They had a relaxed, quiet, loving weekend and returned to New York refreshed and anticipating the next step in Marni’s plan. On Monday she sent her parents tear sheets of the best of Web’s work. Each piece was identified as to where it had appeared; it was an impressive collection of credits. She also sent along copies of blurbs and articles praising Web’s work.
On Monday night she and Web took in a movie. On Tuesday they went out to dinner. On Wednesday morning she called her mother as a follow-up to the package she’d sent. Yes, Adele had received it, and, yes, it was an impressive lot. Yes, Marni was planning to bring him out to the house, but, no, it couldn’t be this week because they were both swamped with work.
Marni and Web spent a quiet Wednesday night at her place, then a similarly quiet Thursday night at his. After the full days they put in at their respective jobs, they found these private times to be most precious.
Friday night, though, they had a party to attend. It was given by the most recently named vice-president at Lange, Heather Connolly, whom Marni had personally recruited from another company four years before.
Had the party been an official corporate function, Marni might have thought twice about bringing Web along. She felt she was progressing well with her parents and wouldn’t have done anything to jeopardize her plan. But the party was a personal one, a gathering of the Connollys’ friends. Marni was looking forward to it; it was the first time she would be introducing Web to any of her own friends.
They had fun dressing up, Web in a dark, well-tailored suit, Marni in a black sequined cocktail dress. It was a miracle they noticed anyone else at the party, so captivated were they by each other’s appearance. But they did manage to circulate, talking easily with Heather and Fred’s friends, their spouses and dates.
At ten o’clock, though, the unthinkable happened. A couple arrived: the man a tennis partner of Fred’s, the woman none other than Marni’s sister, Tanya.
Marni was the first to see them. She and Web were chatting with another couple when they entered the room. Her heart began to pound, and she stiffened instantly. Instinctively she reached for Web’s arm and dug in her fingers. He took one look at her ashen face, followed her gaze and stared.
“Tanya?” he whispered in disbelief. It had been fourteen years, but he would have recognized her even had Marni’s reaction not been a solid clue. Clearing his throat, he turned smoothly back to the couple. “Would you excuse us? Marni’s sister has just come. We hadn’t expected to see her.” Without awaiting more than nods from the two, he guided Marni toward the back of the room, ostensibly to circle the crowd toward Tanya.
Marni’s whisper was as frantic as she felt. “What are wegoing to do? She’ll recognize you! She’ssureto recognize you, and she’s trouble! Oh, God, Web, what do we do?”
He positioned himself so that his large body was a buffer between Marni and the rest of the crowd, then curved his fingers around her arms. “Take it easy. Just relax. There’s not much we can do, Marni. If we try to slip out without being seen, our disappearance will cause an even greater stir. Tanya’s not dumb. She’ll put two and two together, and if she’s the troublemaker you say, she’ll run right back to your parents. The damage will be done anyway.” He paused. “The best thing, theonlything we can do is to walk confidently up and say hello.”
Marni’s eyes were wide with dismay. “But she’llrecognizeyou.”
“Probably.”
“But … that’ll be awful!”
“It’ll just bring things to a head a little sooner.”
“Web, I don’t want this … I don’t want this!”
He slipped to her side, put his arm around her shoulder and spoke very gently. “Let’s get it over with. The sooner the better. Take a deep breath … atta girl … now smile.”
She tried, but the best she could muster was a feeble twist of her lips.
Web gave a tight smile of his own. “That’ll have to do.” He took his own deep breath. “Let’s go.”
Tanya and her date were talking with Heather and Fred when they approached. “Marni,” Heather exclaimed, “look who’s here! I never dreamed Tony would be bringing Tanya. Do you and Brian know Tony? Tony Holt, Marni Lange and Brian Webster.”
Marni forced a smile in Tanya’s direction. “Hi, Tanya.” She clutched Web’s arm. “I don’t think you know Brian.”
Tanya hadn’t taken her eyes from Web since she’d turned at their approach. Her face, too, had paled, and there was a hint of shock in her eyes, but otherwise her expression was socially perfect. She extended a formal hand. “Brian … Webster, is it?”
If she’d put special emphasis on his last name, only Marni and Web were aware of it. Two things were instantly clear—first, that she didindeedknow Brian and, second, that she was momentarily going along with the game.
Web took her hand in his own firm one. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Tanya.”
“My pleasure entirely,” was Tanya’s silky response. The underlying innuendo was, again, obvious only to Web and Marni.
Web shook hands with Tony Holt, who, it turned out, was a plastic surgeon very familiar with his photographic work. Reluctantly, since he’d rather have been helping Marni, Web was drawn into conversation with the man. Heather and Fred moved off. Tanya seized Marni’s arm. “We’ll be in the powder room, Tony.” She winked at her date. “Be right back.”
Before Marni could think of a plausible excuse, she was being firmly led around the crowd and up the stairs to the second floor of the townhouse. Tanya said nothing until she’d found a bathroom and closed its door firmly behind them. Then she turned on Marni, hands on hips, eyes wide in fury.
“How could you! How could youthinkto do something like this to us! When I talked with Mom the other day, she told me you were serious about this Brian Webster. She didn’t make the connection.Noneof us made the connection.”
Marni refused to be intimidated. “The connection’s unimportant.”
“Unimportant? Have you lost your marbles?” Tanya raised a rigid finger and pointed to the door. “That man killed our brother, and you don’t think the connection’s important?”
