All Dressed in White

39

Jeremy Carroll’s neighborhood, a mix of ranch-style and bungalow homes, was modest but well maintained. The one exception was his address. The split-level ranch was in dire need of both a paint job and a lawn mowing. According to his neighbors’ application for a restraining order, Jeremy had inherited the home three years earlier from his great-aunt.

Laurie paused on the sidewalk. “Now that we’re here, I’m worried that we should have called the local police instead.”

“I was on the job three decades, Laurie. I know police work. If we took our suspicions to the police department here, they’d spend the entire day mulling things over. They’d probably even call in an Assistant District Attorney for advice. Jeremy would lawyer up the second they started asking questions about Amanda. But we’re just a couple of civilians from a New York City television show. We can use that to get him talking.”

“Is it safe to just walk up there and knock on the door?”

“While I’m around, we’re fine.”

Laurie saw Leo’s hand reach inside his jacket to where he kept his gun. After all those years with the department, he felt unnatural without it.

Laurie felt her heart start to race as her father rang the doorbell. Were they about to look into the face of Amanda’s killer?

As the door slowly opened she immediately recognized Jeremy from his booking photo. He even had the same trapped, fearful expression.

“What are you doing here?”

On instinct, Laurie looked at his hands and clothing to see if he might be armed. His hands were empty, and he was wearing a T-shirt and sweatpants, not ideal for concealing a weapon. She felt her pulse begin to return to normal.

But then her gaze moved past Jeremy, into his home. A worn brown sofa and an old television were the only furniture in the living room. Past that, she saw a small table and two chairs in what was meant to be a dining room. Despite the paucity of furniture, the house was cluttered beyond belief. Old computers, video equipment, and printers were scattered in random places. Stacks of magazines and newspapers stood five feet high. And everywhere Laurie looked, there were photographs-on the floor, strewn across the table, pinned to the walls, lining the stairwell.

Her eyes widened as she looked at Leo.

He took the lead. “We’re with Fisher Blake Studios and wanted to talk to you about your photography work.”

It was a smart move. The name of their show would put Jeremy on high alert. Fisher Blake Studios sounded like a photography company. Even so, Jeremy looked wary.

“I’ve sent my work to every major photographer in Southern Florida. I’ve never heard of you, Mr. Blake.”

“Oh, I’m not Mr. Blake. My name’s Leo.” He offered a handshake. “This is Laurie. And we’re not local. We’re from New York.”

Jeremy’s eyes lit up at the mention of the Big Apple, then immediately lowered as Leo handed him a still photograph from the Grand Victoria surveillance video. Laurie could tell that he recognized himself. There was no doubt in her mind: Jeremy was the man she had spotted walking behind Amanda at five-thirty the night she disappeared.

“This is from the Grand Victoria Hotel,” Leo stated. “See the date stamp at the bottom of the picture? Do you remember that night?”

Jeremy nodded slowly. He wasn’t denying being the man in the security video.

“Ray Walker, the photographer who hired you, told us that the two of you had finished taking pictures at five o’clock. But you were still there a half hour later, with your camera. And when you saw Amanda, you changed your direction to follow her. We have the whole thing on film.”

“I don’t understand. Who are you?”

Laurie decided that it might be best to let Jeremy experience a bit more fear and told him they were from Under Suspicion, investigating Amanda Pierce’s disappearance. “Can we come in?” She stepped inside without waiting for a response, and Leo followed her. She was no longer afraid. This man was a coward, finding power in the shadows, behind a camera. He was not going to lash out with her father around.

“Why didn’t you tell the police that you saw Amanda after you and Walker finished taking pictures?” Leo demanded.

“Because nobody asked me if I’d seen her. And I knew if I told them, they’d suspect me. Everybody always suspects me.”

“You like taking pictures when people aren’t looking.” Laurie gestured to all the photographs strewn around his house. Even at a superficial glance, she could tell that most were taken with long-distance lenses, their subjects unaware of the stranger watching them.

“It’s my art. I don’t photograph flowers or landscapes. I photograph people, and not when they are posed and artificial. I capture their reality. Isn’t that what everyone really wants? Look at all the selfies posted all over the Internet. People love having their picture taken.”

“Even your neighbors?” Leo said. “They didn’t seem happy with your art.”

“That was all a misunderstanding. I tried to explain. Once I realized they were offended, I got rid of all my images of them. It wasn’t right to keep them.”

“What about Amanda?” Laurie asked. “Do you have pictures of her? Ones she didn’t know about?” Laurie walked to the dining room and began rifling through the photographs spread across the table.

“Stop it!” Jeremy’s voice was booming. Leo lunged in Laurie’s direction, placing himself between her and Jeremy. “Please,” Jeremy said, lowering his voice, “you need to go now. You have no right to be here. You’re trespassing. Get out.”

Laurie looked to her father for guidance.

“I’ll call the police if you don’t leave,” Jeremy threatened.

Leo took Laurie’s hand and led her to the front door. They had no choice.

“Dad,” she said once they were safe in the car, “he has photographs of Amanda. I could feel it. He’s going to destroy them now.”

“No he won’t,” Leo said grimly as he started the engine. “They mean too much to him. They’re his mementos.”