Penny realized that she was fighting back tears and reached for a paper napkin to stop her mascara from running. “There is nothing you could say that I want to hear.” She pushed back the chair and started to get up. Carter suddenly reached both hands across the table and grasped her wrists. She winced as he forced her back down into her seat.
“I’ll start by saying that you are exactly right. I’ve been feeling sorry for myself all my life. In the beginning my father used to take me around when he was having meetings to discuss projects. But I was bored. I went along because I had to. I didn’t like being told what I was going to do for the rest of my life. I didn’t work hard at it because I didn’t want it. Now, after I made a fool of myself during that TV interview, I finally faced myself. Everything you just said was true. But I’m going to change. I’m forty-one years old and I’m not going to waste another minute. For the first time I’m going to work hard at the company because it’s what I want. And there’s something else I really want and need.
“I’ve been missing you every minute of every day these past three years. I love you, Penny. I know I don’t deserve it, but please give me a chance to start over with you.”
Penny knew the expression on her face gave him his answer.
“Carter, I have one small problem,” she said.
“What is it?”
“I can’t drink my coffee when you’re squeezing both of my wrists,” Penny said, and they both started to laugh.
67
Laurie was waiting at the corner in Queens while Charlotte spoke to Tiffany pretending to be a book researcher. It couldn’t have been more than twenty minutes, but it felt like hours before she saw Charlotte approaching her.
“How did it go?” Laurie asked. “Did she say anything about the bracelet?”
“First things first,” Charlotte said. “That house is like a trip to fantasyland. Outfits the grandmother wore in her cabaret days complete with dolls dressed in her getups.”
“Were you able to record her?”
Charlotte played the beginning of the recording to check the audio. It was crystal clear. Tapping on her phone, she said, “I’m emailing it to you right now.”
“You’re the best. What did she say about the bracelet?”
“Laurie, Gran the cabaret dancer lived in a world of her own and raised Tiffany telling her stories. It is obvious that most, if not all of them, are made up. According to Tiffany, Granny had affairs with three presidents, an Arabian prince, the Duke of Wellington, and God knows who else.”
“Did she say anything about John Kennedy?”
“Oh, he was Granny’s favorite, and this is where the bracelet came in. According to Tiffany, he gave her a charm bracelet exactly like the one he gave Jackie that was on the display at the Met. Supposedly he told Granny that she was his charm. Tiffany said it was a treasured symbol of JFK’s love. The bracelet was stolen along with other jewelry from her dressing room, and the loss broke Granny’s heart. Now Granny is in a nursing home, very sick and still talking about the bracelet.”
“Charlotte, that confirms everything. Why Tiffany might have grabbed it to give to her grandmother. And then when she realized she needed an alibi, she asked Tom Wakeling to cover for her. It’s the missing piece that’s been driving me crazy. I’m going to knock on Tiffany’s door and try to persuade her to tell the truth.”
“Maybe I should go with you.”
“No, I’ll be fine. It’s better if I talk to her alone, and I’ve kept you out long enough.”
A cab was coming down the street. Laurie hailed it, waited until Charlotte was in the backseat, then started walking the block to Tiffany’s house.
? ? ?
Tiffany was clearly surprised to find Laurie on her porch. “Is this about the thank-you gift you were sending? You didn’t need to bring it out here yourself.”
“No, I’m afraid it’s about something else, Tiffany. May I come in?”
68
When Tiffany invited her in, Laurie’s first thought was that Charlotte had not exaggerated when she described the house. It was stuffed with memorabilia.
“I have to start with an apology,” Laurie said. “The woman who was here wasn’t a book publisher. I invented her.”
Tiffany gasped, “That’s awful—”
Laurie held up a hand. “I’m so sorry. I had my reasons, and I can explain them later, but this is urgent. I know you were the one who set off the alarm in the fashion exhibit the night of the gala. The last thing I’m concerned about is that charm bracelet. I’m trying to find a killer.”
“How did you know—”
“I really don’t have time for that right now, Tiffany, and I wish there was another way I could have done this. You thought Tom was doing a favor covering for you that night, but I am almost certain you were also covering for him. I believe he was the one who killed Virginia Wakeling.”
Tiffany’s face paled as Laurie’s words took effect. “That can’t be possible.”
“I know. It’s hard to believe.”
“As for the bracelet, I knew it wasn’t valuable,” Tiffany said with tears in her eyes. “It was just when I saw it, I knew how thrilled Granny would be to have it.”
“I understand, but this is your chance to make it right,” Laurie said. “Will you confirm—to the police and on camera—that you weren’t with Tom Wakeling on the second floor after all?”
“I’ll get arrested. I know I will!”
“You won’t. I know the detective in charge of the homicide investigation. I’m sure they’ll give you immunity if you testify. Now tell me exactly how it happened.”
“I was so panicked that night when I heard the commotion and knew something was going on,” Tiffany babbled nervously. “I rushed back to the main party without getting caught. But by then the police had arrived, and they began asking questions. I was so scared. I told Tom what I had done. He offered to back me up with an alibi. We really had sneaked into the portrait gallery shortly after dinner and had a few laughs about the paintings. We hid when we heard some people coming . . . they were workers. Tom suggested we go back downstairs separately to reduce the chance of anybody noticing us. That’s when I went to get the bracelet. I was so grateful when he agreed to say we had been together the whole time. In a thousand years it never occurred to me that he had another motive. Oh my God! Do you really think Tom killed that poor woman?”
“Because of you Tiffany, we are a lot closer to the truth,” Laurie said. “I’ll straighten things out with the police and come out tomorrow with a camera crew. In the meantime, keep your doors locked and be sure to call 911 if Tom gets in touch with you.”
Tiffany’s face became fearful.
“I meant, just in case,” Laurie assured her. “He has no idea that I suspect him.”
She thanked Tiffany warmly once again, and waited until she heard the bolt of the door turn behind her before she walked away.
69