that are tumbling in her mind. She remembers Oliver’s briefing and rushes to her fax machine. It has run completely out of paper. But a treasure-trove of documents lies in a wrinkled stack all full of many new avenues to pursue. She will now be able to create her own “Persons of Interest” list.
She turns to Paul Fairchild, the mysterious Molalla man with the Virginia license plates. He was from the same location where two girls had evaporated into thin air. Was it a coincidence?
And what about Ashley’s father, Wesley Roettger? He had been charged with forty counts of child rape and sodomy. Yet he was allowed to plea bargain down to one count of attempted unlawful penetration of a minor and received no jail time. Why?
Linda decides that there are basically four avenues of investigation to seriously pursue. First, the Molalla man. Second, Ashley’s birth dad and the reasons that he was allowed to plea bargain down to probation with no jail time. Third, Ward Weaver and the allegations that Ashley made against him. And fourth, the real story behind the supposedly helpful Internet sites that have popped up. Suddenly, a dark thought crosses her mind. Could the kidnapper be using an Internet site to keep track of what people knew and if the officials were getting close?
Linda is determined to discover what really happened to the Oregon City girls. And after watching the sadness of her extended family, Miranda’s mother and the widening sphere of fearful parents in the community, she knows it better be soon. It’s late at night and she’s exhausted, but sleep is getting harder to come by—visions of another missing girl chase it away.
April 7, 2002, is a cloudy, cool Saturday. Linda has given herself a little time off to clear her mind and think through what she’s learned so far about the girls’ disappearance. Early afternoon finds Linda fiddling with several hanging plants that dangle from the front porch of her home. She yanks a few weeds and squirts some water, then looks up to see a bright red BMW Z-3 roadster pull into the front driveway, its top down and her husband Philip at the wheel. She is shocked and shouts, “No, no, you didn’t, you didn’t!”
Philip turns the engine off and motions for Linda to come closer. “I told you I was going to do it, and I did it. Don’t worry, I can handle the payments.”
After he climbs out Linda steps back a bit and casts glances around the vehicle. “Good grief! Your image just got the million dollar makeover!” She turns her attention to her tired car parked nearby. “And I’m still stuck with that frumpy green machine.”
Philip laughs. “If you be nice to me, I might let you drive mine once or twice a month.”
Their attention is diverted when a Dodge minivan full of vacant child car seats pulls up next to the sports car. White lettering on the door reads, “Maria’s Custom Child Care.” Philip’s daughter, Maria, sticks her head out the driver’s window and tosses a comment to her dad and Linda. “So you really went and bought it, huh, Dad?” She gets out of her car and slips into the driver’s seat of the Beamer. “Can I borrow it tonight, Daddyo?”
Philip opens the door and gently assists her exit. “Nobody is getting their mitts on this car until I have her broken in.”
The front door to the house swings open, releasing Linda and Philip’s energetic kids who swoop over to the red BMW grunting remarks of approval. Philip beams with pride. “You guys were the only ones that really knew I was getting her for sure.”
The boys laugh. Linda runs her hand along the smooth surface of the fenders. “I hardly ever see you as it is, but hell! You’ll never want to be home now that you’ve got this baby.”
“That baby’s already got a name,” Philip smiles proudly. “Marilyn.”
“Huh?”
“Marilyn. I’m naming her Marilyn, and she’s always going to be my special girl, uh, well, next to my beautiful wife, that is.”
Linda and Philip’s sons donate a few more comments about how much they love the new car before dashing back into the house to resume a PlayStation contest. Suddenly, Maria’s expression changes and she pulls a folded letter from her purse and hands it to her stepmother. “Linda, I almost forgot in the excitement over the car why I came over. I think you and Dad should take a look at this. It’s a letter that Lori got from a dog handler, Harry Oakes. He also sent a copy of this letter to the cops. It’s about Ashley.”
After studying it for a few moments Linda licks her bottom lip. “Harry Oakes, Harry Oakes, you know I’ve heard that name somewhere before.”
Philip approaches and reads parts of the letter over Linda’s shoulder. “Ward Weaver,” he says. “Oakes’s search dog is supposed to have sniffed something suspicious under a concrete slab in Weaver’s backyard. Do you think it’s true?”
Maria scowls. “Don’t you think the police ought to investigate?”
Linda ponders before folding the letter up. She attempts to hand it back to Maria who shakes her head. “No, no, you keep it; Lori thinks maybe he’s a crackpot, but I thought you’d want to check it out anyway. Do you suppose the police have checked the slab by now? I mean, Oakes was there March 15. That’s three weeks ago.”
Linda gently grasps Maria’s left hand. “Let’s see what, if anything, this all means. The FBI has had dozens of dogs going over that ground after Ashley and Miranda’s disappearances. For all we know, Lori’s instincts may be right on the money.”
“You’re right Linda. But Lori told me this guy was in touch with her several times before he even came out with the dog.”
“Maybe so, but give me a few days to run some checks on him before we make any noise about concrete slabs, okay?”
Maria pulls her hand free and embraces her dad briefly. “You guys are just great.”
Philip smiles. “Linda has been working her buns off and I think she’s making some progress. Just hang on, okay?”
“Sure. Oh, I’ve got to tell you about another funny thing that happened. I don’t know if it will help, but let me tell you about Irene.”
Linda is curious. “Irene?”
“Yeah, she’s Tony’s sister’s best friend. You know, the sister who lives next door to us. Well anyway, Irene has always been a sort of psychic. She can tell the future, read palms, tarot cards…and Tony’s sister says she’s very gifted.”
Linda’s eyes narrow. “I’m not a fan of psychics, but we’ll take clues even from otherworldly sources.”
“Well, Irene tried to see if she could get any vibes about where Ashley might be, and you can’t believe what happened. She went out to the school bus stop, spent over half an hour meditating while burning some special candles and she says she got a powerful vision. She is sure she can pinpoint a location.”
Philip shakes his head. “Look Maria, this whole case is crazy enough without going in that direction.”
“Okay but at least let me tell you what she said.”
Linda
