“Okay. Let’s stop for a minute and just cut through the bullshit. Shall we?” Ellie just let her statement set for a minute. It seemed to hang in the air between her and Lightman’s oversized desk.
The man looked a bit like a caricature of a businessman behind that desk. He was short and bald and round and Ellie could not help but think if she took a peek behind the desk she would see his legs dangling off the edge of his chair. His hands were folded on his desktop and he was staring at her as though she had just suggested they get married or something.
“I’m not suggesting you had anything to do with Aston Ryan’s death.” Ellie paused for a moment and racked her brain. “Or Mark Bob Smith’s death, whatever you want to call him.”
There was now a smile playing at the corners of Mr. Lightman’s baby lips. The guy had a mouth that just made you think of baby food. Ellie wasn’t sure what it was, but Harvey just didn’t look like an adult. It was that old boss baby thing, like some cartoon character with a pint-sized body but wearing a suit and tie and sporting diamond cufflinks.
“Well then, Ms. Pierce, that’s just fine. I will happily cut the bullshit.” Lightman grinned and waved his hand. “Speak then and let us be honest. Shall we?”
“Fine. I’ve been told by a certain spoiled country star that you and Aston Ryan were acquainted. Is that right?”
“Sure.” Harvey waved his hand. “Assuming that you aren’t going to the police with this information.”
“They haven’t been to see you?” Ellie couldn’t help it. The shock pretty much just saturated her voice.
Lightman shook his head. He looked very amused, almost as though he’d gotten away with something. “Nope. Though I can’t say I’m surprised. And are you surprised? Really? Think about it. Those imbeciles can’t investigate their way out of a paper bag. Look at the godawful mess they made of that Moonrise Theater nonsense with the Riley Saunders Show! If good old Olivia hadn’t hired your boss’ firm to poke around, there would probably still be missing wallets at every single show! The cops never took that seriously. And they’re equally uninterested in finding the murderer who knifed good old Mark Bob right in the middle of a parking lot at night.”
Lightman waited and Ellie’s mind was already thinking about what he’d said. “They’re going to try to convince everyone it was just a heated lover’s triangle. Is that it?”
“Pretty much.” Lightman shrugged. “But that’s neither here nor there. You asked if I knew the kid. And yes, I did. He fancied himself an agent of sorts. He used to bring me low-rent clients every once in a while. The sort of stuff we would add as a bonus for a few nights during special occasions so we could charge more money per ticket.”
Well, if that much was true then maybe the rest of it was too. “So, the other part of that rumor,” Ellie said slowly, “is that Kari Jo Mounds is claiming Aston Ryan worked a deal with you so she could get out of her contract without any penalties.”
The chubby childlike smile disappeared from Lightman’s face as though it had been physically wiped off. “That’s a damn lie! Do you have any idea how tightly wound that effing contract is, girl?”
“No, I don’t.” Ellie was going to let that “girl” business go for the moment. There was nothing to be gained from murdering the man over a little condescending treatment. “I haven’t had the opportunity to read the contract. I have, however, meet Adam Cathcart and that leads me to believe he negotiated a perfectly legal, air tight, and probably lucrative contract for his client.”
“No doubt,” Lightman muttered. He thought for a moment and then his expression seemed to clear up a bit. “You know, maybe if that silly twit of a girl is willing to sign with me personally and leave Cathcart out of it, I would give her a deal on a reduced contract period. Say another two months instead of four.”
Ellie tilted her head. Interesting. Lightman evidently wanted someone else in his lineup for the holiday season. Ellie wondered if it had anything to do with the dancing violinists. That was an act that had holiday smash hit written all over it. Or you could have a crabby country diva singing the holiday tunes. Either way, people would pay.
“I’ll let Adam Cathcart know about your thought,” Ellie told Lightman subtly. “I’m sure he’s more than ready to be rid of Kari Jo Mounds. She’s been a pain in the ass. It’s pretty obvious from the moment you meet her.”
“That’s no lie,” Lightman said darkly. Then he sat back in his seat and looked thoughtful. “Although, I can’t really complain about her. Not really. She’s talented at least. In the past, I’ve dealt with plenty of acts that weren’t half so talented.”
“What about Olivia Houghton?” Ellie wondered out loud. “Would you want to deal with her again?”
Lightman made a face. “That depends on whether or not she’s going to start nagging me about the Moonrise again. The woman doesn’t understand business when it comes to that place. She just wants to save it. She doesn’t realize what it would actually cost to renovate the thing.”
Ellie could see Olivia nagging the crap out of a man like Lightman to fix things in a rundown theater. On the other hand, there was a lot to be said for preserving a bit of Branson history. “Have you ever thought about approaching one of those historical preservation places about the Moonrise? They might give you grant money. And just think about the tax write offs you’d get from that.”
For just a moment, Lightman actually looked as though he might be considering it. His expression was thoughtful. “I wonder what my accountant would say about that… I could have Margo look into it I suppose. I do enjoy a tax write off.”
Ellie wanted to roll her eyes but didn’t, not if the guy was seriously considering the possibility of at least asking questions about saving the Moonrise. “I’m sure it would make a really good public relations thing too.”
Lightman’s baby face settled into a smug smile. Ellie knew that would appeal to him. Harvey Lightman had one of the worst reputations around town for being a general jackass, a penny pinching, back stabbing liar, and most definitely not like the Branson image of an upstanding businessman of the American Heartland.
“That’s a good idea,” Lightman muttered. “I had a developer come to me the other day to talk about the Moonrise, but the deal wasn’t all that great. Speaking of that meeting, Margo was supposed to put together a proposal or something from them.” Lightman glowered. Then he smashed a button on his desk. “Margo!”
A speaker crackled, but there was no answer on the other end.
Lightman repeated the button smash. “Margo! Where in the hell are you?”
No answer. Lightman got up from his desk and stumbled out from around it. As Ellie had expected, when the man’s feet hit the floor he seemed to shrink at least three feet. He hustled around to his office door and went out into the hallway. Ellie followed along just to see what was going to happen. She felt like she was watching a movie.
Lightman went speeding down the hallway toward the lobby and the front desk area where Ellie had left Margo what seemed like only a short time ago. The desk was empty. There was literally nobody behind it. No ticketing agents, nobody.
“Where would she go?” Lightman was aghast. He turned in a circle once and then he went a second time around. He was having difficulty keeping his feet from twisting up beneath him, but that didn’t seem to slow him down. “Why would she just abandon her post like this? Is there something wrong?” He looked at Ellie. “Do you think we’ve been robbed?”
Ellie was trying to come up with an answer, any answer, when she suddenly saw Margo walking back into the building with a very disgruntled Adam Cathcart trailing behind. Margo was marching along as though she was leading Adam behind her like a puppy. Ellie felt a shot of something that felt strangely like jealousy. But why would she be jealous? Adam and Margo? Really? Ellie had to be out of her mind.
“Margo!” Lightman said sharply. “What are you doing? Why would you just leave? I was looking for you and you didn’t answer.” The way Light
man said this made you think that there was no greater crime in Margo’s world.
Ellie began to feel sorry for the young woman. Of course, it was apparent that Adam did too. Adam’s expression hardened as he gave Lightman a warning look. “You’re being unnecessarily harsh, don’t you think, Harvey? Look at the woman. She’s obviously had a—well a bit of a shock. Maybe you need to find someone to cover Margo’s position for a while so she can pull herself together.”
It was apparent from the daggers Margo shot Adam that she did not particularly agree with this statement about pulling herself together. She kind of looked like she might be ready to hand Adam his lungs.
“Cover her position?” Lightman looked mystified. “There’s nobody to cover her position. You must be out of your mind. Margo is—well she’s Margo. She’s my bookkeeper and a whole lot more.” Lightman waved his hand. “Speaking of that whole lot more, Margo, I need you to do a little research for me on the Moonrise Theater.”
“The Moonrise?” Margo’s voice was thick as though she was angry and having to shove her words out through a tight throat and clenched teeth. But what did that have to do with Adam?
“Why the Moonrise? I thought you wanted that proposal from the developer on your desk.”
“Yes, but I want to know what the tax benefits are to restore the theater, and get a few historical-based grants in order to do it. Right?” Lightman’s eyes were getting bright with what Ellie could only assume was greed as he contemplated the idea. “It’s got to be possible. Right? There have to be grants. Even Ms. Pierce here thought there might be.”
“Ms. Pierce?” Margo swung to look at Ellie and suddenly she was glaring again.
Ellie decided it was time for her and Adam to extricate themselves from whatever was happening between Margo and Lightman. “Adam? Can I have a word please?”
“Of course!” Adam seemed to jump at the opportunity to leave the scene before them. That was good. Right? “Let’s uh—let’s go to my office.”
Adam was practically running down the hallway toward the keycode locked door that led to the back of the house. Now Ellie felt inclined to run behind him before something else happened. It felt as though she was somehow tossed into multiple dramas all at once.
“Oh my God,” Adam gasped when the two of them were safely behind the locked door. Even the bustle of stage hands getting ready for tonight’s show was nothing compared to the Margo and Mr. Lightman show out front. “I don’t know what’s going on around here. It’s like everyone has totally lost their minds!”
Yes. Yes, it was most certainly like the entire world had recently gone off their meds. Ellie could only hope they might find some thread of something that would make a little bit of sense before it all came crashing down around them.
Chapter Twenty-Two
She was looking at him strangely. That was the only thing that Adam could say with any certainty about Ellie right now. He could not help but recall what Hilary Allenwood had said about Ellie and about Titus Holbrook. It seemed like everyone had secrets. Didn’t he after all? There was really no getting around that. But for some reason, something about Hilary’s manner when she’d been talking about Ellie and Titus Holbrook had really stuck with Adam.
“Okay. So,” Ellie began with an exaggerated note of uncertainty, “where do we start?”
“I don’t know. That’s a pretty good question.” Adam took a seat at his desk. “Why don’t we sit. That’s always a good place to begin. Don’t you think?”
She chuckled. He felt like that was positive. “You’re right. Sitting is good.”
As they sat, Adam pursed his lips and figured he should start. “Hilary Allenwood and Margo were a couple.”
The blank look on Ellie’s face was perversely satisfying. It was nice to know that Adam was not the only one to be totally blindsided by that statement. “I’m sorry. Did you just say couple?”
“Yes, as in romantically involved.” Adam made a face. “Not that I have anything against that sort of thing. No judgement here. I lived in California for years after all. But I must admit that when Hilary told me, it just came absolutely out of left field.”
“Wait a second, they were arguing earlier!” Ellie leaned back in her seat and rested her hands on her crossed knee.
For just a moment, Adam was distracted by just how good Ellie looked in her yoga clothes. Not that she didn’t look good in her regular work clothing, but somehow Ellie in a pair of yoga pants and a tank top was just good. She looked relaxed and totally at ease. Her hair was in a ponytail and the curls lightly brushed her neck and ears. She looked somehow that much more approachable than she did with her no nonsense outfits and severe hair. She was a very striking woman. Adam wondered if she even realized it or cared. Ellie wasn’t the sort to care.
“Wow. That’s a lot to take in,” Ellie murmured. She frowned. “Hilary? Are you sure? I can almost believe that of Margo before I can believe it of Hilary. She’s a total barracuda. The woman would eat her own young if she thought she could make a top headlining story out of it.”
“Believe me.” Adam held up his hand. “I’m not arguing that point. But now that we’ve got that bit of weirdness out of the way, what did Lightman have to say about Aston Ryan?”
“They knew each other.” She was suddenly looking at Adam with a very strange expression on her face. “Actually, Lightman was a bit worried at first that I might try to take any answers that I got from him to the police.”
“How have the police not talked to him yet?” Adam wondered out loud. Then he thought about that statement. “Never mind. They would have to actually investigate the murder to learn who the kid’s associates really were.”
Ellie was nodding emphatically. “No doubt. And we know they’re trying to pass this off as a fluke thing. Crime of passion. A one off.”
“When in reality it was what? The second crime in a series?” Adam suggested. “And the letters to Kari Jo was the first crime?”
“Maybe.” Ellie seemed distracted. “Adam, how did you not know that Lightman and Aston Ryan knew each other? Lightman says the DJ considered himself an up-and-coming business manager and that he used to bring some acts into the theater during the holiday season and stuff. Lightman called them low-rent, but still. Wouldn’t you have seen Aston Ryan around?”
“Not for a short-term gig. Think of it like a rental agreement,” Adam explained. He pursed his lips and thought back to the past several holiday seasons. “Wow. That explains some of the stranger acts that we’ve had in here. Last year there was a pole dancer who did a routine involving candy canes. It was a little much I think, for a family-oriented show.”
“But a Garth Brooks Tribute and Ron Skaggs aren’t necessarily for little kids,” Ellie pointed out. “And just so you know, I have a feeling that Lightman would happily cut Kari Jo’s contract short if you offered him the dancing violinists for the holidays.”
Adam sat back in his seat and swung the chair back and forth for a few minutes. “So you asked him then, if he was going to let Kari Jo out of her contract? What did he say?”
“No. Although, he did say he’d be happy to negotiate with her personally for a couple of months and shave some time off the commitment if she wanted.”
“He wants to be rid of her,” Adam mused.
Ellie was already nodding. “It really does seem like it. Who can blame him though?”
She looked as though she had to say something else. Like she really wanted to say something else. Her lips were parted and Adam was distracted by their softness. He wanted to touch them. He wanted to kiss her. It was a bit startling really. He wasn’t that sort of guy. Generally, he could keep things professional and always did. But for some reason he was having difficulty doing that with Ellie Pierce.
“Ellie, what’s on your mind?” Adam finally asked, giving into that undeniable urge to push things farther. He wasn’t sure why he felt that way. He wanted to clear the air between them. Get to another level. Or something. “You look
kind of like there’s something you really want to ask me but are afraid to say a thing about.”
“There is,” she admitted. “Sort of. It’s—well it’s complicated. I just…”
Adam frowned. He never saw Ellie Pierce this off balance or insecure. It concerned him. “Just take your time, I’m not in a hurry.” Well, he should have been in a hurry. But for pity’s sake, Kari Jo had been going on stage for years. Surely, she could manage one night on her own without screwing it all up.
“Ever since this whole thing started,” Ellie finally began, “everyone has been telling me that you’re not what you seem. That Adam Cathcart is out to get what he can. Adam Cathcart has secrets. He’s lying. He’s secretly cheating his clients…”
“They say that? Who says that?” Adam nearly came out of his chair.
Ellie gave a hasty wave of her hands. “Okay, not necessarily in those words. It’s just something that people say and I don’t really understand. But then this evening—afternoon, whatever—you walk in with Margo and I felt all of a sudden like there was something about you that I’ve missed. Some detail or some character flaw that I might have not noticed and I should somehow be careful.”
Adam huffed out a big sigh. He had to admit he’d had some strange thoughts about Ellie and about Titus Holbrook when Hilary had fed him her lines about who not to trust. And that was coming from Hilary Allenwood for pity’s sake!
“I get it.” Adam bobbed his head up and down. “And for the record, I wasn’t out there talking to Margo. I was talking to Hilary. She tried to sneak back here and I caught her. She lost her composure. I took her over to the coffee shop to try to see what kind of information I could get out of her. It was an offer of human compassion. That’s it. But yeah, if someone saw me meeting with Hilary Allenwood, I have no doubt what sort of conclusion they would draw.”
Rock Wolf Investigations: Boxset Page 40
