Connect the Dots, Part One

This is a new series starring the main character from my novel The Long-Timers.  For other parts and additional material click here.

Part One

It was supposed to be a simple assignment, a fluff piece, the profile of a notable citizen. Anna had done hundreds of them and this should have been no different. Yet now, she finds herself in a crisis, one that could cost Anna her job, and even worse, her reputation. It started when Joe, her editor, looked into her cubicle one afternoon.

"Got an assignment for you," he said. "Should be fun."

"What is it?" Anna said. Her dark hair was pulled back into a pony-tail.

"I'd like you to do a profile of Victoria Wells," he replied. "Nothing fancy, just the standard puff piece. Where she's from, how she got to where she is. Fun facts about her life. That kind of thing."

"No problem," Anna said. "I'll get started on it right away. Any chance I can interview her?"

"Good chance," Joe said. "Let me know if you need anything."

"Sure," Anna said.

She turned to her computer to begin her research. She started by searching the archives for any mention of Victoria Wells. Almost everything she found was in connection to Wells' charity, Caring Hands, Loving Hearts, mostly announcements of the annual awards banquet. Something didn't add up, though. The online archives went back to the early 80s and Anna could find a story each year detailing that year's award recipients and other news. She picked up her phone and dialed Joe's extension.

"Quick question," she said. "How old is Victoria Wells?"

"I don't know," Joe responded. "When I saw her at the awards banquet last year she looked like she was in her early twenties."

"That doesn't make any sense," Anna said. "I'm finding announcements for the banquet that go back to 1983 and she's mentioned in all of them."

"Maybe she's older than she looks," Joe replied. "Some people are like that."

"Right," Anna said. "I'll check with Vital Records. Surely there must be a birth certificate somewhere."

"Oh, and I noticed she has a bit of an accent," he said. "Maybe she immigrated."

"I'll check into that as well," Anna said.

She went back to her research. "Let's see if we have any photos."

She checked the online archive of photos but couldn't find any of Victoria Wells.

"That's odd," she said to herself. "Someone that high profile should have had at least one photo on file."

Anna took out a notepad and at the top wrote a single question, "Who is Victoria Wells???"

Then she started writing out notes for possible inquiry. Where was she born? If she immigrated, when did she come to the U.S.? What were her parents like? Where did she grow up? Anna made a list of twenty-one questions she needed to answer then set the notepad on her desk.

"Where to start?" she said. "How about the beginning?"

She looked up a number online then picked up her phone and dialed it. "Hello, Vital Records? Yes, do you have an index of people born in New York? Okay, what are your hours? Thanks."

Anna stood and picked up her bag and said, "Off we go," as she left her cubicle and headed outside.

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G. M. Lupo is author of The Long-Timers.  To join Matt's network click here and select the orange Connect button.