Total pages in book: 66
Estimated words: 62480 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 312(@200wpm)___ 250(@250wpm)___ 208(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 62480 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 312(@200wpm)___ 250(@250wpm)___ 208(@300wpm)
“Wait.” Hana’s brows draw down. “Was that a disrespectful thing to say when we’re on our way to a funeral?”
“No,” I say. “We need to live. Too many lives get cut short. You never know how much time you have. And now I sound like a bumper sticker.”
“Just maybe don’t bring up the Cheez Whiz at the funeral,” suggests Muriel.
Hana smiles. “Got it. Where would I be without you girls?”
“I don’t want to ever find out,” I say with a smile.
“Question time.” Hana turns in her seat so she can easily see us both. “Would it be weird if I gave talks about our work? How we researched the places he might have hidden the bodies and what we’ve learned about the true crime community and so on? And how some of my study intersects with what we’ve been doing.”
“Like at conventions and conferences?” asks Muriel.
“Yeah.”
“No, it wouldn’t be weird,” I say. “If you want to talk about your experiences that’s absolutely your right to.”
Muriel nods. “Agreed.”
I curl my hands into tight fists. “Talking about talking. A publisher approached me. One who actually sort of seems to get what we went through. Or at least is open to presenting a not-so-sensationalized view of things.”
“You said you were never going to write a book,” says Muriel with wide eyes. “What made you change your mind?”
“I don’t know. Maybe all of the misinformation. He’s dead and the missing women have been found. My name has finally been cleared. But some idiots are still trying to push conspiracy theories.”
“Some idiots will always be trying to push conspiracy theories,” says Hana wisely.
“Yeah,” I agree. “But just once I think I would like to tell my side of things. Get my story out there so I can really feel like it’s been put behind me, you know?”
“Then do it,” says Muriel.
Hana turns back to me. “What does Noah say about it?”
“He wants whatever will help me sleep well at night.”
“I thought he might come today.”
I shake my head. “There’ll be media there. Best not to have him in the pictures. And they had a big function happening at his work.”
“What about you, Muriel?” asks Hana. “Not tempted to hit the talk circuit or write a book?”
She wrinkles her nose. “No. I think I’ll leave all of that to you two and just get on with the work.”
“Fair enough,” I say with a smile.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
A year later…
“What do you think?” asks Noah, joining me on the deck.
“That it’s amazing.”
“It really is, isn’t it? I can picture us living here.”
“Yeah. Me too.”
He slides an arm around my neck as we both stare out at the water. The house is nothing less than a dream. Three bedrooms, two bathrooms, and uninterrupted views of Lake Champlain. Over a hundred years old but recently renovated. Surrounded by mature oak trees with enough distance between us and the neighbors for privacy. Which is important. All of this and it’s within walking distance to a dog park. With the added bonus that no one has been killed here so far as we know. It makes a nice change from our current home.
Ryan was right about there being money in murder. It’s how we can afford this house. My book will be out next year. Telling my side of the story…getting my point of view out there with the help of a ghostwriter…it wound up feeling like the best way to put the entire fucked-up experience behind me. To discuss it in depth once and then move on with my life. Guess Grace was right about me needing to talk about it after all. Half of the profits from the book are going to charities, so I can sleep at night.
Muriel still has no interest in talking to the press. I don’t blame her. Though Hana is enjoying hitting the true crime conference circuit. The story of our search for the missing women deserves to be told. More awareness needs to be raised around this issue. How much damage my ex and people like him do to families and communities and society as a whole. And leaving it to the Misled documentary and podcast people didn’t sit right with us. They tried to pivot after my ex’s escape and death, but it didn’t even remotely stop their bias from shining through.
There are still segments of the internet who think I killed Ryan and corrections officer Maggie Young for fun. That I revealed the location of the women’s bodies I had also slain for the heck of it or something. Some people just love a conspiracy.
It will surprise approximately no one that Laura continues working hard to push this theory. She still turns up on media now and then to shed her pretty tears and bemoan the loss of her boyfriend. At least she’s stayed the hell away from me. I am okay with her being scared of me now if it means no more stalking.