All Dressed in White (Under Suspicion #2)(45)
Alex leaned forward. Meghan prayed that he would believe her. She had never told anyone this before, except Jeff. “Amanda’s illness fundamentally changed her. She told me that she would no longer do things only out of loyalty or obligation. She was going to live for herself. It was her reason for not giving me credit for X-Dream. In her heart, she didn’t believe I deserved it, so sharing credit with me would diminish her own accomplishment.”
“And how does that relate to her disappearance?” Alex asked.
“She was so different than the Amanda I knew before she was sick. In retrospect, I think she was trying to tell me she was no longer going to be the good girl. The good daughter. The good friend. The good wife. She wanted freedom, and she wanted power, and she didn’t want to feel guilty for being the strong, independent woman she’d grown to be. But, she couldn’t do all those things in the shadow of her family and friends and her impending wedding.”
“Friends have said that you were less frantic than everyone else when she disappeared. Why didn’t you tell anyone this before?”
“In time, I did tell Jeff. But it didn’t feel right saying it to anyone else. I felt like I was criticizing her, as if I was saying cancer made her selfish. Doesn’t that sound terrible? But that’s not how I saw it. I was happy for her. I thought she had found a way to start over again. That’s why I didn’t feel guilty when Jeff and I became closer. Do you know that the wedding bands were missing?”
She had been hoping to surprise Alex, but he was ready for the question.
“Yes, Jeff explained that he did not realize the rings were missing until he got back to New York. He admitted he was careless about always locking the hotel safe. He thinks an employee could have stolen them.”
For the first time since she took her seat, Meghan felt like she had the upper hand. Did they really believe that the rings happened to disappear along with the bride? “What a coincidence that would be,” she said. “And I bet if you check, theft is extremely rare here. These are excellent jobs. I can’t imagine the employees would take the risk.”
“So what is your theory?” Alex asked.
“I always thought Amanda took them as a memento. She may have wanted a new life, but she did love Jeff. I just loved him more, and that’s not a crime.” She looked directly into the camera. “Amanda, I’m happy and I hope you are, too.”
That was the best Meghan could do. When Jerry removed her microphone, it felt as though he had lifted a thirty-pound weight from her chest. She wanted to go home. Please, Jeff, she thought to herself, let’s just go home. I have something to tell you.
42
“If you believe that woman, I’ve got a bridge I’d like to sell you, and it’s made of gold.” Grace pointed a French-manicured index finger for emphasis.
The team was meeting in the living room of Alex’s suite, rehashing the interview with Meghan. It was the first time they had ever gone directly on camera without first having a more wide-ranging conversation off-camera.
Jerry and Grace had wildly different impressions of Meghan. “You’re so cynical,” Jerry told Grace. “She struck me as very straightforward. I believe that’s what both of Amanda’s siblings told us to expect. She’s unemotional. Matter-of-fact. Everything she said seems credible to me.”
Grace looked as though she wanted to jump out of her skin as she waited for Jerry to finish. “You could tell she memorized every last word. Even her pauses seemed rehearsed.”
“That doesn’t mean she’s lying,” Jerry retorted.
“No, but it does mean she thought she had something to hide. The only question is whether Alex got her to come clean, or if there’s more to learn. At the very least, that woman’s been lying over the years about her feelings for Jeff. She didn’t reintroduce him to Amanda, at least not intentionally. My guess is she wishes they’d never bumped into each other at that coffee shop. I bet she was pining for Jeff since college. Maybe that’s even why she went to New York after law school and just happened to live near him in Brooklyn.”
Laurie was following the conversation but was distracted by her own thoughts about Meghan.
Alex adjusted his black-rimmed glasses after tipping them up to review his notes. “I agree with you, Grace, that she was probably more interested in Jeff prior to Amanda’s disappearance than she ever let on. But I believed her when she said she and Amanda smoothed things over after the blowup at the Ladyform offices.”
“Really?” Grace asked. “That’s a whole lot of money to put behind you with one champagne lunch and a box of gym clothes.”
“If they were feuding, would Meghan still be her maid of honor?” Alex paused. “What did you think, Laurie? A few people have mentioned Amanda’s illness, but this is the first time anyone tried to explain how it really did change her.”
That was the part of the conversation that Laurie had been replaying in her head for the last half hour. The way Meghan described the transformation in her friend sounded completely authentic. And as her friend, she may have been in a better position to recognize the change than either Amanda’s family or even her fiancé. For the first time, Laurie believed it really was possible that Amanda had wanted to break free. Maybe she ran away, as Meghan believed. But maybe she told Jeff she didn’t want to go through with the wedding. And if that happened, they were right back where they started: with a finger pointed at Jeff.