Center Stage: Magnolia Steele Mystery #1

by Denise Grover Swank

  I nodded, tears streaming down my face.

  She stood. “I need to get ready for work.”

  “I’ll come with you.”

  “You don’t have to do that, Magnolia.”

  “Shut up, Momma. I’m coming,” I said.

  That surprised us both, and my mother broke out into laughter. “Maybe you’re more like me than I thought.”

  I worried that Momma would leave without me, but I took my time getting ready. I was meeting Roy at two, and damn it all, I wanted to look my best to meet my prick of a brother and address his offer.

  Momma was waiting for me when I came downstairs. She gave me a smile as she looked me up and down, taking in my lightweight pink tunic sweater, white jeans, and the strappy pink heels that made me taller than her. She patted my cheek. “You’re just as beautiful on the inside, Magnolia. Don’t let anyone ever tell you different.”

  Tilly declared me too pretty to be filing in the dirty basement. Instead she stationed me in the front room beside the kitchen. She and Momma had clients coming in around eleven, and my job was to greet them and let Momma and Tilly know they were there. But they weren’t coming for another half hour, so I could do as I pleased.

  I opened the blinds and settled behind the desk, all the while trying to wrap my head around the fact that my mother was dying. I was studying the appointment book, thinking Momma and Tilly really needed to get into the twenty-first century and put their appointments on a computer, when the front door opened.

  “Emily.” I cringed when I looked up at her. “I know you’re here to yell at me.”

  “No, actually . . . I have some news.”

  “Oh.” I wasn’t sure that was a good thing.

  “I went by Luke’s this morning to talk to Amy, but he was fit to be tied. She was supposed to show up at seven. I got there at eight and she still hadn’t arrived.”

  “Last night, I saw her packing a suitcase. Do you think she took off?”

  She took a breath, looking solemn. “Luke sent one of his bodyguards over to her apartment to check on her and make sure she was okay.” She paused. “Magnolia, she’s dead.”

  “What?” The blood rushed from my head, and I sat down on the sofa. “How?”

  “It looks like suicide.”

  I shook my head. “No. I just saw her last night. I told you—she was packing a suitcase.”

  “And she bought a plane ticket to the Cayman Islands with Luke’s credit card. Her flight left this morning, but it looks like she decided she couldn’t leave.”

  “No!” I said, standing and beginning to pace. “How do you know she wasn’t murdered? They just made it look like suicide.”

  “Magnolia, she left a note.”

  I shook my head. “Anyone could have forged that.”

  Emily moved in front of me and looked into my eyes. “Magnolia. The note was written to Luke. There were things in there that only the two of them would know.”

  “To Luke? Why?” Then I realized. “She loved him. She was telling him goodbye.” I just couldn’t believe it. This felt so wrong. “Did she say why she killed herself?”

  “She thought she was going to be arrested. They figure she didn’t want to disgrace him with her arrest.”

  “But did she actually admit to killing either of them?”

  “She didn’t have to. Her fingerprints were all over the handle of the knife that was used to kill Neil Fulton.”

  I felt like I was going to be sick.

  “Why are you taking this so hard?” Emily asked, looking genuinely puzzled. “You hardly knew her, and this clears your name.”

  I sucked in my bottom lip as guilt settled on my shoulders like a familiar yoke. “Because I knew she wasn’t right last night. I sent Belinda a text and you an email—” I gasped. “Oh, my God. Belinda. I have to tell her.”

  “I already did.”

  “Is she mad at me?”

  “Why would she be mad at you?” Emily shook her head. “I swear, you have to be one of the most narcissistic people I know.” But the words didn’t carry any heat.

  “Last night I asked Amy if she’d killed them. I told her I knew about her contract with Max. I pushed her to this.”

  “That’s bullshit. And more narcissism. You said she was packing when you showed up. She bought the plane ticket late yesterday afternoon. You did not do this. She did this.”

  I let that soak in for a few moments before I asked, “So what happens now?”

  “The Brentwood police are working the scene, but I’m sure the Franklin police will notify me today that you are no longer a person of interest.”

  “And then I’m free to go?” I asked.

  “You mean back to New York? Yeah, if that’s what you want.”

  “I’m about to get offered my old part back. And a raise.”

  “Well, congratulations if that’s what you want,” she said, adjusting her purse strap.

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” I asked.

  “Ten years ago you ran away from something, Magnolia,” she said, holding my gaze. “Has it occurred to you that you need to face what you ran from before you can move on with your life?” Then she turned around and walked out the door.

  Emily had no idea what she was asking. I’d thought so too until I’d discovered the truth. Now I wasn’t sure what I should do.

  She’d just walked past the window when my phone dinged with a text. I’d hoped to hear from Belinda, but it was from Jimmy.

  Congrats, doll! You got your part back. Astronomical offer. Call me.

  I should have been elated. Not only had I gotten back the part I loved, but I would be making a lot more money and Griff would have to kiss my ass. But after my mother’s announcement, I wasn’t sure I could leave.

  My heart was divided between the stage and my mother. How was I going to choose? Then Jimmy sent me a follow-up text saying that if I took the offer, I had to be in New York by tomorrow, which only threw me into more confusion and uncertainty.

  Momma’s clients showed up at eleven. She and Tilly took them to the back, and I decided to expand Momma’s spring cleaning to the obviously seldom-used front room.

  At around 11:30, the bell on the door rang and I looked up to see Belinda standing in the doorway, her hand twisting a handful of her skirt. She offered me a hesitant smile as she asked, “Would you like to go to lunch?”

  Despite Emily’s insistence, I couldn’t help worrying that Belinda blamed me for pushing her friend too far. “Yeah. Let me tell Momma.” But she was busy with her client, so I sent her a text telling her that I was going to lunch with my sister-in-law but would be back soon.

  We walked down to the deli where I’d met Brady. I felt a little twinge, but I told myself it meant nothing. Brady meant nothing. My life here in Franklin meant nothing. I had a life in New York I needed to get back to. But I wasn’t really buying it.

  We ordered our lunch and found a table. An awkward silence descended between us as we waited for our food, and finally I couldn’t take any more. “Belinda, I’m so sorry about Amy.”

  Her eyes filled with tears. “I can’t believe she’s dead.”

  “Maybe I shouldn’t have gone to see her last night.”

  Belinda searched my eyes. “I don’t think it would have mattered, Magnolia. I find it so hard to believe that she killed those men. But she was under a lot of stress, and I guess she just snapped.”

  “But you knew her,” I said. “Do you really think she was capable of murder?”

  Her gaze locked on to a spot on the wall across the room. “I used to think people were incapable of all sorts of terrible things.” Her voice lowered to almost a whisper. “But sometimes I think there’s a monster in all of us.”

  I suppressed a gasp. Was Belinda talking about my brother or herself?

  But she didn’t give me time to dwell on it before she said, “I didn’t know she was a cutter either.”

  I shook my head. “What are you talking about?”
r />   She turned to face me. “The police asked me questions this morning. They wanted to know if I’d known if Amy was into cutting.”

  I released a tiny shudder. “Was she?”

  “Not that I knew of, but they said she had several marks on her legs. Only more proof of her stress, I guess.”

  “Wow,” I murmured.

  The woman at the counter called our names, and Belinda jumped up, grabbed the bags, and brought them back to the table.

  “I know the details of Roy’s offer,” Belinda said, keeping her eyes on the sandwich she was unwrapping. “I want to apologize.”

  I hesitated, unsure what to say before settling on, “It’s not your fault.”

  Her eyes lifted to mine, her expression guarded. “Are you going to take it?”

  I was sure Roy insisted that Belinda tell him everything. It was how men like him kept control. But he didn’t know Belinda had spent the day with me on Saturday, which told me she didn’t always carry out his orders. At the same time, I didn’t want to put her on the spot by asking her to keep something from him—even if it was just for a few hours. “I’m going to see him.”

  “Oh,” she said, sounding deflated. “So you’re leaving.” Her gaze lifted to me. “I know it’s part of the deal.”

  “If I accept my part back, then I should probably leave tonight. I’d have to be at work by tomorrow afternoon.”

  “They’re offering you back your part?”

  “My agent says he has an offer.”

  “That’s wonderful,” she said, only she didn’t sound like she meant it.

  We ate in silence for several moments, then Belinda said, “I understand why you wouldn’t want to be my friend, Magnolia. After Roy . . .” Her voice broke off, but she didn’t look away from me. “But I want to thank you for indulging me with the sister-in-law thing this weekend.”

  “Indulging you?” I said in surprise. “Belinda, you’re one of the reasons I’m finding it hard to leave.”

  Her eyes widened. “You don’t want to go?”

  The question was so complicated. This tug of war in my heart and my head was confusing the hell out of me. “I don’t know.”

  “Oh.”

  “But I have no job here. No life. Nowhere to live. My life is in New York. I’ve spent eight years getting to this point. I’d be crazy to throw it all away.”

  “Can I give you a piece of advice?” she asked.

  “Of course.”

  “You know how people say follow your heart?” She paused, her face expressionless. “Well, be careful with that, Magnolia. Get your bearings before you leap—otherwise you may not recognize where you land.”

  I knew exactly what she was talking about, and it broke my heart to pieces. “Belinda . . .”

  She offered me a smile, one that looked as fake as the ten-carat cubic zirconium ring Jody used to wear to theatre parties. “I have to get back to work, but I have loved every minute with you. Goodbye, Magnolia.” There were tears in her eyes as she gathered up her food, stuffed it in her bag, and left.

  I watched her go, my heart so heavy it felt weighted down by fifty-pound stones.

  I didn’t want to stay at the deli alone, so I packed up my own bag and ordered two sandwiches to take back to Momma and Tilly.

  I stood to the side while I waited, continuing to wage my epic battle over what to do. When the woman at the counter called my name, I absently walked forward to grab the order, but someone else got to it first. I was about to protest, but I found myself looking up into Brady Bennett’s contrite face.

  Anger rushed through me like a wildfire. I was looking up at one very good reason to leave.

  “We have to quit meeting like this,” he said with a hesitant smile.

  I snatched the bag out of his hand, spun around, and stormed out the door.

  “Magnolia, wait.”

  It felt so odd to hear him call me Magnolia. I was used to Maggie coming from his lips. But then, everything about him—and us—had been a lie. I barely knew this man, so why did that hurt so much?

  He chased after me, following me onto the sidewalk. “Magnolia. Please listen.”

  The wind had a cold bite, so I crossed my arms in front of my chest, tugging my sweater tighter. “You have thirty seconds.”

  “I’m sure you’ve heard that you’re no longer a person of interest.”

  I gave my head a tiny shake. “No, actually. I hadn’t yet.”

  He frowned. “Holden was supposed to call your attorney.”

  I shuffled the bags in my hands and pulled my phone out of my pocket. Sure enough, I had a missed call from Emily. I stuffed it back into my pocket and returned my attention to him.

  “You have to believe me when I tell you I didn’t know. I thought you might have come to the station to report a domestic violence situation. But there was just something about you, and I didn’t want to take your report. I wanted to get to know you better.” He searched my face. “Do you believe me?”

  I shrugged. “Why does it matter, Brady? It’s done.”

  “Because I want that second date.”

  Shaking my head, I laughed. Yes, here was a definite reason for leaving. Brady Bennett was far from safe. He would ask questions—questions about my past that I wasn’t sure I should answer. “Well, the next time you’re in New York, give me a call and maybe we can meet for drinks.”

  His face fell. “You’re leaving?”

  Was I? Was that my subconscious making my decision for me?

  But this wasn’t the time for soul-searching; I had to deal with him first. “You are fully aware of the reason I came slinking back here. That situation is about to be cleared up too. I’ll probably be back on stage for the Wednesday matinee.”

  “I’ve been wanting to take a trip to New York,” he said. “I’ll come check out your performance.”

  I tightened my arms around my chest and shot him a glare. “You didn’t get enough with all the videos on the Internet?”

  “I didn’t watch them, Maggie,” he said, sounding resigned. “I respect you too much to do that to you.”

  That caught me by surprise. “But Detective Holden—”

  “—is an ass.”

  My mouth tipped into a tiny grin. “Well, there’s something we agree on.”

  The wind blew again, the chill seeping into my bones, and I shivered.

  Brady started to shrug off his jacket. “Here, put this on.”

  I shook my head and took a step back. “Brady, you and I are a very bad idea.”

  He looked into my face, determination in his eyes. “I disagree.”

  “Then we are clearly at an impasse. Not that it matters.” I started walking, but he caught up in a matter of steps.

  “Maggie, I want to make this up to you. Saturday night I tried my best to earn your trust, telling you I would never lie to you, and then you thought it was all a ruse.”

  I stopped. “You want me to absolve you from your guilt? Fine. You’re free of it. Call me stupid, but I believed you were sincere.” Maybe he was sincere, but I still wasn’t sure I could forgive him. I started walking again, but he was right there beside me, like a shadow I couldn’t shake.

  “Maggie.”

  I stopped and spun around to face him. “Brady, what do you want from me?”

  He rubbed the back of his neck in frustration, then dropped his hand. “I don’t know. I just know I’m not ready to let us go yet.”

  “There is no us, Brady, and there never will be. You go back to your life, and I’ll go back to mine.”

  As I spun around and marched back to the catering shop, I knew I wouldn’t be strong enough to resist him forever. I needed to get the hell out of here before I made one more regrettable mistake.

  Chapter 27

  I found Momma and Tilly in the office, and they beamed when I handed them their sandwiches.

  “Emily called,” Momma said as she unwrapped the paper. “The police have cleared your name.”

  “So I
heard.”

  “Oh, girlie, you remembered my favorite!” Tilly said, opening the wrapping of her Reuben. “This job’s working out pretty well for all of us.”

  “About that . . .” I looked at my mother.

  She nodded her head, giving me a guarded smile. “You need to get back to what you love.”

  When she put it that way, I wasn’t so sure it was the right choice after all. I did love acting, but I loved my mother too. “And if I decided to stay . . . would you give me a job?”

  “Yes!” Tilly shouted.

  But my mother shook her head. “Your life isn’t here, Magnolia. But don’t sell yourself short when you go back. Demand respect.”

  I nodded, my eyes burning. My mother didn’t want me here. Then again, I had been gone for ten years. She was used to me being gone. What did I expect?

  “When will you go?” she asked, her voice sounding rough.

  “Tonight.” My heart was breaking. The sooner I left, the better.

  She nodded and looked out the window. “That’s for the best.” Then she pulled a check out of her desk drawer and held it out to me.

  I took a half step back. “What’s that?”

  “Your paycheck. Now come take it. You need money to get settled.” When I hesitated, she waved it. “You earned this, Magnolia. A deal’s a deal.”

  I walked forward and took it from her, then shook my head when I saw the amount. Five thousand dollars. “This is too much.”

  Her eyes filled with a familiar ferocity when she looked up at me. “As you pointed out, we never settled on a salary. That’s what you earned.” Her expression changed to irritation. “Don’t you have things to do if you’re leaving tonight? The last time I checked, your clothes were spread all over your room.”

  “Yeah . . . I guess.”

  She stood and handed me her car keys. “Take my car and leave it at the airport with the keys under the mat. Text me the location, and I’ll have Belinda take me to pick it up.” When I started to protest, she held up her hand. “I have a spare set.”

  “That’s not what I was going to say. I’ll go pack my things, then come back and tell you goodbye.”

  “No, Magnolia. Let’s do it here and now. Make a clean break.”