by Rayna Morgan
Tom was the first to recover from the startling revelations. "One point I'd like to clarify, Max. Were you the one who broke into Neal's condominium?”
Max sighed, looking at his employer. "I was afraid he might have something incriminating against Madam. I was sure he wouldn't hesitate to blackmail one or both of you. All I found was a picture of her talking to him at the fundraiser. It wasn't much, but I didn't want him to have any proof of their carrying on."
Tom didn't mention the picture Max hadn't found; the one that could, indeed, have been used for blackmail.
An officer appeared at the doorway. Tom helped Max to his feet, and the officer marched him out.
"I'll do everything I can for you, Max," Art promised as they passed.
The Pattons were the first to take their leave. Art reminded his wife they were without a driver. She laughed. "Don't worry, Honey. I can drive that big, black limousine. Next week, we're trading it in for something more practical. With more cargo room to take the dogs to their shows. Something I can see out of, without all that darn window tinting. Right now, I'm taking you home to cook up the best meal you've never had from me."
He hooked his arm in hers, smiling. A gleam was returning to his eyes.
"I can't thank you yet, Detective," he told Tom. "The heartbreak of the outcome is still too fresh. Someday, I’ll be able to appreciate how well you've done your job. When that time comes, I hope to find a way to repay you."
"But not by bribery," his wife was quick to add, bringing them all some much-needed laughter. "That reminds me; all sorts of interesting things have been happening since you three started gracing City Hall with your presence."
"What are you referring to?" Paul asked.
"Charles White resigned today. He didn't give much reason other than his wife wanting to move closer to their grandchildren. It took everyone by surprise. Except me, maybe."
The corners of her mouth lifted in a small smile as she looked at Tom. "You wouldn't know anything about that, would you, Detective?"
Tom shrugged his shoulders and looked at Paul. "I'm as surprised as anyone. I have no idea what precipitated his resignation."
The Councilwoman pressed Lea's hand as she and her husband turned to leave. "My special thanks to you, Lea, for bringing me to my senses in time for me to have a second chance at getting things right. You and I will talk soon."
The friends watched the couple walk toward their limousine as a setting sun of burning red and orange began slowly disappearing into the ocean.
A janitor walked in, then quickly backed out. "Sorry, I thought the Councilwoman was done for the day."
The threesome looked at each other, nodding. Lea swept her arm in front of her. "Come on in. We’re all done for the day."
Paul grinned. "We've each got our own car. The last one to the Crab Shack buys drinks."
As they raced down the hall, Lea asked, "Should I—”
The two men shouted in unison. "Yes, call Maddy."
<<<<>>>>
MURDER: ACT TWO
A Sister Sleuths Mystery
Book Two
Rayna Morgan
CHAPTER ONE
The dogs were barking at the front window. The bell rang once before the door burst open and Maddy came rushing through. “Anybody home?” she called.
Lea walked out of the kitchen holding a coffee mug. “Morning, Sis. Help yourself to coffee."
"What are you up to?" Maddy asked, pulling a cup from the cupboard. She leaned over to acknowledge the dogs circling around her. “Hey, Gracie,” she said patting the gold border collie on the head. She laughed as the white retriever rolled on the floor extending his legs in the air. “Want a tummy rub, Spirit?”
"I'm doing the daily crossword to wake up my brain before I start working," Lea answered. As a free-lance business writer, Lea worked from home preparing brochures, proposals, employee handbooks, and business plans for her clients.
"You're so smart, Lea; you should be writing those things."
"Working a crossword puzzle and creating one are two entirely different things."
"You're always up for a mental challenge."
"When would I possibly have time? I'm behind in my work as it is thanks, in part, to our last sleuthing caper." She stirred cream into her coffee and walked into her office with her sister and the dogs trailing. "I've usually heard from you before I've put the coffee pot on. Did you have a late night?"
Maddy feigned an objection. "Not that my personal life is anyone’s business, but I did have rather a late night."
"Tom or your new cowboy hero?"
"Neither, it wasn't that kind of late night. I invited Art Patton to dinner."
"You invited the most famous retired actor in the County out to dinner?" Lea asked incredulously. "You do remember he's married to a City Councilwoman."
"Of course; give me some credit. I invited Art’s wife, too, but she was attending her final meeting as a member of the Council. At the end of the month, she's an ex-politician and owner of a catering business."
"I hope you had a legitimate reason for inviting a married man to dinner unless you want to start the gossip chain in this small town." She envied her sister's lack of concern over what people thought but it did get Maddy in trouble from time to time.
"It was the least I could do to thank him for allowing me to use his home as the backdrop for the furnishings publication."
Maddy's job as an interior design consultant was a perfect outlet for her artistic side.
"That issue was beautiful,” Lea complimented her sister. “Your idea to feature his rose garden was brilliant. It was like seeing pictures of a slice of heaven."
"I was sure I'd knock it out of the park with that issue, but it was even better than I expected. We've had tons of people come in asking to see the pieces which were featured."
"Well deserving of an expression of gratitude, I agree. I hope you took him to a fabulous restaurant."
"Where do you think? The Apex, of course," Maddy responded.
"I'm impressed; the county's premier dinner club."
"I thought you would be."
"Then you'll be impressed with the fact that I'm working on a brochure for the owner of the Apex as we speak," Lea said, glancing at the document on her computer screen. "What did you order?"
"They were featuring French cuisine last night which I knew from surfing the net is Art's favorite."
"Clever."
"I'll admit to being clever but you're the one with the brains."
"Yeah, yeah. That's a false show of modesty if I ever heard one. So the dinner was a success?"
"You'll never guess what he asked me during dessert.” Maddy’s voice raised a notch. “He's getting ready to co-star in the next production at the Players Theatre."
"That's not surprising. He's performed in that venue several times. He's always wonderful; gets standing room only attendance. I also know he's a major supporter of the Theatre."
"Yes, but get this. The big news isn't that Art's going to be in the play. The surprise is he wants me to be in it."
"That's surprising alright, in more ways than one, least of which is your lack of experience."
"It's only a minor role; a handful of lines in the whole play," Maddy admitted. "They need someone to fill in for a woman who came down with the flu and is too sick to continue. They're only two days from production, so they don't have time to go through auditions."
"How did Art think of you to take the part?"
"Honestly, I don't think he did until we had dinner. We were talking about everything under the sun and laughing so hard I almost choked. He's so entertaining when he tells stories about his acting days. I was trying to keep up by describing some of our ill-fated adventures growing up with a cop for a father."
"You mean like the time you decided we should help Dad out and followed him to a crime scene?"
"Yeah. Boy, was he shocked when the bicycles the perp tripped over trying to escape turned out to
belong to his own daughters."
"We were grounded for a month, but it was worth it," Lea recalled. "That was our first crime scene. We even saw the inside of an interrogation room. I don't know if you ever realized this, Maddy, but Dad could have taken our statements at the scene or in his office at headquarters. He took us to the interrogation room on purpose to scare us into realizing how serious police business is."
"I wasn't scared. I thought it was a blast."
Lea laughed. "That's what made Dad realize his mistake. He vowed that would be our last crime scene."
Maddy's snort was a throaty, guttural sound. "It hasn’t worked out that way, has it?"
"Hardly. So what did Art think about your story?"
"He loved it, but what impressed him was how animated I got telling the story."
"No doubt." Lea could easily picture the facial gyrations Maddy would have employed. "You're a master of expression."
"He thinks I have a natural flair for acting."
"I think it's called being a drama queen."
"Whatever. He says it would be a good idea to start with this small part. If I like it, I can audition for bigger parts in future plays. They often need locals for supporting roles."
"I think it's a great idea," Lea concurred. "Art's right. I wouldn't necessarily call it talent, but being dramatic is second nature to you."
"Call it by any name you want. I call it helping out. They're in a pinch with the play opening this weekend. And I owe Art for all the points I chalked up at work with the rose garden edition of the magazine."
"Will it interfere with your job?"
"I've already rescheduled my time with the other salespeople."
Lea offered a note of encouragement. "Then there's no reason not to do it, and I think you'll be great."
Her sister’s tone softened to a little girl's voice. "No reason except a case of stage fright."
Lea's response was emphatic, "C'mon, Mad. You've never been afraid to try anything. You're hardly the shy, retiring sort."
Maddy's voice brightened audibly. "You're right. If my instincts tell me to go for it, that's enough for me.”
"When do you start?"
"The play opens in two days. It runs Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays for four weeks. I start at rehearsal tonight. I was up past midnight learning my lines."
"That's a first. You never stayed up late studying when we were in school."
"I'd still feel better getting an honest opinion about how I look and sound on stage. Would you come to rehearsal tomorrow night and lay it on me?"
"One thing you can count on from me is an honest opinion. Okay, it sounds like fun. Paul's playing softball tomorrow night. I'll encourage him to take Jon to the game; they can stop for pizza on the way home."
"Be at the Theatre at seven. Thanks. I owe you."
"If I ever get all the paybacks you owe me…" She was interrupted by the sound of Paul coming down the stairs.
• • •
Having finished a long-winded early morning conference call from a client, her husband was hustling to get out the door. Receiving calls from real estate developers whose construction business started before sunup was not unusual in Paul's consulting business.
Packing files into his briefcase, he called out to Lea, "I'm out the door, sweetheart. See you tonight." When she appeared in the doorway to her office in pajamas, he laughed. "At times, I envy you being able to work from home."
Looking at the barely-combed red hair cascading over her shoulders, gray-green eyes framed by glasses sliding halfway down a perfectly-shaped nose, and raspberry-red lips, he had visions of jumping back into bed with her.
After years of marriage, she only had to look at her husband to read his mind. "You're late already, love," she laughed, "but I'm free after dinner tonight."
“Alright, you two, enough of that,” Maddy said appearing at her sister’s side. “Morning, Paul.”
“I figured it was you, Maddy. Anyone else would have waited for someone to answer the door before charging in.”
He turned back to his wife. "I’d love to take you up on your offer but I've got to help Jon with his school project. I promised to break out the tools to help him design a theatre set for his drama class."
"If seeing a real theatrical production would inspire you two, you could stop by to see me at the Players Theatre tonight," Maddy suggested.
Paul raised his head, his interest piqued. "What will you be doing at the Theatre?"
"I went to dinner with Art Patton last night. He asked me to take over a small part for an actor who got sick. My first rehearsal is tonight.”
"Wow, an actor in the family. Who would have thought?" Paul exclaimed, voice thick with sarcasm. "Actually, I'm surprised you haven't been involved in acting sooner considering your love of drama."
“Getting kidnapped last month was hardly my own doing.”
“How about putting yourself in a position where it could happen?”
Ignoring her husband's disparaging remark, Lea defended her sister. "I envy her the experience. I wish I had the nerve to get up in front of all those people."
“It's more than stage fright with you,” Paul told her. “Trusting herself comes easier to your sister than it does to you. Maddy believes every experience which comes her way is one she's meant to have and will have a good outcome. You're a worrier, famous for over thinking things and being unduly cautious about taking risks."
"I'll admit I'm a bit of a perfectionist, and I don't like making mistakes. If that means being unwilling to make a fool of myself …" Lea pouted, feeling she was now defending herself instead of her sister.
"You worry about what other people think." He brushed a lock of hair away from her eyes. "It's one of the things I love about you. You're sensitive to other people's feelings, afraid to say the wrong thing or to hurt someone."
“I’m not insensitive,” Maddy protested. “The way I look at it, if people can't accept me for who I am, they're people I choose not to be around."
"Not all of us feel we have that luxury," Paul retorted.
"Speaking of luxury,” Lea said, “I'd like to attend the Pre-Opening Dinner this year. Think we could splurge on the higher-priced tickets? People from the entertainment industry attend. I hear it's quite a spread."
“I could care less about the celebrities, but I'm easily convinced when there's good food involved,” Paul agreed. “I'll tell Tom to meet me at the gym Saturday so I can work off any over-indulgence.”
"Invite Tom to come with us Friday,” Lea responded. “I'll get an extra ticket. I'm sure he'd enjoy seeing Maddy in the play. Is that alright with you, Mad?"
Their closest friend, Tom Elliot, was a Lieutenant in the Buena Viaje Police Department and head of the Major Crime and Homicide Unit who had earned his reputation as a smart, conscientious officer respected and well-liked by the men and women he supervised. He was also considered to be one of the most eligible single men in town.
Lea took every opportunity to throw Tom and Maddy together since introducing them when her sister moved to Buena Viaje five years ago. Finding mutual ground as divorcees surviving painful breakups, Maddy and Tom had given each other support and consolation. The four friends got together at least once a week for drinks and dinner.
Her sister shrugged. “Sure, the more the merrier. I’ve got to get to work. Talk to you later.”
After she left, Lea gave her husband a reminder. "Don't forget Dad's stopping to have an early dinner with us on his way to his annual fishing weekend at Pacific Bay. He's leaving San Diego early to beat the traffic so he should be here by five o'clock. I'm planning to eat at six so he'll be able to finish his drive up the coast before it gets dark. You and Jon will still have plenty of time to work on the homework project after he leaves."
"Will your mother be here?"
"No, she's flying up to join him this weekend."
"Good. I'll be home in plenty of time to have a drink and a chat with him before dinner.
Without your mother here, he might be able to get a word in edgewise. Want me to fire up the grill?"
"No, thanks. I'm putting a roast in the oven; that's Dad’s favorite."
"Let me know about Maddy's play on Friday so I can put it on my calendar."
• • •
Later that morning, Lea called the Players Theatre and then dialed her sister's number. "I got the last tickets to the Pre-Opening Dinner Friday night. Will we see you there?"
"Hardly. I'll be too nervous to eat anything. Besides, only the lead actors attend the dinner so they can visit with the patrons. The bigwigs aren't interested in meeting us peons." She hesitated before continuing. “I didn’t want to admit it in front of Paul but having Tom in the audience might make me more nervous."
"Maddy, get over yourself. You've only got a few lines. You know what Paul always says: The only failure is in letting fear keep you from trying; success is in the doing."
"Easy for him to say. He won't be on stage in front of an audience."
"Just by learning your lines and showing up, you’ll succeed at doing something you've never done before. Relax and enjoy the experience."
"You're right, Sis. It'll be a great night. I can't wait. See you tomorrow at rehearsal."
CHAPTER TWO
Maddy felt butterflies in her stomach as she turned into the parking lot at the Theatre. She only had a small part, but it would be embarrassing to flub her lines in front of half the town. She visualized crossing the stage to speak her lines. Her palms start sweating. Her throat constricts. Her brain turns to mush. She opens her mouth but nothing comes out. The audience laughs. She runs from the stage crying.
Shaken by the visualization, she replaced it with a happier vision. She performs flawlessly. The audience stands, clapping, as she takes her bow. A rose is thrown on stage. A voice from the crowd can be heard shouting: 'A new star is born'.
