“Audra.” Her daddy’s voice sounded weaker than she’d ever heard before. “I want you on the next plane home.”
“Daddy, I can’t.”
“Then catch the next train. I won’t have you alone in the city that killed Rosie.”
Audra sucked in a breath. “Sir, I have to stay. Figure out what happened. I promise I’ll be careful, but I have to find some answers.”
“How will you stay safe?” Her mother’s words whispered across the line.
“All I can promise is I won’t do anything foolish. I’ll be careful and if I think things aren’t safe, I’ll leave.”
Her daddy sighed. “Then I insist you call home as often as you can. At least every couple days. Your mother and I won’t be able to sleep otherwise.”
She could do that. “Yes, sir. I love you, Mama and Daddy.”
“We love you too. Stay careful.”
Audra hung up and then stood. “Thank you for the use of your phone.”
“Are you sure you’re okay by yourself down there?”
Audra nodded and fled from the apartment and the landlady’s concern.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
__________
Dusk settled on the apartment, the sunlight thinning as darkness approached, but Audra couldn’t rouse herself from the couch. It might be only eight o’clock, but she’d pulled a blanket from the stack on the floor and spread it over her, tucking it under her chin. Her stomach grumbled. Had she eaten today? She tried to remember, but probably hadn’t. The police had arrived before she had breakfast, and the thought of food turned her stomach after identifying Rosemary.
Another rumble shook her stomach. Whether or not she thought she could eat, her stomach demanded sustenance. Last night’s dinner seemed so long ago. The memory of dancing in the circle of Robert’s arms and then running from the press warmed her for a moment. But memories wouldn’t fill her stomach. Did Rosemary even have anything?
She needed to think—develop a plan—but couldn’t do that if her brain felt fogged.
After throwing off the blanket and struggling to her feet, she stumbled to the small kitchen area, opened the cupboard doors, and found nothing to eat other than a lone can of tuna. Too tired to try to locate a grocer in the strange area, she found a cracked glass in the cupboard and filled it with water from the faucet. Maybe that would be enough to satisfy her stomach until morning when she could ask Mrs. Margeson for suggestions.
Audra turned to Rosemary’s desk. Time to shuffle through its piles. The desk showed all the signs of Rosemary’s chaos coupled with the police search as they investigated both deaths. Audra found a blank pad of paper in the mess and, after digging, found a fountain pen. She froze when she realized it was a Parker 51. Where on earth had Rosemary gotten the money for a pen like that? Only the attorneys used the elegant and expensive pens at the firm where she worked.
Audra shook her head then put the pen to paper. Time to start the list of things to do the next morning. First, she needed to ask Detective Franklin if they’d identified that poor woman yet.
Then her mind blanked.
She was trained in legal matters. Surely something she’d learned in her studies or witnessed in the last couple years could help her now.
What would Mr. Clarion do if she walked into his office as a client, demanding justice for her sister? He was well respected in the Indianapolis legal community and had earned his reputation as a skilled attorney and gifted investigator. Maybe she’d call him tomorrow.
Maybe somewhere in this mess Rosemary had left a clue about who would want to kill her. Surely Audra could find something, even if the police missed it. She knew her sister in a way no one in Hollywood could.
The stacks of papers and books overwhelmed Audra. She preferred to keep her desk ordered so she could quickly locate everything she needed. There was only one way to tackle the mess. Simply start. Audra selected a small stack of papers. As she flipped through it, all she saw was a random assortment of bills. She set them to the side on the floor and grabbed the next stack.
Methodically, she tackled the mess until small piles of paper surrounded her on the floor. The scripts might make interesting reading, but for now she had stacked them in teetering piles. Even so, the left-hand side of the desk remained untouched. She’d almost decided to quit for the night when she remembered the black volume she’d tucked in the wardrobe drawer. She tugged the drawer open and pulled it out.
Why hadn’t the police taken it? She stroked the cool, leather cover then took it, some notepaper, and the pen to the couch. She sank on the cushions and opened the book First, she examined the note she’d stuck inside. Now she’d never have the opportunity to ask Rosie what it meant, if anything. As Audra studied the doodles and swirls, they made no sense to her. She almost crumpled the paper. Instead, she placed it on top of the pile and flipped through the first few pages of the notebook. She scanned them, not sure what to look for. It wasn’t like the murderer would have written his name and phone number on the right date. That didn’t even happen in the movies.
Since so many of the names didn’t mean anything to her, she decided to go back a few months and compile a list of the people Rosemary had recorded in the book. Then Audra could try to determine why they were listed.
Soon two sheets of paper were covered with columns of names and dates.
Royce Reynolds. Quincy Cambridge. Jim Collins. Winston Portland. All actors Audra had seen in LOOK or movies. The list continued with an impressive assortment of men. Why had Rosie spent time with them?
One name jumped out. Robert Garfield. What was the connection between Rosemary and Robert? There were so many men listed that Audra couldn’t imagine he meant anything to her sister.
She stared at Robert’s name. At least she’d met him. She could call him and ask more questions about Rosemary.
The quiet in the flat overwhelmed Audra. She glanced at her watch. Nine thirty on a Sunday evening. What would she find on the radio? It didn’t matter, she needed some noise to distract her from the silence. She flipped the power on the radio and waited as it crackled to life.
Heavy knocking flowed from the machine, hard enough that Audra almost jumped to her feet to check the front door.
“What’s the matter? What is it?” a woman’s voice asked with a worried tone.
“Another case for Nick Carter, Master Detective,” a man’s voice said.
Audra didn’t know this show but settled back on the couch with the black book and paper. She tucked the blanket back around her as the organ music played and the announcer introduced the show. Before long she was engrossed in the efforts the detective went through to solve the mystery.
Maybe she should go undercover too. The only problem was, she didn’t have any idea where to do it. It had to be somewhere she’d gain access to the people who knew Rosemary. Ideally, people from the list she’d formed. Many were in movies, but was everyone? And would they be in one place?
Her mind swam with the odds of locating anyone who knew anything.
Audra inched the blanket closer to her chin. Closing her eyes, she succumbed to the tug of darkness and her exhaustion.
Scratch. Scritch. The noise poked through the dark images that had filled Audra’s dreams. Images of women in red evening gowns. Each with bruises lacing their necks rather than pearls. She trembled and shifted on the narrow couch. A thunk sounded as something fell to the floor next to her.
Screetch.
Audra struggled to untangle her legs from the hold of the blanket. What was that sound?
The awful noise made her want to cover her ears. It sounded as if someone were running their fingernails across a chalkboard.
Her heart pounded and she couldn’t see anything. She jumped up, clutching the blanket.
The doorknob jangled, and a sliver of silver light crept across the room toward her as the door eased open.
Audra hunted for something she could use as a weapon but couldn’t see anything in the dimnes
s. A gloved hand slipped around the door to the inside as if groping for a light switch before a large blob entered the tiny entry area. Audra screamed as loudly as she could and slipped behind the couch.
“What the…” A deep voice spoke as the hand hesitated.
Audra screamed again. The small window behind the couch wouldn’t give her an escape. Oh, God. Please help me. Hide me from him or get him away from the apartment.
“What’s going on in there?” an unfamiliar voice sounded outside the door.
Audra screamed again. “Help!”
The shadow swore then took off running.
“Hey, stop.” Echoing footsteps chased the first set.
Tremors shook her body. Why would someone break into the apartment? Did they know she was there, or were they looking for something?
Light flooded the room, and Audra looked up. Mrs. Margeson and a strange man hurried into the apartment.
“Are you all right?” Worry tightened the lines around Mrs. Margeson’s eyes as she studied Audra.
“Someone broke in.” Her voice trembled in a way that embarrassed her.
The man nodded. “My brother is chasing him, and Mrs. Margeson called the police.” He squatted in front of her and eyed her carefully as if examining her for harm.
“He didn’t get in all the way.” Audra blew out a breath.
“Bryce, can you check the lock for me? Make sure it still works?” Mrs Margeson turned to Audra. “Miss Schaeffer, you can’t stay here tonight.”
“I don’t have anywhere else to go.” Her pocketbook couldn’t afford too many nights in a hotel. The plane ticket had almost wiped out her small savings, and Daddy’s money would evaporate if she didn’t use it judiciously. She hated the thought of wiring home for more money. That would only add to her parents’ suffering.
“Don’t worry. I’ve got a spot in my apartment.”
Audra wanted to protest, but the thought of sleeping here after the break-in seemed impossible. “For one night.”
Mrs. Margeson patted her hand. A siren pulsed in the distance. “Help is on the way.” She shook her head. “What is the world coming to?”
Bryce came back with a bag of tools and knelt in front of the door.
“Don’t touch that.” Audra cringed at the tight voice. Detective Franklin strode into the room. “Miss Schaeffer. Getting into trouble already?”
CHAPTER TWELVE
__________
Silence fell as Detective Franklin stood over Audra. Mrs. Margeson wrung her hands and looked from one to the other. Bryce stood and stepped barely inside the door.
“I’ll have someone dust for prints. Did either of you touch the door?” He directed the question at Mrs. Margeson and Bryce.
Both nodded.
“If I didn’t tonight, I know I have in the last week or so.” Mrs. Margeson rubbed her hands together faster.
“Then we’ll fingerprint you both. Don’t want to get your prints confused with whoever was at the door.” Detective Franklin pulled out a thin notebook from his inside jacket pocket. Audra had never seen him in anything but a jacket and rumpled pants. With the temperature spiking past the eighties each day, he couldn’t be comfortable.
The bass of a car pulling up outside reached through the open door. A minute later, two uniformed officers appeared in the doorway. Audra looked around the room and wondered where they’d fit. The apartment felt cramped with the extra people. She leaned against the davenport, taking up as little space as possible.
Detective Franklin pointed at one of the officers. “Go ahead and print the door. We’ve got a unit patrolling the neighborhood for someone on foot.”
“Yes, sir.” The officers rummaged through the bag of equipment they’d brought.
Detective Franklin returned his focus to Audra. “All right, Miss Schaeffer. Tell me what happened.” While his words were brief, concern tinged his eyes as he took notes. She told him the little that she could. “Okay. Anything you two have to add?”
Mrs. Margeson shook her head. “I heard screams. After everything that’s occurred, I hurried down the stairs and ran into Bryce. He sent me to call the police while he checked on Miss Schaeffer. By the time I talked to the police, whoever it was had disappeared.”
“That sounds right.” Bryce shrugged. “A man ran from the doorway when I got here. I came here to check on the lady. Maybe I should have chased him.”
“Leave that to us.” Detective Franklin flipped back through the pages he’d filled with scribbles. “Miss Schaeffer, did you see the man?”
“Only a gloved hand and the impression of a blob. He must be large.”
“You still want us to fingerprint?” One of the officers looked up from the doorknob.
“Yes.” The detective nodded his head. “We have to be thorough.”
“Sure.” The man shrugged. “But we can’t collect fingerprints from someone wearing gloves.”
The other officer strode over with an inkpad and paper. “I’ll take your prints now.”
Mrs. Margeson grimaced as he ran her fingers across the pad and then pressed them against the paper.
Detective Franklin turned his back on the officers. “Mrs. Margeson, you can leave.”
“All right. Don’t forget to come upstairs when you’re done, dear.”
Audra nodded. Something told her she’d already gotten all the sleep possible for tonight. Her already dark dreams might turn to nightmares after this.
“So you’ll stay with her?” Detective Franklin asked.
“Tonight. Then I’ll be back here if you say it’s all right.”
“What do you think this person was after?”
“I don’t know. But I can tell you it was a man. He had a distinctly male voice.”
“That’s something to go on.”
“Cuts out a whole fifty percent of the population.” Judging from the dark glare the officer received at that comment, he wasn’t gaining any credit with Detective Franklin.
Detective Franklin glanced around the room. He snatched the black book. “What’s this?”
“Rosemary’s calendar and address book. I found it yesterday, but looked through it tonight.”
He flipped the pages then tucked it in his pocket.
“What are you doing?” Audra sat up straight and reached for it. “It’s not yours.”
“It is until I confirm whether it contains anything that assists the investigation.”
“When will I get it back?”
“When I’m finished. Is there anything else you found that might be helpful?”
“Not yet.” She gestured toward the desk. “I only got through half of it.”
Bryce cleared his throat and held up inked fingers. “Can I leave now? It looks like you’re well protected, ma’am.”
Audra tried to smile, but feared it fell short. “Thank you for your help.”
“My pleasure.”
Detective Franklin collected Bryce’s contact information then allowed him to leave. The detective watched her in silence, then pulled out the book and perused the pages. “Quite the list of individuals. Reads like a who’s who of Hollywood up-and-comers. Even a few real stars. I thought your sister hadn’t landed a big role yet.”
“That’s right. She thought she was close, but her break hadn’t arrived yet.” Audra shrugged. “She seemed so excited a few weeks ago, and then a week ago that changed. But she wouldn’t tell me why.” Audra tugged the blanket around her shoulders and pulled it tight.
“She’s made notes next to some of the names. Any idea what they mean?”
“I didn’t notice them.”
He handed the book to her. “See here at the end in the address book section. The notations might indicate a way she tracked activities with the men.”
“I doubt it.” The way he said activities made Audra’s skin crawl. It didn’t sound like he meant something innocent. She studied the symbols. They looked like more of Rosie’s doodles, but nothing that meant anything. She closed
the book and held it a moment.
“Make anything out?” Detective Franklin reached for the book.
“No, I’m sorry. Maybe if you let me look at it awhile…”
“No can do. If the marks are more than doodles, we’ll figure it out.”
Audra released the book when he tugged. “May I leave?”
“You’ll be at Mrs. Margeson’s?”
Audra nodded.
“I think you’ll be safe there. Keep someone with you and don’t come back until I clear it. I’ll have an officer escort you to her apartment.”
The words had the same edge as all his others, but Audra sensed a shift. Maybe he really had a heart under all that gruffness.
“Mike, please escort Miss Schaeffer to Mrs. Margeson’s apartment.”
“Yes, sir.” The officer moved to her side.
Audra collected her toothbrush and cosmetics from the bathroom and her bag from beside the couch.
“I’ll be in touch in the next day or two. Stay where I can find you.”
“Yes, Detective.” Audra followed the officer out of the apartment. The fresh air had a hint of something sweet. Orange blossoms? She took a deep breath and exhaled it slowly, trying to release the stress that had built since she arrived in this terrible town.
“Where to, ma’am?” The officer stood next to her, a solid mass of muscle that towered a good foot over her head. Maybe she should find someone like him to act as a bodyguard and keep her safe.
“I’m staying in an apartment on the first floor. Main entrance.”
“All right.” He led her to the sidewalk then paused, looking both ways as if looking for some kind of trouble. Then he hurried her around to the front door. “Which apartment?”
“Two-A.”
He pushed the button, and Mrs. Margeson granted access.
“Thank you.”
He followed her inside. “I’ll make sure it’s safe in here before I leave.” He stuck his head in each room, hand on his gun. Audra would have laughed if Rosie had been with her. Instead, his movements seemed serious and necessary, if a bit overdone.
“All clear. You’re safe.”
Stars in the Night Page 9
