Twenty Years Later(51)

“You and me both.”

They laughed like old friends.

“Can I get you something to drink?”

“No thank you. I don’t want to take too much of your time, I know you’re busy. I wanted to talk with you about Victoria Ford. I’m sure it’s shocking when the past comes back to us so viscerally.”

Natalie nodded and pointed at the dining table. Avery sat down.

“It was quite a shock to hear the news,” Natalie said, sitting across from her. “But I was happy for Emma. A little closure will do her good.”

“Emma is a rock. I had the pleasure of meeting her the other day. Do you know her well?”

“I’ve known Emma for years. We still keep in touch. Victoria was such an important part of each of our lives, her absence has sort of been a magnet that draws us together. We see each other once a year to catch up.”

“If I’m able to get this project about Victoria up and running, I’ll need to interview as many friends and family as I can find. I want to tell Victoria’s story—who she was and what she was about—before I get into her death and the events that immediately preceded it. I’m hoping you could fill in some details for me.”

“It would be my honor. Victoria was a dear friend.”

“Let’s start there. How close were you with Victoria?”

“We were best friends.”

“Meaning?”

“Meaning if she called and said she was in trouble, I’d show up with body bags and an alibi.”

Avery laughed.

“Sorry,” Natalie said. “That’s the fiction writer coming out in me.”

“No, we all need friends like that.”

“Victoria and I were close. She was like a sister to me.”

“How did you meet? Give me some details.”

Natalie nodded, deciding, Avery suspected, where to begin.

“Victoria and I went to college together. She was a finance major, I was a biology major. We were roommates freshman year and just clicked. We stuck together for all four years. After college I went to medical school here in New York. Victoria entered the financial world. We stayed close during all those years, and never really drifted too far apart even as we both became busy with life. I was getting through medical school and residency, and she was starting her career. I got married and had kids. Vic got married and talked about having kids. My husband and I used to see her and Jasper for dinners and that sort of thing. Not as often as we wanted, but that’s the way life works.”

“Just a curious fan girl question. You went to medical school but now you write books. How did that happen?”

Natalie smiled. “I’m not really sure. I’ve always loved to read, since I was a young girl. Writing was something I dreamed of doing someday but never figured I’d actually get around to. But finally, I sat down one day and did it. The fact that the first manuscript actually sold is still mesmerizing to me. That I had it in me to write another still shocks me just the same.”

“And another and another,” Avery said. “You are quite prolific.”

“I’ve had a good run and have been terribly lucky.”

“I’m assuming your love of reading and writing also brought you and Victoria together? Emma tells me that she, too, was interested in writing.”

“She was. Much more than I ever was, in fact. We both talked about it in school. You know, writing a book someday. Danielle Steel style. But the realities of life got in the way and we both put those dreams on hold as we started our careers.”

“And look at you now. A legitimate powerhouse in publishing,” Avery said. “Life has a way of coming full circle, doesn’t it?”

“I suppose it does.”

Avery pulled out a yellow legal pad and scribbled some notes. “Were you in touch with Victoria after Cameron Young’s death?”

“Not much. That was obviously a tough time in Victoria’s life. I reached out to her, but she didn’t return my calls. I knew she was busy mounting a defense and, you know, everything that goes into that.”

“Did you speak with her at all about it?”

“Briefly. She had called once to ask if she could borrow money in case she needed it. The cost of her defense was going to be astronomical.”

“But that was it? Nothing about the case or . . . her involvement with Cameron Young? Or . . . if any of the accusations against her were true?”

“No. I never asked and she never offered. I had known for some time that her marriage was rocky, and there was a mention about meeting someone else. I never got into the details with her. When the news broke and the media aimed their sights on her, I told her I would always be her friend and that I knew she would never do what she was accused of. I knew it in my heart. I still know it today.”

“How about leading up to 9/11? Did you talk with her then?”

Natalie shook her head. “Not for the couple of weeks before. Then, it was a crazy time for me. I was an ER doctor in the city and on 9/11, and for most of that week, it was all hands on deck. It’s still just a big blur to me. I didn’t find out about Victoria for a couple of days. I was working around the clock and when I finally had a chance to catch my breath, I took inventory of everyone I knew in the city. When I couldn’t get in touch with Victoria, I finally reached out to Emma and she told me the news.”