Manhattan Merger

CHAPTER THREE

THE judge adjusted his glasses.

“The case of Sterling versus Red Rose Romance Publishers et al has come before the court in an emergency show causing hearing. All who testify will be sworn in.

“Mr. Drew Wallace, Counsel for the Plaintiff, will make opening remarks, followed by opening remarks from Ms. Grace Carlow, Chief Counsel for the Defendants.”

Long ago Payne had learned the trick of staying focused. Never look at the opposition when inside the courtroom, but stare them down outside of it. That strategy had served him well in his business dealings. It would serve him even better in this particular circumstance.

The possibility that there might be a stalker within these walls never left his mind. After the experience of tackling that lunatic too late to protect Diane, he had no desire to look into the face of another psychotic woman with the potential to do harm.

This moment hadn’t come soon enough for him or his family. He exchanged a private glance with Drew before his attorney got to his feet.

“Your Honor-Ms. Carlow-my client wouldn’t have pushed for an emergency hearing without just cause. Six months ago he and his fiancée were entering his parents’ home when a stalker shot at them. His fiancée is now in a wheelchair and may never walk again.

“Besides this tragic event, there have been half a dozen other stalking incidences in my client’s past where police had to be called in and people arrested and prosecuted. It’s all a matter of public record which I’ve submitted to the court.

“Two days ago my client discovered he was the man on the cover of a Red Rose Romance entitled Manhattan Merger, which I shall enter here in evidence as Exhibit One. The painting was done without his knowledge or permission.” He handed it to the bailiff who took it to the judge.

“Apparently eight covers have been created with his likeness, all without his knowledge or permission. As you can see by the title of this particular story, it takes place in New York City. If you’ll read the blurb on the back, it mentions a New York Billionaire who has an accident in the Canyonlands of the American West.

“In reading the novel, my client became alarmed by the amount of similarities to his life and that of the protagonist’s.

“I have never been the victim of a stalker, but my client and his loved ones have already paid an enormous price because of the behavior of some crazed people in our society.

“My client has asked for a hearing to determine if this is a case of art imitating life to an uncanny degree, or if there is something more sinister behind so many incredible coincidences.

“Should today’s hearing prove the latter, he wants this dealt with before anyone else gets hurt or killed. On that note I defer to Ms. Carlow.”

Payne gave Drew a satisfied nod.

“Your Honor, I speak for myself and everyone present when I say that we deeply regret Mr. Sterling’s pain and suffering. The legal department at Red Rose Romance should have caught the problem when the first painting for The Star Grazer was shipped to our office.

“I noticed a likeness to Mr. Sterling in his facial structure and body type then, but the hero came from the future. He had red hair and brown eyes. I assumed it was a coincidence. It wouldn’t be the first time a hero or heroine on one of our covers happened to resemble a real person.

“When the second painting of Her Prince of Dreams arrived, I again saw similarities though the hero had black eyes and black hair. However I still didn’t feel concerned enough to say anything.

“It wasn’t until Ms. Bennett had painted Manhattan Merger, that I could see the hero did indeed personify Mr. Payne Sterling. I believed it was because she’d placed him in a contemporary New York setting with the kinds of clothes a man in his position would wear to his corporate office.

“At this point I brought it to the head of the company’s attention. Mr. Finauer said not to worry about it because there’d been no problem with the other covers.

“Though I can understand and sympathize with Mr. Sterling’s alarm, as the attorney for Red Rose Romance Publishers, may I assure the court and Mr. Sterling that there is no stalker in this room as will be borne out in testimony.

“To save the court’s time I’ve already supplied a list of witnesses in the order in which they will appear in this court. I’ve given the same list to Mr. Wallace, and have indicated home addresses, phone numbers and job descriptions.”

The judge nodded. “Then this court will proceed. Ms. Farr, please take the witness stand.”

While the bailiff administered the oath, Payne could see that a sizable group from the opposition had assembled. Red Rose’s attorney had come prepared. He would give them that much credit.

“Ms. Farr,” Ms. Carlow began, “state your full name and job description.”

“My name is Margaret Farr. I’m the head editor for the Touch of Romance line at Red Rose Publishers.”

“How long have you been at Red Rose?”

“Fifteen years.”

“Tell us about your relationship with Bonnie Wrigley, the author of Manhattan Merger. Give the court an idea of the process.”

“Bonnie’s first manuscript came through the slush pile ten years ago. It was a wonderful book and I phoned her to tell her we were going to publish it. Since then she has written twenty-seven novels for us. Manhattan Merger was her twenty-fourth book. It was written for a promotion called ‘Urban Tycoons.’”

Urban tycoons?

“Will you explain what you mean by a promotion?”

“Every month we put out six books in the Touch of Romance line. One or two of these books are usually part of a promotion or theme that has particular appeal for readers around the world. I made the suggestion to Bonnie that she write to the Urban Tycoon theme. She came up with Manhattan Merger.”

“Thank you, Ms. Farr. You can step down. I’d like to call Bonnie Wrigley to the stand.”

To Payne’s surprise the woman who was the next witness looked to be in her late fifties. Somehow he couldn’t see her as a stalker, but he didn’t suppose age mattered if a person were that unstable.

“Ms. Wrigley? Tell the court where you live.”

“Spokane, Washington.”

“Is writing a full-time career for you?”

“No. I’m a full-time Spanish teacher and write on the side.”

“How long have you been a teacher?”

“Twenty-six years.”

“How long have you been a writer?”

“Since I was twelve, but I didn’t get published until ten years ago.”

“Tell the court how you came up with your idea for Manhattan Merger.”

“When Margaret asked me if I’d like to write a book about a big tycoon, I decided he would have to be a billionaire because millionaires are too common these days.

“Since I’d already done several millionaire stories with European heroes who’d come from titled backgrounds, I thought I’d feature an American with ties to the English aristocracy. Someone whose family had amassed a fortune in real estate and shipping on the East Coast and had created a world bank.

“I decided he would have to be plagued by a problem that his billions couldn’t fix.

“I thought, what if this billionaire has been diagnosed with leukemia? What if he decides to take a two week trip away from his fiancée and family to get his head on straight before he tells them what he found out during a routine physical exam? They think he’s gone on another of his business ventures.

“As the blurb says, he has an accident in Canyonlands and is flown to a Las Vegas hospital where his secret is discovered by the attending physician who falls in love with him.

“I pictured her as a hardworking, dedicated young doctor who hasn’t had time for men until now. Realizing the hero needs a bone marrow transplant, she asks everyone on the staff to give blood to find him a donor.

“When it turns out she could be a donor, the transplant takes place. It isn’t until he returns to New York that he learns she helped save his life. When he confronts her, she tells him she did it because she loves him, but never wanted him to know because he’s engaged to someone else.

“He confesses he was already in love with her before the transplant took place. As soon as he returned to New York, he broke off his engagement. Now he’s proposing marriage. It’s a Manhattan merger she can’t turn down, not when they’re joined body, blood and soul.”

“Thank you, Ms. Wrigley. You can be seated. Mr. Felt? If you’ll take the stand please.”

While the third witness was sworn in, Payne leaned toward Drew. “When you cross-examine the author, ask her why she picked ties to the English aristocracy, how she happened to put in the part about archaeological sites. Why did she choose leukemia?”

Drew had already been making notes and nodded.

“Mr. Felt? How long have you been head of the art department at Red Rose Publishers?”

“Twelve years.”

“Tell us what you do. Take us through the process when you handled Manhattan Merger.”

“As soon as a manuscript has been cleared for publication, the art department asks the author to fill out a form telling the theme of the book, the description of the hero and heroine, a short synopsis and a summary of several scenes that might look good on the cover.

“When we receive these sheets, we make a phone call to a freelance artist who does original oil paintings for Red Rose covers. We inform them we are sending information to help them create a painting that will sell books and please the author. We also send a printout of the manuscript for them to read.

“Manhattan Merger was handled like any other manuscript. I phoned one of our artists, Lorraine Bennett, about the project. She was free to go to contract on it. Our department sent her the filled out forms and the printout. She did the painting. When it was finished, she shipped it overnight courier to our office.”

“Thank you, Mr. Felt. You can step down. Will Mr. Goldberg please take the stand?”

So far Payne hadn’t heard anything to sway him either way. The artist was the person he wanted to tear apart with his bare hands. She would follow the next witness being sworn in.

“Mr. Goldberg?” Ms. Carlow began. “Tell the court where you work and what you do?”

“I’m the Vice President of Global Greeting Cards in New York.”

“How long have you been with that company?”

“Nine years.”

“Do all of your employees work in-house?”

“No we contract freelance writers and artists to produce the bulk of our inventory.”

“Is Ms. Lorraine Bennett one of those artists?”

“Yes.”

“Tell us the nature of her work.”

“We send her the words, and she creates the art.”

“Does she do portraits or people?”

“Neither. Her work is restricted to nature, flowers, wooded scenes, brooks and bridges, dogs and cats, that type of thing.”

“How long has she worked for you?”

“Three years.”

“Thank you, Mr. Goldberg. That will be all. Will Ms. Bennett please come to the stand?”

Payne answered some questions Drew had written down for him, then lifted his head. When he caught sight of the woman with the gilt-blond hair taking the oath, he felt a rush of adrenaline.

“I’ve seen that face before, Drew!”

“Where?”

He shook his dark head. “I don’t know.”

It was a fresh looking face. Wholesome. Attractive. So was the rest of her.

While he sat there staring at her, he racked his brain trying to remember.

“Ms. Bennett? Please tell the court where you live.”

“In Manhattan.”

“Have you always lived in New York?”

“No. I was born and raised in Grand Junction, Colorado. I only moved here four months ago.”

Colorado-

Payne had once done some skiing there, but that was years ago. If she’d only been in New York since February, then she’d done all the covers of him while she’d lived in Grand Junction.

So how in the hell did she know what his office looked like? He knew for a fact she hadn’t been to his suite when he’d been there or he would have remembered.

“Did you ever visit New York City previous to moving here?”

“No.”

“How long have you worked for Red Rose Romance?”

“Four years.”

“We know you’re employed by Global Greeting Cards too. Before you started freelancing, what did you do? Give us your background.”

“I graduated from Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colorado, with a B.F.A. in Art Education. That included an internship in Castiglion Fiorentino, Italy. After graduation I was hired to teach art at a high school in Grand Junction.”

“How long did you teach?”

“Six years.”

Ms. Bennett didn’t look old enough to have been a teacher to a bunch of rowdy high school students for that long a time. Boys that age raged with hormones. With a woman so attractive and shapely, he could just imagine the drawings they’d generated of her. Drawings she would never know about.

“Will you tell the court how you prepare when you’re doing a cover for a book?”

“As soon as the art sheet information arrives, I read it carefully, particularly the theme. That’s where all the emotion is centered. After that I read the novel and take a few days for the elements of the story to solidify in my mind. During that reflective period, I do research on the background details of the suggested scenes.

“Slowly the characters come to life for me. Sometimes I can picture him or her in my mind. When that happens, I start sketching like mad.

“Other times I study models from agencies until I see one that encapsulates my vision of the character in question. At that point I make an appointment for them to sit for me.

“Every day of life I see beautiful, interesting, fascinating faces in the crowd, in a photograph. Once in a while there will be a face that won’t leave me alone.

“A certain bone structure, smooth olive skin, the lines of experience around a compelling mouth, piercing black eyes, the shape of an eyebrow black as a raven’s wing-I find myself drawing this face weeks or even months later. Sometimes it ends up on the canvas.”

“Tell us what happened when you painted the cover for Manhattan Merger.”

Payne’s gaze had been riveted on her classic features. There was a subtle change-a tension in her demeanor as soon as the attorney mentioned Manhattan Merger.

“The minute I read the novel, I knew who was going to be the male on the cover. I’d used him on seven other covers, but never as a contemporary American hero who is one of the powers that be in the corporate world.

“It was as if Bonnie Wrigley had written that novel with him in mind. Like the glass slipper that only fits Cinderella’s foot, the melding of the right words and art can be a spiritual experience. That’s how it was with Manhattan Merger.”

“Did you use a model?”

“No. I’d seen the man in a photograph while I was helping my mother clean my brother’s room.”

“Did you know who he was?”

“No. But he had the spirit of a Renaissance man who could achieve anything. That’s what was needed for the cover of this story to make it throb with poignancy. Imagine the reader falling in love with this extraordinary man so far ahead of his time, so endowed with superb male attributes, only to find out he’s dying of a disease he’s powerless to stop.”

A stillness went out over the courtroom Payne could feel.

“Thank you, Ms. Bennett. You may be seated. If Mrs. Ellen Bennett will please come forward.”

Drew turned his head, eyeing Payne with an enigmatic expression. His attorney wasn’t the only one who’d been thrown a curve. Payne didn’t know what in the hell to think.

“Mrs. Bennett? Please tell the court who you are and where you live.”

“I’m Rainey’s mother. My husband and I live in Grand Junction, Colorado.”

“Do you work?”

“I’m a housewife, the hardest work I know.”

Payne covered his face with his hand to hide his amusement.

“What does your husband do for a living?”

“He’s a dentist.”

“Do you have more than one child?”

“Yes. A son, Craig.”

“How old is he?”

“Twenty-five.”

“And your daughter?”

“Twenty-seven.”

Twenty-seven-Payne couldn’t believe it.

“You heard your daughter testify she saw a man in a photograph, the same man who ended up on the covers of eight romances. Will you please tell the court the circumstances of that day?”

“Yes. Rainey had come over to the house from her apartment to help me spring houseclean Craig’s bedroom. He’s a packrat. While we were cleaning under his bed and straightening his closet, we found boxes of his memorabilia. Frankly, everything was in a mess.

“We decided to separate his belongings into piles and put them in separate baskets that could be stacked. Rainey found the photographs he’d been collecting over the years of his river running experiences.”

The Colorado River-

Was that where Payne had seen her face?

“As she was placing them in one of the baskets she said, ‘Oh mom-you’ve got to see the incredible man in this photograph!’

“I looked where she was pointing and had to admit he really was something. But knowing my daughter, I realized she was struck by things beneath the surface too. That’s what makes her such a remarkable artist.

“She studied the picture a little longer, then put it away with all the other pictures. I never heard her mention him again. To my knowledge, she never went near Craig’s closet again. In truth, neither of us would want to!”

In spite of the seriousness of the situation, Payne chuckled at the remark. He glanced at Drew. The other’s man lips were twitching.

“Thank you, Mrs. Bennett. You may be seated. We have one more witness, Your Honor. Will Mr. Bennett please come to the stand?”

The blond Colorado River guide who’d shown Payne such a fantastic time two summers ago was the last person he expected to see in this courtroom. But there he was, bigger than life, reaching the witness stand in a few athletic strides.

When he turned around, Payne found himself looking at the male version of Ms. Rainey Bennett. Now he had his answer. Payne couldn’t imagine a better looking brother and sister.

Unfortunately Craig Bennett’s appealing white smile was missing. Dressed in a suit rather than cutoffs and T-shirt, he looked older, less approachable as he took the oath and sat down.

“Mr. Bennett? Please tell the court where you live, what you do for a living.”

“When I’m in Grand Junction I live with my parents. During the summers I live in Las Vegas or on the Colorado River where I work for Horsehead Whitewater Expeditions.”

“Tell the court the nature of your work.”

“I’m a river guide for people who want to take a float trip down the Colorado River.”

“How many trips do you take a summer?”

“Dozens.”

“Does this involve individuals or groups of people?”

“I take as few as four, or as many as twenty at a time.”

“Do you see anyone in this courtroom who has taken a trip down the Colorado with you?”

“Yes. My mom, my sister and the man sitting over there.” He nodded in Payne’s direction.

“Do you know his name?”

“I do now. At the time he used another name which I don’t recall. Something like Vince or Vance.”

“Vince,” Payne whispered to Drew.

“Do you remember taking a picture of him?”

“I always snap a photo of my group where we put in the river.”

“Your Honor?” Ms. Carlow interjected. “I have that picture with me and would like to enter it in evidence as Exhibit Two.”

Payne watched the bailiff hand it to the judge. He studied it for a moment.

“Mr. Bennett?” opposing counsel continued. “Did you ever discuss this man with your sister?”

“Never.”

“Did she ever bring him up to you?”

“No.”

“Did you know she was making sketches of him from memory?”

“No.”

“Have you ever read any of the romance novels with her paintings on the covers?”

“I would never read a romance novel period.”

Strike two against the male of the species.

“Thank you, Mr. Bennett. You may step down. That’s all I have to present at this time, Your Honor.”

The judge’s gaze swerved to Drew. “Mr. Wallace? Do you wish to cross-examine?”

“I do, Your Honor.”

“May I remind the witnesses you are all still under oath. Go ahead, Mr. Wallace.”

“If Ms. Wrigley will come forward again please?” As soon as the older woman took her place he said, “How many times have you visited New York City?”

“This is my first time.”

“My client is curious to know why you picked English royalty, why the East Coast, why banking?”

“I’m a genealogist. I’ve researched most of my ancestors who came from England. They were all as poor as church mice. However when you dig back in those old English lines, you come across fascinating information about the families who descended from kings, lords, earls and the like to build new fortunes in America.

“Every time I come across information like that, I keep it in a special research file for my writing. Most of the wealthy arrivals had banking and shipping interests. Upon reaching our shores, it was common for them to buy large tracts of land on the East Coast.”

“I see,” Drew murmured. “When you filled out the art sheet, did you suggest Ms. Bennett put the picture of a ship and lighthouse on the wall of the hero’s office?”

“No.”

“What about the dog in the picture?”

“No.”

“Will you explain why you inserted a scene in your book where the hero comes across an ancient burial ground and has it designated as an official archaeological site?”

“Yes. When Frontenac came to the Eastern seaboard on an exploration expedition for the King of France, he discovered this was a land filled with the bones of hundreds of thousands of men, women and children who’d died in great battles of extinction long before the white man came here.

“The State of New York is really one massive burial ground. Every so often a farmer is digging in a field and finds the remains of bodies thrown in haphazard piles, the points of their weapons of war still embedded in their bones.

“In Manhattan Merger my hero heads a corporation that develops land, but he’s a man who respects the first inhabitants of this land. That’s why I have him heading a foundation for the preservation of all ancient artifacts, mounds, burial grounds, observatories found in New York.”

“Did you know of the name Payne Sterling when you wrote your novel?”

“I had no knowledge of his name or existence until yesterday when I received a phone call from the company attorney, Ms. Carlow.”

“One last question. Why leukemia?”

“Years ago our daughter died of leukemia. That was something my husband and I couldn’t fix. It was the first thing that came to my mind when I was considering what kind of illness to give my hero.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Wrigley. You may be seated. If Ms. Bennett will please take the stand one more time.”

While Payne sat there mulling over Ms. Wrigley’s answers, the adorable looking artist whose figure transformed the skirt and blouse she was wearing, walked to the front of the courtroom and sat down.

“Ms. Bennett? You’ve done seven other covers with this man’s picture. Why is that?”

“Red Rose Romance has nine lines of books. Each line has a different readership. Of course there are crossovers, meaning people who read more than one line.

“If a certain face is popular, it is used more than once because it sells more books. Every time this man’s face appeared on a cover, the sales climbed, so I was asked to do more pictures. I’ve been told Manhattan Merger is the biggest seller to date.”

“How did you happen to put a ship on the wall of the hero’s office?”

“It seemed logical that a man whose ancestors crossed the ocean and built a shipping empire would have such a picture to remind him of his heritage and his love of the sea.”

“How did you happen to paint that particular ship?”

“I did research to find the right kind of vessel for the time period Ms. Wrigley mentioned in the book.”

“Why the lighthouse too?”

“One of my favorite living artists is Thomas McKnight. He did a surrealistic painting of a lighthouse on Nantucket. I adore that painting.”

Payne happened to love that painting too.

“While I was working on the cover for Manhattan Merger, a lighthouse just sort of slipped in there while I was painting the ship.”

“Explain the reason you put a dog in the picture on his desk.”

“In Ms. Wrigley’s novel, there’s a part where the hero has just found out he’s dying of leukemia. Memories of his past life flash through his mind. One of them is running along the beach with his dog when he was a boy.

“This hero is a loner by nature. Obviously his dog meant a great deal to him. That’s why I painted it in.”

“Did Ms. Wrigley mention the breed?”

“No.”

“Then why a bulldog?”

“For years I’ve had an English bulldog named Winston, after Winston Churchill, my favorite figure in history. At present the dog is staying with my parents until I can find a place that will allow pets.

“While I was doing the painting for Manhattan Merger, Winston happened to be sitting on one of the kitchen chairs watching me. He was so darling, I put him in the picture without even thinking about it.”

Incredible. Absolutely incredible. Payne could only shake his head.

“Ms. Bennett, you testified that you’d never been to New York before you moved here. You also testified you went to school in Italy. Did your flight involve a stop in New York?”

“No. I took a nonstop charter from Denver to Frankfurt, Germany, and from Germany back to Denver when school was over. You can contact the art department at Colorado State to verify everything.”

“Thank you. Will you tell the court the location of the eight paintings with my client’s likeness?”

“Five of the authors have bought the paintings from me. I own the other three, one of which is Manhattan Merger. They’re hanging in my apartment.”

“According to the testimony we’ve heard, you only saw my client in a photograph for a few minutes, then painted him from memory.”

“Yes.”

“If Your Honor will permit, I’ll ask the bailiff to give this sketch pad and pencil to the witness.”

The judge nodded.

“Now if Your Honor will assist me by picking another person in the photograph from Exhibit Two? Show it to the witness. Let her study it for a moment, then ask her to draw this person from memory.”

Payne whispered an aside to Drew. “If Ms. Bennett can pull this off, then we have no stalking case, thank God.”

“Amen,” Drew muttered.

First five, then ten minutes went by while the room sat in frozen silence waiting for her to finish her drawing. Payne watched her face and body change expression several times. Her concentration was almost as disarming as her femininity.

Finally she looked over at the judge and rendered him the sketchbook. He studied it and compared it to the photograph.

“You not only have a photographic memory, Ms. Bennett, you’re a very gifted artist.”

“Thank you.”

“You may step down.”

He signaled the bailiff to take the sketch and photograph to Drew. An impatient Payne was forced to wait until he could examine both items for himself.

“Good grief-” he blurted when Drew moved aside. “It’s Mac- She’s done a perfect likeness of him!”

“Her talent is remarkable.” Drew turned to the judge. “I have no more questions of these witnesses, Your Honor.”

“Ms. Carlow? Do you wish to make your closing remarks now?”

“Yes, Your Honor. I believe the facts speak for themselves. In future, Red Rose Publishing will require every artist to use licensed models for their covers. Needless to say, Mr. Sterling’s likeness will never appear on another cover of a Red Rose Romance.

“I instructed Ms. Bennett to bring all drawings and disks with Mr. Sterling’s likeness to this court. They can be turned over to him, or Red Rose can destroy them. Whatever the court wishes.

“It’s worth noting that the cover of Manhattan Merger won first prize out of all the romance covers printed in the United States within the last twelve months.

“Ms. Wrigley also won first prize for the best Touch of Romance novel for Manhattan Merger. Both women were going to be honored at a banquet this fall.

“Under the circumstances they’ll forego those awards in order to spare Mr. Sterling any unnecessary publicity or exposure. Our company will instruct the people at the U.S. Romance Author/Publisher Convention to pick two other winners.

“As for the books already in print and shipped out through the book club, it would be impossible to judge how many readers would know the man on the cover is Mr. Payne Sterling.

“Your Honor?” she said after taking a drink of water. “Would it be permissible to ask how Mr. Sterling came to find out his likeness was on the cover of Manhattan Merger?”

The judge looked at Drew. “Mr. Wallace?” he prompted.

Payne nodded when Drew turned to him for permission.

“His sister’s daughter reads romances and noticed the likeness. So did the maid who’s also a romance reader.”

Ms. Carlow smiled. “Thank you, Your Honor.”

“Is there anything else, Counselor?”

“No.”

“Very well.” The judge looked at Drew. “Mr. Wallace? Are you ready to make closing remarks?”

“Yes, Your Honor. The extensive amount of testimony provided by the defendants has ruled out any hint of stalking violations which was my client’s primary fear.

“My client could wish the published books with his likeness on the covers weren’t in the public domain. However in view of Ms. Carlow’s assertion that my client’s likeness will never again grace a future Red Rose Romance cover, another fear has been removed.

“At this time my client and I would like to thank the court for hearing this case in such a timely manner. I also wish to congratulate opposing counsel for the outstanding defense she prepared on such short notice.”

After Drew sat down, the judge removed his glasses. “I too want to compliment both parties for conducting yourselves in a professional manner. This is an unusual case to come before the court.”

Payne suddenly heard a voice cry out from the other side of the room.

“Your Honor?”

“Yes, Ms. Bennett?”

“Could I say something?”

“Go ahead.”

“If I had been Mr. Sterling, I would have brought this case to court just as he did in the hope of preventing another tragedy. But Red Rose Publishing is not to blame. Neither is Bonnie Wrigley.

“I-I’m the one who painted him without permission and brought him more grief unknowingly,” her voice trembled. “Ignorance is no excuse. I’m the guilty party. I feel so horrible about it, I don’t know how to begin to make restitution.

“If there’s to be a severe financial punishment, let it be on my head, no one else’s.”

“Thank you, Ms. Bennett. I do believe you’ve learned an important and necessary lesson in the early stages of your brilliant career. You never know who the stranger in the crowd or the photograph might turn out to be.

“A priceless gift like yours is going to have to be used with care in the future, as you’ve discovered. Call it destiny or fate, you happened to paint the one man whose phenomenal success in life has made him vulnerable to the ugliest elements in our society. The tragedy that befell his fiancée should never have happened.

“It is also unfortunate that no one at Red Rose Publishers caught the problem in time to rectify it. However Ms. Carlow has assured the court that the company will require its artists to use licensed models from now on. A very wise move which will prevent unwanted occurrences like this from happening again.

“As for Ms. Wrigley’s scholarly researched fiction novel which paralleled Mr. Sterling’s life to a great degree, testimony has proved it to be one of those inexplicable coincidences. Counsel for the plaintiff said it best. ‘Art imitating life.’

“In conclusion, the court has listened to testimony and finds no evidence of evil doing or intent to do evil on the part of Ms. Bennett, Ms. Wrigley or Red Rose Romance Publishers.

“Opposing counsels can get together to decide on disposition of drawings, disks, paintings, books already in print that can still be pulled, books that are still awaiting translation for foreign markets, et cetera.”

The judge pounded his gavel. “Case dismissed.”