As he sat there watching the sun set behind the mountain, he began to wonder what was going on. Nancy said this was the second time she heard a scream. She had also claimed to see something running through the woods. He knew if that’s what Nancy saw, then it had to be true.

He heard the front door close. He turned and saw Melissa. She came over and sat beside him on the swing. “I want to apologize for Jake. He gets worked up about the performance and sometimes forgets his manners.”

“It’s all right,” Frank said.

Melissa reached over and handed Frank a pile of papers. Frank looked at her, puzzled. “What’s this?”

“Read it.”

Frank unfolded the papers. The words were typed on a standard piece of paper. Frank read to himself.

The note was unsigned. He read through the note again. Frank asked, “Where did this come from?”

“I found it in the papers Jake brought over,” Melissa said with a shaky voice. “The gunman on the slopes was aiming at me.” She looked at Frank. “Jeremy told me you and Joe are detectives. At first I wasn’t sure you should get involved, but now, I don’t know what else to do.”

Frank folded the note back up. From the sound of Melissa’s voice, he knew she was terrified and wasn’t putting on an act. “Have you received any notes like this before?”

“No.”

“Have there been any unusual accidents?”

“Every production has its share of them. One time I received a shock from my microphone during rehearsal, but I wasn’t hurt. It was just a faulty wire.” She got to her feet and looked out into the woods. “One of the stage lights fell when they were replacing the bulb. It just missed me.”

“Was there anything else?”

“On our way to a concert, one of the truck wheels blew out. The driver avoided crashing into a busload of kids, but those were just accidents, weren’t they?”

“Do you have any idea why anyone would threaten you?”

“No.”

Frank looked at Melissa. “What do you know about Jake?”

“He has been with me since the beginning. He was the one who discovered me. He came to our school talent show while visiting a cousin of his. At the time, I was twelve. He claimed I had real talent after the show. He asked me if I ever thought about recording some songs. He set up a session with a band and studio and I was on the charts in no time.” He voice got soft. “I thought it was a way I could help my family. We were always struggling to make ends meet. The chance to do the one thing I loved came at the perfect time. We were about to lose our home and farm. Making music was a way I could help my family keep their livelihood. So, tutors were hired, I left school and started touring. I was able to help keep the house. As for Jake, he takes care of everything. He sets up the concert schedule, books the opening acts and takes care of the financial aspect of the business.”

“Jake takes care of everything?”

“Yeah,” Melissa said turning around and leaning back against the railing. “He takes care of paying the musicians, concert halls, advertising and the recording studio. He even writes my check.”

Frank started to get an idea. “Is Jake the only person who sees the financial books?”

“I don’t know. Probably. I don’t worry about that. Between keeping up with my studies while on tour, learning new dance routines and writing new songs, I don’t have time to worry about those things. That’s why I have Jake.”

Frank leaned back on the swing. “Do you have an insurance policy?”

“Huh?”

“A life insurance policy,” Frank said, impatiently. “That’s a policy so that if something happens to you, the beneficiary would get the money from the policy.”

“What’s a beneficiary?”

“That’s the person who would receive the money.”

“I think I have some kind of police, but Jake would be the one who would know for sure. He takes care of that stuff.” She looked at Frank. “Why? Do you think whoever is after me knows about the policy?”

“It’s possible. The only person who would benefit from your death would be the person named as your beneficiary. But that may not be the circumstance. It may also depend on how much the policy is worth.”

“I never knew there was so much I didn’t know.”

“Does Jake keep the financial books with him?”

“He has a bunch of books in his trailer. I think those might be what you’re talking about. He has lots of papers that deal with the tour there, too.”

Joe came out on the porch and heard Frank ask, “Could you possibly get me into Jake’s trailer?”

“Why?” Melissa and Joe asked.

“If Jake is involved, one reason may be that he knows who the beneficiary is to your policy.”

“I can’t believe Jake is involved. He’s always been good to me. I can’t see him doing anything to hurt me.”

“But wouldn’t you want to make sure he’s not involved?”

“I guess.” Melissa looked at Frank. “I can get you in his trailer.”

“Good,” Frank said getting to his feet.

“I’m coming with you,” Joe said. “You’ll need an extra set of eyes.”

Frank looked at Melissa. “Hopefully you’re right about Jake. This will clear him.”

“Okay.”