The Fifth Avenue Series Boxed Set (82 page)

Louis led her to the center of the dance floor, put his arm around her waist and they started to dance.
 
“It’s amazing,” he said, looking around the jammed lobby.
 
“For years these people, these members of New York society, have ignored me.
 
Like the Baron and Baroness over there.
 
Do you know how many times I’ve been invited to one of their famous dinner parties, Leana?
 
Zero.
 
Zero times.
 
They’ve had that fucking penthouse on Fifth for twenty-five years and I’ve never stepped foot in it.
 
But when I hire you to manage the hotel, the whole world comes running.
 
Life’s funny that way, isn’t it?”

“Either that or you made the right decision in hiring me.
 
Tell me what you know.”

It was as though the question went unheard.

Louis held her slightly closer and turned her so they were dancing in front of the orchestra.
 
“I’m sorry to hear what happened to your father today,” he said.
 
He saw the disbelief in her eyes and said, “I mean that.
 
Believe it or not—despite my feelings for the man, I do respect him.
 
And I do admire the balls it took for him to buy WestTex.
 
If it had worked out for him, if Iran only waited a while longer, your father would have made history.
 
Now, I’m afraid he’ll lose everything.”

 
“Louis—”

“What do you think he would have thought of this, Leana?
 
Do you think he would have liked the hotel?”

“I really don’t care.”

“But I do.”

“Then we’ll discuss it later.”

“No,” Louis said.
 
“Let’s discuss it now.
 
I don’t think your father would like any of this.
 
Years ago, when we worked together, he didn’t respect my ideas.
 
It was George’s way or no way.”
 
He shrugged.
 
“But maybe I’m wrong.
 
It’s tough to trump what I’ve just built.
 
At the very least, if he was here, he’d be jealous and wish it was his own.”

Leana tried to step away from him, but his grip was so firm, she knew she would create a scene if she did so.
 
She glared at him.
 
“What’s the matter with you?” she said.
 
“Let go of me.
 
People are watching.”

“Then stop struggling.”
 
He held her closer and said softly in her ear, “I thought you wanted me to tell you about the man who murdered your sister?”

His mouth was now so close to her face, she could smell the alcohol on his breath.
 
He had been drinking.
 
Incredulous, Leana said, “What I want is for you to stop playing games.”
 
It came to her that they were barely moving, that people at the surrounding tables were watching them, wondering what they were talking about.

“All right,” Louis sighed.
 
“This is what I know.
 
It seems that your father made an enemy years ago.
 
I don’t know the man’s name—Spocatti will tell you that later—but I do know that your father destroyed the man.
 
First he tried through business, but then it became personal.”

People were dancing around them, smiling that faintly secretive smile so many people of wealth assumed.
 

“The man is out for revenge,” Louis said.
 
“He wants Redman to see what it feels like to lose the most important things in his life—including his business, his daughter and who knows what else, maybe you and your mother.”

Louis nodded at a woman as she breezed past them and touched his arm.

“Tell me who he is.”

Louis was about to speak when a ripple of excitement went through the crowd, followed by the distinct sound of shattering glass.
 
There was the sound of men shouting somewhere in the distance.

Louis said, “What the hell…?” But Leana was already gone, moving toward the bar that was near the east entrance.

The head of security, a former marine lieutenant, saw her and intercepted.
 
“No need to be alarmed, Ms. Redman.
 
Everything’s taken care of.”

 
Leana looked past the man and saw several members of security muscling two members of her bar staff from the lobby.

“What happened?”

The man glanced at the crowd, then took Leana gently by the arm.
 
“Let’s talk where it’s more private.”

Leana followed him through a set of doors that led to the outer lobby, where the barmen were being handcuffed.
 
She studied them for a moment and thought they looked vaguely familiar, as if she’d met them somewhere before.

“What have they done?” she asked.

Before the lieutenant could respond, a door swung open and Louis Ryan stepped into the room.
 
His face was flushed.
 
His forehead was shiny.
 
He glanced over at the two barmen, then looked with confusion at Leana.
 
“What’s going on?” he asked.

Leana refused to look at him.
 
“Obviously there’s been a problem,” she said.

Louis turned to the lieutenant.
 
“What kind of problem?”

The lieutenant nodded at the two barmen, who were now leaning against a marble wall, waiting in angry silence. “We received an anonymous call asking us to check the bar staff.
 
I gathered a few of my men, we came upon these two, saw they were armed and brought them here.
 
Unfortunately, they decided to put up a struggle.
 
Otherwise, no one in that lobby would have known that these gentlemen existed at all.”

“Who are they?” Louis asked.

The lieutenant shrugged.
 
“We don’t know.
 
But something tells me these boys have been through this before.
 
We’ll find out who they are once the police bring them downtown.
 
We’ll print them, we’ll run a check and we’ll find out who they are.”

He must have noted the guarded look on Louis’ face, because he said, “Don’t worry, Mr. Ryan.
 
We’ll wait until after the party to contact the police.
 
These boys aren’t in a hurry and neither am I.
 
There’s no need to cause a commotion on a night like this.”

Louis nodded his thanks.

The lieutenant turned to Leana.
 
“But I am going to have to insist that you forgo your speech, Ms. Redman.
 
I know what happened to your sister.
 
I understand her death might be connected with the bombs that exploded on top of your father’s building.
 
If that’s the case then you are not safe and I can’t take the risk of having you at that podium tonight.”
 

He glanced over at the two barmen, then with disappointment at the three men watching them.
 
“I thought security was tight tonight,” he said, more to the three men than to Louis and Leana.
 
“We took every conceivable precaution against this very thing happening and I’m embarrassed to say that these men somehow slipped through.
 
While I think they’re an exception, I can’t be sure there aren’t others.
 
I need you to forget the speech and allow me to shadow you for the rest of the evening.”

Leana couldn’t conceal her disappointment.
 
All her life she had waited for this moment and now it was being taken from her.
 
A wave of stubbornness rose in her.
 
“I have to give that speech,” she said.
 
“People are expecting it.”

“I’m sorry,” the lieutenant said.
 
“But as long as I’m in charge of security, I won’t allow it.”
 
He studied her for a moment.
 
“Is this speech really so important to you?
 
Think about what you’re saying.
  
We’ve just proved that mistakes have been made.
 
There’s no telling who else is in that crowd.”

He was right.
 
There was no telling what could happen if she stood at that podium.
 
The presence of these barmen suggested there could be others.

Her anger dissolved into frustration and sadness.
 
Once again, another opportunity had passed her by.
 
Once again, it wouldn’t be her front and center.
 
“Well,” she said, more to herself than to anyone else, “I came close, didn’t I?”

The lieutenant didn’t know what she was talking about, but Louis did and when Leana looked at him, hoping to find sympathy and a hint of understanding in his eyes, she saw nothing but a controlled look of rage that was becoming difficult for him to suppress.

He addressed the lieutenant.
 
“Would you please excuse us?
 
I’d like a moment alone with her.”

The lieutenant nodded and started moving in the direction of the two barmen.

“No,” Louis said. “You’ve got three men watching them already.
 
I want you in the lobby, where there could be others.
 
Find Zack Anderson and tell him to inform the crowd that for personal reasons, Leana Redman will not be delivering tonight’s speech.”
 
He saw the hesitation on the man’s face and said, “Let’s not forget that you work for me.”

The man left the room.

“I know how much that speech meant to you,” Louis said to Leana.
 
“I’m sorry things didn’t work out.”
 

Leana lifted her head.
 
I’ll bet you’re sorry
, she thought.
 
She knew that having that speech delivered by her meant more to him than the opening of this hotel.
 
But she had more important things to address.
 
“I need you to tell me what you know.
 
Who murdered my sister?”

He led her across the empty lobby, toward an illumined bank of elevators.
 
“I’ll do better than just tell you,” he said.
 
“I’ll take you to him.”

“Take me to him?” she said.

“Spocatti has him upstairs.
 
Right now, the man you’ve been looking for is waiting in your office.
 
I suggest we confront the son of a bitch and end this now.”

*
  
*
  
*

Jack Douglas heard the clicking of Elizabeth Redman’s heels and saw her shadow stretching along the far north wall before he actually saw her.

He stopped pacing in the rose-colored foyer and turned to watch her round the corner at the end of the long hallway.
 
She was wearing a cream silk suit that was so delicate, it might have been transparent had it not been for the paleness of her own skin.
 
As she came toward him, Jack saw nothing in her demeanor that suggested she was annoyed or surprised by his unexpected presence.

Yet he knew she wouldn’t be pleased to see him.
  
She had made it well known that she held him personally responsible for Celina’s death.

Jack started walking toward her, thinking that if she didn’t cooperate with him, she might be facing the reality of another dead daughter.
 
“I’m sorry for intruding,” he said. “But I have to speak to George.
 
Do you know where he is?”

At the mention of her husband’s name, there was the slightest hesitation in Elizabeth Redman’s stride.
 
Then she stopped in the center of the hallway and said coolly, “My husband isn’t here, Mr. Douglas.”