The Sky Is Falling

"Great. Matt, I talked to an ex-secretary of Taylor Winthrop's and she - "

He grinned. "You Virgos never let go, do you? You told me that you - "

"I know, but listen to this. When she was working for Taylor Winthrop, she filed a lawsuit against him. It never came to trial because he settled with her. She's living in an enormous penthouse she couldn't possibly have afforded on a secretary's salary, so the settlement must have been really heavy. When I mentioned Winthrop's name, this woman was terrified, absolutely terrified. She acted as though she were in fear for her life."

Matt Baker said patiently, "Did she say she was in fear for her life?"

"No."

"Did she say she was in fear of Taylor Winthrop?"

"No, but - "

"So for all you know, she might be afraid of a boyfriend who beats her up or burglars under her bed. You have absolutely nothing to go on, do you?"

"Well, I - " Dana saw the expression on his face.

"Nothing concrete."

"Right. About the Nielsens..."

Joan Sinisi was watching the evening news on WTN. Dana was saying, "...and in local news, according to the latest report, the crime rate in the United States has gone down twenty-seven percent in the last twelve months. The largest decreases in crime have been in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Detroit..."

Joan Sinisi was studying Dana's face, looking into her eyes, trying to come to a decision. She watched the entire newscast, and by the time it was over, she had made up her mind.

Chapter Seven

WHENDANA WALKED into her office on Monday morning, Olivia said, "Good morning. You've had three calls from some woman who won't leave her name."

"Did she leave a number?"

"No. She said she would call back."

Thirty minutes later Olivia said, "That woman's on the line again. Do you want to talk to her?"

"All right." Dana picked up the phone. "Hello, this is Dana Evans. Who is - "

"This is Joan Sinisi."

Dana's heart quickened. "Yes, Miss Sinisi..."

"Do you still want to talk to me?" She sounded nervous.

"Yes. Very much."

"All right."

"I can be at your apartment in - "

"No!" Panic was in her voice. "We must meet somewhere else. I - I think I'm being watched."

"Wherever you say. Where?"

"The aviary section at the zoo in the park. Can you be there in an hour?"

"I'll be there."

The park was virtually deserted. The icy December winds that swept through the city were keeping the usual crowds away. Dana stood in front of the aviary waiting for Joan Sinisi, shivering in the cold. Dana looked at her watch. She had been there for over an hour. I'll give her another fifteen minutes.

Fifteen minutes later Dana told herself, Another half hour, and that's it. Thirty minutes later she thought, Damn it! She's changed her mind.

Dana returned to her office, chilled and wet. "Any calls?" she asked Olivia hopefully.

"Half a dozen. They're on your desk."

Dana looked at the list. Joan Sinisi's name was not on it. Dana called Joan Sinisi's number. She listened to the phone ring a dozen times before she hung up. Maybe she'll change her mind again. Dana tried twice more, but there was no answer. She debated whether to go back to the apartment but decided against it. I'll have to wait until she comes to me, Dana decided.

There was no further word from Joan Sinisi.

At six o'clock the following morning, Dana was watching the news while she got dressed. "...and the situation in Chechnya has worsened. A dozen more Russian bodies have been found, and in spite of the Russian government's assurance that the rebels have been defeated, the fighting is still going on...In local news, a woman fell to her death from her thirtieth-floor penthouse apartment. The victim, Joan Sinisi, was a former secretary to Ambassador Taylor Winthrop. The police are investigating the accident."

Dana stood there, paralyzed.

"Matt, remember the woman I told you I went to see - Joan Sinisi, Taylor Winthrop's former secretary?"

"Yes. What about her?"

"She was on the news this morning. She's dead."

"What?"

"Yesterday morning she called and made an urgent appointment to meet me. She said she had something very important to tell me. I waited for her at the zoo for more than an hour. She never showed up."

Matt was staring at her.

"When I talked to her on the phone, she said she thought she was being watched."

Matt Baker sat there, scratching his chin. "Jesus. What the hell have we got here?"

"I don't know. I want to talk to Joan Sinisi's maid."

"Dana..."

"Yes?"

"Be careful. Be very careful."

When Dana walked into the lobby of the apartment building, there was a different doorman on duty.

"May I help you?"

"I'm Dana Evans. I came about Miss Sinisi's death. It was a terrible tragedy."

The doorman's face grew sad. "Yes, it was. She was a lovely lady. Always quiet and kept to herself."

"Did she have many visitors?" Dana asked casually.

"No, not really. She was very private."

"Were you on duty yesterday when the" - Dana's tongue tripped on the word  -  "accidenthappened?"

"No, ma'am."

"So you don't know whether anyone was with her?"

"No, ma'am."

"Butsomeone was on duty here?"

"Oh, yes. Dennis. The police questioned him. He was out on an errand when poor Miss Sinisi fell."