Chapter 3

                                                           Chapter 3

                   At a quaint little restaurant famous for their food and excellent Salmon fishing near by, fishermen from all over would come. Heidi Allen was only fifth teen years old when she started to work at the "Golden Fish Restaurant," in Port Ontario in upstate New York, in 1991.                    Heidi tended to the salad bar and had met an older man by the name of Brett Law. He was five years and seven months older than Heidi. Brett Law was almost, twenty one years of age. Neither one seemed to care about the age difference and started to become fond of one another. Heidi and Brett Law by the fall of 1991 had become boy friend and girl friend.
                   Heidi Allen had originally attended grades fifth through ninth at the Mexico school district in Mexico, New York. As her friends started to change and get involved in the drug world. Heidi decided that it would be best for her to attend another school away from the drama, drugs and any messes her friends would find themselves in. She transferred to a smaller school, Bishop Cunningham. At first uncertain of the new school and smaller class settings, Heidi grew to love the school. Joining the summer volleyball team becoming a team "Spiker" Heidi became known as the "Tower of Power," standing five feet eleven inches tall and weighing approximately one hundred and forty pounds. Heidi had dirty blonde hair and hazel eye's. In some of her photos, it some time's seemed she was a brunet. Heidi's physical strength and jumping ability made her spike dangerous. Heidi was a very popular player and loved all of her team mates, bringing them goodie bags full of candy during the sectionals. Heidi's school later shut down due to low attendance and in her Junior year she was trying to find a school that would accommodate her needs. She decided not to join a public school.
                   "It was unbelievable because we could no longer attend school together. As we were no longer in the same school districts." Her team mate said. Heidi gave up volleyball her senior year and instead of picking a local public school and being a rival, she decided to take another route that better fit her needs. Heidi spent her senior year attending Onondaga Community college, where she could finish her high school courses and also giving her a jump start on her college courses.
                   Heidi was a bright and responsible, energetic women. Often out spoken and said what ever was on her mind. Heidi was care free and what other's seemed to think, never mattered to Heidi. Her strong will made Heidi capable of anything she set her mind to. Heidi was not the type of person that was involved with drugs as a personal use. Nor could you talk Heidi in to doing anything she did not agree with. These were all things Heidi's family felt were her strong suits.
                   Heidi had a close relationship with her mother but lived next door from her parents with her grandmother. To watch over her as she aged and to help with things if she needed it. But Heidi had a very busy life and even though she was a home body her life sent her in many different directions. Every other Thursday she would go shopping with her older sister Lisa. Her sister Lisa was the opposite of Heidi. Lisa was more sensitive and seemed to need more attention. Heidi was calmer but also bolder. Heidi was fearless, Heidi often liked to drive the families three wheeler. Where as Lisa would not drive but only ride along if Heidi was driving. Heidi often stayed home, having her friends around as she grew up and her sister seemed to like going out to see her friends away from the house. They claim no two siblings are a like and that reflected brightly between Heidi and her sister Lisa. Total opposites branded by the same DNA.
                   Heidi had a secret and so did her family. This family secret stayed locked away for over twenty years. Several months, after she met Brett law and only a few months after she had turned six teen years of age. Heidi Allen had spoken of the drugs she has seen with friends and at the parties she had been attending. Her uncle, a Judge at the time, Russell Sturtz responded with these stories. On December 11, 1991 he called the Oswego County Sheriff Department. On that date, unknown to anyone but those who were involved. Heidi had signed up as an Oswego County Sheriff's Confidential informant, under the code name Julia Roberts. One of those person's whom were present was Brett law, Heidi's boyfriend. Three Sheriff's officers whom were also present were officer Vanpatten, Officer Anderson, Officer Lortie. Anderson said ," He had felt he could not use her in court. He was concerned with her age."
                   Heidi as time passed spoke to a few of her friends that she did trust. Confiding in them, she spoke to a women named, Mrs. Parmley," Admitting she was a CI and that the Oswego County Sheriffs were wanting her to "Rat In" coke dealers." Heidi feared the idea of this and did not want to tell on any of her friends. Rhonda Dunn, another friend of Heidi's that Heidi had also confided in, confirmed these allegations.
                   Brett Law never mentioned any drug dealers in 1994, or that she had mentioned being afraid of anyone. In fact many of Heidi's family member's insisted she had no issue's with anyone. But twenty years later, in 2015, when he was approached again by investigator's. Brett seemed to have a better memory. Brett sat and spoke to them as they asked him a series of question's. Brett willingly started to answer the Investigator's. Telling them, that Heidi had told him, "She was afraid of a man she called "Coke Head"," that lived close to the D&W Store, in New Haven, New York.
                   He added, "She told me, "The unidentified man threatened to harm anyone who turned him in to the police. A man who lived in a brown house on Albright road," Albright road was the road that sits across the road from the D&W store, where Heidi worked as a store clerk.
                    Brett's voice became a voice of confusion, "I did not tell you this back then?" a concerned Brett asked investigator's. Brett Law ended the conversation that day with investigator's, by telling them he wanted a lawyer.
                   Brett Law had a habit of attending the bars with his under aged girl friend Heidi. Heidi often would sit outside in the car and wait for Brett. Brett would party away, often bouncing around the bars. The bartender, Veronica Lonley, thought he was on cocaine, she did not think to much of him. Said he was rude and obnoxious, calling him an, "Idiot." Veronica observed Brett, one night in the bar, spitting all over the floor. Veronica was so disgusted with him, she grabbed the mop and told him he could clean it himself. As the confrontation unfolded, Veronica felt threatened by Brett's behavior.
                   One night while Officer Vanpatten was on duty, he accidentally dropped Heidi's CI file in the parking lot of the D&W Convenience Store. The Co-owner, Kris Duell found it and returned it to the sheriff dept. The sad thing is no one knew this happened. Vanpatten never warned Heidi Allen, her parents or anyone that this incident took place and that Heidi's identity had been exposed.
                   Shortly before Easter in 1994, this same officer went to a local bar, owned by an ex sheriff. There he had what Brian Mensch called , "idle chit chat,". As Vanpatten spoke to Brain, Vanpatten informed Brian of a young CI in the New Haven area that had been working for him. He informed Brian that she was still in school. Giving away her age range. He proceed to tell Brian that with her help the department was getting ready to do a big bust in the New Haven area. Brian's voice got louder as he spoke to investigators about this incident and conversation he had publically with Officer Vanpatten and says. "Then WHAMO! The Heidi Allen- goes down."
                   Heidi unknown to her that either of these incidents had taken place. She moved forward, striving in life as she wanted nothing more than to be a teacher. Heidi had very little time, aside from work and her studies. She still some how found a way to be involved with the local elementary school. During her studies in human services, she interned as a teachers assistant and counseled children of separated and divorced parents. Heidi loved kid's but she wanted to have her career and then later after she had accomplished all of her goals. Then and only then did she want children.
                   Heidi was set to receive her human resources degree in June of 1994. Heidi wanting nothing more than to be a teacher and a positive product to our society. She was gearing up and looking forward to life. She had sent over two hundred resumes across the state to other schools.
                   "She was one of the brightest students in the class. She did high quality work and was a really pleasant girl. The kind of kid you would be proud to call your own." Heidi's, human resource teacher Mr. Filipski spoke very highly of her.
                   Easter Morning had arrived it was Sunday April 3, 1994. By now Heidi and Brett had been a couple for almost three years. Heidi had made her rounds the night before delivering Easter baskets to her friends and family. She lastly arrived at Brett's giving an basket to Brett's young niece. Afterward the couple called it a night and headed back to Heidi's grand mothers. They watched a movie and made their way to bed as Heidi had switched hours with another clerk and Heidi had to open the store by six a.m.. The store owner Kris Duell said, "The D&W was not usually open on Easter mornings, unless clerks decided they wanted to work."
                   Easter morning arrived and a tired Brett and Heidi rolled out of bed. Heidi threw on a pair of blue jeans, a gray Syracuse University sweat shirt, tossing her hair in to a yellow banana clip and slipped on her white tennis shoes. Heidi drove her car and Brett drove his truck following her safely to work. Heidi opened the store doors at 5:55 a.m. and turned on the cash register. As Brett said, "She was pushing buttons." After arriving at work she started to restock the shelves and prepare the deli area. Brett sat and drank his coffee as he read the morning newspaper finding all of the unique article and reading over the funnies. He described he was having a picture perfect morning. Watching Heidi as he pulled the paper down and often calling her over to read the funnies as they laughed together.
                   Apparently Heidi felt no threats as she and Brett had been selling small key chain alarms the summer before. You'd just pull the string and it would let out a piercing scream. Heidi had left hers in the pocket of her jacket that she had left in her car.
                   Brett Law stood up to say good bye to Heidi as Gram Duell entered the store. Gram climbed the stairs at 6:30 a.m., entering the store she looked through the window witnessing "They were smooching," Gram said. She liked Brett and began to tease them, " Now look," she told the love birds, " we are not having any of this in this big town of New Haven on Easter Sunday."
                   Heidi smiled at her remark, Heidi responded, " OH Gram," Heidi had worked at the D&W part time for two years. She had practically waited on everyone in the area. "I did it, because I knew it was you."
                    Brett told Heidi he loved her before he departed from the store at 6:35 a.m., that morning. He claims he went home to get some sleep. Before leaving he told Heidi he would call her in a few hour's. Gram stayed behind and chatted with Heidi for a few minutes. They spoke about the girl moving out across the road and of Grams chickens and her Easter at Brett's. Gram paid for her newspaper and then made her way home ten minutes after Brett left. The last thing Gram recalls was Heidi saying," She had to set the clocks forward, because it was day light savings time."
                   It seems the first few minutes after 7:42 a.m., on April 3, 1994 were a little vague to everyone. Maybe they were vague in the court room, but they were not vague to me. A man by the name Stitson was headed to Nine mile to exercise at work. His memory of this day is etched inside his head like a photograph. On his way he stopped in to the D&W store to grab a Sunday paper. Upon leaving his house his wife had reset the clocks due to day light savings. He to reset his watch. He exited his home and walked across the yard patting the geese on the head. He proceeded to get in to his car and backed out of the driveway. As he drove away he noticed the geese following him and that no one was on his road as he drove off. He left his house by his watch time at 7:38 a.m.. It took approximately three to three and a half minutes to reach the store. Reaching the store, Stitson noticed two vehicles in the parking lot, one white Ford parked by the road, for sale. The second vehicle was a maroon station wagon, parked where employees would have parked. It has been raining and he parked as close to the store as he could get. Pulling right past the steps, Stitson parked near the base of the wooden ramp that entered the store. Entering the store, Stitson grabbed a Sunday paper, approaching the counter he noticed there was no store clerk to cash him out. He placed a dollar, fifty on the counter. As Stitson stood waiting for the cashier, whom he thought was in the bathroom as he noticed the door was closed. He searched through the paper, checking to make sure it had the TV guide and coupons all in tact, another customer walked in. He to purchased a paper, he left the exact change on the counter. A second man entered, also buying a paper he left two dollars on the counter and grabbed fifty cents, out of the change left from the previous customer. Stitson was stuck, he had told them that, "I thought the clerk was in the restroom. I waited to tell her that she had sold three newspapers."
                    A few minutes passed, I heard a noise in the back room, it reassured me that some one was in the building. Thinking to himself, "How long does it take for someone to use the bathroom." Everything in the store seemed normal that morning. The cash register was secured and a dollar thirty eight was on the screen, presuming it had been the change given to the last customer. The meat slicer had been used, the clerks car keys were on the back counter, coffee was on the burner. Stitson began to search the store. Checking the bathrooms, cooler and the back room he heard the noise originate from. "I didn't want to get caught by the clerk as I wandered around the building. I did not want the clerk to think I was up to something."                    Stitson knew a lady that had worked at the store in the past and pondered the idea of contacting her, but did not want to get the clerk in to trouble.
                   Pat Granger then arrived at the store and pumped five dollars in gas. Stitson and Pat knew one another from work. Meeting Pat at the store door, as he made his way in to pay for his gas. Stitson informs Pat, "I can not find the clerk. I am afraid to leave in case she fell or something had happened."
                   As the two men continued to speak, a New Haven Firemen arrived carrying in to the store a bag of cans he was returning for a bottle deposit. We began to proceed to search the store again, this time more thoroughly. We checked the aisles, back room, cooler and even behind the doors.
                   The only thing laying out of place that we found was a Palladium Times Newspaper, sitting on the floor on the clerks side of the counter. Stitson was very observant, but still not alarmed. He exited the building and searched outside around the store. He looked in side of the clerks car. Stitson happens to glance up, noticing an Oswego County Sheriff car parked at the stop sign by 104 and 104b. Flagging him down, I glanced at my watch, it was 7:38 a.m..
                    My watch was later determined to be three minutes slower than my home clock and two minutes faster than the store wall clock. If the clerk had set the time that morning, and she used the wall clock to determine her time, my time of arrival at the store would have been 7:39 a.m. store clock time. 7:42 a.m., my watch time.
                    The on scene time, later changed to 7:55 a.m.. Stitson claimed it was 7:58 a.m., per his watch, when he flagged Officer Curtis down of the Sheriff's department. But the Sheriff's insist it was 7:55 a.m..
                   More police arrived on the scene and one of the store owners Kris Duell. Officer Curtis had Mrs. Duell open the cash register at 8:16 a.m., to see if anything had been taken. Heidi purse and her car key's had been laid out on the back counter. Her maroon station wagon that she had earned and purchased on her own was still parked in the parking lot. Money was still in the cash register, customers had left money for the Sunday newspapers on the counter. Not even a Slim Jim was out of place, the Co-Owner of the store Kris Duell commented about the scene. This was not an obvious robbery. There was no sign of a struggle only tire tracks that seemed to speed away.
                   Heidi was not the type of person that would be irresponsible and leave the store unlocked and unattended. This seemed unusual for Heidi. Her habit in life was to leave a note, for whom ever to let them know where she had gone. Some one in Heidi's own family always knew where she was. This was unpredictable of her and did not seem to fit Heidi's past behaviors.
                   Stitson spoke to Officer Hall. Stitson informed the officer that he arrived at the store at 7:41 a.m., "You have to do better than that time." the officer told him. Stitson did not budge on his time. Stitson went to the extent of back tracking his steps with the officer and timing the moves he made, the morning of April 3. He drove back to the store with Officer Hall. When arriving he and officer Hall knew he was right, that he had arrived at 7:41 a.m.. He noticed that the cash register was broken and that the time on it that day was all wrong and the clock on the wall was also off. In the time difference two people had set their clocks. Stitson had arrived and seen nothing.
                   The Sheriffs claim the last time on the tape from the register Heidi was using. Has the last transaction at 7:42 a.m.. from the last check out and the time an officer was on the scene was a mere three minute difference.
                   As sheriff deputies combed the convenience store, looking for any clue's. Gram noticed the clock was still an hour off. Gram Duell is quoted as to saying," Time had stood still for Heidi."
                   Heidi simply vanished. There were no leads in this case. "It was like looking for a needle in the haystack and not knowing where that hay stack is." Oswego County sheriffs department suggested that Heidi may have just hopped a plane or left in some other form. Heidi's family and friends weren't buying it.
                   Brett said, " Their perfect world was shaken and that they had the picture perfect morning." The paint was very thick, with Brett's love story. He was going to wait for her to return. Brett did not believe the rumors that Heidi just took off. He felt someone had taken her and he also felt that she was still in the county. He would wait patiently for her return so that he could sit and hold her tight.
                   "Heidi will come home. The light's will show her how to come home." This was the only hope Heidi's family had to hold on to, these were words of a four year old cousin of Heidi's.
                   By 10:10 a.m., the sheriff's had the first search teams on the ground. Anyone that had seen anything or been at the store the morning Heidi disappeared was encouraged to call the Sheriff Department. It seems that every customer that had arrived that day, including the last transaction, did the right thing and contacted the department. Informing them that they had been there that morning. One customer would live the rest of his life in regret, for making that phone call.