Page 8 of Dead Air
Lawson’s fist hit the desk hard enough to rattle her coffee mug. Cold liquid sloshed over the rim, spreading across case files. She grabbed tissues from her drawer and dabbed at the spill, watching ink blur on witness statements.
“So she broadcasts my failures to millions of people? Paints me as a suspect?”
“You don’t have to cooperate. Refuse interviews. But stopping the podcast requires proving malice. That she’s knowingly spreading lies to damage you.”
“She is damaging me.” The anger drained away, leaving something rawer behind. “She’s building a case that I killed Monica.”
Another pause. Longer this time. “Actually, you might not have to do anything.”
“What do you mean?”
"Judge Elizabeth Byrd called this morning. She's one of my private clients—I handle some personal legal matters for her occasionally. She's also a major donor to both the museum and the police benevolent fund." Claire's voice took on a cautiousoptimism. "She wants me to file for a temporary injunction against the podcast."
Lawson straightened in her chair. "On what grounds?"
"Interference with an ongoing investigation. The Monica Landry case was never officially closed, just went cold. Judge Byrd argues that broadcasting sealed evidence and encouraging amateur investigation could compromise any future prosecution."
"That would work?"
"It's a valid legal argument. A temporary injunction could halt publication while the court reviews whether the podcast materially interferes with law enforcement. Could buy us weeks, maybe months."
"Good." The word came out harder than Lawson intended. "Do it."
"Erin, there's something else. If she's this thorough, she's not chasing viral content. She has specific goals."
"To destroy me."
"Or to solve a five-year-old murder." Claire's tone softened around the edges. "Antagonizing her makes you look guilty. If you're worried about her narrative, maybe control it yourself. Talk to her."
"Not if Byrd can shut her down first."
"The injunction isn't guaranteed. And even if we get it, Blackwell can appeal. She has resources and a legal team."
Lawson stared at the business card on her desk. "Let me worry about Blackwell. You just file that paperwork."
The business card lay on her desk. The raised lettering caught the fluorescent light from overhead.
"I have to go."
"Erin …"
She killed the call and shoved the phone away. Her bottom desk drawer called to her. The bourbon bottle waited inside,amber liquid promising temporary peace. Her hand moved toward the handle, fingers brushing the cold metal.
No. Blackwell wouldn't drive her back to drinking. Four months sober meant something. Monica would have wanted her to stay clean, to keep fighting for justice. The bottle could wait.
Lawson snatched her jacket and keys. The Rafferty files would be archived in the county records basement by now. Boxes of evidence and witness statements gathering dust in climate-controlled storage. If Blackwell was investigating Monica's death, she'd start there too. The drug trafficking case had consumed Monica's final months. She'd been convinced someone inside the department was protecting the operation.
Time to discover how much the podcaster already knew. And maybe find out who wanted Lawson destroyed badly enough to feed sealed records to a journalist.
dead air episode 2:
"The Partner"
[Electronic theme music fades in, then quiets under narration]
LEAH BLACKWELL:Welcome back to Dead Air. I'm Leah Blackwell.
In our first episode, we introduced Detective Monica Landry's unsolved murder and the questions surrounding that night at the old paper mill warehouse. Today, we turn our focus to Detective Erin Lawson—Monica's partner and the only witness to her death.
