@TrueCrimeQueen84: wild how she was “close” with the ADA in that Charleston case and now she’s standing next to the DA here
@MountainMysteryFan: she knows how to pick ’em. #BadgesAndBoyfriends
@SylvaWatcher: bet the golden prosecutor’s not the first man she’s charmed out of a conviction
“They don’t know you,” Lucy said softly.
“They don’t need to,” Eleanor replied. “They just need something to believe.”
Eleanor moved to the black iron window and gazed down at Main Street.
Traffic was heavier than usual.
Tourists already stopping for photos in front of the courthouse. A couple posing beneath a banner. Someone filming a recap video beside the fountain.
Sylva had become a spectacle overnight.
And shows like this never ran long without finding someone to cast. Once the role was filled, it didn’t matter much whether it actually fit.
“They don’t get to turn this into a sideshow,” she said evenly.
The room went still.
Deck stepped up beside her. Close, but not crowding.
“They don’t know what they’re stirrin’,” he said.
Lucy glanced at her phone again.
“And there’s a rival podcast crew here too. They’re calling the main one sensationalist.”
Competition. Reputation versus reach. And somewhere in the middle of it, the truth was already losing.
Charleston had just found her again.
Lucy’s phone pinged.
Then Frannie’s desk phone lit up.
Frannie glanced at the screen, then at Eleanor.
“Eleanor,” she said gently, covering the receiver. “Your mom’s on two for you.”
Of course she is.
Eleanor closed her eyes for half a second.
“Great,” she muttered. “She’s seen the media. Wonderful.”
Deck huffed. “Aye. That’ll be a pleasant chat.”
Frannie held out the handset.
“Try not to hang up on her.”
Eleanor straightened.
Deck gave her a look that said he’d be right outside the door if needed.
