassure her. "Mr. Kline is just fine. He doesn't have any problems now." Jana realized she needed to say something. "Thank you, Jake, for your information. Is there anything else? "No, that's about it. If I come up with anything else, I'll let you know." "You've been real helpful." She got up from the desk indicating to Jake that the talk was over, and said she would see him later. As he left, Jana collapsed on the couch. Dare she hope? Dare she even dream? An incredible joy filled her, as she played with the possibility that J.D. might be Michael over and over in her mind. But then, just as suddenly, a sadness came over her, as she thought that maybe she was just hoping this to cover her shame. In the middle of all this revelation, it suddenly hit Jana that if J.D. was Michael then obviously he wasn't aware of the fact. Otherwise, he would have recognized her. With the kind of relationship they had, there was no way that Michael wouldn't have let her know that he recognized her. Even if They had told him not to. But it came back to her mind once more, that is if he is Michael. What was she going to do now? J.D. had said that they shouldn't see each other, and she wanted so desperately to meet with him to see if she could either verify or discount the fact that he and Michael were actually the same person. She thought that maybe she could tell him that she wanted to meet with him to talk about this Duke guy accosting her in the limousine, but Ralph would have told him about it. Finally, she decided that the only excuse she could have to see him was if it was business, so she had better get to work and figure out how she could use business to justify their meeting. J.D. could be Michael...She could hardly believe it. After returning to the penthouse and freshening up, she had talked to Suzanne and found out that Charles had called, and that he would call back that afternoon. At least she didn't have to deal with him yet. She wasn't sure how she would act with him, after the scare she had had at the airport. Right now she would just like to take a gun and shoot him. She could think that, knowing that she wasn't the type that would ever do something like that. She took the book “Last Run” from her desk in the bedroom and brought it to the Library with the pages from the safe deposit box. She had every intention of working on this puzzle that Victoria had gotten her into, but now all she could think about was that if J.D. was Michael. She got excited thinking, if so, she could just ask him what was going on. But the more she thought about it the more she realized, that even if J.D. were Michael, he didn't know he was and she was still on her own. Sighing, she picked up the pages that she had gotten out of the safety deposit box and studied them. This wasn't going to be easy, all they had were groups of three dots on them scattered about the pages. The dots in each group were about a half an inch apart. She tried connecting the dots in each group together to see if the letters enclosed in the triangle would spell anything but it was just gibberish. She then opened the book to the pages that had been torn out and looked for notations that would explain the dots but there was nothing there. She tried all different types of combinations like: Connecting all the middle dots together, going down the page instead of across and going diagonally but nothing worked. Finally becoming frustrated she put the pages aside and pulled out the copy of her holdings. She figured that the code in the report was related to the pages she had just given up on, so she concentrated on the locations of the property and business. She got up and searched the library looking for an Atlas. Finding it she returned to the desk and opened it to a map of the United States. She pulled out a couple of marking pens from the desk and proceeded to put dots on the map everywhere where she had bought property. Just property she put in red and any business she bought she marked in blue. This procedure was taking quite a while and in the middle of it she called up Suzanne and ordered some dinner. Looking at the watch on her arm she realized that it was getting late and she hadn't heard from Charles. She was kind of relieved but was also concerned because if she hadn't heard from him, he was probably up to something. Oh well, she couldn't think about that she had work to do. Returning to the Atlas she continued putting dots on the map down to the last property and business. Holding the book up and looking at the dots she noticed that almost all the holdings were concentrated in certain areas. There was a large number running north and south just east of the Rocky Mountains. There were concentrations in Indiana and Illinois but away from the Mississippi River. Then they were scattered about in Arkansas, Missouri and Tennessee. There was nothing on either the east or west coast other than what she figured were businesses to run her empire and the Beauty Boutique. Suzanne brought her a scrumptious looking dinner. It was very light with a type of fish broiled to perfection with steamed vegetables. As Suzanne left, Jana thought to herself that it couldn't have been more perfect for her and decided that definitely Victoria and she had many of the same tastes. She wolfed down her dinner and got back to work. As she was starting to make a list of the businesses, breaking them down into categories, the telephone rang. It was Suzanne saying Charles was on the line. Jana took a deep breath. Steadying herself, she was determined that she wasn't going to give anything away to Charles until she had him back at the penthouse and a bodyguard nearby. She told Suzanne to put the call through. "Hello." Jana answered after hearing the click. "Hi, Vic. Thought I would just call and let you know how things were going." He stated seeming to be in a good mood. "That's good." "I've talked to all the people that hold the properties you requested and they all seem ready to make a deal. I didn't have to go to the limit with them either. I should be finished here in a day or two. I'll send all the paperwork to you by overnight mail soon." Charles finished "That's good. I'll be looking for the information and will take care of it right away." She answered trying to sound calm. "See you in a couple of days." He stated and hung up. Jana hung up the phone and let out a big sigh of relief, at least she didn't have to pretend, for too long, that everything was all right. As she sat and thought about what Charles was putting her through, she felt herself become extremely angry. She clenched her fists, as her body tightened up. Damn him and his stupidity, getting her into this situation. She believed that even if she could get Charles to call off his goon, the private investigator would continue to harass her for just the fun of it. Her anger turned into fear, as she remembered the look and smell of the greasy stranger that had invaded her life. Knowing that she had to get her mind off of her problems with Charles, she forced her thoughts back to her list of businesses that she owned. They broke down into the categories of: furniture, pottery, lumber, candle making, farming tools. What could all of these businesses be used for in a BIG PLAN? Jana didn't know. Going back to the map she tried to figure out why They would need these properties. She couldn't figure that out either. It struck her as rather odd that if They were the ones buying the properties, through her, why were the properties in her name only. The only thing that she could figure was that They must trust her implicitly; but, why? Giving up on the map and list she went back to the book, "Last Run", looking it over very carefully, trying to figure out the notations on the edges of the book. While looking the book over she noticed that the three dot groupings were also in the book but they were so faint that she hadn't noticed them before. Becoming frustrated again she slammed the book shut. This was getting her nowhere. She leaned back in the chair and tried to let her mind wander hoping she would get one of Victoria's memory recalls but nothing would come. She was at a stand still. She couldn't figure anything out here so she thought about asking Ralph to take her out to Malibu and the nursing home where he had seen her open the wall‚ But surly Charles' new PI would follow them and tell him where it was. She knew that her lawyer, Paul Sweeney, didn't know much more so it wouldn't do any good to try to extract anymore out of him and even if Suzanne did work for Charles she probably didn't know any more than Jana did. Once again, the whole thing returned to J.D. Kline. He knew everything. But she couldn't think of any way to get the information out of him. Besides he didn't want to see her and if he was Michael, she couldn't put him in jeopardy. Looking at her watch, she noticed that it was one o'clock. Suzanne had been by two hours ago to see if she needed anything else and then had gone off to bed. Jana decided she might as well go to bed too, since she wasn't getting anywhere here. She carefully put away everything she had been working on except the pages from the book and the amulet both of which she would now keep safely with her all the time. She realized their importance in solving the puzzle and that she must keep them out of Charles' hands.
As she climbed into bed, she thought about everything once again. Other than the holdings, the wall in the nursing home and the code she had to break, there was still getting the safe open, the mystery of the key in her desk and most important finding out whether J.D. was Michael. Even with as far as she had gotten in solving the mystery of Victoria, she still had a long way to go. It had been a long day for Jana and she drifted off to sleep rather easily, even though all these questions were still floating through her mind. But she didn't escape her puzzling quandary, for she dreamed the entire situation, in a fitful sleep. At first she dreamed about Michael, holding and kissing him. Then he turned into J.D. and she held him close to her also, but then guilt overwhelmed her and she pushed him away. As he became Michael again she tried to get back to him but she watched as the book came flying down to the ground, opened, and the key was laying inside it. It slammed shut and the Atlas came down on top of it, then the amulet came down on top of the Atlas. The ground shook as the safe covered the book, Atlas and amulet. She flew to the top of the safe and found a door that led into a hallway. She reached up and touched the wall with the amulet and as it began to move she woke up with a start. Thinking the dream might be a clue, she got up and went over to her desk. Turning the light on she pulled out a piece of paper and wrote the dream down. She then opened the drawer with the box in it and pulled out the key. She knew that it was another important part of the puzzle because it was part of the dream and now she knew it might have something to do with the book. Knowing that she was too tired to think, she put the key back in the box and returned to bed. She was asleep almost as soon as her head hit the pillow. The next morning Jana woke up excited. She had a few good clues from her dream and she was anxious to try and use them. After she got dressed she took the key out of the box, she then retrieved the amulet and the pages out from under her pillow. She had wanted to keep these two very important pieces of information close to her. She went down the hall to the library. She sat down at the desk and looked at the key again. She figured it must fit a lock somewhere and the solution to the code in the book was inside whatever the key fit. It was a pretty strong key, not like the flimsily kind that you would use for a strongbox, so that ruled out a small box. It didn't look anything like a safety deposit box key so it was probably something either here at the penthouse or, she dreaded the thought, at the nursing home. She would look first here at the penthouse. She looked around the library but couldn't see anything the key might fit. She even opened up the bookcase where the safe was, to see if it fit inside there somewhere, but with no luck. She traveled throughout the whole penthouse but there wasn't any place where the key would fit. She finally decided that she was going to have to look elsewhere. Thinking about it in retrospect, she realized that Victoria, being such a careful person, probably wouldn't have made the key so accessible if it opened something in the penthouse. She knew now that somehow she was going to have to get into the room at the nursing home. It wasn't going to be easy. She was going to have to convince Ralph somehow to show her not only where the nursing home was but exactly which wall to open up. Also she was going to have to get there without this new PI following them. The whole thing seemed almost insurmountable, so she let her thoughts wander back to Michael and J.D. Maybe she should try and go that route instead. But that wouldn't be easy either. Not only would she have to lose the PI before she went to see J.D., but she would have to come up with a good excuse for meeting with him and a reason to check him over to see if he was Michael. Then there was always the possibility that he wasn't Michael. If not, another meeting would have encouraged J.D. and that wasn't fair to him since she would always have a driving desire to find Michael. As much as she wanted to appease her heart by finding out if J.D. was Michael, she decided that she was first going to have to sort out this mystery about Victoria. Once that was accomplished, she would be free to see J.D. on equal terms, which she felt was important. Having made up her mind on the path to follow, Jana started to work on a plan to reach her objective.
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Copyright 1990 by Anita and David Mathews |
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