Sleeping Beauty

Book Tour

Miles Van Meter had been speaking for thirty-five minutes when the door of Murder for Fun opened and closed. Claire Rolvag, Miles’s escort, looked toward the front of the store. Bookshelves blocked her view, but she was certain that she knew who had just entered. She turned her attention back to the author, who was answering a question about his writing habits.

“I was working full-time as a lawyer while I was writing Sleeping Beauty, so I had to sneak in the writing when I could. Sometimes I’d get an hour or two in during the week by setting my alarm for four-thirty. On the weekend, I’d try to get in at least four hours on Saturday and four on Sunday. That’s eight hours, which amounts to a full eight-hour workday. You’d be surprised how much you can write each week if you’re disciplined about it.”

A mousy-looking woman with thick glasses and a T-shirt from a mystery fans’ convention raised her hand. Miles pointed at her. She sounded nervous when she spoke, and Miles smiled warmly to encourage her.

“Mr. Van Meter, I’ve read the old edition and the special edition of Sleeping Beauty and I think that your book is the best true-crime book I have ever read.”

“Thank you. I appreciate your kind words. Did you have a question?”

“Yes I did. Your book is so realistic, especially when you write from Ashley’s point of view, but I’ve heard that you never interviewed her. Is that true? And, if it is, how did you make those chapters so real?”

“I knew Ashley, of course, and we spoke several times before I started the book. She was staying at the Academy for a while. However, I never discussed the case with her before she left for Europe. It would have been insensitive. While she was rooming at the Academy, my father and I were trying to take her mind off her tragedy.

“Obviously, I never had a chance to interview Ashley when I was writing the first edition of Sleeping Beauty, because she was hiding in Europe. I did have access to the transcript of the preliminary hearing and the police reports with the interviews of Ashley that Larry Birch conducted. I also interviewed her friends, her teachers, and people like her attorney, Jerry Philips. My father was a big help. He and Ashley spent a lot of time together when she was staying at the Academy.”

“What about after she returned to the States? Did you interview her for the new edition?”

“No. By the time I decided to write an updated edition of the book I had heard her testimony at Maxfield’s trial and didn’t feel it was necessary.”

“So chapter one, where you tell what happened in the Spencer house, and the chapter where you describe the attack at the Academy after Maxfield’s escape, that all came from research and not from talking to Ashley?”

“Yes.”

“That’s amazing, because it feels so real.”

Miles blushed. “Thank you for that. It’s always music to a writer’s ears to hear that he has been successful in making his subject live. Of course, re-creating Ashley’s personality was easy, since I did get to know her. And you have a good chance of guessing how a person will react in a situation if you know what type of person they are. Ashley is a good woman with a lot of inner strength.”

An overweight man with a heavy beard raised his hand, and Miles pointed at him.

“Mr. Van Meter, have you ever thought of volunteering your time to the FBI to help catch serial killers? With your imagination and insights, you’d be a natural.”

“No, for several reasons. First, the FBI has trained professionals to do that work. I couldn’t begin to approach their qualifications. Second, and most important, as far as I’m concerned, one close encounter with a serial killer is one too many. You have no idea how emotionally draining it’s been to have Joshua Maxfield in my life. I have no desire to place myself in a position where I would experience the suffering of other families. Quite frankly, I don’t know how the police and the FBI handle the emotional strain of dealing with such horror, day in and day out.”

A young woman in a business suit raised her hand. “Will you be glad when Joshua Maxfield is executed?” she asked.

Miles looked thoughtful. He took a moment to frame his answer.

“Society will be better off with Maxfield gone. I firmly believe that he cannot be rehabilitated. I’m also certain that he would kill again if he were released. But glad…I don’t think you can ever rejoice at the death of a human being.”

“So you think he is human?” the woman asked.

“Well, there’s certainly a good argument against that position, but I’ll leave that question to theologians and philosophers. I’m just happy I have my sister back.”

Several people raised their hands. While Miles called on one of them, Claire Rolvag looked toward the front of the store again. Standing at the end of the bookshelf that held the novels featuring classic detectives like Sherlock Holmes and Hercule Poirot was a woman flanked by two men. As Claire turned back toward the speaker, she put her hand under her jacket and touched the butt of her Glock 40-caliber pistol.