Murder of the Maestro

by Anna Celeste Burke

  “Oh yes, I know who you mean. She’s wearing that gorgeous dress with those lovely gold embellishments. That’s Connie’s niece, Emily Lombard. Why do you ask?”

  “One reason is that she’s standing next to Dave near the exit at the end of the gala. I wondered if you saw her head out the door with him.”

  “Not on his arm or anything like that, but I’m pretty sure she was in the group that poured out onto the steps with him as he left. I was swept up in the flow of people all trying to exit and ended up getting pushed back behind him, so I couldn’t swear to it.”

  “The other thing I noticed in the photo is that Connie Forsythe’s wearing one of those diamond treble clef pins.”

  “Yes, I noticed it that night. I’m sure Connie figured it would make Dave happy for her to wear it. She wasn’t the only one, by the way.”

  “Hmm, maybe that’s why Emily appears to be gazing at the one her aunt is wearing.”

  “It’s not an embarrassing faux pas like showing up in the same dress, but Emily couldn’t have missed the fact Aunt Connie wasn’t the only one wearing it. In fact, Connie and Debra Kravitz, the other woman I saw wearing that pin, weren’t far from Emily when they whispered something to each other and then had a good laugh about it. I couldn’t hear what they said, but I saw Debra point at her own pin as she spoke to Connie and then burst out laughing.”

  “They’re good sports to make light of what could have been a difficult moment,” I said.

  “They’ve both been around the block a time or two, and any fling with Dave ended long ago. Connie wasn’t always such a good sport, but she eventually came around. I wouldn’t be surprised, though, if other women at that gala slipped it into a handbag when they ran into others wearing it, too.”

  “That would be an unpleasant way to discover you were the member of a club you didn’t even know existed, wouldn’t it?”

  “Unpleasant enough for one of them to follow him home, lure him out to that cliff to give him a shove, and then go back and defile his home, you mean?”

  “Something like that,” I replied. Or hide in wait for an opportunity to sneak up on him and bash him over the head sending him plunging off the cliff. I kept that possibility to myself since I wasn’t sure the police had released the information Jack had shared with me about how the killer had attacked Dave. I didn’t have long to think about it when another possibility gripped me. “Did Dave know Emily?”

  “Probably. She’s been around at entertainment events for years and Connie wasn’t shy about promoting her niece’s acting career. Emily’s had bit parts on Family Manners and in other Marvelous Marley World productions. She’s a singer too and was hired a couple of years ago as a member of the Marvelous Marley World Merry Minstrels. It’s entirely possible Dave’s known Emily for years.”

  “She’s young, isn’t she?” I tried to imagine how Emily might have reacted if she’d been Dave’s guest and he had offered her a pin identical to the one her aunt wore.

  “Twenty-something. That’s old enough for Dave.” Pat paused issuing a big sigh. “Or it would have been since the past tense is more appropriate now, isn’t it?”

  “Sad, but true. Thanks for the background, Pat. I’ll tell Jack about the picture and see if he wants to speak to Emily and her aunt, too, since they’re both near Dave as he’s leaving the Grand Pavilion.”

  Especially if Jack’s interviews of the valets found out Dave had left the gala in a limo with a lovely young blonde at his side, I added in my head. Even if someone had already identified Emily Lombard by name, Jack would appreciate hearing the backstory Pat had just given me.

  “Now that I think about it, I’m almost certain she was tagging along behind him as he headed to the exit. You’re right about Connie. She and Debra were both still with him, too, at that point. I don’t know what happened once they got outside and headed down the red carpet to the limos.”

  “Thanks, Pat. Jack’s working on it. Maybe he already has a better idea than we do about what happened to Connie and her niece. If not, he’ll find this all very interesting.” I took a deep breath as I decided to press Pat about the other matter where I needed her help.

  “Speaking of aunts and nieces, I have another question for you.”

  14 Rumors of Her Death

  “When Jack and I met with Jennifer this afternoon, she told us Margaret Landry died recently, but when Carol and I spoke to Teddy a little later, he said he believes she’s still alive. He also was very clear that you know how to reach her. Is that true? Do you know her niece, too—Dave’s granddaughter, Maggie Knight?”

  “Yes.” Pat responded. That one word was followed by more silence.

  “Why didn’t you tell me any of this when we spoke at lunch about contacting Dave’s Aunt Meg or his brother?” Pat sighed heavily on the other end of the phone.

  “Dave swore me to secrecy. It didn’t feel right to bring up any of this even after his death. Besides, it all happened so long ago, Marla’s just being a drama queen.” Those words tumbled out in a rush. I wasn’t going to let the comment about Marla distract me this time. I had other questions I hoped would help me understand what Dave’s past life meant in the present.

  “Jennifer and Skip seem to believe Maggie Knight’s existence came as a complete surprise to Dave.”

  “Yes. Because he and Meg kept in touch over the years doesn’t mean she was open with him. Maybe she was trying to protect Maggie or herself if there was still some danger to them by keeping quiet. I never asked questions about Meg even when Teddy Austin first mentioned her years ago. I communicated with Meg on Dave’s behalf from time to time, but I never developed a relationship with her. I hoped to avoid another incident with her like the one I’d had with Marla. As I said, Dave demanded secrecy.”

  “Maggie Knight’s no secret any longer. Jack or another member of the investigative team will interview her since Dave wrote her into his will before he died. That ought to shake things up at the reading of the will.” Pat made a little “pshaw” sound on the other end of the phone.

  “Despite Dave’s secrecy and making me take a vow of silence about Maggie and Meg, Marla must know all about Maggie Knight’s existence and what she stands to inherit.”

  “Whatever she does or doesn’t know about Maggie, she told us to contact his brother Bill, or his aunt Meg, to find out more about his past. According to Jennifer and Skip, it’s too late to get the story from his Aunt Meg, but Teddy Austin say that’s not true. He’s adamant that if she’d died you would have told him and says he got a birthday card from her not long ago with a California return address!” My voice increased in volume as I grew more emphatic about my intention to find out what the heck was going on.

  “Okay, okay. I surrender. I hope I’m not putting anyone at risk by telling you this. Margaret Landry’s not dead. Aunt Meg wasn’t Dave’s aunt and she’s not Maggie’s aunt either. She’s her grandmother.” I was stunned even though it all became as clear as day once Pat said it. My stupefied brain could barely respond.

  “Good grief! That did seem like an awful lot of Margarets—too many. I can’t believe I didn’t make the connection immediately,” I babbled. Pat laughed.

  “One too many, that’s for sure. I know I said I stayed out of Dave’s finances, but I should have been more specific. In my role as his PA I’ve always handled the household budget. When Dave set his up granddaughter in a condo, he moved Margaret Landry into a lovely elder care facility not far from her. The expenses related to Meg’s care are paid for from that household account. It’s all part of his effort to keep her presence in California a secret. He made me promise not to tell anyone about Meg or Maggie. I assumed it was about avoiding a confrontation with Marla, but after he was killed it seemed even more important not to reveal their whereabouts until the police had figured out who killed Dave. It should have occurred to me sooner that once Dave’s lawyers were involved redoing his will, Maggie was no longer a secret from Marla.”

  “What makes y
ou say that?”

  “Marla’s lawyer is at the same firm Dave used. For want of a better word, I’ll say Marla ‘dated’ more than one of the firm’s partners over the years. I don’t believe she relies on pillow talk any more to keep track of Dave’s most private business, but she still has her spies.”

  “How do you know?”

  “I don’t believe Dave found out, but the witch spoiled his surprise for me. Marla blurted it out in a huff one day, furious that Dave was redoing our little ‘love nest’ for me. When I asked her what she was talking about, she flew into a snit, telling me not to pretend I didn’t know. She claimed she knew for a fact Dave rewrote his will and intended to give the beach cottage to me as a place to retire.”

  “You never asked Dave if what she said was true?”

  “No. Marla took a special delight in telling me she’d spoiled Dave’s effort to surprise me. I could never have brought it up without feeling ghoulish about it.”

  “I understand.” Pat and I let out sighs at almost the same time. She spoke next.

  “I’ll text you the information about how to reach Margaret Landry and Maggie Knight if Jennifer didn’t already give it to you. While I’m at it, I’ll dig out a phone number I have for his brother Bill, too. Meg and Bill aren’t exactly ‘next of kin,’ but I notified them both about Dave’s death. I didn’t want them to hear about it from the media. I guess I should have told Jack, huh?”

  You could say that again, I thought.

  “Yes. Jack will want to speak to them. I’m sure Max will appreciate that you reached out to them.”

  “I hope so. It’s hard to predict how Max will react once he gets the lowdown on who Meg is and how she fits into Dave’s life. It’s the decent thing to do, and I’m sure she’ll be delighted to join us—the rumors of her death having been ‘greatly exaggerated,’ to borrow a phrase from Mark Twain.”

  “Max must be used to Dave’s scandalous relationships with women by now. Somehow, I doubt Maggie Knight will be a surprise to Max, don’t you?”

  “That’s a good point. Those two were as thick as thieves. When Max’s daughter was murdered, he was over here for days at a time. He and Dave holed up for hours in Dave’s ‘man cave’ downstairs. Music blaring and empty scotch bottles, but I’m sure they weren’t using the studio to record anything.”

  “I’ll explore this with Max as tactfully as I can. Max may or may not find a new twist on Dave’s scandal-ridden life particularly newsworthy, but the press is going to love it. He deserves a ‘heads-up’ that the news about Maggie Knight is likely to break at any moment. Dave’s life as Daniel Devereaux is bound to come out too.”

  “You’re a brave woman. I’ve never been comfortable with that man, even though he and Dave were so close. Anyway, while I have you on the phone, I’ve come across a photo that I’d like you and Jack to see. It was in the box of stuff I found near that earring I found. When I went through it again it struck me as interesting given Charlie’s claims about an encounter with a wolfman.”

  “What is it?” I asked.

  “It’s a photo of Dave and a group of his cronies. It’s hard to explain. I want you to decide for yourself if I’m making more out of it than I should. Why don’t I drop it off on my way home from errands I’m running and let you two judge it for yourselves? I can get to your house in twenty minutes, if that’s okay.”

  “Of course, it’s okay. While you’re here, you can peek at the one I called you about and see if I’ve missed anything interesting. I’ll leave your name at the guardhouse, so they’ll let you in. Jack should be here by then, and he can look at it, too. Do you want to join us for dinner?”

  “No. I have a dinner date already, and I won’t be able to stay long,” she replied. There was a pleasant lilt to her voice that gave me the impression it really was a date.

  Pat’s just full of surprises today,” I thought as I thanked her and then ended our call. I like Pat and felt relieved that we’d cleared the air about her reticence to share important details of Dave’s life—even after he was brutally murdered. She had gone straight to Jack with that earring she’d found and was doing the same with a photo that could have something to do with Charlie’s wolfman.

  “She’s right that I’ll have to see it to believe it,” I murmured in anticipation.

  15 The Wolf Gang

  I was still pondering Pat’s latest revelations when I heard the automatic garage door open. Miles and Ella, who had been lazily grooming themselves after their windfall of turkey treats, went on alert. Even before my conversation with Pat, I’d been anxious to hear what Jack had to say about progress with the investigation.

  Now, I had plenty to tell him, too. After sharing Jack Wheeler’s life for a year, I’d discovered that table talk about murder and mayhem was a regular occurrence. It still struck me as odd, at times. Today, though, I was so determined to find out who killed Dave Rollins I was going to introduce the topic of murder even before we sat down to eat.

  “What a waste,” I muttered. Who knew what other contributions Dave could have made even in retirement if he’d lived longer? The maestro had his faults, especially when it came to compulsive womanizing, but he’d been a talented composer and gifted musician. A generous man, too, as Teddy Austin said. I’d always known that, but I’d come to understand how generous after speaking to Jennifer and Skip. Dave would get the justice he deserved if I had anything to say or to do about it!

  I stepped out from behind the island in the kitchen and grabbed my coat from the barstool. The cats swiveled their heads toward me, and then back toward the sound coming from the garage. Miles hadn’t quite adjusted to the fact that he now had two humans to keep tabs on. Ella, who’s much younger than Miles, follows his lead whenever they’re confronted by an ambiguous situation.

  “You guys stay put. I’ll be right back,” I said as I dashed down the hall to change out of the pantsuit I’d worn to work. I didn’t hear the pitter-patter of little cat feet, so they must have understood me. Not that I was deluded enough to believe they did so out of obedience. Cats have no bosses.

  As I changed clothes, I decided that with Pat on her way to the house, we might as well put dinner on hold. Chicken Marsala was on the menu. The dish is deceptively simple and quick, despite the hoity-toity sounding name. I’d saved a step, too, by buying chicken the butcher had already pounded into thin slices. The chicken would cook in a flash, and so would the fresh linguini I’d bought to accompany the chicken.

  Cheese with fruit and crackers would hold us over until we’d finished our business with Pat. That would make Jack happy, too, since our snack could pass as dessert. He’s an “eat dessert first” kind of guy, as I discovered early in our relationship. A very practical approach for a man who loves dessert as much he does and leads an unpredictable life as a police detective.

  “Hello, Doll,” Jack said when I hurried back into the kitchen. Little Ella was in his arms and I could hear her purring from across the room. When he put her down, both cats, tails pointing skyward, followed him into the kitchen as he greeted me with a hug. “What’s cooking?”

  “Nothing right now,” I replied and quickly filled him in on my phone call with Pat and her impending visit, telling him how helpful Teddy Austin had been in helping me get to the truth about Meg Landry. As I spoke, I cut wedges of creamy brie and put them onto small plates. I drizzled them with honey and then topped them with a small handful of almonds. With crackers, apple slices, and grapes, Jack and I ought to be able to hold out for dinner until we’d concluded our business with Pat.

  “She has turned out to be pivotal to this investigation, hasn’t she?” As he asked that question, Jack removed the jacket to what I call his “detective’s uniform.” He hung it up and slipped on a weathered fleece jacket instead. I’ve offered to help him upgrade his wardrobe, but he’s refused. Jack’s not a fan of shopping and doesn’t want to do anything to trigger more ribbing about “marrying money.”

  It’s true I make more mon
ey than he does, but my brothers and I had been gifted with a rich inheritance from our hardworking, loving parents that hadn’t included money. Not like Dave’s kids, his ex-wife Marla, and granddaughter Maggie Knight. Pat, too, as we’d learned. I hoped the prospect of getting their hands on all that money hadn’t been a motive for murder.

  “It’s too bad Pat didn’t give you a heads-up sooner about Dave’s secrets.”

  “Better late than never,” Jack said as I opened the sliders to the veranda and he carried our plates to the table. “Withholding information isn’t exactly lying. I can understand how Dave’s death could have confused her about where to place her loyalties. At least she’s getting that photo to us quickly.” I dialed up the outside lights now that the sun had almost slipped below the horizon. The evening air was chilly, and I switched on the heater in the patio cover. I couldn’t entirely blame my chills on the weather, though. A conversation about murder adds a different kind of chill to the air.

  “I have a photo to share with you, too. Carol found this one.” With that, I darted back into the house and retrieved that folder that held the photos of Dave at his retirement gala.

  When I returned, I handed the folder to Jack and sat down beside him. As he flipped through the contents, I caught sight of that telltale piece of jewelry Connie Forsythe wore standing next to her niece, Emily Lombard. I stopped Jack.

  “This is the picture I wanted to show you. Ella found it fascinating,” I said, smoothing it again.

  “Tasty, too, if those fang marks are any indication,” Jack quipped.

  “You know how fond she is of shiny things. I figured the gloss on this photo attracted her. She started to work it over before I could snatch it away.”