Paris squirmed, but her lips pursed in annoyance. She wasn’t embarrassed.
“Now”—Bree spoke in a getting back to real business tone—“I need to return to my murder investigation. Thank you for your time.” She stepped away from the microphone and turned back toward the station. She kept her strides even and calm. It couldn’t appear as if she was running away, even though that was exactly what she wanted to do.
Inside, she made a beeline for her office. Marge, Todd, and Matt followed and clustered around her desk.
Bree’s butt hit her chair hard. She propped her elbows on the desk and dropped her face into her hands. After a few seconds, she lifted her head. “Was that as big of a disaster as I think?”
As expected, Matt looked pissed. Todd tugged at his collar, as if acutely uncomfortable.
Marge said, “Yes.”
Bree could always count on her for honesty. “What do we know about Paris Vickers?”
Marge’s lips pressed into a flat line. “She’s a bitch?”
Bree couldn’t suppress a quick snort. “Besides that.”
“The Daily Grind is a tabloid blog,” Marge said. “No one takes it seriously.”
“Doesn’t matter.” The scope of the disaster was just beginning to swarm like panicked ants in Bree’s belly. “Now that Paris brought the deepfakes to light, everyone will go looking for them.”
“I’ll make sure the press has cleared out.” Marge headed for the door.
Todd glanced at his phone. “I need to take care of something.”
“Do you need me?” Bree asked.
“No. One of the patrol vehicles was hit in the Wendy’s parking lot. The deputy wasn’t inside. No big deal. I’ll handle it.”
Bree nodded. “When you’re done, I’d like you to talk to the neighbor, Homer. He’s been Camilla’s neighbor for decades. He must know something about the family history.”
Todd brightened. “Anything specific you want to know?”
“I’m interested in property values. Does he have any idea what the farm might be worth? Also, how far any family conflicts go back,” Bree said. “Hopefully, he’ll know some dirty details that aren’t in any official documents.”
“Let’s hope.” Todd closed the door behind him on the way out, as if sensing that Bree needed a moment alone with Matt.
When he was gone, Matt perched on the corner of her desk. “Are there any pictures of you in a tank top or shorts on the internet?”
“I don’t think so.” Bree didn’t have personal social media accounts. As a detective in Philly, she’d been on the news a few times, but she’d always dressed in business attire. Before making detective, she’d been in uniform. Now as sheriff, she usually wore a uniform when she was on duty, jeans and a T-shirt when off. “Why?”
“Because the easiest way to prove those images are false is to show your tattoos,” Matt said. “There would be no question the images aren’t really you.”
“I don’t show my tattoos in public.” Bree pressed a hand to an ache in her forehead. “I can’t strip off my uniform shirt in front of the press.”
Matt crossed his arms and frowned. “How ironic that your only defense to prove nude pictures are fake is to take off your clothes.”
“They’re private,” she objected, even though the protest felt childish and prudish. It wasn’t as if she’d be showing any parts of her body that were truly intimate. As a five-year-old, Bree had been mauled by her father’s dog. For most of her life, she’d concealed the horrific scars on her shoulder and ankle. As an adult, she’d covered those scars with tattoos, but she remained reluctant to put them on display. In her mind, the tattoos were for her, not anyone else.
“I know.” Matt’s eyes softened. “If Oscar weren’t dead, I’d beat the hell out of him for you.”
“Thanks, but he is dead, which means I can’t haul him into court and sue him.”
New York State had new laws against revenge porn and deepfake pornography.
“You need a lawyer. If the Daily Grind shares or republishes those images, you can go after them.”
“Who should I hire?” Bree had no time to interview attorneys.
“Morgan Dane.”
“She’s a defense attorney.”
Matt nodded. “But I bet she’d take your case anyway. High-profile cases are good for business. You need someone really good with managing the press, and that’s definitely one of her strengths.”