The Sleeping Beauty Killer

56

Laurie must have looked pleased when she emerged from Brett Young’s office. “The boss is happy?” his secretary, Dana, asked as she passed.

“Is he ever? But, yes, compared to his usual state, he’s downright sunny.”

Their highest hope during production was to rattle loose new facts they might piece together to shed light on an unsolved case. The idea that someone would actually confess on camera was beyond their wildest dreams. Casey didn’t directly admit to killing Hunter, but she did concede that she’d been jealous of Gabrielle Lawson and that she’d lied to the show so they’d believe her claims of innocence. Her final sobs of “I’m sorry” were filled with regret. Just a short video snippet of that single moment would convince viewers she was guilty. No wonder her defense lawyer had advised her not to take the stand.

Brett predictably was pushing Laurie for an airdate already. She told Brett that she wanted to track down one or two people who knew Casey from the past, but thought they’d be done with production soon.

She was thinking of potential subjects to interview when she heard the sound of a raised voice coming from the direction of her office. She turned the corner to see Grace standing in four-inch heels, trying to calm down a very strident Paula Carter. She heard Paula say, “If I need to spend every penny I have, I’ll hire a team of lawyers to tie this studio up in court for years. You’re destroying our lives!”

“Mrs. Carter, why don’t we talk inside my office?” Laurie asked.

Laurie let Mrs. Carter vent uninterrupted for several minutes. When she finally paused for air, Laurie handed her a copy of the release her daughter had signed. “That’s a photocopy in case you’re thinking of ripping it up. The language is clear. Casey agreed to a no-holds-barred interview and gave us the absolute right to air it. She has no editing power or any other authority to stop us. And please remember that your daughter was the one who approached me to help her. I did not insert myself into your family.”

Paula was looking at the release. Laurie could tell that all the fight was falling out of her.

“Are you a mother?” she asked quietly.

“I am,” Laurie said more brightly. “I have a nine-year-old son.”

“Pray God that he never breaks your heart. I can’t think of anything more painful other than losing her entirely.”

Finally, confirmation that even Casey’s mother believed she was guilty. That’s what she meant when she said Casey had broken her heart. She’d broken it by committing an unspeakable crime.

“How long have you known?” Laurie asked.

Paula shook her head, lips pursed.

“You’re not on camera, Paula. I’m not going to repeat whatever you say to me here.”

“We tried to believe. Frank and I even prayed not to lose faith in our daughter. But the evidence was impossible to ignore. Gunshot residue on her hands. The drugs in her bag. And we of all people knew how fiery she could be. When Hunter started teaching her to shoot, Frank even joked that Casey might not be the best person to trust with a weapon. She wanted nothing more than to be Mrs. Hunter Raleigh III. If she thought she was going to lose that…” She let the thought trail off. “That’s why Frank wanted her to plead guilty. He thought prison might even help her. But fifteen years? He never got to see her outside the prison walls again. Laurie, my daughter is seriously troubled. Is there any way I can convince you-mother to mother-to move on to another story?”

Laurie shook her head. The least she could do was level with the woman.

“I knew it was a mistake to do this show,” Paula said softly. “After you first came to the house, even Angela asked me if there was any way I could talk Casey out of it. She had a feeling that Casey would slip up and come out looking even worse than at trial.”

“Are you saying that Angela thinks Casey’s guilty? She gave me the opposite impression.”

“She gives everyone the opposite impression. I try not to resent Angela for being the one Casey credits with undying loyalty, but the truth is that Angela has her doubts, too. She always says, ‘If Casey says she didn’t do it, then she didn’t do it,’ but that doesn’t mean she really believes it. But I made my peace a long time ago. I worried Casey wouldn’t be able to get through her prison sentence if she didn’t believe she had at least one person truly on her side. I continue to let Angela play that role.”

“Paula, it’s none of my business, but what are you going to do when our show airs? Are you going to continue to stand by silently while Casey blames everyone for Hunter’s death but herself? She’s already served her sentence. Maybe the way for her to find peace is to admit the truth about what she did-at least to her own family.”

“I said before that I hope your son never breaks your heart. Mine was truly broken once I realized my daughter would never trust me with the truth. And if you ever repeat what I told you today, I’ll deny it, just like my daughter.”