“What Eric Colby wants has no bearing on what we do. It’s what our viewers want.”
“They want to see a diseased maniac ranting and raving with an inflated sense of self-worth?”
“No.” Lily gave her a tight-lipped smile. “They want to see him die.”
The producer’s icy demeanor left Kendra momentarily speechless.
“Trust me,” Lily continued. “We’re not putting him on a pedestal. It’s clear he’s a vile human being, and this world will be an infinitely better place once he’s not in it.”
“I heard that your show advocates the return of the death penalty in England.”
“Yes, it’s been half a century since Great Britain has executed a prisoner, yet over two-thirds of the population now favors capital punishment. Bobby Chatsworth and his show just reflect the frustration that society has with the justice system.”
“Are you sure that he’s not helping to shape it?”
“I’ll let sociologists be the judge of that. What I can say is that we’ve devoted a lot of airtime lately to people whose lives have been touched by violent crime. Citizens are outraged. They feel that the perpetrators of these horrible crimes have forfeited their right to share the planet with the rest of us.”
“Enter Eric Colby.”
“As soon as the execution date was set, we knew this was a story our viewers would have interest in. This is a system that works. Not often enough, perhaps, but the families of Eric Colby’s victims will see justice done in a way that victims in the UK never could. We’ve interviewed police officers, a retired FBI agent, and several close relatives of Colby’s victims, all in an effort to paint a portrait of the man. A portrait of a monster.”
“Then what do you want with me?”
“You witnessed the horror in the way no one else did. You saw Eric Colby murder two FBI agents. Then you survived an attack from him, the only person to do so. Not only did you survive, you were the one to finally bring him down. Your story will always be intertwined with his, Dr. Michaels.”
“You’ll never be done with me, Kendra…”
Colby’s words. Colby’s voice echoing in her head.
Again.
Shake it off. He would soon be a memory, no more than a bad dream.
“I have no interest in helping you perpetuate his memory.”
“Don’t think of it that way. Think of it as having the last word on Eric Colby.”
“His actions speak for themselves. And nothing will speak louder than his dying in front of a roomful of witnesses.”
“Bobby Chatsworth begs to differ. We saw you leaving the prison yesterday. What did you and Colby say to each other?”
“I’m not going to discuss it. Not now, not ever.”
“Dr. Michaels, if you’ll just sit down with us for ten minutes…”
“It’s not going to happen.”
“I came here in good faith—”
“You’re here because I agreed to meet with you, which is a courtesy I never extend to people in your profession. Ask around.”
“I have.”
“Then you know I’ve already given you something that I never expected to give. Now, what do you have for us?”
Lily’s lips tightened. “I do hope you’ll change your mind.”
“I won’t.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.” She folded her hands in front of her. “Okay, a deal is a deal.” She was silent, trying to decide where to begin. “In addition to victims’ families and law-enforcement officers, we’ve also conducted several interviews with people who have corresponded with Colby and even visited him in prison. Over the weekend, we interviewed an attractive young woman who actually proposed marriage to him.”
Kendra didn’t even try to hide her revulsion. “What’s most disgusting is that she’s probably not the only one.”
“She isn’t. The ironic thing is, even Colby thinks these people are nuts. We’ve spoken to several journalists, a movie producer, and a true-crime author who seem quite captivated by him.”
“So?” Griffen said impatiently.
“It’s no secret you’re investigating the serial murders here in San Diego, and suddenly you all have cause to visit Eric Colby just days before he is to be executed. You obviously believe there is some link between Colby and this killer. We don’t know if you’ve received a credible tip or found some evidence, but it’s clearly a path you’re exploring.”
“We can’t comment on an ongoing investigation,” Griffin said.
“Of course not. But it occurred to us that we still may be able to help each other. We’ve spoken to many of the people who represent Colby’s most likely allies in the outside world.”