The knobs on Dowd’s knees made sense. Surfer’s knots.
Milo said, “There was something about Dylan Meserve you wanted to tell us.”
“Thanks for waiting. I didn’t want Billy to hear.”
“Protecting Billy,” I said.
Dowd turned to me. “Billy needs protection. Sometimes it’s hard for him to put things in perspective.”
“Something about Meserve bother him?” said Milo.
Brad Dowd’s brow creased. “No, I just like to keep him away from what he doesn’t need to know…sure I can’t get you guys one of these?”
“We’re fine,” said Milo. “You take care of Billy.”
“He doesn’t need special care- he’s not retarded or anything like that. When he was born, there was an oxygen problem. We used to live together, then a couple of years ago I realized he needed his independence, so I got him his own place. A nice lady lives upstairs. Billy thinks they’re just neighbors, but she gets paid to be there for him. Anyway, about Meserve, it’s no big deal. My sister had a thing for him and I consider him a first-class sleazeball.”
“A mutual thing?”
Dowd stretched his legs, pointed his toes, massaged a knot. Maybe calcium explained the wince. “In some ways, Nora can be a bit of an adolescent. All the time she spends with young people doesn’t help.”
I said, “Dylan wasn’t her first thing?”
“I didn’t say that.”
I smiled.
Brad Dowd drank beer. “No sense bullshitting. You know how it is, a woman gets to a certain age, the whole youth culture thing. Nora’s entitled to her fun. But with Meserve it was getting a little out of hand, so I talked to her and she realized I was right.”
“You didn’t want Billy to hear this because…”
Brad Dowd’s mouth got tight. “It was a bit of a hassle. Convincing Nora. She’d have been a lot more upset if Billy got involved. If he tried to comfort her or something like that.”
“Why’s that?” said Milo.
“Nora and Billy aren’t close…the truth is, when we were kids, Billy was a source of embarrassment to Nora. But Billy thinks they’re close- ” He stopped. “This is family stuff you don’t need to know.”
Milo said, “So Nora broke up with Meserve?”
“It didn’t require a formal declaration because the two of them were never officially…” He smiled. “I almost said ‘going steady.’ ”
“How’d Nora end it with Meserve?”
“By keeping her distance. Ignoring him. Eventually, he got the point.”
“How was their relationship getting out of hand?” I said.
Brad frowned. “Is this really relevant to that poor girl’s murder?”
“Probably not, sir. We ask all sorts of questions and hope for the best.”
“Is Meserve a suspect?”
“No, but close friends of the victim are considered individuals of interest, and we haven’t been able to locate Meserve to talk to him.”
“I understand, Detective. But I still don’t see why my sister’s private life needs to be aired.”
I said, “Was there something about Meserve that bothered you more than her other ‘things’?”
Dowd sighed. “In the past, Nora’s relationships were short-lived. Mostly because the men who interest Nora aren’t the type with long-term plans. Meserve seemed different to me. Manipulative, as if he was planning something. That hoax he pulled proves it, right?”
Milo said, “Planning what?”
“Isn’t it obvious?”
“You suspected he was out for Nora’s money.”
“I started to get concerned when Nora gave him a paid job at the PlayHouse. Creative consultant.” Dowd snorted. “You need to understand: Nora doesn’t charge a penny for her classes. That’s a crucial point, tax-wise, because the PlayHouse- the building, the upkeep, any supplies- is funded by a foundation we set up.”
“You and your sibs.”
“Basically, I did it for Nora, because acting’s her passion. We’re not talking some huge financial undertaking, there’s just enough endowment to keep the classes going. The building’s one of many we inherited from our parents and the rent we forego is a nice deduction against the profit from some other rentals in our portfolio. I’m the nominal head of the foundation so I approve expenditures. Which is why when Nora came to me wanting salary for Meserve, I knew it was time to talk. There was simply nothing in the budget to accommodate that. And it confirmed my suspicions that Meserve was out for something.”
“How much did she want to pay him?”
“Eight hundred a week.”
“Very creative consultant,” said Milo.
“No kidding,” said Dowd. “That’s my point. Nora has no concept of finances. Like a lot of artistic folk.”
“How long ago did she ask for the money?”
“After she offered him the job. A week or so before Meserve and the girl pulled that stunt. Maybe that’s why he did it.”
“What do you mean?”
“Trying to win Nora’s affections with a creative performance. If that was the idea, it backfired.”
“Nora wasn’t pleased.”
“I’d say not.”
“Was she upset at the hoax or something else?”
“Such as?”
“Meserve being with another woman.”
“Jealous? I seriously doubt it. By that time Nora was finished with him.”
“She gets over ‘things’ quickly.”
“Nothing to get over,” said Brad Dowd. “She saw my point, stopped paying attention to him, and he stopped hanging around.”
“What bothered Nora about the hoax?”
“The exposure.”
“Most actresses like publicity.”
Brad placed his beer on the porch deck. “Detective, the extent of Nora’s acting career was a single walk-on part on a sitcom thirty-five years ago when she was ten. She got the part because a friend of our mother’s was connected. After that, Nora went on audition after audition. When she decided to channel her efforts into teaching, it was a healthy move.”
“Adapting,” said Milo.
“That’s what it’s all about, Detective. My sister has talent but so do a hundred thousand other people.”
I said, “So she prefers to stay out of the public eye.”
“We’re a private bunch.” Dowd took a long swallow and finished his beer. “Is there anything else, guys?”
“Did Nora ever talk about Michaela Brand?”
“Not to me. No way she was jealous. Gorgeous young people stream in and out of Nora’s world. Now, I really think I should stop talking about her personal life.”
“Fair enough,” said Milo. “Let’s concentrate on Meserve.”
“Like I said, a gold digger,” said Dowd. “I meddled but sometimes meddling is called for. In the end my sister was grateful not to get involved with someone like that. Maybe you should be looking at him for the girl’s murder.”
“Why’s that, sir?”
“His view of women, he had a relationship with the victim, and you just said he’s missing. Doesn’t running away imply guilt?”
“What view of women are we talking about?” said Milo.
“You know the type. Easy smile, cruising on looks. He flirted with my sister shamelessly. I’ll be blunt: He kissed up and Nora bought it because Nora’s…”
“Impressionable.”
“Unfortunately. Any time I’d drop by the PlayHouse, he’d be there alone with Nora. Following her around, flattering her, sitting at her feet, shooting her adoring glances. Then he began giving her cheap little gifts- doodads, tacky tourist junk. A snow globe, do you believe that? Hollywood and Vine, for God’s sake, when’s the last time there was snow in Hollywood?” Dowd laughed. “I’d love to think it was Nora’s soul and inner beauty that attracted him, but let’s get real. She’s naive, menopausal, and financially independent.”
I said, “How’d you convince her Meserve’s intentions weren’t pure?”