Page 2 of Is Anyone Listening?
"I do need to make real money, or I'm going to be out of this apartment in a month, and I cannot stand the idea of asking my father for help."
"And I might have to sublet the other half of my bedroom to cover my rent," Tessa said. "I know you're not as financially desperate as we are, Morgan. You have Steven."
"He's not supporting me. We split expenses," Morgan said a little defensively. "We have to because Steven pays child support, and it's not a small amount."
"Then this money could help you, too," Tessa said.
Silence followed her words as we sipped our wine and considered her suggestion. Finally, I said, "I'm willing to entertain the possibility of taking the show on the road."
"Great! We need a good story, something that will resonate with our listeners," Tessa said, an excited light in her eyes now that I was on board. "You've been researching cases, Cassidy. Is there anything you've seen that would be worth digging into? How about a missing person?"
"A missing woman," Morgan interjected as her eyes lit up. "Someone around our age, our listeners' age."
"Exactly. Someone who disappeared, someone like us," Tessa added.
A shiver ran down my spine at her words, making me wonder if we were about to take a step we might regret. But we needed to take a risk to get to the next level. "I'll look through my files when we're done with tonight's podcast. We don't have to decide anything right now."
"But we do need to record tonight's show," Morgan interjected. "I have to be home by nine. So, let's get started, Tessa, and lower the temp this time."
Tessa made a face at Morgan. "Fine, I'll be less dramatic, but not too much, because our listeners love tension and mystery, and we have to give them what they want, or they won't come back."
We turned on our microphones, and I checked the camera on my laptop. The light in front of us cast a soft glow over our faces, and we looked pretty good. Tessa was the perfect one to be in the middle, her silky, straight blonde hair standing out between my wavy dark-brown hair and Morgan's sleek auburn shade. We were as different in personality as we were in looks, but the listeners seemed to think that made us more interesting, because we often didn't agree on potential villains when we speculated about the cases we covered.
"You want to count us down, Cassidy?" Tessa asked.
"Sure. Three, two, one…"
Tessa's smile broadened as she gazed into the camera. "Happy Wednesday. Welcome to Mysteries Uncorked, where we pop the cork on true crime's most fascinating cases. I'm here with my amazing friends, Cassidy and Morgan, and today's case is very intriguing. What would you think if I told you that a man found naked on the Santa Monica Pier ten years ago was not the Navy SEAL that everyone thought he was? In fact, he'd killed that Navy SEAL seven days earlier…"
"And that Navy SEAL was his best friend," I put in.
"It's amazing how friendship could turn to murder," Tessa said with a wicked smile. "I couldn't imagine killing either of these two."
"I can," I said sarcastically.
"Well, thanks," Morgan said dryly. "Although I'm sure that comment was directed to Tessa."
"Nice," Tessa quipped. "But we're not talking about us. Let's get back to the case."
"I don't think it's surprising at all that a friendship could lead to murder," Morgan said. "Most crimes have a personal element."
"That's true," I said. "It's just like they say—love and hate are two sides of the same coin."
As Tessa continued with the story, Morgan and I brought up other interesting twists that we'd discovered about the case, and the hour passed in a flash. Throughout the podcast, I could see the comments flowing in faster than usual. Every week, our audience grew and became more engaged.
"Before we say goodnight," Tessa said, pausing to give both me and Morgan a questioning glance, which I knew really wasn't a question. I could see the intent in her bright blue eyes. "Should I tell them about our upcoming project, ladies?"
"Nothing to say just yet," I replied.
"It's too early," Morgan agreed.
"Just a little tease then," Tessa said. "As you know, we love talking about cases in the news, but we think it might be time to take our show on the road. Stay tuned for more details." She paused. "Until next time."
We picked up our almost empty wineglasses and clicked them together. Then I turned off the camera and let out a breath. While I enjoyed making the podcast, I was always a little relieved when it was over. It was fun to talk about cases with my friends, but the growing audience increased the pressure to turn this fun project into a serious business.
"That was good," Tessa said. "Now we just need to find the right case to investigate in person. Let's start looking through the files."
Morgan stood up. "Sorry, I can't do it now. I promised Steven I'd be back by nine."
