“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.”