Laurie assumed that there had to be a way to track down the original posts that were written during the trial. As they say, the Internet never forgets. She was jotting down a reminder to call the studio’s tech people for help, when she noticed the time.
“I’m sorry to run out on you like this, but I have a meeting with the head of the studio. If you have time to wait, Grace will have some paperwork for you to sign. One’s the waiver of attorney-client privilege that we talked about. And the other one’s our standard participation agreement. There will be one for you, too, Angela, since you saw Hunter and your cousin just hours before the murder.”
An awkward pause fell between Casey and Angela. “I thought-” Angela began.
“Angela,” Casey said, “I need you to support me for this. You asked me to wait a few days, and I have. I’m more certain than ever. Please.”
Angela grabbed Casey’s hand and gave it a quick squeeze. “Of course. It’s not the decision I would make, but I’ll do whatever I can to help.”
“Fantastic,” Laurie said. “I’d also like to get a list of people who knew you and Hunter as a couple, Casey.”
“Well, there’s Angela, of course. And Hunter’s brother, Andrew, but I can only imagine the horrible things he’ll say about me now. There was a time when I felt like I knew anyone and everyone in New York City, but I lost my friends one by one. When you get arrested for murder, you’re pretty much a pariah.” Casey’s eyes suddenly brightened with a new idea. She turned toward Angela. “What about Sean? The four of us used to double-date all the time. Boy, that was awkward at first.”
The giggle told the story of an inside joke that Laurie wasn’t privy to, but she could feel the camaraderie between these two women. Casey might have been in prison for fifteen years, but Casey and Angela were bonded as if they’d never been apart. Casey leaned forward as if she were telling a secret. “Angela and Hunter were an item before I met him.”
Angela laughed. “To call us an ‘item’ is a gross exaggeration. It was a few dates. Not even-more like platonic plus-ones. If I wasn’t going out with anybody but wanted to bring a date to an event, if he was free, he’d come. I used to do the same for him.”
“Really?” Laurie asked. “Were those dates before or after Hunter met Casey?”
“Oh wow, long before. Casey had just moved to the city after graduating from Tufts. Then a couple years later, she told me she was seeing an amazing man she met at Sotheby’s. When she said it was Hunter Raleigh, I probably threw her for a loop when I told her we’d gone out a few times. Anyway, it was no big deal. It became a running joke that Hunter and I would have made the worst couple. But Sean, that one was serious. I thought we might actually get married,” Angela said wistfully. “But I have no idea how to get hold of him now.”
“Don’t worry about that,” Laurie said. “We’re very good at finding people. What’s Sean’s last name?”
“Murray,” Angela replied. “So do all these questions mean that you will consider using Casey in your next Under Suspicion special?”
“I can’t make any promises until I talk to my boss. But, Casey, I am happy to tell you I’m officially pitching your story as our next special.”
“Really?” She leapt from the sofa and nearly knocked Laurie over with a hug. “Thank you. And thank you, Angela, for making this happen. This is the first piece of hope I’ve had in fifteen years.”
As tears formed in them, Casey’s eyes did not look the least bit crazy to Laurie.
20
Laurie should not have been surprised to see Ryan Nichols waiting on Brett’s office sofa when she arrived for the meeting. He seemed to be getting more comfortable by the day. Maybe by next week he’d have a bed and nightstand in the corner. She still couldn’t believe that Brett had hired his best friend’s nephew for the job.
“Ryan, how are you managing to juggle your schedule to make time for the show? As Brett may have mentioned, we lost our previous host, Alex Buckley, because the pressures of a law practice were too much to balance with our production needs.”
“Didn’t Brett tell you? I’m taking a break from practice. I’ve got a full-time exclusive contract here at Fisher Blake Studios. In addition to hosting Under Suspicion, I’ll be pitching in on the other news programs, giving legal opinions on the entertainment shows when celebrities get into court trouble, that kind of thing. If it works out, I may produce a show of my own.”
He said it as if creating a television show was a little hobby. If I take to playing in the sand, I may even build my own castle.
Brett gestured for her to take a seat next to Ryan. “I’ve got to tell you, Laurie, I give you a hard time about putting journalistic principles over television ratings, but you hit the jackpot this time around. The Sleeping Beauty is back in the headlines, and as far as I can tell, she hasn’t spoken to anyone but you.”
“Not other reporters. Just her family.”
“Are you sure?” he asked. “I can’t count the number of times we’ve been burned by sources who told us we were their one and only.”
“I’m quite sure, Brett. In fact, Casey just left my office with her cousin, and I have her word that she’s on board if we decide to run with her case.”
“Her word?” Ryan said skeptically. The annoyed glance between the two men was unmistakable. “Did she sign an agreement?”
“Actually, Ryan, she’s signing it right now. Do you need me to show you a copy? One of the biggest challenges of our format is getting participants to trust us enough to cooperate. I build that trust from the very beginning. Getting her to sign that piece of paper is a big deal to me.”
“Don’t get so emotional,” Brett said. “I know you have your bonding thing with the subjects. What did you find out about that missing picture?”
She told them about her meeting Friday evening with Elaine Jenson, who had a detailed recollection of the frame being on Hunter’s nightstand before he left for the gala.
Brett seemed satisfied, but then Ryan interrupted. “That doesn’t mean anything. Police didn’t respond to the 911 call until after midnight. For all we know, the frame got broken during an argument and Casey managed to clean it up before calling the police. She’s using it now as a red herring.”
It was the same counterpoint Grace had raised.
“Then why didn’t she use it when her trial started to go south?” Laurie asked rhetorically. “Because it’s not a red herring. When Casey contacted me she said that at the time of the trial, she wasn’t even aware that the picture was missing.”
Seeing Brett look at Ryan, Laurie feared the worst until her boss said, “I agree with Laurie. It’s possible to explain away the missing picture, but it’s enough of a mystery to hook an audience. It’s new evidence. So is the financial gobbledygook with the friend at the foundation. It keeps the show from being a rehash of a fifteen-year-old trial, and that’s all that matters. But here’s the thing, Laurie: Mindy Sampson is blogging 24/7 about Casey’s every move. Casey’s the flavor of the moment, and news cycles die fast. She’ll be old news before long, so we’ll need to film quickly.”
With each Under Suspicion special, Brett’s ratings expectations went up, while his time line shortened. Unlike Laurie’s previous episodes, this case had already gone to trial, so she’d have the court record to work with, giving her a head start. “I’ll go into production as soon as feasible,” she said.
“Where’s the Raleigh family on this?” Brett asked. “It’s hard to imagine the show without them.”