by Leena Clover
“Oh? But I thought she was part of Crystal and her group of friends.”
“She was a bit older than us, and more experienced.”
“You mean she was a senior actress?”
The girl looked over her shoulder and leaned forward.
“Don’t tell anyone I said this, but she was a better actor than Crystal.”
“Why didn’t she get the lead role then?”
The girl shrugged.
“Talent is not the only requirement…”
“Did she get along with everyone?”
“She was nice to everyone but she kept her distance.”
Jenny pursed her lips as she asked the next question.
“You don’t think anyone had a grudge against her?”
The girl grew uncomfortable.
“Some of the girls were a bit jealous,” she finally admitted. “Other than Crystal, Rainbow was the only one who had her own room, see? The rest of us have to share a room.”
“How did she manage that?”
The girls shrugged.
“She was pretty friendly with Kathy. Crystal’s Mom, you know.”
The girl’s voice dropped to a whisper.
“And she was friendly with Wayne.”
Jenny knew the nature of Rainbow’s friendship with Wayne very well. She didn’t contradict the girl.
“Did she come to dinner the previous night? When was the last time you saw her?”
“Rainbow didn’t join us for dinner. She said she had some personal business to take care of.”
“Yeah? Like what?”
“She didn’t say. But I saw her drive out of the club around six.”
Jenny whirled around to look at the girl. So Rainbow had probably visited someone in town.
“Was that the last time you saw her?”
“Kind of. I saw Wayne coming out of her room later that night. He was saying something. He must have been talking to her, right?”
“What time was this?”
“I don’t remember. But it was late.”
Jenny thought of the void Rainbow’s death had created.
“Was there anyone who was angling for Rainbow’s role?”
“Almost everyone was,” the girl laughed. “Our roles are scripted beforehand but anything is possible on a reality show. If someone works up a fan following, the producers can keep them on longer, fire someone else.”
“So you’re trying to be one up on each other all the time?”
“I guess.” The girl shrugged.
Jenny decided she would never be able to handle that kind of tension.
“Must be hard on you. Aren’t you all friends?”
“We are friends up to a point. But we also need to look out for ourselves. Everyone knows that. There are no hard feelings.”
Jenny thanked the girl and promised she would bring over the special orders to their table. She spent the rest of the day thinking over what the girl had said. She needed to talk to Wayne Newman again.
Petunia came in to clean up an hour later.
“Are you going home to change?”
“Change for what, Petunia?”
“Have you forgotten? They are unveiling the new welcome sign. There’s going to be a ribbon cutting and a special guest.”
“Let me guess. Mandy James is behind all that.”
Petunia nodded.
“And you still want to go?”
Petunia sat down with a sigh.
“I know Mandy’s been hard on us. But this is about the town. We have been talking about getting a new welcome sign for years.”
“In that case, lead me on…”
“Aren’t you going to change? The whole town will be there.”
Petunia widened her eyes when she said ‘whole town’.
“Do we have enough time?”
“It’s at five. You will have to hurry.”
“Do you want me to pick you up?”
“Thanks dear, but I am riding with Heather and Betty Sue.”
Jenny and her aunt drove to the venue in time for the event. The sign was erected a quarter mile before the bridge that led to the island of Pelican Cove. Jenny was surprised to see Wayne Newman standing next to Barb Norton and Mandy James. There were a bunch of reporters clicking pictures like crazy.
It turned out Wayne Newman was going to cut the ribbon and unveil the new sign. He did that with a grin and pulled off the white cloth covering the sign. Then he gave a small speech.
Mandy James thanked everyone for coming and thanked the artist who had created the sign. Star looked stoic while she took it all in.
Wayne caught Jenny’s eye and pulled her to a side.
“I couldn’t say no,” he explained. “That Mandy chick is pretty persuasive.”
“I know,” Jenny agreed.
She nodded toward the reporters.
“Looks like the paparazzi know where you are now.”
Wayne shrugged.
“I’ve been below the radar long enough. It’s time to go home. Maybe the media will put some pressure on the police.”
“You lost two friends in a short period of time, Wayne. I am sorry for your loss.”
Wayne curled his fingers.
“They were both good people. I know I was seeing all of them at once. But I really cared for Bella and Rainbow.”
Once again, Jenny wondered if someone was killing off Wayne’s lady loves one by one. Was Crystal in danger too?
“When was the last time you saw Rainbow?”
“I spent some time with her that afternoon.”
“Did you arrange to meet her away from the club?”
“Why would I do that, Jenny? I could meet her there any time I wanted to.”
So Rainbow hadn’t left the club to meet Wayne. Had she just gone out for a drive?
“Someone saw you coming out of Rainbow’s room that night.”
Wayne looked guilty.
“I looked in on her later that night,” he admitted reluctantly. “I liked to spend some time with her before turning in.”
He gave Jenny a meaningful look making her blush.
“You didn’t go to Crystal before turning in?”
“I did. I went to Rainbow first.”
Jenny tried to hide her disgust. Then she told herself she wasn’t the moral police.
“Was she in her room?”
Wayne looked flustered again.
“She was fast asleep. I shook her but she wouldn’t wake up. I thought she might have taken one of her pills.”
Wayne could have given her the pills himself. Why would he do that though, Jenny asked herself.
“Were you talking to yourself when you left her room?”
“I was talking to her,” Wayne said sheepishly. “I thought she might be play acting.”
“And why would she do that?”
“We had a fight earlier that day,” Wayne confessed. “She told me she didn’t want to see me again.”
Jenny put her hands on her hips and glared at Wayne.
“When were you going to tell me that?”
Wayne ran a hand through his hair.
“Rainbow’s dead. How would it look if I admitted we argued on the day she died?”
“It looks bad,” Jenny nodded. “But hiding it looks worse.”
“I could’ve done something, Jenny,” Wayne cried suddenly. “I could have saved her.”
“You didn’t know what was wrong with her.”
“So what? If I had raised an alarm, got a doctor to look at her, maybe she would be with us right now.”
Wayne’s distress seemed genuine enough. But Jenny had her doubts.
“What time did you go to her room, Wayne?”
“Around nine? It was a little past that, I think.”
“Did you visit her at the same time every night?”
“Not exactly. We would meet at dinner and then decide if we were going to see each other later that night.”
“Where did you go after you
came out of Rainbow’s room?”
“I went to see Crystal.”
“Did you tell her about Rainbow?”
Wayne shook his head.
“I think you should tell all this to the police.”
Wayne didn’t look too happy about the suggestion.
“Do I have to? I think they already suspect me.”
Jenny didn’t want to comment on that.
“If you’re innocent, you should volunteer any information you have, Wayne. Hiding anything, even the smallest detail, makes you look suspicious.”
“I’ll think about it,” Wayne promised.
Mandy came and took Wayne away for a photo session. Jenny saw her coax people into standing on either side of the new sign. She turned around at a familiar voice.
Adam Hopkins stood a few feet away, holding Tank’s leash. Tank barked a welcome as soon as he saw Jenny.
“Meddling in police business?” Adam asked with an inscrutable expression.
Chapter 19
The Magnolias were enjoying their usual mid-morning break at the Boardwalk Café. Jenny had been busy getting their new hires up to speed. Petunia had convinced Jenny to let the kids manage the front desk. Jenny was taking a much deserved break.
“What’s on your mind, girl?” Betty Sue asked, her hands busy knitting a lime green scarf. “You look like someone stole your candy.”
That produced a laugh out of everyone.
“She’s been like that for a while,” Star told them. “I can’t get a smile out of her.”
“Are you still thinking about Bella?” Heather asked.
Jenny gave a slight nod.
“What do the police say?” Betty Sue asked. “Haven’t you talked to that Hopkins boy recently?”
“The police haven’t made any arrests,” Jenny told them. “And they are not holding anyone.”
“So they are clueless,” Molly stated. “What does Adam say?”
Jenny flared up when she heard Adam’s name.
“Why would Adam say anything?” Her chest heaved with emotion. “You know he never tells me anything. He hasn’t given me a single update on what’s happening.”
“Are those film people still in town?” Molly asked.
“They are here till the end of the week,” Heather informed them. “I spoke to Crystal yesterday.”
“And they won’t be coming back!” Jenny exclaimed. “How can the cops let them leave?”
“They stuck around long enough,” Heather argued. “They all have deadlines. The show has lost a lot of money, it seems. The studio’s lawyers are putting a lot of pressure on the authorities here.”
“I’m surprised the police haven’t charged anyone yet,’ Jenny said nastily. “It’s not as if they need proof.”
An old incident still rankled. Her aunt had been found guilty of murder by the local police earlier that year. The police had latched on to her without any evidence. Jenny had stood by her aunt and worked hard to find the real killer.
“This is a high profile case,” Molly said. “They will think twice before pointing the finger at anyone.”
“How do you know so much about this?” Petunia asked Molly.
“Jason told me that,” she admitted.
“Jason,” a trio of voices chorused. “When did you meet Jason?”
“I ran into him at the bakery,” Molly snorted. “It’s not like we went on a date or anything, Jenny.”
“I don’t mind,” Jenny shrugged. “You can go out with Jason if you want to.”
“We all know Jason’s sweet on you,” Molly laughed.
“Forget about Jason,” Star said. “What are you thinking about, Jenny? Do you have any ideas about who might have done this?”
“Is it one person or two?” Heather asked.
“I think the two deaths are related,” Molly said. “Both the girls knew each other, didn’t they?”
“What do you think, Jenny?” Betty Sue thundered, pausing her hands for a second.
“I don’t know. I keep going around in circles.”
“I told you, Jenny,” Star said. “You need to write it all down.”
“I think Wayne’s our guy,” Molly said. “He’s too good looking.”
“That’s not a crime, honey,” Star said.
“Being a womanizer is, isn’t it?” Molly asked.
“I don’t think so,” Jenny said, scrunching up her face in thought. “He’s not married yet.”
“It’s immoral for sure,” Molly said stoutly.
“I agree with that,” Petunia supported her. “So this Wayne guy is engaged to one girl, and he was carrying around with two other girls.”
“He’s so nice about it,” Heather sighed.
“Of course he’s nice!” Molly snapped. “He gets to have his cake and eat it too.”
“Not any longer,” Jenny reminded them.
“What do you think about Wayne?” Star asked her.
“He’s a bit of a bad boy,” Jenny admitted. “But he seems nice.”
“That’s exactly how he gets all the girls to fall for him,” Molly laughed. “You too, Jenny?”
“I can’t forget he was up there with Bella,” Jenny spoke up. “How could he not have seen her?”
“How many people knew that poor girl took sleeping pills?” Petunia asked.
“Almost everyone, it seems,” Jenny said, flinging her hands in despair.
“Why would she take an overdose?” Heather asked. “Surely someone must have forced her?”
“Why didn’t she make any noise or something?” Molly asked.
“It’s no use,” Jenny grumbled. “I’ve asked myself these same questions plenty of times.”
“Is Wayne the only one you suspect?” Star asked.
“We can’t forget Ray Fox was in town too,” Jenny said.
“That’s Bella’s husband?” Betty Sue asked.
Molly spoke up.
“You think Ray would want to kill her because of the child?”
“He gave me a pretty tall story about wanting a child,” Jenny mused. “But it’s possible it was a bluff. Maybe he wanted revenge.”
“Why would he come all the way to the east coast for that?” Heather asked. “Surely he could have done it when Bella got back home?”
“What if Bella managed to convince Wayne to marry her?”
“That doesn’t make sense, Jenny. Bella was married to Ray. She would have gone back home no matter what Wayne said to her. Ray Fox had plenty of opportunity to get even with her once she went to L.A.”
“Doing the deed here is like pointing the finger at himself,” Molly added. “Surely he’s not that stupid?”
“Ray might have been angry at his wife,” Star said. “What did he have against Rainbow?”
“Rainbow was the one who introduced Wayne and Bella,” Jenny explained. “He could have had a grudge against her for that.”
“So he killed her for an old grudge?” Star asked. “That doesn’t make sense.”
“Why would Wayne kill Rainbow then?” Jenny asked. “He actually liked her. And she was his girl friend.”
“What if Rainbow knew what Wayne did to Bella? She decided to spill the beans?” Molly was very happy with her idea.
“She could have threatened to tell Crystal about Bella,” Heather suggested.
“After Bella was gone?” Jenny asked. “I am sure Crystal already knew about Bella and Wayne. She said she didn’t care about Wayne’s character.”
“Saying it is one thing, dear,” Petunia spoke up. “No woman is going to like the fact that her man is carrying around with someone else.”
Jenny thought of Wayne’s final visit to Rainbow. She hadn’t mentioned it to anyone.
“I’m going to talk to Adam,” she declared, standing up suddenly. “I just thought of something.”
“Go on then…” Betty Sue cackled.
The older ladies exchanged knowing glances as Jenny sped down the café steps to the boardwalk. She hurried toward the
police station which was a couple of blocks down the road.
A few minutes later, she was standing in front of Adam Hopkins with her hands on her hips.
“We need to talk, Adam!”
“What is it, Jenny? I am busy.”
“I have some questions about Rainbow.”
“That’s an ongoing investigation. You know I can’t tell you anything about it.”
“Even if it might help you solve the case?”
Adam folded his arms and leaned back in his chair.
“One question.”
“When did Rainbow die?”
“Any time after 8 PM. Between 8 and midnight is the best guess.”
“So she was already dead…” Jenny mumbled to herself.
“What’s that?” Adam asked. “Are we done here?”
“She must have been gone when Wayne visited her that night.”
“Wayne Newman went to see Rainbow the night she died?” Adam asked incredulously. “How do I not know that?”
“One of the bridesmaids told me,” Jenny revealed. “I asked Wayne about it.”
“He could have given her the pills,” Adam said, incensed.
“Why would she willingly take an overdose?”
“She was in love with this Wayne guy, wasn’t she?” Adam asked.
“Wayne’s taking it hard.”
“It could be an act. I need to talk to Wayne Newman about this.”
“He’ll probably come to you himself,” Jenny told him.
She sat down and pulled at the chain around her neck.
“Did you find out where Rainbow went that day?”
It was yet another fact Adam was not aware of.
“Someone must have seen her in town,” Adam said hopefully. “We will start questioning people.”
“She could have just gone to the Rusty Anchor for a drink.”
“It’s all speculation at this point,” Adam sighed.
“Did you find any other clues in her room?”
“Yes, Jenny. We found a note telling us who killed her.”
“You don’t have to be nasty, Adam!”
Adam hid a smile and leaned forward. He clasped Jenny’s hand in his.
“You’re so cute, Jenny,” he said hoarsely.
Jenny wasn’t sure she liked being referred to as cute.
“Do you mean stupid?”
“No, I mean cute,” Adam insisted, still holding her hand.
Jenny wriggled out of his grip and stood up.
