Execution Tales Chapter 43 Revision 2
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43: The Search for Penny
Three days later having found no trace of Penny anywhere her editor reported her missing to the Chicago PD. Not wanting to upset the Chicago Tribune the police gave the case a higher priority than they normally would & put two detectives, Sergeant O’Hara & Constable McLeish on to it
The first development was the discovery of the journalist’s apparently abandoned horse & carriage outside the city about three miles from Cheryl, April & Beth’s house where the killers had left it. However the vehicle provided no clue as to what had happened to Penny.
Two days later the two detectives were shown into Cheryl’s office at the College & explained to her, April & Beth why they were there. The girls having prepared themselves for the visit kept their stories simple & as close to the truth as possible. They told the policemen that they hadn’t seen Penny since she had finished working on her article about the College.
The next day Sergeant O’Hara & Constable McLeish met with the Tribune’s editor Ross McEwan & reported that they hadn’t made any progress.
O’Hara asked, “We know she was in good health. However has Penny worked on anything in the last few weeks which could have led to her learning something that could be a potential threat or danger to an individual or an organisation”.
McEwan replied, “Penny has been with the paper for two years & is well liked & respected. We will go back & look at everything she has worked on since she joined to see if there is anything like that. But off the top of my head I can’t think of anything”.
McLeish asked, “What about boyfriends?”
McEwan said, “I’m not aware of anyone special but I will ask her friends. She always struck me as a career girl first & foremost at this stage in her life”
The police officers got up to leave & O’Hara said, “We will wait for you to get back to us Mr McEwan. It seems unless something new turns up we appear to have hit a brick wall”.
After the meeting with the police McEwan asked the Tribune’s Chief Investigative Reporter Charlie Henry to come to his office.
After describing his meeting with the police McEwan said, “My gut tells me we are missing something here Charlie. Penny is a nice girl & I think we owe it to her to try & find out what has happened. If it turns out she has run off with an Argentine Gaucho to the Pampas then so be it – good luck to her. I would like you & your team to make this your top priority. Look at everything she worked on at the Tribune to see if anything strikes you as potentially exposing her to danger”.
A week later McEwan & Henry sat in the editor’s office & Henry summarised the findings of his investigation so far, “Up until she did the piece on the College Penny had worked exclusively on traditional women’s items, fashion, celebrity gossip, home making, finding a husband, looking after children etc. Her closest colleagues say that she was delighted when you gave her the College story to do. They say she regarded it as a serious news story & she was determined to do it justice. What exactly was the nature of your last conversation with her about the College?”
The editor told Henry about Penny’s plan to try & get interviews with former College girls by following them when they “Graduated”. He said, “The last time I asked her how she was getting on with it, a few days before she disappeared, all she said was that it was proving to be more difficult than she anticipated”.
Henry said, “I think we should try & find everything we can about this College. Who the women are that founded it, where did they come from, how is it funded etc? At the same time we take off from where Penny apparently left off by following the girls when they leave to try & talk to them about what their plans are & what life in the College was really like”.
He continued, “I know Penny’s article was glowing in its praise of the work that goes on at the College, but at the end of the day her account was based on interviews with students who were still resident there. At this stage I am not for a moment suggesting that anything untoward has been going on at this College, which on the face of it does appear to be an admirable institution, however I would have thought that the current students would be liable to be less than frank if anything dubious was going on”.
McEwan nodded & said, “Do we know when the next girl is due to “Graduate”?”.
Henry replied, “According to Penny’s records the next one is due to leave in two weeks’ time”.
The editor said, “Let’s get to it Charlie, for Penny’s sake”
A week later the two senior journalists reviewed the findings of the research on the College. The part that made McEwan sit up & take notice especially was the three young women’s backgrounds. Penny had told him that April & Beth were former students of the infamous Edwards Refuge in New York but it had slipped his mind.. What he hadn’t known was Cheryl’s association with Doctor Harris, the consulting prosecution psychiatrist on the Edwards case, & his suicide”
Henry asked, “Are you going to bring the Chicago PD up to speed boss?”
He replied “Not at this stage Charlie. There is nothing we can tell them that would allow them to act. However what I will say is I am becoming more & more convinced that whatever happened to Penny has something to do with that College”.
A week later, just as Penny had done, Henry & the only woman on his team, Jackie McKenzie, followed Cheryl, April, Beth & the latest College “Graduate” to the killers house in a Tribune carriage. However unlike Jenny they drove past the entrance to the house pulled round a corner, got out went back to the corner & watched & waited
When the three killers came out without the latest “”Graduate” the two journalists waited until their carriage had disappeared on the way back to Chicago. They then drove up to the house, knocked on the door & got no answer. Harris said “Wait here Jackie I will go round the back & see if I can see anything”. Five minutes later he returned shook his head & said, “Let’s head back to the office”.
Three days later having found no trace of Penny anywhere her editor reported her missing to the Chicago PD. Not wanting to upset the Chicago Tribune the police gave the case a higher priority than they normally would & put two detectives, Sergeant O’Hara & Constable McLeish on to it
The first development was the discovery of the journalist’s apparently abandoned horse & carriage outside the city about three miles from Cheryl, April & Beth’s house where the killers had left it. However the vehicle provided no clue as to what had happened to Penny.
Two days later the two detectives were shown into Cheryl’s office at the College & explained to her, April & Beth why they were there. The girls having prepared themselves for the visit kept their stories simple & as close to the truth as possible. They told the policemen that they hadn’t seen Penny since she had finished working on her article about the College.
The next day Sergeant O’Hara & Constable McLeish met with the Tribune’s editor Ross McEwan & reported that they hadn’t made any progress.
O’Hara asked, “We know she was in good health. However has Penny worked on anything in the last few weeks which could have led to her learning something that could be a potential threat or danger to an individual or an organisation”.
McEwan replied, “Penny has been with the paper for two years & is well liked & respected. We will go back & look at everything she has worked on since she joined to see if there is anything like that. But off the top of my head I can’t think of anything”.
McLeish asked, “What about boyfriends?”
McEwan said, “I’m not aware of anyone special but I will ask her friends. She always struck me as a career girl first & foremost at this stage in her life”
The police officers got up to leave & O’Hara said, “We will wait for you to get back to us Mr McEwan. It seems unless something new turns up we appear to have hit a brick wall”.
After the meeting with the police McEwan asked the Tribune’s Chief Investigative Reporter Charlie Henry to come to his office.
After describing his meeting with the police McEwan said, “My gut tells me we are missing something here Charlie. Penny is a nice girl & I think we owe it to her to try & find out what has happened. If it turns out she has run off with an Argentine Gaucho to the Pampas then so be it – good luck to her. I would like you & your team to make this your top priority. Look at everything she worked on at the Tribune to see if anything strikes you as potentially exposing her to danger”.
A week later McEwan & Henry sat in the editor’s office & Henry summarised the findings of his investigation so far, “Up until she did the piece on the College Penny had worked exclusively on traditional women’s items, fashion, celebrity gossip, home making, finding a husband, looking after children etc. Her closest colleagues say that she was delighted when you gave her the College story to do. They say she regarded it as a serious news story & she was determined to do it justice. What exactly was the nature of your last conversation with her about the College?”
The editor told Henry about Penny’s plan to try & get interviews with former College girls by following them when they “Graduated”. He said, “The last time I asked her how she was getting on with it, a few days before she disappeared, all she said was that it was proving to be more difficult than she anticipated”.
Henry said, “I think we should try & find everything we can about this College. Who the women are that founded it, where did they come from, how is it funded etc? At the same time we take off from where Penny apparently left off by following the girls when they leave to try & talk to them about what their plans are & what life in the College was really like”.
He continued, “I know Penny’s article was glowing in its praise of the work that goes on at the College, but at the end of the day her account was based on interviews with students who were still resident there. At this stage I am not for a moment suggesting that anything untoward has been going on at this College, which on the face of it does appear to be an admirable institution, however I would have thought that the current students would be liable to be less than frank if anything dubious was going on”.
McEwan nodded & said, “Do we know when the next girl is due to “Graduate”?”.
Henry replied, “According to Penny’s records the next one is due to leave in two weeks’ time”.
The editor said, “Let’s get to it Charlie, for Penny’s sake”
A week later the two senior journalists reviewed the findings of the research on the College. The part that made McEwan sit up & take notice especially was the three young women’s backgrounds. Penny had told him that April & Beth were former students of the infamous Edwards Refuge in New York but it had slipped his mind.. What he hadn’t known was Cheryl’s association with Doctor Harris, the consulting prosecution psychiatrist on the Edwards case, & his suicide”
Henry asked, “Are you going to bring the Chicago PD up to speed boss?”
He replied “Not at this stage Charlie. There is nothing we can tell them that would allow them to act. However what I will say is I am becoming more & more convinced that whatever happened to Penny has something to do with that College”.
A week later, just as Penny had done, Henry & the only woman on his team, Jackie McKenzie, followed Cheryl, April, Beth & the latest College “Graduate” to the killers house in a Tribune carriage. However unlike Jenny they drove past the entrance to the house pulled round a corner, got out went back to the corner & watched & waited
When the three killers came out without the latest “”Graduate” the two journalists waited until their carriage had disappeared on the way back to Chicago. They then drove up to the house, knocked on the door & got no answer. Harris said “Wait here Jackie I will go round the back & see if I can see anything”. Five minutes later he returned shook his head & said, “Let’s head back to the office”.
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