Page 51 of Dead Air
She called Claire, who answered on the second ring.
"My apartment's been compromised." Lawson kept her voice steady despite the internal turmoil. "Someone installed surveillance cameras and stole my personal items. Blackwell just posted images of them online."
"Are you still there?" Claire's voice sharpened with concern.
"Yes. They're gone."
"Leave immediately." Papers rustled in the background. "Hotel tonight. Cash only. No credit cards."
"I need to document the cameras as evidence."
"Evidence for whom?" Claire's question carried pointed implications. "The department that's actively burying Hutchinson's murder? The Chief who ordered Parks to stand down?"
Lawson recognized the rational argument despite her investigative instincts. "I'll pack a bag."
"Use my beach house." Keys jingled through the phone. "Address is 1775 Tybee Island Drive. Security code 5241. No one knows I own it except my financial advisor."
"Rental under a corporate name?"
"LLC with privacy protections." Claire understood operational security. "Stock the kitchen from different stores. Alternate routes getting there. Basic protocols."
"Thank you."
"Don't thank me yet." Claire's voice lowered. "Blackwell's post shows your mementos from Monica. How personal were those items?"
The wooden box contained birthday cards with intimate messages. Weekend getaway photos showing a clear romanticconnection. Notes they'd exchanged during workdays. Tangible evidence of everything she'd concealed for five years.
"Enough to construct a narrative." Lawson glanced at the camera in the corner. "Enough to paint me as someone with motive."
"Start packing. I'll meet you at the beach house after court." Claire ended the call without further discussion.
Lawson moved with deliberate efficiency. She grabbed the emergency go-bag from her closet—three days of clothes, basic toiletries, burner phone, and five hundred dollars cash. Standard preparation for any detective who'd worked enough cases involving witnesses who disappeared overnight.
She added her laptop and Monica's journal. The wooden box Blackwell had already exposed was gone, but she needed to maintain control of what evidence remained in her possession.
The surveillance cameras remained in place. She left them untouched, recognizing their value as evidence if a legitimate investigation ever became possible. Someone watching would see her packing overnight essentials—behavior that could be interpreted as routine rather than flight.
Her phone vibrated with another notification. Not social media but a text from an unknown number:Running won't help. The truth follows wherever you go.
The message contained no identifying information. No signature or context. Just the ominous warning from someone monitoring her movements in real time.
Lawson finished packing with heightened awareness of the cameras tracking her actions. She maintained casual movements while her mind categorized possibilities. The intruder had professional equipment, building access, and technological sophistication. Not a random criminal but a targeted operation.
The same organization that had systematically removed clean officers from the department. The same hidden power that had orchestrated Monica's death and Hutchinson's murder. Now their attention focused directly on her.
dead air episode 5:
"The Officer's Statement."
[Electronic theme music fades in, then quiets under narration]
LEAH BLACKWELL:Welcome back to Dead Air. I'm Leah Blackwell.
Throughout our investigation into Detective Monica Landry's murder, one document has remained central: the official statement given by her partner, Detective Erin Lawson. Today, we examine that statement against physical evidence from the scene and newly discovered witness accounts that contradict the official narrative.
[Brief pause]
LEAH:After multiple requests, we obtained a complete copy of Detective Lawson's statement through a Freedom of Information lawsuit. The document provides her account of what happened at the warehouse on August 17th, five years ago. Let me read the most pertinent sections:
