Lady of Mount Carmel Church in Tuxedo.”
CHAPTER 22
L acing up his athletic shoes, Zack Underwood was determined to go for a nice long jog. He had tossed and turned all night and was physically tired. Yet he knew that pushing his body for a couple of miles would make him feel better. Once he got into the run, he might be able to get his mind off the horrible thing that had happened the previous night.
How perverse of Innis to say he had something special planned for the evening, knowing full well what he was going to do.
During the months of work as architect on Pentimento’s renovation and restoration, Zack had spent hours and hours with Innis Wheelock. He was a strange duck, but it was his eccentricity and creativity that drew Zack to him. Innis was extremely bright, quite knowledgeable, and some of the things Innis had asked Zack to incorporate into the architectural plans had been challenging to execute but satisfying upon completion.
It had also been a pleasure for Zack to spend time talking with Innis. The man had had such a fascinating life, growing up in privilege, living with power. Innis Wheelock was a man whom others would say had everything—and then some.
Zipping up his hooded sweatshirt, Zack was at the front door when the thought occurred to him. Could some of the things that Innis wanted incorporated in the Pentimento designs have anything to do with his death?
CHAPTER 23
E liza paced her office, stopping to look out the huge window. The cloudless October sky was clear and bright blue. The Hudson River sparkled below, reflecting the mellow autumn sunshine.
She still couldn’t decide which space she liked better. When she’d been anchor of KEY Evening Headlines, her office had been right above the central newsroom, and she could look down and watch the staff on the phones, at their computers, scurrying from desk to desk and interacting with one another. It was a constantly moving scenario that never ceased to fascinate and energize her.
When she’d come back to hosting KEY to America, she’d handed off her prized piece of Broadcast Center real estate to Anthony Reynes, her successor at Evening Headlines. Her new office, on a higher floor, was spacious and flooded with natural light. The view, looking out over the river to the shores of New Jersey, was more peaceful and serene, and she felt somewhat insulated and removed from the thick of things. That had its advantages.
But today the view did little to soothe her.
Eliza walked to the office door and leaned out toward the vestibule where her assistant sat. “Paige, will you see if Margo Gonzalez is here today?” she asked.
“Thanks for coming, Margo,” said Eliza as she gestured toward one of the upholstered chairs positioned on the other side of her desk. “Don’t tell Linus, because he’s under the impression that your job here is to act as a KTA mental-health contributor. He doesn’t understand that I need you to perform a far more important function. It’s nice to be able to call on my own in-house psychiatrist.”
Margo smiled. “Glad to be of assistance,” she said as she sat down. “What’s up?”
“Innis Wheelock was a friend of mine,” said Eliza.
Margo’s smile faded. “I gathered that might be the case after I heard you say on the air this morning that you’d been at a party at his home last night. Oh, I’m so sorry, Eliza.”
“And I had a private conversation with him shortly before he killed himself.”
Margo nodded. “So you’re feeling guilty, as though you could have done something to stop him.”
“How’d you guess?”
“Tell me what happened,” said Margo.
Eliza recounted the walk in the garden at Pentimento. “He came out and told me he was ashamed of himself, Margo. That he’d done things that were wrong, that he’d hurt and ruined people. I could tell he was troubled, but I never thought he was a candidate for suicide.”
“Why do you think he confided in you?” asked
CHAPTER 22
L acing up his athletic shoes, Zack Underwood was determined to go for a nice long jog. He had tossed and turned all night and was physically tired. Yet he knew that pushing his body for a couple of miles would make him feel better. Once he got into the run, he might be able to get his mind off the horrible thing that had happened the previous night.
How perverse of Innis to say he had something special planned for the evening, knowing full well what he was going to do.
During the months of work as architect on Pentimento’s renovation and restoration, Zack had spent hours and hours with Innis Wheelock. He was a strange duck, but it was his eccentricity and creativity that drew Zack to him. Innis was extremely bright, quite knowledgeable, and some of the things Innis had asked Zack to incorporate into the architectural plans had been challenging to execute but satisfying upon completion.
It had also been a pleasure for Zack to spend time talking with Innis. The man had had such a fascinating life, growing up in privilege, living with power. Innis Wheelock was a man whom others would say had everything—and then some.
Zipping up his hooded sweatshirt, Zack was at the front door when the thought occurred to him. Could some of the things that Innis wanted incorporated in the Pentimento designs have anything to do with his death?
CHAPTER 23
E liza paced her office, stopping to look out the huge window. The cloudless October sky was clear and bright blue. The Hudson River sparkled below, reflecting the mellow autumn sunshine.
She still couldn’t decide which space she liked better. When she’d been anchor of KEY Evening Headlines, her office had been right above the central newsroom, and she could look down and watch the staff on the phones, at their computers, scurrying from desk to desk and interacting with one another. It was a constantly moving scenario that never ceased to fascinate and energize her.
When she’d come back to hosting KEY to America, she’d handed off her prized piece of Broadcast Center real estate to Anthony Reynes, her successor at Evening Headlines. Her new office, on a higher floor, was spacious and flooded with natural light. The view, looking out over the river to the shores of New Jersey, was more peaceful and serene, and she felt somewhat insulated and removed from the thick of things. That had its advantages.
But today the view did little to soothe her.
Eliza walked to the office door and leaned out toward the vestibule where her assistant sat. “Paige, will you see if Margo Gonzalez is here today?” she asked.
“Thanks for coming, Margo,” said Eliza as she gestured toward one of the upholstered chairs positioned on the other side of her desk. “Don’t tell Linus, because he’s under the impression that your job here is to act as a KTA mental-health contributor. He doesn’t understand that I need you to perform a far more important function. It’s nice to be able to call on my own in-house psychiatrist.”
Margo smiled. “Glad to be of assistance,” she said as she sat down. “What’s up?”
“Innis Wheelock was a friend of mine,” said Eliza.
Margo’s smile faded. “I gathered that might be the case after I heard you say on the air this morning that you’d been at a party at his home last night. Oh, I’m so sorry, Eliza.”
“And I had a private conversation with him shortly before he killed himself.”
Margo nodded. “So you’re feeling guilty, as though you could have done something to stop him.”
“How’d you guess?”
“Tell me what happened,” said Margo.
Eliza recounted the walk in the garden at Pentimento. “He came out and told me he was ashamed of himself, Margo. That he’d done things that were wrong, that he’d hurt and ruined people. I could tell he was troubled, but I never thought he was a candidate for suicide.”
“Why do you think he confided in you?” asked
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