U.S. Interstate 42 west, Sept. 2010, a few hours before Chapter 7 ends

Jonah and Chris have been on U.S. Interstate 42 heading out of New Jersey and into central Pennsylvania for a little while. Chris still has a stunned look on her face when she says to Jonah, "How did you just do that?! We just walked..." Jonah cuts her off by shushing her, "Shh... shh... it's a trade secret... from way back. It's best if you don't think too much about it"

"Oh okay...," her voice trails off. She tells herself, "Let's not think about that - just file it under 'what the heck just happened'."

Jonah puts in his favorite CD and when the first song starts playing he sheepishly says to Chris, "Sorry, I usually listen to 'classic rock' when I travel."

"That's ok. My dad listens to that old music too!" Chris responds and they both laugh.

Boston's song 'Don't Look Back' plays:

Don't look back, ooh a new day is breakin'

It's been too long since I felt this way

I don't mind ooh where I get taken

The road is callin', today is the day

I can see, it took so long just to realize

I'm much too strong not to compromise

Now I see what I am is holding me down

I'll turn it around, oh yes I will

I finally see the dawn arrivin'

I see beyond the road I'm drivin'

Chris comments, "Hey, we're headed toward where you and the Remington's live."

"Yes, well, we're not headed quite that far," Jonah says as he pulls off the interstate and into the town of Danville.

"The story I got," he says, "is that your mom showed up at the Janet Weis Children's hospital here in Danville, and told the doctors that she was too sick to care of her newborn baby. The doctors treated her and contacted Children & Youth Services about putting the baby up for adoption. C&YS eventually contacted the adoption agency your parents were a part of, and rest, as they say, is history.

"So where do we start first?" Chris asks.

"The county office building is where the adoption records would be," he replies.

They arrive at the 3rd floor and the records dept. where they're greeted by the perky little county clerk Mrs. Walizer.

"Hello there! Can I help you folks?" she asks.

"Hi, I'm Jonah Fortress, and we're looking for the adoption records for this young lady?" he says, gesturing towards Chris.

"Oh! Well, that could be a problem. Most of our records are sealed by the judge, but, like I said, not ALL of them are sealed," she says. She turns to Chris and asks, "So, what is your name, dear?"

"Chris Cappelletti, ma'am" she replies.

"And your date of birth...?" Mrs. Walizer asks.

"December fifth, 1995," Chris answers.

"Well, I'll go see what I can find, honey," Mrs. Walizer says and disappears into another room.

Jonah and Chris wait patiently in the lobby while Mrs. Walizer is gone. She's gone 10 minutes... 15 minutes... 20 minutes... then they can hear the distinctive "clip, clip, clip" of her high-heeled shoes. Jonah pulls out the remote-control-sized device from his pocket and touches the button to arm it. Chris is close enough to him to see something in his hand. Her eyes get big and she mouths the words, "What are you going to do?" to him. With his other hand he puts his finger to his lips saying, "Shhh..." as Mrs. Walizer enters the room. Jonah silently slips in behind her with his thumb on the red button.

Mrs. Walizer is carrying a file in a black folder and reading something on the outside of it when she exclaims, "What did you say your name was again?"

"Fortress... Jonah Fortress...," he replies.

"Oh my, this IS your lucky day then!" Mrs. Walizer exclaims as Jonah slips the device back into his pocket.

"How's that...?" he asks.

"There's a letter attached to the outside that reads, 'To Jonah Fortress, only'." Mrs. Walizer explains. She takes the letter off the file and hands it to Jonah. "Here, I'll go in my office and give you some privacy."

Jonah takes the letter out of the envelope and begins to read:

"Dear Jonah, (Yes, I got your name from Malachi)."Jonah pauses and then looks at the bottom of the letter and says, "Well, I never saw that coming..."

"What? Do you know my birth mom?" Chris exclaims.

"Yes, I met her once, a long time ago," A stunned Jonah explains.

"But where? How?" Chris demands to know.

"Let me read you the letter, and I'll tell you the story later," Jonah says.

Jonah continues reading:

"If you're reading this, then either you have found my daughter, or she has found you and convinced you to help her find me. Please do not help her. I do not want to see her, or you, for that matter. It would be much too difficult to explain to her what I did that I'm ashamed of, and what I had to do to fix it.

Malachi also told me that you're one of the best in the world at finding people. But, PLEASE, do not try to find me. I'm in a place very far from where you are now and a very hard place to get into, so STAY AWAY! My daughter needs to get on with her life and you need to forget about me. Goodbye, then, forever.

Signed Lillith Katherine Ford"

There is an awkward pause.

"So... after that letter, do you still want to find her?" Jonah asks.

"Yes sir," Chris replies.

"You know," he says, pointing to the left-side of his chest. "It's going to hurt right here."

"I know. I-I think I'm ready," Chris responds.

'Well, I didn't necessarily mean you ...I meant your mom...well...both your moms. It's really going to hurt both of them," Jonah explains.

"O-Oh... I-I didn't think...," Chris says. She pauses to think. "I still HAVE to do this. I have to see her," she reasons.

"Okay, let's go then," Jonah says as he knocks on Mrs. Walizer's office door.

In a few minutes they are in the Hummer and back on the interstate headed back east.

In between songs Jonah says to Chris, "Why don't you text your mom and let her know you're alright?"

"Really? I can do that? Won't the F.B.I. or someone be able to trace my text and tell them where we are?" Chris asks.

Jonah laughs and says, "No." He taps on the roof of the Hummer and says, "This vehicle is a 'Faraday's Box'. No radio waves can leave or enter it unless I give the 'ok'. There's no way they could trace a call or a text. We do have a direct link-up with our own satellite." Jonah takes out a thin wireless headset, puts it on and a heads-up virtual display screen appears above the dashboard. Jonah touches a couple of the virtual buttons and says, "Okay you're connected to the satellite. You can text away."

"You guys have your own satellite?" she asks. "Cool. "She begins tapping away on her phone. Soon she has a texting conversation with her mom, Ginny:

Chris: "Mom. Letting u know I'm fine."

Ginny: "Where are you???"

Chris: "Penn."

Ginny: "Are you with HIM?"

Chris: "I'm with Jonah and we found clues to where my birth mom is."

Ginny: "Noo!!"

Chris: "I have to find her! Will txt u when I can!"

Ginny: "Be careful & come home!"

Chris sits there silently for a while. A single tear falls from her eye, staining the makeup on her cheek as it goes.

Jonah says to her, "I can take you home now, you know."

"No, no," she answers, shaking her head. "I've got to keep going. Where are going next?"

"The United States capitol - Washington, D.C.," Jonah answers.