The Vanishing Point by Judith Van Gieson Page A

Jonathan’s editor in New York that the royalties for A Blue-Eyed Boy go to you.”
    â€œThey do,” Jennie said. “After he received his draft notice, Jonathan made a written request so that if anything happened to him, I would get the royalties. His parents didn’t object, and the publisher honored the request. Jonathan never had a formal will. All he had to leave were his royalties and his truck. The royalties supported me for a while, but eventually sales fell off. I couldn’t afford to live in Santa Fe anymore, so I moved out here.”
    â€œBut you and Jonathan never married?”
    â€œNever,” Jennie said, pouring the tea. “Why do you ask?”
    â€œThe rumor persists that he left an heir.”
    â€œA lot of rumors persist about Jonathan. I wish that one were true—or at least that he’d left an heir by me, but he didn’t. And if he’d had a child by someone else I believe I would have known.”
    â€œAnother persistent rumor is that he didn’t die in the canyonlands. That somewhere in the world Jonathan Vail is alive and well.”
    Jennie handed Claire her cup of tea. “Ada would have found him if that were true. She paid her private investigator, Nick Lorenz, a fortune, and he made finding Jonathan his life’s work.”
    Claire took a sip of her tea, which had the dark, spicy flavor of Emperor’s Choice. “Jonathan’s parents have the rights to the journal unless there’s a document or a child out there to prove otherwise.”
    â€œAs far as I know, there isn’t. What has Ada decided to do with it?”
    â€œShe is leaving the original at the center for the time being, accessible only to staff and law enforcement.”
    â€œShe’s not going to like being called the fucking old lady,” Jennie said with a laugh.
    The only experience Claire had had with law enforcement had to do with library thefts, but it seemed to her that Curt had gone beyond the scope of his investigation by giving Jennie a copy of the journal, particularly since he knew Ada Vail had restricted access. “Why did Curt give you a copy of the journal?” she asked.
    â€œHe wanted me to take some time to study it and see if I found anything that could help the investigation. He always believed that what I heard and saw in Slickrock Canyon was the truth. Unlike some people, he didn’t doubt me.”
    Jennie raised an arm to brush her hair out of her face, and her sleeve fell open, revealing the yellow lining of her dress. She looked like a sorceress, and Claire was reminded of the fascination some women in the sixties had with the occult. She could understand how the vivid Jennie could cast a spell over the plain Curt. She lived in Technicolor. He lived in khaki.
    â€œHave you and Curt kept in touch?” she asked.
    â€œWe did at first, but it has been years since I saw him. He was curious about some things in the journal. He had never heard of Lou and wondered who he was.”
    â€œI wondered that myself.”
    â€œHis full name is Lou Bastiann. He was a fan of Jonathan’s. You’ve read A Blue-Eyed Boy, haven’t you?” Her hair fell across her face as she bent to pour another cup of tea.
    â€œMany times,” Claire said.
    â€œThat book had a powerful effect on people, and one of them was Lou. He read it when it first came out, tracked Jonathan down, and they became friends. More than friends. There’s a special relationship between an author and a fan. The fan has found someone to give voice to his thoughts, the author has found a kindred spirit. That was Lou and Jonathan. Lou had no family, and he considered Jonathan his honorary brother. He was in Vietnam in 1966, which is why Jonathan said he was worried about him. We keep in touch. He comes back here from time to time for the Veterans Day ceremony at the Vietnam Memorial in Angel Fire. I’ll be interested to hear what he thinks