Stars in the Night

by Cara C. Putman

  I didn’t do it. He tried to communicate the thought to her.

  She looked down and studied her hands. “May I leave now, Mr. Brown?”

  The detective turned in his seat and studied her. “Yes. Don’t leave the train until we’re through.”

  “Yes, sir.” She stood and slipped from the car without once glancing at Robert.

  “So you were left to guard the body.”

  “Yes.”

  “Did you alter anything in the room?”

  “I entered it, but I certainly didn’t kill Lana or put my handkerchief in her hand.”

  Brown rolled his eyes. “Even movie stars aren’t dumb enough to do that.”

  “Look.” Robert leaned onto the table, boring into Brown’s eyes. “The divorce wasn’t my idea. I loved Lana, and her leaving was one of the hardest things that happened to me. I looked for ways to make it work, but she’d have nothing to do with me. We were not the best of friends. But the last thing I wanted was anything to happen to Lana.

  “Having my ex-wife die on a train I’m riding?” Robert looked at his hands, trying to find the right words. “That makes me an automatic suspect. But you’d be better served spending your time looking for someone who hated Lana.”

  “Thanks for the investigation advice. Like I said earlier, I’ll follow this investigation to the end. Wherever the evidence leads. Regardless of fancy words from an actor.” Mr. Brown rubbed his short neck, studying his notes. “Tell me about the others on this train. Who might not like your ex?”

  “I don’t like to think any of them is capable of murder.”

  “Yeah, Eve didn’t want to think that of Cain either, but he was.” The investigator quickly walked him through the people on the train, Robert filling him in on the details he knew about each and how they interacted with Lana.

  “You have to understand we didn’t move in the same circles the last two years.” It had been too hard to see her surrounded by other men.

  “Sure, sure.” Detective Brown tugged his rumpled tie then closed his notepad. “That’s all for now. Do not, under any circumstances, mysteriously disappear from this train or caravan. I expect to be able to find you the moment I need you.”

  Robert nodded and pushed up from the table. Mr. Brown clamped down on his arm.

  “Mind telling me what happened to your face? And don’t bother with ‘I ran into a wall.’”

  Robert tugged his arm free and eased back onto the bench. “It wasn’t a wall.”

  “No kidding.”

  “Someone followed Miss Schaeffer last night during rehearsals at the National Theatre in D.C. I didn’t like the looks of things, followed, and got popped in the eye for my trouble.”

  “Really?” Brown hitched an eyebrow as he stared at Robert.

  “Yes.”

  “Any ideas who did it?”

  “None. It wasn’t especially bright backstage and the man who approached stood in the shadows.”

  “A man. Notice anything else about him?”

  “He was large and had a mean right hook.”

  “All right. I’ll have to take your word for it. Now remember, don’t leave the train. I will find you if you leave.”

  “I understand.” Robert left the car. The humidity slapped him when he reached the car’s platform. What had just happened? Did the investigator seriously consider him a suspect in Lana’s murder? While he didn’t like the idea that one of his fellow performers could have turned violent, the idea that the police believed he might have done it left him shaken.

  Why had Lana had his handkerchief?

  It had been two years. There was no reason for her to keep a handkerchief with his initials and certainly no reason to bring it on the train. If it didn’t mean having to pass the inspector, Robert would march to his room and count how many were in his bag. Even then, he didn’t know if he’d remember how many squares he’d packed. That would still make it his word against Mr. Brown’s gut instincts and investigation.

  He had no choice. He had to find Lana’s killer before her murder got pinned on him.

  Robert wiped the sweat from his brow and entered the lounge car. Whatever conversations had been in process stopped at his appearance.

  “What’s going on?” Quincy Cambridge pushed up from his position by the piano and marched toward Robert. “Audra didn’t say a word and disappeared.”

  “Surely Mark told you something.” After all it was that man’s job to keep the caravan running.

  Quincy snorted. “Sure. The man’s a wreck. One of his biggest stars turns up dead. His future’s finished in Hollywood.”

  “And I’m hoping mine isn’t.” Elizabeth McAllister quivered dramatically. “This is so terrible, and now we’ll all have the black mark next to our names of traveling with Lana when she died.” Her eyes widened and her voice dropped. “Or was murdered.”

  Mark rushed back into the car, his normally well-groomed hair running in all directions as if he’d run his fingers through it repeatedly. “Calm down. Nobody else is going to die. And we don’t know for sure what happened to Lana.”

  “Then you ain’t too bright,” Danny Lester stage-whispered from behind his newspaper.

  “Enough. Mr. Brown, the investigator with the Williamsburg police, is on his way in to talk to each of you. Just tell him what you know. Answer his questions. Et cetera.”

  “Don’t we need attorneys present?” Royce asked the question with a bored air.

  Robert shook his head. Royce had enough experience with the law to have received his law degree on the side. He certainly kept his studio’s fixers busy covering up his extra activities.

  “If you want to drag things out and try to find an attorney in a town none of us has visited before, be my guest.” Mark raised his hands in a how-could-I-stop-you-anyway gesture. “As for me, I want these officers off the train lickety-split, so we can get back to business.” As several gasped, Mark hurried on. “I’m as upset as you are Lana’s dead. But there’s nothing we can do for her other than cooperate with the police. Once that’s done, the best thing we can do is finish getting ready for tonight’s performance.”

  “You’re not going to postpone even a day?” Frank Crosby eyed Mark like he had lost his mind. Robert had to agree with him.

  “We’ve got a dozen stops in the next two weeks. I don’t know about you, but all I want to do is keep this show moving so we can get off this train. It’s our duty to keep going for the war effort.”

  The words might sound right, but Robert thought Mark threw the word “duty” around a bit loosely. It wasn’t like they stood on the edge of a battlefield hearing the tanks and artillery pounding around them.

  Constance crossed her arms and planted her petite frame in front of Mark. “There is no way I can do anything tonight. What if whoever it was had stumbled into my room instead of hers?” Her face crumpled and large tears rolled down her cheeks as she sobbed.

  “Here, here, kid. It’ll be all right.” Frank pulled her into a rough embrace. She melted into his side as he stroked her hair. “We’re all glad it wasn’t you.”

  “Which one of you was glad it was Lana?” Detective Brown stood at the end of the car, hands planted on his hips, a glare affixed to his face. Somehow he’d sneaked into the car.

  Several folks sucked in a deep breath at Brown’s crazy question. Robert looked at him, flummoxed. Did he really think someone would answer his idiotic challenge? He didn’t know which interrogation training the guy took, but it lacked finesse.

  Mark gestured to the detective. “This fine gentleman is Mr. Earl Brown, a detective with the Williamsburg, Virginia, police department. As I mentioned, I encourage you to fully cooperate with him.” Mark hurried toward the dining car, muttering under his breath.

  “Hey, don’t forget we need something to eat.” Charlie Lester pointed at his stomach. Robert shook his head. So Mark wasn’t the only one fixated on strange things.

  “Good morning.” Detective Brown nodded to the group.
He seemed unimpressed with those standing before him. Robert wondered if Cary Grant would garner a reaction.

  “It’s practically afternoon, and we’ve waited a long time for you.” Charlie’s belligerence grew with each word.

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you too.” Detective Brown chomped on his gum hard enough to make Robert wonder if his jaw hurt. “Mr. Garfield, you’re excused, since I’ve already talked to you. I need a few minutes with each of the rest of y’all.” He surveyed the group then pointed to Constance. “I’ll start with you.”

  Constance stumbled from Frank and moved toward the detective. While he ushered her to the dining car, Robert looked around for Audra.

  “So what do we need to prepare for?” Danny asked Robert, frown lines appearing around his eyes.

  “Tell the truth and you’ll be all right.” At least he hoped.

  “You sound like my mother. Parroting words that don’t really help.”

  Robert shrugged. “There’s not much more I can say. Has anyone seen Audra?”

  “She hurried off to the women’s car.” Victoria considered him, as if searching to see how he’d held up. “Would you like me to get her?”

  He would but didn’t want to admit it. “That’s okay. I need some fresh air after spending time with the good detective.”

  Birds squawked when he stepped outside. Robert sat on the edge of the platform, his feet dangling over the side. He studied the piece of sky he could see between the cars, the bright sunshine vastly different from the star-studded velvet sky of the night. Leaning forward, he waited— not sure what for—but needing a moment of peace.

  Father, what’s going on? I don’t understand any of this.

  While he and Lana didn’t love each other anymore, a part of his soul grieved her death. And to think the detective thought he might have done it, all because of a silly square of cotton. Disquiet grew inside him.

  God?

  The words of the Psalm he’d read the prior day trickled through him.

  He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds. He telleth the number of the stars; he calleth them all by their names. Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite.

  He needed the thought that God was there in his brokenness and grief. Lana’s physical death was her second to him; God had already walked with him through the days he grieved the death of her love. He healeth the broken in heart. To think God cared about his grief. The very same God who called the stars by name. Far more of them than the stars that had ever been in Hollywood or would ever hope to ascend there.

  While he couldn’t begin to understand everything that had happened, God already knew. And He even understood the mixed-up, muddled emotions Robert felt.

  He bowed his head and prayed. For Audra and all she must feel as she relived Rosemary’s death and the horror of finding Lana. For the detective and officers to have wisdom. For the caravan to proceed with safety. And for the killer to be identified quickly, because until he or she was, Robert doubted anyone on the train was safe.

  CHAPTER THIRTY

  __________

  Did Audra need someone guarding her?

  She shook off the idea. She wouldn’t give in to fear. Instead, she’d stay close to others, especially Robert. That and a good night’s sleep were what she needed.

  But if Mark had his way, she wouldn’t sleep for another twelve hours. It didn’t matter. She had to rest. Collect her thoughts. Even if for a minute. She lay down on the twisted sheets and pulled the thin blanket over her. She’d close her eyes—just for a minute.

  A tap pulled her from her doze. Audra opened her eyes and took in her surroundings. All was quiet. No side-to-side motion or clack of the train wheels against the tracks. The train must still rest next to the station or wherever it had halted. The sun still shone so she knew she couldn’t have slept long. As she yawned, she knew it hadn’t been long enough.

  The knock was insistent this time. “Audra.”

  Mark.

  She sat up and stretched. Her neck and upper back muscles bunched painfully. “Yes?”

  “We need you in the lounge car.”

  “Five minutes.”

  “Why does everybody need five minutes? We don’t have time.”

  “Good-bye, Mark.”

  She heard his huff as he walked away. Guess he’d won in his insistence to proceed tonight. He might be crazy. Did he really expect the performers to ignore what had happened to Lana? What a cold-hearted man.

  Approaching the mirror, Audra grabbed a tube of lipstick and touched up her makeup. Then she tried to brush the wrinkles from her skirt. There was little she could do without time and an iron. She slipped on her pumps and left her berth. The policeman no longer stood outside Lana’s berth. In fact, she didn’t see any officers as she walked to the lounge car.

  Gloomy faces greeted her when she entered the lounge car.

  “The police have finally released us so we can finish the last little patch of track to Norfolk. From there we’ll hop in a fleet of taxis and make our way to the theatre. We’ll have two hours until the show if all goes well.” Mark clapped his hands as if that made it so. “The show’s at Loew’s State Theatre.”

  “A movie theatre?” Danny Lester’s lip curled.

  “Why not on one of the military bases around here?” Charlie Lester crossed his arms.

  “Don’t worry. The locals call the theatre ‘Dixie’s Million Dollar Dandy.’” Mark turned to Danny, pinning him with a glare. “And don’t forget we’re here to sell war bonds, not entertain the troops.”

  “Can’t we at least sneak close to them?” Constance twisted a strand of hair around a finger.

  Frank frowned at her. “Ah, you just want to sneak a kiss.”

  “Maybe.” She winked and blew the red-faced man a kiss.

  The train jerked into motion and a few of the performers cheered. Audra reached for the wall to steady herself and, with the next jolt, fell against Dexter Snow. The wiry man pushed her upright and stepped to the side.

  “Excuse me.” Audra studied him, rubbing her side. Dexter hadn’t said two words to anyone that she’d heard since he’d hopped on the train. Even now, he simply stared at her, a cold look in his eyes. She refused to be cowed by the rude man.

  Conversation took off among the performers, reaching a dull roar as they talked in clusters. Mark slapped a table and whistled. The sharp sound brought a quick halt to the discussions.

  “Enough. You have ten minutes to gather whatever you’ll need for tonight. Dexter, I need to see you pronto. Audra, you too.”

  The dark-haired man gestured in front of him. “After you.”

  His deep voice wasn’t what she’d expected from such a thin man. He looked like he hadn’t eaten a bite in days. And his clothes looked disheveled, like he hadn’t had the opportunity to have them properly cleaned or ironed.

  Victoria stopped on her way out. “Ride with me to the theatre?”

  “Of course.” Audra imagined she’d need the time with a friendly face. And anything would be better than riding in a cramped car with the Lester twins or philandering men with wandering hands.

  “Audra.” Mark sounded exasperated as he waited for her.

  “See you in Norfolk then.” Victoria squeezed her hand then slipped from the car.

  Audra approached the two men, waiting for Mark to tell her what he needed.

  “We need to get Dexter incorporated. Any thoughts?”

  Audra mentally ran down the schedule. “Well, he certainly won’t be effective filling in for Lana in a love scene with Quincy or Royce.” She must be tired to have said that out loud.

  “A tad scandalous.”

  Audra blushed. “Of course. But I think Annabelle could fill in on Lana’s bit for one of those. Then Dexter…I’m sorry, what do you do again?”

  “Cut women in half.”

  The color rushed from her cheeks at his words. “In light of what’s happened today, I find that repulsive.
”

  Mark placed a hand on her arm. “Calm down, Audra. Dexter’s a magician, not a murderer.”

  Dexter stiffened at the word. “I beg your pardon?”

  “Look, it’s been a long day already—and we’re all on edge.” Mark looked from Audra to Dexter. “Dexter, maybe you should watch the show tonight, and we’ll figure out where to add you in at the next stop. In fact, it might be best to use you when we go to the different military stops or in the pre-show entertainment. We’ll have to work it out.”

  Audra nodded. “That could work. None of us is prepared to think hard now.”

  “Then maybe I should hop right off this caravan.”

  Mark glanced at the pile of papers in front of him, dismissing the man. “If you wish…”

  With a harrumph, Dexter turned on his heel and stalked toward the men’s cars.

  “Is he always so…”

  “Pompous? Yes. Mr. Snow there believes he’s God’s gift to this caravan. Frankly, I wish he hadn’t joined us. A magician? What on earth are we supposed to do with one of them? On top of everything else?” Sweat poured from Mark’s forehead, and he fidgeted with the top button of his button-down. “Good night, as if I didn’t have enough egos.”

  Audra hurried to the small serving station and picked up a glass and pitcher of water and brought them to him. “Would you like a drink?”

  “Indigestion. Get it something terrible and this job does not help one iota.” Mark accepted the glass of water and gulped it down without pause. He rubbed his stomach then sat down. “Get on the first taxi headed to the theatre. I’ll need you on the ground to check the layout. It’s supposed to be a classy place, but we’ll see for sure when we arrive. And make sure Dalia’s ready to run. She’ll have her work cut out for her when we get there.” Mark looked up from the stack. “Why are you still standing there? We don’t have time to lollygag, doll.”

  Audra hurried from him and knocked on each door as she passed. “We should arrive in five minutes. Pull your things together.”

  Mumbles and incoherent phrases were all she heard as she hurried to the next car. She rapped on a few more doors then slowed as she reached Dalia’s room. Guilt washed over her. She should have made an effort to visit her earlier in the day. Especially before she layed down to rest. Poor Dalia. It had been uncaring to leave her alone while the others gathered in one place. Had the police even talked to Dalia? Audra knocked then paused.