by Leena Clover
“I fell for her hook, line and sinker. Bella didn’t want to get tied down though. She signed a contract that forbid her from marrying while the show ran. Something went wrong and they dropped her at the last minute.”
“Did it have anything to do with Crystal?”
“I can’t confirm that. But Crystal did replace her.”
“Did they know each other personally?”
“I doubt it.”
“What happened then?”
“Bella went into a funk after that. She was barely making ends meet. I proposed again, told her it could be temporary until she got back on her feet.”
“So she agreed to marry you.”
“I would like to think she was in love with me at least a little. But maybe she just got tired of starving.”
“Don’t be too hard on yourself, Ray,” Jenny soothed.
“We weren’t destined to be together after all.”
“Did Bella have any enemies?”
“Bella was friends with everyone. She could be too nice sometimes. That’s not how you get ahead in the entertainment industry.”
“You can’t think of anyone who might have wanted to harm her?”
Ray shook his head.
“You know this new reality show Crystal is doing? Bella got the short end of the stick. She’s the one who should have had a grudge against Crystal.”
“Is that why she wanted to ruin Crystal’s wedding?”
“I have no idea. I was shooting on location with my unit. I didn’t even know Bella had come to Virginia.”
“Did they tell you about the wedding dress she was wearing?”
“Vera Wang was her favorite designer.”
“Where did she get hold of that dress?”
“She knew a lot of people who worked in the fashion industry. She must have traded in a favor.”
“Crystal Mars was wearing the exact same dress.”
“She was? Bella must have been wearing a copy then.”
“What about the sapphire around her neck?”
“I have never seen it before. It must have cost a fortune.”
“Do you think she stole it?”
Ray looked indignant.
“Bella wouldn’t do that. She must have borrowed it from someone.”
“Did she know people who owned that kind of jewelry?”
“She was friendly with a lot of famous people. She had a few irons in the fire. She would have landed a big role pretty soon. I don’t think she really cared about Crystal Mars one way or the other.”
“What would have happened if Bella had landed successfully at the wedding? Was it some kind of publicity stunt?”
“Bella wasn’t like that. I really don’t understand why she was there.”
Jenny thought over her next words before she spoke.
“Bella was having an affair with Wayne Newman.”
Ray Fox exploded.
“That’s a load of crap! Bella would never cheat on me.”
Jenny said nothing.
Ray Fox got up and paced on the deck, muttering to himself. Jenny let him fume. He came and sat down after a while.
“Are you sure about this?” he begged.
“Only two people can confirm this. Bella’s gone. Wayne Newman said he didn’t know her.”
“That’s a lie,” Ray burst out. “Wayne knew Bella.”
“Did they date each other?”
“Bella went out with him a couple of times. This was before we got married.”
“So you knew about it and you still married her?”
“It wasn’t like that. Wayne was trying to woo her. This was back when she was supposed to star in that TV series. When the network dropped her, Wayne followed suit. She was glad. She said he was a jerk.”
“So why did she cheat on you, Ray?”
“There’s only one reason Bella would have done it,” Ray said. “He must have offered her something I can’t.”
“Didn’t you say she hated him?”
Ray shrugged. He leaned forward and stared into Jenny’s eyes.
“You don’t have to look any further. Wayne Newman killed my wife.”
“That’s quite an allegation, Ray.”
“It’s the truth though.”
“Where were you on the day of Crystal’s wedding?”
“Back home in L.A.”
“Can someone vouch for that?”
“I was home alone, wondering where my wife was,” Ray said grimly. “I had no idea my wife was thousands of miles away, jumping to her death.”
Chapter 11
Jenny and Heather were driving to the Pelican Cove Country Club again. Jenny wanted to talk to Crystal. A lot of new facts had come to light since she last spoke to her. Spooked by the alleged threat against her life, Crystal had gone to ground at the club.
A maid led them to a verandah overlooking the golf course. Crystal sat at a table, drinking iced tea. A tall, hefty man stood at attention a few feet away. Jenny rightly guessed he was the bodyguard Crystal had hired.
“How are you holding up, Crystal?”
Crystal gave an exaggerated sigh.
“Why do these things happen to me? This was supposed to be my honeymoon. Here I am, watching over my shoulder, running for my life.”
“Be thankful you have a life,” Heather told her.
Crystal motioned toward the man standing nearby.
“I’m taking this very seriously. Wayne told me what happened to Bella’s parachute. I am convinced someone wanted to kill me.”
“Why would they do that?” Jenny asked. “Do you have a lot of enemies?”
“People are jealous,” Crystal pouted. “A star’s life is not easy. You’re under the radar all the time and people are waiting for you to slip up.”
“I can understand that,” Jenny agreed. “There’s a lot of competition. That doesn’t mean people go around killing each other.”
“The parachute is proof, isn’t it?”
“How many people knew you were going to jump from the plane, Crystal?”
“I would never have done that. I’m afraid of heights.”
“What if someone paid you a big amount of money to do it?”
“They wanted me to do it for the show. I refused. I got my lawyer to add a clause. Sky diving, bungee jumping, zip lining – none of that crazy stuff.”
Jenny wondered why the network had hired Crystal.
“So someone who knows you well would know you would never go up in that plane.”
Crystal nodded emphatically.
“The whole unit knew it, right from the producers to the camera guys.”
Jenny lapsed into thought. If anyone had wanted to hurt Crystal, they would have chosen a different method.
“Have you remembered anything about Bella?”
“I told you, Jenny. I didn’t know the girl.”
“She was having an affair with Wayne Newman.”
“I’m not naïve. I know Wayne’s been around the block. We both have. So what?”
“You were okay with him cheating on you?”
“Who said anything about cheating?”
“He was engaged to you, wasn’t he?”
“Wait a minute. Are you suggesting he was seeing Bella after we were engaged?”
Jenny nodded.
“Who told you that?”
“Never mind who told me. Did you know anything about it?”
Crystal’s eyes hardened.
“I didn’t.”
“Would you have broken off the engagement if you knew?”
“Probably not.”
Jenny was taken aback. She was surprised Crystal was being so upfront. But she didn’t understand why Crystal was so desperate to get married.”
Crystal leaned forward and whispered in Jenny’s ear.
“I turned thirty this year.”
Jenny reacted appropriately.
“I thought you were in your early twenties.”
Crystal gloated a bit.
�
��I work very hard to look that way, Jenny. What I mean is, I have an expiry date. Turning thirty is like a death sentence in the industry. I can pull it off for some time, maybe. But the roles will start drying up in a couple of years. I need to make my fortune before that.”
“Sounds harsh.”
“That’s just the way it is.”
“What does this have to do with Wayne cheating on you?”
“Wayne’s very popular right now. Being his wife will elevate my status instantly. I need that, Jenny.”
“So you are willing to overlook a few transgressions like an affair or two.”
“Neither of us are kids. Our rose colored glasses have been ripped off long ago.”
“Why is Wayne marrying you? Does he love you even a little bit?”
“He says he does,” Crystal laughed shrilly. “We both have something to offer each other.”
“How far will you go? We already know Wayne’s a womanizer. What if he does drugs? What if he is abusive?”
“I can deal with all that once we are married. It will make great news copy. The tragic wife! I can earn a lot of sympathy from the fans.”
Jenny stole a glance at Heather. Heather’s shock was evident in her expression.
“You mean you’re marrying Wayne even after knowing all this bad stuff?”
“Heather, you’re such a sweetie. I’m marrying him because I know these things.”
Jenny wondered what kind of twisted world Crystal Mars lived in.
“Where do you draw the line?” she exploded. “What if Wayne wanted you out of the way?”
“He wouldn’t do that! We have an understanding.”
“What if he got rid of Bella?”
“He could have dumped her any time. No one gave a damn about Bella Darling.”
Jenny slapped her hand on the table.
“Are you being stupid on purpose? What if Wayne tampered with that parachute, Crystal? Would you still want to marry him?”
“Wayne had no reason to do that. Don’t you have any other suspects?”
“Wayne’s the only one who had an opportunity to harm Bella. He was up there with her on that plane.”
“Why would he do it on our wedding day?”
“I don’t have an answer for that. Have you come up with any other names?”
“Maybe someone wanted to hold up my wedding.”
“That’s a stretch.”
“Bella might have gotten away with a broken arm or leg. Why did she have to die?”
“It’s hard to predict what will happen when a person drops from ten thousand feet. Only a fool could have thought that.”
“Have you met the girls? They are not really bright, Jenny.”
“Are you saying one of your bridesmaids did it?”
Crystal shrugged.
“They could have.”
“Do you really believe that?”
Crystal settled back in her chair and looked around. She stifled a yawn and looked at Jenny.
“This is all a big waste of time. I am sure this was an accident. Bella was just unlucky.”
“Didn’t we just talk about the slashed parachute?” Jenny asked her. “Pay attention, Crystal. This was no accident. Someone very definitely wanted Bella out of the way. This is a murder investigation.”
“The police said that. I thought they were bluffing to get some reaction out of me.”
Jenny wanted to tell Crystal the police didn’t bluff about such things.
“Did any of your bridesmaids know Bella?” Heather asked.
She didn’t know about Jenny’s talk with the girl called Rainbow.
“Rainbow did.”
“Were they friends?” Heather went on.
“Anything but,” Crystal snorted.
“What was that?” Jenny asked sharply.
“Rainbow hated Bella. They got into a big fight. She got Bella banned from the set.”
“But I thought Bella wasn’t part of your show?”
“This was before they signed me on. There was some scandal and Bella got fired.”
Jenny’s head was spinning with possibilities.
Crystal clutched the bridge of her nose suddenly. She closed her eyes and started massaging her temples.
“Are we done here? I think I’m getting a migraine.”
Jenny and Heather expressed their sympathy. They took a circuitous route back to the car.
“She could’ve offered us a drink,” Heather complained. “I’m dying from thirst.”
“I’ll make you a smoothie when we get back to the café,” Jenny promised.
She was deep in thought. She couldn’t figure out who was lying, Rainbow or Crystal? Rainbow had claimed to be friends with Bella.
“Did you feel we were going around in circles?” Heather asked.
“Led by Crystal,” Jenny nodded. “Is she always like this?”
“Like what?”
“A bit dumb.”
“I don’t know her that well, Jenny.”
“She is either completely hare brained or very clever. Wanna bet it’s the latter?”
“Did you believe all that stuff about marrying Wayne inspite of knowing bad things about him?”
“Exactly! How do we know she wasn’t on to the affair? She could have wanted revenge on Bella.”
“Why would she want to ruin her own wedding?”
“That’s exactly why. No one would suspect her of doing it.”
They spotted a bunch of girls seated in a gazebo overlooking the ocean. One of the girls waved at them and walked over.
“Hello,” Rainbow said, smiling sweetly at Jenny. “Were you here to meet Crystal?”
Jenny nodded.
“Can you walk with us? I would like to ask you a few questions.”
Rainbow fell in step with them. Jenny waited until they were a good distance away from the gazebo.
“You told me you were friends with Bella.”
“Of course! We shared an apartment for some time.”
“According to Crystal, you didn’t get along at all. She says you got Bella fired.”
Rainbow froze, looking like a deer in the headlights. Jenny placed her hands on her hips and quirked an eyebrow questioningly.
“I may not have told you everything,” Rainbow mumbled.
“You hated Bella, didn’t you?”
“We had a falling out,” Rainbow agreed. “But we weren’t always like that. I treated her like a younger sister.”
“What went wrong?”
“She stabbed me in the back,” Rainbow said bitterly. “I didn’t see it coming. She acted all innocent, you know. But it was all fake.”
“What did she do?”
“I’d rather not talk about it.”
“Were you angry with her?”
“She made me so mad!”
“Mad enough to kill?”
Rainbow gasped.
“What? Of course not. This kind of thing is very common. That doesn’t mean we go around killing people.”
“But someone did kill Bella. Or have you forgotten that?”
“Look, I thought about what you said. Maybe Crystal was the target here.”
“Crystal said she’s afraid of heights.”
“She is. But she’ll do anything for a bit of attention.”
“Any update on the wedding?”
“Wayne is still holding out. Crystal’s trying to convince him.”
“How long are you going to stick around?”
Rainbow shrugged.
“We haven’t been cleared to leave yet. We don’t mind though. This place is so beautiful. It’s like an impromptu vacation.”
“You didn’t tell me Bella was married.”
Rainbow looked away, refusing to say anything.
“Why did Bella have an affair with Wayne? Did he promise her something?”
“I don’t know. Bella wasn’t sharing stuff with me by that time.”
“Was Wayne forcing her, do you think?”
“Have you seen Wayne Newman?” Rainbow exhaled. “He doesn’t force women. They fall at his feet, begging to be noticed.”
Jenny wondered if there was a note of bitterness in Rainbow’s voice.
“That dinner you had with Bella and Wayne? Did that really happen?”
“It did,” Rainbow said.
“Let me know if you think of anything else, Rainbow.”
Jenny and Heather waved goodbye and walked to their car. It was a considerable distance away.
“Shouldn’t they offer us those golf cart things?” Heather complained.
Jenny pulled a tissue out of her bag and mopped her brow. The car had been toasting out in the sun. Jenny turned the air conditioner on full blast and stuck her face in front of the vents.
“I could use a cold shower right about now,” she groaned.
“I’m getting a headache,” Heather said.
She pointed back toward the club.
“Crystal doesn’t seem like a good person, does she?”
“She’s single minded. I’ll say that for her.”
“Sometimes I feel I lead a very sheltered life,” Heather confessed.
“There’s a big bad world out there, kiddo. Pelican Cove is like our own bit of paradise.”
“I’m glad you came here, Jenny. I know you’re a bit older than me but I like having you for a friend.”
“Anymore of that and you’ll make Chris jealous,” Jenny joked.
“Chris has forgotten I exist.”
“Weren’t you complaining he was getting too close?” Jenny teased.
“I guess I spoke too soon.”
Chapter 12
Mandy James walked along Main Street, waving her phone in the air.
“What is she doing now?” Petunia asked Jenny.
“I think she’s taking pictures.”
“She couldn’t use the ones we have in the town archives?”
The ladies at the Boardwalk Café were enjoying a respite after the breakfast rush. Mandy walked in a few minutes later with Barb Norton in tow.
“Can I have one of your famous chocolate cupcakes? The ones with the raspberry frosting?”
“Sure,” Jenny drawled. “Can I get you anything else?”
Mandy took the cupcake out on the deck. She fiddled around with it, putting it on different spots on a table. She took pictures from different angles, climbing up on a chair once to take a top shot. She finally cried in triumph and sat down in one of the chairs.