Beyond the Veil: The Reporter, Jessica Westbury

Appearing in Beyond the Veil, Jessica Westbury is an ambitious reporter, who serves as a significant secondary character, and a foil to Detective Ryan's methodical investigation.

Jessica is driven by a desire for the "big scoop." She is relentless in her pursuit of the truth regarding the disappearance of Elizabeth Van den Berg, the mayor's daughter. Detective Ryan and the reporter have a long history, and not always a positive one. Her investigative instincts have led her to cross paths with Detective Ryan, sometimes providing him with useful information, and other times complicating his work by leaking confidential, sensitive details of case files to the public that could prejudice the investigation.

As a journalist, she initially approaches the case with a heavy dose of scepticism. While the investigation veers into the mysterious and potentially supernatural territory of the Adirondacks, Jessica remains a voice of realism, constantly searching for a human or logical angle to the story, before eventually being forced to acknowledge a sinister presence lurking in the shadows.

Though Jessica is eager to advance her career at the Tristate Chronicle, she possesses a skewed moral compass that ensures she does not entirely jeopardize the police investigation, especially when lives are on the line.

Their relationship is one of mutual respect, buried under professional friction. She views Detective Ryan as a valuable source of information, while he tolerates her as a necessary—if occasionally annoying—conduit to the public, albeit a potential liability for sensitive evidence. Jessica believes in hard facts, or at least, near enough to the facts that sell newspapers, and has difficulty in maintaining a hold of her nerves as the darkness descends on Halloween night, struggling to accept what is taking place around them in the isolated Adirondack region.