Page 58 of What They'll Say About Us

"I think the timing implies that it's connected. But why would someone be afraid Cabot would talk now, after so many years?"

"Perhaps the killer was worried that the new investigation would put pressure on Cabot to talk, and that Cabot might try to shift the blame to someone else. Whatever the reason, it seems likely that Cabot knew something that he didn't put in the police report."

"I agree. But now Cabot can't tell us what he knew." I felt disheartened at having lost our best lead. "I should have started with him before anyone else."

"He probably wouldn't have talked to you without the public pressure we've been building," Morgan said. "Since he's a former police officer, the police will definitely want to avenge his death. If they weren't interested in this case before, they have to be now."

"Which means someone was willing to take a huge risk to silence Cabot. The accident theory is unraveling, and we can pull it all the way apart now. We should do another video tonight and let people know that Cabot is dead."

"Are we allowed to go public with that information?"

"I wasn't told not to, and I'm sure it will be on the news tonight. We need to use our insider status to get the information out there first. That's what our listeners expect."

"I'll set it up now."

While she was doing that, I got up and grabbed a banana from the fruit bowl and ate it, needing a little something in my stomach to override the queasy feeling I got every time I thought about what I'd seen at the house. I'd never been that close to a dead body before. The image of his body on the ground felt like it was tattooed on my brain. I didn't think I was going to forget the sight of all that blood for a very long time.

"Ready," Morgan said.

I sat down in front of one of the two microphones she'd put on the table and looked into the camera as she adjusted the settings and the light.

"Do you know how you want to start?" Morgan asked, sitting down next to me. "Do we want to write down any notes, or are we going to wing it?"

"I think it will feel more real if we just talk."

"Okay. Let's discuss what happened tonight at Cabot's house, versus speculating about what other clues or people we're investigating."

"I agree. We don't want to give too much away or make anyone think we're zeroing in on them. We won't talk about Sloane, Liam, or Carrie."

"Or Hale," she added. "If he's the killer, it's best he doesn't think we're focused on him."

"Exactly. This will be short," I said with a dry smile.

"It's still an update, and an important one." Morgan turned on the camera and recording equipment. "Go ahead."

I looked into the camera. "Hello, everyone. Morgan and I wanted to give you an update on our investigation into Paige MacIntyre's death in the Chicago area. We've had a big turning point in the case, and a shocking one at that. I've always wondered why the investigation into Paige's death was so short. That was also one of the reasons why Paige's sister contacted me. She didn't feel satisfied with the information she'd gotten from the police."

Pausing for effect, I said, "Tonight, I went to the home of Detective Vincent Cabot, the lead investigator on Paige's case. He retired from the police department three years ago, so he is no longer on the force."

I thought about including Detective Barclay, but I decided to be vague about how I got there and who was with me.

"Unfortunately, when I arrived at Detective Cabot's home with a current member of the police department, Detective Cabot was dead." I could almost hear the collective gasp and saw the comments lighting up on Morgan's open computer screen. "That's right. He was deceased, and his death was not an accident. I believe it's directly tied to Paige's murder. And, yes, I'm calling it murder. I may not have the proof yet, but I am hopeful that the police department will take a look at these two deaths in connection with each other. I'm quite sure that when we find out who killed Detective Cabot, we'll also know who killed Paige MacIntyre." I glanced at Morgan, needing a little break.

She gave me a subtle nod, then said, "We're hoping that with this new information, more people will come forward, that someone will remember something they had previously forgotten. Or if they've been afraid to speak because they didn't believe they would have a willing listener in the police department, that they'll feel differently now. You can direct message us with information if you don't want to speak to the police, or you can contact the Evanston Police Department and ask to speak with Detective Colton Barclay."

I was happy she'd included that suggestion, because we needed more help. I jumped back in. "Detective Cabot interviewed me and many of my friends after Paige died, but I always wondered why he didn't ask more questions, why he didn't push anyone on their alibi or their statement. Because someone knew something. Maybe it wasn't the whole story. Maybe it was only a piece, and they thought it was smarter to stay silent. But now is the time to talk. Someone else has died. And if we don't find out what happened to Paige soon, there might be more casualties. Paige deserves justice, and her family deserves answers. We hope you'll help us find those answers."

"That's it for tonight," Morgan said. "We'll continue to update you as often as possible. See you next time."

As she shut everything down, I got up to get a glass of water. I drank it down in a couple of big gulps.

"Are you okay?" Morgan asked.

"Talking about it reminded me how real it all was."

"I can't imagine what you saw, Tessa. I'm very glad the killer wasn't still around when you arrived."

"Me, too. When we got to the front door, it was open, and Detective Barclay sent me back to the car. When I didn't hear anything, I had to find out what was happening."