A Talent for Murder

by Carolyn Keene

  “Right on time, Ned,” Freddy said, leading them into a room cluttered with props and lights. “Amanda’s trying her stuff on already, and she looks fantastic.”

  Wonderful, Nancy thought, but kept quiet.

  Nancy noticed big cue cards stacked against the wall. The giant print on the cards made her crack a smile as she walked by. “Don’t suffer the heartache of heartburn!” said one card. On another she read: “My mom is the greatest ’cause she gives us Choco-Yums for dessert!”

  “Here we are,” Freddy said, as they entered a room with racks full of colorful clothes: sequined circus tights, ornate brocade dresses and crinolines, and even a Mountie uniform. Paper tags with Ned’s name were pinned to a few hangers.

  “Try this on first,” Freddy said, handing Ned an outfit. “It’s for the balloon sequence. Use the second dressing room.” He pointed to some doors in the far wall. Ned nodded and smiled at Nancy as he went into the cubicle marked number two.

  As he did, door number one opened and out came Amanda, frowning. Nancy thought she looked like someone from a dude ranch or a western movie. She wore stiff new jeans and a checkered blouse with pearl buttons. A mini-cowboy hat was perched on the back of her head.

  “This is really dumb,” Amanda pouted. “Freddy, can’t they change this?”

  “You look adorable,” Freddy insisted. “And it goes with Ned’s outfit. Besides, you’ll be up in that hot-air balloon. You need a costume that will come across from a distance.”

  When Ned came out with an embarrassed smirk, Nancy had to bite her lip to keep a straight face. He did look like a match for Amanda. He too wore starchy new jeans, and his western-style shirt had little bucking horses all over it. In his hand he held a ten-gallon hat.

  “Do I have to wear this thing?” he asked.

  Freddy nodded. “You and Amanda will look great together. A modern couple having a fun weekend and drinking King Kola.”

  Groaning, Ned put on the hat, and Nancy couldn’t hold back a yelp of laughter. Ned looked foolish and knew it. He gave Nancy a mock scowl.

  “Hey, cowboy,” Amanda said brightly as Ned spotted her.

  “Howdy, ma’am,” Ned drawled, tipping his enormous hat. “You kin call me Tex.”

  Amanda giggled. “Howdy, Tex. Maybe we’ll be lucky and no one will recognize us in this stuff.”

  “Why, shucks, ma’am,” Ned replied. “I think you look plumb fine in that rig. You’re one right purty heifer.”

  As Amanda collapsed in laughter, Nancy felt her new hopes for her relationship with Ned begin to drain away. The sight of the two of them clowning and cutting up together made her feel as though they were more like a couple than she and Ned.

  Nancy sank back onto a clothes trunk and waited quietly while Ned and Amanda tried on the other outfits. Ned kept up a steady stream of cracks, which Amanda found hilarious. He seemed to genuinely like Amanda and enjoy her company. As for Amanda, it was obvious to Nancy that she thought Ned was terrific.

  “You two are going to look perfect tomorrow,” Freddy said when the fitting was finished. The wiry man clapped Ned on the back. “I’ll leave a message at the Chandlers’ telling where and when to report tomorrow. It’ll be early, I’m afraid. We have to be on location in Napa Valley by seven-thirty.”

  “I’ll be there,” Ned assured him.

  Amanda draped an emerald green scarf over her shoulders and said to Ned, “See you in the morning, Tex.”

  “Afternoon, ma’am,” Ned drawled, winking.

  • • •

  As they drove to Top Flight Artists, Nancy tried to find something to say, but words wouldn’t come. They rode in silence for a while, until Ned pulled up at a red light and turned toward her.

  “You have a real problem with Amanda, don’t you?” he said gently. “The thing is, she’s kind of sweet.”

  “I can see she’s sweet on you, anyway,” Nancy said, feeling her face heat up with emotion.

  “You don’t trust me,” Ned said, slapping the steering wheel in frustration. “You sat there the whole time I was kidding around with Amanda and didn’t crack a smile. It’s getting embarrassing.”

  “The light’s green,” Nancy said. She knew there was some truth in Ned’s words, but she still wasn’t ready to talk about her jealous feelings—and her concerns that she and Ned were growing apart.

  She reached out and touched his cheek. “Ned, you’re right. I have been suspicious. I guess I’m having a hard time with your shot at fame.”

  Ned nodded slowly. “But, Nan,” he said earnestly, “I need you to trust me. What’s happened to us? I mean, how can you be in love with someone when you don’t trust them?”

  The question sent a jolt of emotion searing through Nancy. Right now she didn’t know how to begin to answer it. Fortunately, she was saved as Ned pulled up in front of a three-story frame building.

  “Here we are, Top Flight Artists,” he said, backing the car into a spot on the street.

  “We’ll talk about this later, Ned,” Nancy told him.

  His handsome face looked sad as he nodded. “Just think about what I said,” he told her. “You have to trust me, Nan.”

  The agency occupied the ground floor of the building. As they got out of the car, Nancy heard arguing voices coming from Top Flight.

  Ned stood for a moment with his head cocked, listening. “Someone isn’t happy in there.”

  The words of the quarrel weren’t audible, but it involved a man and a woman. The woman’s voice grew higher and shriller until the front door to the agency abruptly opened. Then a young woman with flaming red hair burst outside, almost running.

  With a shock Nancy recognized Tina Grayce.

  Seeing Nancy and Ned, Tina stopped short and stared at them with alarm. She looked as pale and shaken as when Nancy had first seen her. Nancy wondered what business Tina had with Marty Prince, since Jane Zachary had done so much to help her.

  “Tina,” Nancy said. “You remember us, don’t you? We— Tina, what’s the matter?”

  The distraught redhead had grabbed Nancy’s arm and was pulling her away from the agency door.

  “What is it?” Nancy asked. “Are you okay?”

  “I don’t want him to see or hear us talking,” the girl whispered. “He warned me to keep quiet.”

  “Who did?” Ned asked. “You mean Marty Prince? Was he yelling at you just now?”

  Tina nodded. “That was Marty. He left a message with my service last night that he wanted to see me. I’m registered here, and I’d hoped it was an audition. Boy, was I wrong. Marty said he knew I’d told the police about him. He’s furious! He said I’d gotten him into a lot of trouble.”

  “Did he threaten you?” Nancy demanded. “If he did, you should tell the police and—”

  “No!” Tina insisted. “No more police. I took your advice before, and look what happened. I’m finished with the police. I don’t want to end up in some alley like Ursula.”

  “Did he mention Ursula?” Nancy took her by the shoulders. “Tina, if he actually threatened you, the police can do something about it. Don’t you see?”

  Tina pulled loose. “You’re the one who doesn’t see. Marty wouldn’t make an obvious threat. But he makes his meaning very clear.”

  “What did he tell you?” Ned asked.

  Tina took a deep, ragged breath. “He said that terrible things can happen to people who are foolish, like Ursula, and that if I’m smart I’ll forget everything I told the police.”

  Tina shuddered and lowered her voice to a whisper. “Then he said if I didn’t follow his advice, the next time my picture got into the papers, it would be on the obituary page.”

  Chapter

  Ten

  TINA LOOKED fearfully back over her shoulder. “I’d better go,” she said.

  “Did anyone else hear this?” Nancy asked.

  Tina shook her head. “It’s his word against mine. He’ll deny saying anything to me at all.” She looked from Ned to Nancy and back. “
By the way, what are you guys doing here?”

  Ned spoke up quickly. “Marty wants to talk. He probably wants me to join his agency.”

  Tina’s eyes narrowed. “Well, just watch out. You can’t trust him.”

  “Tina, one more question—” Nancy began, but the redhead retreated.

  “I can’t stay,” Tina insisted. “It’s too risky. If Marty sees us together, I’m dead meat. I’m leaving.” She turned on her heel and walked away, not looking back.

  “How did Marty know Tina went to the police?” Nancy asked. “Is there a leak in the department?”

  “Who else knew she was going?” Ned asked.

  Nancy considered the question. “You and me, Evan . . . and Jane.”

  “Jane?” Ned looked skeptical. “Don’t tell me you suspect Jane?”

  “I don’t know,” Nancy admitted. “But think about the insurance money she would have collected if the agency had been a total loss—which it would have been if we hadn’t stopped by. And her reaction to the fire was awfully low-key.”

  “I see what you mean,” Ned said thoughtfully.

  “It’s something to keep in mind,” Nancy said as she pushed open the door marked Top Flight Artists.

  From the layout of the building, Nancy guessed that the agency’s suite had recently been an apartment. The flowered wallpaper and heavy drapes in the front room were holdovers from when it had been used as a living room.

  The receptionist, a tall, big-boned blond woman with Nordic looks, took Ned’s name and buzzed Marty’s office. Seconds later, a short, thin man with a deep tan and curly black hair emerged from a door behind the receptionist’s desk. His metal-framed aviator-style glasses were tinted amber, and he wore faded jeans cinched by a wide belt with a silver buckle.

  “Ned!” he exclaimed, flashing a smile. “Marty Prince. It’s good of you to come on such short notice. I’ve heard great things about you.” He saw Nancy. “And who’s this lovely redhead?”

  “Nancy Drew,” Ned supplied. “She’s visiting San Francisco with me, so she came along.”

  “Fine, no problem. Come right this way and let’s talk.” Marty wheeled toward his office door, calling back to the receptionist, “Claire, no calls and no interruptions.”

  He opened his door and gestured for Nancy and Ned to precede him. Marty’s office was small and neat. Instead of a desk, he used an antique table with claw feet. The wall was hung with signed photos of Marty being hugged by other people, presumably actors. Nancy peered at the pictures and recognized a few faces, but none were major stars.

  Marty nodded at the photos. “From my Hollywood days,” he explained. “I worked at an agency in Tinseltown before I moved here.” Turning away from the pictures, he surveyed Ned and clapped his hands. “I see what the fuss was about. You have the look, Ned. And it’s unique, you’re not just a copy of some other guy. I can do a lot with you.”

  “I was surprised to get your note,” Ned replied. “I mean, we only got here a few days ago, and I had my first audition the day before yesterday. How did you hear about me so fast?”

  Marty chuckled and winked. “It’s a small city, and this business has its own little grapevine. The minute I heard about you I said to myself, ‘Marty, you have to sign this one up.’ ”

  “It’s a very efficient grapevine,” Nancy commented, “if it told you where we were staying.”

  “That’s why Ned should accept my offer,” he said, avoiding a direct response. Marty’s smile became a little strained. “I’m new here, and I’m ambitious. When I hear of something I want, I know how to reach out for it. You need a hungry agent, Ned. I’d make sure that you got auditions.”

  “I don’t know,” Ned replied. “JZA has treated me well. I got a job my first day. How much more can I expect from an agent than that? Also, Evan Chandler is my cousin-in-law, so I feel a certain loyalty to his people.”

  Marty tilted his chair back and put his feet on the table. Nancy tried to read his face, but the amber glasses masked his eyes. “Loyalty is a fine thing,” he said, “but don’t take it too far. You have to go where your best interests lie.”

  “I’ll level with you,” Ned said earnestly. “I just signed a contract with JZA.”

  Marty swung his feet to the floor, and the front legs of his chair dropped with a thud. Nancy detected an unpleasant tightening in the agent’s jaw muscles. “I hate to see promising young talent like you make a serious mistake. I’m afraid you’re going to regret your decision, Ned.”

  Was he threatening Ned? Nancy looked intently at the agent. “What do you mean, exactly?” she demanded.

  Marty took off his glasses and put them down. Nancy studied his slate-colored eyes.

  “JZA is a very shaky operation these days,” Marty said. “Jane Zachary’s been on thin ice for months—long before last night’s fire. And let me tell you, I was shocked and horrified when I heard the news. Sounds to me as if Jane has a law-suit against the people who put in the sprinklers and fire alarms—they should have worked.”

  How did Marty know all the details of the fire already? Nancy wondered. The information about JZA’s fire alarms wasn’t public knowledge.

  “The point is,” Marty summed up, “JZA could go under at any time. And when they do, actors who hesitated to make the smart move will find themselves out in the cold.”

  “Actors like Tina Grayce?” Nancy asked.

  Marty appeared taken aback by the name, but he recovered and shook his head sadly.

  “So you met Tina?” He glanced away, adding, “She’s an unfortunate girl. I feel sorry for her. She’s been begging me to take her as a client, but I had to turn her down. Tina’s not very stable. She tends to rant and rave. Today was the all-time worst. She screamed and made crazy threats, told me I’d be sorry, whatever that means.”

  As he said this, Marty looked sincere. Nancy realized that it could quite possibly be true. Tina was terribly eager to achieve success. And she was certainly capable of making a scene.

  “What kind of trouble is JZA in?” she asked.

  “Money trouble,” Marty said, smiling thinly. “When we started up we lured away some of their most valuable models and actors. We’ve hurt their business. They’ve had to make cutbacks.”

  Nancy already knew this was true from Jane and Evan. Marty was persuasive. Maybe he was also honest. If so, what did that imply about Jane? Was Jane simply wrong about Marty, or was she trying to manipulate Nancy to suspect him?

  “And now they’ve lost another valuable asset,” Ned said. “Ursula Biemann.”

  Marty shook his head. “What a tragedy. But that was our loss—not Jane’s.”

  “Your loss? How’s that?” Nancy asked.

  “Before she died, Ursula decided to switch to Top Flight,” Marty said. “As I told the police earlier today, her contract with JZA had almost expired, and she was going to come over here.”

  Nancy was stunned. If Marty was telling the truth, he wouldn’t have wanted anything to happen to Ursula.

  “Are you sure?” she asked. “Jane said that Ursula was planning to stay with JZA.”

  “Just a second,” Marty said, going to a file cabinet. Opening a drawer, he pulled out a piece of paper. “Read it,” he invited, holding the paper up for Nancy and Ned to glance over.

  It was brief, just a paragraph saying that Ursula would sign her next representation contract with Top Flight Artists. Her signature was at the bottom. It hit Nancy like a physical blow. She would have to throw out her basic assumptions about the case. Jane was either mistaken or lying.

  “I guess Jane didn’t know about Ursula’s plans,” Ned said.

  “I’m not sure,” Marty replied. “Ursula said she was going to tell Jane a couple of days ago—the day before she was killed, in fact. I know it would have been a bombshell to Jane, possibly the finishing blow to her business.”

  Marty got up to replace the document, adding, “Maybe Ursula did tell Jane. Maybe Jane lost her temper. Maybe that’s why Ursul
a was killed.”

  Chapter

  Eleven

  MARTY’S REMARK hung in the air for a moment. Nancy and Ned exchanged a look of shock.

  “Are you accusing Jane of—” Ned began.

  “Whoa,” Marty said, holding up a hand, palm out. “I’m not accusing anyone. But think about it. Here’s Jane, desperate to stay in business. Ursula, who is worth a lot of money to her, says she’s leaving. It’s too much for Jane, who blows her top, and Ursula winds up dead. It’s a possibility, that’s all I’m saying.”

  He was saying a lot, Nancy thought. He had made Jane a strong suspect in Ursula’s death.

  Marty stood up and smiled, switching back to the smooth, fast-talking agent. “Ned, I don’t want to pressure you,” he said. “But think about signing a letter saying that you’ll join us when your deal with JZA expires. That way, your future is protected when—if JZA goes belly up. I’d hate to see a promising career like yours flame out before it gets off the ground. Oh, speaking of getting off the ground, have fun tomorrow. Hot-air balloon rides can be very exciting.”

  Ned and Nancy exchanged a look, and Ned muttered, “I’ll give it some thought.”

  But as they left the office, Nancy knew Ned was thinking the same thing she was: How did Marty know about the balloon?

  • • •

  Nancy was lost in thought as Ned drove them back to JZA. Their route took them through the business district, but Nancy hardly noticed the huge buildings towering on either side.

  Apparently she had been too ready to assume Marty’s guilt. Could he be just what he claimed to be, a hustler whose drive and ambition had forced Jane to the wall? If so, why had Ursula saved the threatening notes along with Marty’s innocent ones behind her mirror? Or had someone else put them there? In any event, there were questions for Jane to answer, and soon.

  Ned turned to Nancy while they waited at a traffic light. “Marty makes a good case for himself. If I was really thinking seriously about a career as an actor, I’d consider his offer.”