"Hey what happened here?" Max called as he entered the house.
"Oh, Max, thank goodness you are alright!" Jennifer replied. "Jonathan, Max is here and he’s fine."
Jonathan returned from the kitchen. "Max, you okay?"
"Sure Mr. H. Freeway and I went to the park to play a little catch."
"And who did you catch?" Jennifer asked with raised brows.
"You cut me to the quick Mrs. H. But if you must know, her name is Debbie."
"I just hope the police have as good as luck catching whoever did this to our home," Jonathan said surveying the mess.
"Looks like we have a long night ahead of us," Jennifer added.
"Well, we can’t start cleaning, Darling, until the police come."
The police arrived a few minutes later and took everyone’s statement as well as investigated the scene.
"There is not a lot to go on here, Jonathan," Lt. Gray said. "There are no prints and nothing seems to be missing. You think they were looking for something related to Jennifer’s story?"
"We really don’t know Lt." Jennifer shared. "It’s just that Mr. Rostov was murdered just before my interview and now this."
"And what would make these two incidences related?" Lt. Gray asked.
Jennifer looked at Jonathan wondering if they should spill the whole story. Jonathan decided it would be wise since their safety was at risk.
"Wait a minute," Lt. Gray interrupted Jonathan’s statement. "Jennifer, you took evidence from a scene? Do you know I could arrest you for that?"
"But you won’t, will you?" Jennifer pleaded.
"No, I won’t although I should. I could get in deep trouble for this."
"I appreciate it Hershel. I think Jennifer has learned her lesson."
"Perhaps you better pass this evidence to me," Lt. Gray suggested.
"It was just a safe deposit key," Jennifer said reaching into her purse for the key.
"With your prints on it, I bet." Lt. Gray stated annoyingly. "I imagine the box is empty."
"You know us too well, Lt." Jonathan said. "We’d like to hold on to the box’s contents just for another day or so if you don’t mind."
"Jonathan, I can’t do that! It may be a key to who destroyed your home. I can’t do my job, the homicide guys can’t do their job..."
"It would mean a lot to me if I could have another day or two." Jonathan’s voice was serious. "It may have a clue to my past."
Lt. Gray eyed Jonathan. He respected Jonathan a great deal and knew Jonathan wasn’t asking on a whim. "Two days. That’s it. Then I want it all."
"Thank you Hershel. Really. It means a lot to me."
"Ya well, I hope you find what you are looking for before what ever is looking for you finds you."
Later that evening after the home had been mostly cleaned up; Jennifer headed upstairs to bed. Jonathan had gone up a few minutes earlier. When she entered the room, she found him staring pensively out the window.
"Darling, are you all right?" she asked moving towards him.
He looked at her but didn’t speak. For a moment, she feared Jonathan’s alter ego had returned. Instead, he took her in his arms and held her tightly. Jennifer felt stifled in his embraced. It seemed to her that he was holding on for dear life. She returned his embrace, resting her head on his chest.
"I don’t think you realize how much I love you or how grateful I am that you have chosen to be with me," he finally said. His voice was serious, not his usual playful tone.
"I see it in your eyes and feel it when you touch me," Jennifer responded. Jonathan kissed her head and pulled her tighter. "Are you thinking about your childhood?" Jennifer finally asked.
Jonathan was silent for a moment then said; "When I met Max, he told me I could be what ever, do what ever.... and I believed him. And look at me. I became Jonathan Hart. And when I met you, my life became perfect. I would have never in a million years thought that I could have what I have today. I mean Jonathan Hart has love, a family, security, success, respect...." He paused for a moment before continuing. "Charlie Hart had none of that."
His words tore at Jennifer’s heart as she realized he saw his life as two distinct lives. "Today my life if full and I rarely want for anything. But lately when I think back about my childhood it’s like this huge chasm opens in my soul and all the loneliness and fear and uncertainty are right here.. right now."
Jennifer rubbed her hand up and down his back and kissed his chest. "Darling," she whispered. "You don’t have to do this. We can turn everything over to Hershel and just go on as we have. Or maybe..." Jennifer stopped her words as she thought back to Jonathan’s response to her earlier meddling.
"Or maybe what?"
"Nothing. It’s not important. The only thing that is important is that you find peace."
"You are afraid I will get upset like before," he stated matter of factly.
Jennifer nodded her head reluctantly in consent.
Jonathan put his hands on her cheeks and looked pointedly into her eyes. "I promised you I won’t do that again and I won’t. Please tell me what you were going to say."
"I was going to say that maybe if you take some time to investigate your past that it might help bring closure to your feelings and you can reconcile Charlie with Jonathan."
Jonathan grinned.
"What is so funny?"
"You should have been a shrink. You sound like a shrink."
"Jonathan," Jennifer said annoyed that he was making fun of her.
"You may be right though. I know I need to do this. It’s just hard to look back when I have only lived for today and the future for so long."
Jennifer smiled. "Come on. It’s late and we’ve had a long day. Let’s get some sleep."
"We are going to need it for our trip tomorrow."
"What trip?" Jennifer asked.
"To San Francisco."
"San Francisco? What are we going to do there?"
Jonathan took a small key from his robe pocket. "Open a box."
Jennifer eyed him suspiciously. "Another safe deposit box?"
"Charlie Hart’s safe deposit box. I stuck what few things I left the orphanage with in there. I was going to throw them out but Max convinced me to save them."
"You have paid for a box all these years? Why not just store them somewhere?"
"I am storing them somewhere. And, Max thought they would be harder for me to throw them out if I kept them locked up."
"Max is clever," Jennifer said. "Come on Charlie. Time for bed."
The next day, Jonathan and Jennifer flew in their private plane to San Francisco. Max stayed home to be available to the police in case there were any further developments.
The couple arrived in San Francisco mid-morning and checked into a suite at the Fairmont Hotel. Once their things were settled, they headed to the Mission District to the bank in which Jonathan had long ago opened a safe deposit box.
"Hello I am Jonathan Hart," he said to the older gentleman behind the bank counter. "I am here to retrieve my belongings in a safe deposit box."
The older man eyed Jonathan carefully. "You have come a long way haven’t you young man?"
"Yes sir I have," replied Jonathan. He looked at Jennifer and shrugged.
"I remember Maxi bringing you here to open this box."
"Really!" Jennifer couldn’t believe the coincidence.
"Really. Max and I used to earn money together."
"Cards or horses?" Jennifer asked.
"Hey, how did you know about that?"
"Lets just say that Max hasn’t changed much over the years," Jonathan responded.
"You two don’t still bum around together do ya?"
"Well, we don’t bum around much any more. But we are still together."
"That’s great. Listen, here is fifty bucks I owe him. I couldn’t pay him at the time and then when I could he disappeared. Tell him hi from Lefty."
"I sure will."
"Now lets get you that box." The man led them to a room and retrieved the box. Jonathan sat for a moment staring at the box.
"Are you alright darling?" Jennifer asked.
"It doesn’t feel like 20 something years that I put this stuff in here."
Jennifer placed a hand on his shoulder. Jonathan opened the box to reveal its contents.
"Look at this. This is me when I was about 3. It’s the only picture I have of me as a kid except for a few school pictures."
Jennifer took the picture from Jonathan. She felt her heart fill with warmth at the happy faced little boy in the sailor suit. "You were a beautiful child."
"I’ve aged well though don’t you think?"
"Very well," Jennifer replied happy that Jonathan remained in good spirits.
"I have got some report cards, progress reports... I don’t really see anything though that may help."
"What is this?" Jennifer asked pointing to a blank envelope.
"I think that is a goodbye letter from the sisters at the Mission Street Orphanage." Jonathan took the letter out and read it over quietly.
"What does it say?"
"It seems to be a run down of my time at there. They couldn’t give me any official documents so this was their way of sharing information." Jonathan ran his fingers through his hair as he read the details of his being admitted to the orphanage, the number of couples that considered him for adoption, his love of graham crackers, and so on.
"Look here, it says there was a family that wanted to adopt me but were turned down because the mother had to work part-time." Jonathan’s voiced cracked. Jennifer wasn’t sure if it was because it meant he had been wanted or because he was denied a home. "It just says I was left on the doorstep but that I was well dressed and healthy. Apparently I was easy going at first but got depressed when my mother never returned. Also, I asked for somebody else but they couldn’t figure out who it was."
"Kind of odd you didn’t ask for your father," Jennifer commented.
"Yeah but back then, father’s weren’t as involved in child rearing as they are now, don’t you think?"
"I suppose it was different." Although Jennifer had a wonderful childhood, her father had been absent a lot in her early years. It wasn’t until her mother died that her father took a more active role in her life.
Jennifer looked over Jonathan’s shoulder and read a little of the paper. "Who was Amanda Craggs?"
Jonathan looked up at Jennifer with a mischievous grin. "You don’t want to know."
"Yes I do." Jennifer’s voice was scolding.
"I got in trouble when I was caught after hours with Amanda."
"What were you doing?" Jennifer demanded.
Jonathan smiled, "I told her I would never kiss and tell."
"Oh Jonathan." Jonathan was watching Jennifer and all of a sudden his heart filled with love. He threw the paper down and grabbed Jennifer pulling her on his lap.
"Jonathan? What are you doing?"
"I just had this uncontrollable urge to kiss you and tell you how much I love you."
"You’re sure it isn’t Amanda Craggs you are thinking of."
"Who?" Jonathan said pulling Jennifer’s lips to his.
Jonathan and Jennifer left the bank with the papers in tow. While they didn’t reveal anything, Jonathan didn’t seem disappointed. Instead he seemed content.
"You know Charles Valentine’s birth certificate said he was born in Santa Rosa. I wonder if that is where the Valentines lived?" Jennifer asked.
"Funny you should ask that. I had Stanley do some research. He hasn’t been able to find any information about Charles Valentine Jr. except a birth certificate record in Sonoma County, where Santa Rosa is located."
"What about the Valentines?"
"Sebastopol."
"What?"
"He found an old directory that had a Chuck and Helen Valens in Sebastopol."
"You think it could be the same?"
"This whole thing is coincidence."
"If it is them, they sure are hard to keep track of with all the names," Jennifer lamented. "Sebastopol. That’s Russian."
"There were several Russian settlements in Northern California from way back."
"I wonder if that is how they met Rostov?"
"I thought the same thing but there was no Rostov in the directory." Jonathan shared.
"Maybe he changed his name too."
"Probably. I figured we could look at the house, maybe talk to some neighbors. It was so long ago that it would be long shot to find someone who knew them ...."
"Let’s go."
It was a little over an hour drive to Santa Rosa from San Francisco and another 20 minutes west to the quaint town of Sebastopol. They drove though the older neighborhood of town looking for the old "Valens" home.
"Shall we go knock on the door?" Jennifer asked.
"Why not, we’ve come this far." They walked up to the front of the house. Jonathan studied the home hoping it might trigger some sort of memory but none came.
"Hello," a young woman answered the door.
"Hello. I am Jonathan Hart and this is my wife Jennifer. We’re sorry to interrupt you. This may sound strange but I might have spend a part of my childhood in this home."
"Really?" the woman’s eyebrows raised unsure what to make of the couple.
"We were hoping that there may be someone in the neighborhood today that was around at that time. About 30 or so years ago," Jennifer added.
"Most people here are fairly new. The only one I can think of is Mrs. Simpson. She lives directly behind me. She must be 100 or so years old. She lives there with her daughter."
"Thank you very much," Jonathan said.
Jonathan knocked on the door of the Simpson home and found himself feeling a little nervous about what to say when it was answered. A woman of about 60 years old answered the door. In Jonathan’s hesitation, Jennifer jumped in. "Hello, I am Jennifer Hart and this is my husband Jonathan. We are sorry to just barge in like this but my husband is on a search for his birth parents and it is possible that they lived in the house behind you."
"A lot of people have lived in that house over the years."
"His name may have been Charles Valentine or Valens."
"Charlie?" The woman’s voice softened.
"Yes that is right," Jennifer said feeling encouraged.
"Please come in."
Jonathan and Jennifer entered the house and took a seat on a couch in the living room. The daughter, who introduced herself as Sarah Collier, quickly went to the kitchen to get some coffee.
"I don’t know how much I can tell you."
"We have a picture of me when I was about 3, right as I entered the orphanage, perhaps you could tell me if it looks like Charlie," Jonathan asked.
"Oh, I wish I could. I never actually saw him. During that time I was raising my own family in Oregon. I have been back here about 10 years ever since my husband died and mom started failing."
"Is she here?" Jennifer asked.
"Yes, but her mind isn’t very clear. She is resting now."
"What did she tell you about Charlie?" Jonathan asked.
"Oh she talked about him all the time. She watched him a lot when his parents went out of town. She thought it was terrible how his parents were coming and going all the time. They were foreign which my mom didn’t like much. To her everyone sounded German or Russian. She couldn’t tell the difference. Back then everyone was all ways suspicious you know."
Both Jennifer and Jonathan nodded.
"Do you know what nationality they were?" Jennifer asked.
"I think it was French." Jonathan and Jennifer looked at each other.
"Is there anyway we could see your mother."
"I don’t think it would help you. She barely remembers me. Usually she calls me Diane who was a childhood friend. You know though, I remember her being distraught because his parents were killed. There was a car accident."
"Yes."
"And some man, Russian, that she knew for sure, arrived demanding the boy. He had some sort of paper saying he had rights and had to take the boy for his own safety but Mom didn’t believe him."
"What happened?" Jennifer asked intrigued.
"Apparently he just barged in and took him. Mom said Charlie wasn’t afraid though, you know, like he knew the guy.."
"Rostov." Jennifer and Jonathan said at the same time.
"Who?"
"We think a man named Rostov was Charlie’s guardian."
"That I don’t know. What I do know is mom got really worried when all the official looking people started going through their house after they died."
"Official looking people?" Jonathan asked.
"To her that would have been men in black suits. She said they were there for several days."
"She didn’t know why?"
"She just assumed they were taking care of the Valens’ affairs."
"Did they ever come and question her?"
"I think they did ask her some questions. She said it was odd they had known nothing about Charlie. They asked her where he was but she was afraid to get in trouble for letting a Russian take him so she told them he must have been killed in the crash." She took a sip of her coffee. "And, I can’t believe I remember this but the guy’s name was Fitzmeyer. Mom was all bent out of shape because he wouldn’t discuss if he was related the Fitzmeyer’s in Willits."
Jonathan and Jennifer looked at each other. The mystery was intriguing. They thanked their hostess and headed back to San Francisco.
Jonathan pulled the car into the hotel garage and parked. "Darling you head up to the room," he said as they got into the elevator. "I am just going to stop at the front desk to check messages."
Jennifer agreed and stayed on the elevator when Jonathan disembarked in the lobby.
"Do you have messages for Jonathan or Jennifer Hart?" he asked the front desk clerk.
"Yes, here they are." The clerk handed Jonathan several messages.
"Thank you. Listen, could I trouble you to go back and get me a couple of champagne glasses and a bottle of champagne that I could take back up to my wife?"
"We can deliver it up to your room if you like sir."
"Well actually, I’d like to hand deliver it myself if I could."
"Certainly, let me call someone to bring it here."
Jonathan got the champagne and as he headed up in the elevator he stuffed the glasses in his back pockets and the champagne he hid in his coat. He had remembered seeing Bill Holden do the same in Sabrina. Jennifer loved that movie and thought the dance scene with Bill and Audrey Hepburn on the tennis court was very romantic. Jonathan wasn’t sure what she saw in Bill, he was almost twice her age. He really didn’t see how dancing on a tennis court was romantic either.
"Darling I am back," he said upon entering the suite.
"I am in the bedroom," Jennifer called. "I was just about to take a hot bath. Care to join me?" She asked as Jonathan entered the room.
"I was thinking of something a little more bubbly," he replied.
Jennifer eyed him. "What are you up to?"
Jonathan cocked his head in a you have to guess manner.
"Perhaps you want to work up a sweat before taking a bath," she said as she pushed him toward the bed.
"I’d like that too," Jonathan looked behind him to see the bed looming close. Looking back at Jennifer he realized she intended to push him back on the bed. "Darling? Please. Wait...." He quickly pulled the champagne bottle from his coat.
"Oh champagne. Now that is bubbly."
Jonathan turned around to show her what was in his back pockets.
"My goodness," Jennifer laughed. "We almost had a Sabrina remake."
"Yes but I don’t have a brother to steal you away," Jonathan said removing the glasses.
Jennifer smiled lovingly. "You are so romantic."
Jonathan smiled. "I am aren’t I?" He put the glasses down and took Jennifer in his arms. "I want you to know that I appreciate your helping and supporting me. Every day I wake up and see you next to me and can’t believe it isn’t a dream."
"I am as grateful as you to have you in my life."
"Good."
"How about the bubbly in the bath?" Jennifer suggested.
"It will have to wait," Jonathan said pulling Jennifer close so that her lips were only millimeters from hers.
"Why?" Jennifer asked disappointed.
"Because I want to make love to you right now."
A sensuous smile spread across Jennifer’s face. "Mmmm, I like the sound of that."
Jonathan took her mouth with a savage intensity. "Oh, my," Jennifer gasped as Jonathan seared a path of kisses along her throat. He frantically removed her robe. Jennifer responded to his urgency with her own, quickly helping him remove his clothes.
Jonathan pushed Jennifer back against the wall. Masterfully he caressed and kissed her body. His lips were wet and hot as they teased and suckled her hard swollen breasts. With one hand, Jonathan bound Jennifer to him tightly while the other slid down searching for her pleasure points. Wanting to taste her gasps, Jonathan devoured her lips with his, as his fingers slid into her warm, moist body.
The desire roaring through Jennifer’s body rendered her immobile to do anything but accept his advances. She wanted to return favor; to touch and kiss him but her body was a slave to the sensations Jonathan was sending through her. She had no control of them.
Jonathan bent slightly in the knees and pulling Jennifer’s thigh up around his hip, he teased soft pedals of her femininity with his hardened desire.
"Here?" Jennifer asked breathlessly.
"Yes!" Jonathan’s voice was husky and primal. His erection strained against her before finally pressing himself into her.
"Ooooohhhhh Joooonnnnaaatthhhannn." The pleasure was unbelievable. Leaning back on the wall for support, Jennifer raised her other leg and wrapped it around Jonathan’s hip entwining it with her other leg.
"Oh, yeeesss," Jonathan gasped as he leaned into Jennifer and the wall. Jennifer wrapped her arms around his shoulders as if she were holding on for dear life. Jonathan moved in strong, driving strokes that alternately forced her to bury her head in his shoulder and then back against the wall.
"God.... you..... feel....good...." Jonathan spoke with each deep stroke he gave. Jennifer’s body reacted completely on its own; instinctively moving to the rhythm set by Jonathan. Every inch of her body tingled and pulsed. Each deep thrust by Jonathan sending her closer and closer to oblivion. Jennifer cried out, feeling sure she was going to shatter in a million pieces as her body flooded with uncontrollable rapture.
A low growl escaped Jonathan’s lips as Jennifer’s muscles tightened around him in on-going waves of ecstasy sending him to the brink of unconsciousness with his own explosive release.
Jennifer dropped her head onto Jonathan’s shoulder, feeling completely spent. Still joined, Jonathan carried her over to the bed where he sat on the side with Jennifer straddling him.
"What do you think?" Jonathan asked rubbing his hands up and down her back, while kissing her shoulder.
"About what?" Jennifer murmured not lifting her head from his shoulder.
Jonathan frowned. "Darling? Are you all right? I didn’t hurt you did I?"
Still unable to lift her head, Jennifer replied; "Of the million sensations running through my body, pain wasn’t one of them."
Jonathan smiled. "I guess that answers my question."
"About what?"
This time Jonathan laughed. "I was thinking that this love making session would rank in the top 10, actually top 5, maybe even top 3 all time great love making sessions."
"Does that include the other women you’ve had?"
"Are you kidding? They don’t rank at all."
Jennifer slowly raised her head to look at Jonathan. Her expression was of complete joy and fulfillment. "I don’t know, I think maybe this was number one."
"Hmmm, I kind of like the time in the bush of Africa."
"You liked that did you?" Jennifer asked nuzzling her head on his shoulder.
"Very much."
"Well, I’ll have to do that again sometime." Jennifer kissed his neck.
"I wish you would." He kissed her shoulder and then wrapped his arms around her pulling her close. "I think we should go home now."
Jennifer’s head popped up. "Go home? But we haven’t solved the mystery yet."
"I don’t need to anymore. I have gotten what I needed. I know I was cared for and I know people wanted to adopt me. Most importantly, everything I want or need I have; you and Max."
"That’s nice Darling. But aren’t you the least bit curious about whether or not the Valentines are your real parents?"
"You know what curiosity did to the cat. And this cat was into something dangerous."
"So I guess you are not interested in knowing that you sang a little French tune each night when you went to bed?’
"French tune?" Jonathan asked.
"Clair de la Lune. Or what about their connection to Rostov Or who were the ‘official’ looking men going through their house. G-men I bet....."
Jonathan nodded in consent.
"Darling," Jennifer said switching to a luring tone, "Where is your sense of adventure?"
"I used it against that wall."
"Jonath..." Jonathan pressed his lips to Jennifer’s to stop her protests. "Okay, I’m intrigued. I will call some of my government contacts see if they can give me a line on this Fitzmeyer guy, Valentine and Rostov. But, Darling, we need to consider the fact that it has been a long time. Many of the people involved may be dead. And, what if we get to the end and find out they aren’t my parents?"
"Oh, darling, I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking of that. I guess I just got caught up in the mystery. You’re right. If you want to drop it..."
Jonathan put his hand on her mouth. "Don’t be sorry. I am as intrigued as you I just don’t want you to be disappointed if I am still an orphan when all is said and done."
"Will you be disappointed?"
"I don’t know. Probably. But like I said. I have everything I need right here, right now."
"Ahhh, that’s nice." Jennifer rubbed noses with him.
"How about we order in and go over what we’ve got, figure out where to go from here," he suggested.
"Sounds great." Jennifer pushed Jonathan back on the bed. "But first, I have a request to fulfill." Jennifer gave Jonathan a feral smile. He smiled back and relinquished himself to Jennifer’s erotic exploits.
