“And did he tell you how angry he was?”
“Of course he was angry!” She sounded defensive now. “He put the pieces together. He knew Ivan had come on to you and you had to fight him off. It’s not easy having a father who’s such a pig.”
“So what did he say to his dad?”
It was Dana’s loaded question. Her version of How often did you beat your wife, Mr. Smith? Because Dana had no proof Jamie actually confronted his father at that point.
“I don’t think he had a chance,” Megan said. “The generator blew and he came to look for me.”
A chill rippled over Dana’s flesh. She put down her cup too hard and a bit of coffee splashed out. The timing, she thought, as she grabbed a napkin and dabbed at the spill. This meant Jamie went to confront his father just before the lights went out, and that’s when Ivan was pushed off the roof. For several moments, she wasn’t able to speak.
“You still there?” Megan asked.
“Yeah, sorry. I just spilled my coffee.” Dana kept her voice even, but inside she was roiling. Because now it looked like there was a good chance Jamie had done it. She wasn’t going to say anything to Megan until she was sure, but it had to be soon. Because that night, her friend was jetting off to Mexico with a man who might well be a murderer. They’d be making just a brief appearance at the Shopping Channel’s annual holiday party before heading to the airport. Dana had to uncover the truth before that happened.
She changed the subject. “Are you packed yet?”
“Almost done,” Megan said. “In fact, I should probably go. We have tickets to Radio City this afternoon and I need to finish up before I leave.”
For as long as Dana knew her, Megan had never missed a chance to see the Radio City Christmas Spectacular, Rockettes and all. She always said it wouldn’t be Christmas without it. Usually, she insisted on dragging Dana along, past the iconic orange neon sign, through the historic lobby and into the celebrated auditorium. It was fun the first time, tolerable the second time, and then it was all Dana could do to make it through without wishing one of the Rockettes would fall and knock down the whole line like dominoes.
“You got tickets?” Dana said.
“Are you kidding? When Jamie asked me to go to Mexico with him, I wouldn’t say yes until I was sure we could see the show before we left. He’s such a peach he ran out and got us tickets.”
“That’s the best news I’ve heard in a long time,” Dana said, trying to keep the conversation light.
“You’re just happy you’re off the hook,” Megan said.
Dana took a sip of her coffee. “It’s a Christmas miracle.”
* * *
There was a lot to think about. Dana turned her cell phone over and over again as she tried to figure it out. She needed more information about Jamie, and she needed it now. She was so lost in thought that by the time she remembered to pick up her coffee again, it was cold.
There was one person who would have answers—Ari. But he was off-limits. Or was he? Now that she knew she had nothing to do with Ivan’s murder, she could reach out to him without jeopardizing his career or the case. Of course, he wouldn’t want to talk to her, but this was too important to let their fight interfere. And so, after nearly chewing her lip in half, Dana tapped out a text to him:
Something important has come up and I need to talk to you. Please call asap.
She read it back to herself three times and decided he would almost definitely call her back. Even if he was furious, he was responsible. She took a breath and hit Send. Then she got dressed and headed off to work.
But even as she reached the studio and checked in at the security desk, Ari still hadn’t responded. She got into the elevator and looked at her cell phone again, as if she could will a text to appear. The doors were about to shut when a voice called out, “Unless you’re an ax murderer, hold that elevator.” It was Eleanor.
At that, Dana realized she’d been overlooking an obvious source of information. Why hadn’t she thought of it before? If she wasn’t going to talk to Ari, Eleanor Gratz was the next best thing, because she still had some terrible secrets that Dana was sure related to the murder. She had already connected some of the dots. Eleanor had gone to the Dennisons’ house to threaten Ivan. She was going to expose his affairs to his wife if he didn’t cease and desist with his plans to gut the Shopping Channel’s branding in favor of computers and robots and whatever other high-tech gadgets would supposedly sell like digital hotcakes. But Ivan counter-threatened, using the paper trail of a decades-old kickback. Still, there was one other piece that didn’t make sense. Eleanor had been sneaking off to meet someone. She had a rendezvous that day in the park. And if Dana hadn’t broken her ankle, she might have had the answers by now.
Dana held open the elevator door. “The only place I kill is on the air,” she said.
“Ah, my favorite assassin,” Eleanor replied.
Dana decided not to follow up with another murder joke. “Mind if I tag along with you up to your office?” she asked. “I wanted to talk to you about something.”
“Dana Barry gets whatever she wants, sweetheart.”
They exited the elevator together on the executive floor and walked toward Eleanor’s office. Her assistant, Gemma, held out a steaming mug of coffee and Eleanor took it without breaking stride.
“Can you get a cup for Dana, please?” she said.
Dana waved it off. “I’m fine.”
They settled themselves into Eleanor’s office and the busy buyer shuffled through papers on her desk. “So what can I do for you?” she asked, distracted.
Dana didn’t see any reason to ease into the conversation. There was just too much at stake. “I know we spoke about that day you visited the Dennisons’ house,” she said. “But I have some questions.”
That got Eleanor’s attention. Her posture went rigid. “I told you everything,” she said quickly.
“Not quite everything,” Dana insisted.
“You’re wasting your time.” Eleanor folded her arms. “This is nonsense.”
“Then help me out here. Because I still don’t understand why you decided not to go through with your plan to tell Ivan’s wife about his infidelities.”
“That’s what you’re so worried about?” Eleanor said, as if it were the most ridiculous question imaginable. “I didn’t tell her because I knew it wouldn’t make any difference, so why torture the poor woman. He was going through with his plan no matter what.”
“I think there’s more to it,” Dana said.
“And why would you think that?”
Dana reached down to scratch an itchy spot inside her splint. When she looked up, Eleanor’s face was pale. The woman knew something was coming. Dana saw no reason to drag it out. “Eleanor,” she said pointedly, “I know about the kickback.”
“What?”
“Don’t worry, I didn’t tell anyone.”
Eleanor stood. “What are you accusing me of?”
“Hartsdale Marketing—a shell company set up by your husband. You funneled fifteen thousand dollars into it from the Shopping Channel.”
Eleanor’s eyes went dark. “Are you blackmailing me?”
“No! For god’s sake. I don’t give a damn about a stupid kickback from 1999. It was so long ago.”
“How did you find out?”
“Does it matter?”
Eleanor’s jaw went tight as she considered her next move, and Dana knew she was trying to figure out if there was still a way to deny it. But of course it was too late. She collapsed back in her chair. “One goddamned time. We were so desperate, so deep in the hole. And the company was flush. Phil was gambling, that stupid shit. We nearly lost our home.”
Dana paused to take it in. She’d walked the edge of financial collapse, and understood the terror. But she had never considered stealing to save her own a
ss. Okay, maybe once. But she didn’t go through with it.
“And it never happened again?” she asked.
Eleanor shook her head. “I sent Phil to Gamblers Anon. I told him that next time I would throw him out.” She took a long pause and stared hard at Dana. “If you don’t give a damn about the kickback, then why are you bringing it up?”
“Because I think there’s another piece you’re not telling me, and it might have to do with Ivan’s murder.”
Eleanor folded her arms. “If there was another piece—and I’m not saying there is—it has nothing to do with Ivan’s murder.”
“How do you know for sure?”
“Just leave it alone, Dana.”
The two women stared at one another, and Dana knew she had to put her whole messy, outrageous hand on the table. And she did it with one word.
“Jamie,” she pronounced.
Eleanor blanched. “What about him?”
“I have reason to believe he might have killed his father.”
“No!” Eleanor’s hand went to her chest, as if she needed to protect her heart. “That’s not possible.”
“What aren’t you telling me!” Dana demanded.
“You go first. Why do you think it was him?”
“Because he knew his father came on to me at the party, and knew I literally had to fight him off. And then, right before the lights went out, Jamie was seen charging over to him in a rage. And you know what happened next. Ivan was pushed off the roof.”
Eleanor went still for a long time. “Are you sure of this?”
“I’m sure the events happened in exactly that order with that exact timing. So now I need to know if there’s anything you’re not telling me.”
A faraway look crossed over Eleanor’s face. “I didn’t think he was capable of that.”
“Neither did I.”
Eleanor rested her head on her hand and closed her eyes.
“What is it?” Dana pressed. She could sense that Eleanor was on the brink of opening up.
There was a long pause as the executive wrestled with whatever was on her mind. At last she said, “He knew about the daughter.”
“What?” Dana said. “What are you talking about?”
“Jamie. He knew about Ivan’s illegitimate daughter.”
“There’s a daughter?”
“He was trying to keep it from his mother. He was so furious when she showed up at the memorial service.”
Dana remembered. The girl in the peacoat who came in late with her mother. Jamie and his brother had stared at them before Brock charged over.
“How did you find out about it?” Dana asked.
Eleanor sighed. “I know a lot of people, a lot of suppliers. Ivan had a terrible reputation in the electronics industry, despite his success. He took a lot more kickbacks than I did, though I could never prove it. But I found out about the daughter. The mother worked for Ivan. Karen Clifford—she was his marketing director. Everyone at the company seemed to know the kid was his, but it was all whispers. People knew about Blair’s condition and felt sorry for her, so they kept it on the down low. Personally, I don’t believe she’s as fragile as everyone thinks she is.”
“And this is what you tried to blackmail Ivan with?”
“I told him I thought she deserved to know. I still believe that. The guy had a kid, for god’s sake.”
“So you went to his house and threatened to—”
“I was trying to save the company! I knew we couldn’t make it with electronics. And I think Ivan knew it, too. That’s the irony. I took a kickback twenty years ago. He’d been taking kickbacks his entire career. And I bet that if we did some digging, we’d find out that he stood to make millions while wringing the Shopping Channel dry.” She shook her head. “I was trying to be a hero, Dana. And I really thought I could do it.”
“How did he even find out about your ancient breach?”
“He dug and dug and dug. People like that always know where the bodies are buried. Or they have people who do. And apparently I had tipped my hand before I showed up at his doorstep. Ivan got wind that I had been nosing around him, so he hired a forensic accountant to dig up dirt on me. By the time I visited his house, he already had a paper trail. There was nothing I could do.”
“And you think Jamie knows about the daughter?” Dana asked, though she was pretty sure his expression at the church said it all.
“I know he does.”
Dana thought about the anger Jamie harbored. He knew his father was a cheater. Knew he had a hidden daughter. Knew he continued to screw around, hurting Blair again and again and again. And then, when he witnessed it firsthand at the party, his rage got the better of him. Years of pent-up anger exploded in one terrible moment. He might have been in the middle of an argument with Ivan when the lights went out. And then, with his fury at a fever pitch, he put his hands in the middle of his father’s chest and sent him over the railing to his death.
It all made so much sense. But there was still one thing Dana didn’t know.
“That day in the park,” she said to Eleanor. “Were you meeting with Jamie? Was he paying you off not to tell his mother?”
“He tried to. We had already met several times by then, and I told him he could keep his damned money. Then he found the proof about my kickback.”
Dana felt sick. She was the one who had helped him with that.
“So what was the park rendezvous about?”
“I don’t know. He said he needed to talk to me. But he never showed up.”
“Did you tell the police any of this?”
Eleanor shook her head. “I couldn’t. It would have led them straight to my kickback.”
“That was twenty years ago. Isn’t there a statute of limitations for these things?”
“Don’t you understand? If that got out, I’d lose my job in a microsecond.”
“I’m so sorry, Eleanor,” Dana said, and she was. Because she was going to tell the police, and then everyone would know.
* * *
In her dressing room, Dana checked her cell phone again. There was still no message from Ari, and she wondered if he was busy or ignoring her. But it didn’t really matter—not right now. Because there was something more pressing Dana needed to do. She needed to reach out to Megan and warn her to get as far away from Jamie as possible. And no matter what, she couldn’t get on that plane to Mexico with him.
But Megan didn’t answer her call. Dana checked the time and understood. Her friend was already snug in her seat at Radio City Music Hall with her phone turned off. By the time she got the message, Dana would be on the air and unable to talk to her.
She was trying to decide what to do next when Ashlee came in.
“Gracious!” she said when she saw Dana’s face. “What’s wrong? You look like something just snatched a knot in your tail.”
Dana opened her mouth to respond, but the truth she just discovered overwhelmed her, and she fought a surge of nausea, unable to speak.
“You need a glass of water or something?” Ashlee asked.
Dana waved away the offer.
“What is it?” Ashlee said. “Tell me.”
Dana took a long, ragged breath to center herself. “I know who murdered Ivan,” she finally said.
Ashlee’s eyes went wide. “Who is it?”
“It’s his son,” Dana said, swallowing hard. “It’s Jamie.”
Her words hung in the air for several moments before Ashlee reacted with a gasp. “Jiminy Christmas,” she whispered, “are you sure?”
Dana told her the whole story, starting with the conversation with Lorenzo, and finishing with the information she just got from Eleanor.
“Did you tell Megan?” Ashlee asked.
“I tried. She and Jamie are at a matinee and her phone’s off.”
Ashlee paced, her hand over her mouth as she thought. “Ari,” she said. “You have to call Ari.”
“I tried texting him,” Dana said. “But he’s not getting back to me.”
“Well, you just pick up that phone and call him. This is no time for pride.”
Dana nodded. She knew Ashlee was right, and so she dialed Ari’s number. She wasn’t surprised when it went straight to voice mail. Keeping her tone even, she left an emphatic message. “Ari, I need to talk to you right away,” she said. “It’s about the murder. Please, this is urgent. Call me as soon as you can.”
She hung up and looked at Ashlee. “You think he’ll call me back?”
“I know he will.”
Dana went over to the counter and poured herself some water. She chugged down half of it in one long, desperate pull.
“What am I going to do now?” she asked Ashlee.
“Now, you are going to get ready for your show. You have some merchandise to sell.”
* * *
Dana was grateful that she had an easy program planned that day. One of the Shopping Channel’s favorite designers, Bastina, would be live on the air with her, selling a line of knit loungewear. Viewers loved the affectionate relationship between them, and the minute the red light blinked on, Dana played it up, projecting her fondness for Megan onto the older woman. Dana modeled and swirled and cooed, while she and Bastina chatted like besties about what made the garments unique. The design. The craftsmanship. The comfort. The fit. The value. They moved from one style to the next, and Dana kept interjecting with appreciation for the designer’s talents. And then, just like that, the four hours were over, and Dana held still while Lorenzo came on set to unclip her mike.
“Everything okay?” he asked.
“We’ll talk later,” she whispered. Then she gave Bastina a quick hug and hurried to her dressing room to check her phone for messages. But the only one who had called her was Chelsea.
“I don’t understand,” she said to Ashlee, while staring down at her phone. “Why hasn’t Megan called me back? Why hasn’t Ari?”
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