An Unforgettable Lady(15)

She could understand why it would be difficult for them to view her as anything other than young and decorative and she was determined to bring them around. She just hoped she had enough time before they pushed her aside into some figurehead position and let Lou Lamont run the place.

The door to the office swung open and Katherine Focerelli came into the room. Kat was in her mid-twenties and working her way through law school at night. Grace had hired her the day after her father's death, when she'd moved into the office. In a matter of weeks, Kat already seemed to know the ins and outs of the Foundation and didn't seem that impressed with Lou Lamont.

The latter was a huge seller in Grace's mind.

The young woman was also a welcome replacement for the gray-haired ball buster who had served for years as Cornelius's secretary. Getting rid of that old battle-ax had been one of the first things Grace had done when she'd taken over.

"Here are the documents for the Randolph dig," Kat said, a dimple showing in one cheek as she smiled.

Grace leafed through the pages, checking that the changes she'd made had been incorporated correctly. They had.

As she scrawled her name, she said, "So what's Lament up to now?"

"He said he needed ten minutes, but wouldn't tell me why. I put him on the calendar only because you told me never to turn him away. By the way, your five o'clock got bumped and the mayor wants you to call him at six thirty. Oh, and is it okay if I leave early tonight? I'm going on a blind date."

"Only if you fill me in on what happens tomorrow," Grace said, passing the papers back across the desk.

"Can't be worse than the last one."

"The one who wanted you to get in touch with your inner artist?"

"No, the last one was the guy with the Peter Pan fixation. The one who wanted me to body paint him with my lipstick was two dates ago."

"Hard to keep track."

"Hard to keep a straight face, too. God, when am I going to meet a real man? "

An image of Smith came to mind as Kat bustled out.

Grace dug her heels into the carpeting and pushed back the chair. The office was on the top floor of the Hall Building and took up the whole northeast corner. The windows and the view they offered were one of the space's greatest assets.

She looked out at the majestic New York skyline, a chorus of buildings rising from the earth, silver and iron gray and black. With the sun just dropping over the horizon, a peach glow was growing in the sky.

She was having a terrible time forgetting about Smith. The man had been lingering in her mind, like an impulse she couldn't shrug, since he'd turned away from her for the second time. She wondered again if she should call him and knew only one thing for sure. If she did, she better have made up her mind to hire him. He wasn't the type to tolerate having his time wasted again.

The intercom buzzed. "Mr. Lamont to see you."

Grace went back to the desk. "Tell him I'll be right there."

She crossed over the deep red oriental rug and pushed back a pocket door to reveal her father's private bathroom. In the gilded mirrors, she checked her chignon and her makeup. Everything was holding up well. She looked elegant and composed, just like a Hall should be.

Good thing no one knew the truth.

She had indigestion, thanks to having eaten tic tacs and three old Fig Newtons for lunch. The beginning of a headache was digging in at her temples, her left foot had a blister on it from the new pair of Jimmy Choos she was wearing, and her bra had a little rough spot under the clasp in back that was irritating her no end.

She was coming out of the bathroom when her cell phone rang. Rushing behind the desk, she answered it curtly. When she heard Lieutenant Marks's hoarse voice on the phone, her blood ran cold.

"We've found another body," he said.

Grace gripped the phone, the plastic cutting into her skin. "Who?"

"Suzanna van der Lyden. Early this morning."

A wave of dizziness crashed over her and she fell backward into her father's chair. She'd seen Suzanna two nights before at a prominent museum's annual fundraiser. The woman had chaired the event for the past few years.

"Where did it... happen?"

"At her home."

"Do you have any idea who.. .” She couldn't finish.

"We're still going through the crime scene. We found her late last night when her husband, who was traveling, called us when he couldn't reach her. Listen, I'd like to assign a detail to you.”