The Shadow Box(65)

Sean Murphy, the reporter, had a reputation for muckraking, trying to find trouble where there was none. I’d cut out the editorial because I was surprised he would even know of the Last Monday Club’s existence and I wondered who the “anonymous source” had been. I’d planned on sharing the piece with Leonora and Sloane but had never gotten around to it.

I turned to the social media printouts. Total strangers had created Facebook groups dedicated to my case; I scanned pages of comments on WHERE IS CLAIRE BEAUDRY CHASE? I recognized a few names of acquaintances from town and the past: a girl from my class at RISD, my hairdresser in Black Hall, a student of my father’s. But most were unknown to me, amateur sleuths trying to solve my disappearance.

Kiley M: In an effort to learn more about Claire, I am thinking of starting a podcast. Could interview people who know her and possibly gain clues to what happened.

Lexie Wein: Podcast GREAT idea! Would Claire have staged a scene, throw her own blood around. Maybe need to secretly disappear.

Josh Crandall: This is a valid theory.

SuzanneBR: Do NOT say she would stage this herself! This is a Claire support group!

Lexie Wein: This is a discussion group. We should be able to express ideas!

Kiley M: As administrator of this group I have to weigh in. Yes, we are supporting Claire, but to do so, we have to consider all possibilities.

Lexie Wein: She is an artist. Creative. Could have figured out a way to escape her life.

Marisa Albro: Escape from what? She’s got a perfect life. Gorgeous home, great hubby, fame, career.

Kiley M: No one knows what goes on behind closed doors. Let’s brainstorm who I can get for my podcast. We’ll find her!

Lexie Wein: If Claire staged scene she must have intended to throw suspicion on her husband. Trouble in paradise?

Michelle Costas: What about her first husband? Where was he?

Josh Crandall: Worth looking into. Possible lover.

Kiley M: Interesting. So hubby #1 kidnapped/killed her?

Lexie Wein: More like ran away with.

SuzanneBR: I think she is dead, God bless her. Some convict her hubby put away came back to get even. Or fam of convict. Anyone know how to find list of people GC put in prison?

Josh Crandall: Easy to search court records. But still going with idea she staged escape.

Marisa Albro: No way no way no way.

SuzanneBR: Claire’s artwork touches my soul.

Fenwick388: Anyone notice the not-so-slight coincidence that another local woman met tragedy this week?

Marisa Albro: OMG yes—Sallie Benson.

Josh Crandall: A coincidence, so what?

Fenwick388: While you’re searching court records, Josh, why don’t you check out the history between Griffin Chase and Dan Benson.

RaenEC: What are you saying, Fenwick388?

Fenwick388: GC did it. Prince of Caring—BS!! Prince of Darkness more like it. He is a narcissistic sociopath. Trust me, I know a lot about him.

Lexie Wein: Did what?

Fenwick388: Killed Claire. And maybe had something to do with Sallie. He hates women. Including me.

Michelle Costas: WTF? He’s a champion for victims, especially women in DV cases.

Fenwick388: He wears a mask.

Lexie Wein: Never heard anything bad about GC. You’re being very irresponsible, and you’d better hope LE isn’t reading this. You could be in trouble for slander.

SuzanneBR: Who’s “LE”?

Kiley M: Law enforcement. Cops, investigators from Major Crime. They often follow groups like these. Even get clues from us sometimes ha ha. Let’s solve the case for them.

Josh Crandall: GC is in total grief and insane with worry for his wife. And a great prosecutor for the state of Connecticut. Guar-an-fucking-tee she’ll be found safe. Could even be a publicity stunt for her art show.

Fenwick388: He did it.

Josh Crandall: Who the hell are you?

RaenEC: He definitely didn’t do it! I know him personally. He is a great man. So stop lying and spreading BS, Fenwick388.

It brought me up short to see that RaenEC’s profile picture was of Alexander’s girlfriend, Emily Coffin—no doubt the EC part of her screen name. She looked beautiful and yachty, just as she did in real life. I wasn’t surprised that she would be defending Griffin; she was young and naive and no doubt saw what he wanted her to see.

I wished I had my computer and a fake profile, so I could write to Fenwick388. This person was clearly someone with lots of anger toward Griffin—and who had seen his dark side. She said she knew he hated women, including her.

And who was Josh Crandall? The name didn’t sound familiar, but he certainly seemed invested in the idea that I had staged the scene for my own disappearance.

I was amazed at the photos that appeared in various posts—my high school yearbook picture, a candid shot of Griffin and me at our wedding, a photo of me grinning in my rowboat, oars resting on my knees, and several pictures of me walking into the Woodward-Lathrop Gallery.

Those last pictures made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. They were recent: I recognized the jeans and T-shirt I had worn last week, before my show was scheduled to open, when I delivered the last of my work. The photographer had captured me going to and from my car, Jackie greeting me at the door, me entering the gallery. Nothing inside the gallery—the photographer had wanted to stay unseen by me. But he or she had been there, watching.

Every single one of the pictures was posted by Fenwick388.