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her when he’s made a point of talking about his sister’s case, appealing for information in most every public speech he’s made. If he suddenly stops talking about her, the press will know something is up and start aggressively pushing. He’s in a no-win situation. If she’s revealed to be alive before the vote, he’ll be accused of unfairly taking advantage of the public attention surrounding her return for his own political benefit. If her story has dark corners to it and the news of her return is held until after the vote, they’ll say it was hidden to avoid discussing his dysfunctional family history.”
    “Best case for the brother, she doesn’t make contact with him until after the vote,” Matthew realized.
    “Which creates its own complications for why she didn’t get in contact with her family once she came forward,” Ann said, “and why you or I didn’t say anything once her identity was confirmed. Today has already become day one in the articlesthat are going to be written about her reappearance. And this case has got book material written all over it, even before I hear what happened to her over the last eleven years.”
    Ann had written enough books to know what she was talking about on that score. “The timing of events will get scrutinized,” Matthew concurred. “ Day one —she shows up, and we confirm she’s in fact Shannon Bliss. Day two  . . .”
    “That’s the question. We can keep under wraps for a few days the fact she’s alive and has returned. Beyond that, this is not so simple. You could admit her to a private hospital, tell her brother she’s alive, let him announce it and where she’s at, but say he’ll make no further comment until after law enforcement concludes the investigation and medical personnel give their okay . . . hopefully stretch that out to get past the vote before she appears. That’s probably the cleanest way to keep the public onslaught of interest away from her.”
    Matthew liked it even as he realized it wouldn’t be possible. “I suspect Shannon’s not going to voluntarily admit herself to a private hospital that has good enough security to keep the press out—she’s not going to willingly go back inside a secured environment, even a comfortable one. Maybe we can arrange a meeting with her brother, and then she disappears and stays out of the state until after the election. He can announce her safe return, that she’s recovering in a private location, and he’ll have nothing further to say on the matter until after the election.”
    Ann thought for a moment but shook her head. “Anything that vague, the press will crush him for more information, and anyone else they can hammer on, so the number who know anything at all about Shannon Bliss and her whereabouts needs to remain a very small group. And it had better be a good hiding place—they’ll be looking for her with great intensity. Thepress will reach from Theo to me because I pulled the case file, but I’m good at saying no comment. Your friend at the missing-persons registry will get identified because he accessed her records, but if he can hold the line, maybe the press can’t reach through him to you. If we can keep the press away from you, there’s a chance we can keep them away from her. You become the buffer.”
    Matthew hesitated. “That’s good in theory, but the problem with wanting to stay beneath the radar—you start realizing how impossible it is to actually do that for any length of time. Tucking her somewhere no one finds her for five months when the press has a reason to be looking for her—it’s not going to be simple.”
    “Whatever you decide, Paul and I can help you with the Chicago logistics,” Ann offered. “John Key can arrange a secure place for you to stay. I’ll put a call in to him to put that in motion. You won’t want to be in a hotel if the press somehow gets wind of this. And as far as a location for that family reunion, why don’t you