She called up to the stage. “Okay, guys. I want Annalisa and the King stage front.”
Jo saw Genna, the person she most wanted to speak to tonight, step forward. A slim man in his thirties, apparently Kyle’s replacement, took his place by her side.
“Let’s start from, ‘Annalisa, tell me you care for me.’”
The actors turned toward each other and recited their lines, somewhat woodenly, it seemed to Jo. Whenever they faltered, Jane Pettibone prompted, her role apparently being only to see that they got the lines right. How they were finally projected, Jo assumed, would be decided by Rafe.
Jo found herself enjoying the scene, even with its rough quality. Rafe had written with wit, telling the story of Rumpelstiltskin with tongue-in-cheek humor. She also noticed a flair in Genna begin to appear as she warmed up. The king remained stiff, though that might be attributed to his needing much more prompting. Jo reminded herself he had stepped into the part only recently.
When the two started again from the top, Carrie whispered to Jo and slipped off in the general direction of Charlie’s work area. Jo saw Rafe walk out from the wings, then trot down toward Jane Pettibone to observe the rehearsal of his two leads. At the conclusion of their second run-through, he had a few words with them on their delivery, then told them to move on to their next scene, turning it back to Jane. He came over to Jo.
“You’ve brought things to show me already?” he asked. “You work fast.”
Jo pulled out her samples, and he seemed pleased, even interrupting the pair on stage to run up and drape one of the necklaces on Genna, then step back to gauge the effect.
“Lovely!” Jane cried. “Oh, that will be lovely.”
“Hmm, yes, I think it will do,” agreed Rafe. He slipped it over Genna’s head, causing an "ouch" as it caught a strand of her hair, and handed it back to Jo.
“Yes, I think we’re heading in the right direction with these,” he said.
“Good.” Jo accepted the faint praise, suspecting that from Rafe Rulenski it was close to a rave. She described what she would do next, Rafe nodding until his attention suddenly flew back to the rehearsal.
“Genna, dear, put some life into it when you tell this man you’ll marry him. For God’s sake, you’re the miller’s daughter, and he’s the king! You should be ecstatic.”
“Yes, Mr. Rulenski.”
Jo packed up her jewelry, aware that the moment Rafe was willing to spare of his precious time was over. Jane Pettibone threw a rueful smile in her direction, as though saying, "That’s all we can expect from a temperamental artist." Or perhaps it was more like, "Yes, he can be a pain, but we put up with it." Whichever, Jane, at least, seemed content to roll with it for the reward of being part of the community playhouse team.
And it was a fascinating teamwork, Jo had to admit, beginning to understand just how many pieces went toward putting together an entire production, and how much talent was involved. She heard the sound of hammering and wondered if Carrie had found Charlie, and what all was going on behind that flimsy castle wall.
Other actors were summoned stage front to run through their lines, and Genna and her romantic lead left the stage. Seeing Genna trot down the steps and up the aisle toward the back of the theater, Jo left her sample box, and followed, catching, as she entered the lobby, a glimpse of the door to the ladies’ room swinging closed. She waited a couple of minutes, then walked in to find Genna at the sink, washing her hands.
Jo paused in front of one of the mirrors, and fluffed at her hair, an action that did nothing to improve it but gave her a moment to catch the young woman’s eye. She smiled.
“Hi. You’re our star, aren’t you?”
Genna laughed, but looked pleased. “Not hardly.” She was quite pretty, Jo thought, with dark brown hair framing an oval face. She was also more petite than Jo had realized while looking up at her on the stage. Barely five- two, Jo guessed.
“I just have the lead this time around,” Genna said.
“Well, I’d call that being a star. I was watching the rehearsal. You were very good.”
“Thanks.” Genna peered more closely. “Are you the one who made the necklace?”
“Uh-huh and don’t worry I’ll fix the hair-catching links.”
Genna grinned. “Next time I won’t let Mr. Rulenski pull it off.”
“Probably a good idea.” Jo turned serious. “I understand Kyle Sandborn was your original costar.”
Genna’s smile vanished. “Yes, he was.” She reached for a paper towel and wiped at her hands. “That was so awful, what happened.”
“No one can understand why he would be attacked like that. I imagine you knew him pretty well. Would you say he was the last person you’d expect that to happen to?”
Genna tossed her towel in the wastebasket, frowning. “I don’t know about the last person,” she said. “But who expects that to happen to anybody that you know? I mean, we’re in Abbotsville, for gosh sakes, not in D.C., or Baltimore, where you might be used to things like that. I don’t mean used to it, ‘cause I don’t suppose anyone gets used to such awful violence, do they? What I mean is maybe it’s not such a surprise.”
Genna was babbling, and Jo sensed her nervousness. Was it simply the subject of murder causing it, or this particular murder?
“Can you think of anyone in particular who might want to murder Kyle?”
“No! Absolutely not! And, you know, I’m sorry, but I really don’t like talking about this. I’ve gone over all of it with the police, and I couldn’t help them at all.”
“It’s not pleasant, I know. I’ve had to talk to the police quite a lot. It was my craft store where it happened.”
“Oh! I didn’t realize.”
Jo nodded. “I’m the one found him that night. It was quite a shock.”
The actress’s face softened. “How terrible.”
“Yes, but the worst thing now, at least for me, is that the police think I must have had something to do with it, because of where it happened.”
“Oh, gosh.”
“So I’m really not just prying. I need to find out what did happen.”
“I wish I could help you,” Genna said, “but I don’t know anything about it.”
Jo drew a breath. “I’ve been told your boyfriend Pete didn’t much like the idea of Kyle playing your romantic lead. Is that right?”
Genna slumped back against the tiles. She didn’t seem surprised to hear her boyfriend’s name brought up, and Jo figured she knew where this was leading. “Pete gets upset easily,” Genna said, “but he’s not a bad guy. Not at all.” She looked at Jo, her eyes asking for understanding. “He’s had it rough, growing up, that’s all. Yes, he tends to get too possessive, but we’re working on that. He would never, never do what you’re thinking. Never.”
Jo asked gently, “He has gotten violent, before, though, hasn’t he?”
Genna nodded. “I’ve told him I won’t put up with that, and he’s promised me it won’t happen again. He can be very, very sweet, sometimes. I’ve been tempted to break up once or twice, but I just think he’s worth hanging in there for. I really do.”
Jo looked at the girl, wondering if she was kidding herself, and if Pete was simply a good manipulator. The door swung open, and Rulenski’s assistant poked her head in, her heavy glasses sliding down her nose.
“There you are, Genna! They want you on stage again.”
Genna straightened up. “I’ll be right there.” She looked at Jo, worry lines puckering her brow. “I know you probably want it to be Pete. But he’s not like that. Not underhanded, I mean. Pete gets mad, yes, but when he blows up it’s in front of everyone, then it’s over. He’s the kind of guy who might punch someone in the face, but he’d never lie in wait to catch them off guard.” She laughed ruefully. “That might not sound like the greatest endorsement, but it’s the truth.”
She left the restroom, and Jo listened to her footsteps click across the lobby and fade into the theater. She pulled open
the door and followed.
Jo returned to where she had left her things, and not seeing Carrie, settled down to watch the rest of the rehearsals. Genna ran through a scene with another actor, and not surprisingly, seemed distracted. When it ended, Jo saw her disappear into the wings.
A small chorus gathered to practice a song, and Jo found herself wishing Carrie would return so she could leave, especially since the music was not much improved from her first visit. She was on the verge of going in search when her friend reappeared.
“Ready to go?” Carrie asked. She looked satisfied with whatever she had encountered behind the castle wall.
“Absolutely,” Jo replied, and led the way up the aisle.
Back at the car, Jo had just straightened up after dropping her box on the back seat when she caught sight of two people walking away from the theater. One looked like Genna. Was the other her boyfriend?
“I’ll be right back,” Jo said hastily to Carrie, who had been buckling herself in and looked up in surprise.
The sidewalk was fairly dark, with large trees shading much of the light from the street lamps. The couple walked rapidly, and Jo had to hustle to catch up, thankful that she had worn her sound-muffling soft soled shoes. What would she do, though, if Genna suddenly looked back and saw her?
That didn’t appear likely as Jo soon saw the two were fully absorbed in their discussion.“I just don’t like the way he keeps holding onto you,” the man said, his voice low and grumbly, almost sulky.
“Pete, he has to. He’s supposed to be in love with me. With my character. And you know he’s my cousin.”
So this was Pete, a tall, burly man who towered next to his petite girlfriend. Someone who could be described as a big teddy bear with the right personality, or intimidating with the wrong one.
“He’s your second cousin,” Pete countered.
“So what? I’ve known him since I was a kid. I went to his wedding, for gosh sakes, when I was twelve.”
Genna spoke in a light tone, clearly wanting to coax Pete away from his worries.
A man walking his beagle approached from the other direction, and Jo dropped back as the couple slowed and gave him room to pass. The dog then veered toward Jo, sniffing upwards hopefully. Another time she might have reached down with a pat, but tonight she stepped nimbly out of its reach. When she caught up again, Genna and Pete’s topic seemed to have switched.
“... not right, that kind of thing,” Jo heard Pete say.
“I know,” Genna agreed. She sounded sad, but resigned.
Jo didn’t catch all of what Pete said next with his low-pitched voice. What she did hear was, “... don’t like you being there.”
Genna responded with, “I guess that should be my decision.” She said it evenly, but she dropped hold of Pete’s arm and edged slightly away.
Pete jammed his hand into his jacket pocket, looking, from his posture, angry. The two picked up their pace, but said no more, and Jo saw Genna gesture toward a convenience store up ahead, and mutter something about needing milk. Jo turned and trotted back to the car where her patient friend sat waiting, a quizzical look on her face.
“Sorry about that,” Jo said as she slid behind the wheel. “A bit of spontaneous sleuthing.” After describing it quickly to Carrie, Jo wondered what, if anything, she had managed to learn. Bits and pieces, once more. She could only hope they would soon fit together to fill a complete picture. There was still too large a hole in this flimsy tapestry she was trying to weave together.
Where would she find those essential threads she needed, to fill it in?
CHAPTER 14
Phyllis Lenske of St. Adelbert’s called Jo at the shop to confirm that the ladies of the sodality would be able to do a table at the country club’s fall craft show.
“Mary Louise’s knee surgery won’t be done until November,” she explained meticulously to Jo, “and even though I know the poor thing’s in pain, she insists she can do it. And Susan and her husband are leaving for the Bahamas tomorrow, but she’ll be back in plenty of time.”
Phyllis promised she could round up several ladies from the group who did things like needlepoint eyeglass holders and hand painted Christmas ornaments. “We’ll do a beautiful table, don’t you worry.”
Jo thanked her profusely, and added Phyllis to the list. One professional craftsman had finally agreed to come from the Eastern Shore with his array of hand carved waterfowl. And the group from the Methodist church was gradually coming together too. That left several "maybes", including a basket maker who had run a highly successful table last year, and Jo planned to make a few nudging phone calls today. She needed a nudge herself. She hadn’t yet considered what her own table would hold, what with all that she’d been dealing with lately. This was a great opportunity to give her struggling shop a new image and help erase pictures of Jo’s Craft Corner surrounded with police tape and crime scene clean up crews from people's minds. She needed to make the most of it.
Since business had been slow that day, possibly due to the sporadic rain, Carrie had taken the opportunity to make a quick run to Sears and pick up some new work clothes for Dan that were on sale. Jo looked up as she came in, arms full of bags, looking triumphant.
“Good luck?” Jo asked.
“Not only,” Carrie crowed, “did I get two new pairs of work pants and a new flannel shirt to replace that ratty blue one he keeps wearing, all at one third off, but I stocked up on underwear and socks for Dan and the kids at half price.”
“Woo-hoo!” Jo hooted. “But nothing for yourself?”
“Oh, I don’t need anything,” Carrie said, then grinned slyly. “But I did see one or two things that Dan might want to get me for Christmas. He tends to need very precise suggestions for his gift lists. Including exactly which end of which department of which store to find the thing.”
“It’s only a kindness to give him such help.” Jo agreed.
“That’s how I feel.” Carrie set down her bags and looked around. “Any activity here while I was gone?”
“A little,” Jo said. “That woman who dithered back and forth on the yarn for her sweater after asking your opinion over a dozen times, came in and bought the yellow acrylic.”
Carrie grinned. “My advice was to go with the navy worsted, but, oh well.”
“And Javonne Barnett stopped in to give me the full name of Genna’s boyfriend. It’s Pete Tober. She tracked it down through Genna’s friend’s mother, who came in for a teeth cleaning.” Jo grinned. “Nothing like a small town, is there?”
“Tell me about it.”
“And not only that, but remember Dawn, the girl I spoke to in the park? Javonne’s pretty sure she’s Dawn Buchmann, which means she has a reason not to want to badmouth Pete. Dawn’s husband, Jack, has a sister married to one of Pete’s brothers.”
“Ah, family ties.”
“Exactly, with tangled family loyalties.”
“So,” Carrie asked, “now that you know who Pete is, what will you do?”
Jo frowned. “I don’t know yet. Genna was so anxious to convince me Pete was incapable of such a crime. But her eagerness tends to make me more suspicious since it suggests the thought already occurred to her, and that she’s been trying to convince herself of its impossibility.”
“The conversation you overheard came across as controlling on his part, wouldn’t you say?”
Jo hesitated. “Yes and no. It sounded like Pete’s attempt at control, but Genna didn’t sound all that compliant to me. She was standing up for herself. I wish I had been able to hear more, though.” Jo laughed at herself. “I can hardly believe I’m saying that, or doing that. Tiptoeing up to listen in on conversations. Next thing I’ll be sending away for my super-duper lock jimmying set.”
“Whatever it takes,” Carrie said, and Jo saw she was only half joking. The front door jingled as a customer walked in and Jo got up to wait on her as Carrie lugged her Sears bags to stow in the back.
When they picked up their conve
rsation again, Carrie’s thoughts had turned to Charlie, and how good she felt watching him at work at the playhouse.
“He was, like, electrified, Jo,” she said, rephrasing much of what she had already related the night before. “I mean, all he was doing was fetching and carrying tools and such for the scenery crew, and once in a while he turned the screwdriver on a couple of braces. But he was having a ball doing it! His eyes were going every which way, drinking it all in.”
“He liked the camaraderie, maybe?”
“That could be part of it. He’s drifted away from a lot of his old friends when he stopped doing sports, mostly because they were still busy with practices. But there also wasn’t that mutual interest anymore. He made a few new friends, but there didn’t seem to be much enthusiasm. That’s what I was seeing in him again. Enthusiasm.”
Jo saw the same thing in her friend’s eyes at the moment. Carrie was delighted with the new interest that was making her son happier.
“I presume you shared all this with Dan?”
“Yes, of course.” Carrie’s glow dimmed a bit. “He’s still not great with it. I wonder if he worries this might be taking Charlie off in a strange, new direction.”
“What, like to New York, like me?”
Carrie grinned, and Jo remembered how her announcement that she was moving to New York had astonished Carrie and Dan, whose idea of a life-altering change was relocating from the town they had all grown up in to Abbotsville, a mere twenty miles away.
“You and Dan tried your best to talk me out of it at the time. You probably thought you’d never see me again, that I’d disappear altogether into the bowels of the big city. But that didn’t happen, did it? We stayed friends the whole time, and I got to do what I loved.”
“Yes, of course. And I see that, but maybe Dan still thinks you would have been better off, safer perhaps, to stay near home.”
Jo thought about that. Would she have given up ever knowing and loving Mike, who she had met and married in New York, to avoid the final pain of losing him? Tough choice, because that pain was the worst. But no, she wouldn’t pass on the time she had with him. Only someone outside her shoes could think it might have been better not to have had the good in order to avoid the bad.
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