Gone (Deadly Secrets #2)(84)

“Ms. Chapman?” the woman asked.

Raegan forced a smile. “Yes. Anna Chapman,” she lied. “Ms. Hennessy?” When the blonde nodded, Raegan smiled. “We spoke earlier.”

“Of course.” Miriam Kasdan’s secretary moved back so Raegan could enter. “Come in, please.”

Raegan stepped into the marble entry and glanced up at the soaring ceiling above with its intricate sky painting, then over the expensive artwork on the walls, not a speck of dust anywhere to be seen.

“Mrs. Kasdan is awaiting your arrival in the library.” The secretary led Raegan through an expensively decorated sitting room and down a wide hallway before stopping in front of a set of double doors. Opening both doors, she stepped back and said, “I’ll be in the kitchen if either of you need me.”

Raegan nodded and moved into the library. Hundreds of leather tomes filled the cherry bookshelves that circled the room. A wall of windows looked out across the stone patio and vast green lawns. Across the way, a fire crackled in a giant fireplace, and seated on the couch facing the fire, a salt-and-pepper-haired woman dressed in a crisp navy suit turned toward Raegan.

Miriam Kasdan’s hair was cut in a perfect bob to her chin, and the skin near her eyes crinkled underneath her flawless makeup as she smiled, laid her book on the couch next to her, and rose. “Ms. Chapman?” she asked.

“Yes.” Raegan rounded the couch and offered her hand. “Call me Anna.”

“It’s very nice to meet you.” The woman’s slate-gray eyes narrowed. “I don’t believe we crossed paths at the station the other day.”

“No, we didn’t.” Relief rushed through Raegan that she hadn’t been recognized. “Thank you for meeting with me.”

With a curt nod, Miriam Kasdan gestured for Raegan to sit. “You actually caught me at the perfect time. I don’t have to be at the children’s museum until two o’clock.”

“Wonderful.” Raegan set her purse on the floor near her feet and her notebook on her lap. “This won’t take long.” She flipped to a blank page and pulled a pen from her bag. “I know your on-tape interview focused on all the wonderful things you’re doing for the arts community in Portland.”

“It did. We spoke at length about the Portland Ballet Company and where the company is heading.”

“You’ve also done a lot to make the children’s museum more accessible to the less fortunate in our city.”

“I have.” Mrs. Kasdan folded her hands on her lap, sitting up straight and proper. “I always wanted the children’s museum to be a place for all of our city’s youth, the privileged as well as the underprivileged.”

“Can you speak a little about the things you’re doing to open the museum up to at-risk children?”

“Of course. The board and I have been working with various charities to bus inner-city children to the museum. As you know, the museum sits up on the hill outside downtown. Not exactly easy to get to if a child lives on the east side. This summer we’re also planning two one-week summer day camps, which will provide transportation for children to and from camp from the outlying areas.”

She wasn’t specifically mentioning the Children Are Our Future charity. Raegan bit her lip, choosing another approach. “Is this drive you have to help the less fortunate something that’s specific to you, or do others in your family share the same passion?”

Mrs. Kasdan tipped her head. “I’m not sure what you mean.”

Raegan shifted against the expensive fabric. “I mean, was community service work, specifically regarding the plight of children, something your husband cared deeply about before he passed?”

“Walter?” She considered a moment. “Walter cared about a great many things.”

“And what about your son?”

Mrs. Kasdan’s slate-gray eyes narrowed. “I thought this was a follow-up interview regarding my work with the arts.”

“Oh, it is,” Raegan covered quickly. “My director was just so impressed with your charity work that he asked me to get a more rounded picture about other things you’re doing in the community. You and your family, that is.”

“Hm.” Mrs. Kasdan eyed her skeptically. “My son, Arnold, is a very busy man, but he believes in the power of giving back to the community. He always has.”

Not what Raegan was hoping for. She scribbled the son’s name for effect. “Are there any charities here in Portland that he’s involved with?”

“I’m not su—”

The double doors pushed open, and Ms. Hennessy stuck her head in the room. “I’m sorry to interrupt, Mrs. Kasdan, but you have an important phone call.”

“Who is it, Claire?”

“Tony. He says it’s urgent.”

Miriam Kasdan’s jaw tightened. It was a very subtle move, but Raegan caught it.

Flashing Raegan a tight smile, Mrs. Kasdan rose. “I’m sorry. This will only take a moment.”

The older woman moved toward the doors with hurried movements, her expensive heels tapping across the inlaid wood floor like nails being hammered into a coffin. Terse, hushed voices echoed from the hallway, followed by Mrs. Kasdan’s heels clicking into silence.

Raegan’s stomach rolled as she set her notebook on the table in front of her and stood. The interview was not going well. Mrs. Kasdan wasn’t giving up anything, and worse, she was starting to grow suspicious.