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“This is all from the Sheriff’s Office?”
“No. Some was there, and I copied all of it before the FBI showed up to collect it the other day. Some of it came through freedom of information requests. Other parts came from contacts I have at the investigation unit of the Nevada State Police. And a lot of it is stuff my grandfather collected over the years as he searched for answers to what happened to my dad. It’s kept me busy since he died. I’ve gone long stretches where all I do in my free time is work on the case and read through the files. Then, I take breaks and don’t look at the stuff for weeks. But since the FBI told me that Charlotte Margolis had resurfaced, I’ve been neck deep in all of this.”
As secretive as Eric had been about tracking Sloan down in Raleigh the week before, it was little wonder why he had turned his family’s remote cabin into the hub of his investigation into his father’s death.
Sloan checked her watch. “I’m ready to dive in. I’ve got to be back in town by one this afternoon. I’m meeting the Margolises.”
Eric raised his eyebrows. “That was fast.”
“I met with Nora Margolis last night. We had a good chat, and I learned some things. I’m meeting Reid and Tilly Margolis today. I don’t think it’ll be a problem to work my way into the family. Nora is just about the sweetest woman I’ve ever met, and she tells me Tilly and Reid are anxious to meet me. She also offered some information about my birth parents.”
“Oh yeah?” Eric pointed to the table. “Like what?”
Sloan took a seat at the table. Eric sat across from her.
“My father had been engaged when he met my mother, and so there were rumors the summer they disappeared that his jilted ex-fiancée was upset. Naturally, I’m interested in looking into her.”
Eric reached for a stack of papers and shuffled through them.
“Stella Connelly. I found something in my father’s notes about her. He and his deputies had made some visits to Preston and Annabelle’s home on domestic disturbance calls, and each time it was due to Stella Connelly showing up and raising hell.”
He found the pages and handed them to Sloan. She read through handwritten incident reports dated the summer of 1995—four in total. Each described a 9-1-1 call made from Preston and Annabelle’s home to report that Stella Connelly was trespassing, belligerent, and would not leave the property. Each incident ended with either Sandy Stamos or one of his deputies escorting Stella Connelly off the premises. There was never an arrest, but the final incident on June 30, 1995, was the closest the Harrison County Sheriff’s Department came to hauling Stella Connelly to jail. Her father, a prominent Cedar Creek attorney, had been called to the scene to corral his daughter under the threat of arrest if he couldn’t calm her down. Preston, Annabelle, and baby Charlotte disappeared four days later on July 4, 1995.
Sloan looked up from the police report. “Nora Margolis said Stella Connelly was never an official suspect in my parents’ disappearance.” She held up the report. “She’d be the first place I looked.”
“She still lives in town. We should find a way to speak with her.”
Sloan nodded. “Maybe I’ll give her a call and ask to meet under the pretense of learning more about my birth father.”
“That’s probably the safest angle. What else did Nora Margolis mention?”
“She told me about a handyman who worked for the Margolises that summer. They still employ him, from what Nora said.”
“Lester Strange. My dad had a file on him but never made any progress. He’ll be tougher to approach because he’s tied so closely to the family. But that’s where you come in, depending on how deep you get into the Margolis machine.”
“Nora said the guy was quasi obsessed with Annabelle that summer. He’s worth talking to. Or at least looking into.”
“I’ll add him to the list. What else?”
“From Nora? Not much, other than that Reid and Tilly Margolis didn’t like Annabelle.”
“Why was that?”
“She was from the wrong side of the tracks, according to Nora. Her family wasn’t wealthy, and Reid Margolis was suspicious that she was trapping Preston to gain access to family money. That she got pregnant with me, out of wedlock, sort of reinforced the theory. Again, all of this is according to Nora Margolis, who was and technically still is an outsider with a bitter taste in her mouth from how Reid and Tilly treated her when she started dating Ellis. I believe everything she told me, but it’s only one person’s perspective.”
Eric nodded. “You mentioned that you met with the FBI.”
“Yeah. Before I left Raleigh, I met with the agent who is heading up the investigation.”
“And?”
“They cleared my parents, for one. It took three days, but they came to the conclusion that my parents were victims of adoption fraud.”
“Adoption fraud?”
“My parents have legit, or what appears to be legit, adoption papers written up by an attorney hired by my supposed birth mother. Only problem is that the lady who claimed to be my mother wasn’t Annabelle Margolis.”
Eric raised his eyebrows. “Who was she?”
