MARY CLARK - Every Breath You Take

“Do you know him personally?”

“Never met him.”

Laurie realized that Bennington was the type of person who used first names for everyone, even strangers.

“What a terrific story though, right? Older widow meets hunky personal trainer . Talk about scandal. Everyone I know says he did it. I mean, who else would want to hurt such a gracious and generous woman? The only thing is, and not to be crass about it, but shouldn’t he have waited until they were married? I’m not too sure how bright of a bulb that one has, if you know what I mean.”

Laurie watched as he shook his head vigorously and gasped, “Oh, that was awful . Please don’t use any of what I just said in your show. Promise! I wouldn’t want anyone to think I’m anything but horrified by what happened to Virginia. Sometimes I’m catty just for the sake of entertainment.”

“I understand,” Laurie assured him.

“When something like this happens, you realize that even the rich and famous are just people. Everyone has secrets. No one’s perfect. Am I right?”

“I’ve certainly learned that in my line of work, Mr. Bennington.”

“Call me Gerard. Anyhow, I mean, look at that perfect Wakeling family—smart, successful, each one of them prettier than the next. But even they had that little tiff that night.”

Laurie felt herself sit up straighter at the mention of a tiff. Marco Nelson, the security guard who saw Virginia go upstairs to the roof, reported that she appeared upset, as if she’d been arguing with someone at the gala. But no other witnesses had seen her in a dispute that night.

“Virginia was arguing with her family?” Laurie asked.

“No, not her. It was the sons. Or, I guess one is the son. The other’s the son-in-law. I saw them in the temple room shortly before everyone was seated for dinner. They were off to the side of the room a bit. I couldn’t hear what they were saying, but even from my vantage point, I could tell the conversation was intense. And then I saw the daughter, Anna, spot them as she was heading toward their table. She clearly saw the same dynamic I had sensed and began moving their way. Ever curious—sorry, I admit it, I’m nosy—I steered myself in that direction to see if something interesting would happen.”

He paused, clearly for dramatic effect.

“And?”

“It was a big letdown. She told them they had already argued enough for the day, and that they shouldn’t be talking about something so morbid in public.”

“This is the first I’ve heard about it.”

“I was probably the only one who noticed. Most of the guests spend their time gawking over the biggest celebrities. I like to watch people who don’t think they’re being watched. So much more interesting.”

“And did you mention any of this to the police?”

“Oh, heavens, no. If someone had called the police every time I bickered with my six siblings, the entire NYPD would have been millionaires from the overtime pay.”

Laurie hadn’t learned anything new about the bracelet that was missing from the exhibit, but her time with Gerard Bennington had been worthwhile. The night Virginia Wakeling was murdered, her son, Carter, and his brother-in-law, Peter Browning, had been arguing. Mr. Bennington had overheard Anna refer to the conversation between her husband and her brother as “morbid”—something perhaps as dark as their concerns about the family matriarch changing her will.

It was all the more important that she reach the security guard who was Virginia’s contact person during the party. Once Bennington left, she sent a quick text to Charlotte to follow up on her suggestion from the night before: Any luck reaching Marco Nelson?

Her phone pinged a few minutes after she returned to her office. We must have a psychic connection. I just got off the phone . He’ll be here tomorrow at 9 AM. Hope that works for you!

She had just confirmed with Charlotte when Ryan Nichols knocked on her open door. “Are you free to leave now?”

She looked at her watch. It was only eleven-thirty. They were supposed to leave at one to meet with Virginia’s former personal assistant, Penny Rawling.

“Our appointment’s not for two hours.”

“I know, but her apartment’s only two blocks from Locanda Verde. I made a lunch reservation. Care to join?”

Laurie’s first instinct was to decline, sparing herself from even having to share a car ride with Ryan. But she did love the food there, and a reservation at the Robert De Niro–owned spot was almost as hard to come by as Hamilton tickets.

“Sure, that sounds great,” she said, reaching for her coat.

Whether she liked it or not, she had to make the best of this situation with Ryan. No matter what happened between her and Alex in the future, it was clear that he would never be returning to her show.

42

When Laurie and Ryan arrived at the address Penny Rawling had given them, they were surprised to find one of the new, modern condo buildings that were popping up along the narrow cobblestone streets in Tribeca. Penny was only thirty years old. She had certainly come a long way since working as Virginia Wakeling’s personal assistant only three years earlier.

“This view is amazing,” Laurie said once they were done with introductions. Penny’s apartment was large, with high ceilings and a wall of windows overlooking the Hudson River. Snow still lined the river’s edge on the New Jersey side of the water.

“Summer sunsets on the terrace are the best part,” Penny said. “Please, have a seat. Ryan, I didn’t realize you’d be here, too. I’ve seen you on television. This is very exciting.”

Laurie was accustomed to people misunderstanding the roles that various people played on her show. Everyone assumed that the face they saw on the screen was the one doing all the heavy lifting. She had used that perception to her advantage on more than one occasion. People had a way of underestimating her friendly smile and unassuming demeanor.

Laurie had not seen any photographs of Penny, so this was her first chance to take in her appearance. She had dark hair, almost black, with crystal-blue eyes and pale skin. She was a natural beauty. Laurie found herself wondering again about the mystery boyfriend Ivan suspected she’d had at the time of the murder.

Ryan thanked Penny for taking time off in the middle of the day to meet with them. “What did you say you do again?” he asked.

Laurie assumed that Ryan was wondering the same thing she was: how could Penny afford this apartment?

“I’m working in real estate,” Penny said vaguely.

“Well, it must be treating you well,” Ryan said. “We don’t want to waste your time, so I figured we’d get straight to the point. We’ve spoken at length with Ivan Gray, and a couple of things aren’t lining up for us. The police got the impression that you were suspicious of Ivan’s motivations for dating Mrs. Wakeling, but Ivan swears to us that you saw the two of them together and knew they were truly in love. Which is the right story?”

“Both of them, actually. Do I think Ivan would have given a woman twenty years his senior the time of day if she’d been strictly middle class? No, I don’t. I suspect he had certain parameters for a romantic partner, and that probably involved financial security. But I also think they loved each other.”

“You make love sound very . . . transactional,” Ryan observed.

“I mean, think of it this way: I have plenty of friends who are only willing to date men with good jobs and stable incomes. Is this really any different? If Virginia was the man, and Ivan was the woman, no one would think twice about their relationship.”

“But that’s not the way the Wakeling family saw things,” Laurie said.