Piece of My Heart (Under Suspicion #7) - Mary Higgins Clark Page 0,55
the guesthouse, so it was like I had a little vacation spot of my own. She thought after three years, she’d have enough saved up to go back to college without any debt or even a part-time job, so she could commit herself a hundred percent. She wanted to be valedictorian. I remember her saying, Top of your class from a public school is better than the middle of the pack from Harvard. She had big dreams. She wanted to be a journalist.”
Marcy had no doubt this woman believed she had come here to help another family, but it was clear that Sandra’s thoughts and heart were still focused on her own loss.
Andrew, as if reading Marcy’s mind, began to rise from his chair. “Thank you so much for coming, and, again, we are so grateful that Michelle—”
It wasn’t enough to stop Sandra from reminiscing, and Andrew retook his seat. “My biggest regret is how I handled the news of the pregnancy. My views are very… traditional. Very. When she couldn’t even tell me who the father was, that she met him at a bar, I could have been more supportive. I did my best to focus on the matter at hand—how to take care of the baby—but I’m sure I left her feeling judged. I think that’s the moment everything began to spiral downward for her. After she gave up Johnny for the adoption, she pushed me away. I think she felt ashamed. I thought it was temporary, but weeks became months, and months became years. When the Philadelphia police called me about her overdose, it was so cold, as if I were a stranger.”
Marcy could see that this woman—a mother, just like her—was in pain, still mourning the loss of her own daughter. But to Marcy, she was a stranger, and her unannounced appearance at their front door ultimately did nothing to help them find Johnny.
Next to her, Andrew stood again, and this time, he did not let Sandra’s storytelling deter him. “Mrs. Carpenter, thank you so much for reaching out, and we’re sorry for your loss. We need to be alone as a family right now. Let me walk you out.”
Alone at the kitchen table, Marcy felt her shoulders begin to shake as she envisioned herself getting a phone call like the one Sandra had gotten about Michelle. Perhaps it would be from Detective Langland in East Hampton. Or a cop in New York City or Cleveland or New Orleans or Phoenix, whatever place someone had taken Johnny off to. How long would she need to wait for an answer? And just as Sandra could trace the beginnings of her daughter’s demise to her own conduct, Marcy would forever blame herself for leaving Johnny on that beach with a babysitter she didn’t even know.
Her thoughts were interrupted by the buzz of her cell phone on the table. It was a text from Laurie.
We just got to the prison.
Chapter 34
Laurie silenced her cell phone after sending a quick text update to Marcy. She couldn’t imagine the anguish she and Andrew were feeling. She hadn’t slept more than a few hours at a time since Johnny went missing. The idea of being away from Timmy for nearly a week and having no idea where he was? It would be more than Laurie could bear.
Tucking her cell phone in her blazer pocket, she turned her attention to her cameraman, who was studying his digital screen. “How’s it looking, Nick?”
The space provided by the prison was small, one of the rooms typically used by defense attorneys to meet with their clients. Laurie had planned accordingly, keeping the team small—just her, Ryan, and her head cameraman with a single field camera in tow. Tracy Mahoney, Gunther’s lawyer, had already introduced herself to them and said she was amenable to any seating arrangement as long as she did not appear on camera.
“Check it for yourself,” Nick said, stepping back to give her a look. “This is as good as I can get it.”
The only furniture in view was a small round table and the two chairs they had positioned at it. Ryan was seated closest to the entrance, with his back to the door, reviewing notes he had scribbled on a legal pad.
The challenge was to get both Ryan and Gunther in the same frame from such a close perspective. Nick had managed to do it by positioning the camera in the farthest corner from the table.