All Dressed in White (Under Suspicion #2)(67)

Leo held up a palm. “Hold on a second. I backed Laurie up on that. We didn’t think there was a rush. And we’re able to do more as private individuals than the police. The minute we start working with you, the Constitution applies. We thought we were doing the right thing.”

“We, huh? Funny, in my world, cops are a different breed than reporters and defense attorneys.”

Leo was about to further defend himself when Alex interrupted. “I think it’s safe to say we could have played things differently today. What can we do to help you now?”

“You can start by telling me what else you’ve been hiding from me.”

Laurie started to say there was nothing else, but then she remembered there was one other thing. “Jeremy, the photography intern. I hired him to come to the hotel and take photographs of our subjects. His secret pictures from five years ago were helpful. I figured it was worth trying again.”

“And you think he’s here now?”

“I don’t know. But I can find out.” She called Jeremy’s cell phone. He picked up right away and confirmed that he was at the hotel, in the courtyard. “Come to the lobby now. It’s important,” she told him.

They were still waiting for Jeremy when Jeff showed up with a man who Henson introduced as Sergeant Peters.

Jeff was speaking so quickly, it was hard to follow. An email to Meghan from Kate that wasn’t really from Kate. The phone left at the pier. Meghan only called the lawyer because they were having a baby.

Detective Henson was unmoved. “We’re going to sort through all that once you have a chance to explain it at the station. But, right now, Jeff, we need to find your wife. It doesn’t look good that she’s missing. We have some questions that we need to ask her. Running off like this makes her look guilty.”

“Guilty? Wait, I was sure that you’d think I did something to her. You think Meghan—?”

“We just have questions,” Henson said, “which means we need to find her. Now, we can start by you turning over that phone.”

Jeff blinked in disbelief. “No.” He placed the phone in his front pocket.

“That’s a mistake, sir.”

“It’s called the Fourth Amendment. No searches without a warrant.”

“It’s going to look like the two of you killed Amanda together,” she said.

“No, it’s going to look like what it is. My wife is missing. Someone took her from that pier, and you clearly don’t believe me. So if she calls this number for any reason, I want to be the one who answers it.”


Laurie was about to try to intervene when she spotted Jeremy coming into the lobby, hurrying toward them. “Jeremy, please tell me you’ve seen Meghan.”





70





Jeremy looked frightened, his eyes shifting between Henson and the other officers. “They look like police. They always turn everything around. They think the worst of me.”

“It’s okay,” Laurie assured him. “I told them that I’m the one who asked you to be here. I hired you to photograph people from a distance. Do you know something about Meghan?”

“I saw her.”

“Where? When?”

“About twenty minutes ago, maybe thirty. On the pier. But I don’t want to get her in trouble.”

“She’s not in trouble, but we need to find her.”

Now Jeremy was giving a nervous look to Jeff. “I don’t think he’s going to like what I have to say.”

“I just want to find my wife,” Jeff pleaded. “Tell us anything you know.”

“I saw her with another man. At the pier.”

“What man?” Jeff asked. “Where did they go?”

“I don’t know who he was. I’m good at night photography, but it’s impossible to make out faces. But she met him at the pier. Then they got on the boat.”

“Jeremy,” Laurie said, trying to sound calm, “we need as much information as you can give us. It’s an emergency.”

Jeremy covered his camera protectively. Laurie could tell he didn’t trust them. They couldn’t force him to talk or give them his camera. She thought about how she was able to connect with him earlier today at his house.

“This is your chance to help Amanda, Jeremy. Whatever you saw could help us find her killer. But we must act quickly.”

His eyes brightened. “Meghan was sitting on the pier and a man came off the boat. I couldn’t see everything, but she went away with him.”

He lifted the camera from his neck and began scrolling through photographs on the digital screen. “You can’t see his face, like I said, but he’s taller than Meghan.”

All Laurie could see were dark figures next to a boat. As Jeremy continued to flip through images, she asked him to go back to one that seemed to have a higher contrast than the others. “That one,” she said. “I saw something that looked a little clearer.”

When he reached the picture, he explained. “That bright spot is a white sign on the boat. The white metal catches the moonlight. It’s a very good shot, isn’t it? That’s why I chose it for a close-up. You have a good eye.”

But Laurie wasn’t interested in the artistry of the shot. What mattered was the sign. LADIES FIRST.