Stars of O'Ryan Part 15

Jamie was excited to finally hear back from Paul. He'd opened his email after school to find an email from Paul:

Dear Jamie and Helen,
I apologize for the delay in getting in touch. I was trying to figure out how to write this. Let’s start with Jerry. The week before he disappeared, a colleague of his stopped by the house, a chap named Peter. There was something about him that put me on edge. He was still here when Jerry got home, but he scurried off shortly after Jerry arrived. I felt like he was marking his territory or something. The morning that Jerry disappeared, he said he was going fishing. He hated boats, he hated fishing. He was dressed in a suit, he had an attaché. As he said good bye to me on that last morning he said. “I didn’t do what they will say I did. I’ve mailed proof to my brother.”

I don’t know if you’ve found anything that could provide any insights, but there you have it. I also tracked down Gene Abbott, the cost accountant who shared a desk with Jerry. He said that the day before Jerry disappeared, Jerry asked him to straighten all the papers in the “safe.” The Safe was a closet with shelves on three sides, At the end of each day, the scientists would put their day’s work in the safe. Each scientist had their own method of organization. When Jerry asked Gene Abbott to straighten the safe, he did so, destroying all the order there was. It took over a week and the effort of all the scientists to straighten everything out, and that’s when the missing plans were discovered. Up until then, everyone only assumed it was Jerry who was missing.

Please let me know if you find anything that can clear Jerry’s name. I know it’s been fifty years, but Jerry and I had planned what we had to be permanent. Here’s a little information about me, it was twenty years before I let myself love again. Thomas was a victim of the AIDS pandemic. It’s been me and friends since. Which brings me to you:
Jamie, Helen: you two seem special. You seem connected in a way that most young folks aren’t. I hope you’ll be open to a suggestion from an old fart:

Protect your friendship. Protect each other. Regardless of where you go in life, where life takes you, travels and returns, the only permanent place one ever really has is with their best friend. You two make a heck of a good team.

Soon,
Paul

— Lkai