MARY CLARK - Every Breath You Take

“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

Johnny Hon was still behind the wheel. He had followed Carter Wakeling into Manhattan, down the FDR Drive, and crosstown to Chelsea. He watched as Carter parked on 21st Street halfway between Eighth and Ninth Avenues, then walked to the cafe around the corner.

Less than a minute later a woman went into the restaurant. From his parked car Hon studied her through binoculars. With her slender carriage and classic features, he recognized Penny Rawling. Because of her midnight-black hair, white skin, and radiant blue eyes, one of the detectives had nicknamed her Snow White.

When he saw her sit down at Carter Wakeling’s table, he slipped an official tag on his car and followed her in, taking a table in the far corner where he could observe them. He had interviewed each of them three years ago and did not want to make it easy for them to see his face.

Leo had told him that Penny was one of the witnesses who had provided new information that could possibly implicate Carter in his mother’s death. She claimed to have told Carter that his mother was planning to reduce his inheritance substantially.

Suddenly Penny looked down and began to cry. She pulled paper napkins from a steel dispenser on the table to wipe her face. An instant later Carter leaned across the table and grabbed her wrists.

Hon could not be certain what was happening between the two from across the room, but he was more than concerned now. He was on alert. It looked to him as if Carter might be pressuring or threatening Penny as a witness. She was afraid enough to cry in public. If she continued and Carter panicked, he might go further in his efforts to silence her.

But then the two began to smile. Carter released his grip on Penny’s wrists, and it was obvious that whatever was going on between them, Penny was now at ease.

Johnny Hon signaled for his check and went back to his car. His instinct told him Carter Wakeling was not a killer, but he had seen murderers who looked as innocent as choirboys. He was not going to let Carter out of his sight. If he persuaded Rawling to get in his car or a cab with him when they left the restaurant, Hon would be right behind them.

70

When she left Tiffany’s house, Laurie looked at the time as she hit send on her phone.

The audio of Charlotte’s meeting with Tiffany was on its way to Jerry. She then tried to call him. It was 6:45 P.M. He often worked far longer hours than this, but he had been eager to celebrate their completion of the episode’s storyboard. As she listened to a fourth ring, she pictured Jerry and Grace having cocktails at Tanner Smith’s, the prohibition era–themed speakeasy they tended to frequent when Laurie didn’t tag along.

She waited through Jerry’s familiar outgoing message, and then left a message at the tone: “Call me as soon as you get this. I know who killed Virginia. We need to meet first thing in the morning to discuss our next moves. I’ll need to work on getting an immunity deal for a witness, and we need Ryan to interview at least one more person. So call me.”