46
Laurie’s next stop was the Metropolitan Museum. She had called Sean Duncan, the head of security, after her interview with Marco Nelson. After initially trying to avoid anything negative about Marco, Duncan confirmed that Marco’s girlfriend had used a concealed pocket within her purse to steal merchandise from the store and that the museum never had any direct evidence to implicate Marco. According to Duncan, if it had been up to him, the Security Department would have handled the matter differently, but the prior boss had been the one to suggest to Marco that it might be better for everyone if he moved on, which Marco had been considering in any event.
Duncan also confirmed that the curator of the exhibit, Cynthia Vance, was still employed at the Met and offered to put Laurie in touch with her. When Laurie explained why she was calling, Cynthia suggested that they meet right away.
Now Laurie was seated in the members’ dining room of the Met, enjoying a cup of coffee and an enviable view of Central Park. Cynthia Vance smiled at her from across the table. She was probably in her early sixties, with curly auburn hair, a round face, and rhinestone-adorned glasses resting on the top of her head. Her smile was warm and broad, and she radiated a hum of energy. “The bracelet,” she announced, pressing her palms together for emphasis. “I was so angry that we lost it.”
“When did you notice?”
“Not until after the exhibit was over, and I still blame the mono. I was out for weeks—more than a month, actually. I mean, mono is awful for anyone, let alone at my age, and the timing literally could not have been worse. I had the exhibit all planned, thank God, and nearly all of the work had been done. I thought I just had a bad cold and was trying to power through, but two days before the opening, I woke up feeling as though I’d been hit by an eighteen-wheeler. Once my doctor said I had mono, the director of the museum gave me strict orders to stay home. They can’t have one of the curators infecting hundreds of patrons. I had to oversee the rest of the work by Skype. My poor staff—I had them running around the galleries with iPads, scanning every inch so I could inspect every last detail. It’s the only gala I’ve ever missed. I still need to find an occasion for my amazing dress—inspired by Mamie Eisenhower if you can believe it. Very retro.”
“You didn’t notice the bracelet missing when you got back?”
“Right. The bracelet,” she said, getting herself back on track. “So, by the time I got back to work, it had been weeks since I’d seen my own exhibit. Each piece was gorgeous, and I was so proud of the work we had done to tell a compelling story about the changing role of an American first lady. But, honestly, I was catching up after missing a month of work, and perhaps wasn’t overseeing the details as closely as I would have if I weren’t so far behind. After the exhibit was dismantled, I was inventorying all of our pieces to return them to the lenders. And, for the life of me, I could not find that darn bracelet.”
“That seems like a big thing to miss.”
“Well, I certainly take it seriously. But the reality, Laurie, is that we have, literally, hundreds of thousands of items in this museum, some of them extremely small—an arrowhead, a bullet, a little charm bracelet in this instance. Things get repaired, moved, lent to other museums, and, very occasionally, misplaced. I was heartsick about it, but, fortunately, the woman from the Kennedy estate was very understanding. You see, the strand of pearls they loaned to us for the exhibit was authentic, but the charm bracelet was strictly costume jewelry—I loved the idea of pairing a classic necklace with one of the whimsical, inexpensive pieces that Jackie so often favored. She was brilliant about combining high and low fashion. So, I suppose if I had to lose something—every curator’s nightmare—it could have been worse.”
“You didn’t go through the security footage to try to figure out when it went missing?”
“We only keep footage for a week, and by the time I realized it was missing, the exhibit had been down for longer than that. It really never dawned on me until you called that the bracelet might actually have been stolen.”
“I just keep thinking about the alarm that was triggered during the gala that night.”
“Which I completely understood once you laid it all out for me. But, believe me, that bracelet was quite literally one of the least valuable things a person could steal from a display here, if one were inclined to do that. And it is exactly the kind of small item that could get lost in the shuffle of dismantling a large exhibit. I don’t solve mysteries for a living, but I wouldn’t lose much sleep over this one.”
She was right. Surely, if someone was going to risk getting caught stealing something from the largest museum in the country, they would select something more valuable than a simple bracelet that was indistinguishable from any trinket that could be picked up at the local shopping mall. Laurie could check Marco Nelson and the charm bracelet off her list of theories.
She passed on the waiter’s offer of more coffee and asked for a check, but Cynthia insisted that the bill was already taken care of. “After all the support Virginia gave us over the years, it’s the least I can do for someone trying to solve her murder. I had hoped that one of her children would accept the invitation to take their mother’s seat on the board, but I think Anna is too busy with the family business to take up philanthropy at the same level as her mother.”
“I noticed you only mentioned Anna,” Laurie said.
The curator’s smile grew even wider and her eyes flashed with intelligence. “Have you met the son, Carter?”
Laurie nodded. “The entire family is cooperating with our production.”
“I only met you a few minutes ago, but I suspect you’re observant enough to have picked up on the dynamics there.”
“Anna seems driven. A natural leader. And her husband, Peter, seems like a very competent partner.”
Cynthia nodded knowingly. The implication regarding Virginia’s son, Carter, was clear.
“Is Carter still single?” Cynthia asked. “Virginia was always hoping he’d meet the right woman and settle down. She wanted him to have children in time for them to grow up alongside their cousins. Her own children were never close to their cousin because of a problem between Bob and his brother.”
“Carter’s not married,” Laurie confirmed. “I didn’t realize you were close enough to Virginia to have those kinds of conversations.”
“We didn’t socialize outside of the museum, mind you, but she was a frequent visitor and took a real interest in the work, not just the parties, like some donors. Plus she loved her family and spoke of them all the time.”
“And did she speak of Ivan, too?”
“She did, and her whole face glowed with happiness. It’s hard to imagine anyone wanting to harm her, but I truly hope that it was not Ivan. I think she loved him deeply. The thought of her realizing at the last second that he was going to do that—” She placed a hand over her heart.
“We’re looking at all the options.”
“Good luck with it. And please tell the Wakelings I say hello. Penny, too, if she’s still in the picture. I was sort of hoping she might be the right woman for Carter.”
The sudden mention of Virginia’s assistant took Laurie by surprise. “What makes you say that?”
“Penny was around so often, I figured she was almost part of the family already.”
“But were she and Carter interested in each other?”
Cynthia arched her eyebrows. “I would certainly hope so, given that I saw them kissing once.”
“When was that?”
“It was—oh gee, I was already starting to feel like I was coming down with a cold, so maybe a week before the gala. Virginia was here for a special walk-through for trustees and high-level donors. Penny was with her, and her family was supposed to meet her afterward for lunch. I stepped outside to smoke a cigarette—a horrible habit, I know, plus I was sick—and there’s Penny sneaking a little kiss when Carter arrived, while Virginia was still in the powder room. Come to think of it, that was the last time I saw any of them.”
For the first time since Ryan came to her office talking about Ivan Gray, Laurie felt like she had discovered a new piece of information that might change the entire case.
She called Jerry as soon as she was outside: “Set up a production schedule. I think we’re actually ready to start cameras rolling.”