More Heat Than Light: Carter Peterson Mystery Series Book 4 Read online

  “That’s lousy.”

  “It is, but it comes with the territory. You can’t be in the entertainment biz without getting hammered on by all sorts of critics.”

  “I guess. I’m sure the radio station doesn’t mind the free publicity at all,” Sarah said.

  “Not sure how free it is. WTLK advertises heavily in all the local rags. Doubt they’d get a front page article about last night’s event, otherwise.”

  “I wonder how a stunt like the one those jerks pulled last night affects The Music Hall’s business.”

  “Not much, I’ll bet. They host such a variety of events, they seem to have every demographic covered. Doubt they’re even concerned.” I continued reading until a piece of information near the end of the story took me by surprise. “Did you know Amanda was the illegitimate daughter of James Coughlin?”

  “James Coughlin, the televangelist?” Sarah asked.

  “Well … former televangelist, but yeah, that’s what it says here,” I said and pointed it out.

  Sarah took a second to read it. “They just stuck that information in there for the heck of it? Apropos nothing? They really don’t have any shame over at the Gazette, do they?”

  “Guess not. Information like that helps sell newspapers. End of story.”

  “Now I’m wondering if Amanda made all the money it takes to have a home like hers, or if some of it came from Coughlin?”

  “Not something we’ll ever know,” I said. “Not that it’s any of our business, one way or the other.”

  “True,” Sarah said as she went to pour us a couple cups of coffee. “But it still makes me curious. I wonder if that information is common knowledge, or if the reporter who wrote the piece dug it up?”

  “I doubt they’d waste a juicy tidbit like that, burying it in the body of a story, if it wasn’t widely known. Should be an easy fact to check, though.”

  “I’m gonna do an internet search right now,” Sarah said as she handed me my mug. She took a seat across the table from me and began tapping away on her device. A few seconds later she shouted, “Oh my goodness, the internet is blowing up over this.”

  “So, you’re saying The Bridgeport Gazette did actually break the story?”

  “It sure looks that way, because Amanda and James Coughlin are both trending on nearly every social media site I’ve checked.”

  “Wow. That’s going to affect our agreement with the station,” I said as I slid my chair back and got up to turn on the local news.

  “That’s for sure. We need to renegotiate with WTLK. Amanda’s going to be hounded with questions about Coughlin everywhere she goes.”

  “Looks like the hounds are already on the trail,” I said as I stared at the TV screen. “There’s a reporter from one of the Boston stations doing a live broadcast as we speak, standing in front of the gates leading to Amanda’s house.”

  “No way,” Sarah said as she came scurrying over. “No way! I can’t believe it.”

  “Didn’t take long. Guess one of us had better call Corey.”

  “He must already know, right?”

  “Hard to say,” I said as I placed the call and hit speaker. “Turn the volume down on the TV, would you please?”

  The phone rang a number of times before I heard Corey mutter a sleepy hello. “Corey, this is Carter Peterson. Sorry if I woke you.”

  “Carter. Hi. What … what time is it?”

  “Ten past six.”

  “Oh. Uh … what … is there something wrong? It’s rather early,” Corey said.

  I looked at Sarah and she gave me one of her scrunched-up faces. I knew her well enough to know that, under the circumstances, she was glad it was me who’d made the call. “Well, as a matter of fact, there is. I’m looking at my TV screen, watching a live report on one of the Boston news stations. Their reporter is standing outside the gates of Amanda’s home.”

  “Wait, what? What’s going on? Did they say why they were there?”

  “They did. It has to do with word getting out that former televangelist James Coughlin is, uh … well, they’re claiming Amanda is Coughlin’s illegitimate daughter.”

  I stared at Sarah as I waited for a response from Corey.

  Dead silence.

  “Corey? You still there?” I asked after an uncomfortable amount of time had gone by.

  “Yes … yes, sorry,” Corey said. “Uh, I … I have to admit, I’m in somewhat of a state of shock. I really thought I knew her, but Amanda never shared any such information with me. I just took a peek online. Suffice to say it’s everywhere.”

  “Afraid so,” I said.

  “I need to contact Amanda right away,” Corey said.

  “Of course. We’re here if you need us.” A beat went by. “Hello?”

  “Not sure if he heard you,” Sarah said. “He’s obviously focused on his next move. And likely concerned for Amanda’s welfare.”

  “Yeah. He’s got to be thinking damage control at this point. This kind of information is a big scoop in the entertainment world. Especially if it’s been buried up until now.”

  “Yeah, but who knows? It might not even be true.”

  “Wouldn’t really matter at this point?” I asked. “It’s all about sound bites these days. True, or not, the vultures will have a field day with this one.”

  “You know, you’re right. This will be the day’s hot topic. At least until the next big story breaks.”

  Chapter 6

  I hadn’t realized how long I’d been sitting on the couch with Sarah, trying to keep up with the circus that was suddenly Amanda Enright’s life, until my cell phone rang at 8:50 am.

  “This is Carter.”

  “Is she with you?”

  “Corey, is that you?” I asked.

  “Yes, yes, Carter, it’s Corey. I can’t reach Amanda. Please tell me she’s with you and Sarah.”

  “Sorry, she’s not,” I said. “Haven’t seen her, or heard from her.”

  “Oh, no. This isn’t good. This is not good.”

  It sounded as though Corey was hyperventilating on the other end of the call. “How can we help?” I asked.

  “That’s just it. I wish I knew the answer to that. I’ve been to Amanda’s house. I’ve been to the station. I’ve check all her secret hangouts. I’ve called and left a dozen messages on her phone. I swear, it’s like she’s disappeared into thin air.”

  “Could she be with Kayla?” I asked.

  “No,” Corey replied. “I spoke with Kayla over an hour ago. She insisted on returning to Bridgeport to help. She’s on her way here from Boston as we speak.”

  “What about the therapist?” I asked. “Could Amanda have rescheduled to an earlier time?”

  “You know, that’s---I’ll call Meghan right away. Thank you, Carter.” I heard Corey click off from our call.

  “Jeez. What do you make of all this?” Sarah asked.

  “Beats me. We don’t know enough about Amanda to make an educated guess. But, if I were her, I’d be holed-up and laying low somewhere until this media storm dies down.”

  “I highly doubt they’ll leave this story alone till Amanda makes some sort of statement,” Sarah said. “You don’t become a trending topic unless the subject matter is red-hot. She’s blowing up the internet right now.”

  “Yeah. Not good.” I let my head fall back into the cushions and closed my eyes. I thought about the threat made by that newspaper guy, Erlichman. I hated to let my mind go there, but foul play wasn’t out of the question. “I’m going to call Detective James.”

  “You’re thinking what, someone’s harmed her?” Sarah asked.

  “It’s a possibility,” I said as the ring pulse began trilling through the speaker.

  “Hey, Carter.”

  “Good morning. Question. Any action on your end concerning Amanda Enright since we spoke with you outside The Music Hall last night?”

  “Nothing specific. Why?” James asked.

  “Well … we just got a call from her producer. S
eems she’s done a disappearing act.”

  “Oh boy.”

  “Oh boy? What’s that mean?”

  I heard James clear his throat. “I’m in my car right now, on my way to a scene. Contractor found a vic inside of a construction project. A young woman. One of my men said it looks like she was choked to death.”

  “Where at?”

  “That new professional building over near the airport.”

  “Briarwood Office Condominiums?” I asked. “You said construction project. I thought that place was finished months ago.”

  “Yeah, well, the unit she was found in was apparently the last available suite. The contractor claims he’s been fitting it out for some local shrink to move into.”

  I felt myself clenching my jaw. “You happen to know the name?”

  “Of the contractor?” James asked.

  “Of the shrink,” I replied.

  “I don’t. But I can have it for you within five minutes, or so,” James said.

  “Do me a favor. Touch base once you’re on scene, if time allows. I’m afraid you’re about to find Amanda Enright.”

  Chapter 7

  “Should we call Corey Anders and let him know our suspicions?” Sarah asked.

  “We’ll know shortly if our vic is Amanda Enright, or not,” I said. “Let’s wait to find out. No sense getting Corey more worked up than he already is.”

  “Now that I think about it, maybe we should tread lightly till we have a face-to-face with James. If someone did Amanda in---perish the thought---Corey’s going to be near the top of the list, as far as persons of interest are concerned.”

  “True enough,” I said. “Though, I can’t imagine what his motive would be. Both Corey and the station have a lot to lose if they lose Amanda.”

  “No kidding,” Sarah said as she squeezed the back of her neck. “I hope and pray she’s safe.”

  “Me, too, but I don’t have a good feeling about this.” I picked up my phone to check our schedule for the week. “If James has bad news for us, we’re going to have some heavy juggling to do. We’ve got meetings lined up every single day, straight through Saturday.”

  “That’s assuming WTLK is willing to pay for our services in the event something awful has happened.”

  “Oh, they’ll be out for blood if someone has messed with their ability to sell advertising,” I said. “Don’t forget, most of these local stations are owned by huge corporations. They’ll want to exact revenge on whoever set out to do them harm, even if it wasn’t directed specifically at the station.”

  Sarah was about to say something when my phone rang. “Is it James?” she asked.

  I nodded and switched the phone to speaker. “What did you find out?”

  “I’m afraid it’s not good news, Carter. Turns out you were right. Our vic is Amanda Enright.”

  I heard Sarah gasp.

  “You have an estimated time of death, yet?” I asked James.

  “The medical examiner is still en route, but my guess is that she’s been dead for at least 10 or 11 hours,” James replied. “Maybe more.”

  “I understand. Just so you know, we were at Enright’s house for a short period of time last night. We followed Amanda, her producer Corey Anders, and one of WTLK’s interns, named Kayla Brock, from the station to Enright’s home. Anders drove them to the house in his vehicle. When we left Amanda’s place---around 8:30 pm---Corey and Kayla were still there. They’re likely among the last folks to have seen Amanda alive.”

  “Didn’t you tell me Anders called looking for Enright this morning?” James asked.

  “Correct,” I said. “Thing is, I know Anders is going to be calling again. What should I tell him?”

  “Don’t say a word until we can clear him of any wrong-doing,” James said. “What does your gut tell you about this guy?”

  “I just had that discussion with Sarah a few minutes ago. Neither one of us believes he’d do such a thing. Too much to lose. That being said, I’m not ready to bet my life on the fact he’s innocent.”

  “Where’s he at now?” James asked.

  “No idea, but I can try to find out.”

  “That’d be helpful. The sooner we can pick him up, the sooner we can rule him out. Or not.”

  “Understood. I’ll find out where he’s at and get back to you.”

  “Oh, by the way … you asked me to get you the name of the shrink who purchased the office condo,” James said. “It’s a woman. Name’s Meghan McCue.”

  Chapter 8

  “Thanks for letting us be here while you interview Corey Anders,” I said to Detective James as we took a seat in the private viewing room, adjacent to the interrogation room of the Bridgeport Police Department.

  “Absolutely,” James responded. “I highly doubt Anders had anything to do with Enright’s homicide. We haven’t told him we found her yet, but he seems to know there’s bad news on the horizon. I get the impression he’s genuinely heartbroken.”

  “Ugh. I don’t know if I can take it,” Sarah said. “To sit here and watch him go through a grilling just to be told his co-worker’s been murdered.”

  “Go ahead out,” I told Sarah. “I’ve got this.”

  Sarah stared at me, eyebrows raised.

  “Seriously … go,” I said. “Both of us don’t need to be here to sit through this.”

  “Thanks,” Sarah said. “Think I’m going to go for a walk. Get some fresh air.” She gave me a peck on the cheek and made her way toward the door, with James close behind.

  “I’ll text you when it’s over,” I said. Seconds later I saw James reappear on the far side of the privacy glass.

  “Good morning, Mr. Anders,” I heard James say, his voice amplified and coming through the overhead speakers.

  “Morning,” Corey replied. “Do you, or does anyone in this building, have any information concerning my friend and colleague, Amanda Enright. I don’t quite understand why I’m here, but I’m very concerned about Amanda. She’s scheduled to meet with my therapist, Meghan McCue, but I can’t reach either of them.”

  “Sure,” James said. “I understand your frustration, and we’ll get to all of that. However, I’m going to need your full cooperation in answering a number of questions, first. Can you do that for me?”

  “Yes, of course,” Corey replied.

  “Wonderful. First off, I need you to tell me where you were, and who you were with, from 9 pm last night until my men picked you up this morning.”

  “I was at Amanda Enright’s home, here in Bridgeport, until roughly 9:30 pm. Amanda was there, along with our intern Kayla Brock.”

  “And after that?” James asked.

  “Kayla left Amanda’s place with me. I dropped her off at the bus station so she could go back to Boston. Then I went home. I was there until the police arrived a short time ago.”

  “Did you stay at the bus station long enough to see Kayla Brock board a bus bound for Boston?”

  “I’m afraid not. I simply dropped her at the curb and left.”

  “And you drove straight home from the bus station?” James asked.

  “That’s right,” Corey replied.

  “Was anyone there at home with you during the hours I mentioned?”

  “Just my cat,” Corey said. “I live alone.”

  “Were you driving your own car last night?”

  “I was.”

  “How many vehicles do you own?”

  “Just the one. A new Chevy SS sedan,” Corey said.

  “I’m assuming it has a built-in GPS system.”

  “Yes, of course.”

  “So, if I were to download the on-board system’s GPS history, it would match the information you’ve shared with me?”

  “Definitely,” Corey said.

  “Did you speak to anyone during those overnight hours? Email? Text?”

  “No … uh, actually, yes. I sent a text message to Kayla to find out if she’d arrived in Boston safely. And I sent a text to Amanda just to see how she
was doing.”

  “What time were those texts sent, roughly?” James asked.

  “You’re welcome to take a look. I have my phone right here,” Corey said as he handed the device to James.

  James nodded as he studied the phone for a moment. “So, it looks like Kayla got back to you, but Amanda did not.”

  “That’s correct.”

  “Do you send texts to people after midnight very often?” James asked.

  “I do, actually. Most of the people in my life are night owls, like me. We do a fair amount of late night communicating.”

  “These texts … that you sent to the two women. Both messages were sent while you were inside your home?” James asked.

  “That’s correct.”

  “Mr. Anders, would you be willing to let me borrow your device to run a few tests?” James asked. “In order to confirm that you are, indeed, telling me the truth?”

  “Most certainly,” Corey replied. “I have nothing to hide.”

  James sat back in his chair and stared at Corey for an uncomfortable period of time. “OK, Mr. Anders. I’m satisfied---for now---but I’ll need you to remain in the area just in case I need anything more from you.”

  “Detective, what’s going on? Amanda’s in trouble, isn’t she?”

  James pursed his lips and nodded. “Mr. Anders, I’m very sorry to have to tell you this, but Amanda Enright was the victim of a homicide last night.”

  Corey’s head collapsed into his hands as he leaned forward. I watched his upper body go limp as his face and hands fell hard against the table’s cold steel surface.

  James shot up out of his chair and rushed to Corey’s side. “Mr. Anders? Mr. Anders?” James felt Corey’s neck for a pulse then looked up toward the privacy glass partition where I was seated. “Carter, call an ambulance.”

  Chapter 9

  I met Sarah out in front of the police department. “They just took Corey away in an ambulance. They’re headed to the hospital right now. He collapsed as soon as Detective James told him the news about Amanda Enright.”