Page 94 of The Change
“Wake up!”
Nessa sat bolt upright. She was still wearing the outfit she’d worn out on the boat. Apparently, she hadn’t found the energy to change into her nightclothes. “What is it?” she said. “Is everyone okay? What’s happened?”
“Spencer Harding is dead,” Jo said.
“Jesus.” Nessa flopped back down on the bed. “You almost gave me a heart attack.”
“Someone just rang the doorbell, and when I got up, there was areporter at the window. She said Spencer Harding is dead and people think it might have something to do with the podcast.”
“There’s a reporter outside?” Her curiosity piqued, Nessa hauled herself out of bed and went to the window. She let out a snort when she peeked out the blinds. “You said there wasonereporter outside?”
Jo joined her. The street in front of Nessa’s house was jammed with television vans. “They’re going to ruin my damn yard,” Nessa said.
“If it makes you feel any better, I’m sure Harriett can fix it. You mind if I turn on the news?” Jo asked.
Nessa sighed. “I’d say that’s probably a good idea.”
The local news was filming live in front of Nessa’s house. When they pulled up the blinds and peered straight down from Nessa’s bedroom window, they could see the blond reporter standing in the middle of the lawn.
“These folks got a lot of nerve,” Nessa grumbled as Jo turned up the sound on the television.
“...the stunning allegations made against Harding have sent local police scrambling. Divers are currently scouring the ocean floor off Danskammer Beach in search of the two bodies filmed by Josh Gibbon, host of the true crime podcastThey Walk Among Us.Detective Franklin Rees, the lead detective on the Jane Doe case, says that despite the compelling story told by Ms. James and Ms. Levison, it is still too early to draw conclusions.”
The program switched over to an interview that had been taped at Danskammer Beach while the sun was still rising in the east. Franklin stood in front of the camera with bags under his eyes and a coffee cup in his hand.
“From the beginning, the Mattauk PD has been diligently searching for evidence that will lead us to the truth about what happened here in Mattauk this spring. While we take Ms. James and Ms. Levison’s allegations seriously, they wouldn’t stand up in a court of law. We must have proof to back them up before we can take action. We are looking for that proof as we speak.”
The camera returned to the reporter in Nessa’s front yard. “That interview was filmed early this morning, and it now appears as if the proof they’ve been searching for has at last been found. I’m going to hand it over to my colleague, Frances McDaniel, who’s reporting live from Danskammer Beach.”
“Thank you, Madeline. What you’re seeing behind me are two lobster traps being raised from the ocean floor. They appear to be the same traps we saw in the video posted last night by Josh Gibbon ofThey Walk Among Us,which quickly went viral. According to the podcast, the traps contain the bodies of two more girls—and may be evidence that a serial killer has been at work here on the island. The lead suspect at this moment is Spencer Harding, whose Culling Pointe mansion can be seen in the distance. Late last night, in the hours after the latest episode ofThey Walk Among Uswas released, Mr. Harding’s helicopter plunged into New York Harbor. Authorities do not think the crash was due to a mechanical failure. Harding announced a mayday situation shortly before the aircraft went down, and it’s believed he may have experienced a medical emergency while piloting the craft.”
The show switched to footage of the crash that had been filmed by a passenger on the Staten Island Ferry. A tiny red light in the sky grew larger and brighter until the aircraft materialized out of the night sky and plunged into the water a few hundred yards away. The videographer must have been knocked over as waves rocked the ferry. Once they were back on their feet, the only signs of the helicopter were the bubbles rising to the surface.
Jo felt Nessa’s arm slip around her. “It’s over,” Nessa told her. “You found the bodies when the rest of us couldn’t. You got our story out. Who knows how many lives you may have saved? You’re a hero, Jo Levison. You’ve done Lucy proud.”
Jo threw her arms around Nessa and buried her face in her friend’s shoulder. For two days, she’d been fighting back the tears. Now they came flowing out all at once. Never before had she felt so terrified. But with Spencer Harding dead, her family could come home. There was nothing on earth that she wanted more—but the things she’d been willing to do to bring them back had surprised even her.
“Hey,” Nessa nudged her. “Looks like Harriett just showed up.”
“Harriett?” Jo wiped her eyes on her sleeve and glanced out the window. A barefoot woman in a burlap sack was walking down Woodland Drive toward Nessa’s house. The crowd parted for her as she made her way to the front door, the reporters struck dumb by the sight.
Downstairs, the doorbell rang, and Nessa hurried to answer it with Jo on her heels.
“It’s a little early for a lawn party, don’t you think?” Harriett said when Nessa opened the door.
“Come in, come in,” Nessa quickly ushered Harriett through the door as cameras flashed behind her. “Did you hear? Spencer Harding is dead. It’s over.”
“Spencer may be dead,” Harriett said, “but it’s far from over.”
Jo felt her heart sink. “What do you mean?”
“You think Spencer Harding put the girls in those lobster traps and rowed them out to sea? There had to be other people involved.”
Jo must have looked crushed.
“I didn’t mean to upset you.” Harriett sounded serious and sober for once. “No one’s going to tip their hand by coming after us right now. We’re safe for the moment. You can bring darling Lucy home.”
“What should we do about the others?”
