Chapter 27 Chapter Twenty Seven

Simon Fitzgerald looked at the locket for a long time. "I knew your mother, Julia. I liked her. She had a great time with the Stanford kids, and they loved her." "She loves them too," Julia said. "She used to talk to me about them." "What happened to your mother was horrific. You can't imagine the scandal it caused. Boston may be a very small city. Harry Stanford behaved horribly. Your mother had no choice but to walk away. .” He shook his head. "Life must have been very hard for the two of you." "Mother's been having a rough time. What puzzles me is that she still loves Harry Stanford despite all this." She looked at Steve. "I don't understand what happened. Why doesn't my family want to see me?"

The two men exchanged glances. "Let me explain," Steve said.He hesitated, then said cautiously, "A woman came here not long ago and claimed to be Julia Stanford." "But that's impossible!" said Julia. "I'm……" Steve holds up a hand. "I know, the family hired a private investigator to find out if she was the real Julia." "They must have found out she wasn't real." "No, they found out she was real." Julia looked at her in bewilderment. "what?" "The detective said he found the fingerprints that the woman brought with her when she was seventeen years old when she applied for a driver's license in Indiana, and that matched the fingerprints of a woman who claimed to be Julia Stanford."

Julia was even more perplexed. "But, I... I've never been to Indiana." Fitzgerald said: "Julia, there is an elaborate plot to get some of the Stanford estate. I'm afraid you are involved." "I can't believe it!" "Anyone, whoever he is, who is hiding behind this matter, is unlikely to have both Julia Stanfords in his house." Steve added: "The only way this plan will work is to get you out of the way." "You said 'out of the way'..." She paused, reminding her of something. "Oh no!" "What is it?" Fitzgerald asked.

"Two days ago, I was on the phone with my roommate, and she was very emotional. She said that someone came to our apartment with a knife and tried to attack her. The killer thought she was me!" Julia could hardly speak: " Who...who is doing this?" "Probably a member of the family," Steve told her. "But... why?" "There is a large amount of property to be preserved, and within a few days, the will will be verified." "What does that have to do with me? My father never even acknowledged me. He won't leave me with anything."

"The reality is, if we can identify you, your inheritance is about a billion dollars," Fitzgerald said. She sat there, stunned.After a long time, she said, "A billion dollars?" "Yes. There are people coveting that money, and that's why you came close." "I see." She stood there looking at them, a kind of fear rising in her heart. "what should I do?" "I'll tell you what not to do," Steve told her. "You don't go back to the hotel again. Don't show up until we find out what's going on." "When can I go back to Kansas?"

Fitzgerald said: "I think it would be better if you stayed here, Julia. We'll find a place to hide you." "She can stay at my house," Steve suggested. "No one would think of looking for her there." The two men turned to look at Julia. She hesitated for a moment. "Hmm... OK. That's a good idea." "it is good." Julia said slowly, "If my father hadn't fallen overboard from the yacht, none of this would have happened." "Well, I don't think he fell," Steve told her, "but was pushed." ※※※ They took the staff elevator to the garage of the office building and got into Steve's car.

"I don't want anyone to see you," Steve said. "We'll have to keep you out for the next few days." They drove along State Street. "How about something to eat?" Julia looked at him and smiled. "You seem to be telling me to eat all the time." "I know a quiet restaurant. It's an old house in Gloucester Street. I don't think anyone will see us there." ※※※ Les Balliers is a very elegant nineteenth century town house located near one of Boston's nice neighborhoods.Steve and Julia walked in, and the head waiter immediately came to greet him.

"Good afternoon," he said. "Come this way, please. I have a table for you by the window." "If you don't mind," Steve said, "we'd rather have a table against the wall." The head waiter blinked. "A table against the wall?" "Yes, we like quiet." "Of course." He led them to a table in the corner. "I'll call the waiter right away." The head waiter stared at Julia with a sudden look of joy on his face. "Ah! Miss Stanford! It's a pleasure to have you here. I've seen your picture in the papers."

Julia looked at Steve, not knowing what to say. Suddenly Steve yelled, "My God! We left the kids in the car! Let me go get them!" He said to the head waiter, "We'd like two martinis, or Sweet ones, no olives. We'll be right back." "Yes, sir." The head waiter watched the two men hurrying out of the restaurant. "What are you doing?" Julia asked. "Get out of here. He'll just call the press and we'll be in trouble. Let's go somewhere else." They found a diner on Dalton Avenue and ordered food. Steve sat there, watching her carefully. "What's it like to be famous?" he asked.

"Please don't make fun of it. I feel terrible." "I know," he said ruefully. "Sorry." He found her easy to get along with.He remembered how rude he had been when they first met. "You...you really think I'm in danger, Mr. Sloan?" Julia asked. "Call me Steve. Yes, I'm afraid it's dangerous. It won't be long, though. By probate, we'll find out who's behind the scenes. I'll be in charge of your safety in the meantime." .” "Thank you, I... I appreciate you." They stared at each other, a waiter came up, saw the expressions on their faces, and left knowingly.

In the car, Steve asked, "Is this your first time in Boston?" "yes." "This is a very interesting city." The car was passing the old John Hanzik building, and Steve pointed to the tower and said, "Did you see that lighthouse?" "Saw." "It's for forecasting the weather." "How can a lighthouse...?" "I'm glad you ask that question. When the light is a solid blue color, it means clear weather. If it's flashing blue, you know it's likely to be cloudy. A steady red light means it's going to rain Rain, while the red lights are blinking." Julia smiled. They came to Harvard Bridge.Steve slowed down the car. "It's a bridge between Boston and Cambridge. It's exactly 364.4 smoot and an ear long." Julia turned and stared at him and said, "What did you say?" Steve grinned and said, "That's true." "What's Smoot?" "Smoot was using the length of Oliver Reed Smoot as a measure of length, and he was five foot seven. It was a joke at first, but when the city rebuilt the bridge, they used established this notation. The Smoot became a standard unit of length in 1958." She laughed out loud. "It's incredible!" As they drove past the Bank Hill Memorial, Julia exclaimed: "Ho! That's where the Battle of Bank Hill took place, isn't it?" "No." Steve said. "What is that place?" "The Battle of Bank Hill was fought on Breed Hill." ※※※ Steve's home in Boston's Newbury Park area is a beautiful, charming two-story house with comfortable furniture and brightly colored art on the walls. "Do you live here alone?" Julia asked. "Yes. I have a housekeeper who comes twice a week. I'm going to tell her not to come for the next few days. I don't want anyone to know you're here." Julia looked at Steve and said enthusiastically, "You know, I really appreciate everything you've done for me." "I'd love to. Come, I'll show you your bedroom." He led her upstairs to the guest room. "This is the one, I hope you feel comfortable." "Oh yes, it's nice here," said Julia. "I'll get some groceries. I usually eat out." "I will burn..." She hesitated to speak. "Thinking about it, I'd better not burn it. My roommate said the food I cook is terrible." "I don't think I'm a great cook either," Steve said. "But let me cook." He looked at her and said slowly, "I've never cooked for people before." Back off, he told himself.You are dead wrong.You can't keep her in her favor for long. "I want you to feel like you're at home. You're absolutely safe here." She looked at him for a long time, then smiled and said, "Thank you." They went back downstairs. Steve pointed to various household equipment and said, "TV, VCR, radio, CD player...you'll feel comfortable." "Wonderful," she wanted to say, just like it was with you. "Well, if nothing else," he said awkwardly. Julia smiled tenderly at him. "I can't think of anything." "Then I'm going back to the office. I've got a lot of unanswered questions." She watched him go to the door. "Steve?" He turned around. "what?" "Is it okay if I call my roommate?" He shook his head. "Absolutely not. I don't want you to make any calls or leave the house. It's your life."