Three Fates

us.”
    “It’s like a spy thriller.” And because he loved a good melodrama, Mikey grinned as he handed her his phone.
    “It’s business. And I’ve got the perfect spot for it.” She pulled out the scrap of paper on which she’d written the number for Morningside, and dialed as they walked toward Sixth. “Anita Gaye, please. It’s Cleo Toliver. I think she’ll recognize the name and speak with me. Now. If she doesn’t, just tell her I’m calling to discuss the price of fate. Yes, that’s right.”
    With her destination already in mind, she turned south on Fifth. And lost Mikey briefly when he glued himself to a jewelry store window.
    “Stay with me, and don’t be such a girl.” She gave one of his dreads a tug. “This is serious business.”
    “Ooh, you sound all cold and tough,” Mikey commented. “Like Joan Crawford or—no, no Barbara Stanwyck in Double Indemnity. A woman with balls.”
    “Shut up, Mikey,” she ordered and bit back a snicker as Anita Gaye came on the line.
    “Cleo.” The voice didn’t sound cold or tough, but soft and warm as velvet. “I can’t tell you how delighted I am to hear from you.”
    Cleo considered it a good sign Anita had agreed to the terms of the meeting without hesitation. She thought of the wild race across Europe and shook her head. Men, she decided. They had to flex their muscles, turn a simple business deal into an altercation.
    No wonder the world was so screwed up.
     
     
    SHE FELT A little foolish with her choice of arenas. But Mikey was getting such a kick out of it all now, she deemed it worth it.
    “ An Affair to Remember. Cary Grant, Deborah Kerr.” He stood on the observation level of the Empire State Building, arms spread, dreads flying. “That’s romance, baby.”
    And the difference between them, Cleo mused, was that the spot reminded her not of poignant romance but of King Kong’s fatal obsession with Faye Wray.
    She considered Faye Wray’s character a moron. Cringing and screaming on the ledge—waiting for the big, strong man to rescue her, Cleo thought, instead of getting her ass moving when the idiot ape set her down.
    Well, it took all kinds.
    “You go stand over there, keep me in sight. When she shows, I’ll give you a sign if she gives me any grief. Then you can hulk over and help me out.” She checked the Wonder Woman watch Mikey had lent her. “She’ll be here any minute. If she’s on time, we’ll stay on schedule. I’ve got a good half hour before I’m supposed to meet Gideon.”
    “What are you going to tell him?”
    “Same old, same old, until I have the cash in hand. I can stall him for another twenty-four hours, and that’s the deadline I’ll give Anita.”
    “A million smackeroos is a lot to put together in a day, Cleo.”
    “We’re talking Morningside here, and that spells beau-coup dinero. She wants the Fate, she’ll find a way. I’m going to stand over there and practice looking bored.”
    She wandered to the safety rail, leaned back on it and watched the elevator through the glass. Tourists swarmed the souvenir shop inside or stood outside snapping pictures, shoving coins into the telescopes.
    She wondered if anyone who lived in the city ever came here unless they were dragged along by out-of-towners. And she wondered why anyone felt compelled to come all the way up here when all the action, all the life, all the meaning was down on the streets.
    Her belly tightened when she saw the spiffy-looking woman step out of the elevator. Anita had said she’d be wearing a blue suit. The number was blue all right—smoke blue with a long, sleek jacket, a tube of a skirt cut at a conservative length.
    Valentino, Cleo decided. All richly understated and whispering of class.
    She waited while Anita slipped on dark glasses and stepped out into the wind. Watched while the woman scanned the area, the faces, and honed in on her.
    She shifted the slim leather portfolio bag on her shoulder and crossed over. “Cleo Toliver?”
    “Anita Gaye.” Cleo accepted the handshake while the two women measured each other.
    “I almost expected to have to exchange passwords.” There was a trace of humor in the tone as Anita glanced around. “You know, this is the first time I’ve been up here. What is the point?”
    Since it so clearly mirrored her own sentiments, Cleo nodded. “You got that right. But it seemed like a good place to do a little private business in a public place. A place where we’d both feel