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  “How can you be so sure?”

  “Back when we were at Colby, a girl named Carly Romano disappeared. It was nearly two weeks before they found her body in Messalonskee Lake. Actually, this will give you some idea of how Meghan and Amanda were so different. We didn’t really know Carly, but the entire college was affected. Amanda was the one who organized the prayer sessions and candlelight vigils; Meghan was the one who helped organize the on-campus search teams and handed out flashlights and safety whistles. Amanda was a caretaker. Meghan was a pragmatist. Anyway, one night, while everyone was still searching, Amanda told me that she nearly broke down when she met Carly’s parents. She said she almost hoped they’d find a body, because she couldn’t imagine anything worse for a parent than not knowing.”

  Laurie thought she was living in hell those five years when Greg’s murder was unsolved. She couldn’t imagine how she would have felt if he had simply failed to come home one night. How do people go on?

  30

  Leo hadn’t allowed Laurie into the kitchen while he was cooking, but he seemed more than happy to let her help with the cleanup. Timmy was off the hook because of his work as sous chef and was in his room practicing the trumpet Leo had bought him last month. He was an enthusiastic student, but as far as Laurie was concerned, his weekly lessons couldn’t kick in soon enough.

  While she transferred the leftover lasagna into a Tupperware dish, she made a point of using the spatula to prod between the layers. “Provolone cheese?” she asked.

  “Nope.”

  “Gouda?”

  Her father shook his head. “I’m not going to tell you.”

  “Can you at least tell me if it’s a dairy product?”

  “It is not.” That was the biggest hint her father had ever given her.

  “Spinach?”

  “Laurie, I know you’re not the world’s most knowledgeable cook, but please tell me that even you would notice if there were chunks of spinach in your dinner. And you certainly know I could never sneak that past my grandson.”

  Generally, Timmy was not a finicky eater, but he had decided in kindergarten that “Popeye food” was not for him. He said it made his teeth feel “yucky.”

  “Dad, I’ve been so busy with work we haven’t had a chance to talk about the Amanda Pierce case. I can’t stop thinking about her.”

  “When you first mentioned it, the case seemed perfect for your show,” Leo replied as he started the dishwasher.

  “At first, I was drawn to it because I knew it would attract viewers. But the more I learn about Amanda, the more interesting she becomes. She wasn’t just another pretty face from an impressive family with a storybook wedding. She was complicated—and still getting to know herself. She was so young, but had already survived a serious illness. Some of the things I’ve heard about her remind me of myself and what I would have done, like organizing prayer vigils for a missing girl in college. But she wasn’t perfect by any means either.”

  Laurie continued to talk about the case as she wiped down the countertops. When she’d brought him up to speed, she glanced around the kitchen. “I guess we’re almost finished here.”

  She turned to face Leo. “Bullying Meghan into retracting her claims that Amanda stole an idea from her seems especially cold, but do you think it could possibly have anything to do with her disappearance?”

  Before Leo could answer, Laurie’s cell phone began buzzing on the counter.

  “No rest for the weary,” Leo commented.

  The number on the screen was unfamiliar, but Laurie did recognize the 561 Palm Beach area code.

  When she answered, a man’s voice said he hoped he wasn’t calling too late. “I spoke this afternoon to your assistant, Jerry. He told me I should call you if I remembered anything more about Amanda.”

  “And this is—?”

  “Oh, I’m sorry. This is Ray Walker. I was supposed to photograph the wedding for Amanda Pierce and Jeff Hunter.”

  “Yes, of course, Mr. Walker. Jerry briefed me on your conversation earlier today.”

  The photographer had confirmed that he was not the man in the hotel surveillance video, the one carrying a camera as he appeared to turn to follow Amanda. According to Walker, he had left the property by then to work with another client. More important, Jerry had learned that Walker was six-foot-four and thin, and had been five years earlier as well. The man in the video was slightly overweight and of average height.

  “After I hung up, I kept thinking about that weekend. It’s hard to retrace your steps so many years later, but of course the events stand out because of what happened. I’ve had weddings canceled at the last minute before, but never because the bride disappeared. It was very upsetting.”

  “We very much appreciate any help you can give us, Mr. Walker. I believe Jerry explained we were trying to identify a man from the hotel surveillance system.”

  “He did, and that’s what got me thinking. I was at another wedding the evening Amanda disappeared, so I assumed I had nothing that might help the police. But when Jerry called, he said the video you were interested in was earlier, at five-thirty.”

  “That’s correct.”

  “Well, it dawned on me that I had an intern back then. His name was Jeremy Carroll. He was self-trained, but quite good. He had a real eye for candids, which is why I took him on. In photography, sometimes assistants can be more trouble than they’re worth. Anyway, he was with me at the Grand Victoria earlier in the day. We spent about two hours there on some informal shots with the wedding party. He would’ve been carrying a camera and was about the same height and weight as the man Jerry described from the video.”

  The intern’s name didn’t sound familiar from the reports Laurie had read. She began drying the salad bowl her father had just rinsed. “Do you know if the police ever spoke to Jeremy about that night?”

  “I doubt it. Like I said, I assumed he left when I did at five o’clock. But now I realize I can’t say that for certain. Here’s the thing: a couple months after that, I wound up letting Jeremy go. He made some of the clients uncomfortable.”

  Laurie’s radar went up. “How so?”

  “Socially. They mentioned that he didn’t seem to respect proper boundaries. When you’re photographing intimate events like weddings, it can be tempting to think that you become part of the inner circle. You don’t. Anyway, I never thought too much more about him until your show called today. Now I’m thinking, maybe he took it upon himself to keep hanging around. It’s a long shot, but I thought I’d mention it.”

  Laurie found a notepad and jotted down the name Jeremy Carroll. Walker didn’t have contact information for him, but he said Carroll was around twenty-five years old when he worked for him. Laurie thanked Walker profusely before saying good-bye.

  “I take it your caller had something interesting to say,” Leo observed.

  She summarized her conversation with Walker. “If Jeremy’s the man from the video, I need to talk to him. It really did look like he turned around to follow Amanda. But all I have is a fairly common name and an approximate age.”

  “No, you have more than that. You have a father who still knows a thing or two about basic police work.” Leo snatched the piece of notepaper from the counter, and Laurie knew that First Deputy Police Commissioner Farley was on the case.

  31

  The next morning Laurie had no sooner reached her desk than her phone rang. She suspected it would be Brett. I swear whenever he calls, even the ring sounds angry, she thought.

  Keeping her fingers crossed, she picked up the phone. It was Brett. Typical of him, there was no exchange of greetings.

  “Laurie, I’m very upset,” he bellowed.

  It was obviously the beginning of a wonderful day.

  “Can you please tell me why some local-yokel reporter in Palm Beach, Florida, is calling me for a comment on our plan to shoot the Runaway Bride segment at the Grand Victoria? That was supposed to be kept under wraps.”

  “Brett, we
tried to keep it quiet. We had to be in touch with the hotel manager, the director of security, and other personnel. Obviously, somebody spoke to the reporter.”

  “Who cares who blabbed? The point is that your supposedly cold case is hot again. Laurie, don’t worry about expenses.”

  That’s a first coming from him, Laurie thought.

  “Get your team down there yesterday. I don’t want 60 Minutes to do a piece on the Runaway Bride and beat us to the punch.”

  The click of the receiver hitting the cradle signaled that the conversation was over.

  32

  Yesterday turned out to be six days later.

  Six days. In the past, Laurie had spent weeks reinvestigating an entire case, from beginning to end, before starting to film. But now they were at the Grand Victoria, just hours away from turning on the cameras. Even worse, those six days had been spent almost entirely on coordinating the logistics. Laurie felt as though she needed another month to dig into the facts, but the accelerated schedule gave her no choice other than to plow forward.

  She felt the stress of the situation wash away as she walked through the breezeway at the hotel entrance. For a brief moment, it felt as though she had stepped back in time. She remembered Greg reaching for her hand. Happy Anniversary, Laurie. She assumed at the time they’d have at least fifty more.

  “Mom!” Timmy was already heading toward the pool. “This place is awesome!”

  The one upside of the ridiculously rushed timeline was that Timmy was still on summer break, so he and Leo were treating the trip as a vacation. It was ninety degrees and humid, but if Timmy had palm trees and a pool to splash around in with a few other kids, he’d be happy to stay year-round.

  The resort was even more beautiful than she remembered—modern but inspired by classic villas of the Italian Renaissance. A man in his fifties wearing a tan poplin suit was heading directly for her. “Are you Ms. Laurie Moran, perchance? Irwin Robbins, general manager.”

  She returned his friendly handshake and thanked him for all the help he’d already provided. Robbins hadn’t been kidding when he said that the resort wanted to help in any way possible. They had donated rooms for Amanda’s parents and the entire wedding party and provided a generous discount for the production team.

  “And who’s this young man here?” Irwin asked, gesturing toward Timmy. “Your number one investigator?”

  “Don’t tell anyone,” Timmy piped up, “but I’m undercover. I’ll be needing a pool for my work.”

  • • •

  Two hours later, Grace turned in a circle, gawking at the enormity of Alex’s suite. “This room’s the size of all of ours put together.”

  For once, Grace wasn’t exaggerating. Alex’s suite was more like a large apartment, with an enormous living room. He generously suggested that his living room serve as a conference area for the team.

  It was four o’clock, and they were meeting for one last team discussion before the first production session this evening—a reunion cocktail gathering for the wedding party and Amanda’s parents in the ballroom where Amanda and Jeff were supposed to have had their wedding reception

  “Alex, the front desk clerk probably upgraded you when she saw those beautiful eyes,” Grace said.

  Alex laughed. He was used to Grace flirting with him, and Laurie knew he got a kick out of it.

  “Have you met Jeff’s college friends yet, Laurie?” he asked.

  “Not in person, but I spoke to them on the phone. According to Sandra, they’re both rich bachelors.”

  “The tall one, Nick, is a hunk,” Grace interjected. “But that other one? Austin? He’s lucky he’s rich. Now, Jeff, on the other hand?” She pretended to fan herself. “He looks so sweet and innocent, and has no idea how gorgeous he is. Of the three of them, he’s the catch.”

  “Do I need to remind you he might be a murderer?” Jerry asked.

  Timmy bounded into the room from the terrace, where he had been checking out the view of the ocean below. “Alex, did you bring a bathing suit? There’s a water park here with a slide that’s four stories tall!”

  Laurie gave her son a hug. “Alex and I have to work. I told you: Grandpa’s going to be the one to take you. And believe it or not, Jerry was very excited about the possibility of joining you. If I can spare a few hours without him, he just might race you down the slide.”

  “You don’t race on a super slide, Mom.” Timmy corrected her as if she had suggested that the Yankees were a football team. “It’s only wide enough for one person. And you didn’t even let Alex answer. Anyway, if Jerry can miss part of a day, why can’t Alex?”

  “Because he’s busy,” Leo said, taking charge. “Come on, buddy. Let’s go down to the pool. We’ve got time for a short swim before dinner.”

  • • •

  Laurie shifted into work mode once Leo and Timmy were gone. She kept waiting for something to go terribly wrong, given how they’d rushed into production. “Jerry, have you confirmed that everyone is here?”

  “To a person,” Jerry reported cheerfully. “I also did a walk-through in the ballroom with the camera crew. The hotel has staged it to resemble a smaller version of the reception Amanda and Jeff had planned. The room is absolutely stunning. White flowers and candlelight everywhere. I imagine that everyone seeing it—and all being together once again—should have quite the impact.”

  Once they did a quick run-through of the participants and the points they wanted to cover in each individual interview, Laurie stood up and tucked her notebook in her bag as a signal that their meeting was ending.

  “And what exactly is my role this evening?” Alex asked, smiling. Tonight’s gathering was not for interviews, Alex’s forte on the program.

  “Just be your usual charming self.” The show always worked best when the participants were comfortable enough with Alex to let their guard down on camera. Without preliminary in-person interviews, he’d have to find alternative ways to build a rapport.

  “And don’t forget the tuxedo,” Grace reminded him with a wink, as she followed Jerry out of the room.

  “I apologize on behalf of my boy-crazy assistant,” Laurie said once they were alone. “I may have to call the human resources department to give her a refresher course on sexual harassment.”

  Alex stepped toward her and took her into his arms. “Are we in any position to complain about romance occurring within your production team?”

  She looked up at him as he leaned down to kiss her. “No, Counselor, I suppose we are not.”

  • • •

  Laurie found her father and son at the “active” pool, the most family-friendly of the resort’s four oceanfront pools. Timmy was hanging off one side of a float being steered by a slightly smaller child. It was just like her son to make a new friend within minutes of arrival. His father had been similarly outgoing. He was so much like Greg.

  Her father was on a nearby lounge chair, one eye on his grandson, the other immersed in the latest Harlan Coben thriller. Years ago, he had given his business card to the author at a book signing, with an offer to answer any police-related questions he might have down the road. Laurie had never heard her father yelp so excitedly as when he spotted his own name in the acknowledgments of his favorite author’s next book.

  Laurie made herself comfortable on the chair next to him. “I can take over from here so you can keep both eyes on your book for a while.”

  “Timmy’s easy to watch these days. The kid would be more likely to save me from drowning than vice versa. Hey, by the way, I made another call to the local police about that photography intern, Jeremy Carroll.”

  “Any luck?” she asked.

  “Maybe. There’s a Jeremy Carroll, thirty-one years old, longtime local resident, whose height and weight listed on his Florida driver’s license would seem to fit the general description. He’s got a clean record except for a contempt conviction for violating some kind of court order. I called the court clerk and asked for a copy of the records.
I’ll let you know what comes of it.”

  “Thanks, Dad. I should talk to Brett about adding you to the payroll.”

  “No amount of money would be worth having to take orders from Brett Young. By the way, don’t you need to get dolled up for the big reunion party?”

  “You know me. Dolled up means brushing my hair and putting on some lip gloss.” Laurie knew that she was an attractive woman, but she never felt comfortable beneath layers of makeup and hairspray. She kept her honey-colored hair in a simple shoulder-length bob and rarely applied more than a single coat of mascara to highlight her hazel eyes. “And I do have a new cocktail dress that cost too much money, but I know I look good in it.”

  “You’re beautiful just the way you are,” Leo said. “I know you’ve been stressed out about the ridiculous pace Brett’s expecting, but let yourself have some fun. You and Alex will both be dressed to the nines tonight. I’m happy to stay up with Timmy if the two of you want to make a night of it after the reception. Who knows? Maybe all this talk about the wedding that never came to pass will prove to be motivational.”

  Laurie was stunned by her father’s suggestion. “Dad, we are so far from anything like that. Please don’t plant those seeds in Timmy’s head. Or Alex’s either, for that matter.”

  “Okay, okay, I was only kidding. Lighten up.”

  “Good. You scared me for a second.”

  Her father was looking at her, his book now closed on the table next to him. “Laurie, I was only kidding about a proposal being around the corner, but I do want to say one thing. I’ve seen the way you keep Alex at a distance. Most of the time you’re very formal around him. You steer the conversation back around to work. And when Timmy asked about Alex going with him to the water park, you said no before Alex could even answer.”