Page 53 of Justice Denied

Seth gave the scant information he had. “Jetta said she was meeting with someone from the police a few minutes ago, but as far as she knew, her mother’s whereabouts are still unknown.”

“Okay, I’ll see who from our department is working the case.”

“You think they’re connected?”

“It’s too much of a coincidence in my book for it to be otherwise. From what I’ve researched about the Ainsley family, they’re not the typical family to be targeted by kidnappers looking to score a big payout.”

The fact that Detective Oldfield was taking the embezzlement connection seriously made Seth feel marginally better. “So you’ll be looking into the original embezzlement charges?”

“Let’s just say I’m keeping an open mind.”

Seth ended the call, both troubled by the increasing danger related to their investigation and a little elated that someone thought they were making progress. He sent yet another prayer for Emily’s safe return and for God to comfort and sustain Jetta. Then he logged onto Topher Robotics’ website and found the list of personnel. First he pulled up data on Fiona Everly, whose photo showed a striking woman in her late forties or early fifties.

“Good write up on the shooting.” Fallon’s comment made Seth jump. “Startled you, huh?” The older man chuckled as he leaned a shoulder against the cubicle doorway. “How’re you holding up?”

It took Seth a moment to realize Fallon was referring to being shot at earlier that day. Had it really only been a few hours ago? “I’m okay.”

His boss raised a salt-and-pepper eyebrow. “I can see that it’s not been top of mind for you.”

Seth shook his head. “I’ve had other things on my mind.”

“Related to that embezzlement story you’ve been pushing Brogan to investigate?”

Nothing got past the editor-in-chief, something Seth would be wise to remember. “I think so.”

“Spill it.” Fallon crossed his arms, his posture not as combative as it might appear, as Seth had learned it meant the boss was listening hard.

Seth relayed the kidnapping of Emily Ainsley, Jetta’s anonymous warning, and his research into Fiona Everly, who had jumped ship from SafeSense to Topher after Dolores was fired. He also recapped the info Dolores had given them about her own involvement—or lack of involvement—in the altered invoices. “It can’t be a coincidence that Fiona left SafeSense and moved into a higher position at Topher Robotics.”

“You’re thinking the person who hired Fiona might be your head embezzler?”

Seth shrugged. “Could be, so I think it’s a lead worth following up.”

“Good. Don’t let your assumptions lead you in one direction only. It’s entirely possible Fiona got the job all on her own merit and it had nothing to do with the embezzlement.” With a nod, Fallon continued on his way.

Seth appreciated the reminder he shouldn’t get his hopes up that discovering how Fiona got her job would close the fraud case. Instead, he made a note of the names of those in the Topher HR department to call in the morning before his visit to see if he could glean who hired Fiona Everly. Then he spent some more time praying for Emily Ainsley to be returned home soon—and for her daughter to trust in God. He also added a petition for himself for patience and understanding as Jetta decided how to respond to their kiss and whether she would make room in her life for Seth.

* * *

In the easychair in Mom’s room, Jetta rubbed her belly as the baby somersaulted. Seth’s easy acceptance of her pregnancy had been one of the things that had initially drawn her to him. He never looked at her as if she had committed a sin because she was expecting and not married. He also never directly asked her where the baby’s father was. Instead, he simply treated her like a fragile egg, making sure she called him for any heavy lifting and always taking her trash and recycling bins to the curb with his own.

Maybe she should call a Chicago attorney and explore her rights to exclude the father from her baby’s life. Jetta still couldn’t decide on whether she’d keep the baby or give it up for adoption. Asking a man to raise someone else’s child would be a huge undertaking, and she wasn’t sure she could handle raising a child on her own. Seth popped into her mind. His tenderness spoke of a man who would love unconditionally. Would that love extend to a non-biological child? Somehow, she thought it would, but she knew so little about his past, she couldn’t be one hundred percent sure.

“Ms. Ainsley?” A woman wearing a pantsuit stood in the doorway, her long black hair a stark contrast with the cream of the jacket. “I’m FBI Special Agent Alisha Keen.” She flashed her credentials. “The Fairfax County Police Department asked the FBI to consult on your mother’s kidnapping.”

Jetta shook the woman’s hand. “Is there anything new?”

“Not yet, but one of the officers said you had a theory as to why she was taken.” The agent called to someone outside the door. “Would you please bring in another chair?”

A moment later, a security guard entered with a plastic lobby chair and set it where the agent indicated. “Thank you.” She situated herself in the chair, a tablet and stylus in hand, then addressed Jetta. “Tell me everything.”

So Jetta did, starting with her mother’s accident, her siblings’ revelation about their father’s embezzlement, Bingley and the raccoon’s poisoning, the mysterious envelope, her car accident, the home burglary and assault, and the shooting outside Dolores Green’s house.

The agent listened, interjecting questions a few times for clarification. “What have you and Mr. Whitman found out in your investigation?”

“Not much.” Jetta blinked back sudden tears of frustration at their lack of progress. “We keep pulling strings to unravel more information and it simply leads to more strings and not answers.”

Agent Keen smiled. “Welcome to the drudgery that is real police work. In other words, that’s pretty normal. We all expect things to wrap up neatly like in those TV crime shows, but real-life investigations is a series of false starts and rabbit trails. Eventually, if we’re lucky, we stumble upon something that’s the key to the entire crime, but more often than not, it’s a slog through mounds of misinformation to get to the truth.”

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