“Everything okay?”
“Um, yeah. I’ve just been at my dining table all morning, glued to my laptop. I need to come up for air.”
Her voice still sounded funny to me. I wondered if coming across the bodies had been weighing on her as well.
“You sure that’s all there is to it?”
“Oh, you’re good, Ms. Weggins. Okay, I may have stumbled onto something today.”
My heart skipped.
“About the case?”
“Right. A clue. Buried in something online. And it’s scary as hell.”
Chapter 15
ILET OUT A BREATH, MY THOUGHTS RACING.
“About the killer?”
“Maybe.”
“Can you tell me?” It was hard to believe Alice would be willing to share a big scoop, but I had to ask.
“No. I mean, yeah, I’d actually like to talk this over with you, but I want to see if I can gather some confirmation first. Let’s discuss it over dinner and then decide how to proceed.”
“You wanna give me a hint?”
“I’d better wait. I don’t want to let a cat out of the bag if it’s the wrong cat.”
“Understood,” I said, though my curiosity was going to be eating me alive until dinnertime, to say nothing of my professional frustration that Alice had a hot lead and I didn’t.
I explained to her about the wine and asked if I could pick up a dessert instead.
“Don’t worry, I’m covered on the wine front. And dessert, too. Like I told you, we’re going to be carbo-loading.”
As soon as I was off the phone, I took a fast shower, blew out my hair with an extra glob of styling gel, and then did my makeup, doubling up on both foundation and mascara. Considering I’d packed light for the trip and had never expected to be on camera, I didn’t have a lot of outfit choices. I opted for a hot-pink short-sleeved sweater, black pencil skirt, and black knee-length boots.
At exactly noon, someone tapped on the unit door and after checking the peephole, I swung it open to find the videographer, Keith Windgate, standing there. He was probably in his late thirties, African-American, with dreadlocks and oversize black-framed glasses. He was dressed super stylishly in tight olive-green cargo pants, a cropped teal sweater, and a blue-and-green-plaid scarf double wrapped around his neck.
“Hey, Bailey, nice to meet you,” he said, smiling. His gaze shifted to my left as he took in the room. “They’re big spenders atCrime Beat, aren’t they?”
“Yeah, it was between this and the Four Seasons, but I’m a sucker for deer antlers. Do you want to come in and talk over the plan?”
“If you’re all set, why don’t we chat in the car? Thank God the rain stopped so we can shoot outdoors.” Keith used a finger to tug down his glasses and then peered over them. “What you’re wearing is great, by the way. It’ll look nice on camera.”
“Good, since I didn’t have many options. What location are you thinking of?”
“I drove up to Sunset Bay earlier and they’ve blocked off the road to the place where you found the bodies. So let’s gofor Wheeler Road, near where Shannon lived. We can use the woods for a backdrop.”
“Sounds good. And once the camera’s rolling, I’m just supposed to recap the story from my point of view, right?”
“Right. Keep it casual, like you’re having a conversation with the viewer. When you’re done, I’ll ask you a series of questions so you’ll have a chance to cover all your bases.”
Once we were in Keith’s SUV, I directed him to Wheeler Road and we drove along slowly, looking for a spot to set up. As we passed by the Blaine house, I noted that there were three cars in the driveway, suggesting that family or friends had come to help. There was a boy’s bike lying in the well-landscaped yard, and my stomach twisted at the sight. It was essential to keep an emotional distance when reporting a story because otherwise the details could gnaw away at you, even clouding your judgment, but this case made it tough to do.
Finally Keith decided on a spot about two miles from the house. Stepping out of the car, I looked up to see big cumulus clouds nosing each other across the sky. More rain didn’t appear imminent, but the sun vanished at moments, making the dense woods look even more foreboding.
