I waved a hand dismissively. “Please, I’m fairly certain you have more viewers on your podcast than I do, and I have a whole network behind me.”
A faint blush bloomed on her cheeks. “I don’t know about that.” She gestured to the seat opposite her. “Please, sit with me.”
“Thank you.” I obliged, crossing my legs and placing my bag on my lap. “And itistrue. I’m so impressed with your work. I’m honored you’ve agreed to meet with me and assist in this project.”
Her nervous smile melted into something more warm and genuine. We fell surprisingly easily into comfortable conversation. Despite the overwhelming feelings this case—and this project—brought up for me, I had been genuinely excited to meet Emersyn. The fact that we were both clicking, meeting face-to-face for the first time, had some confidence building in me.
“I was actually surprised when you told me you were from Ember Hollow.” Emersyn popped the last bite of chocolate croissant in her mouth. “I would’ve thought I’d recognize you. In a town this small, you’d think they’d have a framed picture of you at town hall.”
I paused, taking a slow sip of my drink. We had been talking for so long that my cappuccino started to get cold. “Yes, well,” I shifted in the hard chair, “I kept to myself a lot growing up, and I left town immediately after high school. Not a whole lot of people knew me.” I shrugged.
Her lips pulled down, brow wrinkling. “Your last name is Adler, right?”
I nodded stiffly. That’s how it worked in small towns—your last name told people everything they thought they needed to know. It was how they placed you, how they decided who you were based on who your family was.
In many ways, it was a definition. A legacy.
And I wanted nothing to do with mine.
“Adler…” she murmured under her breath, looking away as she did her best to try to place me in her mind.
My stomach dropped when it seemed to hit her.
Her eyes snapped to mine. “Are you related to Charles Adler? The police officer?”
I tensed, though I tried to leave my face emotionless. “I am…he’s my father.”
There must have been something in the way my tone shifted that made Emersyn pause. Her eyes held mine for a beat, and I recognized something in her stare…something familiar. A deep ache that called to my own pain.
She didn’t ask me more about my family. About where I belonged. Instead, she changed the subject entirely. “Tell me more about how you ended up on TV.”
I let out a slow, relieved breath.
My career started out like any other, interning with local news outlets and gaining experience after I graduated with my degree.
Eventually, I became a field reporter specializing in investigative work. It wasn’t until a local case that my career truly started to kick off. A couple had vanished after authorities questioned them about the suspicious disappearance of their two children.
After receiving an anonymous tip, I found the couple when they fled to a remote, isolated town in the mountains. I filmed a tense, now-famous interaction that went viral, catapulting the story into national news coverage.
The children’s bodies were found shortly after that, and my life was never the same.
Because of that viral clip, I received offers to work with major networks.
Emersyn stared at me, wide-eyed after I finished my origin story.
“Now that you say it, I remember that clip.” She nodded, staring off to the side, as if she were rewatching the memory play in her mind. “Did you ever figure out who the tip was from?”
I shook my head. “No. And I’m not just saying that to protect a source. I have no idea who it was or how they knew where to find them.”
“That case was wild, and so, so sad.” Her stare sharpened. “At least they caught those two. They were sick.”
I grimaced at the memory. I would never forget the look the couple had given me when I’d questioned them. They’d been livid, insisting that the children were in a safe place. But I’d seen the dishonesty in their expressions. The utter guilt.
“I couldn’t let them get away with it,” I muttered. “I wouldn’t have shut up about them, even if the police hadn’t taken a renewed interest in the case.”
I was known to be…a bit stubborn. Growing up, it had gotten me in all sorts of trouble, but even my father couldn’t beat that trait out of me. Not entirely.
Emersyn nodded and opened her mouth as if she were going to comment, when her phone went off. She reached for it, mumbling an apology as she checked the screen.
