Page 113 of Blood Moon

“This is character assassination, Beth. There’s nothing funny about it.”

“The funny thing,” she repeated with emphasis, “is that when it’s laid out like that, everything Carla told him is true. I can’t defend myself or I’ll appear even more deranged than she described.”

“But why did she do it?”

“Why else? Retribution. She resented that we turned her tragedy into ‘entertainment for couch potatoes,’ remember?”

He tugged at his lower lip. “I don’t know. Her animosity,especially toward you, still seems excessive. Why doesn’t she turn some of it onto Tom Barker? She’s got more reason to hate him than anyone affiliated withCrisis Point.”

“She gets her vengeance on him in her interview. When you watch it, you’ll see. She questions both his competence and integrity. Not straight out, but she plants seeds of doubt, and dislike for him, in viewers’ minds.”

“Has he seen the episode yet?”

“I doubt it. Episodes are kept under wraps before they air. I have the Mellin one only because I was working on it.”

“When Barker does see it, he may go after her.”

“In what way?”

“Hell if I know and hazard to guess.” He straddled his chair backward to face her and reached across to caress her cheek. Softly, he asked, “Any chance in hell of Brady cancelling the episode?”

“No. When he paused to take a breath, I tried to impress upon him how disastrous it was going to be if he aired it tomorrow night. He laughed and suggested I burn some incense to the moon goddess to ward off evil spirits.” She laughed lightly. “That’s not a bad idea. It certainly couldn’t hurt. Do you have any incense around?”

Her knew her attempted humor was part of the brave front she was putting up. “Are you going to be all right?”

“Yes.”

He looked at her doubtfully.

She said, “Honestly, I’m fine. With or without Carla’s interference, it would have happened eventually.” She took a deep breath. “You were about to tell me what you thought we should do next.”

“Right. Professor Wallace. We could send him that list of handles, see if he recognizes any from the sites he’s lurked on.”

“Maybe if one has popped up on several different sites, he would have noticed and remembered.”

“That was my thinking. Why don’t you call and explain? If he agrees, I’ll text him the list. But if he asks how we came by it, tell him it’s classified.”

“Is it?”

“It is as far as I’m concerned.”

Beth placed the call, and the professor answered immediately.

Feeling optimistic that he would agree to help, John forwarded the list to him immediately. No sooner had he sent that text than a call came in on another of his phones.

His ex’s name was in the readout. “Christ. She’s all I need.” He answered with, “I hear that congratulations are in order.”

“Don’t play cute with me, John. I want you to bring Molly home.Now.”

Chapter 31

What are you talking about, Roslyn?”

Beth was on the phone with the professor. When she heard John address his ex-wife, she turned her head and looked at him inquisitively. He gave a shrug and an impatient shake of his head.

Roslyn was saying, “Like you don’t know.”

“I don’t know,” he said with heat. “The last I heard, she was going to dinner with you and your intended.”