Jack was in trouble. She now knew her name was 'Dana' and that the real Dana had been Jacob's wife. But that was about all she knew. How could Jack possibly explain what Dana had been up to in recent years?
However Jack did have one advantage. She knew Mrs Melville and knew that Mrs Melville loved to gossip. All Jack had to do was ask about the other residents of the apartment block and she could get 5 minutes of gossip out of the old sticky beat. She replied to the woman 'It's been a long time. Where do I start? How long since I lived here?'
'It would be about 8 years. Little Emily Bates was just a baby when you left. She's at school now? She had her birthday last week'
Jack knew the Bates family 'I remember Shelly and Mark. And their baby has grown up? Do they have other children?'
Mrs Melville filled "Dana" in on everything that the Bates family had done in the last 8 years. Likewise with judicious answers and questions Jack was able to find out more about Dana without telling the old woman anything. She also found out more than she could possibly want to know about the other residents of the complex.
Jack found out that Dana had walked out on Jacob after Jacob had had an affair. Evidently "That Ruth woman" had been in unit 14, but must have left before Jack took apartment 31. Jack was actually amazed. She had thought that Jacob was out of his league with Dana. By Jack's calculation Dana had to be at least 15 years younger than Jacob and was drop dead gorgeous. What on earth had attracted Dana to Jacob in the first place?
Anyway Jack spent over an hour in Mrs Melville's kitchen, waiting for the police to return. The only down side was the old woman kept referring to 'That drug dealer Jack' and of how the complex had deteriorated since Jack had moved in. Jack could not defend herself and just had to nod and agree with the old biddy. Jack could not recall doing anything to have given the woman such an impression.
It was actually a relief when the police returned. Mrs Melville was aware of their return before Jack and was immediately accosting them and asking 'Did you catch that criminal? Did you find that poor woman? Any sign of Jacob?. This is Dana, Jacob's wife. She was a witness to the kidnapping and escaped through the back door'
That Mrs Melville was aware that "Dana" had been in the apartment was a surprise to Jack. She had not told the woman she had been a witness. But then again Mrs Melville did know everything that happened in the complex.
'No No and No' was the policeman's reply to the first questions. 'I think the detective would like to get a statement from you Mrs Johnston. Here he is now'