Page 28 of Dead Air
Instead, she drove toward Ardsley Park. Tree-lined streets with craftsman bungalows and renovated colonials. Upper middle-class families who maintained pristine yards and votedin local elections. Monica's sister Rachel had moved there after the funeral, using life insurance money for the down payment.
Rachel Banks née Landry lived in a pale-yellow house with white trim and a wraparound porch. Ceramic pots overflowed with ferns and flowering plants. A child's bicycle lay abandoned on the lawn beside a soccer ball. Signs of normal life continuing despite tragedy.
Lawson parked across the street and checked her appearance in the rearview mirror. Dark circles marked her eyes like bruises. Her shirt collar looked rumpled from the day's meetings. She straightened it before stepping out into the heat.
The doorbell echoed inside. Footsteps approached, followed by the rattle of a security chain.
Rachel Banks opened the door halfway. Five years had carved subtle changes into features that still resembled Monica's. Same dark hair and olive complexion, but different eyes. Where Monica's had sparkled with determination, Rachel's carried wariness.
"Detective Lawson." Rachel didn't sound surprised. "Figured you'd show up eventually."
"Hello Rachel. May I come in?"
Rachel hesitated before stepping back. "Twenty minutes. I need to pick up Ellie from summer camp at three."
The interior carried a faint trace of lavender detergent and yesterday’s coffee. Bright crayon drawings, taped unevenly to the walls, outnumbered the framed photos. In the pictures that did hang, Rachel grinned at the camera—on a roller coaster with James and Ellie, clutching a Mickey Mouse balloon; James beaming in his MBA robes; Ellie gap-toothed, clutching a backpack nearly half her size. Monica appeared in several frames. Monica at Rachel's wedding. Monica holding newborn Ellie. Monica in her dress blues at academy graduation. A life preserved in frozen moments.
"Coffee?" Rachel asked without enthusiasm.
"No thanks."
"Then stop staring at my walls and tell me why you're here."
The kitchen reflected Rachel's personality. Organized but lived-in. Copper pots hung above the center island. A bowl of fruit sat beside math worksheets and colored pencils. The refrigerator displayed Ellie's artwork alongside a family calendar.
Rachel leaned against the counter, arms crossed. "This about the podcast?"
Lawson nodded. "You've heard it."
"First episode aired two days ago. Three million downloads already." Rachel's tone carried accusation. "Five years of silence, then suddenly everyone cares who killed my sister."
"I never stopped caring."
"You stopped visiting." Rachel gestured toward a chair but remained standing herself. "First year after Monica died, you came for dinner every month. Second year, three visits total. Then nothing."
Lawson sat despite Rachel's refusal to join her. "I never stopped investigating."
"Yet here we are. No arrests. No suspects." Rachel grabbed a dish towel and twisted it between her hands. "Now some New York podcaster digs up the 10-999 call, and suddenly the case matters again."
"The case always mattered."
"To who?" Rachel slapped the towel against the counter. "Not to your department. Not to the prosecutors. Not to anyone with power to do something."
The accusation stung because it contained truth. The department had buried Monica's case with procedural efficiency. Only Lawson maintained vigil over the investigation,and even she had failed to notice the discrepancies Parks revealed.
"I'm here because I need to know if Blackwell contacted you."
Rachel laughed without humor. "So that's it. You're not here for me. You're chasing the podcaster."
"Rachel—"
"She contacted me last month." Rachel moved to the refrigerator and extracted a business card from beneath a butterfly magnet. "Very professional. Asked permission to cover Monica's case. Said she believes the official investigation missed crucial evidence."
Lawson swallowed her surprise. "And you agreed?"
"I gave her Monica's personal effects." Rachel's gaze turned challenging. "Journals. Planner. Personal laptop. Items the department returned after closing the investigation."
Cold spread through Lawson's chest. Monica's personal effects might contain references to their relationship. Notes about the Rafferty case that never entered official records. Private thoughts that could reshape the entire narrative.
