The Tipping Point: A Wainwright Mystery

Chapter One

One

"Of all the creatures that creep and breathe on earth, there is none more wretched than man."~ Homer

SUNDAY-EARLY FEBRUARY-1978 | The flight took off thirty minutes late. Garth Wainwright left his home in the Los Angeles suburb of Playa del Rey at 6:10 a.m. to catch Continental's flight to Denver, where he'd change planes to Denver Airways Flight 441 into Aspen. He was supposed to arrive in Aspen at 4:10 p.m., but the delay out of Denver was going to make him late. That was only the most recent thing grating on Wainwright.

He had planned to spend this past weekend with Tim and Brian, his children who lived with his ex-wife, Debbie. Last Thursday evening, Debbie called to say the boys didn't want to go to their dad's house. She was clear it was their decision and a continuation of other anti-Dad comments made by the boys.

The disappointment he felt was palatable when Wainwright made his almost-nightly phone-fest with Lacey Kinkaid in Boston. Wainwright's demeanor brightened some when Lacey said they had a last-minute invite to join the Burkes for a skiing holiday in Aspen. Wainwright was so happy; he couldn't get the acceptance out of his mouth fast enough. And late flight or not, he was on his way to Aspen to be with Lacey. He would deal with the declining relationship with his sons after this trip.

Lacey said she would meet him at the terminal in Aspen so they could drive to the ski lodge together. Now he was going to be late, and if there was anything Garth Wainwright hated more than being late, he didn't know what it was. Besides, a gentleman does not keep a lady waiting, certainly not a lady like Lacey. Would this be their fifth or sixth date? He'd have to-

"Ladies and gentlemen, as we start out descent into Aspen-Pitkin County Airport, please make sure your seat backs and tray tables are stowed in their full upright and locked position. Make sure your seat belt is securely fastened and all carry-on luggage is stored underneath the seat in front of you or in the overhead bins. Remain seated until the plane is safely parked at the gate. Thank you."

Wainwright had never been to Aspen, so he'd spent some time at the LA public library researching the skiing, the hot spots, and the best restaurants. He wanted to read about Aspen and its world-class mountain so this trip wouldn't make him look like a rube to Lacey and her client, his new business partner, Thomas K. Burke.

Before the merger with Burke's firm and Wainwright's, Lacey represented Burke as his legal counsel. A damn good one, too, as Wainwright learned sitting on the other side of the negotiating table from her. Yeah, it must be our sixth date. I was in Boston for a week. I asked her to join me for dinner on the third day of negotiations, so this is our official sixth date, not counting the phone calls over the many months since. Why the hell did it take me that long to ask her out? Fear of failure, maybe. I hate being late, but I hate rejection just as much. Now, isn't that an exquisite emotional profile for a guy who earns his living selling office buildings and shopping centers?

Wainwright glanced at his wristwatch. It was 5:03 and the Convair 580 was still on the taxiway approaching the gate area when he saw Lacey through the small Plexiglas porthole. She was bouncing up and down on the snow-covered tarmac to keep warm. Wow! There she is. I feel like I've known Lacey forever, and yet, I know very little about her. She is the kind of woman that makes you feel so naturally relaxed around her. Well, maybe not in a business setting, I guess.

He felt like a seven-year-old on Christmas morning. Joy flooded through him, up his arms and onto his face, evicting the scowl that had been there since the Denver late takeoff. Standing in the snow and stomping her feet outside of Aspen's terminal building, no one ever looked more beautiful to Wainwright. Is that the cutest picture, or what?