All Dressed in White

11

As soon as they left Brett’s office, Laurie gave Jerry a light squeeze around his shoulders. “You were terrific in there. I can’t believe how much you knew about the case!”

“I was in college when Amanda Pierce disappeared. My entire dorm was completely obsessed. I think I missed two days of class, glued to CNN. I knew then that what was supposed to be a little internship here was my true calling.”

Harvey from the mailroom passed them, wheeling a cart of mail with one hand, the other occupied by a half-eaten croissant. “You’re officially my favorite person at work today, Laurie.”

“Happy to hear it, Harvey.”

Once Harvey was out of earshot, Jerry said, “His wife wouldn’t be so happy. Last I heard, she had him on some gluten-free diet. I’m glad he’s cheating a bit. The mail’s been messed up all week.”

Laurie smiled. Jerry always seemed to know everyone’s business. “So how come you never suggested the Runaway Bride for the show if you were that into the case?”

“I don’t know. I wasn’t sure you’d like it.”

“Because of Greg? Jerry, once Greg’s murderer was found, I had a sense of peace. Certainly not closure but peace. That’s why if our programs give other people that feeling, I’m glad.”

It was true. Once she finally got the answers she’d been looking for about Greg’s death, she realized that there was something comforting about certainty. A restoring of order. Though she originally created Under Suspicion purely to have a successful news program, she now saw it as a way to help other families.

“Honestly, I considered suggesting Amanda’s case for the show once I got promoted to assistant producer. But then when we were in Los Angeles on the Cinderella Murder case, we were staying in that enormous house, and you said something about the pool being nearly as big as the one at the Grand Victoria. You looked sad thinking about it. I assumed-” He let the thought go unspoken.

“You assumed right, Jerry. I was there with Greg, but I’ll be fine.”