“It’s all right, dad. Chase will be there tonight. I’ll be perfectly safe.”
“I’m not so sure,” said Dad hesitantly. It was obvious he wasn’t too happy about letting his only child walk out of the house and into a potentially life-threatening situation.
“Chase is there,” she repeated. “He already saved one life today. He’s prepared to guard others with his own.”
“It’s true,” Brutus said. “Chase saved my life tonight.”
“That was a brave thing to do,” said Dad with a nod.
Odelia gave her cats a finger wave.“You guys better stay here tonight. There’s a cat killer on the loose, so no cat choir, all right?”
This didn’t seem to sit well with her cat troupe, but they grudgingly agreed.
And then she was off.
[Êàðòèíêà: img_2]
Wolf had set up shop in Whitmore Manor, a huge place that belonged to Marcia Graydon, patron of the arts and one of Wolf’s mother’s oldest and dearest friends. The sizable manor was located near the beach, just outside of town. Wolf was staying there, and so were other members of the crew. At least the ones that weren’t locals, like Odelia.
Dany Cooper had been staying there as well.
When Odelia arrived, Chase’s car was already parked in the driveway, so she eased her own, slightly more dilapidated truck, right next to his newer model.
She hadn’t seen much of Chase today. Uncle Alec had kept him busy working the case all day, even though he’d rushed home for a quick shower and some fresh clothes after his close encounter with a duck pond earlier. She was looking forward to seeing him again, and hopefully gleaning some information about the case. Even though Alec had made her promise to butt out this time, she couldn’t very well be expected to butt out completely. Not when this maniac was targeting not only her understudy but also her cats. Besides, as she’d told her uncle, her editor expected a full write-up, and so did thereaders of the Gazette.
The cop standing at attention at the door indicated just how serious Uncle Alec took the threat. She nodded a greeting at the policewoman.
“Chase is already here,” she said. “He’s been asking about you.”
It was a little odd to have to learn about Chase’s whereabouts from a third party, but then that was what happened when a detective and a reporter moved in together: in the heat of the moment, their schedules didn’t always overlap. At least tonight they would.
The meeting was being held in the manor’s large and opulently furnished dining room, where the crew took their meals when they weren’t rehearsing, either on location in the park or in the small theater in the basement.
When Odelia strode in, the room was already packed to capacity, people talking in hushed tones. Obviously the death of Dany had made a huge impression. Suddenly Odelia wondered if her dad hadn’t been right when he suggested the shows should be canceled. But that wasn’t up to her. It was Wolf’s decision to make—and the producers.
Wolf now clapped his hands and the room went quiet.
Odelia caught a glimpse of Chase in a corner, his notebook out, talking to a woman who looked like the spitting image of Odelia. Her second understudy, Odelia knew.
“I know we’re all deeply impressed and shocked by what happened at the park today,” Wolf said. “I just want you all to know that the local police have the matter well in hand. They’re on top of this terrible tragedy and the police chief himself has promised me in no uncertain terms that the full weight of his department is brought to bear on this case. They will not rest before they have the vile killer of our dear and sweet Dany Cooper in custody. New York doesn’t have capital punishment, as far as I know, which seems like a pity, under the circumstances.” He now gestured to Chase. “I’m sure you’ve all had a chance to meet Detective Kingsley, who’s in charge of the investigation.”
Chase gave a nod of acknowledgment, and Odelia couldn’t help but notice how the eyes of all the women in the room sparkled just that little bit brighter. She was sure his actions at the park today, where he’d repeated Colin Firth’s lakeside performance inPride and Prejudice, only with a live audience instead of a film crew, had something to do with that.
“Please give the detective your full cooperation. Hold nothing back. Even the most innocuous encounter or throwaway comment someone made may be the vital clue that will lead the police to the killer.” He clapped his hands again. “Now, about the shows. I know you’re all anxious to find out what Conway and I have decided.” He looked defiant. “We are not going to let this monster stop us from putting on the best Bard in the Park edition this part of the country has ever witnessed. We’re going through with the shows as scheduled and we’re going to dedicate them to Dany’s memory.”
Murmurs of agreement echoed through the room. It was obvious the director had struck the right note.
Odelia just hoped it would also prove to be the right decision.
Chapter 16
Odelia had sidled up to the director, the very flamboyant Wolf Langdon. They’d had a good meeting, and Wolf had been both dignified and defiant. It was obvious from the applause he received at the end of his address that his words carried the approval of all those present.
“Did you know Dany well?” Odelia asked Wolf while she took a sip from her root beer float. Even though there was ample opportunity to drown one’s sorrows in alcoholic beverages, Odelia had opted to keep a clear head and pick a non-alcoholic alternative.
“Not really,” said Wolf. “I know she was a dedicated actress who aspired one day to star on Broadway.”
“You didn’t hire her?”
“No, I didn’t. I leave those decisions to Conway, my producing partner. He’s been with me for years and years and years and I trust his judgment implicitly. I hire the key people—the stars—and leave the rest to Con. Some people may feel that a director should micro-manage but I’m not ofthat conviction. There’s enough on my plate already, and Con knows exactly what I want. Were you and Dany close?”
“Not really,” Odelia admitted. She’d hardly spoken to the girl throughout the preparatory stages of the production. Then again, suddenly being thrown into this project had been so overwhelming there had hardly been time to get to know every team member.
“She was a very studious young woman,” said Wolf. “Always to be found digging into her ebook reader. She was probably the only person in this production who could recite the verses of the bard backward and forward. She’d read all of his work and was a big fan.” He smiled a wistful smile at the memory. “A dedicated little wench, our Dany Cooper.”
“I find Shakespeare’s words a little… opaque,” Odelia said.
“I know. He’s tough to wade through. There’s an app I use. It adds little side notes and explanatory popups to put his words in the right historical context. Here. I’ll show you.”
He took out his smartphone and called up the app. And as it loaded, Odelia could see, in a flash, a message Dany had sent Wolf. It read:‘Hurry up, Wolfy. I’m naked and ready.’
It disappeared before she could read more, supplanted by the iconic face of William Shakespeare. And as Wolf went on to demonstrate the app, she wondered if she should say something. He made no indication to have noticed himself, though, and the moment passed.
So Wolf had known Dany a lot better than he admitted, huh? Weird…
Wolf was called away to deal with a creative dispute between two actors, and Odelia searched around for Chase, wondering where he’d gone off too. She saw he was chatting amicably with a pretty young actress. The woman had draped her hand on Chase’s arm and was laughing just a little too loudly at a joke Chase was apparently telling her. A twinge of jealousy sliced through Odelia at the sight of her boyfriend chatting up another woman, and suddenly she could relate to Harriet’s annoyance at seeing Brutus sniffing another cat’s butt. Not that Chase was sniffing the woman’s butt, but if left to his own devices he looked as if he were on the verge of doing just that.