by Tyora Moody
“Jennifer, thank you for letting me interview you for my film. We can shoot a segment for a PSA if you would like, but are you sure this is still a good time?”
Jennifer was dressed in jeans and a T-shirt. She had been out early with a group of searchers looking for Melanie. She pulled her hat off and ran her hands across her short red hair. “This works for me. Please no formalities here. I’m so excited that you are going to document your mother’s life. So many adults go missing each year, whether it’s foul play, mental illness, or circumstances that have led to homelessness. I think what you are doing will garner attention for other missing people.”
As Angel pulled her camera and tripod out of the bag, she responded, “I thought the film could be a way to help other families with missing persons.” She shrugged her shoulders. “Maybe they don’t know about your organization.” Angel had determined that she wanted to tell Elisa’s story whether or not she was ever found.
“We do appreciate it. This week we have workshops going on with law enforcement. We are excited about agencies working together toward a common goal.”
Angel sat the camera on the tripod and then turned it on. She asked, “Law enforcement workshops? That sounds like a perfect place to start. Hold on just one moment.” Angel looked into her camera to check the lighting. Since there was a window on the left side of Jennifer, Angel took the time to adjust the light meter. Jennifer wore a bright green T-shirt, which provided great color balance.
Satisfied with her camera setting, Angel grabbed her notebook and turned to the questions she had prepared. “So, why are you doing workshops for law enforcement?”
Jennifer sighed. “Well, as you probably know, when an adult goes missing, it’s not always taken quite as seriously as when a child disappears. When a person is eighteen, they can come and go as they please. Oftentimes these cases are not handled with care, especially when it comes to family members in search of their loved ones. So we train law enforcement and the investigators on how to interact with families and also the media.”
Angel scribbled in her notebook and then looked up at Jennifer. “You know, the investigator in my mom’s case was also a family friend. I believe he tried his best, but my granddad didn’t think he did enough.”
Jennifer shook her head. “Yes, I’m aware of Nick’s feelings. He came to us because he just couldn’t wrap his head around the fact that your mother couldn’t be found. He really just wanted to bring her home, even if it was just her body.”
Angel swallowed.
“Are you okay? This is hard, and it’s admirable that you are doing this.”
Angel smiled and shook her head. “I’m fine. Let’s continue. When did you start your foundation? Are you the only one devoted to missing persons?”
“Oh no, there are many foundations and organizations doing this work, but we are connected. Meaning we, along with law enforcement, forensic scientists, the families of missing loved ones, we all have access to and the ability to add information to NamUs. NamUs is the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System. It’s the main database for missing persons and unidentified decedent records.”
Angel responded, “It’s an incredible database. I searched there last night and, of course, found my mother’s profile.”
“It’s one of the most important tools we have. There is also The Doe Network, which provides information too. Many unidentified persons have been identified by family members who diligently searched for them.”
“Thanks. I’d like to look into the Web sites more.”
“I’m sure you will find it to be very helpful. Your grandfather was of an older generation, so he didn’t seem to take to computers too well.”
Angel laughed. “No, neither of my grandparents cared too much about computers. Anytime they wanted to see something, I was their Internet guide.” Angel looked at her notes. “Jennifer, I just have a few more questions, and I will be out of your way. Now, tell me, is it true that you have to wait twenty-four hours, and sometimes up to seventy-two hours, to report a missing person?”
“Not necessarily true. If the missing person fits the Bring Them Home Foundation criteria, we like to report them missing as soon as possible. We have an investigator on staff who will immediately focus on the missing person. The sooner an adult is reported missing, the sooner the investigators can help find them. In fact, in many cases missing persons are found and returned home in a few days. It’s sad, but sometimes a person is reported missing when he or she has simply chosen not to go to work and avoid friends and family.”
“But the longer they are missing, the greater the chance that foul play is involved, right? I mean, in my mother’s case, she walked out of the house and didn’t tell anyone where she was going.”
Jennifer shook her head. “Yes, your mother’s case is a tricky one. Her car was never recovered. There is no evidence of her stopping by a bank or spending money. Back then there were no cell phones to be traced. No one has come forward with decent information. There were people who claimed to have seen her, but they were all over the place. Your mother couldn’t be in so many places at once.”
“Agreed.” Angel wanted to be able to pick Detective Cade’s memories about those call-ins. “Would you say if there is foul play involved in a missing persons case that the person responsible could easily have been someone the missing person knew?” she asked. “I mean, I can’t imagine someone harming another person and just keeping it a secret.”
“That’s pretty scary, Angel.” Jennifer clasped her hands. “Unfortunately, if there was an abduction or some type of foul play, the victim usually knows the person, but maybe not personally. But there was some interaction. Oftentimes family and close friends are looked at first.”
That explained why everyone looked so hard at Angel’s father. “Thanks, Jennifer. Is there anything you want to add to the interview?”
“Certainly, I want to stress the importance of immediately notifying the police when someone goes missing. You should dial nine-one-one. Be sure to note their physical features and what they were wearing. Having a recent photo really helps the process too.”
“Awesome.” Angel stood and shook Jennifer’s hand. “I really appreciate your time. I can see why my granddad liked to keep in touch with you. I think he had some peace in knowing someone was still looking for my mother.”
“That’s what we are here for. Now, the police did all they could do as well. I remember Detective . . . um . . . What was his name?”
“Detective Cade.”
“Yes. He never gave up looking. In fact, we kept in touch periodically. He had a wealth of details and information about Elisa’s case. I don’t think I had ever seen such compassion from an investigator. It sounds like your mother was well loved and dearly missed by many people.”
“I see that now more as an adult. You know, speaking of missing persons, what are your thoughts about Melanie Stowe? She is getting a lot of coverage in the media. Do you think it will help?”
Jennifer picked up a flyer off her desk. “I hope so. Melanie is an unusual case with her celebrity status from American Voices. Many, many adults go missing with nowhere near the media attention locally, and certainly not nationally. You can’t turn on the news these days without hearing about her. That’s going to be good if she has been spotted.”
A blond-haired girl peeked in the doorway. “Sorry to interrupt, but, Jennifer, we will need you in the conference room soon.”
Jennifer answered, “I will be right there.” She stood and stretched her arm out toward Angel. “Angel, it’s been a pleasure. Let me know how the documentary goes, and if you can pull a PSA from the interview, that would be fantastic. I would love to include it with our workshop material.”
“Certainly. I will be in touch.”
As Angel packed up her camera and equipment, she thought about Melanie. It had been almost two weeks since she vanished. She wondered if the young singer would fare better than her mother had. Angel hoped so.
She entered the hallway and headed out toward her car. The sunshine warmed her, but she wasn’t thinking warm thoughts. In her heart, she knew she needed to conquer a fear that had been eating away at her the past few days.
Her interview with Jennifer was for a double purpose. Angel wanted to help spread the word about the foundation, but she also wanted to trace what happened to her mother twenty years ago. Jennifer’s words haunted Angel. Oftentimes family and close friends are looked at first. Should she really try to reach out to her father? If he did have something to do with her mother going missing, how would he feel about his long-lost daughter showing up at his front door?
Chapter Twenty-two
“Alan, you are not serious, are you?” Wes looked incredulously at his news producer. “If Serena had this assignment, you wouldn’t hesitate to let her go through with her own story ideas.”
“I’m not saying you aren’t delivering, Wes. I just think with Melanie being a Charlotte native, we aren’t doing her story justice. Look at what CNN is reporting. We need a different angle.”
“I’m aware of the need to bring a unique angle. It was me who brought the exclusive interviews with Detective Darnell Jackson and Candace Johnson a few months ago.” Of course, it didn’t hurt that Wes had a connection. He coached basketball along with Darnell at the Victory Gospel Center. Since Darnell was dating the beauty salon owner, interviewing Candace had turned out to be a sweet deal.
“And we are proud of you for pulling off those stories. I need to see you do it again. I just think we need to throw around some ideas.”
Wes looked away and then back at Alan, whose thick eyebrows were a unibrow. Sometimes Alan’s obsession with getting ratings and an award-winning story was even too much for Wes. Not that he didn’t strive for the same goals. “I told you I believe we need to locate Melanie’s dad. No one knows what happened to him. It’s like he disappeared too.”
Alan waved his hand. “I don’t know, Wes. Would he kidnap his daughter or harm her? Why?”
Wes looked back at his notes from Lisa. “Both Lisa and Jay mentioned that Melanie was having a difficult time securing a record deal. There was a deal on the table, but she wasn’t talking to anyone about it.”
“Why not?”
“I guess because she had been pushed into the spotlight from the American Voices show. Most of the people I have talked to thought she had been voted off too soon, that she should have made it all the way to the finals. Her fans want to see her get an album out there, since she wasn’t a winner on the show. Melanie felt that pressure.”
“So a girl with that kind of talent . . .” Alan leaned back in his seat and placed his hands behind his head. “Why didn’t she have record companies knocking at her door?”
Wes shrugged. “I don’t know. I’m not sure this has anything to do with her being missing.”
Alan leaned forward. “I know you are going with your gut here on the father, but I think we need to look at this from another angle. Give her fans something to hang on to. Who offered Melanie record deals? Why were contracts never signed? What was the latest offer? Why such a secret?”
After getting pelted with Alan’s questions, Wes thought for a moment. Finally, he answered, “Okay, you have a couple of points. I will focus on the record deals, but I still want to ask questions about the dad.”
Alan threw up his hands. “Fine. Just make sure we deliver the news story that Charlotte wants to hear. That all her fans want to hear.”
“I’m on it. By the way, where is Serena? I would love to know what her take would be on this story.”
“Told you Matt sent her on a trip up to New York. Something is brewing, but no one is sharing with me.”
“Must be a serious story for Matt to give her expenses.” Then again, Wes knew Serena could get anything she wanted, including permission from the station’s news director, Matt Lemon, to pursue a hot story.
“No telling what Serena has up her sleeve. In the meantime, Melanie Stowe is our biggest local and national story. Dig up some stuff.”
Wes arose from the chair and left Alan’s office. He wasn’t sure pursuing Melanie’s record deal failures would reveal anything about why she went missing, but he was intrigued. As he sat at his desk, he started to wonder if he wasn’t mixing up the cases a bit. Really, the father he wanted to talk to was the man Pops had tried to investigate in the Elisa Roberts case.
Two different missing person cases, but something was odd. He thought about what Angel had said over the weekend. There were a few similarities in the cases, even though they were twenty years apart. They were both dynamic singers, and both disappeared in their early twenties. Despite the vocal talent both these women had, life wouldn’t allow them to pursue the recognition they desired.
Wes tapped the keyboard to awaken the computer screen and logged into Facebook. He had made a note to check out Melanie Stowe’s profile page. She had a public fan page that had over twenty thousand members. Those were pretty impressive numbers. Wes scrolled through the posts, looking for any odd postings. Most of the posts were from fans wanting the young singer to be found safely. Many prayers were going up for Melanie.
As he continued scrolling, he stopped on one post, mainly because the avatar represented a person who was older than some of the other members. He’d posted, Melanie, girl, I can’t wait to work with you in the studio. You are going places, girl. World, watch out for your next big superstar. Was this related to the record deal? The message was posted about a week before Melanie went missing. Wes scribbled down the date and then clicked on the avatar to pull up the profile page. Minister J.D. Wes sat back. He knew this guy. In fact, Minister J.D. was the founder of the men’s conference Wes had attended last year.
The minister had an unusual background. In the nineties, he had a brief stint as a hip-hop artist known simply as J.D. After one big album that sold a million copies, J.D. found himself pulled into the darker part of the business. He was seen publicly in a drunken state, was charged with a few DUIs, and then finally ended up in rehab. The former hip-hop artist lay low for years before opening a small church in South Charlotte. During the past five years Minister J.D. had acquired quite a flock at Kingdom Building Church. The congregation was not nearly as large as the one at Victory Gospel Church, but many young people liked Minister J.D.’s style of preaching. He was known to drop a rhyme or two.
Wes would definitely be visiting with the minister in the near future. In the meantime, he had a meeting with a friend who he hoped would help provide a better perspective on Melanie’s case.
About two hours later, Wes found himself lifting his body off the ground to slam the ball into the net. He came down to the ground and shouted, “Yeah, baby! Detective, I believe I took care of business today.”
Shaking his head, Darnell grinned and retrieved the bouncing ball. “Okay, you got game today. I will give it to you.” He rubbed his goatee. “Although you might not want to try that jump again. An old man can get hurt off a jumper like that.”
“Old man! Really, if I’m not mistaken, I believe you got a few years on me, Detective.”
Both men laughed as they walked off the court.
“Thanks for letting me whip up on you. Great stress reliever,” Wes commented.
“Mmm, enjoy, because that will be your last time.”
“I doubt it. You see you have a problem.”
Darnell stopped and looked at Wes. “I do?”
Wes continued walking and said over his shoulder, “Yeah, you are a man in love. Men in love can’t concentrate on anything else.”
Darnell threw his head back and laughed. He caught up to Wes. “Can’t argue with you on that one.”
Wes asked, “So, when are you going to pop the question?”
“Whoa, bro! Slow down. Candace and I are not walking down the aisle anytime soon. We have both been married before, so we are going take our time.”
“That’s smart.”
“What about you? One of the most rec
ognizable bachelors in Charlotte. I’ve heard about your groupies.”
“Man, you need to stop. I don’t know how my name ended up in that article. I just report the news. Although, I have found myself in the danger zone at work. You know who I’m talking about.”
Darnell gave Wes a look. “Please don’t tell me you are referring to Serena Manchester.”
“For some reason that I haven’t figured out yet, I’ve been on her radar. I know she wants something. Just don’t know what yet.”
“Well, it’s good you are keeping an eye on her. She is one tricky woman. I do believe she will do anything to get a story.”
Wes knew that Darnell was right. The detective was betrayed by Serena a few years back on a case, and it almost cost Darnell his job at the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department. Wes was really concerned about why Serena was in New York, especially since she had had so many questions about Pops. His gut told him her questions related back to a cold case, but which one?
As they approached their cars, Wes remembered to ask Darnell the question that had been on his mind. “Hey, can I ask you about Melanie Stowe?”
“Sure. Technically, she is still a missing person case, though.”
“Yeah, but it will be two weeks tomorrow. Do you think there is any chance of finding her alive now?”
Darnell shook his head. “I hate to say it, but it could be any day now, weeks, or even months when she could become a homicide case. And at that point, I would definitely be on it. I have been keeping up with the case when I can, though. There isn’t much to work with.”