The Holiday Party by Richard Wanderer

Author:Richard Wanderer
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Hillcrest Media Group, Inc.

CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE

Mary Peterson, Jimmy Ballard's secretary, ushered Carla Deutch into his massive office on the eighty-fifth floor of the Ballard Building. As Daniel Davenport had been, Carla was among Jimmy's closest confidantes. Like all of Ballard's most trusted advisors, she had a firm background in all major areas of publishing: advertising, circulation, business, and editorial.

Carla was a matronly-looking woman in her early fifties. If she hadn't needed to earn a living, she would have been a lifelong scholar—a little unusual for a person now in the investigatory profession. She held a master's degree in economics and a second master's degree in political science.

Carla did not hold a specific title other than vice president, but her job was to investigate any problem, nationally or internationally, that Jimmy Ballard felt needed someone he could trust to look into.

"Carla, I'm glad you're here," Jimmy greeted her. "Daniel passed away a little over two months ago. I still can't believe it. Why, I knew him since he was in his early twenties. He had such a great future with Ballard, and to pass away so young—and in the way that he did. It's just Goddamn unbelievable that something as strange as this would have happened to him. I just can't make any sense out of it." He stood up and walked around his office, thoughtfully stared out his massive windows for a few moments, and then sat down again.

"Jimmy, I read you on this," Carla said. "When the publisher of Gladstone Magazine—what's her name—Barbara?"

"Barbara Martinez Blessington," Jimmy Ballard said.

"Well, whatever, she called 911 to report a possible burglar peering into her window. She told the police that she was absolutely shocked when she recognized the person lying dead at the base of her apartment's fire escape as her immediate boss at Ballard, Daniel Davenport."

"Yes," Jimmy said, "I saw the official police report and she was reported to have screamed, 'Oh my God—that is Daniel Davenport, my boss. What was he doing looking in my window?'" Jimmy said.

"Well, we can surmise he certainly wasn't there to rob her," Carla said. "The police report stated she had a visitor—a man who also worked for us on our trade publication, Government Business Tribune. Barbara told the police—and subsequently the HR department, when she was asked—that they were continuing a business discussion at her apartment. Of course, that would be unusual. I don't know, something unusual could be going on here. Also, why was Daniel spying on her during a thunder and lightning storm? What was Barbara's real relationship with her visitor—was it all business, as she claimed?"

Ballard jumped in. "Another thing, Carla—the legal department knows about this, and I prefer to keep it quiet, for the sake of the Ballard Media Company and what's left of Daniel's family. He was an excellent employee for so many years."

"What's that?"

"Carla, a few days after he was killed, all the New York newspapers ran a picture of Daniel with his obit and said he held a key position at the Ballard Media Group.

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