“That does seem strange.” Laurie knew that innocent people hired lawyers for protection, but it had never crossed her mind to do so, even when she saw a few police officers eyeing her warily after Greg was killed.
“And when Jeff went back to New York, some of the prosecutors tried to get him fired from his office because they were certain he was involved in Amanda’s disappearance. Even now, if you go online to those amateur cybersleuth websites, you’ll find many, many people who think Jeff fits your bill for Under Suspicion. They will definitely tune in to watch if you cover Amanda’s case.”
Turning Sandra down was proving more difficult than Laurie had anticipated. She was now growing apprehensive, feeling her entire morning go to waste when she was supposed to talk to her boss this afternoon about potential new cases. Laurie had a list of three top contenders for the show’s next investigation but hadn’t committed to a top choice. She needed to pull her thoughts together.
“Realistically, Sandra, boyfriends and husbands are always under the microscope to some degree when women go missing. But you said yourself that you don’t actually believe he was involved,” she protested.
“No, I said at first we didn’t believe it. We actually felt terrible for him. But then the facts came rolling in. First, he hired that defense lawyer. Then we found out Jeff had money at stake. You see, Amanda and Jeff had a prenuptial agreement. Thanks to Walter’s business, our family-and Amanda, who worked for the company-had substantial means; Jeff, very little.”
“I thought you just said your daughter’s fiancé was an attorney.”
“Yes, and a very bright one at that. He graduated at the top of his class from Fordham Law School. But he didn’t have any family money, nor was he the moneymaking type on his own. Working as a public defender in Brooklyn, he made a third of Amanda’s salary, not to mention her wealthy family’s business. There was no question she would be the one to take the reins if her father ever retired. I hated the idea of a contract preparing for a divorce before you’re even married, but Walter insisted.”
“What was Jeff’s reaction?”
“As a lawyer, he said he completely understood. I was relieved when he happily complied. But then we found out that, in addition to the prenup, Amanda had also drawn up a will a month before the wedding. Walter was so worried about Jeff robbing the family dry if the marriage didn’t work out, but of course Amanda was free to write her will as she wanted. I think she was so upset at her father over the prenup that she wrote a will as a way to comfort Jeff. She left her trust fund entirely to him.”
“And how much was that?”
“Two million dollars.”
Laurie felt her eyes widen. Sandra wasn’t kidding when she said the family had money. “So has Jeff collected on that? Or is it seven years until someone’s presumed dead?”
“Yes, I understand that is the law. I suppose if her body is found, that jerk of a cop in Florida will win his ten-dollar bet, and Jeff will get two million dollars, plus considerable investment earnings. Or I’m told that he could try to declare Amanda dead at any time and collect that way. If Amanda had canceled the wedding, he would have been left high and dry. No divorce settlement, and no inheritance, because Amanda would have changed her will immediately once she went back to New York.”
“If he was engaged to your daughter, you must have known him well. Did Jeff seem like a dangerous person to you?”
“No. We thought he was a wonderful choice for a husband. He seemed very dedicated to Amanda, loyal to a fault, in fact. But in retrospect, maybe we should have seen the signs. His two best friends, Nick and Austin, as far as I know, are still happy bachelors, always with different women. Birds of a feather flock together, as they say.”
“You think Jeff was unfaithful?”
“It certainly seems possible, given the timing with Meghan.”
Laurie glanced at the notepad on the coffee table. “Meghan is the-”
“Meghan White, the maid of honor. She was Amanda’s best friend at Colby. And they stayed very close afterward when they both moved to New York City. She’s a lawyer, too. Immigration law, in her case. Amanda and Jeff knew each other in college but never dated. Meghan is the one who actually reintroduced Amanda to Jeff in New York. I can certainly tell you she must have been very sorry that she did.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Well, it turns out that Meghan dated Jeff before Amanda ever did. And once Amanda disappeared, she swooped back in. They waited barely a year before marrying. Meghan White is now Mrs. Jeff Hunter. And I think one or both of them murdered my daughter.”
Laurie reached again for her notepad. “Let’s start all over again.”
6
Laurie and Sandra were still talking two hours later, when Laurie’s cell phone let out a little chirp. It was her alarm, alerting her that her meeting with Brett was in ten minutes.
“Sandra, I’m afraid I have an appointment with my boss.” Brett was not the type of person who could tolerate being kept waiting. “But I’m very glad you flew all the way across the country to tell me about Amanda.”
As she walked her out of the office, Sandra had one last question. “Is there anything else I can tell you to help you decide to feature her case on the show?”
“I don’t make these decisions on my own, but I promise I’ll get back to you one way or the other soon.”
“I guess that’s all I can ask for,” Sandra said. She turned to Grace, who was sitting at her desk. “Thank you again for your kindness, Grace. I hope I’ll be seeing both of you again.”
“It was my pleasure,” Grace said, her voice sympathetic.
Once Sandra was gone, Jerry immediately joined them. “Why does that woman look so familiar? Is she an actress by chance?”
Laurie shook her head. “No, I’ll explain later.”
“Well, she was in there forever,” Jerry said. “Grace and I kept wondering whether we should interrupt. Our meeting with Brett is in just a few minutes, and we haven’t had a chance to run through our list of story ideas.”
They had been planning to discuss their three top contenders one last time before Laurie had to pitch the concepts to Brett. She had started including Jerry in some of her planning meetings with Brett as he continued to take on increasing production responsibilities. She tended to focus on the news aspects of the program-the suspects, the witnesses, how to nail down their stories. Jerry’s talent was in envisioning scenes for the actual production-scouting locations, re-creating images from the crime, making the show as cinematographic as possible.
“I didn’t expect to spend so much time with her either, but I think I’ve got a plan. Just follow my lead.”
They started to walk quickly down the corridor to Brett Young’s corner office.
7
Brett’s new secretary, Dana Licameli, waved them directly past her station into the inner sanctum. “He’ll want an explanation,” she warned in a conspiratorial whisper.
Laurie glanced at her watch. They were two minutes late. Oh boy, she thought.
He spun in his chair to face them when they entered. As usual, his expression was filled with disapproval. His wife once was heard to remark that he woke up every day with a scowl on his face.
“Sorry to be a little late, Brett. You’ll be pleased to know that I was talking to someone who may be great for the next special.”
“People are either late or prompt. Saying you’re a little late is like saying you’re a little pregnant.” Turning from her, he said, “You’re looking especially dapper today, Jerry.”