me.”
“That’s right,” Diane said. “And I can certainly understand why she
didn’t agree to it yesterday, or even this morning when I went to see
her. But now, with the other girl’s disappearance, I was hoping you and
your mother might reconsider.”
“I don’t need my mother’s permission, Diane,” Leslie said. “I’m an
adult.”
“That’s true enough,” agreed Diane. “But under the circumstances, it
might be best to consult her.” She knew it was the mother in her offering the counsel. She hoped if, God forbid,
Michelle were ever in a situation like Leslie’s, her daughter would
turn to her for maternal advice.
“I don’t have to talk to my mother about it,” Leslie said as she
looked over Diane’s shoulder and eyed the camera crew.
What was she going to do? Insist that Leslie get her mother’s
approval? Leslie was legally an adult. If the young woman agreed to the
interview, Diane would be a fool not to ask the questions.
“All right,” she said, turning to Gary. “Mike her up, will you? We
can do it right here on the sidewalk.”
Leslie was one step ahead of her and, Diane realized at that moment,
extremely media savvy. “Why don’t we go over to the Beersheba Well,
where the security guard found me? It’s just a couple of blocks from
here. We could do the interview there.”
Sammy set up his tripod. Gary clipped a little microphone to the
collar of Leslie’s sleeveless blouse and handed her a small black
battery pack. “Here. Slide the wire from the mike under your shirt, and
clip the power pack to the back of your shorts.”
Leslie obeyed. “Don’t I get a makeup woman or something?”
Diane smiled. “Sorry. If we were in the studio in New York, yes. But
out here in the field, it’s every woman for herself.” She pulled out a
makeup case and hand mirror from her bag. “Would you like a little
blush?”
Leslie nodded.
Diane selected the most youthful colors from the collection of
cosmetics she kept with her virtually all the time. A peachy lipstick
and blush and a dark brown mascara would work best with Leslie’s
coloring.
While reapplying her own lipstick, powdering her face, brushing her
hair, and hitting it with some hair spray, Diane made small talk,
asking Leslie what she was planning to do now that she was free again.
“I’m going back to work on Monday, but this whole thing I has made me realize I want to do more with
my life. I hope I can go a bit further than the office job I have at
Surfside Realty.”
“What are your duties now?” Diane asked politely.
“You know… answering phones and sending faxes, going I through the
mail, ordering things for the office.”
Diane saw the crew had finished setting up. “Leslie, why I don’t you
and I stand over here beside the gazebo?” she suggested.
Leslie tentatively took her place beside Diane. “It’s strange being
back here now, when it was just two nights ago that they found me here.”
Diane reached out to pat Leslie’s arm. “Don’t worry. It’s going to
be all right.” She turned to the crew. “All set, you guys?”
“Go,” Sammy ordered.
“All set, Leslie?” Diane asked.
“Uh-huh.”
Diane turned to her and began. “We’re here, sitting together on the
spot where you were found very early Friday morning after having been
missing for three days. Tell me what happened to you, Leslie.”
Leslie sighed heavily before answering. “I was walking on the
boardwalk late Monday night when someone came up behind me and knocked
me out. When I came to, I was blindfolded and bound, and there was some
sort of rag tied around my mouth so I couldn’t call for help. I didn’t
know where I was.” She rubbed her bare arms, as if trying to get warm.
“That must have been terrifying.”
Leslie nodded but said nothing.
“What happened then?” Diane urged.
“Well, he—I’m guessing it was ‘he’ because whoever it was never
spoke to me—he just left me lying there,
“That’s right,” Diane said. “And I can certainly understand why she
didn’t agree to it yesterday, or even this morning when I went to see
her. But now, with the other girl’s disappearance, I was hoping you and
your mother might reconsider.”
“I don’t need my mother’s permission, Diane,” Leslie said. “I’m an
adult.”
“That’s true enough,” agreed Diane. “But under the circumstances, it
might be best to consult her.” She knew it was the mother in her offering the counsel. She hoped if, God forbid,
Michelle were ever in a situation like Leslie’s, her daughter would
turn to her for maternal advice.
“I don’t have to talk to my mother about it,” Leslie said as she
looked over Diane’s shoulder and eyed the camera crew.
What was she going to do? Insist that Leslie get her mother’s
approval? Leslie was legally an adult. If the young woman agreed to the
interview, Diane would be a fool not to ask the questions.
“All right,” she said, turning to Gary. “Mike her up, will you? We
can do it right here on the sidewalk.”
Leslie was one step ahead of her and, Diane realized at that moment,
extremely media savvy. “Why don’t we go over to the Beersheba Well,
where the security guard found me? It’s just a couple of blocks from
here. We could do the interview there.”
Sammy set up his tripod. Gary clipped a little microphone to the
collar of Leslie’s sleeveless blouse and handed her a small black
battery pack. “Here. Slide the wire from the mike under your shirt, and
clip the power pack to the back of your shorts.”
Leslie obeyed. “Don’t I get a makeup woman or something?”
Diane smiled. “Sorry. If we were in the studio in New York, yes. But
out here in the field, it’s every woman for herself.” She pulled out a
makeup case and hand mirror from her bag. “Would you like a little
blush?”
Leslie nodded.
Diane selected the most youthful colors from the collection of
cosmetics she kept with her virtually all the time. A peachy lipstick
and blush and a dark brown mascara would work best with Leslie’s
coloring.
While reapplying her own lipstick, powdering her face, brushing her
hair, and hitting it with some hair spray, Diane made small talk,
asking Leslie what she was planning to do now that she was free again.
“I’m going back to work on Monday, but this whole thing I has made me realize I want to do more with
my life. I hope I can go a bit further than the office job I have at
Surfside Realty.”
“What are your duties now?” Diane asked politely.
“You know… answering phones and sending faxes, going I through the
mail, ordering things for the office.”
Diane saw the crew had finished setting up. “Leslie, why I don’t you
and I stand over here beside the gazebo?” she suggested.
Leslie tentatively took her place beside Diane. “It’s strange being
back here now, when it was just two nights ago that they found me here.”
Diane reached out to pat Leslie’s arm. “Don’t worry. It’s going to
be all right.” She turned to the crew. “All set, you guys?”
“Go,” Sammy ordered.
“All set, Leslie?” Diane asked.
“Uh-huh.”
Diane turned to her and began. “We’re here, sitting together on the
spot where you were found very early Friday morning after having been
missing for three days. Tell me what happened to you, Leslie.”
Leslie sighed heavily before answering. “I was walking on the
boardwalk late Monday night when someone came up behind me and knocked
me out. When I came to, I was blindfolded and bound, and there was some
sort of rag tied around my mouth so I couldn’t call for help. I didn’t
know where I was.” She rubbed her bare arms, as if trying to get warm.
“That must have been terrifying.”
Leslie nodded but said nothing.
“What happened then?” Diane urged.
“Well, he—I’m guessing it was ‘he’ because whoever it was never
spoke to me—he just left me lying there,
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