Manhattan Merger

by Rebecca Winters

  “He confesses he was already in love with her before the transplant took place. As soon as he returned to New York, he broke off his engagement. Now he’s proposing marriage. It’s a Manhattan merger she can’t turn down, not when they’re joined body, blood and soul.”

  “Thank you, Ms. Wrigley. You can be seated. Mr. Felt? If you’ll take the stand please.”

  While the third witness was sworn in, Payne leaned toward Drew. “When you cross-examine the author, ask her why she picked ties to the English aristocracy, how she happened to put in the part about archaeological sites. Why did she choose leukemia?”

  Drew had already been making notes and nodded.

  “Mr. Felt? How long have you been head of the art department at Red Rose Publishers?”

  “Twelve years.”

  “Tell us what you do. Take us through the process when you handled Manhattan Merger.”

  “As soon as a manuscript has been cleared for publication, the art department asks the author to fill out a form telling the theme of the book, the description of the hero and heroine, a short synopsis and a summary of several scenes that might look good on the cover.

  “When we receive these sheets, we make a phone call to a freelance artist who does original oil paintings for Red Rose covers. We inform them we are sending information to help them create a painting that will sell books and please the author. We also send a printout of the manuscript for them to read.

  “Manhattan Merger was handled like any other manuscript. I phoned one of our artists, Lorraine Bennett, about the project. She was free to go to contract on it. Our department sent her the filled out forms and the printout. She did the painting. When it was finished, she shipped it overnight courier to our office.”

  “Thank you, Mr. Felt. You can step down. Will Mr. Goldberg please take the stand?”

  So far Payne hadn’t heard anything to sway him either way. The artist was the person he wanted to tear apart with his bare hands. She would follow the next witness being sworn in.

  “Mr. Goldberg?” Ms. Carlow began. “Tell the court where you work and what you do?”

  “I’m the Vice President of Global Greeting Cards in New York.”

  “How long have you been with that company?”

  “Nine years.”

  “Do all of your employees work in-house?”

  “No we contract freelance writers and artists to produce the bulk of our inventory.”

  “Is Ms. Lorraine Bennett one of those artists?”

  “Yes.”

  “Tell us the nature of her work.”

  “We send her the words, and she creates the art.”

  “Does she do portraits or people?”

  “Neither. Her work is restricted to nature, flowers, wooded scenes, brooks and bridges, dogs and cats, that type of thing.”

  “How long has she worked for you?”

  “Three years.”

  “Thank you, Mr. Goldberg. That will be all. Will Ms. Bennett please come to the stand?”

  Payne answered some questions Drew had written down for him, then lifted his head. When he caught sight of the woman with the gilt-blond hair taking the oath, he felt a rush of adrenaline.

  “I’ve seen that face before, Drew!”

  “Where?”

  He shook his dark head. “I don’t know.”

  It was a fresh looking face. Wholesome. Attractive. So was the rest of her.

  While he sat there staring at her, he racked his brain trying to remember.

  “Ms. Bennett? Please tell the court where you live.”

  “In Manhattan.”

  “Have you always lived in New York?”

  “No. I was born and raised in Grand Junction, Colorado. I only moved here four months ago.”

  Colorado—

  Payne had once done some skiing there, but that was years ago. If she’d only been in New York since February, then she’d done all the covers of him while she’d lived in Grand Junction.

  So how in the hell did she know what his office looked like? He knew for a fact she hadn’t been to his suite when he’d been there or he would have remembered.

  “Did you ever visit New York City previous to moving here?”

  “No.”

  “How long have you worked for Red Rose Romance?”

  “Four years.”

  “We know you’re employed by Global Greeting Cards too. Before you started freelancing, what did you do? Give us your background.”

  “I graduated from Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colorado, with a B.F.A. in Art Education. That included an internship in Castiglion Fiorentino, Italy. After graduation I was hired to teach art at a high school in Grand Junction.”

  “How long did you teach?”

  “Six years.”

  Ms. Bennett didn’t look old enough to have been a teacher to a bunch of rowdy high school students for that long a time. Boys that age raged with hormones. With a woman so attractive and shapely, he could just imagine the drawings they’d generated of her. Drawings she would never know about.

  “Will you tell the court how you prepare when you’re doing a cover for a book?”

  “As soon as the art sheet information arrives, I read it carefully, particularly the theme. That’s where all the emotion is centered. After that I read the novel and take a few days for the elements of the story to solidify in my mind. During that reflective period, I do research on the background details of the suggested scenes.

  “Slowly the characters come to life for me. Sometimes I can picture him or her in my mind. When that happens, I start sketching like mad.

  “Other times I study models from agencies until I see one that encapsulates my vision of the character in question. At that point I make an appointment for them to sit for me.

  “Every day of life I see beautiful, interesting, fascinating faces in the crowd, in a photograph. Once in a while there will be a face that won’t leave me alone.

  “A certain bone structure, smooth olive skin, the lines of experience around a compelling mouth, piercing black eyes, the shape of an eyebrow black as a raven’s wing—I find myself drawing this face weeks or even months later. Sometimes it ends up on the canvas.”

  “Tell us what happened when you painted the cover for Manhattan Merger.”

  Payne’s gaze had been riveted on her classic features. There was a subtle change—a tension in her demeanor as soon as the attorney mentioned Manhattan Merger.

  “The minute I read the novel, I knew who was going to be the male on the cover. I’d used him on seven other covers, but never as a contemporary American hero who is one of the powers that be in the corporate world.

  “It was as if Bonnie Wrigley had written that novel with him in mind. Like the glass slipper that only fits Cinderella’s foot, the melding of the right words and art can be a spiritual experience. That’s how it was with Manhattan Merger.”

  “Did you use a model?”

  “No. I’d seen the man in a photograph while I was helping my mother clean my brother’s room.”

  “Did you know who he was?”

  “No. But he had the spirit of a Renaissance man who could achieve anything. That’s what was needed for the cover of this story to make it throb with poignancy. Imagine the reader falling in love with this extraordinary man so far ahead of his time, so endowed with superb male attributes, only to find out he’s dying of a disease he’s powerless to stop.”

  A stillness went out over the courtroom Payne could feel.

  “Thank you, Ms. Bennett. You may be seated. If Mrs. Ellen Bennett will please come forward.”

  Drew turned his head, eyeing Payne with an enigmatic expression. His attorney wasn’t the only one who’d been thrown a curve. Payne didn’t know what in the hell to think.

  “Mrs. Bennett? Please tell the court who you are and where you live.”

  “I’m Rainey’s mother. My husband and I live in Grand Junction, Colorado.”

  “Do you work?”
/>   “I’m a housewife, the hardest work I know.”

  Payne covered his face with his hand to hide his amusement.

  “What does your husband do for a living?”

  “He’s a dentist.”

  “Do you have more than one child?”

  “Yes. A son, Craig.”

  “How old is he?”

  “Twenty-five.”

  “And your daughter?”

  “Twenty-seven.”

  Twenty-seven—Payne couldn’t believe it.

  “You heard your daughter testify she saw a man in a photograph, the same man who ended up on the covers of eight romances. Will you please tell the court the circumstances of that day?”

  “Yes. Rainey had come over to the house from her apartment to help me spring houseclean Craig’s bedroom. He’s a packrat. While we were cleaning under his bed and straightening his closet, we found boxes of his memorabilia. Frankly, everything was in a mess.

  “We decided to separate his belongings into piles and put them in separate baskets that could be stacked. Rainey found the photographs he’d been collecting over the years of his river running experiences.”

  The Colorado River—

  Was that where Payne had seen her face?

  “As she was placing them in one of the baskets she said, ‘Oh mom—you’ve got to see the incredible man in this photograph!’

  “I looked where she was pointing and had to admit he really was something. But knowing my daughter, I realized she was struck by things beneath the surface too. That’s what makes her such a remarkable artist.

  “She studied the picture a little longer, then put it away with all the other pictures. I never heard her mention him again. To my knowledge, she never went near Craig’s closet again. In truth, neither of us would want to!”

  In spite of the seriousness of the situation, Payne chuckled at the remark. He glanced at Drew. The other’s man lips were twitching.

  “Thank you, Mrs. Bennett. You may be seated. We have one more witness, Your Honor. Will Mr. Bennett please come to the stand?”

  The blond Colorado River guide who’d shown Payne such a fantastic time two summers ago was the last person he expected to see in this courtroom. But there he was, bigger than life, reaching the witness stand in a few athletic strides.

  When he turned around, Payne found himself looking at the male version of Ms. Rainey Bennett. Now he had his answer. Payne couldn’t imagine a better looking brother and sister.

  Unfortunately Craig Bennett’s appealing white smile was missing. Dressed in a suit rather than cutoffs and T-shirt, he looked older, less approachable as he took the oath and sat down.

  “Mr. Bennett? Please tell the court where you live, what you do for a living.”

  “When I’m in Grand Junction I live with my parents. During the summers I live in Las Vegas or on the Colorado River where I work for Horsehead Whitewater Expeditions.”

  “Tell the court the nature of your work.”

  “I’m a river guide for people who want to take a float trip down the Colorado River.”

  “How many trips do you take a summer?”

  “Dozens.”

  “Does this involve individuals or groups of people?”

  “I take as few as four, or as many as twenty at a time.”

  “Do you see anyone in this courtroom who has taken a trip down the Colorado with you?”

  “Yes. My mom, my sister and the man sitting over there.” He nodded in Payne’s direction.

  “Do you know his name?”

  “I do now. At the time he used another name which I don’t recall. Something like Vince or Vance.”

  “Vince,” Payne whispered to Drew.

  “Do you remember taking a picture of him?”

  “I always snap a photo of my group where we put in the river.”

  “Your Honor?” Ms. Carlow interjected. “I have that picture with me and would like to enter it in evidence as Exhibit Two.”

  Payne watched the bailiff hand it to the judge. He studied it for a moment.

  “Mr. Bennett?” opposing counsel continued. “Did you ever discuss this man with your sister?”

  “Never.”

  “Did she ever bring him up to you?”

  “No.”

  “Did you know she was making sketches of him from memory?”

  “No.”

  “Have you ever read any of the romance novels with her paintings on the covers?”

  “I would never read a romance novel period.”

  Strike two against the male of the species.

  “Thank you, Mr. Bennett. You may step down. That’s all I have to present at this time, Your Honor.”

  The judge’s gaze swerved to Drew. “Mr. Wallace? Do you wish to cross-examine?”

  “I do, Your Honor.”

  “May I remind the witnesses you are all still under oath. Go ahead, Mr. Wallace.”

  “If Ms. Wrigley will come forward again please?” As soon as the older woman took her place he said, “How many times have you visited New York City?”

  “This is my first time.”

  “My client is curious to know why you picked English royalty, why the East Coast, why banking?”

  “I’m a genealogist. I’ve researched most of my ancestors who came from England. They were all as poor as church mice. However when you dig back in those old English lines, you come across fascinating information about the families who descended from kings, lords, earls and the like to build new fortunes in America.

  “Every time I come across information like that, I keep it in a special research file for my writing. Most of the wealthy arrivals had banking and shipping interests. Upon reaching our shores, it was common for them to buy large tracts of land on the East Coast.”

  “I see,” Drew murmured. “When you filled out the art sheet, did you suggest Ms. Bennett put the picture of a ship and lighthouse on the wall of the hero’s office?”

  “No.”

  “What about the dog in the picture?”

  “No.”

  “Will you explain why you inserted a scene in your book where the hero comes across an ancient burial ground and has it designated as an official archaeological site?”

  “Yes. When Frontenac came to the Eastern seaboard on an exploration expedition for the King of France, he discovered this was a land filled with the bones of hundreds of thousands of men, women and children who’d died in great battles of extinction long before the white man came here.

  “The State of New York is really one massive burial ground. Every so often a farmer is digging in a field and finds the remains of bodies thrown in haphazard piles, the points of their weapons of war still embedded in their bones.

  “In Manhattan Merger my hero heads a corporation that develops land, but he’s a man who respects the first inhabitants of this land. That’s why I have him heading a foundation for the preservation of all ancient artifacts, mounds, burial grounds, observatories found in New York.”

  “Did you know of the name Payne Sterling when you wrote your novel?”

  “I had no knowledge of his name or existence until yesterday when I received a phone call from the company attorney, Ms. Carlow.”

  “One last question. Why leukemia?”

  “Years ago our daughter died of leukemia. That was something my husband and I couldn’t fix. It was the first thing that came to my mind when I was considering what kind of illness to give my hero.”

  “Thank you, Mrs. Wrigley. You may be seated. If Ms. Bennett will please take the stand one more time.”

  While Payne sat there mulling over Ms. Wrigley’s answers, the adorable looking artist whose figure transformed the skirt and blouse she was wearing, walked to the front of the courtroom and sat down.

  “Ms. Bennett? You’ve done seven other covers with this man’s picture. Why is that?”

  “Red Rose Romance has nine lines of books. Each line has a different readership. Of course there are crossovers, meaning peop
le who read more than one line.

  “If a certain face is popular, it is used more than once because it sells more books. Every time this man’s face appeared on a cover, the sales climbed, so I was asked to do more pictures. I’ve been told Manhattan Merger is the biggest seller to date.”

  “How did you happen to put a ship on the wall of the hero’s office?”

  “It seemed logical that a man whose ancestors crossed the ocean and built a shipping empire would have such a picture to remind him of his heritage and his love of the sea.”

  “How did you happen to paint that particular ship?”

  “I did research to find the right kind of vessel for the time period Ms. Wrigley mentioned in the book.”

  “Why the lighthouse too?”

  “One of my favorite living artists is Thomas McKnight. He did a surrealistic painting of a lighthouse on Nantucket. I adore that painting.”

  Payne happened to love that painting too.

  “While I was working on the cover for Manhattan Merger, a lighthouse just sort of slipped in there while I was painting the ship.”

  “Explain the reason you put a dog in the picture on his desk.”

  “In Ms. Wrigley’s novel, there’s a part where the hero has just found out he’s dying of leukemia. Memories of his past life flash through his mind. One of them is running along the beach with his dog when he was a boy.

  “This hero is a loner by nature. Obviously his dog meant a great deal to him. That’s why I painted it in.”

  “Did Ms. Wrigley mention the breed?”

  “No.”

  “Then why a bulldog?”

  “For years I’ve had an English bulldog named Winston, after Winston Churchill, my favorite figure in history. At present the dog is staying with my parents until I can find a place that will allow pets.

  “While I was doing the painting for Manhattan Merger, Winston happened to be sitting on one of the kitchen chairs watching me. He was so darling, I put him in the picture without even thinking about it.”

  Incredible. Absolutely incredible. Payne could only shake his head.

  “Ms. Bennett, you testified that you’d never been to New York before you moved here. You also testified you went to school in Italy. Did your flight involve a stop in New York?”

  “No. I took a nonstop charter from Denver to Frankfurt, Germany, and from Germany back to Denver when school was over. You can contact the art department at Colorado State to verify everything.”