Any regrets Laurie had about leaving the office for an impromptu lunch date with Charlotte were immediately squelched when she stepped inside Oceana. Graceful and elegant, the white-and-blue dining room was designed to resemble a luxury ocean liner, complete with floor-to-ceiling windows, custom brass chandeliers, and gleaming walnut accents. She had tried to tell her friend that she had far too much work to meet her for lunch, but then Charlotte countered with the offer of one of Laurie’s favorite midtown restaurants and the promise that she had good news to share.
The hostess escorted her to a banquette in the back corner, where she found Charlotte waiting, a martini in hand and a raw bar tower centered on the table. “I took the liberty of getting us something to start with since I know you’re on the clock,” Charlotte said, standing to give Laurie a hug.
“Didn’t I tell you? My doctor says I have a major seafood allergy.”
Charlotte’s face fell as she pondered the generous display of oysters, clams, shrimp, and lobster.
“Oh no,” Laurie said, giving her friend a nudge. “I’m just kidding, Charlotte!”
Charlotte lifted an oyster with two fingers and handed it to Laurie. “That was mean, Moran.”
Laurie took a sip of the iced tea that had already been waiting for her. “I’d rather have one of those,” she said, eyeing Charlotte’s martini.
“You’re the one with the busy day at work. I should be running on fumes after that trip, but I’m completely amped.”
“You said you had good news.” Laurie asked if that meant that Charlotte’s meeting with the big pop star had gone well, whispering the celebrity’s name in case other diners could overhear.
“The meeting turned into two full days at her house in South Beach. She sleeps until two in the afternoon and stays up until four in the morning, which means I slept on the plane ride home. But I left with a signed licensing agreement contingent on design approval. Her line should be out in time for this year’s Black Friday. It’s going to be huge.”
Laurie held up her glass for a quick toast. “My best friend the mogul. You’re not going to replace me with A-list celebrities, are you?”
“Nobody replaces Laurie Moran.”
“Not yet. Ryan might be trying, though.” She gave Charlotte the latest news about Ryan’s moves at work and the previous day’s confession that he felt stalled at Fisher Blake.
Charlotte’s eyes narrowed with suspicion. “I’d be careful with that one,” she said. “He’s pulled this stunt with you before. Wasn’t he suddenly playing nice in the sandbox with you last year after an ex-girlfriend dressed him down? She said he was born on third base and went through life believing he’d hit a triple.”
“I almost forgot about that.” Charlotte’s memory for detail was always impressive.
“And he’s back to his old ways already. You called him out on it, so he backed off for half a minute. It won’t last.”
Laurie made a mental note of her friend’s advice but then decided to pick Charlotte’s brain about something else instead. “How common was it ten years ago to have a hidden camera in the house?”
“Like a nanny cam? I don’t have kids so I would never have one, but don’t parents get them for peace of mind?”
“I never did.” She told Charlotte about the hidden camera the Harbor Bay police had found inside a wall clock in the Harringtons’ hallway, with the memory card removed.
“It sounds like whichever brother pulled the trigger also pulled the memory card,” Charlotte said.
“That’s what the police assumed, too. But it’s possible the Harringtons bought it when the kids were younger, and they just weren’t using it anymore. I’d like to ask Frankie if she remembers anything about it, but I don’t want Simon and Ethan to know that I know about the camera yet.”
“You think she’d tell them?”
Laurie nodded. “I can tell she really loves them and wants to believe they’re innocent.”
“I get the sense you want to believe that, too.”
“Maybe.” It wasn’t the first time that Laurie had wondered if her desire for a happy ending might be interfering with her judgment.
Her gut was telling her that the hidden camera wasn’t simply an overlooked detail. It was an important piece of the puzzle. She just needed to figure out where it fit.
The waiter was delivering their entrées when Laurie’s cell phone buzzed on the banquette. Recognizing the Boston area code, she told Charlotte she had to take the call and then found a quiet spot away from the table before answering. “This is Laurie.”
“Laurie, this is Dennis Ward, Michelle’s brother. We met in Boston at my firm.”
Laurie said that of course she remembered.
“Frankie told me she signed her participation agreement. Her brothers did, too.”
“Yes, she said you reviewed it for her, so thank you for that.”
“I really don’t want to interfere,” Dennis said, “but my parents are getting older, and I worry this is stressful for them. And Frankie is dead set on plowing ahead, but she’s still a kid. This is really about Ethan and Simon, but it’s affecting my family, too. I feel stuck in the middle.”
“Why would this be hard on your parents?”
“Sarah and my mother were like sisters. Mom was devastated after the murders. And as much as she would want the killer to be punished, she can’t bring herself to suspect Ethan or Simon. She has managed to convince herself all these years that they’re innocent.”
“If they aren’t, I would think she’d want to know the truth.” Something about Dennis’s explanation didn’t add up. She remembered him saying in Boston that he didn’t want to attract negative attention to his law firm. “Is this perhaps about your law practice?”
“Of course not.” His denial seemed overly adamant.
“Whatever became of Howard Carver, your father’s other former partner? When Michelle mentioned him at your office, I got the impression there was some awkwardness there.”
“See? This is the kind of thing I’m worried about. I watched a couple episodes of your show. You raise a bunch of red herrings to point fingers at other people. My parents don’t need that kind of stress in their lives.”
“And neither do you?” she asked.
“I told you, this is about my parents. I feel like I’m the only one looking out for their interests.”
“If I’m not mistaken, it was actually your sister who initially suggested this, so are you saying Michelle’s not looking out for them? I don’t know why any of this should bother you—unless, as I mentioned, it has something to do with the law firm.”
“Wow, you’re back on that again? Howard retired. It’s not complicated. Maybe my father and I just don’t want the case in the news again. The Harrington name is still on our practice.”
So where he began with supposed concerns about his mother, Dennis was now conceding he was worried about the firm’s reputation.
“I appreciate the call, Dennis, and I’ll be mindful of your misgivings, but your sister, Frankie, and her brothers have made their decision.”
The line fell silent for a moment as he must have realized that Laurie was not going to back down.
“I have this horrible feeling that opening the door to the past is going to lead somewhere really bad. I hope you know what you’re doing.”
As soon as the call ended, she pulled up Ryan’s number. He answered almost immediately.
“You still interested in getting more involved behind the scenes?” she asked.
“Yes, indeedy.”
“See what you can find on what a retired Boston lawyer named Howard Carver was up to about ten years ago.”