Kiss the Girls and Make Them Cry(55)
Gina reached into her small briefcase and pulled out several folders. “In my original email, I should say my only email, from Cathy Ryan, she said that after a ‘terrible experience’ at REL News, she had been approached about a settlement. Cathy had added, ‘And I’m not the only one.’
“We lost the opportunity to talk to Cathy after her,” she paused, “untimely death in Aruba. But Cathy’s family was able to provide contact information that resulted in my meeting with Meg Williamson four days ago.
“Ms. Williamson is twenty-nine years old, divorced with a six-year-old daughter. She went to work for REL News straight out of college after being approached on campus by a recruiter for the company. Williamson began at REL at the same time as the late Cathy Ryan. Williamson left REL,” Gina glanced down at her notes, “three months after Cathy did but for different reasons. Williamson claims that she left REL News to work at a PR firm because she had a young child and wanted more stable hours and that a live-in nanny would have been unaffordable. According to Williamson, Cathy Ryan was a ‘troublemaker’ and difficult to work with. It’s not clear whether Ryan left by her own choice or was forced out.”
Geoff said, “That troublemaker business puts a different spin on things if that’s true.”
“Or that’s certainly what REL News would want us to believe,” Brady said. “Do you know anything more about what type of employee she was?”
“I was able to speak to her boss at the magazine group Ryan went to work for in Atlanta.”
“Usually they won’t say very much about a former employee,” Brady said.
“Well, I guess this guy was unusual,” Gina responded while flipping through her notes. “Milton Harsh, the associate publisher, spoke glowingly of Ryan’s work at the company, how shocked they were at her passing, and how much she is missed.”
“Doesn’t sound like a troublemaker to me,” Geoff commented.
“My feelings exactly,” Gina stated. “Let’s get back to Meg Williamson and let’s assume she also was a victim of whatever happened at REL News. Cathy Ryan, who didn’t settle, ended up dying. So where does that leave Meg?”
“She reached a settlement,” Brady speculated.
“Or she’s still negotiating with them,” Geoff suggested.
“Both are possibilities, but based on the research I’ve done all signs point to her having accepted a settlement.”
Gina pulled two sheets out of one of the folders in front of her. “I assume you’re familiar with the online real estate company Zillow.”
They both nodded.
“This is a Zillow sales report of the home currently occupied by Williamson,” she said as she handed them the sheets. “It sold just under four years ago for nine hundred ninety thousand dollars.”
“Do Zillow reports show if there’s a mortgage?” Brady inquired.
“No,” Gina answered, “but that’s where having a friend in real estate comes in handy. A Realtor who is a member of the Multiple Listing Service system can look up any property and find the name of the owner and if there’s a mortgage. According to my friend, Meg Williamson is the sole owner and the property is mortgage-free.”
“I assume you’ve looked into other ways Meg could have got her hands on a million dollars for a house,” Geoff said.
“I have,” Gina responded, “and they’re all dead ends. Keep in mind we’re dealing with somebody who is still in her twenties. Lots of young people coming out of college want to work in broadcasting. As a result, the media companies don’t have to pay them very much. Remember, when she was considering child care, Meg said she couldn’t afford a nanny.”
“Is it possible she’s making enough in her new job to account for the house in Rye?” Brady inquired.
“No way,” Gina replied. “Hannon and Ramsey is a small PR firm with a modest client base, mostly small health-care companies. A woman I graduated college with works at Hill and Knowlton, one of the biggest PR firms in the world. She said an account supervisor in a small shop would be lucky to be making one hundred thousand per year. Tops.”
“So she didn’t earn her way to a one-million-dollar home,” Geoff stated. “You said she was divorced. Did that involve a big payday for her?”
“Quite the opposite,” Gina replied. “Meg told me her ex was a seldom employed musician.” She opened a folder and pulled out a document. “I visited the Manhattan County Courthouse and got a copy of the divorce decree. In exchange for the father giving up all custody and visitation rights, they agreed that he would owe no alimony or child support.”
“Is family money behind her?”
“I checked that out,” Gina said. “Before he died from a heart attack five years ago, her father was a high school English teacher in a small town in Iowa. Her mother was a nurse’s aide. She remarried less than a year later.”
Gina flipped a page in her notebook. “Something Meg Williamson said to me stood out. When I asked how she heard about Cathy Ryan’s death, she appeared flustered. She then said she read about it someplace online. Not too many twentysomethings experience a friend the same age dying. I’m pretty sure she would remember exactly how she found out about Cathy, if she was telling the truth.”