Page 107 of Tear Me Apart

“Be my guest. She’s as prickly as a rattlesnake these days, so don’t be surprised if she comes across edgy when you’re talking. She’s been very disturbed by all this, and to have Mindy be so ill...”

“It’s hard when secrets come to light,” Zack says. “I’ll testify to that firsthand. What I want to know is if all of this—” he waves a hand at the files, and the cops “—is going to find out who killed my wife. Because that’s the focus for me. We’ve found my daughter. Now I expect you to find my wife’s killer.”

“It’s a legitimate ask, and we are going to do our best,” Parks replies.

“I want more than your best. I want answers. I want some justice for Vivian. I know we have a lot of dead people surrounding this case, but my wife...” His voice cracks, and this time, Juliet puts a hand on his arm. She notices him reach down with the other to fondle the dog’s ears. He takes a deep breath. “I’m sorry. It’s been a difficult couple of days.”

Starr taps her fingers on the files. “We all want that, Zack. We do. That’s why we’re here, in Colorado, conducting this investigation, to find out who is responsible for tearing your life apart. And we will get to the truth. You focus on saving your daughter’s life and let us focus on finding the suspect. Deal?”

Four strong faces stare at him expectantly.

“Deal.”

“Good. Here’s the other thing,” Parks says. “We are going to need to release a statement to the media. We’ve taken the liberty and already prepared some verbiage.”

He passes out the statement Dan Franklin, Nashville Metro’s spokesperson, has drafted at Parks’s behest. They all read it, and Juliet watches Zack’s face as he takes in the reality he is about to be dumped into. The statement is short, and simply says new information has come to light in the Armstrong investigation, and more will be forthcoming when there is information to be released. It is just enough to pique the media’s interest without turning them into baying wolves.

“This looks good to me,” Woody says. “I’d just like to add that CBI is involved as well, if you don’t mind.”

“Not a problem.”

Woody drains his coffee cup, sets it down with a plunk on the table. It feels so final, so real, all of a sudden. Juliet takes a deep breath, and he notices.

“Juliet, I know this is going to be hard, but the minute we start talking to witnesses, word’s going to spread. Are Lauren and Jasper ready for this? Are you? And you, Zack?”

“We’re all going to have to be, aren’t we?” she replies. “I’ll talk to them, let them know what’s coming. We may want to handpick a few journalists we trust and plan a sit-down.”

“People will pay for the story,” Zack says. “Magazines, online gossip rags. They circled like hawks in the beginning, when the case was fresh. Almost all of them offered money. Can we make sure no one profits from this?”

“Of course,” Woody assures him. “I will make a point of finding people who aren’t going to try to exploit the story or turn it into a free-for-all.”

Juliet sighs. “I don’t know, Zack. Mindy’s hospital bills are insanely huge. Maybe taking some money—”

“No. Not happening. I’m not letting the media exploit my daughter.”

She hears the emphasis onmy. “Okay. No problem.” To Parks, “You’re releasing this now?”

“The sooner the better,” Parks says. “You never know what might pop up if the media’s working the case, too.” He rereads the statement. “I have to say, it would be a lot easier if we could just name all the parties and get it over with. Take some of the verve and sting out, you know? We don’t want the media discovering the truth before we do.”

Juliet nods her agreement. “We might as well. It’s not like it’s going to be quiet for long. We’ll have to tell Lauren and Jasper, get their approval. Zack, you good with that?”

He nods too, clearly distracted.

“Okay then. Progress,” Woody says, sticking the paper back into the file. “Let’s go have a chat with Mr. and Mrs. Wright, so we can refine the message and get this in the hopper. We’ll also get a car to stand watch so the media doesn’t hound them, and we’ll start looking for the folks we want to sit down with the family for a public plea. We’ll see you two later. Juliet. A moment?”

Uh-oh.

She follows him to the edge of the cafeteria. “I saw the time stamp on the sample that was uploaded. If you ever pull a trick like this again, I will have your job. Do you understand?”

She nods. No sense trying to defend herself. She knew the risk.

“Good. You’re suspended without pay for two weeks. We are never going to discuss this again. Am I clear?”

“Yes, sir. Thank you, sir.”

Woody’s face is full of reproach, his whisper harsh. “Don’t you dare thank me, Juliet. You’re damn lucky this turned so quickly, or else we’d be having a very different conversation. You’ve threatened everything we stand for, and I am so disappointed in you.”

He signals to Parks and Starr, and they walk out together, Starr chatting animatedly.