and spoke to another officer inside. Two minutes later, Annabelle and B.J. were allowed entry. Eliza came hurrying toward them and hugged them tightly.
“Oh God, Eliza. I’m just so sorry,” said B.J.
“I know you are. I know you are, Beej.”
Annabelle pulled back and looked at her friend. “How are you holding up?”
Eliza stared straight into Annabelle’s eyes but said nothing.
“Yeah, I get it,” said Annabelle. “This is the worst.”
Eliza shook her head. “No, I can think of one thing worse,” she said.
“Don’t, Eliza. You’ll go out of your mind if you think about that .”
Eliza managed a weak smile. “I already have been,” she said.
Annabelle, uncharacteristically, was at a loss for words. She was a mother herself. Sometimes when she lay in bed at night and sleep wouldn’t come, she’d imagine what she would do if anything bad happened to one of her children. When she really wanted to torture herself, she let herself think about actually losing one of the twins. But that scenario always led to the realization that, even if one of her children died, she would stillhave to go on for the other one. She wouldn’t be able to let herself die as well, as much as she might want to.
Janie was Eliza’s only child. There was no other to force Eliza to keep going if she lost Janie. But right now, the memory of the nervous breakdown Eliza had suffered after Janie’s birth made Annabelle fear that just the pressure and worry of the immediate situation might be overwhelming.
“Have you taken anything?” Annabelle asked quietly. “Just something to take the edge off?”
“No,” answered Eliza. “I want to be clearheaded.”
“Listen, Eliza. I’m talking to you as a friend. Margo will give you something that won’t dull your mind, but it will lift the mental pain a little bit. You really have to, if not for yourself, then for Janie. What good will you be to her if you collapse?”
Eliza’s mouth was set in a tight line as she listened.
“I’m going to call Margo and see what she thinks,” said Annabelle as she pulled out her cell phone.
“Don’t do that,” said Eliza. “You’ll wake her.”
“Are you kidding me?” said Annabelle as she tapped the keypad. “Margo would be furious if we didn’t call her.”
“Yeah, good idea,” said B.J. “Let’s get her out here, too. We’ll do some brainstorming and figure all of this out.”
Annabelle nodded. “B.J.’s right,” she said, taking Eliza’s hand. “We’ll all help as much as we can, Eliza. You aren’t alone.”
CHAPTER 20
O n the bottom floor of the KEY News Broadcast Center, Joe Connelly sat in his office adjoining the main security center. He was focused on the information on his computer screen. Joe clicked from entry to entry, sipping a cup of black coffee and looking for anything that could help in the search for Janie Blake.
The ABERRANT BEHAVIOR computer file currently had over eighty cases culled from mail and telephone threats coming into KEY News headquarters and KEY affiliates around the United States. Some of the cases were simple; others were not.
Over the years, Eliza Blake had received lots of bizarre correspondence, but not all that many threats, surely not as many as her predecessor in the Evening Headlines anchor chair, Bill Kendall, had gotten. But the number of truly disturbing letters had risen in the last few months. Joe was certain that was because of all the publicity that had heralded Eliza’s return to the morning program. The woman’s face had been everywhere, on billboards, buses, and magazine covers. Published stories about her professional and personal life had been too many to count. Joe knew the people in the publicity department had their jobs to do, whipping up viewer interest, but that didn’t make his job any easier. The more thatwas out there in the press about Eliza, the more the crazies wrote their letters.
Most of the letters that came addressed to Eliza were
“Oh God, Eliza. I’m just so sorry,” said B.J.
“I know you are. I know you are, Beej.”
Annabelle pulled back and looked at her friend. “How are you holding up?”
Eliza stared straight into Annabelle’s eyes but said nothing.
“Yeah, I get it,” said Annabelle. “This is the worst.”
Eliza shook her head. “No, I can think of one thing worse,” she said.
“Don’t, Eliza. You’ll go out of your mind if you think about that .”
Eliza managed a weak smile. “I already have been,” she said.
Annabelle, uncharacteristically, was at a loss for words. She was a mother herself. Sometimes when she lay in bed at night and sleep wouldn’t come, she’d imagine what she would do if anything bad happened to one of her children. When she really wanted to torture herself, she let herself think about actually losing one of the twins. But that scenario always led to the realization that, even if one of her children died, she would stillhave to go on for the other one. She wouldn’t be able to let herself die as well, as much as she might want to.
Janie was Eliza’s only child. There was no other to force Eliza to keep going if she lost Janie. But right now, the memory of the nervous breakdown Eliza had suffered after Janie’s birth made Annabelle fear that just the pressure and worry of the immediate situation might be overwhelming.
“Have you taken anything?” Annabelle asked quietly. “Just something to take the edge off?”
“No,” answered Eliza. “I want to be clearheaded.”
“Listen, Eliza. I’m talking to you as a friend. Margo will give you something that won’t dull your mind, but it will lift the mental pain a little bit. You really have to, if not for yourself, then for Janie. What good will you be to her if you collapse?”
Eliza’s mouth was set in a tight line as she listened.
“I’m going to call Margo and see what she thinks,” said Annabelle as she pulled out her cell phone.
“Don’t do that,” said Eliza. “You’ll wake her.”
“Are you kidding me?” said Annabelle as she tapped the keypad. “Margo would be furious if we didn’t call her.”
“Yeah, good idea,” said B.J. “Let’s get her out here, too. We’ll do some brainstorming and figure all of this out.”
Annabelle nodded. “B.J.’s right,” she said, taking Eliza’s hand. “We’ll all help as much as we can, Eliza. You aren’t alone.”
CHAPTER 20
O n the bottom floor of the KEY News Broadcast Center, Joe Connelly sat in his office adjoining the main security center. He was focused on the information on his computer screen. Joe clicked from entry to entry, sipping a cup of black coffee and looking for anything that could help in the search for Janie Blake.
The ABERRANT BEHAVIOR computer file currently had over eighty cases culled from mail and telephone threats coming into KEY News headquarters and KEY affiliates around the United States. Some of the cases were simple; others were not.
Over the years, Eliza Blake had received lots of bizarre correspondence, but not all that many threats, surely not as many as her predecessor in the Evening Headlines anchor chair, Bill Kendall, had gotten. But the number of truly disturbing letters had risen in the last few months. Joe was certain that was because of all the publicity that had heralded Eliza’s return to the morning program. The woman’s face had been everywhere, on billboards, buses, and magazine covers. Published stories about her professional and personal life had been too many to count. Joe knew the people in the publicity department had their jobs to do, whipping up viewer interest, but that didn’t make his job any easier. The more thatwas out there in the press about Eliza, the more the crazies wrote their letters.
Most of the letters that came addressed to Eliza were
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