Dying for Mercy with Bonus Material Read Online Free PDF Page A

been dead for almost eight hundred years.”

CHAPTER 9

    A s they took their place on the buffet line, a man of medium height with longish salt-and-pepper hair stood in front of Eliza and Innis.
    “Eliza, I’d like you to meet Zachary Underwood,” said Innis. “Zack is the architect who worked wonders with this old place.”
    “The house had good bones to begin with,” said Zack, smiling at Eliza. “And Innis had some very intriguing ideas about the renovation. He did a lot of the thinking for me.”
    “You’re being too modest, Zack,” said Innis. “You were presented with a real challenge, and you rose to meet it with flying colors.” He excused himself and turned to speak to the guests behind him on the buffet line.
    Eliza took a plate from the end of the table. “If I ever need an architect, I’ll know who to call,” she said. “Everything is fabulous—the house, the grounds. You feel like you’re in another world in this place.”
    “That’s what the people in the park want,” he said. “Those who’ve lived here forever don’t want the world to come in and change it, and most of the new people want to have a place to escape the intense life outside the gates. Everyone has a vested interest in keeping the park pretty much the way it’s always been. They feel safe here.”
    Eliza sensed that he was about to say more, and she steeled herself for the possibility that Zack would bring up the kidnapping that had fascinated the country for the interminable five days while Janie was missing and then for the weeks since she was safely home. When he didn’t broach the subject, Eliza felt herself relax.
    “This ravioli looks and smells wonderful,” Zack said as he took a large silver spoon. “Can I serve you some?”
    “Thank you, yes.” Eliza held out her plate. “What was the most interesting thing you discovered while you worked on this place?” she asked as they moved along the line.
    Zack shook his head. “It’s hard to pick just one thing. There were so many. I’ve worked on several renovations here in the park, and each of the houses has its own intriguing structural details, not to mention fascinating stories about previous residents. But Pentimento is special to me because it’s not just about the past glories of the building and the people who lived here. It’s the future of the house that could actually turn out to be the far more interesting and important phase.”
    “How so?” asked Eliza as she gathered up a fork and napkin at the end of the buffet table.
    “Innis has big plans for this house, though even I don’t know all the details. He’s kept me in the dark about the reason for some of the things he asked me to design. He also had me sign a confidentiality agreement. I can’t talk to anyone about the plans and designs for Pentimento.” Zack motioned to the double parlor, and Eliza followed him to a love seat in the corner.
    “Isn’t that unusual?” asked Eliza as she sat down and spread her napkin on her lap. “Are architects usually asked to do that?”
    “Not usually, but it does happen. People build their dream houses, and they can be very proprietary about them. They want their homes to be unique, and at the very least they don’t want their architect doing the same design for the family down the block.”
    “I can understand that,” Eliza said. “Yet if you don’t know the details of what Innis is planning for the house, you wouldn’t be breaking a confidentiality agreement by doing a little speculating, would you?” She smiled.
    “You’re not going to get anything out of me,” Zack answered, smiling back. “Innis told me he has a big surprise planned for later tonight, and I don’t want to take the chance of spoiling it.”

CHAPTER 10

    C lose to one hundred well-dressed and well-connected guests gathered in the vaulted gallery to listen to their host.
    “I’d like to thank Valentina for putting up with me all these years and for agreeing to