Looking across the cafe table at Tiffany Simon, Laurie was certain that she was not lying to cover for Tom Wakeling. She was obviously unimpressed by the family, and certainly was not trying to curry favor with them.
After paying the check, she thanked Tiffany once again for her time. As they were walking out, Tiffany paused and held up a finger as if she had just thought of something. “Did you talk to the assistant?”
“Do you mean Virginia’s assistant, Penny?”
“Right, that was her name. So sweet and old-fashioned. The name, I mean.” Laurie could tell from the last comment that Tiffany did not think highly of Penny Rawling. “When I said some women would have been thrilled to date a Wakeling? Penny certainly fit the bill.”
“Meaning?”
“It’s been so long, I can’t remember her exact words to me. Something like, ‘Tom’s only the cousin, but still . . . lucky you.’ It was tacky, like I had hit the jackpot by landing a date with Tom. But here’s the thing. Then Penny said something like, ‘I’ve got my eye on the prince.’ Or maybe she said the ‘golden boy.’?”
“You think she was interested in Virginia’s son, Carter? He was the only son in the family.”
“Funny. At the time, I was thinking of the daughter’s husband. He was a lawyer, maybe? But looking back, that’s probably because, to me, he was the more interesting one. But, yeah, I suppose the son makes more sense. Regardless, I got the impression she had something going with one of them.”
Laurie remembered Ivan’s description of Penny, always on the phone with a mystery boyfriend. And according to Ivan, Penny had been fussing about her appearance for the gala, leaving him with the impression that her unknown suitor would be there.
Tiffany reached into her jacket pocket. “I can see you’re not wearing a wedding ring. But you’re close to making a decision. I have feelings about these things . . .” Her voice trailed off.
Laurie realized Tiffany was staring at her with her eyes half-closed. What’s wrong with her? she asked herself.
Then Tiffany’s eyes opened wide and she smiled. “I didn’t tell you that I’m a psychic. I tell people something about themselves, and bingo, it happens. You’re not wearing a wedding ring. That’s because you’re about to make a big decision.”
She pulled her card from her pocket and shoved it over to Laurie. “If you make the one I think you should make, give me a call. I’ll put together an amazing, fabulous wedding for you.”
Once Laurie was in the cab, she removed her notepad from her purse. She crossed off Tiffany’s name from her to-do list and scratched out the check mark that had been next to Tom’s name. And then she drew a big circle around the name Penny Rawling.
? ? ?
The taxi was only six blocks from Laurie’s apartment when her cell phone rang. The screen identified the caller as Alexis Smith, an entertainment reporter with the New York Post. Laurie was tempted to let it go to voice mail, but never wanted to miss an opportunity to plug her show.
“Hi, Alexis.”
“Hey there, Laurie. Long time, no see. I saw your old host last week at the premiere of a documentary about wrongful convictions, and then remembered that you got someone new. Alex was great, but Ryan’s a real up-and-comer on television.”
“Thanks,” Laurie said, not sure what else she should say. She wished everyone would stop reminding her that Alex was apparently everywhere in New York City other than with Laurie. “Were you calling about Ryan?”
“No, but I am calling about Under Suspicion. Can you confirm that your next special will feature Virginia Wakeling’s unsolved murder?”
How did word get out already? Laurie still didn’t trust Ryan, plus Alexis had just mentioned him. But she knew Alexis would never reveal her source, and Laurie couldn’t ask without confirming the report. Instead, Laurie gave her standard response. “We’re always pursuing fresh angles on cases that have run cold, and look forward to announcing our next special once we have an airdate.”
As Laurie stepped out of the cab, she felt as if a timer had just been set on a clock ticking over her head. Brett was already rushing her, and now they’d have the additional pressure of a newspaper article highlighting their investigation. And, still, Laurie could not shake the nagging feeling that they were moving too quickly. She was missing something important. She needed to find Penny Rawling.
31
Penny Rawling snagged the last empty table at the Starbucks on Cooper Square. She was happy to find a copy of today’s Post left behind. As she sipped her skinny venti mocha, she flipped through the pages, skimming the headlines.
Most of her attention was elsewhere, though. Ever since she’d gotten that phone call from her ex-boyfriend about that television show, she couldn’t stop thinking about him. I’d hoped I was totally over him, she thought to herself. He moved on, and so did I, or at least, that’s what I wanted to believe. But here I am, daydreaming about him again.
He had tried to sound nonchalant about Under Suspicion when he called, but she still knew him better than everyone, after all these years. She could tell from his voice that he did not want her involved with the production. But who was he to tell her what to do? After Virginia died, he had dumped her like a piece of trash.
When he first called, she had thought a reality show would be a good way to launch her real estate career, but after she thought about it further, she realized an additional benefit to participating on the show. She might be able to see him again. She imagined them both showing up at the studio. He would see her and realize she had been the right one for him all along.
Or if he knew that she was going to be interviewed about Virginia’s murder, he might call again. Maybe he’d want to meet her in person to find out what she planned to say. When he saw how far she had come, certainly he would be interested in her again, right?
The only problem was that the program’s producers hadn’t contacted her yet. And if she took the initiative to reach out to them, they’d ask her how she knew about the production. It was a catch-22, and so she had to wait. It will happen, she told herself. Just have faith.
She flipped to another page in the Post, even though she hadn’t paid attention to anything so far. She nearly dropped her cup when she saw a photograph of Virginia Wakeling entering the Met with Ivan Gray at her side. She immediately recognized the gown, with a black velvet bodice and flowing blue skirt. Penny had helped her decide the final finishing touches with the designer. It was absolutely perfect.
Virginia would die a few hours after this photograph was taken.
Penny set down her mocha and focused on the text accompanying the picture. It was a snippet from Page Six:
Another ‘Punch’ for Wakeling Murder?