Chapter Twenty-one
Angel followed Jennifer into her office at the Bring Them Home Foundation. The offices were in a house. When Angel entered, she was enamored of the cozy living room that served as a waiting area. Jennifer’s office was a former bedroom and was filled with filing cabinets. There was a large couch with a blanket on one side of the room. Angel had a feeling Jennifer was really dedicated to her nonprofit, so much so that she pulled all-nighters. On Jennifer’s desk were flyers with a photo of Melanie Stowe from a performance on American Voices.
“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?