The Legacy (22 page)

So Tori had a heart after all. Or perhaps she was trying to get closer to him for another reason. What do you have in mind?

I want to take you to see your grandparents.

He had anticipated this offer, but his pulse jumped anyway. As a matter of fact, I was about to get on a plane.

Where are you going? she asked quickly.

Youre a nosy person, you know that?

Sorry, it comes with the job. She smiled nervously. If you can spare a few minutes, Ill take you to the Thomases apartment.

They might not be home, Cole pointed out.

I know your grandmother is. I just called to make certain. I hung up when she answered, so she doesnt know were coming.

Cole pressed his arm against his wallet, which was stashed safely in his suit coat pocket. Inside was the hand-scrawled note he had picked up off the hotel room floor last night. Nothing was going to happen until he made the first move. Until then, he could dictate the pace of the action. After that, everything would spin out of control and it would simply be a matter of trying to hold on for dear life. He made a snap decision. Okay, lets go.

Tori turned and moved toward the curb, holding up her hand to hail a cab.

Lets take the subway, Cole called out.

Im not going down into a hole, she mumbled to herself.

Whats the matter? Cole asked as a taxi came to a halt in front of them. Rich girls dont take subways? He opened the door for her.

Tori ducked into the cab. Park Avenue and Eighty-seventh Street, she directed.

And you tried to tell me you couldnt afford lunch at an expensive restaurant. Cole slid onto the seat next to her and slammed the door as the cabbie punched the accelerator. I guess you didnt hear me, he said loudly as the engine revved.

I heard you, she said coolly. Something about a poor little rich girl and five-star restaurants.

You added a few adjectives.

Tori laughed. Yes, I guess I did.

You know, you have a nice smile, but its as if you have only so many you can use a day. Its as if someone rations you.

You probably say that to all the women. But Toris smile widened. She grabbed the strap above the door as the driver took a hard left onto Forty-second Street and headed east. How did you find out about my family? I assume thats what you were referring to. Do you have friends at the FBI or something?

Cole shook his head. No, I used Bloomberg and the Internet. Its tough to hide yourself these days if someone knows what theyre looking for and has the information systems available to do the research.

Tori gripped the strap even more tightly as the cabbie whipped left onto Madison Avenue, then began weaving in and out of traffic. Isnt that the truth?

As the taxi raced north Cole put his head back on the seat and stared up at the skyscrapers towering over them. Lets see if I can remember all this. Your mothers name is Alicia Ferris Brown. She lives in Los Angeles, California. Her occupation is chief executive officer of Brown Communications, which owns outright, or controls a majority stake in, seven daily papers, four FM radio stations and an NBC television affiliate. All of the properties are in midsize markets where the competition isnt so tough, and they are all very profitable. Cole removed his sunglasses and slid them into his suit pocket. It wasnt so bright in the cab and he hated people who wore sunglasses just for effect. Brown Communications is a private company, so specific revenue and income figures are hard to find, but reliable sources estimate that your mothers net worth exceeds half a billion dollars. He hadnt limited his research to Bloomberg and the Internet. I hope you dont mind, but I called the Gilchrist media analyst this morning. Those equity people have a way of finding figures.

You arent telling me anything I dont know.

Cole kept going. Alicia Browns husband, Martin, died in 1985 of a massive stroke. Alicia has run the company since his death, turning it into one of the fastest-growing media concerns in this country. News articles report that even though shes closing in on seventy years of age, shes known as a dynamo in the industry. She has more energy than assistants half her age and expects them to keep up with her or else. Cole paused. Theres a footnote to the story. Alicia Brown has one child, a daughter, who is the only heir to the Brown fortune. The daughters name is Victoria and shes thirty-seven. Tori was older than Cole had thought. Shes a producer at NBC News, and she goes by Tori.

Tori gave Cole a quick golf clap. You should be a reporter, she said. And youre right, I am a footnote.

Do I detect a little bitterness? he asked. The Mom-never-had-time-for-me syndrome?

Ive been trying to get my mother to notice me since I was five years old, but she was always on the road for a business meeting. My fathers death was nothing but a very small bump in the road for her. The papers all play up the fact that she was able to take the reins after he died and turn the company into something really big, but she was always the driving force, even before he died. It was just that after his death she didnt have him in the way any longer. A wry smile crossed Toris face. I think in a way she was kind of glad when he passed away. The smile faded.

At least you had parents.

Yeah, she said softly, as if she was a million miles away. The strange thing is, I never cared that much about my fathers attention, even though he was always there for me. I wanted my mother to notice me. I wanted her to make time for me.

Its like that a lot, Cole observed. We dont usually care as much about the people who are always there for us. We take them for granted, which is terrible. Its the people who arent around very much that we crave the attention of.

Tori turned on the seat so she was facing him. How would you know about that? Youve probably been in that latter category most of your life, one of those people others were always trying to get the attention of. It was her turn to tick off vital statistics. If Im remembering correctly, you were a high school all-American football player, received a full athletic scholarship to the University of Minnesota, were all-Big Ten your senior year and became a Wall Street trader after thatwith Gilchrist and Company, no less, one of the most prestigious firms in New York. She saw that he was impressed. As you said, Cole, its tough to hide yourself these days from someone who knows what theyre looking for and has the information systems available to do the research.

I did say that, didnt I?

Yes, but youre ducking my question. How do you know about craving attention?

Cole reached for his sunglasses.

No. Tori pressed her hand over his.

What?

There will be no hiding your eyes behind dark lenses. She took her hand away.

Thats stupid.

No it isnt, she said firmly. Tell me how you know.

He looked away. My aunt and uncle raised me from the time I was a year old. He hesitated. This was close to home, perhaps too close.

Come on, she urged gently.

Cole saw Seventieth Street flash by. In a few more minutes he would meet his maternal grandparents, and he was nervous for the first time in as long as he could remember. Youre a good interviewer. I should call you Barbara Walters. There it was, the instinct to name, as Bennett had noted. The same instinct his father had.

Thanks a lot. Tori elbowed him gently.

Its a compliment.

So talk to me, she urged.

He hesitated a moment longer before continuing. They did a great job raising me, even though I wasnt technically their child. My uncle showed me how to fly-fish and how to catch a football. My aunt constantly drove me down to the lake to fish or to Little League games. They were always there for me, and I never gave them much in return. In fact, I repaid their kindness by causing them a great deal of embarrassment when I was a teenager.

How?

I was rebellious.

All teenagers are rebellious.

No other boy in the neighborhood had an earring. Cole pointed at the holes in his earlobe. I had three.

So what? That doesnt seem like a big deal.

Our middle-class block in Duluth, Minnesota, was a long way from Los Angeles. I know earrings dont sound like much compared to what you probably saw in Beverly Hills

Santa Monica, Tori corrected.

Okay, Cole continued. Earrings and cigarettes and wild hair at thirteen didnt go over well in a straitlaced, working-class, staunchly Lutheran neighborhood in the heartland. Im sure I caused them more than a little humiliation and embarrassment at church socials. You cant hide in a small place like that. There is no anonymity.

I guess youre right.

One day when I was seventeen, after we won the regional football championship, I He swallowed the words.

You what?

Cole cleared his throat. My uncle had just hugged me and told me what a great game I had played. He told me how proud he was of me in front of a bunch of other parents and I looked at him and said he had no right to be proud of me. I told him he had no right to take any credit for, or share in, what I had accomplished. Can you imagine that? Can you imagine a young man saying that to an uncle who had done nothing but take another mans child into his home and help him grow up the right way? Cole gazed out the taxi window. I couldnt have been more wrong, either. My uncle had every right to share in what I had accomplished, but I said it anyway. I was so damn mad at my father for missing that game, for missing my life.

I told my mother the same thing, Tori said quietly. She made certain I was accepted to the Columbia School of Journalism and arranged for my job at NBC. I resented her for doing those things.

The cab veered right onto Eighty-sixth Street, pitching Tori against Cole. Why did you resent her? he asked as the cab quickly turned left onto Park Avenue.

Because I couldnt do it for myself. I didnt have the grades to get into Columbia or the experience for the job at NBC. Everyone knew it, but I was accepted at Columbia and given the job at NBC anyway. My mother can accomplish anything. Shes a powerful woman. Tori shook her head. I didnt have the guts to turn down the charity, so Ive been trying to prove to her I could do things on my own ever since. Thats why I held back on your grandparents address yesterday at lunch. I knew if I gave it to you, I wouldnt be of any use to you afterward. I wouldnt have had anything to hold over your head. I acted terribly and I knew it, but I want to break a big story on my own so badly. She paused as if gathering her strength. Im sorry. I dont say that very often. If its any consolation, I didnt get much sleep last night.

Here we are, the cabbie said gruffly. The taxi coasted to a stop.

Cole removed his wallet from his suit pocket, but Tori grabbed his hand. Let me.

Okay.

Its the least I can do after being such a jerk. She placed several bills in the slot.

He gazed at her for a moment. Beneath that tough exterior she had a good heart, he decided. Its all right. Hey, Ill never be able to thank you enough for today, really.

Thats a nice thing to say. She smiled, then glanced down. My God. What happened? she asked, pointing at the swollen finger Frankie had almost cut off yesterday in the Brooklyn warehouse.

I caught it in a desk drawer, Cole explained quickly. Im fine. He opened the door, stepped from the cab, then turned to help her out.

A high-rise building towered over them as they emerged from the cab.

They live in Apartment 5236, Tori said. Its on the top floor. She brushed the hair out of her face. The wind had whipped up and the sunny day had turned cloudy during the ride from midtown. Youll need a diversion to get in.

Why? Cole asked. This isnt some kind of clandestine operation. Well just call up to the apartment from the front desk and tell them who we are.

Tori shook her head. They might not agree to see you. They didnt want to talk to me when I came here. Or they might not believe you when you tell them who you are. I think its better to knock on their door unannounced. She gestured at the doorman. And he isnt going to let you simply walk in.

Cole sensed that she had a plan. So what are you suggesting?

Ill distract him, then you slip into the building.

How are you going to distract him?

Tori smiled provocatively. Dont worry, that wont be a problem.

How could he have had to ask? Those blue eyes would do the trick. Silly me.

Tori held out her hand and they shook. It was nice meeting you, Cole Egan.

Should I take that to mean you and I wont be seeing each other again? he asked.

Tori laughed as their hands parted. I assumed you wouldnt want much to do with me after my behavior at lunch yesterday.

We all need to be a little forgiving in life sometimes. He gestured at the building. And you did bring me up here.

I did, at that.

Cole reached into his shirt pocket, pulled out the message slips and handed them to Tori. Do you know any of these people?

Tori studied the names on the papers. Yeah, theyre competitors of mine.

They must have seen my fathers obituary too and had a contact at the Times who told them who paid for the space. Or maybe your contact makes a business out of telling everyone.