The next morning, Laurie was on her knees by the front door, buttoning Timmy’s jean jacket.
“Mom, are you sure you and Alex can’t come to the zoo with us?”
She had the fleeting thought that Timmy had begun to call her Mom instead of Mommy. He was growing up so fast.
“Sorry, sweetie, but we talked about this. Alex and I have to work, just like if I was in New York, but we get the bonus of being out here in California. I’ll see you tonight, though. Dad,” she called out. “Are you about ready to hit the road?”
She looped the last jacket button and glanced at her watch. This was the start of the summit sessions, and today’s participants would be here any minute. Up first was Susan’s social group: Keith Ratner, Nicole Melling, and Madison Meyer. Rosemary was coming, too, because she wanted to watch. Tomorrow they’d talk separately to the computer crowd, Dwight Cook and Professor Richard Hathaway.
She heard rushed footsteps down the stairs. “Sorry, sorry,” her father said. “I’m coming. I got that e-mail I was waiting for from the Alameda police: a list of license plates that were near Rosemary’s neighborhood the day her neighbor was killed.”
“Dad,” Laurie whispered protectively.
“Aw, don’t worry about Timmy. Kid’s tough as nails, aren’t you?” He tousled Timmy’s brown wavy hair.
“Nails made of kryptonite,” Timmy shot back.
“When we’re done with the zoo, I might swing by the local precinct here for a little help running some criminal records. How does that sound, Timmy?”
“That sounds cool. And can we go see Jerry too? I want to get him a stuffed animal from the zoo and bring it to his room to keep him company until he wakes up again.”
When they had agreed to bring Timmy out to California for an adventure, this wasn’t what Laurie had in mind.
“You guys have a good day,” she said. “And, Dad, try to take it easy on certain subjects, all right?”
Alex and Grace came out of the kitchen in time to say good-bye. Just as the rental car pulled out of the driveway, a red Porsche convertible replaced it. Keith Ratner was here. They were greeting him at the door when a black Escalade arrived, carrying Rosemary, Madison, Nicole, and Nicole’s husband, Gavin.
Laurie leaned toward Grace to whisper a question. “Madison’s staying at the hotel with the out-of-towners? Her house is, like, twenty minutes from here.”
“Tell me about it. But girlfriend’s agent insisted.”
As Keith, Nicole, and Madison exchanged polite hugs and exclamations of It’s been so long and You look just the same, Laurie escorted Rosemary and Gavin into the house to settle in as the day’s observers. “Craft services brings in a ton of food throughout the day, so please, help yourself. It’s all set up in the kitchen. Gavin, I didn’t realize you were making the trip down to L.A.”
“It was the least I could do, given how nervous Nicole has been. You’re probably used to camera shyness, but I’ve never seen her like this.”
After the bombshell Talia had dropped about Nicole and Susan fighting just hours before Susan’s murder, Laurie had to wonder if the cameras were the only reason for Nicole’s nerves.
With Jerry still in the hospital, Grace was doubling as production assistant, escorting Keith, Nicole, and Madison to the bedroom they were using for hair and makeup. Once they were camera ready, they’d have a group conversation with Alex in the living room.
“You ready to roll?” Laurie asked Alex. Their lunch excursion to the coast the previous afternoon had been fruitful. They had rehearsed the plan ad nauseam, but now Laurie found herself hoping that their suspicions about Nicole were wrong.