The Legacy Read Online Free PDF

of pain and probably cost New York City several hundred thousand dollars in damages as a result of that imagination, but the hell with it. He had in his possession a tape of President Kennedys assassinationone proving conspiracyand he controlled history. That justified at least a trace of paranoia. Hed make up the damages to the city after hed sold his piece of history to the highest bidder. Right after he had taken care of his in-arrears mortgage that Lewis Gebauer had somehow found out about, as well as a few gambling debts he had recently accumulated. There should still be millions left over.
    Millions of dollars others would love to get their hands on, too, Cole suddenly realized.
    He sat up in the chair. Maybe others had known about this tape and had been waiting years for that Chase safe-deposit box to be opened because they couldnt access the box themselves. The people at Chase had been very careful and had required a picture identification and a signature from Cole before they would allow him to inspect the contents of the box. Even if others had known about the tape, they wouldnt have been able to retrieve it if they werent named in bank records as individuals with access to the box.
    Cole laughed once more. There he went, letting his imagination get the better of him again.
    He checked the entrance one last time. Fifteen minutes had elapsed since hed hidden the tape behind the row of atlases, and still hed seen nothing suspicious. He took a final look around. Then he rose unsteadily and, without retrieving the tape from its hiding place, limped toward the door. His right ankle had begun to swell as a result of his collision with the taxi at the corner of Fifth and Forty-second.
    Five minutes later he had ridden the elevator to the first floor, staggered down the library steps past the lions and hailed a cab.

Chapter 3
    NICKI ANDERSON WAS tall and sleek, with silky gold hair that cascaded down her back. Her face was perfectthin yet sensuoushighlighted by wide emerald eyes, a delicate nose and bee-stung lips. Her skin was fair and unblemished, her body toned but full of soft curves. She was an exquisite product of her Scandinavian bloodlines. Still, in New York City exquisite women were like restaurants or taxis or pigeonsthey were everywhere.
    Six months ago Nicki had left Duluth, Minnesota, and moved to New York to follow her dreama modeling career on the fashion runways of Manhattan. It was costing her middle-class parents most of their retirement cache, but they were convinced that Nicki would take the industry by storm and that the resulting cover-girl fame would earn Nicki and them much more than stocks and bonds ever could.
    Nicki had presented her portfolio to all the top agencies but had been unceremoniously rejected. She didnt tell her parents, because even one rejection would have crushed them. Two months ago she had caught on with a smaller agency that was finally beginning to find her work. It had been a difficult road, but through it all she hadnt lost her smile.
    Cole eased onto the bench seat at Emilios, a casual, out-of-the-way Upper West Side cafe where he and Nicki could relax. Hey there, he said as he sat down. His senses were on alert, eyes constantly scanning the place for anyone who might have followed him from the library.
    Hello, Cole. Nicki leaned across the small, scratched table, took Coles face in her soft palms and kissed him gently on the cheek. She had always greeted Cole this way, even as a child back in Duluth, and he liked it, especially because she wasnt this way with others. Even with friends, she was reserved.
    You look great, Cole said approvingly. She wore an oversized sweater and faded jeans. It was an all-American country-girl look he thoroughly enjoyed.
    Thanks. Her expression turned curious as she sat back in the seat. What in the world happened to you?
    He glanced down, worried that blood from the cut on his forearm had seeped through the bandage and the dark blue sweater