The Heritage Paper

Chapter 44



Veronica didn’t take a breath until she exited into the plaza outside of Sterling House. She sucked in the sharp night air, burning her lungs like it was a punishment for not listening to her gut. She had to find her children. They were with him.

Youkelstein.

He knew the whole time!

Zach caught up to her as she headed toward the busy Park Avenue and delivered more bad news. He made a few phone calls, confirming that on the day of Carsten’s death, Ben Youkelstein was a guest lecturer at Vassar College—in Poughkeepsie!

Could Youkelstein be involved with these people? But why? Theories filled her head—none of them good—but she didn’t have time to think about it now. She had to find Maggie and Jamie.

She felt like the surrounding skyscrapers were about to crash down on her. She began running down the busy sidewalk, yelling, “Maggie! … Jamie!” Nobody even made eye contact with her. It was the way New Yorkers dealt with the abundance of mentally ill who flocked to their streets.

She began grabbing Wall-Street-looking types and demanding cooperation. She shoved wallet-sized photos of Maggie and Jamie in their faces. They pushed her away.

Her instinct was still to call Carsten. This is when she needed him most. He would’ve grabbed her face with both hands, as he’d always do. Then he would convince her that they’d find them. And she would believe him.

But Carsten wasn’t available to take her call.

And the guy who might be responsible for his death had their kids. She just stared at her phone, hoping Carsten would call from the Great Beyond and make this right for their children.

And then it did ring.

But it wasn’t Carsten.

Even better.

It was Maggie!

Veronica kept strong during the call, holding back her true emotions, and the ‘running off without permission’ lecture. Maggie went on a tangent about Youkelstein having a eureka moment while they were eating ice cream, and he needed to get to the Führerbunker right away, which apparently was in his apartment because that’s where he took them. He then left just as abruptly, leaving Maggie and Jamie stranded on a street corner as he jumped into a cab and sped off. Not ideal, and likely to get him passed over for any future babysitting gigs, but all Veronica cared was that he was away from them.

Maggie didn’t know the address, other than she thought it was in SoHo, based on what Youkelstein told the cab driver on the way there. Maggie offered to ask some strangers, but Veronica strongly instructed—more like threatened—them not to talk to anyone or give any appearance of being alone.

She had a better idea—she’d call Eddie at his precinct. But with all the commotion, she’d forgotten that he was still en route from his security meeting with Kingston. Luckily, she was able to get Eddie’s longtime partner in crime, and occasional partner in fighting it, John Marquez. Eddie and Marquez considered themselves family. He quickly located Youkelstein’s address.

Zach offered to drive. He was probably scared of Veronica’s emotional state, as was most of Park Avenue at this point. She collapsed into the passenger seat and thanked the same heavens she’d been cursing this past year. She even had a few good thoughts for Ellen, remembering that she was the one who’d purchased the cell phone for Maggie, in the face of her heavy opposition.

When she spotted her children sitting on the street corner, looking more bored than frightened, Veronica could no longer keep her cool. She practically leaped out of the vehicle and ran to them. She squished them both in a hug and refused to let go.

They had no idea where Youkelstein went. “Just the way he rolls,” Maggie said with a shrug. But Veronica knew there was more to it. Carsten had seen at least two people before his mysterious death—Youkelstein and Rose Shepherd. There had to be some connection.