Walter pulled the bottom drawer from its housing. O’Sullivan yelled, “Hey you, enough. You have no right to search in there.”
Rowan moved into O’Sullivan’s line of sight, blocking Walter. “The blood work will reveal her cause of death. If you do not get the prints of those five people—”
Walter added, “And Jenny.”
“—and Jenny, then the killer will simply walk away, skip town and move on. There will be no way to track him down. This moment is vital to the case.”
“There’s no killer. There’s no case. Jesus!”
Rowan knew everything the corporal said was proper protocol, but he also knew that Lisa Pluviam had been murdered. She fell, yes, but the fall had been compelled…somehow. Most grating of all, Rowan had failed to protect her. His only thought now was the delivery of justice, if only for her memory. “Corporal O’Sullivan, was there anything unusual found in the theater?”
He let loose with a frustrated breath. “A thirty-eight under the light board.”
“Grizz?”
“If you mean Mr. Thompson, yes. When questioned, he informed us that it was his gun. He keeps it there in case there are any problems with the patrons.”
In case someone boos? “Was it registered?”
“No. As I am sure you know, handguns do not require registration.”
“Oh yes, I’m aware. Just wondering, were there any bullets in the gun?”
“One. But that’s neither here nor there. There was not a single report of a gunshot nor did we find any casings.”
Rowan nodded. “Did Mr. Thompson tell you why Jenny approached him on the catwalk during the balcony scene?”
O’Sullivan pulled out his notebook. “Thompson was having trouble with the Pluviam woman’s light. It wouldn’t function. He panicked and called Jenny Pluviam over to report the situation. By the time she crossed the catwalk, he had managed to fix the problem. It was a false alarm. That’s when the actress fell.” He snapped the notebook shut. “Now, Mr. Manory, it’s time to send those people home.”
Walter stood up from behind the desk. “Corporal, I think you might want to take a look at this.”
O’Sullivan looked at what Walter had found. He grumbled; the man hadn’t had more than three hours’ sleep since the bombing. “Fine. We’ll take her in. Just her though.”
“But, everyone needs to be interviewed about this, in case of collusion,” Rowan argued. “Surely you realize—”
“Five minutes each, right here in this office! That’s it. No more. I don’t care who you are or who you know.”
“Who I am or whom I know.” O’Sullivan looked like he was going to take a swing, so Rowan bowed his head. “Thank you. I will make sure to impress upon Sergeant Grady how cooperative you were. Please send Maura Lewis first.”
Williams waited for O’Sullivan to slam the door. “You won’t be able to learn anything in five minutes.”
“All I need is a starting point.”
“What happened, Manory? No one went up the ladder. No one—”
“That’s correct, Williams. No one touched her. Someone killed her though. One of them.”
Maura bobbed her leg up and down uncontrollably and kept reaching for gum that wasn’t in her pocket. “Grizz says that we don’t have to stay here. We can go any time we want unless you charge us with a crime. Is that true? If that’s true, I want to leave now.”
“Miss Lewis, this is as difficult for me as it is for you. We have all suffered quite a shock this evening.”
Her forehead pushed down, hardening the look of her face. She whined when she spoke, her voice showing none of its characteristic sing-song lilt. “I’ve already talked about it though. I told the cop everything.”
“I would appreciate just a few more moments of your time. For Lisa.”
Maura folded her arms and looked off to the side.
What a brat. “There seems to be some confusion regarding your home state. Which is it, Ohio or Iowa?”
“Ohio.”
“And the city?”
She licked her lips. Her neck craned back a bit. “Trenton.”
Far too long to answer that question, Miss Lewis. “Trenton?”
“Yes.”
“Trenton, Ohio?”
Maura finally looked at Rowan. “Yes.”
He made a loud, popping cluck with his tongue. “Where do you live now?”
“I already told the policeman where I live.”
“Could you say it again for our records?” The detective’s voice retained its pleasant tone.
“I’m tired of answering the same questions. If you’re going to ask me something, ask me something new.”
Rowan folded his hands on the desk. “My questions have not been difficult and, at the risk of embarrassing you, I must say that you seem unduly nervous.”
“Was that a question? I don’t know if you just asked me a question or made a comment.” Maura’s breath grew shallow. “I don’t like cops.”
“Neither do I, but you don’t see me being defensive.”
“Am I a suspect?”
“At this early stage of the investigation, everyone is a suspect, even Williams.”
Walter smiled at the girl. “We’ve had a few cases where I made the final list.”
Rowan said, “Why did you come to the second city?”
Maura told them about leaving home and working for different theaters in small towns on the way to Chicago. “My plan was to become famous. That’s funny, huh? I got a role, but it was in this play. My luck in a nutshell. Something good happens to me and then…” She pulled rogue strands of black hair over her face.
Poor you. At the very least your neck is still intact. “Do you have any family?”
She shook her head.
“No family?”
“When you shake your head, that’s what it means. I’m done talking, Mr. Manory. If you want to arrest me, do it now. Otherwise, I’ll flounce.”
A nerve. “If you had to guess who killed her—”
“I thought she fell.”
“If she was killed, who would do it?”
On the verge of tears, Maura said the name. “Allie.”
Rowan spread out his hands, finally satisfied with one of her answers. “Now, that is interesting. Why do you think Allison would want Lisa dead?”
“Cause Timothy was hauling Lisa’s ashes.”
Rowan’s face lost its smugness. He looked to Walter. “What does it mean—hauling ashes?”
“I’ve never heard it before. Miss Lewis, you mean…”
“They were screwing, all right? Do you understand that? Do you know what screwing means or do you need me to draw you a picture?”
Rowan said, “Not necessary. How did you find this out?”
“Every time they rehearsed the first scene, I’d have to wait in the crossover. Timothy would reach under the table and pinch her butt. He did it from the third week on, but this week, he didn’t do it. I figured they broke it off.”
“A playful pinch does not necessarily mean they were engaged in a sexual relationship.”
“Do you pinch Walt’s butt?”
Walter’s forehead lifted. “We can’t argue with that logic, boss.”
“Did Allison know about the affair?” asked Rowan.
Maura shrugged. “I’m not a mind reader.”
Rowan thought back to that moment in the dressing room. She did recognize me. “One last question, Miss Lewis. Have we met before?”
“I’m leaving now, detective.”
Rowan beamed. “As you wish. We may contact you later for more information as the case moves forward. One of the officers will drive you home.”
“I’ll walk.”
“At this hour?”
She left without answering.
Walter shut the door. “You charmed the shit out of her, Manory.”
“Tell me, Williams, was Miss Lewis behaving herself backstage?”
“No, she was acting immature; go
t quite upset at Tim. The weirdest part was she missed a cue on purpose, just to tell me a joke. Granted, it was a funny joke, but still. Of course, she wasn’t the only one with problems. Tim was off all night. Even Edward messed up a few times. I’m no theater critic, but this was not a good performance. Though I must say, Allison was spot on.”
Rowan lit his cigarette. “As of this moment, I do not suspect any of you of a crime. I want to make that clear, Edward. We are not certain any crime has even been committed.”
Edward looked confused. “I think it’s obvious a crime has been committed.”
Rowan’s eyebrows arched. “You do?”
“I also think it’s ridiculous to say that none of us are suspects. As much as I hate to admit it, we know the note came from one of us.”
You do not sound like you hate to admit it. “Then I can drop the charade. We are in complete agreement.”
Edward leaned forward. “And we know that whoever wrote the note killed her.”
Rowan started to nod but aborted it midway. “It’s possible.”
“Possible?”
“Probable but not certain.”
“So who wrote the note? This becomes the question.”
“No, it becomes one question. I have others. Where do you live, Edward?”
“Fifty-five West Taylor with my aunt. It’s her house. I’m her caregiver.”
“How long have you lived with her?” asked Rowan.
Edward slumped his shoulders. “My whole life.”
“Lisa mentioned that you had never done any acting before. Why start now? Why this play?”
“That’s not completely true. I acted in high school and I quite enjoyed it. It’s easy enough. Someone acts, you react. It’s not math. As for why I auditioned for this play, I saw an advert at the Wong Li Laundromat. It looked like fun.”
“Do you have a regular job?”
“I’m a delivery driver for Garfield hospital.”
Rowan stubbed out his cigarette, pulled out a fresh paper and casually played with it. “What sort of things do you deliver?”
“All sorts. Bandages, pads, needles—”
“Drugs?”
“Sometimes.”
“Anything poisonous?”
“I see some of the names on the bottles, but I’m not a doctor or a chemist. I don’t know what they do, and it isn’t my job to know.”
“Right. Let’s talk about the play. Did Lisa seem strange to you, right before the two of you went up the ladder?”
Edward struggled to answer. “I wish I could say something helpful. Lisa was the same as always, except maybe a little nervous. We were all dealing with an extra dose of nerves tonight.”
“And when you saw her fall, was there anything odd you noticed?”
“No, it happened too quickly. By the time I turned around, she was…” He looked away. “She was on the way down.”
“I only ask you because I noticed something.”
“What?” asked Edward.
“She did not jump, nor was she pushed. She simply toppled. Her torso bent forward and the wooden rail caught her stomach, causing her legs to go straight into the air. It was as if she were in a trance and did not see the rail.” Rowan ripped the paper and tossed it. “What about Allison? Williams tells me that she made a rather unexpected appearance in the crossover?”
“It was strange, I’ll admit that. While we were waiting in the dressing room, I asked her about it.”
“And?”
“She said she wanted to wish Lisa good luck.”
Rowan gave a gradual smile. It started as a twinkle in the eye and ended with smug confidence. “Do you believe her, Edward? Does she often come out to wish actors luck in the crossover?”
“No, but I don’t know why she would lie.”
Rowan snapped his fingers and Walter set the notebook on the table. “Did you know that Timothy was hauling Lisa’s ashes?”
“What?”
“You do not know the saying?”
“No. Do you mean Tim killed her?”
Rowan shook his head. “I will rephrase. Was it common knowledge among the cast that the two of them were engaged in a sexual relationship?”
Sitting in the dimly lit office, Edward saw the image again in his mind. It was a rainy March day. He had forgotten his wallet and ran back into the theater. They were in the wing. Timothy had Lisa by the hair, pushing her face into the wall, his hand roughly grabbing between her legs. The smile leered on her face, and a lock of black hair clung to the corner of her craven mouth as he called her filthy, unspeakable names.
“Edward!”
“Huh?”
“Did you know?”
Edward swallowed. “Allie couldn’t do this. Not in a million years.”
Rowan paid close attention to Edward’s face. “And what if I told you that Allison was behind the threat?”
Edward’s cheeks turned the color of chalk. “Was she?”
Timothy stared straight at the floor with his mouth ajar. His responses came out in a numb monotone.
A pile of cigarette butts lay at Rowan’s feet. “Where are you from, Timothy?”
“Grew up in Adair.”
“Adair? I do not think I am familiar.”
“It’s a nine-hour drive without traffic. ’Bout a river’s meander to Iowa.”
“How many plays have you done? Professionally?”
“This is the third.” Timothy sniffled.
“And how did you meet Lisa Pluviam?”
“Met her the day of the audition. Allie and I done come in together. I wasn’t expecting nothing, but I knew Allie’d get the role; she was perfect for it. Then Jenny said she wanted both of us. We were over the moon.”
Rowan pretended to examine his nails. “How long were you and Lisa involved?”
Timothy looked up. “You…you know?”
“She informed me,” Rowan said matter-of-factly.
“We agreed to keep it a secret.” Timothy’s muscular frame appeared weak, seeming to collapse in on itself. “A few weeks, I didn’t count the days.”
“Was it you or she that ended the affair?”
“We didn’t really bust up. She said we needed to cool it down…” He lost his composure and his voice whimpered like a mew coming out of a lion. “…that we needed to cool it down for a while in case Allie found out. Cause…the play…I’m sorry.” Rowan motioned to Walter for a handkerchief. Timothy blew his nose and wiped at the tears welling in his eyes. “We had to stop seeing each other until the play was done finished. We didn’t split up. Not like that.”
Walter tapped his pencil on the notebook. “Manory, that’s interesting.”
“Quite right, Williams.”
Puzzled, Timothy looked from one detective to the other. “What’s interesting?”
Rowan jabbed his cigarette out on the desk. Here we go. “Lisa informed us only yesterday that she had ended the affair.”
“Lisa said that?” His red-rimmed eyes blinked.
“What were her exact words, Williams?”
Walter flipped to an empty page. “Things have gotten stale between us, especially between the sheets.”
“Horseshit!” Timothy leapt from his chair. His hands slammed on the desk.
Rowan didn’t move. “Easy. Calm down, son. These things happen to the best of us.”
“You’re plum lying?”
Rowan raised his voice, sensing weakness. “Did Allison know you were hauling Lisa’s ashes?”
“What the hell does that mean?”
“Did Allison know of the affair?”
“I don’t think so.”
“But maybe?”
“No. I don’t know. I…I can’t tell anything with that woman.”
“Allison would be furious, wouldn’t she?”
“Allie knows I sleep around. It’s not a big deal. She wouldn’t kill Lisa. Not Allie.”
Rowan pointed to the badge on Grizz’s arm. “How long have you been a communist?”
Grizz flinched. His voice sputtered. “Why…You…CCUC is the local carpenters union. It ain’t a political affiliation, and I think you know that.”
Rowan laughed. “Well, you know.”
“No, I don’t know. Why don’t you explain it to me, real slow like.”
“Not all communists are carpenters, but most carpenters are communists. I believe it’s a prerequisite for joining the union.”
“Jesus was a carpenter. Was Jesus a communist?”
Rowan held up a thumb and index finger, spaced a quarter of an inch apart. “Just a little bit.”
Grizz tilted his head away. “It ain’t none of your business, but I think the people should share in the wealth.”
“And the misery?”
Grizz looked around the office. “Where’s Jenn?”
“Miss Pluviam was taken to the hospital as a precaution.”
“Why am I being questioned by a private dick?”
“Mr. Thompson, I am working with the police and have been given their blessing; please leave the questioning to me. Why don’t you take me through the lighting mishap.” With halting apprehension, Grizz retraced the story he had told the police. Rowan learned that he bought the gun after a particularly bad beating suffered many years earlier. Grizz didn’t see Lisa fall from the balcony because he was speaking with Jenny.
Rowan followed the lines on Grizz’s worn face. Out of everyone, you seem the least emotional. “Lisa told us you were good friends.”
“When you work together on a play, you become like a little family. We were only about ten years apart, so if I was going to bond with anyone in the cast, I guess it makes sense it would be Leece.”
“Did she tell you about the death threat before today?”
“No, she told me this morning in her office. She…” Grizz pursed his chapped lips.
“Go on.”
“She was all wonky, said she wanted to cancel the play. I guess you could say this is all my fault.”
“Why is that?”
“’Cause I’m the stupid son of a bitch who convinced her to go through with it.” He turned up his nose. “The whole reason I did it was ’cause you were here. It was your job to keep her safe. Right? Also, like I told you this morning, I think Maura made the threat. I didn’t think she’d go through with it, though.”
Grizz’s words stung Rowan. It was my job to keep her safe. “This morning you accused Maura and then Edward. You were about to give me another name.”
The Opening Night Murders Page 7
