Dead in Bed

by Wendy Meadows

  They chatted briefly about Ellen as William explained how they had met at a long-ago party when Ellen had been just a young Broadway star and William had worked in New York City. Over the years they had met many times, and he had followed her career avidly, even donating to support the Seaside Theatre Festival. Despite her curiosity, Brenda could tell the couple were eager to get back to their glasses of wine, and she soon bid them goodnight.

  On her way to her apartment on the second floor, she took a side stairway, hoping not to run into anyone. She thought about how William and Phyllis had found true love later in life. They were compatible and she was sure they would tie the knot soon. William Pendleton was a very wealthy man, having inherited the vast holdings his wife had hoarded before her untimely death. He was kind and devoted to every person in the tight-knit seaside town of Sweetfern Harbor. She felt sure Phyllis would leave Sheffield Bed and Breakfast once she married William, despite her housekeeper’s dedication to the bed and breakfast and indebtedness to Brenda’s late Uncle Randolph Sheffield. Whether Phyllis stayed or departed, Brenda found herself smiling at the thought of her as William’s future wife.

  As she approached her apartment door, Brenda turned when she heard Chester Boyd’s voice.

  “Ms. Sheffield. I meant to deliver these to you earlier but your housekeeper told me you were out for a while.” He handed her two tickets to the first performance of the play.

  But before Brenda could reply, she heard Ellen Teague call to him from her room, in an imperious voice. He nodded in response to Brenda’s hurried thanks as he turned on his heel to go.

  Brenda felt overjoyed at this stroke of luck and felt that perhaps Uncle Randolph was watching over her. She quickly opened the door to her suite of rooms and called Mac to give him the good news.

  Chapter Three

  The Performance

  Early the next morning, Chester approached Brenda again just as she was entering the dining room for breakfast.

  “Miss Teague has requested to use the back lawn for the final rehearsal. I hope this is not a great inconvenience for you.”

  Brenda froze in the doorway and took in the cool look in Chester’s eyes. She had not expected this but was determined to make the best of it for her famous guests. “Of course, we would be happy to have it here. What time will she expect things to be ready?”

  “The cast will be in costume by ten this morning. She does not want this advertised, so please advise your staff to be discreet. There will be no ‘fans’ admitted to the rehearsal.” He gave this last command with an air of disapproval and finality, glancing at Allie as she walked past them into the dining room. “But if the staff is free, they are welcome to watch,” he finished.

  Brenda was both pleasantly surprised at this offer and anxious to know what arrangements would need to be made for scenery or props. Chester waved her concerns aside. “You do not have to worry about any of that. The particulars have been arranged. The costumes are back from the dry-cleaners and everything is ready.”

  Brenda thanked Chester and as she ate a hasty breakfast, made a mental note to give her staff a bonus when the weekend was over and the cast had departed from the bed and breakfast. This was turning into a much different weekend than she had at first envisioned. Ten minutes later, she gathered everyone in the kitchen with the chef to tell them of the developments. Although Morgan was already busy with preparations for dinner, Brenda asked her to make fresh lemonade to be served on the lawn as refreshments for the actors. Allie offered to step in to bake cookies and Phyllis offered to make a tray of sandwiches to be set out, and the chef nodded her thanks to both of them.

  Since there were still a couple hours before the rehearsal was due to begin, Brenda directed Phyllis to first clean any of the vacated rooms to get a head start. “Anyone who has gone to put on their costume and get into makeup – start with their rooms. Leave Ellen’s suite until the rehearsal begins. In between times you can help down here with the food. Thank you, all of you. Please remember we have been invited to watch the rehearsal but we must be discreet. Ellen doesn’t want word to get around town and I’d hate to see the look on Chester’s face if some tourists appeared in the garden. If we can, let’s watch out for any stragglers and try to redirect them before they try walking around to the back garden today, okay?”

  Brenda planned to supervise and especially ensure no unwanted guests wandered through the rehearsal, but secretly she was thrilled to be immersed in the theatre world. Her interest in Hollywood, Broadway and all things show business peaked now that it was literally at her doorstep. She stood on the lawn and watched as the final preparations were made. The cast members, transformed into their characters with the aid of sumptuous costumes and expert stage makeup, stood waiting for Ellen Teague. Though she was the star, she was also the director.

  When Ellen finally appeared on the lawn and called out, “Places!” to her fellow actors to start the show, Brenda could practically see the tension in the air. For it seemed that Ellen Teague’s mood had not improved overnight. The bright sunny day with soft ocean breezes didn’t improve it, either. Brenda held her breath watching the star command the other actors with only a few subtle words, or an imperious shake of her head. She demanded perfection, and as the rehearsal wore on, she had the actors run through certain scenes over and over again as she focused on errors that Brenda could not even discern from the audience. Even though it was supposed to be a comedy, the smallest infraction was elevated to something that would either make or break the entire performance according to Ellen.

  After two hours of rehearsal, the sun was high in the sky when Allie rolled a large cart onto the lawn with platters of sandwiches, lemonade and iced tea. Ellen broke her focus from the scene to glance at the long table and announced a break.

  Brenda was relieved on behalf of the actors, several of whom seemed to be sweating slightly in their costumes. She went to the end of the table to help Allie arrange the cookies on a large platter and to pour drinks for the weary actors.

  If Brenda had been hoping to talk to her idol over lunch, she had to quickly swallow her disappointment. She watched out of the corner of her eye as Ellen spoke briefly to Chester, then went to sit some distance away at a small table under an elm tree. Chester filled a plate for her and carried it over to her, returning for his own plate and their drinks. Brenda resolved to not let Ellen spoil her day, so when she sat down with her own sandwich, she started a conversation with Anna Quincy.

  “I loved you in that scene just now. How long have you been an actress?”

  “Not long, actually. I have been a ballet dancer since I was quite young – that’s how I met Shawn. He was older than I but every time his class got a break, he used to watch my classes through the studio windows.” She smiled at the memory. “He later went on to Broadway and performed in many shows as a dancer, and then started auditioning for acting roles as well. On Broadway, if you’re a dancer you practically have to be an actor, too! By that time, I became an understudy for the same shows.”

  “How did you get this role?”

  Shawn joined his wife, setting down a cup of iced tea before her. “Don’t let her fool you...there are a couple of minor dance scenes in ‘The Rich Game,’ but we both auditioned for this one because we wanted speaking roles for a change. We think it is rejuvenating to try something different once in a while. This is Anna’s first big role.” Adoration filled his eyes as he gazed at his beautiful young wife.

  Ricky Owens joined them. Brenda was getting a feel for how the actors all seemed to be so friendly with each other that they naturally gravitated to each other for conversation – all except Ellen, of course. She had to laugh at her train of thought because at that very moment, young Bonnie walked up balancing her plate and drink and pouted prettily at the lack of chairs to join them, and someone immediately suggested they all move to the longer picnic table set up on the small flagstone patio on one side of the garden. With a dimpled grin, Bonnie insisted that Brenda jo
in them. Brenda happily grabbed her sandwich and drink and followed the cast.

  “Sheffield Bed and Breakfast is just wonderful. Like a place from another time. It’s strange though not to see Randolph around. We all miss him,” said Ricky. Brenda turned to regard him with surprise. “If you ever wanted to watch a real actor it would have been Randolph Sheffield.”

  “That’s to say nothing of his directing talent,” said Anna.

  Brenda was speechless. The others chimed in and couldn’t say enough about their time working with her uncle on stage.

  “I never knew he was in show business,” she said. Then it was their turn to stare at her in amazement.

  “He was so talented,” said Ricky. “How did you not know this about him?”

  “I guess I’m wondering that myself, too. I didn’t know him well at all. My parents spoke of him on occasion but I never once heard them say anything about a career in show business. We lived in Michigan and only visited once when I was a young child. And I knew that later he retired and turned the house into a bed and breakfast, but I guess I never knew what he had retired from.”

  “Anna and I worked with him often but didn’t know him as well as Ricky and Ellen did. He wasn’t just good on stage – he was always so generous and kind to everyone,” said Shawn. “Wasn’t Chester a good friend of his, too, before he started working for Ellen?” He turned to Ricky for verification.

  “Yes, they were very good friends. Chester was a great admirer of Randolph’s, too. As I recall, Randolph had already inherited a fortune when he was young – he decided to get into acting and directing because it was his passion, not because it made him a star. Anyway, I’m surprised no one mentioned this before. We loved Randolph so much, that’s why we just had to come to Sweetfern Harbor for the touring theatre festival and stay in the bed and breakfast that was his home and business for so many years. I think he is the one who convinced the Seaside Theatre Festival to come here in the first place.”

  Bonnie seemed to take in Brenda’s pensive look and laid a gentle hand on her arm. “Although I never met your uncle, I have heard a lot about him. He was a role model for many young actors like me. I hope to give back to the community one day as generously as he did.”

  Brenda was lost in thought as the conversation moved on around her. She decided she must explore the attic of the bed and breakfast at the first opportunity. She knew much of her uncle’s things had been stored in crates there after his death. She had a lot to learn about him. Her thoughts were interrupted when Ellen Teague’s voice cut through the chatter.

  “I too knew Randolph well,” Ellen said, approaching their table. “We were a well-known pair in the early days. We could have enjoyed our fame together if he hadn’t decided to suddenly move down to this godforsaken hamlet.” She looked around the lawn disparagingly and then turned to Brenda. “We’ll have to talk about that later. We must continue with the rehearsal now.”

  Brenda nodded. She shivered at the tone of voice Ellen had used. The others did not comment on her cold remark and Ellen whisked them back to rehearsal. After the happy spell of the conversation around her had been broken by Ellen, watching the rehearsal seemed to have lost some of its former glamor. She felt the need to be alone. She made sure that her chef Morgan remembered that dinner would be an hour early, to give the cast time to leave for the outdoor theatre at Harbor Park, then climbed the stairs to her rooms.

  Once in her apartment, Brenda poured a glass of iced tea and settled back in her easy chair. When this weekend was over, she planned to spend a lot of time in the attic opening crates that held her uncle’s past life. It would be an excellent way to relax after Ellen Teague’s stressful presence at the bed and breakfast.

  That evening, her cell phone rang. Mac told her he would be there in forty-five minutes to pick her up for the performance. The call ended and Brenda quickly showered and got ready. She had read reviews again for the comedy and couldn’t wait to see it. She hoped to regain her admiration for Ellen Teague by becoming immersed in the play and forgetting about everything else that had happened. In no time at all, she heard Mac’s unmistakable voice filter up the stairs from the front desk. The bed and breakfast had been quiet since the actors had left for Harbor Park. Brenda smiled in anticipation of a wonderful night and picked up the tickets from her bureau and hurried down to meet Mac.

  As he took her arm and they walked toward the park, she noticed him glance down at her hand to peek at the delicate promise ring on her finger. “Did you know this play is a comedy of sorts?”

  “I know all about it,” said Brenda. “I got to see some of the rehearsal. The play takes place at a country estate and then the two main couples switch partners as an experiment. It’s sort of like Wife Swap, the reality TV show. I think it’s interesting that Ellen gets paired with Shawn. I wonder how she decided that.”

  “She probably decided since he was so good-looking she had to be paired with him.” Mac winked at her. “That’s why you agreed to date me, isn’t it?”

  She jabbed his arm and teased back. As they entered the park, they saw most of the population of Sweetfern Harbor, not to mention a large number of tourists, and they quickly found their seats amid the crowd. One empty seat was next to Brenda and she wondered who would be sitting there. It didn’t take long to find out. Edward Graham, her lawyer and a fixture in Sweetfern Harbor, arrived and greeted them warmly.

  As they chatted with Edward, Brenda saw that William Pendleton and Phyllis Lindsey were seated only a few rows ahead. Their heads together, they whispered back and forth to one another. Brenda smiled to hear Phyllis’s soft laugh. Directly behind them sat Phyllis’s daughter Molly, who owned the popular Morning Sun Coffee shop on Main Street, and her boyfriend Pete Graham, the postman who delivered mail around Sweetfern Harbor, including to Sheffield Bed and Breakfast. As they waited for the lights to dim, the conversation between old and new friends was lively. Brenda leaned over to greet Mac’s daughter Jenny and her friend Hope, who owned the bakery that supplied pastries to the bed and breakfast. The air of anticipation finally broke when the lights dimmed and all eyes focused on the outdoor stage.

  Edward leaned close to Brenda and whispered. “I have some news for you, Brenda. Will you have some time right after the performance to talk?”

  She looked at his face. Whatever he had to say must be serious stuff. “I’ll see you then,” she whispered back. Brenda watched the story unfolding on stage and was soon taken in by Ellen’s skills and by the comedic talents of the entire cast. It was easy to forget Ellen’s offstage personality as she transformed into a witty and glamorous wife whose ribald lines with Shawn’s character had the audience holding their sides with laughter. Anna and Ricky, whose characters had been paired off unhappily in the other wife swap, engineered a hilarious prank in revenge, and the ingénue Bonnie appeared at the end as the young country heiress who saved the day and righted all wrongs. When the lights came down, the audience immediately jumped to their feet in a standing ovation. After three encores and a multitude of bouquets were handed to the actors and actresses, it was agreed by all that “The Rich Game” measured up to everyone’s expectations.

  “I plan to come back tomorrow if I can get a ticket,” said Jenny with enthusiasm. “This is the best show I’ve seen in a long time.”

  Everyone around her agreed and immediately began making plans to come back, but Brenda realized this might be her chance to get to the attic sooner rather than later. She set aside her initial idea to wait until the weekend was over. Seeing such a wonderful play made her determined to delve into her uncle’s life right away.

  As the crowds thinned, Brenda told Mac to wait a few minutes. “Edward wants to tell me something. I think it must be important since he wanted to talk right after the show.”

  “Don’t worry about me. I’ll sit over there on that bench and wait.”

  Edward suggested they walk a few yards away from everyone. “Ellen Teague met with me earlier today.” His eyes
avoided hers. “There is a court case involving you and your uncle’s estate. She tells me you do not own Sheffield Bed and Breakfast. I don’t have all the details yet but it is first on my agenda tomorrow. I won’t wait for Monday to find out whether her claims have merit.”

  Brenda closed her mouth when she realized it was wide open with shock. “But...I was named in his will. He owned the bed and breakfast and he left it to me. That’s all there is to it. The will is a legal document. You were his lawyer, Edward, so you should know.”

  “Simmer down. I told you I still have to get the details, though I doubt she is telling the whole truth of the matter. Still, I will look into it and let you know whatever I find out.”

  When she returned to Mac she had a heavy heart. Her eyes fell on the cast members who were just then leaving the stage area. A group of fans, journalists, and reporters swarmed toward them, and Ellen Teague stepped forward to claim the center of attention. Even from a distance Brenda could see a few of the actors exchange glances and roll their eyes as Ellen flashed a brilliant smile for the cameras. There was no doubt that Ellen’s fame and attitude caused a great deal of tension and Brenda felt sorry for the other actors. They all did a fantastic job on stage. Brenda waited a few moments, watching the hubbub across the park’s lawn from where she stood.

  Mac didn’t ask questions but knew that something was definitely wrong. Whatever it was that Edward Graham had to discuss, it apparently wasn’t good news. They watched the actors pose under the starry summer sky for a photo – Ellen posing glamorously in front and the rest of the cast arrayed behind her. When Mac turned to look at Brenda again, for a moment he thought she was about to cry. Then he looked closer and saw that her cheeks were flushed as if with righteous anger.

  “Let’s go home, Brenda. You look like you need a breather.”

  Brenda took one more look at the actors, then turned to nod at Mac. She wanted nothing more than to confront Ellen head-on and find out what this lawsuit was all about.