in my gut also tells me that I should do it, as long as it’s all right with you.”
“Then do it,” said Eliza. “I’m absolutely fine with it, Margo. And you don’t have to come out here tonight with Annabelle and B.J. You have to get up too early in the morning.”
“Are you kidding me?” asked Margo. “There’s no way I won’t be there!”
CHAPTER 35
W hen the FBI agents got to the Broadcast Center, Joe Connelly met them in the lobby and escorted them down to the security center. They sat in his windowless office while Joe shared the contents of his aberrant behavior computer file.
“Naturally, I’ve been going through this file since we got the news that Janie Blake was missing,” said Joe. “There’s one letter that keeps haunting me. I leave it to you to figure out if it’s completely harmless or something else. You’ll see a notation about it on the computer there, but I want to show you the actual letter itself.”
Joe opened a blue folder containing the letter and the envelope it had come in, and slid it across the desk to the FBI agents. Without touching the letter, one of them read it aloud.
Dear Eliza,
I watch you on television and read all about your career at KEY News. I think not only are you a wonderful newswoman, but you are the world’s best mom. You seem to love Janie so much. I wonder if she knows how lucky she is. Janie is such a beautiful child, wouldn’t it be terrible if something happened to her? Can you imagine what your life would belike without her? Janie better appreciate how lucky she is to have you, because it only takes a moment for life to change forever.
“No signature,” noted the FBI agent.
“Yeah,” said the other. “And get a load of those little hearts and flowers and smiley-face stickers plastered all over it.”
CHAPTER 36
I t was embarrassing, but Uncle Lloyd said she had to do it. Nell had a standing appointment at the public pool on Tuesdays. She took an exercise class in the water with the old women who had tried to mother her since her own mother died. Any time she missed a class, they checked up on her and, while it usually made her feel good that they cared about her, she didn’t like to give them a reason to stop by unannounced. Even though all the attention Janie Blake’s abduction had gotten on the news this morning had upset her, Nell had been determined that she wouldn’t miss the class today.
As they all waited for the instructor to appear, the women talked about the Janie Blake story.
“Dear Lord, what has this world come to?”
“That poor little girl.”
“Her poor mother.”
“It just goes to show that you can have all the money in the world and you still can’t protect yourself from bad things happening.”
“I think it happened because Eliza Blake must have a lot of money. She’s a target for evil people who want to take advantage of her.”
Nell took her long braid and tucked it under her mandatory bathingcap. She listened as the old ladies talked among themselves but she said nothing.
The instructor arrived and the women carefully descended into the pool. Nell moved along with the others, twisting and reaching, following the instructor’s directions as best she could. To Nell, the forty-five-minute class seemed to drag on forever.
When the instructor signaled they were done, Nell got out of the pool and wrapped herself in a towel.
“Everything all right with you, Nell?”
Nell looked around and saw Cora Wallace standing behind her.
“Yes, everything’s all right, Cora.”
“You’re looking kind of pale, honey.”
“I’m fine, Cora.”
“Are you eating all right, Nell? How about I make you some of my chicken soup?”
“I’m eating fine, Cora. And thanks, but it’s too hot for chicken soup.”
“You sure? It’s no problem. I can bring some by this afternoon.”
“Don’t do that,” Nell snapped.
Cora was taken aback by the tone in Nell’s voice. Her smile faded.
“I’m sorry,”
“Then do it,” said Eliza. “I’m absolutely fine with it, Margo. And you don’t have to come out here tonight with Annabelle and B.J. You have to get up too early in the morning.”
“Are you kidding me?” asked Margo. “There’s no way I won’t be there!”
CHAPTER 35
W hen the FBI agents got to the Broadcast Center, Joe Connelly met them in the lobby and escorted them down to the security center. They sat in his windowless office while Joe shared the contents of his aberrant behavior computer file.
“Naturally, I’ve been going through this file since we got the news that Janie Blake was missing,” said Joe. “There’s one letter that keeps haunting me. I leave it to you to figure out if it’s completely harmless or something else. You’ll see a notation about it on the computer there, but I want to show you the actual letter itself.”
Joe opened a blue folder containing the letter and the envelope it had come in, and slid it across the desk to the FBI agents. Without touching the letter, one of them read it aloud.
Dear Eliza,
I watch you on television and read all about your career at KEY News. I think not only are you a wonderful newswoman, but you are the world’s best mom. You seem to love Janie so much. I wonder if she knows how lucky she is. Janie is such a beautiful child, wouldn’t it be terrible if something happened to her? Can you imagine what your life would belike without her? Janie better appreciate how lucky she is to have you, because it only takes a moment for life to change forever.
“No signature,” noted the FBI agent.
“Yeah,” said the other. “And get a load of those little hearts and flowers and smiley-face stickers plastered all over it.”
CHAPTER 36
I t was embarrassing, but Uncle Lloyd said she had to do it. Nell had a standing appointment at the public pool on Tuesdays. She took an exercise class in the water with the old women who had tried to mother her since her own mother died. Any time she missed a class, they checked up on her and, while it usually made her feel good that they cared about her, she didn’t like to give them a reason to stop by unannounced. Even though all the attention Janie Blake’s abduction had gotten on the news this morning had upset her, Nell had been determined that she wouldn’t miss the class today.
As they all waited for the instructor to appear, the women talked about the Janie Blake story.
“Dear Lord, what has this world come to?”
“That poor little girl.”
“Her poor mother.”
“It just goes to show that you can have all the money in the world and you still can’t protect yourself from bad things happening.”
“I think it happened because Eliza Blake must have a lot of money. She’s a target for evil people who want to take advantage of her.”
Nell took her long braid and tucked it under her mandatory bathingcap. She listened as the old ladies talked among themselves but she said nothing.
The instructor arrived and the women carefully descended into the pool. Nell moved along with the others, twisting and reaching, following the instructor’s directions as best she could. To Nell, the forty-five-minute class seemed to drag on forever.
When the instructor signaled they were done, Nell got out of the pool and wrapped herself in a towel.
“Everything all right with you, Nell?”
Nell looked around and saw Cora Wallace standing behind her.
“Yes, everything’s all right, Cora.”
“You’re looking kind of pale, honey.”
“I’m fine, Cora.”
“Are you eating all right, Nell? How about I make you some of my chicken soup?”
“I’m eating fine, Cora. And thanks, but it’s too hot for chicken soup.”
“You sure? It’s no problem. I can bring some by this afternoon.”
“Don’t do that,” Nell snapped.
Cora was taken aback by the tone in Nell’s voice. Her smile faded.
“I’m sorry,”
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