The Best Laid Plans

Chapter 23

Marianne Gorman repeated, "You know - the one with the eye patch. Peter Tager."

Dana was stunned. "Are you sure?"

"Well, it's hard not to recognize someone who looks like that, isn't it?"

"I need to use your phone." Dana hurried over to the telephone and dialed Matt Baker's number. His secretary answered.

"Mr. Baker's office."

"It's Dana. I have to talk to him. It's urgent."

"Hold on, please."

A moment later, Matt Baker was on the line. "Dana - is anything wrong?"

She took a deep breath. "Matt, I just found out who was with Chloe Houston when she died."

"We know who it was. It was - "

"Peter Tager."

"What?" It was a shout.

"I'm with the sister of Carl Gorman, the hotel clerk who was murdered. Carl Gorman saw Tager wiping his fingerprints off the elevator in the hotel garage the night Chloe Houston died. Gorman sent Tager a blackmail letter, and I think Tager had him murdered. I have a camera crew here. Do you want me to go on the air with this?"

"Don't do anything right now!" Matt ordered. "I'll handle it. Call me back in ten minutes."

He slammed down the receiver and headed for the White Tower. Leslie was in her office.

"Leslie, you can't print - "

She turned and held up the mock-up of the headline: MURDER WARRANT SERVED ON PRESIDENT RUSSELL.

"Look at this, Matt." Her voice was filled with exaltation.

"Leslie - I have news for you. There's - "

"This is all the news I need." She nodded smugly. "I told you you'd come back. You couldn't stay away, could you? This was just too big to walk away from, wasn't it, Matt? You need me. You'll always need me."

He stood there, looking at her, wondering: What happened to turn her into this kind of woman? It's still not too late to save her. "Leslie - "

"Don't be embarrassed because you made a mistake," Leslie said complacently. "What did you want to say?"

Matt Baker looked at her for a long time. "I wanted to say goodbye, Leslie."

She watched him turn and walk out the door.