Chapter 36
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
CLAIRE
A cold rain fell as Claire stared out the car window.
The weather seemed to have little effect on the city's nightlife. Theatergoers hurried along Broadway’s soaked sidewalks, but Claire barely noticed.
In truth she hadn't noticed much of anything for hours. She’d powered off her phone and sat alone on a deserted bench near the park until dark clouds drove her into the shelter of a cab.
Later, she ducked into a popular watering hole, but the drink she nursed for an hour did little to calm her nerves or clear her head.
Restless and unable to think straight, she stepped back into the rain and flagged down another taxi.
She focused her attention on the young cab driver, humming softly with the love song on the radio.
In a different frame of mind, she might have joined in, thinking of Jay waiting at the top of New York's most famous building.
Before the night ended, she would hear that same song again in another cab while cruising the crowded streets, struggling to make sense of the unexpected phone call and the cruel twist of fate that left her completely numb.
"Uh, ma'am? You did say Empire State Building, right?" the cabbie repeated.
"What? Oh, yes," she answered.
"Well, this is it." He pointed out the window. "We're here."
She stared up at the iconic building and watched a steady stream of tourists enter and exit, seemingly unfazed by the rain.
Nervously, she slid the diamond key pendant back and forth along the chain around her neck.
The curtain would rise for Nancy Chen soon.
She was already more than a half hour late for their movie-inspired rendezvous.
Would Jay still wait for her? And what could she possibly say when their eyes met?
Sorry I’m late, but I just found out I set a chain of events into motion that caused your wife’s death.
“Ma’am?” The cab driver spoke again, his eyes questioning her in the rearview mirror.
"Sorry. Would you mind going once more around the block?"
She closed her eyes and leaned her head against the headrest, searching every corner of her mind for a plan.