“Yes I did. Your book is so realistic, especially when you write from Ashley’s point of view, but I’ve heard that you never interviewed her. Is that true? And, if it is, how did you make those chapters so real?”
“I knew Ashley, of course, and we spoke several times before I started the book. She was staying at the Academy for a while. However, I never discussed the case with her before she left for Europe. It would have been insensitive. While she was rooming at the Academy, my father and I were trying to take her mind off her tragedy.
“Obviously, I never had a chance to interview Ashley when I was writing the first edition of Sleeping Beauty, because she was hiding in Europe. I did have access to the transcript of the preliminary hearing and the police reports with the interviews of Ashley that Larry Birch conducted. I also interviewed her friends, her teachers, and people like her attorney, Jerry Philips. My father was a big help. He and Ashley spent a lot of time together when she was staying at the Academy.”
“What about after she returned to the States? Did you interview her for the new edition?”
“No. By the time I decided to write an updated edition of the book I had heard her testimony at Maxfield’s trial and didn’t feel it was necessary.”
“So chapter one, where you tell what happened in the Spencer house, and the chapter where you describe the attack at the Academy after Maxfield’s escape, that all came from research and not from talking to Ashley?”
“Yes.”
“That’s amazing, because it feels so real.”
Miles blushed. “Thank you for that. It’s always music to a writer’s ears to hear that he has been successful in making his subject live. Of course, re-creating Ashley’s personality was easy, since I did get to know her. And you have a good chance of guessing how a person will react in a situation if you know what type of person they are. Ashley is a good woman with a lot of inner strength.”
An overweight man with a heavy beard raised his hand, and Miles pointed at him.
“Mr. Van Meter, have you ever thought of volunteering your time to the FBI to help catch serial killers? With your imagination and insights, you’d be a natural.”
“No, for several reasons. First, the FBI has trained professionals to do that work. I couldn’t begin to approach their qualifications. Second, and most important, as far as I’m concerned, one close encounter with a serial killer is one too many. You have no idea how emotionally draining it’s been to have Joshua Maxfield in my life. I have no desire to place myself in a position where I would experience the suffering of other families. Quite frankly, I don’t know how the police and the FBI handle the emotional strain of dealing with such horror, day in and day out.”
A young woman in a business suit raised her hand. “Will you be glad when Joshua Maxfield is executed?” she asked.
Miles looked thoughtful. He took a moment to frame his answer.
“Society will be better off with Maxfield gone. I firmly believe that he cannot be rehabilitated. I’m also certain that he would kill again if he were released. But glad…I don’t think you can ever rejoice at the death of a human being.”
“So you think he is human?” the woman asked.
“Well, there’s certainly a good argument against that position, but I’ll leave that question to theologians and philosophers. I’m just happy I have my sister back.”
Several people raised their hands. While Miles called on one of them, Claire Rolvag looked toward the front of the store again. Standing at the end of the bookshelf that held the novels featuring classic detectives like Sherlock Holmes and Hercule Poirot was a woman flanked by two men. As Claire turned back toward the speaker, she put her hand under her jacket and touched the butt of her Glock 40-caliber pistol.
Part Four.Special Edition
Chapter Thirty-Four
Jerry Philips pulled up at the VALET PARKING sign, and a college kid in a white shirt and black slacks swapped a claim check for his car. Jerry took Ashley’s hand and they walked up the driveway to the mansion that Casey Van Meter had inherited from her father. Miles Van Meter’s publisher had decided to kick off the book tour for the special edition of Sleeping Beauty exactly one year after Joshua Maxfield had been sentenced to death, and Casey had opened up Glen Oaks for the publication party.
All of the lights in the house were on, and the couple could hear music and laughter coming from the backyard where a band had been set up near the pool. People were chatting on the front lawn, waiters were offering hors d’oeuvres on silver trays, and Jerry had to shoulder his way through the boisterous crowd in the entry hall to get to the bar. Ashley was checking out the fashion statements and the jewelry while she waited for her drink when someone shouted her name. She turned and was swept up by Delilah Wallace, who embraced her ex-star witness, then held her at arm’s length.
“You’re looking a lot better than you looked when I saw you last,” said Delilah, who had not seen Ashley since Joshua Maxfield’s sentencing.
“You’re looking good, too, Delilah.”
“Nah. I’m as fat as ever, but I sure am happy, because I came here hoping to find you and here you are. So tell me what you’ve been up to.”
“I’m engaged,” Ashley said as she showed the prosecutor her ring.
Delilah grabbed Ashley’s hand and inspected the stone. “That’s lovely. Do I know the lucky man?”
“Merlot, madam,” Jerry Philips said as he handed Ashley a glass of red wine. “Hi, Delilah.”
“I was just congratulating Ashley. When’s the wedding?”
“Probably not until Ashley graduates,” Jerry said. “We’re both too busy for a honeymoon right now.”
“I’m going to Portland State,” Ashley explained. “I’m premed and that really keeps me hopping.”
“Did you have any trouble getting back in the swing of school after being away so long?” Delilah asked.
“It was tough at first. I was pretty nervous.”
“She’s getting straight A’s,” Jerry said proudly.
Ashley blushed. “What have you been up to?”
“The same old, same old. Murder and mayhem.”
Ashley was about to tell Delilah that she’d been reading about the DA’s most recent trial when Casey Van Meter walked into the entry hall and spotted Ashley. The mistress of Glen Oaks looked radiant. Except for a barely noticeable limp, all evidence that she had been one of the living dead had been erased during the past year, as had the presence of Randy Coleman, whom she had finally divorced. Casey had not resumed her duties as dean, leaving in place the capable woman Henry had hired while she was in her coma. But she had become active in civic affairs and was much sought after to sit on boards and committees because of her wealth and intelligence.
Casey said hello to Delilah Wallace. Jerry saluted Casey with his glass. Ashley had seen less of her mother since she started college. Her heavy premed load left little time for socializing. When she did have free time, she spent it with Jerry. Jerry wasn’t sorry that Ashley had cut down on her visits to her mother. Her relationship with Casey had helped her get through the Maxfield trial and had given her a new family, but Jerry thought that there was something cold and artificial about Casey Van Meter. Of course, he’d never said anything about his feelings to Ashley.
“Miles has been asking for you,” Casey said. “He’s signing books in the living room. Come on. Let’s visit.”
Ashley promised to talk to Delilah later. Jerry followed as Casey took Ashley’s arm and led her through the crowd. Heads turned and people whispered when they saw the two women. Miles and the media had made them celebrities. Ashley had never welcomed her fame and she was glad when the attentions of the press waned after the trial. She had not been thrilled when the publicity blitz for the special edition of Sleeping Beauty had raised her public profile again.