The Sleeping Beauty Killer

2

That evening, Paula Carter was sitting in bed, her back against the headboard, an iPad mini on her lap. She found comfort in the muffled voices of Casey and Angela from the living room, backed by a television laugh track. She’d read several books about the “reentry” transition for prisoners returning to the outside world. Based on Casey’s free-spiritedness in her younger years, Paula had initially been worried that her daughter might immediately try jumping back into a busy life in New York City. Instead, she’d learned that, more often than not, people in Casey’s position had a hard time realizing the extent of their freedom.

Paula was self-confined to her room to give Casey a chance to move around the house without her mother hovering over her. It pained Paula to think that a trip from the bedroom to the living room, with full use of the TV remote control, was the most independence her smart, talented, strong-willed daughter had enjoyed for fifteen years.

She was so grateful to Angela for taking the day off to meet Casey when she was released. By blood, the two girls were cousins, but Paula and her sister, Robin, had raised their daughters as if they were siblings. Angela’s father had never been in the picture, so Frank had been a father-figure to Angela. Then when Angela was only fifteen years old, Robin was gone, too, so Paula and Frank finished raising her.

Angela and Casey were as close as sisters, but couldn’t be more different. They were both beautiful and shared the same bright blue eyes, but Angela was blonde, and Casey was brunette. Angela had the height and frame of the very successful model she had been in her twenties. Casey’s build had always been more athletic, and she had played competitive tennis in college at Tufts. While Angela skipped college to work on her modeling career and a busy social life in New York, Casey had been a serious student, dedicated to multiple political causes. Angela was a Republican, Casey was a Democrat. The list went on and on, and yet the two of them remained as thick as thieves.

Now Paula looked down at the news she’d been reading on her iPad. Only ten hours after leaving her cell, Casey was back in the headlines. Would the attention drive her into her room, never to venture out again?

Or even worse, would it send her straight before the public eye? Paula had always admired her daughter’s willingness to fight-often loudly-for what she thought was right. But if it were up to Paula, Casey would change her name, start a new life, and never speak of Hunter Raleigh again.

She had been so relieved today when Angela sided with her against Casey’s idea of contacting the producers of Under Suspicion. Casey had dropped the subject once they were at the mall, but Paula knew her daughter. That wouldn’t be the end of the conversation.

She heard another burst of canned laughter from the television. Casey and Angela were watching a sit-com for now, but with one click, they could stumble onto the news. She was surprised that word had leaked so quickly. Did reporters monitor the names of prisoners released each day? she wondered. Or maybe one of the prison guards had made a phone call. Or perhaps Hunter’s family had put out a press release. Lord knows they thought Casey should have gone to prison for the rest of her natural life.

Or maybe someone had simply recognized Casey at the shopping mall. Paula kicked herself again for delegating to Angela the task of pulling together a wardrobe for her cousin. She knew how busy her niece was.

Paula had made such an effort to have everything Casey would need waiting for her at home. Magazines on the nightstand. New towels and a bathrobe. A medicine cabinet filled with the very best spa products. The whole point of preparing was to keep her out of the public eye, but instead they’d ended up at the mall.

She looked again at her iPad screen. CRAZY CASEY’S SPENDING SPREE! There were no photographs, but the so-called reporter knew which mall Casey had been to and which stores. The hit piece concluded, “Apparently prison food was kind to the sleeping beauty’s figure. According to our source, Casey is slim and fit from all the hours she spent exercising in the prison yard. Will the accused gold digger be wearing her new wardrobe to find a new boyfriend? Only time will tell.”

The blogger was Mindy Sampson. It had been a long time since Paula had seen that name in print, but she was up to her same old tricks. The reason Casey was in excellent shape was because she had always been the worker-bee type, constantly on the go between her job, volunteer work, political groups, and art showings. In prison, she had nothing to do but exercise and obsess over finding someone to help her clear her name. But a tabloid hack like Mindy Sampson made it sound like she’d been preparing for a red carpet.

Whether Paula wanted to or not, she had to alert Casey. As she walked down the hallway, she could no longer hear the sounds of canned laughter. When she turned the corner, Casey and Angela were staring at the television screen. The cable news host’s face was filled with pious indignation. “It has been reported that Casey Carter was released from prison today and headed for a shopping mall. That’s right, folks, Crazy Casey, Killer Casey, the so-called Sleeping Beauty Killer is back among us, and the first thing on her mind was a closet full of new clothes.”

Casey clicked off the television. “Now do you see why I’m so desperate about Under Suspicion? Please, Angela, I’ve written to defense lawyers and law clinics across the country, and no one will help me. That television show could be my best shot, my only shot. And your friend Charlotte has direct access to the producers. Please, I just need one meeting.”

“Casey,” Paula interrupted, “we already talked about this. It’s a terrible idea.”

“I’m sorry, but I have to agree with Paula,” Angela said. “I hate to say this, but some people think you got off with a slap on the wrist.”

Paula and Frank had been devastated when their only daughter was convicted of manslaughter. But the media reported the verdict as a loss for the prosecution, which had depicted Casey as a cold-blooded murderer.

“Let one of those people spend a week in a cell,” Casey protested. “Fifteen years is an eternity.”

Paula placed a hand on Casey’s shoulder. “The Raleighs are a powerful family. Hunter’s father could pull strings with the producers. That show could paint you in a very negative light.”

“A negative light?” Casey scoffed. “I’d say I’m already there, Mom. You don’t think I saw all those people staring at me when we went shopping today? I can’t even walk into a store without feeling like a zoo animal. What kind of life is that? Angela, will you call your friend for me or not?”

Paula could feel Angela beginning to cave. The two of them had always been so close, and Casey was as persuasive as ever. Paula looked to her niece with pleading eyes. Please, she thought, don’t let her make this mistake.

She felt so relieved when Angela tactfully responded, “Why don’t you wait a few days and see how you feel then?”

Casey shook her head, clearly disappointed, but then reached silently for the remote control and turned off the television. “I’m tired,” she said abruptly. “I’m going to bed.”

Paula fell asleep that night praying that the media would move on to something else so Casey could start adapting to a new life. When she woke up in the morning, she realized she should have known that her daughter never waited for anyone’s approval to do anything she believed was important.

Casey’s room was empty. There was a note on the dining room table. Took the train into the city. Be home tonight.

Paula knew that Casey must have walked the mile to the train station. She didn’t need to wonder why Casey had left while she was sleeping. She was going to see the producer of Under Suspicion, no matter what it took.