The Survivors Club by Lisa Gardner Page A

an agreement. Plus, she has a marketing background, and the other two never appeared very comfortable on camera.”
    “So
they
never made demands,” Griffin said slowly. “Jillian Hayes made demands.”
    “She was speaking for all of them. For God’s sake, Carol and Meg were standing right there.”
    “But Jillian’s the ringleader of this so-called Survivors Club?”
    “Why, Griffin, you make it sound like she’s plotting something.”
    “Just thinking out loud.”
    Maureen was quiet for a moment. Her blue eyes had taken on that feral look again. “We have some footage you might like to see.”
    Griffin and Waters exchanged glances. “Sounds like everyone has footage,” Griffin said neutrally. “That’s the nature of a press conference.”
    “We have better footage.”
    “More gazing up at rooftops, Maureen?”
    “Something like that.”
    “Come on.” Griffin was growing tired of this conversation. He made a waggling motion with his fingertips. “Spill it, Maureen. You’ve already aired whatever you got, that makes it public property. So let’s just cut to the chase and your cooperation will be duly noted.”
    “How duly noted?”
    “Next time we meet, I promise not to growl at you as much as I’m going to growl at you now.”
    “Funny, I would’ve thought that vacation would have improved your temper, Sergeant Griffin.”
    “And I would’ve thought that covering three women who had been brutally attacked would’ve taught you some compassion. Guess we’re both wrong.”
    Maureen thinned her lips. Behind her, Jimmy turned away before she could glimpse his smile.
    “We have this footage of Carol Rosen,” Maureen said abruptly.
    “The socialite wife.”
    “Yeah, it’s the third or fourth press conference. I don’t even remember for what. But Jillian’s talking away at the mike, and Carol and Meg are doing what they do best, standing beside her, when Carol’s husband appears. He walks up behind his wife, and I guess she never heard him coming, because the next moment he puts his hand on her shoulder and she about jumps out of her skin. Jimmy happened to have the camera on her when it happened, and the look on her face . . . You could just tell—even in broad daylight, even surrounded by a roomful of people, that woman was terrified. She didn’t feel safe. And
that’s
what it means to be a rape survivor. It’s a powerful TV moment. And, for the record, we’re the only ones who got it on tape.”
    Maureen sounded so proud about that, Griffin could only stare at her. Waters must’ve been doing the same, because after a second, Maureen snorted and waved her hand at both of them. “Oh, come on. You’re big boys, you’ve been around the block. You know how this game is played.”
    “You’re telling us,” Griffin said slowly, “that you think Carol Rosen killed Eddie Como. And you believe this, because you happened to catch a moment on camera, when she was experiencing abject terror?”
    Maureen narrowed her eyes. “Do you know what he did to her, Griffin? Have you read the police report from that attack? My God, when Eddie Como was done, Carol Rosen couldn’t walk for five days. Jillian Hayes may have lost her sister. Meg Pesaturo may have lost her memory. But from what I’ve seen, Carol Rosen’s pretty much lost her
mind
. I’d kill someone for doing that to me. Wouldn’t you?”
    It was a loaded question and they all knew it. Griffin didn’t say anything. After another moment, Maureen impatiently shook her head.
    “Look, we both know what you’re going to do next. You’re going to find the three victims. You’re going to ask which one pulled the trigger. And the minute one of them so much as blinks, you’re going to haul her ass to jail. So don’t lecture me about compassion, Sergeant. This is a game. And you wouldn’t have come back if you hadn’t missed playing it.”
    “Poor me,” Griffin murmured.
    Maureen shook her head again. “No. Poor Carol