The Letter - Chapter 51

Life sure takes some strange twists and turns, I thought as I hung up the phone.  I had just gotten a call from the gun control advocacy group whose meeting I had attended last week.  When Bob and I sat in the audience, I was just an anonymous, interested member of the public.  Now all of a sudden, I had star power.  Between the vigil, my article in the newspaper and the interview with Tom Brannigan, I was the most well-known gun control spokesperson in Allegheny County.  The group asked me to speak at the rally on Saturday outside Senator Romey’s offices.  Romey is a staunch conservative on most issues, but has given indications in the past that he might be willing to support some limits on access to guns.  The gun control group hopes the rally will give the Senator some backbone to join in a bi-partisan effort to require universal background checks for gun purchasers.  I was asked to speak for five to ten minutes to rally the crowd.  I wasn’t sure what to say in the speech, but at least I had a few days to think about it.

The doorbell rang.  I walked to the front door and opened it.  Liz and Jeff stood on the porch.

“Hey, come in guys.”  They stamped their feet to remove snow from their shoes and came into the house.  “I wish I had some news to give you about Jennifer, but so far, I’ve got nothing.  My lawyer has been in touch with my ex-wife’s lawyer, but I haven’t heard anything more from him.  And I haven’t heard from Jennifer.  I imagine she’s not been allowed to have access to a phone.”

“That’s right, Mr. Leskovic.  We’re hoping to do something about that,” said Liz.

“Really?  That’s great.  I’d like to hear what you have in mind.  Would you like some hot chocolate or something?”  I led them into the kitchen and motioned for them to sit down.

“No thanks.  The hot chocolate sounds good, but we can’t stay very long.  We’re on a mission,” said Jeff.

“Here’s the thing, Mr. Leskovic,” said Liz taking off her mittens.  “I got a phone call from a girl who goes to Nickerson Academy.  She has classes with Jennifer.  That girl has a sister who is a maid at the Zingerman mansion.  If I can get Jen’s phone to them, the maid has promised she’ll get it to Jen.”

“That would be great,” I said.  “I have it up in her room on the charger.  I’ll go get it.”  I got the phone and charger and brought them down to Liz.  “Where are you meeting these girls?”

“Their parents own a restaurant in Coraopolis.  We’re meeting them there.”

“That’s a long way to go.  Can I drive you there?”

“That’s okay, Mr. Leskovic,” said Jeff.  “I’ve got it covered.”

“Are you sure?  Do your parents know you are driving way out there?”

“Yeah. They trust me.  I’m a very safe driver.  The roads are in good shape, and my car is all-wheel drive.”

“Actually, the girl made a point that they didn’t want you involved, Mr. Leskovic.  She seemed a little afraid of you for some reason.  She assumed I had Jen’s phone, and I didn’t tell her otherwise.”

“How did you find out about this?” I looked at Jeff.

“I’ve been really worried about Jen since that crazy night at the dance,” said Jeff.  “I’ve been texting Liz every few hours to find out if she’s gotten any news.”

“Jeff texted me right after I heard from the girl,” said Liz.  “I called him right away to tell him I had to take Jen’s phone to Coraopolis, and he insisted on driving me there.”

“Hey, my parents still can’t believe what your ex-wife did.  I didn’t have any trouble convincing them to let me borrow the car for this,” said Jeff.  He stood up and picked up his cap and gloves.  Liz picked up her mittens and put them back on.

“All right.  Don’t let me hold you up,” I said. “But I insist that you both call me when you’re safely back home.  Let me know how it went and whether you think these girls can be trusted – not that we have much choice.” 

I escorted Liz and Jeff to the front door and watched them get into Jeff’s car.  I said a prayer as they pulled out and headed down the street.