The Anniversary
Page 20
talk to one of my law firm’s partners. I work for them. They need 9
to know about this. The conversation we’ve had today — there 10
isn’t a privilege issue. Before we started talking, we both agreed 11
that I’m not acting as your lawyer. When we talked on the phone 12
before — to be honest, that’s a bit unclear. But even if a conver-13
sation is privileged, I could still talk to lawyers I work with. Any 14
privilege that exists would extend to members of the firm.”
15
“Oh,” said Callie. She bit her lip. She hadn’t realized that.
16
“Would they tell anyone? The police, I mean?”
17
“That would depend,” Melanie said. “I couldn’t say for sure.”
18
“You haven’t told anyone yet?”
19
A pause.
20
“No,” said Melanie. “I haven’t.”
21
A brief moment of relief. At least she still had a chance. But 22
the situation was spiraling out of control, and Callie was at a loss.
23
All she knew was that she had to do something to stop Melanie 24
from talking.
25
“I called you because I trusted you.” Before she thought it 26
through, the words were out. While she wasn’t even sure they 27
were true, they had the desired effect. Melanie seemed to hesi-28
tate, and Callie pressed her advantage.
29
“If you don’t want to get involved, fine. I can understand that.
30
But I don’t want anyone else to know. This is my problem. I can 31
handle it.”
32
“Actually,” Melanie said, “I’m not sure that you can. It’s not 33
just about you, you know. Other people could be in danger.”
34
Startled, Callie stared at her. “What do you mean?” she asked.
35 S
“Just that . . . Diane’s killer is still out there.” Melanie didn’t 36 R
meet Callie’s eyes. She seemed suddenly uncomfortable.
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“There’s something else,” Callie said. “Something you’re not 1
telling me.”
2
A shadow passed over Melanie’s face, and Callie knew she was 3
right. But just a fraction of a second later, her features settled 4
back in place. When Melanie spoke, she seemed remote, her face 5
a smooth mask.
6
“What more would there have to be? Diane was murdered 7
shortly after you received a threatening letter. The letter was sent 8
on the anniversary of Steven Gage’s execution. Diane wrote 9
about Steven. A few days after the murder, someone sent you her 10
watch. It doesn’t take much to connect the dots. This isn’t good, 11
Laur — Callie.”
12
“It said ‘Happy Anniversary.’ That’s not exactly a threat.”
13
Melanie looked at her, shaking her head. She didn’t argue the 14
point.
15
Callie tried again. “And like you said, it might not be her 16
watch. Maybe I’m totally wrong.”
17
“You might be,” Melanie said. “Then again, you might be 18
right.”
19
Abruptly, Callie stood up. She walked over to the wall of win-20
dows and looked out on the city. She was surprised to find it was 21
still light outside. It seemed like she’d been here days. Her eyes 22
drifted over to the photographs on the bookshelf to her right.
23
Melanie in cap and gown, standing with an older man. A pretty 24
African-American girl in front of the Eiffel Tower. Several rows 25
of smiling men and women gathered on a college campus. Look-26
ing at the small collection, Callie thought about what was miss-27
ing. No sign of the former husband. No sign of Steven Gage. This 28
is how you created a past, plucking out bits and pieces. You put 29
on display the parts you chose, banished all the rest. And then if 30
you were very, very lucky, you managed to forget.
31
From behind her, Callie heard Melanie’s voice. “I have an 32
idea,” she said.
33
“Okay,” Callie said cautiously. She folded her arms and waited.
34
“Do you remember Mike Jamison?”
S 35
“The name sounds familiar.”
R 36
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“He was with the FBI. The Investigative Support Unit.”
2
“The profiler.” She remembered now. “He did all those inter-3
views with Steven. Right before —”
4
“Yes.”
5
All these years later, they both still avoided the words. Right 6
before the execution. Right before his death. Right before the state 7
of Tennessee stuck a needle in him.
8
“So what about him?” Callie asked.
9
“It’s just an idea,” said Melanie. “I haven’t spoken to him for 10
years. The last I heard he’d retired from the Bureau and joined a 11
corporate security firm. He’s a good person. I got to know him 12
pretty well during the appeal, and I . . . I always liked him.”
13
Melanie seemed oddly self-conscious, a flush rising in her 14
cheeks. The sudden shot of color threw her pallor into relief.
15
Quickly, she went on.
16
“I was thinking that I could give him a call. He’s very well con-17
nected in the law-enforcement world. He’d have access to a lot 18
more information than either of us has. He could have the watch 19
and letter checked for fingerprints. He could also probably find 20
out if the watch really belonged to Diane.”
21
Callie sensed her heart beating faster. “And if it did belong to 22
her?”
23
“If it did . . . I don’t know. But let’s not jump ahead.”
24
“And you wouldn’t tell him who I am, where you got the 25
watch?”
26
Melanie hesitated. “I wouldn’t have to at first,” she said. “Not 27
unless the watch could be traced to Diane, and then . . . I’d have 28
to talk to someone at that point. I don’t see any way around it.
29
Even now, it seems problematic to be keeping this to myself.”
30
Putting herself in Melanie’s place, Callie understood. But if 31
Melanie wasn’t barred from talking, why was she cooperating?
32
“So why are you?” Callie said, suspicion creeping into her 33
voice.
34
Melanie flushed again, this time more deeply. “When we first 35 S
spoke, you believed you were speaking to me in confidence. I’d 36 R
like to respect that if I can.”
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“I see.” Once again, Callie had the sense that Melanie was hid-1
ing something, that she had some secret agenda she hadn’t yet re-2
vealed. She’d have liked to know what this agenda was before 3
reaching a decision. But she could tell from Melanie’s closed ex-4
pression that she wasn’t going to discuss it.
5
“And if I don’t agree?” asked Callie. “Then what will you do?”
6
Melanie’s response was immediate, her voice clipped and as-7
sured. “Then I’ll speak to some partners at my firm. We have an 8
Ethics Committee.”
9
The sun had slowly started to shift, dappling the room with 10
shadows. Callie looked at her own Swatch watch. The time was 11
3:35. She needed to be on the road within the next hour or so.
12
Rick was out of town again, visiting his parents. When she’d 13
dropped Anna off at the Creightons’, she’d promised to pick her 14
up before dinner.
15
Callie turned and faced Melanie, squarely meeting her eyes.
16
“So I don’t really have a choice,” she said.
17
“I’m afraid that’s pretty much right.”
18
19
h
20
The paintings were god-awful. Sickly pastels on cheap cardboard, 21
the worst sort of tourist crap. Sunsets over the Hudson River. The 22
Empire State Building. Two fat children with lurid smiles skating 23
in Central Park. As luck would have it, he’d positioned himself 24
in front of one of the worst. But this was where he needed to 25
stand to get a clear view of her door.
26
“You like that one? I can make you a deal.” The painter — you 27
couldn’t call him an artist — was fat with a bright red face. He 28
had dirty fingernails and bloodshot eyes. He smelled of gin and 29
tobacco.
30
“I’ll have to think about it.” He flashed a smile at the painter, 31
then quickly turned away. Careful as he’d been with his disguise, 32
there was no need to tempt fate. He was pretty sure the painter 33
was alcoholic, hardly a credible witness. Still, it was always possi-34
ble that the man would remember him. Regretfully, he decided S 35
not to return to this spot. He’d have to find another place from R 36
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which to observe her building. Luckily it was cold today, hover-2
ing around forty. No one would think it strange that he wore a 3
heavy coat, gloves, and hat.
4
He decided to cross the street, move in for a closer view.
5
But just as he stepped down off the curb, he saw her coming 6
toward him. For an instant he froze, unable to move, an animal 7
caught in headlights. His brain seemed to float. He couldn’t 8
breathe. How could she be here?
9
A wild confusion rolled over him as he dove back into the 10
crowd. It was like some strange, impossible dream with every-11
thing out of place. This was Melanie’s apartment building. Man-12
hattan. Central Park South. For a brief hopeful moment, he 13
thought he must be mistaken. He’d seen someone who resembled 14
Laura, not Laura herself. The optimism lasted another few sec-15
onds, until he looked again.
16
As she stood on the corner hailing a cab, there was no mistak-17
ing her. She wore that same look of lost confusion he’d seen 18
when she was alone. Of course, she wasn’t alone right now; 19
crowds surged around her. But despite the throngs of passersby, 20
he felt her isolation. The marked unhappiness on her face pro-21
voked a stab of joy. She should be unhappy. She should be alone.
22
This is what she deserved. Still, his pleasure in her suffering was 23
dampened by a growing fear. What was she doing at Melanie’s?
24
How had she come to be here?
25
A yellow cab screeched to a stop. Laura climbed inside. An in-26
stant later the cab wheeled right, and then she was out of sight.
27
He stared after her for another few moments, then walked up 28
Fifth Avenue. His legs wobbled beneath him. His heart rolled in 29
his chest. Around him, everything was swirling. His mind was a 30
sea of questions.
31
Turning into Central Park, he walked aimlessly. He ambled 32
past a set of swings, a zoo, a shallow pool. Everywhere, people 33
smiled. He wished that they were dead. A woman with a small 34
white dog gave him a pleasant nod. The smile faded from her red 35 S
lips as he stared at her stonily. Over and over the same question 36 R
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screamed in his brain. How had Laura come to be in Melanie’s 1
apartment?
2
He walked and walked, thinking hard, trying to sort it out. Try-3
ing to adjust his plans in light of this development. So Laura and 4
Melanie had found each other. That much was obvious. He was 5
pretty sure that Laura’s visit was linked to the letters and watch.
6
But how much did they know? What had they figured out?
7
For a moment, he had the disturbing thought that he’d under-8
estimated them. He’d known both women were smart, of course, 9
but he’d never expected this. The thought of them together, talk-10
ing, filled him with a burning rage. They had no business meet-11
ing. This wasn’t what he’d planned. Well, at least he knew what 12
was going on. For that much, he was grateful. At least he’d dis-13
covered the connection. An amazing stroke of luck. He savored 14
this last thought for a time, relishing their ignorance. Gradually, 15
like a shift in the wind, his confidence flowed back.
16
He made his way down a sheltered path beneath a canopy of 17
leaves. As he breathed in the scent of fresh, damp earth, his 18
thoughts moved to Diane. Ironic how this springtime smell 19
would always make him think of death, would always remind him 20
of how he’d left her, sprawled and still and white.
21
Again he thought of Melanie and Laura, their private assigna-22
tion. Perhaps his presence here today wasn’t a coincidence. Write 23
with blood: and you will discover that blood is spirit. What he’d seen 24
today, he told himself, was a timely call to action.
25
26
h
27
It was almost eight o’clock, and the dining room was abuzz.
28
Clarence was the hot new downtown restaurant. You came to see 29
and be seen. This is what Melanie told herself as she dutifully 30
scanned the menu. Still, with
each passing minute, her irritation 31
mounted. The list of entrées was ridiculous, each dish more pre-32
posterous than the last. Beef cheeks glacé? You’ve got to be kidding.
33
Salmon profiteroles?
34
Across the blue-lacquered table, Paul put on reading glasses.
S 35
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Brow furrowed, he studied the menu as if it were a client’s 2
prospectus. He looked so humorless sitting there, she had to nee-3
dle him.
4
“Think they’d make me a burger?”
5
Paul looked at her, annoyed.
6
“Geez. I’m just joking.” Then she felt a little bad. Paul had 7
been excited about tonight. He loved checking out new restau-8
rants.
9
A waiter banged into the back of her chair. Melanie gritted her 10
teeth. With resolve, she turned to the menu again, but nothing 11
appealed to her. She found herself thinking of the pork barbecue 12
she’d loved as a kid in Nashville. Not the fern-bar version but 13
real soul food. It was a taste she’d shared with her father, much to 14
her mother’s chagrin. Their maid, Ruby, used to sneak in cartons 15
from a place near her home in North Nashville.
16
Again, she read through the offerings. Duck confit? Baby lamb 17
chops?
18
She closed the menu and pushed it aside. “You pick for me,”
19
she said.
20
Paul looked up, clearly pleased. “Are you sure?” he asked.
21
“Of course. Why not?” she said.
22
And after all, it was true.
23
For the past two weeks, she’d barely eaten, just yogurt, carrots, 24
and juice. She’d tried to force down some oatmeal this morning 25
but choked after two mouthfuls.
26
Paul was talking to the waiter now, ordering food and wine.
27
His light brown hair was thinning. In five or ten years he’d be bald.
28
“You’re sure that’s okay?” he asked her.
29
“Absolutely,” she said.
30
A waiter walked by carrying plates stacked high with elaborate 31
turrets of food. She caught a whiff of exotic scents, anise and 32
maybe mint. Paul picked up a crisp bread stick and swiped it 33
through a bowl of dip. There was something subtly annoying in 34