“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
The woman who arrived at Charlotte’s office two minutes later was stunningly beautiful. Her long, honey-colored hair fell in perfect waves, and when she smiled, her teeth literally sparkled behind strawberry-colored full lips. She was even taller than Charlotte, maybe six feet tall, and was trim and graceful. She had the same blue, almond-shaped eyes as her cousin Casey.
She was juggling an armful of files and papers. “I drew up some tentative plans for the show, and I’ve got the warehouse lease. I negotiated a better rate, but we have to get the papers in by tomorrow morning.”
She stopped suddenly when she saw that Charlotte had a visitor in her office. She freed one hand for a quick shake. “Angela Hart,” she said.
Laurie introduced herself as the producer of Under Suspicion.
Angela seemed to realize the connection to her cousin immediately. “I should have known she’d go charging forward. Once Casey puts her mind to something, she’s like a dog with a bone.”
“She mentioned her interest in our show?”
“We were barely in the car at the prison.”
“You don’t sound particularly enthusiastic about the idea.”
“I’m sorry. I don’t mean to sound so negative. I just wanted her to take a few days to think about it. Obviously, I know Charlotte’s family had a positive experience, so I was going to ask you about it today, Charlotte, and pass that on to Casey. But this lease situation got complicated-”
“The space we normally use for our fall show had an electrical fire last week,” Charlotte explained. “We had to find an alternative on short notice. Complete nightmare.”
“Charlotte said you’re in marketing here?” Laurie asked, realizing that she had jumped too abruptly into a discussion of the case.
“Ever since Ladyform opened a New York office,” Angela said brightly. “Gosh, that’s more than twelve years. If it weren’t for Charlotte, I’d probably be wandering the streets, scrounging for cans and bottles.”
“Stop it,” Charlotte said. “Any company would have been crazy not to hire you.”
“Charlotte’s too kind,” Angela said. “The truth is, I was a washed-up model when she hired me. You hit thirty, and suddenly your best gigs are for girdles and wrinkle cream. I blanketed the entire city with résumés, searching for some other job in fashion, and couldn’t even get an interview. No degree. No job experience besides posing for a camera. Now I’m a forty-four-year-old woman with an actual career, all because Charlotte gave me a chance.”
“Are you kidding?” Charlotte said. “You gave us a chance. I can’t imagine what you thought when you showed up for an interview to meet Amanda and me. We were just kids!”
Laurie knew that Charlotte and her younger sister, Amanda, had been the ones to push Ladyform in a new direction with offices in New York City. What had once been a small, family-owned business manufacturing “foundational garments” became a go-to brand for women’s fashionable athletic attire.
“Anyway,” Angela continued, “we had an hour-long interview and then wound up going next door to continue the conversation over wine. We’ve been pals ever since.”
“I know the feeling,” Laurie said. “Charlotte and I met when my show handled her sister’s case, but she’s the one who made sure we stayed friends afterwards.”
“For what it’s worth,” Charlotte said, “my family spent more than five years in a living hell, with no idea what happened to Amanda. Under Suspicion brought us out of that hell. Laurie could do the same for Casey.”
“I know your show can unearth new evidence,” Angela said, “but my aunt and I are worried about adding to Casey’s notoriety. It would be one thing if this were ten years ago when she was still in prison. But she’s free now. She did her time. I understand Casey’s desire to convince people that she would never hurt a fly, let alone Hunter. She loved him dearly. But I don’t think she has any idea of how much the world has changed in the last fifteen years. If she thought the tabloid headlines were bad, wait until she sees what Twitter and Facebook will do to her. There’s something to be said about leaving the past behind her.”
“I take it that your aunt is Casey’s mother?” Laurie asked.
Angela nodded. “Aunt Paula is Casey’s mother and my mom’s sister. But Casey and I were both only children, so we were very close growing up. I was probably five when I realized her full name was Katherine Carter, which meant we had different last names. I remember my mom having to explain that she wasn’t actually my baby sister.”