The Silent Reporter (A Police Procedural Mystery Series of Crime and Suspense, Hyder Ali #1) by Thomas Fincham Page A

JVL.
    The letters J and L was very common, but not the middle letter V.
    They then conducted a search online to see if any of the people with those initials were still living in the city.  This narrowed their search to seven names:
     
    James Vincent Lowry
    Jennifer Valerie Little
    Janice Voila Landon
    Jonathan Vess Lanham
    Jasmine Vicky Johnson
    Jacob Volker Lett
    James Vander Lee
     
    Jessica had taken the first three names on the list while Hyder took the remaining ones. Jessica wasn’t sure what to expect when she met them.  Would they deny ever knowing who her father was?  Would they even be the person they were looking in the first place?  And, would they be willing to go on record to prove there was a conspiracy that included murder?
    There were a lot of ‘ifs’ but she had no choice.  She had to forge ahead.  She had to prove—at least to herself—that her dad’s death was not in vain.
    Someone had killed her dad because her dad was close to finding out the truth.  What was this truth? 
    It was up to Jessica to find out.
    Hyder and Jessica had at first thought to call the names on the list, but soon they decided against it.  What if the person they were looking for refused to even answer their call? Even if they did, Hyder and Jessica would never know if they were telling the truth.  The best approach was to meet them face to face.  They could decipher from their body movements whether they were being honest or not.
    They also wanted to put a face to the initials. 
    Jessica took the bus to the first address. 
    The house was located in a nice neighborhood.  It was surrounded by a wall with a giant metal gate in the front.
    Jessica pressed the buzzer and waited.  A few seconds later a female voice said, “Yes?”
    “Hi, I’m looking for Mr. James Lowry.  Does he live here?” Jessica said.
    “He does.  What’s this about?” the woman said.
    “Can I speak to him, please?”
    There was a pause.  “Wait.”
    A minute later a man came out of the house.  Jessica spotted a young woman holding a baby by the front door.  The woman was looking in her direction suspiciously.
    The man had salt and pepper hair and he immediately unlocked the gate.
    “I’m James Lowry,” he said. 
    “Mr. Lowry, were you a student of Professor Eric Freeland’s at the University of Franklin?”
    Lowry’s face was hard.  “I was. How did you know?”
    Jessica was prepared for such a question.  She couldn’t possibly tell him that they had found his name on stolen university records.
    She had to bluff and hoped that it worked.  “We saw your name on the university’s alumni list and we wanted to speak to you.”
    “Alright,” he said, crossing his arms.
    The next question would give Jessica the indication whether this was the person she was looking for.  “We wanted to let you know that Professor Freeland was dead.”
    Lowry’s face didn’t soften.  “So? What’s it got to do with me?”
    Jessica wasn’t expecting that response but kept going.  “We were creating a web page devoted to him and we wanted to get some quotes from his students to put on there.”
    Lowry shrugged.  “I don’t mind saying something about him, but I’m a busy man.  It would have been better if you had called instead.”
    He provided some generic lines. When he was finished, Jessica said, “Where do you work, Mr. Lowry?”
    “Is that important?” he said.
    “It would be nice to put underneath the quote, to show what Professor Freeland’s students had become.”
    Lowry sighed.  “Okay, whatever.  I’m the owner and CEO of Lowry Paper Mills. Are we done?”
    “Yes, thank you.”
    As Jessica left, she crossed out James Vincent Lowry’s name.  Lowry wasn’t the person they were looking for.
     
    THIRTY-THREE
     
    Hyder sat in the office of Jonathan Vess Lanham.  Lanham was in his early thirties, but he looked like he was ten years younger.  He was portly, with no signs of any facial hair. Lanham was the