The Sleeping Beauty Killer Part 2

"In advance of any political race," Casey explained, "Hunter had been inspecting the foundation's books to be absolutely certain that there were no donations or fundraising practices that could prove embarra.s.sing or controversial under public scrutiny. The night of the gala his chauffeur drove him down from Connecticut, and they picked me up at my apartment. In the car he mentioned that he was going to hire a forensic accountant to conduct a more thorough investigation because of what he called some 'irregularities.' Hunter quickly a.s.sured me that he was being abundantly cautious and was certain there was nothing to worry about. I never thought about it again until four years after I was convicted, when Mark suddenly resigned without notice."

This was the first Laurie had ever heard of the subject. "Is that unusual?" Laurie asked. She was not well-versed in the workings of private foundations.

"The finance reporters apparently thought so," Casey said. "The prison law library allowed us to search online media outlets. Apparently, the foundation's a.s.sets were low enough to trigger speculation. You have to understand, when Hunter poured himself into that foundation, he tripled fundraising results. It's one thing for revenue to fall off without Hunter at the helm. But the media reports said that total a.s.sets were actually down, raising questions about whether they were mismanaging the funds or perhaps worse."

"How did the foundation deal with the speculation?"

She shrugged. "All I know is what I could glean from my media searches, and the a.s.sets of a nonprofit foundation aren't quite as newsworthy as, say, a high-profile murder trial. But from what I can tell, once reporters started talking about Mark's sudden resignation, Hunter's dad appointed a new CFO while praising Mark at length. The story went away. But the fact remains, the foundation's a.s.sets were mysteriously low. I think Hunter detected the problem years earlier. Plus, I can tell you this: Mark Templeton was seated right next to me at the gala. He could easily have slipped a drug into my drink."

Laurie had only agreed to see Casey out of curiosity and to tell Brett she had a lead on a possible story, but she could already picture putting each of these alternative suspects in front of the camera. She realized that when she envisioned the show, she still pictured Alex as the show's host. Once their last case was finished, he had announced that he needed to focus full-time on his criminal defense practice. His departure from the show left the status of what had been a deepening personal relations.h.i.+p between them unclear. She shook the thought from her mind and pressed on.

"And Mary Jane Finder? Who is she?"

"General Raleigh's personal a.s.sistant."

Laurie felt her eyes widen. "What's the connection there?"

"She began working for him a few years before I met Hunter. Hunter did not like Mary Jane from the very beginning, but was especially concerned about the authority she seemed to wield after Hunter's mother pa.s.sed away. He thought she was trying to take advantage of his father, or perhaps even marry him now that he was a widower."

"The boss's son didn't like her? That doesn't seem like a strong motive for murder."

"It's not just that he didn't like her. He thought she was scheming and manipulative. He was certain she was hiding something and was determined to get her fired. And here's the thing: when we were on our way to the gala, I heard him call a lawyer friend for a referral for a private investigator, saying he needed a background check on someone. Then I heard him say, 'It's a sensitive matter.' When he hung up, I asked him if it was related to the audit he was planning of the foundation."

A knock at the conference room door interrupted them. Jerry popped his head in. "I'm very sorry, but Brett's off his conference call. He's with Grace now, demanding to know where you are."

Laurie didn't dare give Brett an exact location or he'd barge in here and take over the discussion. But she also didn't want to put Grace in a position where she was directly lying to her boss's boss.

"Can you please tell him you spoke to me and that I will be in his office in no more than five minutes?" Brett would a.s.sume that the conversation was a phone call. It would get him off Grace's back, but Laurie needed to hurry.

"Okay, so the private investigator was for the foundation," Laurie said, getting back on track.

"No, it wasn't. Or at least, I don't think it was. I asked Hunter if it was related to the audit. He looked sort of warily toward his driver, Raphael, as if to say, Not now. It made me think that he didn't want Raphael to hear the name of the person he was checking on."

"Maybe it was Raphael," Laurie speculated.

"Absolutely not," she said. "Raphael was one of the kindest, most gentle men I have ever met, and he and Hunter adored each other. He was almost an honorary uncle. But he was also extremely trusting and wanted to believe the best about everyone, including Mary Jane. Hunter had stopped complaining about her in Raphael's presence to avoid putting him in an awkward position with a woman who was exercising more and more influence on the family staff. If Hunter was right about Mary Jane hiding something, she may have found a way to stop him from finding out the truth."

"But was she at the gala?" Laurie asked.

"Oh, she certainly was, in the seat right next to General Raleigh. There was a reason Hunter was worried about her agenda."

Laurie could almost picture Brett starting to look at his watch, counting the minutes until her arrival. "Casey, this list is a great start. Let me do some preliminary research and get back-"

"No please, I have so much more to say. You're my only hope."

"I'm not saying no. In fact, I'm very intrigued."

Casey's lower lip started to shake. "Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry." She fanned her eyes. "I swore I was not going to cry. But you have no idea how many letters I've written to lawyers and law clinics and reporters. So many of them wrote back saying the same kind of thing-I'm intrigued, or let me look into it. And then I'd never hear from them again."

"That's not what's happening here, Casey. If anything, I should be the one worried that I'll pour a lot of resources into investigating these claims, only to find out that you've taken your story to the nearest website that will hit the publish b.u.t.ton."

She shook her head adamantly. "No, absolutely not. I've seen the hatchet jobs these so-called journalists come up with. But I know your show, and I know that Alex Buckley is one of the best defense attorneys in the city. I won't talk to any other media until you make up your mind."

The mention of Alex's name grabbed Laurie in the heart.

Casey implored her. "When can we meet again?"

Laurie remembered Jerry's text message from earlier. She said we wouldn't be able to get rid of her until she saw you. Right now, she needed to get rid of her.

"Friday," Laurie blurted. That was two days from now. She was about to backtrack when she realized it would be a good idea to meet Casey and her family outside the office before making any final decisions about whether to proceed. "In fact, I can come to you. Maybe meet your parents?"

"My father pa.s.sed," Casey said sadly, "but I'm staying with my mother. We're in Connecticut, though."

I guess I'm going to Connecticut, Laurie thought.

They were at the conference room door when Laurie realized she'd forgotten to follow up on one part of the earlier string of text messages. "My a.s.sistant producer mentioned that you know Charlotte Pierce?"

Three months ago, Laurie had had no sense of Charlotte Pierce as a person. She thought of Charlotte as "the sister"-as in "the sister" of Amanda Pierce, the missing bride whose disappearance was the subject of Laurie's most recent special. But, to Laurie's surprise, once the production was over, Charlotte had invited her to lunch. Several meals later, Laurie now thought of Charlotte as a friend, the first one she'd made in a very long time.

Casey grinned sheepishly. "I may have overstated our connection," she confessed. "My cousin, Angela Hart, works with her. They're super-good friends, but I've never actually met her."

Laurie watched as Casey put on large dark sungla.s.ses, twisted her hair up, and pulled a Yankees cap low over her forehead. "It was bad enough being recognized at the mall," she said bitterly.

As Laurie rushed to Brett's office, she dictated a reminder to herself to call Charlotte to see if she had any insider information. She also made a mental note: Casey Carter was willing to stretch the truth if it served her purposes.

6.

Brett's secretary, Dana Licameli, gave Laurie a sympathetic look as she waved her into what felt in that moment like the gallows. "Beware," she warned. "I haven't seen him on a tear like this since his daughter came back from Europe with a pierced nose."

Brett immediately swiveled in his chair to face her. "I thought with your extended sojourn from the office, you might return with a tan, smelling of rum and sunscreen." He glanced at his watch. "Nearly three hours at 21 Club? We should all be so lucky. Don't blame your staff, either. They did their best to cover for you, but I made Dana sneak a peek at your calendar on your a.s.sistant's computer."

Laurie opened her mouth to speak but nothing came out. She hated the idea that she had subjected Jerry and Grace to Brett's abuse during her absence. If she said what was truly on her mind, all three of them would be out of their jobs. She finally found words she was able to force herself to mutter. "My apologies, Brett. I obviously forgot we had a meeting scheduled for this afternoon."

Her dry delivery seemed to calm him down. He even gave her a half smile. At sixty-one by her last count, Brett was still quite handsome. With a full head of iron-gray hair and a strong jaw, he had the look of one of the many news anchors he'd hired over the years.

"Don't be so snarky. You know there was no meeting. But you've been avoiding me, and we both know why."

"I haven't been avoiding you," Laurie fibbed, tucking a long strand of light brown hair behind one ear. She had just been waiting for that darned release from the Texas widow, so she could tell Brett they were officially ready to roll. "I really thought we had our ducks in a row on the medical-professor case. The widow was dragging her feet, but I was sure she'd come around."

"You mean she didn't? You told me she was just too busy with those rug rats of hers to get to the post office."

Laurie was positive she had not referred to Lydia's boys as rug rats. Instead she said mildly, "She apparently had second thoughts or was leading me on the whole time."

"I bet she's afraid to do it," Brett said. "Maybe she's guilty."

One of the hardest parts of Laurie's job was convincing all of the key players to partic.i.p.ate in the show. Normally, she tried to appear so gentle and nice that it was difficult for people to say no, but tougher tactics were sometimes called for. She wasn't always proud of the maneuvers she had to use, but a single missing piece of the puzzle pulled the entire production apart.

"I think so, too. She said she consulted two lawyers and has too much to lose."

"Well, that makes her guilty in my book."

"I happen to agree in this instance," Laurie said, "but her mind was definitely made up. And a special about her husband's unsolved murder wouldn't be compelling without her on camera."

"You really are trying to ruin my day, aren't you?" Brett's tone had become sarcastic.

"Not intentionally, no. But the good news is that my sojourn, as you called it, has paid off with a new lead. I just met with Casey Carter."

"Crazy Casey? I heard about her on the news last night. Was she wearing one of the outfits she bought at the mall?"

"I didn't ask. I was too busy listening to her claims that she's innocent. And she laid out five alternative suspects. It could be great for Under Suspicion. Wrongful conviction stories are all the rage."

"But only when they're wrongful."

"I know. It was just a first meeting. I still have a lot of work to do, but at least she's talking to me and not anyone else."

"Honestly, in this case, I don't care whether the gal is a murderer or not. Her name alone will be a ratings bonanza." Laurie expected Brett to give her the third degree over details she didn't have yet. But instead of pressing her for information about the case, he simply said, "Well, I hope this one actually sticks. Fisher Blake Studios hasn't survived all these years by funding false starts."

"Message received," Laurie said, trying to conceal her relief. "Was an update on the next special the only reason you wanted to see me?"

"Of course not. We need to talk about the elephant in the room: whether we like it or not, Alex is gone, and you need a new host." Brett reached across the desk and handed her a piece of paper. "Lucky for you, I've got the perfect man for the job."

As Laurie stared at the sheet of ivory stock paper in her hand, all she could think about was Alex. The way she knew, the first time she saw his blue-green eyes look into the camera behind black-rimmed gla.s.ses, that he was the perfect host for Under Suspicion. How he had jumped into the car with her without hesitation after her father was admitted to the hospital with heart palpitations. Their first dinner alone at Marea. How he had run on instinct to her and Timmy when the man who killed Greg tried to murder them, too. All those hours spent bouncing case theories around over a bottle of red wine. The feeling of his lips against hers.

She realized in that instant that Brett was right. She had been avoiding her boss, and it wasn't because she was waiting for a piece of paper from some woman in Texas. Just as she had kept hoping that the widow would come around, she realized that part of her had been hoping that Alex might, too. Maybe his law practice would settle down temporarily. Or maybe once she had a case in hand, he'd be too intrigued to resist. Or maybe he would just miss working with her.

But now the idea of Alex leaving the show was real. She was looking at a resume that belonged to an actual person with an actual name: Ryan Nichols. Magna c.u.m laude from Harvard Law School. A Supreme Court clerks.h.i.+p. Courtroom experience as a federal prosecutor. It wasn't until she got to the entry about his talking head experience that she connected Ryan's name to the face she'd seen all over the cable news circuit lately.

In her mind, she previewed a recording that didn't exist yet. Under Suspicion, featuring Ryan Nichols. No, she thought, that doesn't sound right. The name should be Alex Buckley.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of Brett's gruff voice. "I know, Ryan's perfect. He'll be here Friday at four to make it official. You can thank me later."

As she turned to leave, Laurie didn't think the knot in her stomach could feel any thicker. Then she heard Brett's voice again behind her. "And we'll talk about Crazy Casey then, too. Can't wait to hear the details."

Great. She had two days to come up with a detailed pitch of Casey Carter's wrongful conviction claim, even though she had no idea whether the woman was innocent or a killer. She needed to call Charlotte.

7.

Laurie had just taken a seat on the wine-colored velvet sofa in Ladyform's luxurious lobby when Charlotte appeared through a set of white double doors. She rose and gave Charlotte a quick hug.

"We're the same height today," Charlotte observed cheerfully.

"Thanks to my three-inch heels and your flats," Laurie said. Charlotte was just shy of five-ten. She was slightly stocky but seemed confident in her own skin. Her chin-length light brown hair neatly framed her round, makeup-free face. Laurie thought of her as the perfect representative of her family's company.

"Thank you so much for seeing me on such short notice," Laurie said, as Charlotte led the way to her office.

"No problem. I could use the distraction. My mom's flight from Seattle lands in an hour. And big news: Dad decided to come up from North Carolina. So as soon as we're done here, I may need to break out the vodka."

"Oh dear. Is it that bad? They seemed to be getting along so well the last time I saw them." More than getting along, Laurie thought. If the disappearance of Charlotte's sister was what broke the couple apart, finding out the truth about what happened to their daughter seemed to have brought them back together again.

"I'm kidding. Mostly. It's almost like they're dating each other. It's very sweet. I just wish they'd get back together again, so they'd stop using visits to me as an excuse to see each other. Dad's gotten better about trusting me with the company, but I still feel him looking over my shoulder when he's here. Speaking of possible couples, how are things with Alex?"

"Fine. Last I heard, he was fine."

In theory, Alex's departure from the show had been strictly business, as he needed to return full-time to his law practice. But she'd only seen him once in the last month, and their "date" this Thursday was to watch the Giants game at his apartment with her father and son. It would be a late night, but Timmy's school was off the next day for teachers' meetings.

"Message received," Charlotte said. "When you called, you said it was about the show?"

"Do you work with a woman named Angela Hart?"

"Sure. She's my marketing director, also one of my closest friends. Oh, I know why you're here," she said excitedly. "It must be about her cousin."

"So you know she's related to Casey Carter?"

"Of course. She has kept her connection to Casey quiet at work, but I knew that the reason she left early every other Friday wasn't to go to the Hamptons as she claimed. She visited Casey faithfully. A few years ago, after too many martinis, I asked Angela point-blank: Did your cousin do it? She swore on her very life, with no hesitation, that Casey is innocent."

"Did she mention that Casey came to see me today? She wants to be featured on Under Suspicion. She even gave me a list of five alternative suspects that her defense attorney never really explored."

"I had no idea," Charlotte said. "I'm not an expert on the case, but I was under the impression the evidence was compelling. I make a point never to share that observation with Angela, of course, but everyone in prison claims they didn't do it."

"I know, but I can't help being intrigued. It's one thing to say you're innocent, but she showed up in my office the very first day after she got out of prison. To tell you the truth, it reminded me of how I felt when your mother showed up asking for help. I couldn't turn her away."

"Obviously, Angela might have a blind spot when it comes to her cousin, but would you like to speak to her?"

"I was hoping you'd introduce us."

8.