All Dressed in White (Under Suspicion #2)(7)
“You think Jeff was unfaithful?”
“It certainly seems possible, given the timing with Meghan.”
Laurie glanced at the notepad on the coffee table. “Meghan is the—”
“Meghan White, the maid of honor. She was Amanda’s best friend at Colby. And they stayed very close afterward when they both moved to New York City. She’s a lawyer, too. Immigration law, in her case. Amanda and Jeff knew each other in college but never dated. Meghan is the one who actually reintroduced Amanda to Jeff in New York. I can certainly tell you she must have been very sorry that she did.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Well, it turns out that Meghan dated Jeff before Amanda ever did. And once Amanda disappeared, she swooped back in. They waited barely a year before marrying. Meghan White is now Mrs. Jeff Hunter. And I think one or both of them murdered my daughter.”
Laurie reached again for her notepad. “Let’s start all over again.”
6
Laurie and Sandra were still talking two hours later, when Laurie’s cell phone let out a little chirp. It was her alarm, alerting her that her meeting with Brett was in ten minutes.
“Sandra, I’m afraid I have an appointment with my boss.” Brett was not the type of person who could tolerate being kept waiting. “But I’m very glad you flew all the way across the country to tell me about Amanda.”
As she walked her out of the office, Sandra had one last question. “Is there anything else I can tell you to help you decide to feature her case on the show?”
“I don’t make these decisions on my own, but I promise I’ll get back to you one way or the other soon.”
“I guess that’s all I can ask for,” Sandra said. She turned to Grace, who was sitting at her desk. “Thank you again for your kindness, Grace. I hope I’ll be seeing both of you again.”
“It was my pleasure,” Grace said, her voice sympathetic.
Once Sandra was gone, Jerry immediately joined them. “Why does that woman look so familiar? Is she an actress by chance?”
Laurie shook her head. “No, I’ll explain later.”
“Well, she was in there forever,” Jerry said. “Grace and I kept wondering whether we should interrupt. Our meeting with Brett is in just a few minutes, and we haven’t had a chance to run through our list of story ideas.”
They had been planning to discuss their three top contenders one last time before Laurie had to pitch the concepts to Brett. She had started including Jerry in some of her planning meetings with Brett as he continued to take on increasing production responsibilities. She tended to focus on the news aspects of the program—the suspects, the witnesses, how to nail down their stories. Jerry’s talent was in envisioning scenes for the actual production—scouting locations, re-creating images from the crime, making the show as cinematographic as possible.
“I didn’t expect to spend so much time with her either, but I think I’ve got a plan. Just follow my lead.”
They started to walk quickly down the corridor to Brett Young’s corner office.
7
Brett’s new secretary, Dana Licameli, waved them directly past her station into the inner sanctum. “He’ll want an explanation,” she warned in a conspiratorial whisper.
Laurie glanced at her watch. They were two minutes late. Oh boy, she thought.
He spun in his chair to face them when they entered. As usual, his expression was filled with disapproval. His wife once was heard to remark that he woke up every day with a scowl on his face.
“Sorry to be a little late, Brett. You’ll be pleased to know that I was talking to someone who may be great for the next special.”
“People are either late or prompt. Saying you’re a little late is like saying you’re a little pregnant.” Turning from her, he said, “You’re looking especially dapper today, Jerry.”
Laurie wanted to throw something at Brett, especially for what she recognized as a double-edged comment about Jerry. When Jerry first started working as an intern at the studios, he was a shy, awkward college student trying to hide his lanky frame with baggy clothes and slouching posture. Over the years, she had seen his confidence grow and his appearance change accordingly. Until very recently, he almost always wore turtlenecks and cardigan sweaters, even in warm weather. But since the first show of the Under Suspicion series had taken off, he was experimenting with different fashion choices. Today’s attire was a fitted plaid jacket, bow tie, and mustard-colored pants. Laurie thought he looked terrific.
Jerry straightened his jacket proudly and took a seat. If he construed Brett’s remark as sarcasm, he wasn’t showing it.
“I’m excited for our meeting,” Brett said. “My wife, she tells me I don’t give enough—what does she call it?—positive reinforcement to my colleagues. So, Laurie, Jerry, I want to make clear—I’m excited to hear your ideas for the next special.”
A couple of years ago, Brett had been anything but excited when Laurie came back to work. She had taken time off when Greg was murdered. Then her first shows were flops, but that may have been because she was still grieving and distracted, or perhaps it was just tough luck. Either way, stars fall quickly in the land of television production, and Laurie knew that her days were numbered when she proposed the idea for Under Suspicion. Now that the show was a hit, she realized that she had been toying with the concept even before Greg died.