All Dressed in White (5 page)

Walter knew he would have rejected Amanda’s advice had it not been for Sandra. He had come home one night from work to find her waiting for him at the kitchen table. He could tell from her stern expression that it was time for “a talk.” She insisted that he sit down across from her so she could tell him something.

“Walter, you’re a wonderful husband and, in your own way, a loving father,” she had begun briskly. “And because of that, I don’t try to change you or tell you what to do. But you have pushed and pushed and pushed our children to share your passion for the family business.”

“I’ve also insisted that all the children were free to do whatever they wanted,” he had answered heatedly. But even as he spoke the words, Walter felt a twinge at the thought of Ladyform ever going forward without a Pierce at the helm.

“Good for you,” Sandra snapped. “But may I remind you that you’ve pushed so hard that our son wants nothing to do with it and has moved all the way to Seattle so he can do something all on his own at the other end of the country. On the other hand, Amanda and Charlotte have done everything you’ve asked. They do it because they love you and desperately want your approval. And let’s face it, Amanda’s the one who has really poured herself into the company. Her ideas are spot-on, Walter, and if you ignore them outright, you will absolutely crush her. I’m telling you, I won’t stand for it.”

So without ever telling Amanda about her mother’s intervention,
he had approved Amanda’s request to open and head a New York office handling the design, marketing, and sales divisions of the company, Walter remembered. Amanda and Charlotte worked there, and he stayed put at the main manufacturing facility in Raleigh.

Then, thanks to Amanda, the company was more profitable than ever, and Ladyform was regularly touted in business magazines as an old-fashioned American company that had successfully “repositioned” itself for the twenty-first century. Amanda, Walter wondered to himself, do you know that you saved the company from going over the cliff?

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of his phone ringing. He took it from his pocket and recognized the incoming number as Sandra’s cell. It wasn’t the first time she’d happened to call when he was thinking about her. It had been nearly two years since she moved to Seattle, and still, he thought, they were connected.

“Hello, Sandra. I was just thinking about you.”

“Not in a bad way, I hope.”

Their divorce had been finalized without too much contention. But despite a mutual promise to keep matters cordial, the process of having lawyers negotiate the end of a marriage that had lasted more than a third of a century had led to some tense moments.

“Never,” he said, firmly. “I was crediting you with Ladyform’s success. We would never have had the New York offices if not for you.”

“Well, that is a coincidence then, because I’m in New York now. I’m about to have lunch with Charlotte.”

“You’re in New York?” Walter asked. “Just to see Charlotte?”

The question caused a pang of guilt. He had made an extraordinarily difficult decision to choose between Amanda and Charlotte as his successor to head the company. Of course, Charlotte as the older sister had been bitter and hurt, and the fact that she got the job after Amanda disappeared still didn’t diminish her resentment.

This past November Sandra had invited him to have Thanksgiving dinner with her, Charlotte, and Henry and his family in Seattle. He supposed it was unrealistic to expect Sandra to continue to see him regularly. The visit had left him wistful and sad.

“No, not only to see her,” Sandra was saying. “I’m afraid I’ve done something that might upset you. Have you heard of the television show
Under Suspicion
?”

What’s this about? Walter wondered, then listened as Sandra went on and on about the two-hour meeting she’d had with the show’s producer about Amanda’s disappearance.

“I thought it was a long shot, but I think she may have actually listened.” Sandra’s voice was excited. “Please, Walter, don’t be angry. She said they only choose a case if the family members all approve. Walter, will you please consider it?”

He winced. Did she really think that he wouldn’t turn over every stone if that would somehow solve Amanda’s disappearance? “Sandra, I’m not angry. And of course I’ll cooperate any way I can.”

“Really? Walter, that’s wonderful. Thank you. One hundred times, thank you.”

There was a smile in her voice.

•  •  •

A little more than five hundred miles north, in the Pierre Hotel in Manhattan, Sandra disconnected her cell phone and tucked it in her handbag. Her hand was shaking. She had been prepared for another argument with Walter, like the ones that had eventually led to the end of their marriage.
How long are you going to keep up with this, Sandra? When are you going to face facts? We still have our lives and two other children. We owe it to Henry and Charlotte and our grandchildren to move on. You’ve become obsessed!

But they hadn’t had any fights like that since Walter came home from work to find her in the bedroom, struggling to close a very full
suitcase. Protesting, he had carried it down to the waiting car. As she got into it, she said, “I can’t deal with you any longer. Good-bye.” Sandra was relieved that today’s conversation hadn’t led to another confrontation. Still, as she walked down Sixth Avenue, something was bothering her.

Walter had quickly gone along with being involved if Laurie Moran made Amanda’s disappearance the next case in the
Under Suspicion
series. But she knew that reliving it moment by moment as the investigation began would tear him apart.

“I’m sorry, Walter,” she said aloud. “But if I get the chance to have Amanda’s disappearance examined, I’m going to go through with it, come hell or high water.”

9

I
n Brett Young’s office at Fisher Blake Studios, Laurie was making her strongest pitch to feature the Runaway Bride case in their next special.

She began by laying the button that Sandra had given her on Brett’s desk. Normally, she would have brought eight-by-ten glossies, but today, she was working on the fly. “You might recognize her photograph. Her name is Amanda Pierce. Five years after her disappearance, her mother, Sandra, still wears these buttons.”

Raising his eyebrows, Brett inched the button toward him for closer inspection, but said nothing.

“New Yorkers Amanda Pierce and Jeff Hunter had plans for a luxurious destination wedding. The ceremony was planned for Saturday afternoon, to be followed by a lavish reception. The wedding would be fairly intimate—sixty of their closest friends and family. But the wedding never happened,” she continued. “On Friday morning before the Saturday afternoon wedding, the bride, Amanda Pierce, did not show up for breakfast. Her fiancé and maid of honor knocked on the door of her room. There was no answer. A security guard let them in. The bed had not been slept in. Her wedding dress was spread across it. The night before, the bridal party had had dinner together. That was the last time they saw Amanda.”

Laurie could tell she had Brett’s attention now. “They started to
worry. They checked the hotel gym, the beach, the restaurant, the lobby—everywhere they could think of to look for her. Jeff went to the front desk to ask if housekeeping had already made up Amanda’s room. The clerk checked, and just as he said, ‘no,’ Amanda’s parents arrived in the lobby. They had to hear from Jeff that their daughter was missing. She’s never been heard from again.” Brett snapped his fingers. “I knew her face looked familiar. This is that Runaway Bride thing, right? Didn’t she turn up in Vegas with some other guy?”

Laurie vaguely recalled a similar story a few years back along those lines, but assured him that it wasn’t the Amanda Pierce case. “Amanda vanished without a trace. People don’t run away for over five years.”

“Without a trace? As in, no body? No new clues at all? Doesn’t sound promising.”

“It’s a cold case. That’s what we do, Brett.”

“But this one is ice cold. We’re talking igloo at the North Pole. Let me guess: the person you were talking to before the meeting was the button-wearing mother? I ran into her in the elevator.” Before she could answer, he said, “You’re a sucker for a sad story, Laurie. I can’t green-light a special just so you can give a platform to the sobbing family. We need clues. We need suspects. I’m sure you want to help this mother, but as I recall, the parents weren’t even there yet when the girl disappeared, right? And who are the people who have been living under suspicion since then?”

Laurie explained Amanda’s decision to leave her trust fund to Jeff, even though they weren’t married yet.

Jerry chimed in. “If you go online, there are thousands of people obsessed with this case. Almost everyone thinks the groom did it and it had something to do with the money. And the facts about the will aren’t even public. Not long after Amanda disappeared he had the nerve to hook up with her best friend. They’re married now, and I bet it won’t be long before they spend all the money together.”

“Not that we’re biased or anything,” Laurie added jokingly.

“Of course not,” Jerry said.

The mention of money gave Laurie another idea. “The setting would be perfect, Brett. The Grand Victoria Hotel in Palm Beach. It was supposed to be a dream wedding. All travel, lodging, and entertainment paid for by the bride’s wealthy family.”

Laurie was pleased when she finally saw Brett scribble some notes. She made out the word “resort,” followed by dollar signs. Just as she had predicted, Brett relished the idea of a glamorous setting and financially comfortable participants. Sometimes Laurie wondered if Brett would have preferred for her to have created
Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous: Unsolved Murders
.

“But her body was never found,” Brett observed. “Up until now, for all we know, Amanda Pierce is happily enjoying a new life under a new name. I would have thought, Laurie, that your journalist ethics would leave you concerned about violating the woman’s privacy.”

Laurie had lost track of the number of times that her values as a reporter had clashed with Brett’s unmitigated quest for ratings. Now that she was pitching a case that was perfect for television, he was finding far too much enjoyment in giving her a hard time.

“Actually, I’ve given that some thought. Even if Amanda left of her own accord, we do have victims. She walked out on her distraught family, and left behind at least one innocent person suffering under the gaze of public suspicion. I’m perfectly happy if we find out the truth, no matter where that leads us.”

“Well, for once, you and I might be on the same page. This is a good mystery, and the story of a disappearing bride is perfect for television—a young, beautiful woman vanished into thin air from a five-star hotel on the most important weekend of her life. I think I’ve been an excellent influence on you.”

“Undoubtedly,” Laurie said dryly. She was already running through the other perks of the case. Of course Grace and Jerry
would be thrilled with the setting. Laurie’s father, Leo, and son, Timmy, could be with them while they were on location, hopefully in August. Depending on the timing she might be able to finish the shoot before Timmy started school again in September. Her mind had wandered to the thought of brainstorming interview sessions with Alex on the beach when Brett asked another question. “Who’s on board?”

The biggest challenge for their show was convincing the victim’s friends and family members to participate. “So far just her mother, and supposedly the siblings and one of the bridesmaids,” Laurie said. She quickly added, “I didn’t want to reach out to anyone else until I got your approval.” That sounded much better than
This case just fell in my lap this morning.

“Full speed ahead. The Runaway Bride sounds like a Runaway Hit.”

10

C
harlotte Pierce told the waiter that she’d like to have the green salad and the salmon. “And some more iced tea,” she said, smiling politely as she handed him her menu. What she really wanted, of course, was a bloody mary and the steak frites, but she was dining with her mother, which meant she would remain on her best behavior in every way.