Avery’s agent had asked for details about the content Avery planned to bring to the upcoming season of American Events. Dwight Corey had asked for ammunition before he went back to the negotiating table. She had just stumbled into a munitions factory.
“Will you help me?” Emma asked again.
Avery slowly nodded. “I will.”
PART III
Deception
CHAPTER 21
Manhattan, NY Monday, June 28, 2021
“WHERE?” DWIGHT COREY ASKED.
Avery sat at Jacques, the bar at the Lowell Hotel, and used the straw to stir the ice in her Tito’s and soda. It had been three days since her drunken afternoon with Emma Kind, when two bottles of chardonnay had accompanied some startling revelations about Victoria Ford.
“New York,” Avery said.
“What are you doing in New York?
“Chasing a story.”
“Well, your timing is for shit. Mosley Germaine wants to meet to discuss your contract. He’s left a string of messages for me to call him back.”
“Did they come up from seven-fifty?”
“They’re holding firm, but they want to talk incentives and perks.”
“I’m not talking incentives and perks until the base is set. Did you get my e-mail?”
Avery had sent her agent an e-mail detailing the salaries of newsmagazine hosts for the past twenty years, adjusted for inflation and according to ratings. The spreadsheet included the hosts of Dateline, 20/20, 48 Hours, and 60 Minutes coupled with the Nielsen ratings for each. According to the models Avery compiled, pitting her ratings against the competition, $750,000 per year would be grossly underpaying her.
“Avery,” Dwight said with more than a bit of skepticism in his voice. “Are you in New York taking meetings with other networks?”
“Hell no. I’d never take a meeting without my intimidating-as-hell six-foot-six agent, in his impeccable suit and with his flawlessly manicured nails, standing next to me. I’m starting to question your negotiating skills, but you still scare the hell out of most people. I’m in New York chasing a story, that’s all.”
“We need to talk about Germaine’s offer.”
“Not until he’s serious about what he’s offering. Listen, you told me to find you some content for next season. I’ve found it.”
“Okay,” Dwight said. There was a long pause before he spoke again in a dejected tone. “Give me the thirty-second recap of this story that sent you to New York. Go.”
“The remains of a 9/11 victim were recently identified using new DNA technology at the New York medical examiner’s office. I spoke with the ME, Dr. Livia Cutty, and she’s willing to give me an inside look into the new technique, which she feels is a significant breakthrough to IDing the twenty thousand unidentified 9/11 remains that are still stored in the crime lab.”
“Sounds interesting, and the timing works for this fall. But I’m not sure it’s feature-film interesting.”
“I’m just getting started. I tracked down Emma Kind, the sister of the woman who was just identified. I was looking for a personal side to the story. Something that had a chance to stand out this fall when everyone else will be doing stories about the twenty-year anniversary of 9/11. Then I learned that the identified remains belonged to a woman who happened to be facing indictment for murder. When she died, Victoria Ford was about to go on trial for the murder of her married lover—a wealthy novelist named Cameron Young.”
“Wait a minute,” Dwight said. “Why do I know that name?”
“Because in the nineties he wrote a string of best-selling thrillers. From the research I did over the weekend, he was very popular. His books were number one on all the lists and sold all over the world. Millions of copies. His death was a big story at the time. And then, just as this juicy murder investigation was becoming the focus of the nation, it got overshadowed.”
“By September eleventh.”
“Exactly. Most everyone forgot about Cameron Young and the mistress who killed him, and understandably turned their attention to the new and real threat of terrorism coming to our shores.”
“Okay,” Dwight said, in a slow drawl. “So what’s your angle? The remains of the latest 9/11 victim belonged to a convicted killer? Not sure that’s exactly a feel-good story for the twenty-year anniversary.”
“Forget about the feel-good stuff. Forget about commemorating the twenty-year anniversary of 9/11. That’s just the hook. I plan to look into the murder of Cameron Young. This is a true-crime story that will blow away anything I’ve covered before.”
“I’m not following you. The case was open and shut, was it not?”
“Not necessarily. Emma Kind tells a compelling story about her sister. Victoria Ford might be guilty as sin, but something tells me there’s more to the story. Something makes me want to dig into the details. In just a couple of days I’ve turned over a ton of information about the case, and I haven’t even talked with anyone directly tied to the investigation yet. But Emma is helping me on that front. She gave me a list of all the people who were in her sister’s life. I’m tracking down Victoria Ford’s widower. I’m going to speak with her friends. Her family. The attorney who represented her. I’m trying to get in touch with the detective who investigated the case. I’ve reached out to the authorities and they’re getting back to me. I’ll also reach out to Cameron Young’s family. There’re a lot of angles here, Dwight. The murder itself was bizarre—an S and M bondage scene that included the victim hanging from the balcony of his mansion. Oh, and there’s a homemade sex tape out there somewhere.”
“Christ. Okay, slow down. I’m not sure this is the best use of your time right now, while we’re in the middle of negotiating your contract.”
“It sure as hell is. I’m putting my foot on the accelerator. I’m going to research this murder and see if there is any way the cops pinned this on the wrong person, as Emma Kind believes is the case. If I find any evidence to that end, I’m going to gather it all and put together a stunning exposé about the latest 9/11 victim to be identified, one who happened to be wrongly accused before she died.”
“What if all you find is that she was guilty as charged?”
“Then it’s still an interesting story. Because it’s with good reason that Emma Kind believes her sister was innocent.”
There was silence on the line between them.
“You know, Avery, while you’re running around New York City, Germaine could rescind the offer at any moment and go with someone else. Are you willing to risk that?”
“She has a recording,” Avery said.
“Who?”
“Emma Kind.”
“What sort of recording?”
“An answering machine recording of her sister from the morning of 9/11. After Victoria learned that she was trapped in the North Tower, she called her sister. The recording was made just before the tower collapsed.”
“Shit,” Dwight said in a disgusted tone.
“What?”
Avery heard him take a deep breath and slowly exhale it.
“You’re starting to pique my interest. Go.”