All Dressed in White (Under Suspicion #2)(71)
Epilogue
One Month Later
Laurie looked out at the lights shimmering on the East River, thinking that she was going to miss this view. She was going to miss a lot of things.
“There you are,” Alex said, appearing next to her. “Come into the den. The show’s about to start.”
“You know I’ve already seen it, right?” she said with a smile.
Alex had happily offered to host the viewing party at his apartment to accommodate the size of the audience. In addition to the production team and Laurie’s family, Sandra and Walter Pierce were both in New York, visiting Charlotte, and had accepted the show’s invitation to watch the episode with them. Alex’s brother, Andrew, had also joined them. It seemed like the right time for Laurie to finally meet him.
After Ramon served cocktails, he came around with an impressive array of hors d’oeuvres.
Laurie followed Alex to the den, where Timmy and her father had saved a seat between them on the sofa. It had been exactly one month since the news of Nick Young’s dramatic arrest shot across newspapers, televisions, and the Internet like a rocket. Brett was initially disappointed, convinced that traditional media had beat Laurie to the punch.
But thanks to Laurie’s exclusive agreements with the show’s participants, no other media outlet had the human stories behind the news. Jeff and Austin went back on camera to describe all those times they’d thought Nick was behaving more confidently than he really was. Laurie even managed to persuade Detective Henson to sit down for an interview.
“At first, he lawyered up,” the detective said matter-of-factly. “He gloated that he could afford an entire team of the best lawyers in the country, ten times better than you, Mr. Buckley—his words, not mine. But I told him I didn’t care how many lawyers he had; he’d be found guilty of at least Amanda’s murder and the attempted murder of Meghan. I dared him to lawyer up. That was his best bet. Then he started to cry, blaming the victims.”
Most riveting of all was Meghan’s harrowing tale of being kidnapped from the pier behind the Grand Victoria. “I was so tempted to scream for help, but no one would have heard me over the sound of the ocean. And then I saw the gun. I had to decide in an instant what to do. All I could think about was our baby.”
Just this afternoon, Jeff had sent Laurie an email to say they were expecting a girl. They planned to name her Laura. “Without you and your team I would have lived my whole life being under suspicion for Amanda’s death,” Jeff had told her.
Laurie had edited the show so many times, she knew every word by heart. She even knew that when Alex began his closing narrative, it would last exactly ninety-four seconds. “As one former FBI profiler told us, Nick Young was motivated by hate—a hatred for the romantic love he was sure he would never have. It seemed that the only women who rejected him were drawn to his friend Jeff Hunter. Tonight, Nick Young will sleep behind bars, charged with the murder of two different women and the attempted murder of another, in three states. And perhaps all women can sleep a little more safely.”
The credits had just begun to roll when Laurie’s phone started to buzz. Brett’s, too, apparently, because he exclaimed, “Twitter’s blowing up. We’re trending. This is the biggest special yet.”
? ? ?
The text messages on Laurie’s screen meant more to her than any viral hype. The first note was from Kate Fulton: I’m crying for Amanda, but am so glad you finally brought some peace for her family and friends. Thank you . . . for everything. No one had found out about the time she spent with Henry Pierce years ago at the Grand Victoria. As far as Laurie was concerned, no one ever would.
Even Austin Pratt sent a note: My engagement is being announced. She’s a technological wiz, my kind of woman. Will change “Lonesome Dove” to “Lovebirds.”
The next one was from Jeff: We’re still in shock, but we’re trying to move on. Thank God Meghan is doing well and we can’t wait for the baby! Thanks to all of you for everything.
The Pierce family had insisted that Jeff accept his inheritance from Amanda’s trust. She would have wanted “Saint Jeffrey” to have it. Jeff had thanked them profusely and had told them that this money would allow him to remain at the Public Defender’s office—where his heart was. He could support his family without going into private practice.
As Sandra and Walter rose from the sofa, Laurie couldn’t help but notice that they’d held hands the entire night.
When the Pierce family left, Charlotte whispered a thank-you in Laurie’s ear. “Still on for drinks Thursday?”
To Laurie’s surprise, Charlotte had invited her to lunch when they returned from Palm Beach. She said she sensed that they were both busy women who could use some company outside the office. She’d been right. It was the first time Laurie had made a new female friend since Greg died.
“I wouldn’t miss it,” Laurie said.
? ? ?
Alex gave Timmy an especially long hug at the apartment door. Laurie tried to act as though everything was normal, but she felt the lump in her throat when she told her father she’d meet them in the lobby. When she was the last guest remaining, Alex give Ramon and Andrew a look that had them scrambling toward their respective bedrooms.
“So . . . ,” Alex said sadly.