Piece of My Heart (Under Suspicion #7) - Mary Higgins Clark Page 0,21
girls.
* * *
Alex wiped his face with both hands once the door closed. “I still can’t believe this is happening. I feel so helpless.”
“We all do,” Leo said. “Missing children cases were always the hardest ones to work on the job. You feel a giant clock ticking over your head, knowing that the chances of a happy ending are decreasing with every tick. Sorry, I know that’s gloomy, but I figured the two of you should know what we’re dealing with.”
“I keep trying to think of things I can do to help,” Alex said, leading Laurie toward the living room sofa, where they took a seat beside each other. “Marcy texted Andrew earlier that she had tried calling their priest to find out the identity of Johnny’s birth mother, just in case the adoption had something to do with this, but the priest said the information was confidential. I thought I could do some legal research to see if there’s a way to access the records through the court system.”
When he reached for Laurie’s hand, she held on to it tightly. He always had a way of calming her, just with his presence.
“There’s no need,” she said. “The priest called Marcy back later. He did some digging on his end and found out that the mother passed away.”
“So that’s a dead end,” Leo said dryly.
Laurie shot him a look with squinted eyes and pursed lips.
He shrugged. “My gallows humor. Sorry.”
“Not in front of Marcy and Andrew, Dad. Please.”
“Of course not. Only among the three of us twisted souls.”
“The police are on it now, at least,” Laurie said. “At this point, what else can we do?”
“Well, we got lucky and found a tech guy when we were at the print shop. He heard us writing up the text for the fliers and offered to help. He’s the one who suggested setting up a website with photos of Johnny, a place to submit tips, a contact phone number—basically an informational clearinghouse. It only took him a few minutes to get a domain name and build a very basic site with the photos we gave him.”
“Nice to know there are angels walking around East Hampton,” Laurie said. “So now we just have to get the website shared as broadly as possible. The plane’s a good start, but we can do a lot with social media.”
“Well, count me out then,” Leo said, holding up his hands. “I don’t have any of that nonsense.”
“Nor do I,” Alex added.
Laurie’s father believed social media was for people who needed attention, and Alex had shut down all of his accounts since becoming a federal judge. They both looked to Laurie, knowing she held a distinct advantage in this arena. The last time she checked, Under Suspicion had 1.8 million Facebook fans and 1.3 million Twitter followers.
“I’ll post it on the show’s feeds right now.”
She picked up her phone to open Facebook and found a text from her assistant producer, Jerry Klein. Brent stopped by this afternoon to make sure I knew he meant it when he told you we’re still on the clock for the next episode. Crazy idea, but what about your dad’s Darren Gunther case? Lots of celebrity interest, and we certainly know one of the insiders.… Food for thought.
Jerry had begun working for her as an intern when he was in college, but he was now her most trusted colleague. He was also the most computer-savvy and pop culture–obsessed member of her team, so he had taken the lead on running their social media accounts.
Jerry picked up his cell phone after one ring. “I knew I shouldn’t have texted you about work the second I hit send. Laurie, it’s nearly eight P.M. on the first night of your vacation. Please tell me you’re in some beautiful restaurant holding a drink with an umbrella in it.”
“Far from it.” He uttered a series of oh no’s and I’m so sorry’s as she laid out the reality of where things stood and the Find Johnny website they were trying to share. She heard a quick tapping of keys in the background. “You’re still at the office?”
“Uh huh,” he muttered, focused on his typing.
Of course he was. “And I did get your text, by the way,” she said. “I was concerned about the perception of a conflict of interest, but I’ll think about it.” She made a point not to refer directly to Darren Gunther’s wrongful conviction claim. She didn’t want her father to overhear and get his hopes