CHAPTER 12

            He couldn't stop thinking about how charming she was and how he enjoyed being around her.  He would try to do his work, but would stop in the middle, get up and pace the floor of his spacious office.  No wonder They didn't want him to meet Victoria. They must have known that Victoria and he would have this compelling attraction for each other.  Both Victoria and he knew that their work was so important that they couldn't let anything else get in the way. But still, he couldn't get the thoughts of her out of his mind.

He picked up the phone, and hit one of the speed dial buttons.

"Ralph Walker."  The voice at the other end of the line answered.

"This is J.D.  I hadn't heard from you today, and was wondering the latest.  Is there anything new?"  J.D. questioned, hoping his voice sounded business like.

"I don't know what Victoria is up to now, but she just left the penthouse, went into a restaurant, and used the pay phone.  I thought that was kind of strange, so I used my binoculars and got the number she called.  It was Martha VanHollan's number."

"Why do you think she used a pay phone?  Even if her phone was tapped, why wouldn't she want anyone to hear her conversation with Martha?  No...she's up to something.  Do you think you can find out what that is?"

"Well, I don't know, but I can try."

"Good, please do."  J.D. said and hung up the receiver.

Ever since Ralph had told him about Duke's bold move at the airport, J.D. had been worried about Victoria.  She wasn't thinking rationally, and he was extremely afraid she would do something stupid which might put her life at risk.  He couldn't understand how she could jeopardize their work when it was so important.  He decided that all he could do is hope that, in addition to his efforts, They would protect her, he knew They had the means to.  Ralph was good by reputation but J.D. had seen first hand some of the overwhelming resources that They had at Their disposal.  It was almost beyond one's imagination.

He made a few more calls but realized that he wasn't going to get much work done so decided to go on home.  He told his secretary that if any calls from Ralph Walker came in, to transfer them to his number at home.  He didn't want to miss any calls from Ralph.

J.D. lived in a very spacious and elegant home in Beverly Hills.  It was too large for any one person.  He preferred something smaller, but he knew he had to keep up appearances for his work.  He couldn't have anyone questioning anything about his wealth or where it came from.

His dog, Taffy, met him at the door as he entered.  J.D. always enjoyed his little romp with Taffy when he came home from a hard days work.  It relaxed him.  But today even Taffy couldn't appease him.

He let George, his butler, know that he was home and asked him to fix him a drink as he went out to sit by the waterfall in his garden.  But by the time George arrived with the drink J.D. was up pacing again.

Thoughts of Victoria were driving him crazy and when he started daydreaming of her, he got up and paced back and forth hoping it would calm his thoughts, but once again they wondered back to Victoria.  Finally he decided that there must be a way that they could arrange things so they could work together.  After all, they both were working for the same thing.  At that point he made up his mind to ask Them.  He told the butler that he was going out again and hopped in his car, heading for Malibu.  He knew that this was unprecedented and that he was only supposed to go when They requested him, but he didn't care.

*      *      *

Jana gave Martha one of her coy little waves and motioned her to her table.  She had decided that it would be better for them to meet at the restaurant, away from prying eyes.

Her confidence was reassured in knowing that Ralph was close by, but not close enough to hear the conversation.

"Martha, thank you for coming over so quickly.  I really appreciate it."  Jana said, as Martha slid into the booth across from her.

Martha gave a sincere smile as she started with, "You've always been there for me when I needed you.  I've been worried about you.  You haven't been returning my calls.  I've sent you some information about the talent contest we were putting together for the homeless shelter.  I figured you would have called me by now to discuss it.  Is something wrong?"

"I'm sorry, Martha.  I've had so much on my mind, with all of my personal problems, that I've been lax in my duties.  To be truthful about it, I haven't even opened any of my mail."

"Personal problems?  It's not anything serious.  Is it? Is there anything that I can do to help?  You know that I would do anything for you." 

"Well...." Jana said with hesitation.

Martha interrupted, "Do you want to tell me about it?"

Jana blurted out, "It's Charles."

"Oh....Charles.  You know you have never talked much about your marriage.  In fact, you never really talked about Charles much at all.  I always wondered what kind of marriage you had."

"Charles is all right, I guess.  But, well....I recently found out that he has been having me followed."

"Why on earth would he have you followed."

"I really don't know.  But that is why I need your help. I need to get away without the private investigator following me, so I can meet with someone."

"Ah-ha, and you don't know why Charles is having you followed?"

"Now, Martha, you have the wrong idea."  Jana said with a small grin.  "This has to do with business that I don't want Charles to know about."

"Sure honey."  Martha returned not wanting to miss another chance at ribbing her.

Jana gave her a dark look and Martha continued.  "Okay, okay....what do you want me to do?"

"I want you to dress up like me and leave in the limousine with Jake so the private investigator will follow you.  That will free me up to take care of my business."

"Won't he be suspicious when he sees me go in but not come out?  And I'm taller than you and heavier."

"Well, it isn't going to be easy. You're going to have to come in through the emergency exit.  And you're going to have to already be dressed like me because I can't chance Suzanne finding out about this.  You see, I don't trust her either."

"Why don't you just get rid of her then?"

"It's not that easy.  I can't go into it right now, but suffice it to say, she's going to have to stay a little longer.  Maybe I'll be able to hang her and Charles together."

"Do you suspect them of having an affair or something?"

"Well at least, that they're in this whole thing together, whatever it is.  I found a dossier about me in the penthouse.  And some of the stuff in it could have only been supplied by Suzanne."

It dawned on Jana, at that moment, that she could find out from Ralph how involved Suzanne was in this whole mess, since he was the one who had put together the dossier.

"Anyway, here's a wig of mine, along with a few other accessories."  Jana handed her a bag.  "You can wear flats to make you look shorter.  And, for the quick moment it takes you to get into the limousine, he won't notice the fact that your a little larger than me.  This is a new PI and he doesn’t know me that well yet.”

“A new PI.  What happened to the old one?”

“That’s a long story that I don’t have time for right now.”

“Well, I hope that I can do my part well enough, Victoria, I don’t want to let you down.”

"Don't worry, I'm sure you'll do just fine." Jana said adding.  "I just want to say again, I really appreciate this."

"Think nothing of it.  It's kind of an adventure for me and I need a little adventure in my life."

Martha and Jana talked for a little while longer, going over the ideas for the talent contest.  When they had finished their lunch and got up to leave, Jana dropped a note on Ralph's table.  He scooped it up quickly.

Getting back into the limousine, Jana told Jake to wait for a moment until Ralph got back into his car.  A moment later the phone in the limousine rang.

Picking it up Jana said.  "Hello."

"You wanted me to call?"

"I wanted to talk to you without the prying ears in the penthouse.  I've arranged to have Charles' PI diverted tonight, and I want you to pick me up at the emergency exit of my place around seven o'clock."

"Where are we going?"  Ralph questioned suspiciously.

"I want you to take me out to Malibu."

Ralph was uncomfortable about that.  But, he knew that there was no way he could dissuade her, so he said, "I'll be there."

Hanging up the phone, Jana thought, Great, everything's in place.  It'll go like clockwork, from that point on.  Then she said to Jake, "Take me back to the Penthouse, please." She was going to spend the time working on the map of her holdings, before she had to go.

Jana watched from the roof as Martha, dressed like Victoria, got into the limousine and left.  Shortly afterward a car followed, and Jana was surprised to see a second car follow behind it.

Having donned a disguise of her blond wig and sunglasses again, Jana slid into the seat beside Ralph.

"Let's go", she said, with a smug little grin.  

"J.D. is not happy about this."  Ralph retorted.

"You shouldn't have told him.  You knew he wouldn't be happy", Jana said with a little less confidence in her voice as before.

"He's my boss and I had to tell him.  He wants me to stop you.", as the words escaped his lips, he noticed defiance appearing in Jana’s beautiful eyes.

"Listen, Ralph,"  Jana said with all the sugar she could put into it.  "I intend to go to Malibu.  I would rather go with you, but, if necessary, I will get a taxi and have him take me. The choice is up to you."

"There's no way I'm going to let you go by yourself, so I guess it would be better if I took you."  He said as he put the car into gear.  Pulling out from behind the penthouse, he started down the road.  He hadn't put up much of a fight, and Jana got the impression that he really wanted her to go.  She wondered why, since J.D. obviously was unhappy about it.

Knowing that it was a long drive, Jana figured that she would pump Ralph for some more information.  But, just as she was about to start, his phone rang.

"Ralph Walker....no, sir....yes, sir....yes, sir....yes, sir....yes, sir....Okay, I'll let you know."  He said, with a smile, as he hung up.

Since he didn't say anything to Jana, she finally asked. "Well....was that J.D.?"

"Yes."

"What did he say?"

"Let's see, he called you stubborn, hardheaded, obstinate, unreasonable...."

"I get the picture.  You don't need to go on.  You know, I didn't hear you disagreeing with him."  She said with a pouting little smile.

Avoiding the comment Ralph continued with, "He did say to look after you and make sure you don't get yourself into any trouble."

"That doesn't sound any better."

"I guess not, but I did hear a little bit of concern in his voice.  Oh, I forgot, he mentioned foolish too. Something about being foolish to sneak around like this."

"Well, he's just going to have to learn that I'm not going to just sit around in my penthouse.  I have business to take care of.  I don't suppose I could convince you not to tell him anything about what happens tonight.  Could I?"

"I don't see how I could get around it.  After all, he is the one who hired me."

Jana thought maybe she could work on him on the way back from Malibu.  She had to keep this trip as much a secret as possible.  Since Michael was working with Them also, he might already know about Malibu.  The story Ralph would tell him might give away the truth that she wasn't Victoria and besides, she wanted more time to gather information before he found out that little fact.

Feeling she needed to put this time to good use, she asked Ralph about Suzanne.

"Ralph, you worked for Charles for about six months, didn't you?"  Jana started slowly.

"Yes, I wasn't doing much except following you around and reporting back to Charles....I can't believe the nerve this guy Duke has."

"Why do you think he emptied my purse out without taking anything?"

"He was obviously looking for something.  Do you have any idea what that could be?"

"I'm not sure, unless it‘s this."  She said, as she reached into her purse and pulled out the amulet.  "It was a good thing I had put it somewhere safe before my trip to South Carolina."  Putting the amulet back in her purse, Jana continued with.  "Tell me about Suzanne.  How much should I trust her?"

"Not very much.  You have to realize that Charles has a great deal of money at his disposal and just about anyone can be bought.  Although I don't imagine that Suzanne is coming very cheap."

"Do you think they have anything personal going on?"

"I wouldn't doubt it, Charles doesn't let a pretty skirt get past him.  Do you care?  I didn't think that you and Charles had a very close marriage."

"Well, lets just say he makes a good business partner."

"Is that the reason you keep him around?"

"I don't really think I want to get into that."

"I'm sorry, I guess it's none of my business."

"Oh, by the way, when I saw the limousine leaving with Martha in it, I noticed that there were two cars following it."

"Yeah, I had one of my associates follow the limousine, just to add a little more belief that it was you in the car. Just in case Duke knows that I'm protecting you.  But you don't need to worry about Duke knowing about me; I have a backup on you.  Besides myself, there are two or more people on you at all times."

That worried her a little.  She realized that she needed the protection, but she also needed the freedom to solve the mysteries in her life.

As the frown came to her face, Ralph said.  "That was supposed to reassure you, not upset you."

"I am reassured.  It's just that I have a lot of business to attend to and I was just worried that all this protection might hinder me."

"You don't need to worry.  We won't get in your way.  That is unless you need us."  He said.

Sitting quietly, Jana thought about what else she might get out of Ralph.  She wasn't sure what would happen when they got to Malibu and what kind of mood would be in the car afterwards.  She dreaded what kind of answer she would get to this question but she had to know.

"Ralph, if you were following me for six months,  did you happen to follow me to Springfield, Missouri?"

The question surprised Ralph.  He hadn't been expecting it and wasn't ready to answer it.  He hesitated.  If he told her "yes" then she would know he knew about her being Jana Hardin.  If he told her "no" then he would say that he wasn't doing his job.

"Why do you ask?"  He stalled.

"Some really strange thing happened there and I was wondering if you had noticed anything."  She baited.

"I didn't notice anything strange.  You just drove around and looked at some property, visited a few people.  Although I did think it was a little strange that you put on a disguise.  Have you been there before, done something terrible, and didn't want the towns folks to know that you were there?"  He asked hoping he was sounding mysterious.  He thought he had gotten out of that one beautifully.

"I just didn't want them to recognize me and try and up the prices I was offering."  She hoped she sounded convincing.  During the lull in the conversation Jana thought about Ralph's answer.  Maybe he didn't know about her and he did just think that she went to buy property.  The report she had read from him to Charles only went up to before she had gone to Missouri.  She wasn't sure if there had been another report.  One thing she was pretty sure about and that was that Charles didn't know about her.  So if Ralph did know he didn't tell Charles.  Jana wondered why.

The car turned onto a winding road and they swayed back and forth in silence.  While waiting in the penthouse for seven o'clock to come, Jana had worked out what she was going to do once they got to the nursing home.  She had decided to ask Ralph to accompany her because she was afraid, just in case Duke had managed to follow them.  Somehow she would convince Ralph to show her where to place the amulet.

She didn't know about him seeing the inside of the room or even going in, but she was going to have to cross that bridge when she came to it.

They pulled into the driveway of the nursing home and Ralph parked the car off to the side.  "I don't think we should be too obvious.  They would probably be expecting you to come in the limousine, if they saw you."

Taking in a deep breath, Jana said.  "Are you ready, Ralph?"

"Sure."  He said as he got out of the car very quietly.

As they were walking along the side of the building Ralph half expected Victoria to go into the weird trance that she seem to be in that night, but she just walked and looked normal.  Quietly opening the side door, Jana entered and with Ralph following they walked over to the wall.

Ralph looked at Victoria, she looked back at him and reached into her purse and pulled out the amulet.  Reaching up she placed it against the wall.  Nothing happened.  Ralph gave her a puzzling look he then took her hand and moved it higher to where he had seen her place the amulet.  Now he knew something weird was going on if she didn't know where to place the amulet and now Jana knew that he knew.  They exchanged glances that showed that this thought had dawned on each other minds and then Jana quickly moved the amulet around but nothing happened.  This had really turned out to be a disaster for her.

For a while she tried a number of different places but nothing happened.  Ralph had even showed her where he thought it should go, being careful not to touch the amulet.  They finally gave up and went back to the car.

"Mrs. Davenport, what is going on here?"  Ralph asked not being able to hold it in anymore.

"I don't know what you mean, Ralph."  She said trying to sound innocent.

"You acted like you hadn't been here before."

"Ralph, just remember one thing.  You are working for J.D. and not me, so it would be to my best interest not to answer any of your questions.  After all, you have to report everything back to him."

"I could conveniently leave a few things out of my report."

"I'm sorry Ralph.  I don't know how much you know or don't know but I can't take any chances.  I can't trust anyone yet and that includes J.D. and you.  I hope you understand."

Suddenly Victoria seemed so small and all alone to Ralph.  What a burden she was taking on all by herself with no one to trust or turn to.  His heart warmed to her and he wanted to reassure her that she wouldn't get any more problems from him so he said.  "Don't worry, Mrs. Davenport. Anything I know stays with me for now.  No one could drag it out of me, unless, of course, I felt you were in immediate danger and sharing the information might save your life."

Jana sighed a sigh of relief.  "Ralph, you don't know how much that means to me.  As I said, I don't know how much you know, but it is imperative that I am able to complete what I am trying to do without any hindrance.  It means everything to me."

Ralph's heart sank because he knew that she meant finding her husband Michael.  He didn't feel much like talking after that and they returned to LA in silence.

As they arrived back behind the penthouse, Jana turned to Ralph and said.  "I want to thank you again for everything."

"That's OK."  He answered and then continued.  "There's something you should know."

"What's that?"  Jana asked, hoping to find out another little tidbit.

"While Charles, in all of his glory, was raving at me before I quit, one of the things he asked me was, “Who’s Michael?”.  Of course, I didn't answer him."

A look of surprise came over Jana's face, as she quickly glanced down.  When she finally looked back at Ralph, with a puzzling, questioning expression on her face, their eyes met, and she could see that he knew.  Jana just stared at him, a little frightened inside, not sure what to say or do, and Ralph could feel how innocent and vulnerable she really was.  She started to say something, but then, just turned and got out of the car.

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Beginning     Chapter 13

Copyright 1990 by Anita and David Mathews