All Dressed in White Read online

  She sounded concerned. He jumped from the chair to let her in.

  “Have you seen Alex and Timmy?” she asked immediately. “I can’t find them anywhere.”

  “Timmy left a note saying Alex was joining him and Jerry for the water park. He used five exclamation points.”

  The sight of her son’s carefully printed words on the Grand Victoria stationery only partially calmed her. “When Alex texted me saying he was going to the pool with Timmy, I thought he meant the hotel.”

  Leo expected his daughter to worry once again that Timmy was getting too attached to Alex, but she changed the subject back to the case. “Dad, I can’t decide whether to take these pictures to Detective Henson.” She removed the photos from her briefcase and spread them out on the bed. Leo hadn’t had time to study them closely in the car.

  “Look,” she said, pointing to a picture of Meghan glaring in the background as Jeff and Amanda posed under a poolside marble archway. “You can tell she’s in love with him, and he has no idea. And then in this final picture, it’s obvious Amanda and Meghan were fighting. Meghan never said anything about a confrontation after that one incident at the Ladyform offices.”

  “You think they were arguing about Jeff?” Leo asked.

  “Somehow Amanda could have learned Meghan was in love with Jeff. Maybe she even sensed it was mutual. She told Kate she had to find something out before she could go through with the wedding. This picture may have been taken when she confronted Meghan about her real feelings. I think they cut the argument short because it was time to get ready for dinner, but agreed to meet privately later. That’s probably why Amanda was heading for the parking garage. If only Jeremy had followed Amanda all the way to the car.”

  “I thought you told me that Meghan and Charlotte rode up together on the elevator after Amanda said she forgot something.”

  “They did, but once Meghan went to her room, she was alone. We’ll need to check with the hotel, but there must have been a way for Meghan to double back out of the hotel from her room without being seen. The camera footage is grainy. If she changed out of her dress into jeans and a baseball cap, she could have passed for a man. Plus, I was thinking about Carly Romano. If she and Jeff were dating, and Meghan was already interested in Jeff, then Meghan might have been the one to hurt Carly, too. She wanted Jeff to herself.”

  At that very moment, Leo’s laptop let out a high-pitched ping from the desk in the corner. He had a new email message. He nearly ignored it, but sneaked a quick glance. It was from the Office of Student Services at Colby.

  “Speaking of Carly,” he said, “I checked with the college to see if I could track down more details about her connection to Jeff. They scanned every yearbook page with Carly’s name on it.”

  He opened the attachment to the new message. “I don’t see any mention of Jeff here,” he said, “but take a look at this.”

  Laurie scanned the tribute to Carly in her sophomore yearbook. She was the president of the debate team. Without Carly, the club had no choice but to elect a new president. “Carly’s death was a tragedy and loss to our team and the entire Colby community. I only hope to do half the job she did.”

  Beneath the quote was the smiling face of the new debate team president, Colby junior Meghan White.

  • • •

  As Leo’s laptop pinged with the incoming message, Jeff Hunter’s cell phone rang. It was an unexpected call from New York City. Jeff was shocked by who the caller was and what he said about Meghan.

  57

  As Jeff ended his call, Austin signaled a poolside waiter and ordered a scotch. “By the time it gets here, it will be five o’clock. Who am I kidding? I started at lunch. You want anything, buddy?”

  Jeff shook his head but said nothing. Once the waiter was gone, Austin said, “I’m sorry, I can’t imagine what you’re going through. I guess most of us suspected Amanda was—you know—but it’s got to be rough to finally know for certain. What was that call? You sounded upset.”

  Jeff told Austin he was fine and then quickly changed the subject. “Where’s Nick?” he asked, even though the person he was eager to see was his own wife. Meghan was with Kate at the hotel spa for the afternoon. After that phone call, Jeff was tempted to storm into the spa and demand an explanation. But in light of today’s grilling by Alex Buckley, he knew everyone was suspicious of him. For all he knew, the police had undercover officers at the hotel, watching his every move. The last thing he needed was to lose his temper in public, but he was hurt and confused, and desperate to speak to Meghan. He took a deep breath and tried to remain calm.

  Austin said, “Nick’s getting his boat ready. You know him. He takes forever.” Austin and Nick, always competing, Jeff thought.

  Jeff looked at his watch. “I doubt you two have time for a cocktail cruise before dinner.” All the college friends were planning a group dinner tonight. After Amanda’s body was found, Kate moved the reservation up to six-thirty. It would be an early, somber evening, not the reunion they’d been expecting. Jeff didn’t even want to go, but Meghan felt bad about leaving Kate to mourn alone.

  “Not a cocktail cruise,” Austin corrected. “Nick’s leaving early to woo a billionaire, remember? A client meeting in Boca Raton.”

  Right. With everything that was going on, it had slipped Jeff’s mind.

  “Speak of the devil,” Austin called out. Nick was headed their way in madras shorts and a Polo shirt, his captain’s hat already donned and a can of beer in his hand. “You finally got that poor excuse for a boat ready to hit the water?”

  “You’re just jealous that I got the nicer boat.” Only then did Nick seem to notice Jeff’s pensive mood. “Hey, we’re just trying to keep things light. We’re all sorry about Amanda.”

  Jeff nodded.

  “Where are the ladies?” Nick asked. “I’ll see Meghan soon enough back home, but I wanted to say good-bye to Kate.”

  “They decided to get facials and massages to take their minds off all this,” Jeff said. His eyes drifted to the corridor leading to the spa. No sign of them. Every minute without an explanation about that phone call felt like hours.

  “Were you able to say good-bye to Amanda’s family?” Austin asked.

  “I just came from Sandra’s. I almost walked away from her room without knocking, but I couldn’t leave without expressing my sympathies.”

  Jeff didn’t tell his friends that he had knocked on the same door earlier in the day, only to have Sandra slam it in his face.

  Austin asked how the Pierces were holding up.

  “Honestly?” Nick said. “Not well. I got the impression they wanted to be left alone. They’ll be having a family dinner tonight to talk about their memories of Amanda.”

  Austin held up his scotch and said quietly, “To Amanda.”

  “See you boys back in New York,” Nick said. “You hang in there, buddy.”

  Nick gave Jeff a comforting pat on the back, and Austin followed suit. Was Jeff being paranoid, or did even his best friends seem to be looking at him differently now?

  He needed to talk to Meghan.

  58

  Laurie pushed her chair back from the desk in her room the second she heard the beep of a key card in the door. Timmy and Alex were back from the water park, both in swim trunks and Knicks T-shirts.

  She gave Timmy a hug. His hair was still warm, and he smelled of chlorine and sunscreen. “So how was it?”

  “It was awesome! I think it was even better than Six Flags.” Coming from Timmy, that was the equivalent of Shangri-la. He surprised her by saying that he wanted to tell her all about it but was hot and wanted to take a shower. He was growing up so fast.

  Once she heard the water running, she began briefing Alex on what he’d missed this afternoon. She showed him Jeremy’s photographs of Meghan, as well as the yearbook information from Colby. When she was finished laying out her case, he put his hands on his hips and exhaled. “Just when we thought we were getting somewhere.”

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nbsp; “I know. I was sure it was Jeff. Now I think Meghan was involved. And I’m wondering if I’m missing something once again.”

  “But what about the ring Amanda was wearing?”

  “Amanda could have been the one to take the bands from the safe. Maybe she wanted to try hers on to see how she felt about it, and maybe Meghan didn’t realize she was still wearing it later.”

  “That’s a lot of maybes.”

  “Exactly. Which is why I have no idea what to do with this evidence. In the other specials, we found clear enough proof to be absolutely certain about the truth. We were able to produce our show and identify the killer, all at once. But now I have this evidence against Meghan, and I want to keep digging. But Brett’s breathing down my neck to finish so we can go to air. Plus, I feel like I should tell the police what we know—”

  Alex finished her thought. “But right now it’s exclusive to you. And if you share it with the public—”

  “There goes my scoop. And Brett will want my head on a platter.”

  “Is he really that ruthless? He’d want you to sit on evidence?”

  “Unless it’s subpoenaed, absolutely. He told me once that the Nielsen ratings were his religion.” She felt a hot coal forming in the pit of her stomach. “I don’t know what to do.”

  Alex placed his hands on her shoulders and looked her in the eye. “First of all, try not to panic. The last Meghan knew, I was giving Jeff the third degree. She has no idea you have these pictures, right? Or that Leo called Colby?”

  Laurie nodded and was already starting to calm down. Alex always had that effect on her.

  “Okay,” he said confidently, “that gives you some time to think. Why don’t I clean myself up and we can all have an early dinner. Grace and Jerry, too. We’ll go over everything we know, and then you can decide whether to go to the police now or keep working.”

  “That sounds good,” she said, moving into his embrace.

  “Now, is there any chance I can take your mind off this by telling you about the trip to the water park today?”

  “I would love that,” Laurie said with a smile. “I can’t even picture Jerry with wet hair in a swimsuit, hurling himself down a slide.”

  “You would have loved the sight of it. He was like a big kid, and Timmy was overjoyed to have a friend who was at least as excited as he was to play in the water.”

  “And what about you?” she asked. “If I ask Jerry, will he have pictures of you bouncing into the waves?”

  Alex put on an intentionally haughty expression. “I’m much too dignified. But it’s possible I had an identical twin on the premises. And I imagine he looked ridiculous with six feet and four inches of arms and legs sticking out everywhere.”

  “If Jerry has pictures,” Laurie quipped, “I’m sending them to the Law Journal.”

  59

  Jeremy had forgotten how sprawling the Grand Victoria was. He’d been roaming the property for nearly twenty minutes without crossing paths with any of the bridal party members he was supposed to be watching.

  It had taken him longer to get here than Laurie might have expected. He needed to pack a variety of lenses for the job. Taking shots from a distance could be tricky, plus the light would change as sunset approached. He hoped he wasn’t too late. He didn’t want to disappoint Laurie.

  He had been surprised and excited when Laurie hired him to take photographs without the subjects’ knowledge. The first time she came to his house, she and her father made it sound like such a horrible thing to do. Then she did a complete about-face, offering him money to do exactly the same thing.

  He suddenly stopped walking. What if this was all a trick? The last thing he needed was another restraining order.

  He was thinking about calling this whole thing off when he finally recognized someone. It was Jeff, the groom from five years ago. He hadn’t changed much. He was rushing into an alcove leading to another section of the hotel. Jeremy was about to follow him when he saw Jeff reemerge, this time with a dark-haired woman at his side. Jeremy looked through his camera lens and zoomed in for a closer look. It was Meghan, Amanda’s maid of honor.

  Neither Jeff nor Meghan looked happy.

  Jeremy immediately began taking pictures. Maybe he’d give them to Laurie, or maybe not. Either way, he couldn’t help himself. He loved to watch.

  60

  “Shhh! Everyone on the floor can probably hear us.”

  Jeff Hunter didn’t care if the entire state of Florida heard them fighting. He had never been this angry with Meghan before. Worse, he felt betrayed.

  The phone call he received while Meghan and Kate were at the spa had been from Mitchell Lands, Amanda’s estate lawyer. At first, Jeff assumed he was calling to express his condolences. The news of Amanda’s body being found was all over the news.

  But that wasn’t the only reason the attorney called.

  Jeff was so angry now he could barely recognize his own voice. “Amanda’s body was found only hours ago, and Lands was already calling to explain the process for moving her estate into probate. I told him I never wanted Amanda’s money,” Jeff said, “and then came the bombshell. Imagine my shock when he told me you called him this morning to ask about my inheritance. Why in the world would you call Amanda’s lawyer behind my back asking how to get the money from her trust fund? You know I’ve never had any interest in one penny of Amanda’s money, not even when we were supposed to get married.”

  “Marrying Amanda is what you always really wanted, wasn’t it? I knew this day would eventually come, the moment when you realized that she was the only one you ever loved. You only married me because I was her best friend, the next closest thing to your beloved Amanda.”

  Jeff couldn’t even recognize the woman who was sobbing on the hotel bed. Did she really doubt his love for her? Is that why she called the lawyer? Was she planning to leave him and take half of the inheritance? He would give her every cent if she wanted. He just wanted her to act like the wife he thought he knew better than anyone on the planet.

  “Meghan, talk to me. Why did you call that lawyer? You should have told me. Do you realize how horrible this will look now that they’ve found Amanda’s body?”

  Meghan buried her head in the pillow, leaving mascara stains on the crisp white cotton. “It was just one phone call. I wasn’t thinking about the show, and I certainly had no idea they’d find Amanda’s body, today of all days!”

  “They found her rings. Amanda’s dead. All these years, you said you thought she was out there living a happy life. You must feel something.”

  Now her volume outmatched his. “Of course I feel something. She was my best friend. You know how the producers asked me about that stupid fight we had over X-Dream workout clothes? I couldn’t have cared less about Amanda taking that idea. I was looking for an excuse to lash out at her because she was marrying you. Don’t you realize, after all these years? I’ve loved you since college, and I had to sit there and pretend to be happy for Amanda while you fell in love with her. I’ve always been your second choice.”

  Jeff had never seen his wife this emotional. “That’s not true, Meghan. Amanda was—we were so different. And people change. I’ve never felt as right with someone as I feel with you. But you’ve got to tell me why you called that lawyer.”

  “I promise, it’s not what you think. I can explain. You just have to wait.”

  There was a knock at the door. Meghan looked through the peephole, then wiped her face with her palms.

  “It’s Kate. I told her to swing by here before dinner. Now can you please stop yelling and have a little faith in me?”

  In an instant, her outburst was over, and she was back to her cool, levelheaded self. At this point, Jeff had no idea where to place his faith.

  Five years ago, when he was about to marry Amanda, he had nagging doubts about how well he really knew her. Now after the bewildering rush of today’s events, he found himself questioning how well he knew his wife.

  61
/>   Sandra Pierce suppressed a wince as her son, Henry, confirmed with the hostess that their reservation was for four people. All these years, she knew that something terrible had happened to Amanda. Despite what the police and public wanted to believe, Amanda would never have vanished on her own. But some part of Sandra had always held out a glimmer of hope that they’d find Amanda alive—that they might be a table of five again.

  Walter was remarking on the unusual aquarium bar when Sandra saw a familiar group already seated at the back of the dining room. She let out a gasp, and Charlotte immediately grabbed her hand.

  “Mom, are you okay?”

  Walter, Charlotte, and Henry followed her gaze. Jeff Hunter was there, with that traitorous Meghan, along with Kate and Austin. Sandra could not stop staring at Jeff. As Jeff lifted his water glass, Sandra pictured that same hand around her daughter’s throat.

  “I can’t stand the sight of him,” she hissed. “He killed Amanda, I just know it.”

  The hostess had obviously overheard her. “Shall I change your table?” she asked. “I have one at the other end of the dining room.”

  Sandra felt a comforting hand on her back and turned to see Walter, looking at her softly. “You know what?” he said. “Now that we’re here, I’m in the mood for steak. Would you mind if we went across the street? We can have the concierge call them for us on our way out.”

  As they left the hotel, Henry pointed out the beginning of a beautiful sunset. The sky was purple and gold. Amanda would have loved it. That’s why she wanted to get married on the beach.

  Sandra felt Walter’s strong arm around her. “I’ll never rest until we get justice for Amanda,” Walter said. “But tonight is about our family. We deserve a night in peace to remember Amanda.” They walked to dinner as a family.

  • • •

  Jeff Hunter saw the Pierce family turn away from the hostess stand and walk out. He had seen the expression on Sandra’s face. She was judge, jury, and executioner.