“Be my guest. She’s as prickly as a rattlesnake these days, so don’t be surprised if she comes across edgy when you’re talking. She’s been very disturbed by all this, and to have Mindy be so ill...”
“It’s hard when secrets come to light,” Zack says. “I’ll testify to that firsthand. What I want to know is if all of this—” he waves a hand at the files, and the cops “—is going to find out who killed my wife. Because that’s the focus for me. We’ve found my daughter. Now I expect you to find my wife’s killer.”
“It’s a legitimate ask, and we are going to do our best,” Parks replies.
“I want more than your best. I want answers. I want some justice for Vivian. I know we have a lot of dead people surrounding this case, but my wife...” His voice cracks, and this time, Juliet puts a hand on his arm. She notices him reach down with the other to fondle the dog’s ears. He takes a deep breath. “I’m sorry. It’s been a difficult couple of days.”
Starr taps her fingers on the files. “We all want that, Zack. We do. That’s why we’re here, in Colorado, conducting this investigation, to find out who is responsible for tearing your life apart. And we will get to the truth. You focus on saving your daughter’s life and let us focus on finding the suspect. Deal?”
Four strong faces stare at him expectantly.
“Deal.”
“Good. Here’s the other thing,” Parks says. “We are going to need to release a statement to the media. We’ve taken the liberty and already prepared some verbiage.”
He passes out the statement Dan Franklin, Nashville Metro’s spokesperson, has drafted at Parks’s behest. They all read it, and Juliet watches Zack’s face as he takes in the reality he is about to be dumped into. The statement is short, and simply says new information has come to light in the Armstrong investigation, and more will be forthcoming when there is information to be released. It is just enough to pique the media’s interest without turning them into baying wolves.
“This looks good to me,” Woody says. “I’d just like to add that CBI is involved as well, if you don’t mind.”
“Not a problem.”
Woody drains his coffee cup, sets it down with a plunk on the table. It feels so final, so real, all of a sudden. Juliet takes a deep breath, and he notices.
“Juliet, I know this is going to be hard, but the minute we start talking to witnesses, word’s going to spread. Are Lauren and Jasper ready for this? Are you? And you, Zack?”
“We’re all going to have to be, aren’t we?” she replies. “I’ll talk to them, let them know what’s coming. We may want to handpick a few journalists we trust and plan a sit-down.”
“People will pay for the story,” Zack says. “Magazines, online gossip rags. They circled like hawks in the beginning, when the case was fresh. Almost all of them offered money. Can we make sure no one profits from this?”
“Of course,” Woody assures him. “I will make a point of finding people who aren’t going to try to exploit the story or turn it into a free-for-all.”
Juliet sighs. “I don’t know, Zack. Mindy’s hospital bills are insanely huge. Maybe taking some money—”
“No. Not happening. I’m not letting the media exploit my daughter.”
She hears the emphasis on my. “Okay. No problem.” To Parks, “You’re releasing this now?”
“The sooner the better,” Parks says. “You never know what might pop up if the media’s working the case, too.” He rereads the statement. “I have to say, it would be a lot easier if we could just name all the parties and get it over with. Take some of the verve and sting out, you know? We don’t want the media discovering the truth before we do.”
Juliet nods her agreement. “We might as well. It’s not like it’s going to be quiet for long. We’ll have to tell Lauren and Jasper, get their approval. Zack, you good with that?”
He nods too, clearly distracted.
“Okay then. Progress,” Woody says, sticking the paper back into the file. “Let’s go have a chat with Mr. and Mrs. Wright, so we can refine the message and get this in the hopper. We’ll also get a car to stand watch so the media doesn’t hound them, and we’ll start looking for the folks we want to sit down with the family for a public plea. We’ll see you two later. Juliet. A moment?”
Uh-oh.
She follows him to the edge of the cafeteria. “I saw the time stamp on the sample that was uploaded. If you ever pull a trick like this again, I will have your job. Do you understand?”
She nods. No sense trying to defend herself. She knew the risk.
“Good. You’re suspended without pay for two weeks. We are never going to discuss this again. Am I clear?”
“Yes, sir. Thank you, sir.”
Woody’s face is full of reproach, his whisper harsh. “Don’t you dare thank me, Juliet. You’re damn lucky this turned so quickly, or else we’d be having a very different conversation. You’ve threatened everything we stand for, and I am so disappointed in you.”
He signals to Parks and Starr, and they walk out together, Starr chatting animatedly.
Juliet, spine straight, walks back upstairs with a very quiet Zack. Being suspended is mortifying, but she deserves much worse. Woody will never trust her properly again, but at least Cameron wasn’t caught up in this.
Zack has still said nothing.
“You okay? I know that was hard to hear. It’s a shock that Vivian was depressed and taking medication, that she was institutionalized and didn’t tell you.”
“I missed so much,” he says, so low she almost doesn’t hear him. “If only I had been there, I could have—”
She pulls him to a stop. “Don’t do that to yourself. Do not. You hear me?”
He gives her a sad smile. “You can’t erase years of guilt in a moment, Juliet. Trust me on that. Listen, can you take Kat for a little while? I’d like to go sit with Mindy, and Oliver said she wouldn’t be allowed in.”
She feels dismissed but doesn’t show it. “Of course. I’ll take her to Lauren and Jasper’s. I want to be there while they talk to Woody and the Nashville cops anyway. See you back here later, okay? You have my number. Shout if you need us.”
“Will do,” he says, but he is already walking away.
62
THE WRIGHTS’ HOUSE
Lauren sits on the deck, watching the snow come down around her. She is freezing, shivering under a blanket, but she has no intention of moving. Jasper is inside, not speaking to her, which she finds terribly unfair. Juliet texted that the police are on their way to talk, and she’ll be right behind them.
Lauren wants to go back to the hospital and hold Mindy’s hand, but she knows she needs to get through all of this first. The idea that the police are going to be under her roof makes her uncomfortable. She can’t shake the feeling that something horrible is coming, that she is being watched, that someone knows her secrets. That she is about to lose Mindy forever. The weight of this fear is too much to bear.
She’s gone over it in her mind several times, bringing Mindy home, searching for anything, anything, that stands out. Nothing does, and that calms her a bit.
The door behind her opens and Jasper comes out with a cup of hot cocoa. He hands it to her, lips compressed in a thin line.
“Don’t get yourself sick sitting out here. It’s cold.”
“I know it is. I’m just feeling claustrophobic inside. Like I don’t have control of anything at all, and the walls are closing in on me.”
“This is a lot to have happen in such a short period of time. And it’s going to get worse. I’ve warned Coach about what’s happening. The media is going to affect the team selection PR as well.”
“Is he going to—”
“No, she still has her spot, but I don’t know if anyone believes she’s going to be able to compete at the level she was before. Not after the cancer, and
not knowing if the transplant...her leg... They’re prepping the alternate.”
Lauren swears, and Jasper flinches.
“I wish you wouldn’t use that kind of language.”
“We’re losing everything. It’s not fair.”
“What have we lost? If anything, we’re gaining here. Zack is our savior. We need to make the man a crown.”
She hears the bitterness in his tone. “You feel the same way I do. You’re as scared as I am. We might lose her. She might die before the transplant takes hold. Why don’t you just admit it?”
He sits next to her, and she is shocked by what she sees. He looks utterly ravaged. It scares her, the transformation. He has been her rock for so long, and now he looks like he is about to crumble into dust.
“The police are coming to discuss releasing a statement to the press. This story is no longer our own, Lauren. You need to be prepared because there are going to be a lot of questions and a lot of scrutiny.”
“What are you saying? Are you accusing me of something?”
“Stop being paranoid. And stop attacking me. I’m your ally here. I’m trying to help you.”
She trains her eyes on the driveway, where the glint of metal shines through the trees. They are here; the cars are snaking up the drive.
Oh, I’m not being paranoid, Jasper. I’ve been prepared her whole life.
He takes her hands, rubbing them to get some warmth started. His voice is low and kind. “Honey, listen. You have to let me help. I’ll forgive you, you know that, but you have to tell me the truth. Is there anything else you’ve been keeping from me? Anything at all?”
“Like what?”
“I don’t know. You tell me. You’re acting strange all of a sudden.”
The icy snow on the drive crunches beneath the tires, and she draws in a deep breath. She is in control. She has this. Their lives are going to be fodder for the news for a while, but she can handle it. Mindy is the only thing that matters.
She pulls her hands free, stands and says, “I’m going to brush my teeth and hair. We should make some coffee, don’t you think?”
Jasper pulls away at her dismissive tone, straightens and looks down the drive at the cars as if they are coming to wreck his life. “I already did. Our manners are on full display.” He leaves her on the deck and goes to greet their guests.
63
Lauren uses a single finger to push aside the curtain in her bathroom window and watches the Nashville cops take in the exterior of the house with narrowed eyes, assessing and judging. She recognizes them from Juliet’s description. Brianna Starr: small, red hair, young—she seems barely old enough to be out of college, much less be a homicide detective; Bob Parks: older, with a dark mustache and salty hair, thick through the shoulders, like he works out. The way they’re looking at the house makes her nervous. The Parks fellow is much too observant, and his sidekick is clearly cut from the same cloth.
A blond ski bum in a suit stands with them. Lauren knows this must be CBI’s Woody Stockton. He is jawing, pointing out the various peaks, and now Juliet is coming up the drive, too. Fabulous. Lauren is being descended upon, and her heart beats harder in her chest.
With a final stroke of the brush through her hair, she sets it down and puts on some lipstick, a little mascara and a touch of eyeshadow. She hasn’t put herself together much over the past month, and she needs as much armor as possible.
With a final glance in the mirror—yes, she looks fine, tired, but who wouldn’t be, considering—she shuts off the light and heads to the living room.
Jasper has already welcomed the entourage and is busy passing out cups and directing people toward the dining room table. Parks and Starr have stopped by the fireplace, first taking it in—the huge hearth, the large gray stones leading twenty feet up to the vaulted cedar ceiling, the foot-thick driftwood mantel—then moving slightly toward the windows and staring out at the view, the slopes and the mountain, both of their mouths open a little. Lauren feels the spark of pride she always does when her home is being showcased to strangers. It is lovely, they are lovely, their daughter is a world-famous skier, and their lives are more than enviable. She’s built this world, and she fits perfectly within it.
Nothing to hide, nothing to hide, nothing to hide. See how beautiful we are? See how our lives matter?
With this knowledge secure in her heart, she pastes on a smile and sails down the stairs to greet her guests. After the introductions are made, Parks is the first to speak. He has a brisk southern accent.
“Ma’am, thank you for taking the time to talk with us. I know this is a rough day, what with your daughter’s treatment, and you’ll be wanting to get to the hospital as soon as possible. I promise we won’t take much of your time. Your home is beautiful, by the way.”
Jasper comes to stand beside her, his shoulder touching hers, and she lets herself be bolstered by his presence. She smiles as graciously as she can. “You’re kind to acknowledge it. We’ve had a rough month, that’s for sure. I’m just sick learning the truth about Mindy’s parentage. I had no idea...well, you know that already. What can we do for you? We’re happy to answer any questions you might have. Please, let’s all sit down.”
Once they are arrayed around the table, Woody leads the discussion. “First, we wanted to see if you would like to add anything to the statement we’ll be releasing to the media.” Woody hands her a piece of paper. She reads it, heart in her throat. Their names, the details, everything is here. At the look on her face, Jasper takes it from her hand and reads it, eyes moving rapidly across the page.
“Right now, we’re only stating that a lead is being pursued, but we’d prefer to cut to the chase and announce that Mindy is the lost child. It will come out, there’s no keeping her out of the story, but we have time, should you want.”
“What kind of time?” Jasper asks.
“A day, maybe,” Woody says. “We’ll do our best, but there is about to be a ton of law enforcement personnel from several agencies diving into this case, and the minute they do, we’re looking at leak city. I can control my people, but as I said, we’re going to be talking to inmates, and we’ve already subpoenaed the hospital’s records, and with the presence of the Nashville police...it’s going to be hard to keep it quiet. I’d suggest we get it out of the way now, do a press conference this afternoon, and then retreat behind the hospital walls for a day or so.”
Juliet catches her sister’s eye. “Mindy’s having the stem cell transplant in two days. It stands to reason you and Jasper will want to be there, anyway. We can keep you isolated, let the initial fervor die down.”
With her eyes and the tilt of her head, Lauren sends a private message to Jasper, who nods. “It’s time,” he says quietly, and she swallows hard.
“Yes. We can release her name. But we will not participate in a press conference. We are a family dealing with a serious medical situation, that’s all I want out there. We won’t be meeting with reporters until the transplant is over, and even then, Mindy will not be interviewed. It will be Jasper and myself only, though I suppose Zack Armstrong will want to be part of it, too.”
“That’s the last thing he wants,” Juliet says. “He’s made it very clear he wants the media attention to be investigation-related only. He’s even stipulated there will be no taking money from magazines for inside scoops.”
“We’ll have to do it eventually,” Jasper says. “Something legitimate, like People Magazine or Sports Illustrated, and they can do some coverage of Mindy’s skiing as well, help bolster her chances for staying in her Olympic spot. But not some paparazzi crap.”
“I’ll let you and Zack battle that out. He was quite adamant.”
“She’s our daughter,” Jasper says. “Zack doesn’t get to make decisions that affect this family, not when all of our reputations are on the line.”
Lauren tries not to cheer a
t this proclamation, only squeezes his hand and nods. She sees a flash of something in her sister’s eyes, wonders for a moment why Juliet is facing her and Jasper, instead of being faced down by the bevy of cops. Juliet is on the wrong side of the table.
She’s with them, a little voice says. No matter what, no matter that she’s your sister and Mindy’s aunt, she will always pick them first. The law, and science, her precious props.
The realization scares her, and she blurts out, “I think we need a lawyer.”
This catches the Nashville sergeant’s attention. “For what?”
“Of course we do,” Jasper says smoothly, as if this has already been discussed and decided between them. “We will be retaining the services of my firm to protect ourselves, and Mindy’s interests.”
64
“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Woody says. “Hold up. Let’s not bring the lawyers into it.”
“I am a lawyer, sir,” Jasper says. “And it’s the only course of action that makes sense. We are facing weeks of attention, and I want to be certain there is no question that Mindy’s interests are paramount here. For our protection, and hers, we will retain counsel, and will not discuss the case with anyone going forth—media and police included—without him present.”
Lauren is surprised but not shocked. Something in the police’s attitudes must have set off Jasper’s alarm bells too because he hasn’t mentioned this to her, but he backed her up immediately. Her heart swells when he continues.
“We will also be petitioning for full custody of our daughter. I’ve already started drawing up the papers.”
“That’s your right,” Woody says. “I understand the impulse to hold your family close right now. But I promise you, Mr. Wright, we are not interested in creating some sort of media spectacle. That hurts our chances to solve this case just as much as it disrupts your lives. We want to get to the bottom of this, find out who kidnapped Mindy, and who killed Vivian Armstrong. Please don’t throw roadblocks in our way by dragging it into court.”
Tear Me Apart Page 28