Leo reached over and patted Timmy on the shoulder, but looked melancholy.
After Timmy asked to be excused, Laurie asked her father, “Do you miss it? The job? Being in the middle of the action?”
She had probably asked him that same question a hundred times in the last six years. His answer was always some variation of saying that the best job he ever had was helping to raise his grandson. But tonight, he was absolutely honest. “Sometimes, yes. I remember that awful day in 2001. We all knew the world was changing in unimaginable ways, but I felt like I was helping. Tonight, I made a chicken. It’s a quieter life.”
She didn’t know what to say, so she remained silent, kissing him on the cheek before clearing the dishes.
She was not surprised when Leo followed her into the kitchen and asked how the show was coming along. She had a hard time explaining her mixed feelings. On the one hand, she’d been lucky to get so many pieces connected quickly.
In theory, Gabrielle and Jason were both credible alternative suspects. She knew from the original police reports that both of them had said they went home alone after the gala, meaning either one of them could have gone up to Connecticut and killed Hunter. But she still lacked strong evidence pointing to a killer other than Casey.
“I don’t know, Dad, maybe you were right. I may not have more to add to the original investigation after all.”
He leaned against the kitchen counter and crossed his arms. In her eyes, she remembered him at the head of a squad room before roll call on Take Your Daughter to Work Day. She couldn’t believe that since then a quarter of a century had passed.
“Look,” he said, “I happen to think the system works 99.9 percent of the time, which means-yeah-I think the odds are slim this woman is innocent. But I’m also your father, so in the end, I’m on your side. With every production, you find yourself overwhelmed by the number of stories floating around. You manage to turn it into a riveting show, and you’ve delivered an impressive amount of justice in the meantime. Just remember that your main goal is to put out a fair and fine piece of television. Let the viewers decide what they think about Casey.”
It was good advice, but her own desire for the truth always had a way of taking over. “Maybe I should have been a cop instead.”
“Too rebellious,” he said with a wink. “Besides, Timmy’s going to be the next family member with a badge. Just you watch. Have you run any of these characters past Alex? He’s always a good sounding board for you.”
“He has been in the past,” she said, involuntarily emphasizing the last word. “Now that he’s not working for the studio, I’m not sure how much to burden him with work talk.”
Leo shook his head. “When are you going to accept that nothing you ask of him is a burden? Alex cares about you. If you let him in, I’m sure he’d be more than happy to lend you an ear.”
Alex cares about you, she thought. If you let him in… The words were echoing in her head and then, out of nowhere, she was crying.
Her father immediately grabbed her shoulders. “Laurie, sweetie, what is wrong?”
“I’ve been trying, Dad. You have no idea how much I’ve been trying to let him in.” Her father was cradling her, telling her that everything would be okay, but a wave of emotion overcame her. The night Alex told her he was leaving the show. The moment Brett said he was hiring his best friend’s nephew. The exhaustion of the last several days, working morning until night. And, finally, that unavoidable feeling in her stomach that Alex had lied to her.
“When I tried to talk to Alex at his apartment about the case, he seemed uncomfortable. I thought my complaints about Ryan were making him feel guilty. But then it turns out that he knew Casey’s cousin, Angela.” The words were spilling out of her. “And he met Hunter and his family at a law firm picnic. Then when I asked him about it on Monday, he was… evasive. I could tell he was hiding something from me.”
“Do you want me to call him? Talk to him man-to-man?”
She laughed and wiped the tears from her face. “How many times do I have to tell you that grown women can’t have their fathers handle all their problems?”
“But this shouldn’t be a problem, Laurie. We know Alex. He’s a good, honest man.”
“I know. But you’re the one who has taught me always to trust my instincts. And I’m telling you, there’s a reason Alex doesn’t want me talking to him about this case. He’s hiding something.”
Her father was about to launch another defense of Alex when Timmy came running into the room. His iPad was outstretched in hands that were still small enough that both were required to hold his tablet. “Hey, Mom, I have something for you.”
The last time he handed her his iPad, he’d gotten her hooked on a game in which plants battled against zombies. She couldn’t afford that kind of distraction right now.
“I don’t think I’ve earned enough free time for a new game, Timmy.”
“It’s not a game,” he insisted. “I set up a Google alert on your name, and there’s a new hit. Some blogger named Mindy Sampson wrote all about your next show.”
34
Is Crazy Casey Playing with Fire?
Hello, fellow Chatterers. Have you been following the antics of Katherine “Casey” Carter since she flew the coop? Well, I have, and Casey has been awfully busy. It’s not your everyday ex-con who goes directly from the prison exit to the closest fashion mall for a daylong shopping spree. Where was she planning to wear her new wardrobe? We all wondered.
But instead of making a comeback on the social scene, Casey seems to be on yet another shopping spree. This time, she’s shopping for someone who might believe the same flimsy claims of innocence she’s been spinning since the night she was found with Hunter Raleigh’s blood on her hands.
At first, it appeared she might have found a sucker in Laurie Moran, the producer of Under Suspicion. The series, which reinvestigates cold cases, has been on a roll, solving cases that had long been written off as unsolvable. The Chatter is able to report that Casey has met with Moran three times in person since her release from prison, once at her home and twice in Moran’s offices at Rockefeller Center. For Casey to land under such a respected brand would have been a coup indeed.
But, wait, not so fast! Moran might be making nice to Casey’s face, but she appears to have other tricks up her sleeve.
Laurie could feel her father’s eyes reading over her shoulder. “The mixed metaphors alone should be criminal,” she muttered.
“Sshh,” Leo urged. “Keep reading.”
Casey may have thought that the television producer plans to present her side of the story, but she might want to think again. Turns out, her new pal Moran has been meeting with the likes of renowned anti-Casey types like Gabrielle Lawson and Jason Gardner. Savvy chatterers will recall that these insiders provided damning statements during Casey’s trial.
Lawson was the luxurious lady who was ready to take Casey’s place next to Hunter at the altar. Jaded Jason was Casey’s ex-boyfriend who spilled the beans about her anger management problem.
With friends like these, who needs enemies? Twelve jurors unanimously agreed that Casey killed Hunter in a rage after he called off their engagement. Without a defense attorney at Casey’s side, a successful journalist like Laurie Moran might convince the rest of the country that Casey is a cold-blooded murderer who got off easy.
Casey, if you’re reading, you might think a television show can help you turn over a new leaf, but you better think twice. Do you really think Gabrielle and Jason will change their stories? You could be playing with fire.