Page 120 of The Accomplice
‘He’s dead, and the feds are chasing all of this down. Seong is working his ass off. If he finds something, he’ll keep us in the loop,’ said Eddie.
‘I know, I know. It just feels too loose at the moment. Peltier could’ve been lying about the connection. This reminds me, did they find Lilian Parker’s cameo brooch yet ?’ asked Lake.
‘Not yet,’ said Bloch. ‘Seong says that they’re still running down all the properties that were associated with Peltier and Daniel Miller. They may still find it.’
‘I hope so,’ said Kate. ‘It may give her mother some small comfort.’
Lake nodded, said, ‘Are you folks going to the memorial next week ?’
‘Kate, Bloch and Harry are going,’ said Eddie. ‘I can’t, it’s my night with my daughter, Amy.’
The city had planned a memorial service for the victims of the Sandman. During the ceremony the FBI were going to give back to the families the personal items Peltier had taken from the victims. Some of which they recovered from the office in the old bus depot.
Lake was still thinking about what Eddie had said. The Nielsens were well known in the city. Tobias was a successful restaurateur. And they were known for throwing annual parties.
He downed the bourbon, coughed, then stood.
‘I gotta get going. Thanks for the drink. And for the check. I’ll see you folks at the memorial.’
He said his goodbyes, went outside and hailed a cab.
‘The public library, please,’ he said.
It was two in the afternoon when the cab dropped him off at the New York Public Library. Lake had spent a lot of time here. Libraries were the great cathedrals of knowledge. He loved spending time in the study hall, or just walking the racks and taking in the building. Most of all, he loved books. He remembered coming to this building for the first time, with his mom, and getting his library card. And was then further staggered when he learned the card entitled him to pick any books he wanted, take them home, read them and then bring them back. For free. Unbelievable.
The records office still hadn’t converted everything to a digital format. Some archives were still on microfiche. The records officer took Lake’s note, then showed him to a viewing machine and loaded up the first microfiche.
There were several publications which covered society in New York. Before the turn of the century, there were about a dozen. Now, maybe three or four. He focused on those magazines and began his search.
Many reels and many hours later, he pinched the bridge of his nose, then stretched and checked his watch. It was coming up on six o’clock.
He moved the controller, swiping through the images, then stopped. Rolled it back.
The picture was not in color. Black and white. A photo from a local magazine that covered arts and culture in the city, and the movers and shakers in the art world. Every artist showing at every gallery, every Broadway play opening-night party, every red carpet – they had a camera there.
He had found some pictures earlier of Tobias Nielsen hosting parties at his restaurants, but this one was different. The photographs were from a fundraiser they had thrown for a mayoral candidate in 2013. They had the party at their home. Lake recognized the living room and dining room.
On the next page he found it. He recognized the Nielsens’ lounge straight away.
And there, standing in a crowd behind Stacy and Tobias Nielsen, wearing a tuxedo and holding a glass of champagne – Otto Peltier.
Lake’s shoulders sagged. He had found the link for sure. Something that explained how Peltier knew the layout of the Nielsen house.
He was about to go ask the archivist for a copy of this page when he hesitated.
Leaned in closer to the screen.
Peltier had the champagne in his left hand. His right arm was linked around the slender arm of a woman.
Lake’s breath rushed from his body. He stared at the screen. Unblinking.
The young woman linking arms with Peltier was Carrie Miller.
CHAPTER SIXTY-TWO
CARRIE MILLER
‘Would you like me to top up your glass, Mrs. Miller ?’ said the flight attendant.
