Nobody Knows

NON-STOP PRAISE FOR
MARY JANE CLARK:

NOBODY KNOWS

“As a hurricane approaches and a dead woman’s hand washes ashore, Cassie pieces together a bizarre puzzle with pieces tying back to the serial rapist.”

—
Booklist

“Clear, flowing prose . . . [Clark] has an insider’s expertise that adds to the novel’s verisimilitude . . . [Clark] makes ample use of her insider credentials and story lines right out of the headlines . . . [a] well-crafted page turner.”

—HeraldTribune.com

“An enjoyable read.”

—
Brazosport Facts
(Brazos, TX)

CLOSE TO YOU

“Smooth is the word for this expert thriller . . . moving along effortlessly and unhurriedly, acquiring characters and subplots as it goes, always focusing on the climax the reader knows will come when the killer finally makes his move . . . Clark’s tale delivers the goods . . . Clark’s depiction of the stalkers who plague celebrities disturbs and convinces, and her characters come alive on the page: criminal, sick, genuinely evil, or simply flawed and very human.”

—
Publishers Weekly

“An eerie story [with] a satisfying ending.”

—
Providence Journal

“Gave me chills right from Chapter One . . . This really is ‘behind the camera’—Mary Jane Clark gets the details right.”

—Vicky Mabrey, Correspondent,
60 Minutes II

“[An] expert tale . . . delivers the goods.”

—
Publishers Weekly

“Mary Jane Clark nails it; with every page my heart raced faster.”

—Gretchen Carlson, Anchor,
CBS Saturday Show

“Clark’s story retains its suspense throughout.”

—
Newark Star-Ledger

“Mary Jane Clark has brought home the reality that being on television is not always so glamorous: Sometimes it can be downright terrifying!”

—Elizabeth Kaledin, Correspondent,
CBS Evening News with Dan Rather

“A frightening—and firsthand—look at the darker side of celebrity.”

—
Sun Herald
(Colusa, CA)

LET ME WHISPER IN YOUR EAR

“A suspense-charged, absorbing tale of treachery, troubled psyches, and flawed relationships that leaps beyond romantic suspense into the heart’s darkest realms . . . Kept me guessing right up until the final jolting betrayal.”

—Perri O’Shaughnessy, author of
Unfit to Practice

“Mary Jane Clark keeps the reader on the edge of [his or her] seat in
Let Me Whisper in Your Ear
. The combination of mind-dazzling suspense and nostalgia for the glory days of Palisades Park is a heady one. Lovers of great romantic mysteries will surely want to read the other novels of Ms. Clark.”

—
Romantic Times

DO YOU PROMISE NOT TO TELL?

“Clark, who in real life is a writer and producer for CBS News, understands how to hang on to her audience. Her characters are the sorts with whom many readers identify. Her first book,
Do You Want To Know A Secret?
, had pluses. It was well told; its characters and plot were compelling. But
Promise
is stronger still . . . it is a fun read with some nifty twists.”

—
USA Today

“The suspense never flags, and the killer’s identity remains a secret long into the tale . . . for those who can’t get enough of the competitively backbiting world of network news, this novel offers entertaining verisimilitude.”

—
Publishers Weekly

“In news as in life, luck often counts as much as hard work. Clark captures the spirit of an enterprising reporter who relies on both to ‘get’ the story of her life.”

—Deborah Norville, anchor,
Inside Edition

DO YOU WANT TO KNOW A SECRET?

“Clark . . . spins a tightly knit whodunit with engaging characters and a suspenseful plot.”

—
Publishers Weekly

“The secret is out: Mary Jane Clark is one of the most exciting novelists in America today. Her debut thriller takes us on a suspense-filled insider’s tour of the corridors of power in politics and journalism where everybody’s got a secret, everybody wants a scoop—and now somebody has murder in mind.
Do You Want to Know A Secret?
is an unabashed, edge-of-the-seat, they-don’t-write-’em-like-that-anymore, unplug-the-phone-and-disconnect-the-TV, page-turning stunner!”

—Dan Rather

“Do You Want to Know A Secret?
is a brilliantly structured thriller. The secrets and surprises just keep coming and make perfect sense in the TV media world that Mary Jane Clark has absolutely nailed.”

—Janet Evanovich, author of
To the Nines

“Secrets . . . ambition . . . intrigue . . . Mary Jane Clark knowingly seduces you in this intensely suspenseful behind-the-media-scenes thriller.”

—Joan Rivers

ST. MARTIN’S PAPERBACKS TITLES
BY MARY JANE CLARK

Do You Want to Know a Secret?

Do You Promise Not to Tell?

Let Me Whisper in Your Ear

Close to You

Nobody Knows

Nowhere to Run

Hide Yourself Away

Dancing in the Dark

Lights Out Tonight

MARY JANE CLARK

This is a work of fiction. All the characters and events portrayed in this book are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

NOBODY KNOWS

Copyright © 2002 by Mary Jane Clark.
Excerpt from
Dancing in the Dark
copyright © 2005 by Mary Jane Clark.
Excerpt from
Hide Yourself Away
copyright © 2004 by Mary Jane Clark.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews. For information address St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010.

Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 2002024857

ISBN: 0-312-98383-2

ISBN 978-0-312-98383-3

Printed in the United States of America

St. Martin’s Press hardcover edition / July 2002
St. Martin’s Paperbacks edition / August 2003

St. Martin’s Paperbacks are published by St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010.

15   14   13   12   11   10   9   8

Again, for Elizabeth and David

At the start, there was only a mental image of a little boy with a metal detector finding something in the soft Florida sand. What it was he found, I did not know, nor did I have any idea where the discovery would lead. Getting from that initial idea to the book you now hold in your hands required help. To those who came through with essential assistance when I needed it, my sincere thanks.

Father Paul Holmes, independent editor, did not look askance at me when I told him about my vague vision. Paul encouraged me and brainstormed with me through a tough autumn when real world events seemed far stranger and more terrifying than anything this writer could dream up. His support was unflagging.

Jim Murphy, executive producer of the
CBS Evening News with Dan Rather
, generously shared his experience and insights on what the ethical and legal ramifications are for running with a controversial story ahead of the competition.

CBS news correspondent Bobbi Harley came to my rescue again, this time providing lots of colorful descriptions of working in Miami and covering hurricanes.

Those Federal Bureau of Investigation sources keep wanting to remain nameless, but another special agent took time to explain to me the workings of the FBI’s Fugitives List.

As deadline approached, Mary Catherine Ryan came through with immediate research assistance, as did Elizabeth Higgins Clark, my daughter.

Laura Dail makes the “business” of writing so much more fun than it otherwise would be. I couldn’t ask for a more nurturing, energetic, capable agent and, now, good friend.

And while we’re on the subject of business and friendship, Colleen Kenny came into my life years ago as my children’s baby-sitter, grew to be a friend, and has developed into a first-class Web master, showering her conscientious attention on
www.maryjaneclark.com
.

The contribution of Jennifer Enderlin is formidable. I know I am fortunate to have such a talented and creative editor. Jen was able to pinpoint areas where the story needed more fleshing out, and her expert suggestions definitely make
Nobody Knows
a more compelling read. I can’t thank her enough for the care she has taken with this project, beginning with conceptualizing the cover, which art director Anne Twomey executed to perfection. As always, it makes me feel better to know that Sally Richardson, Matthew Shear, and John Murphy are on my side at St. Martin’s Press.

Finally, if Jane and Bennett Willis had not introduced
me to the beauty that is Sarasota so many breathtaking sunsets ago, I would not have had firsthand experience of this luscious locale, the place where my precocious child finds something in the sand. To Aunt Jane and Uncle Bennett and my family and dear friends, “nobody knows” where I would be without you.

Tuesday, February 19

From the time she’d been old enough to understand what it was, she was afraid of it. All women were. It was brutal, invasive, destructive, and too horrible to wrap your mind around.

Rape was all these things, but it was not a federal crime.

Something didn’t feel right here. KEY News Justice Correspondent Cassie Sheridan waited for the press conference to begin, already knowing from her FBI sources that a rapist was being added to the Fugitives List.

STRANGE
, THOUGHT
Cassie as she watched Pamela Lynch, clad in a severe gray business suit, take the platform at the front of the crowded pressroom at the J. Edgar Hoover Building. While the director was known to announce additions to the infamous Ten Most
Wanted List, the Fugitives List didn’t warrant the same attention. Why was the FBI’s first female director facing the press herself on this one?

Pamela Lynch ran her fingers through her cropped gray hair and cleared her throat as the din of the press people subsided.

“Good afternoon, everyone,” she began, looking directly out into the audience. “The FBI realizes the value of public assistance in tracking down fugitives. Since the establishment of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Ten Most Wanted List over fifty years ago, we are approaching five hundred fugitives listed. Almost a quarter of those individuals have subsequently been apprehended as a direct result of citizen cooperation.”

Cassie scribbled on her notepad as the director continued. “The criteria for selection are fairly straightforward. First, the individual must have a lengthy record of committing serious crimes and/or be considered a particularly dangerous menace to society due to current criminal charges. Second, the FBI must believe that the nationwide publicity can be of assistance in apprehending the fugitive.”

Lynch stopped to reach beneath the podium for the glass of water waiting there. As the director lifted the glass to her mouth, Cassie, sitting in the front row, noticed that Lynch’s hand was quivering.
She can’t possibly be anxious about this, can she?
Pamela Lynch was known to have nerves of steel. Cassie had watched her many times as she faced tough questioning about terrorism and unflinchingly defended attacks on FBI conduct. Why would Pamela Lynch be unnerved by a fairly routine news conference on domestic wrongdoing?

“We have no picture of the individual that we are looking for. When we get one, if he isn’t apprehended first, I can assure you he will be elevated to the Ten Most Wanted List. As you know, no individual is placed on the Ten Most Wanted List without a picture.”

I didn’t know that
, thought Cassie.