Piece of My Heart (Under Suspicion #7) - Mary Higgins Clark Page 0,56
get a slightly better view of where Ryan’s sitting than of the other chair.”
Ryan flashed a smile and a quick wave to the camera. The result was far from the film quality they’d usually have, but it would suffice.
“So we’ll put Gunther there, and, Ryan, we’ll shoot you more in profile. And then we’ve got this chair in the corner out of camera view for the defense lawyer.”
“Works for me,” Ryan said. “It creeps me out having my back to the door anyway.”
Laurie flashed Nick a thumbs-up. “You’re a miracle worker, always a pro.”
“You’re just saying that because I got up at the crack of dawn to make the trip up here.”
“Hey, at least the drive came with a little care package from the Doughnut Project.”
Laurie had learned that Nick was a sucker for the pastry shop’s bacon maple bar, which was exactly what it sounded like.
Nick patted the front of his shirt with a smile. “My arteries say no, but my belly says ‘please and thank you.’ By the way,” he added, lowering his voice, “I just wanted to let you know that the missus and I have been including Johnny in our prayers. Anything we can do to help, we’re there for you.”
Johnny’s presumed abduction had been prominent in the local news, including his family connection to federal judge Alex Buckley.
“I appreciate that,” Laurie said. “Being here, doing the work… that’s the help I need right now.”
Nick nodded knowingly. “Gotcha. Well, I’m ready to go here whenever you are.”
Laurie had a feeling that Nick suspected a connection between Johnny’s disappearance and the sudden urgency with which Laurie was tackling the show’s latest case, but he wasn’t the type to ask questions beyond camera angles and lighting choices.
She looked to Ryan, who had repositioned himself on the opposite side of the table.
“Let’s rock and roll,” he said.
She knocked on the narrow glass pane in the security door, and a guard opened the door. “We’re all set here,” she said.
“Let me get your prisoner. His lawyer’s on-site, too.”
When the door was closed again, she felt a wave of panic wash over her. This might be their one shot to save Johnny. They couldn’t blow it.
* * *
If it weren’t for the forest-green prison jumpsuit, Darren Gunther could have passed for a Hollywood actor strutting into an audition room, full of cool confidence and a laser-beamed focus.
“Ah, a nice sojourn to the luxurious legal team suite. Much more refined than the riffraff common area.”
He politely thanked the guard who unlocked his shackles and replaced them with a single set of handcuffs to connect one of his wrists to a bracket at the edge of the tabletop.
Tracy Mahoney, Gunther’s lawyer, was tall with broad shoulders and an untamed mop of curly gray-blond hair. Her Brooklyn accent was hard to miss. “Is all that really necessary? We’re on camera. The locks on the door are Fort Knox–worthy.”
The guard shook his head. “You know the drill.”
Once the guard left, Gunther used his free hand to offer a self-assured shake to Ryan.
“You must be Ryan Nichols,” he said. “I recognize you from your television show. I looked up your pedigree, too. Impressive. I look forward to the opportunity to tell you the truth about my case.”
“I’m sure we’ll have an enlightening conversation,” Ryan responded.
“And you must be Ms. Moran,” he said, nodding toward Laurie.
“I am.” Usually, she would have had a thorough preproduction interview with any subject by now, but these weren’t usual circumstances. “I’m looking forward to hearing your side of the story.”
He held up the index finger of his free hand. “Be careful what you wish for, Ms. Moran. You know that saying about never try to meet your heroes? Your dad’s considered to be quite a hero, and you may not like what I have to say about him. There’s a side of him I doubt he displays for his admiring daughter and adorable little grandson. His name’s Timmy, is that right?”
His feigned smile appeared kind, but a white-hot burn filled her throat at the sound of her son’s name on Gunther’s lips. She was reminded again of the tricky challenge that lay ahead of them. If Gunther had orchestrated the abduction of a boy he thought was Leo’s grandchild in order to gain leverage over Leo, he certainly couldn’t admit it to them on camera. He would have to drop veiled clues to confirm an implicit trade: the kidnapped child’s freedom in exchange for his. Gunther had immediately mentioned Laurie’s son.