City of Light (v5) by Lauren Belfer

Author:Lauren Belfer
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: Mystery, Romance, Contemporary, Historical, Adult
ISBN: 9780385337649
Publisher: Delta
Published: 1998-12-31T05:00:00+00:00

When I returned home, a large pile of mail awaited me. I flipped through it at my desk, pulling out two items for immediate attention: a large envelope from Tom and a note from Franklin Fiske.

When I opened Tom’s envelope, however, I discovered that his message was nothing more than a note too, attached to a larger sheet of paper. After a moment’s confusion I realized that the large sheet was a mock-up for an inside page of tomorrow’s Express. The note, in Tom’s precise handwriting, read simply, Dexter Rumsey sent this to me. I hope it sets your mind at ease.

The article, marked as, filled less than a third of the space across the top of the page. Determination in Park Tragedy, the headline read. The article reported that the coroner, in an official report to be released on Monday, had unequivocally concluded that Karl Speyer’s death was accidental. The article went on to review the circumstances surrounding his death on March 5 and the stringent investigation conducted by the police. There was some discussion of the medical difference between death by drowning and death by exposure, which I skipped after a few words because the details made me queasy. The article concluded with a quote from Tom, in his capacity as director of the power project, to the effect that we might all rest more peacefully now, knowing this tragic matter was finally resolved.

I reread Tom’s note: Mr. Rumsey had sent this to him. He hoped it would set my mind at ease.

I leaned back in the chair and closed my eyes to think. The coroner’s conclusion had a certain logic, but was it true? Moreover, did Tom believe it to be true, or did he know it to be false? Step by step I parsed the matter out. First, Mr. Rumsey had offered the Express the opportunity to print the story before the official findings were released. The Express was our most prestigious newspaper (Mark Twain had once been its editor), and it had notably abstained from the sensational speculations about Speyer that had filled most of the other papers. The Express could in fact be called Mr. Rumsey’s favorite newspaper. Undoubtedly Mr. Rumsey had dictated the placement of the story, where it would be noticed but not create a fuss.

I wasn’t surprised that Mr. Rumsey had given the Express the opportunity to print the story first. What did surprise me, however, was that Mr. Rumsey had given Tom the opportunity to read the story first. The coroner’s report said Speyer’s death was accidental, the least controversial of all possibilities. What had Mr. Rumsey hoped to gain by withholding it for so long? All at once I felt chilled, as a comprehension of his purpose crept upon me. He must have withheld the report as a kind of warning to Tom. As a way to say in effect, if you attempt to cross us, we have the power to destroy you—by truth or falsity, what does it

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