The Good Twin(24)

I was met with silence.

“You still there?”

“We have an agreement, you and I.”

“I’m not backing out. I just need to know the whole picture.”

“You’re right. There is more. Everything I said about her is true. Her public face is all goodness and light, but behind closed doors, she’s a horror. What I haven’t told you is that I’ve met someone else.”

“You’ve been having an affair?”

“Yes. But for all I know, Charly might be, also. There have been a number of hang-ups over the past few months when I answer the phone.”

I hesitated. In going along with Ben’s plan, I’d convinced myself that Charly was the villain, not Ben. Now, I wasn’t certain there wasn’t something malevolent in him as well. Still, I’d agreed to facilitate a murder, so I was no poster child for decency. “If we’re in this together, I need to know everything.”

“We are still in this together, right?”

“We have a deal. I never break my word.”





CHAPTER 17

Ben’s hands were shaking when he hung up the phone. He hadn’t wanted Mallory to know about Lisa. Not yet. It might give her leverage. Still, she’d taken his money; she’d moved into his parents’ house. If she ever went to the police, she’d have to admit her complicity. And, although he could have lied to her, he’d known she’d find out once she’d taken Charly’s place and moved into his home. Better she knows now, he thought, than feel later she’d been tricked.

The ringing of his phone startled him out of his reverie. He looked at the number, saw it was Charly, and picked it up. “Everything okay?”

“How come you haven’t come with me to visit my father?” Her voice was steely cold.

“Because I assumed you wanted time alone with him.”

“Well, he wants to see you. Pick me up at the gallery at seven, and we’ll go there together.”

“Sure.”

Without even saying goodbye, she hung up the phone. What the hell was that about? Rick had never warmed to Ben. He’d tried to steer Charly away from him, and when she’d dug in her heels, he had reluctantly accepted the inevitable. So, why did he want to see him now? It couldn’t be good. Was it possible he’d found out about Lisa? About Mallory? Ben shook his head. He’d been careful with both. Maybe the old man wanted to finally make peace with him, now that his time was close. That, too, seemed unlikely. He’d find out what it was about soon enough, he figured. He put his head down and returned to work.



At precisely 7:00 p.m., he met Charly at the gallery. She gave him a peck on the cheek. “I’m sorry I was so short with you this afternoon. The stress is getting to me.”

“Completely understandable.” He slipped his arms around his wife and pulled her in for a hug.

Rick’s condo was in a luxury apartment building overlooking Central Park West, on West Seventy-Second Street. As they exited the gallery, Ben saw a taxi coming up the street and raised his arm to wave it down.

“No, don’t,” Charly said. “I want to walk a few blocks first. I need the fresh air.”

It was a milder-than-usual evening, with a full moon overhead. As always, the streets were crowded with pedestrians making their way home from work. When they reached Forty-Second Street, Charly spotted an empty taxi. They got in, and ten minutes later, it pulled up to Rick’s apartment building.

“Good evening, Mrs. Gordon,” the doorman said when he saw Charly, then reached for the door to open it. Inside, the concierge greeted Charly by name as well and nodded to Ben. They rode the elevator up to the top floor. Rick’s apartment was a duplex, with six bedrooms and a view east over Central Park and south to where the Twin Towers once stood. Before Charly had a chance to use her key, Charly’s grandfather opened the door. She gave him a hug, and I shook his hand.

“Any change?” Charly asked him.

He shook his head.

Charly took Ben’s hand and led him into her father’s bedroom. Although Ben knew how serious Rick’s condition was, he was shocked to see how ghastly his father-in-law looked. He was down at least thirty pounds since he’d stopped coming into the office, his cheeks now looked concave, and his eyes were rheumy.

Charly went to Rick’s bedside and kissed his forehead. “How are you feeling today?”

“The same.” Rick looked at Ben. “Thank you for coming.”

Charly pulled a chair close to the bed and motioned for Ben to do the same. When they were both seated, Rick said, “I wanted to talk to you both about the firm.”

Ben sat still. He expected the worst from the bastard.

“Charlotte, sweetie, except for some specific charitable bequests, everything goes to you, including the business. Well, most of it. I’m leaving Ted ten percent. He deserves it.”

“Daddy, don’t talk about this now.”

He fixed a hard stare on Ben, then turned back to Charly. “I need to. I need a promise from you. Ben can have a job there as long as he’s still married to you, but I want Ted Manning to run it. When Ted’s ready to step down, he should pick his successor, not you. Can you promise me that?”

Ben looked over at his wife. She was biting her bottom lip and squeezing her hands together.