“Me risk Frankie Almond for a man? A man?” Victoria could hardly believe what she was being accused of. “Give me strength. Men — especially young and silly ones — are sixpence a dozen, sweetie. That’s a dime to you. My relationship with Andrew proves that.”
Brett had nothing to say, but Lorelei asked, “Where is Andrew?”
“Yes, Grimm,” Victoria said, “where is the little rat?”
“Waiting in the living room to be called back in, I presume, Ms. Victoria. Excuse me, but shall I call the police now?”
“The police? Oh Lord, do we have to? Can’t we just agree, say, that she killed herself by accident?”
“It can hardly be an accident when Ms. Nancy is exhibiting all the signs of cyanide poisoning, Ms. Victoria.”
“How do you know about these things, Grimm?” Brett asked. In his Frankie Almond voice.
For once Grimm was flustered. “I... From no particular source, Mr. Brett. Life experience.”
“I’m not sure I believe you, Grimm.”
“Sorry to hear that, Mr. Brett.”
The two men stared at each other until Victoria interrupted. “Oh for God’s sake, can’t we in this room agree a strategy that will protect Frankie Almond, Private Eye?”
Lorelei couldn’t believe that Victoria was continuing to think of the program. “How can you be so unfeeling?”
“Oh, save the fake compassion for your scripts, Lorelei,” Victoria said. “Nancy did steal your husband from you. Which you never forgave her for.”
Now Lorelei was flustered. “Yes, well...”
“And it still upsets you, for some unfathomable reason. Not that I ever met the man in question but what was the problem? Men come, men go. Or is it that you haven’t been able to get yourself another one? Because to be obsessed with someone as shallow and untalented as Andrew shows that there’s something seriously wrong with you.”
“That was all a misunderstanding.”
“Nancy taking your husband wasn’t.”
“He would have come back to me. Eventually.”
“The way I heard the story was that he croaked in flagrante from a heart attack. If anyone here hated Nancy, it was you.”
“But not enough to murder her.” Lorelei was almost in tears.
Brett was not convinced. “Yet you do know all about cyanide. And if you hated her so much, why keep working with her? Was it in order to have access until you got your chance?”
Victoria was struck by this notion. “Your scripts prove you’re capable of planning something that complicated and weird.”
“That is a horrible thing to suggest,” Lorelei said.
“Well, someone murdered my Nancy,” Brett said. “That’s a fact.”
Lorelei turned to Brett. “You’re so busy accusing everybody else, but what about you?”
“Why would I murder Nancy? I loved her.”
“But did she love you?” Lorelei said. “Maybe you realized that she was only with you in order to get one over on Victoria. You know how they like to score off of each other, and neither of them has the slightest record of taking men seriously.”
Brett was upset now. Was it because doubt had been cast upon Nancy’s feelings for him, or because Lorelei was on the track of truth? She was famous for the emotional perceptiveness in her scripts.
“Look at their histories,” Lorelei said. “You’d have to doubt that either Nancy or Victoria was capable of forming a serious long-term relationship.”
“Get me a bowl, please, Grimm,” Victoria said. “I think I’m going to throw up.”
Grimm turned to his mistress to assess whether her request was a serious one.
In turn, eyes fell upon him. Lorelei said, “And what about Grimm?”
“Ms. Lorelei?”
“You poured Nancy’s Champagne.”
“I did indeed, Ms. Lorelei.”
Brett frowned. “Are we certain that’s what killed her?”
“She complained of the almond taste,” Lorelei said. “My Champagne didn’t taste of almonds. Did yours?”
“No.” Brett looked around the table.
“It was an excellent vintage bubbly,” Victoria said. “As befitted the occasion until one of you ruined it. You had some too, Grimm.”
“My Champagne was entirely devoid of almond taste, Ms. Victoria. But there is a more direct test.”
“What are you doing, Grimm?” Victoria asked.
But it was clear what Grimm was doing. He had knelt by Nancy’s goblet on the floor. “I intend to assess whether there is an almond odor in the Champagne residue, Ms. Victoria.”
“Mind the fingerprints,” Lorelei said.
“I shall take care.” He lifted the goblet by the edge of its base and sniffed. “Blimey, if I may say so. It reeks of bitter almonds.” He put the goblet down and looked around the room. “Anyone care to confirm?” There were no takers.
“So she was poisoned with cyanide,” Victoria said. “Right before our eyes. Oh dear. Oh my. I’m feeling faint.”
Grimm rushed to her side. “Ms. Victoria, are you all right?”
“Maybe he does love her,” Brett said to Lorelei.
But the situation with Grimm and Victoria was not allowed to develop further because Andrew entered the room. “What the hell’s taking so long?” he asked. “I know I threw you a few curves with the tape, but I’m starving to death out here.”
“It’s all gone terribly wrong,” Victoria said. Her head rested on Grimm’s chest.
“Hey, what’s the matter, babe?” Andrew said. “Look out, Grimm.” Andrew moved to Victoria’s side and took over the job of supporting her. “What’s up? Eat something that didn’t agree with you?”
Brett said, “Grimm, shouldn’t you call the police?”
“I agree completely, sir,” Grimm said. He took out his cell and dialed 911.
“Hey,” Andrew said, “what’s going on?”
“Police, please,” Grimm said.
“The police?” Andrew said. “Victoria, what’s happening? You can’t have me arrested. Every word I said on that tape was the truth.”
“I wish to report a murder,” Grimm said into the telephone and he gave the address. “The main entrance is under the green awning. Ask the doorman for the penthouse of Victoria Nation. He’ll direct you. We’ll also need an ambulance. Heathcoat Grimm. Same address.”
Andrew was beside himself. “What murder? What’s he talking about? I’m alive, you can all see that. It was a joke. Ha. Ha.”
“Thank you,” Grimm said. He ended the call.
“How long will they be?” Victoria asked.
“Only a few minutes, I’m sure, Ms. Victoria.”
“What is going on?” Andrew insisted.
“It’s Nancy,” Victoria said.
“Oh.” He looked around. “Where is she?”
“If you care to look on the other side of the table.”
Now that his attention had been directed, he saw her. “Oh!”
“She was poisoned, Andrew,” Lorelei said.
“What?”
“With cyanide. In her Champagne.”
“But, how could that be? How do you get cyanide into a Champagne bottle?”
“It was not in the bottle, sir,” Grimm said. “A compound of cyanide must have been put into Ms. Nancy’s Champagne goblet.”
“Good God,” Andrew said. “She wasn’t my favorite person, for reasons you know, but I’d never wish her...” He seemed visibly to wilt.
Brett said, “Victoria, I’ve been thinking. Who laid the table?”