by Anne Canadeo
“Trina said they always had a thing for each other. Even after Jennifer married Nick. And Nick was no angel, either,” Dana added. “So Jennifer must have justified her dalliance. Heath was her only affair, but Nick liked variety. That’s how Trina claims she knew all these intimate details of their married life. She and Nick . . . well, you get the idea.”
“I’ll say we do. Too much information, thank you,” Maggie said as she returned to the table.
“It’s better than Hollywood Insider, I’ll say that,” Suzanne admitted.
“I think it’s interesting that of the four principal people involved in the film—Nick, Jennifer, Heath, and Trina—Trina is the only one who wasn’t the target of any accidents. Or poisoning. Even Jennifer nearly got hit by that falling light fixture,” Maggie pointed out. “How do the police explain that? Did she try to throw suspicion off herself by having her face cut to bits by broken glass?”
“The police think that was a bona fide accident. Just a coincidence.”
“What about the fire in Heath’s trailer? How do they connect that to Jennifer? They say they know how she killed him . . . but why would she kill Heath?” Lucy asked Dana. She looked around at the others, too.
“I agree with Lucy. I think she loved Heath. I don’t see any reason why she’d hurt him. She probably hoped to be with him after she divorced Nick,” Suzanne said. “Why kill him?”
Dana sat back and sipped some more wine. “They’re a little bit fuzzy on that one. But they are building on the money motive—in addition to the financial stress in the marriage, Nick had a big insurance policy, and Jennifer is the beneficiary. In regard to the movie, that’s a little stickier, but Jack heard the movie is insured, too. If the film can’t be finished due to something called force majeure, the partners—Nick, Jennifer, and Heath—stand to recoup their investment. And in this agreement, the remaining partners get the share of any other who is not alive to claim it.”
“So they think she just wanted to undermine the movie to collect the insurance? I don’t buy that, either,” Maggie said. She thought it was time to serve the pasta and headed back to the storeroom to get it. But she could still hear the lively conversation quite clearly. And still felt a heaviness inside, feeling the urge to defend Jennifer, but wondering now if she truly was guilty.
“Wait, what’s force . . . margarine?” Phoebe asked.
“Force majeure: an act of God. It’s a clause that frees someone from fulfilling the terms of a contract if there’s a flood or a war. Or an alien invasion,” Lucy explained.
“So Heath’s death made it impossible to finish the picture. That’s an act of God . . . even though God didn’t poison him,” Suzanne added, sounding angry all over again at whoever did.
“That’s all very interesting,” Maggie said finally. She set the hot pan of pasta in the middle of the table and began serving her friends.
“What about Theo, how does he stand in the will?” Suzanne asked.
“I don’t know,” Dana replied, accepting her dish. “Hmm, this looks good,” she added quietly.
“Jennifer said he was very concerned and upset about his father,” Maggie told them, “but that they haven’t had the easiest father-son relationship. I wonder what she meant by that?”
“I know,” Lucy piped up. “I’ve been reading a lot of old celebrity gossip news online about all these people,” she admitted. “It’s been sort of addictive.”
“What’s the story with Theo and Nick?” Dana asked curiously.
“It seems that they didn’t have much of any relationship until the past few years. Nick’s first wife was so angry at Nick when he left her that she kept Theo away from Nick for about ten years or more,” Lucy reported between bites. “I think Theo was about nine when the family broke up and he didn’t see Nick again until he was in college. Nick probably reached out to him and he was out of his mother’s influence by then. One article I read played up a cozy father-son reunion and said Nick had taken Theo under his wing and was teaching him the business. I think Theo even lives with Jennifer and Nick now.”
“Interesting,” Dana said. “Did Nick leave his family to be with her? If he did, Theo would still have a strong reason to resent her.”
“It’s hard to tell from the clippings I found. I think it’s possible. They met when Jennifer was about twenty-three and he sort of swept her off her feet.”
“Stole her away from Heath,” Suzanne clarified, chewing thoughtfully.
“Or maybe Jennifer was attracted by an older, successful, established man. A man who could help her career. Heath wasn’t famous yet. They were both still in acting school,” Lucy reminded the others.
“She lived to regret that move,” Suzanne noted.
“Maybe,” Lucy agreed. “But somehow they all remained friends. But right before you find any mention of Nick and Jennifer dating, it seems that Nick was involved in a scandal. Or maybe you could just call it an unfortunate incident that happened on his property? Dana, you were telling us about that a while ago. Right before the film crew came to town.”
“Yes, I remember. But the details are a little foggy now.”
“There was a young actress who died after one of his parties,” Lucy filled in. “She drowned in the swimming pool. A combination of too much alcohol and nobody noticing. Practically all the guests had gone by then. I think only Heath and Jennifer were still at the house. One of the articles I found said that Heath found the body.”
“How awful. I’ve never heard that,” Suzanne said quickly.
“She was only nineteen. She’d come to LA right after high school. She was still underage for drinking alcohol. I’m not sure how Nick Pullman escaped any legal punishment for that, but he did,” Lucy added.
“We can understand his phobia about bad publicity now, I guess. That was the start, but he was very adept at keeping it quiet. He settled with the girl’s family out of court. The best thing for everyone’s career, including Heath’s,” Dana added.
“So Nick was the one to fix it,” Suzanne concluded. “Heath had no money then, right?”
“Right,” Lucy said. “All he had was his talent and good looks. Which proved to be plenty. He must have felt indebted to Nick after that,” she speculated. “They did several films together that were all big hits.”
“So they both benefitted from the alliance, however it had been forged,” Maggie noted. She’d served herself last and sat at her place. But didn’t have much appetite.
“What was the girl’s name? The actress who drowned? Was she well known?” Dana asked.
Lucy shook her head. “Not at all. Her name was Lana Lambert. She’d come to Hollywood from someplace in the Midwest for her big break. That’s what makes it so sad.”
“This is all very interestin, but I still don’t see how it fits together,” Maggie said honestly. “Or helps us figure out who might be trying to frame Jennifer Todd.”
She knew she sounded disappointed, but couldn’t help it.
“I know it sounds bad for Jennifer. But she’s able to hire the best lawyers in the country,” Dana reminded her. “So much of the evidence linking her to these crimes is circumstantial. The police still haven’t come up with an eyewitness or any DNA evidence that links her to either poisoning.”
“That’s true,” Maggie said quietly. “What about that drop of blood on the plastic bottle?”
“She didn’t give a DNA sample. But maybe she will now,” Dana added.
“That might tell the story.” Suzanne shrugged.
Maggie didn’t reply. She glanced around at her friends. “Well, let’s have a bite and do some knitting. Better minds than ours have been trying to crack this nut.”
Including Charles’s mind, she wanted to add. But she felt too tired and drained now to tell her friends what happened between them. Or to hear all their well-meaning advice.
On Friday morning, Maggie flicked on the morning news. Just as she expected and dreaded, she heard it reported that Jennifer Todd h
ad been arrested and charged with the attempted murder of her husband, Nick Pullman. And that further charges related to the homicide of actor Heath O’Hara were expected to follow.
“Ms. Todd remains in custody but is expected to be released on bail later today,” the newscaster said.
Maggie felt sad and turned off the TV. Maybe it was true and she was really starstruck. Even worse than Suzanne.
She sincerely liked Jennifer Todd, and was surprised at this turn in the case. But she could get over that. What really hurt now was Charles. The case was closed, but she hadn’t heard from him. She had to assume she’d damaged their relationship beyond repair.
When she reached the shop, the flower-lined path did not cheer her as it usually did. The daffodils in particular seemed to be mocking her. She recalled the way Jennifer had recited the Wordsworth poem—“I wandered lonely as a cloud”—and felt foolish, taken in, by the actress.
Had she been taken in? Or was Jennifer Todd being framed by some dreadful enemy?
Luckily, Lucy stopped by before the coffee had even finished brewing. Maggie was glad for the distraction. Surprisingly, she was without her dogs. Though she had brought her laptop, Maggie noticed.
“No four-legged friends today? Did they decide to sleep in?” Maggie asked as she poured them each a mug.
“Matt had the day off. He took them for a jog on the beach.”
“You didn’t join the family? I’m flattered.” Maggie actually was. She knew how Lucy loved to go running with Matt and the dogs.
“They’re having some one-on-one time with their ‘dad,’ ” Lucy replied. “Besides, I wanted to come here first thing. After the meeting last night, I couldn’t resist noodling around on the Internet again. I tried to find out more about that situation with the actress who drowned at Nick Pullman’s house. It seems that Jennifer was at that party, too.”
Maggie sat down with her coffee across from Lucy. “That’s interesting. So the three were tied by this incident?”
“It seems so. Remember last night you said why wasn’t Trina a target of any accidents on the set? You probably meant maybe she was behind all this mayhem, right?”
“Yes, I did. Though she doesn’t have much motivation, except wanting more time on screen in the film. And that’s not enough. Even having her boyfriend take over the movie wouldn’t justify all these events.”
“I agree.” Lucy nodded. “But what if three of them—Nick, Heath, and Jennifer—were all targets of one person? Someone who wanted to destroy all three of them and even undermine their film project? Nick and Heath were poisoned, and Jennifer made to look like the culprit.”
Maggie considered this theory. “It sounds plausible . . . but who’s behind all this? Who wants to see the three of them ruined that badly?”
Lucy had turned on her laptop and typed a bit. “I did a search for Lana Lambert. You can find out a frightening amount of information about people these days. Especially if you’re willing to pay a small fee.”
“You paid to find out about her?” And Charles thought she was obsessed with these police investigations.
“It wasn’t much. About twenty dollars. The results came this morning. She was about the same age as Jennifer and attended the same acting school in LA.”
“The same school as Jennifer and Heath?” Maggie said.
“That’s right. They were classmates and were all at that party. Chances are that Heath, who already had some acquaintance with Nick, got the invitation and brought both of the girls. After Lana died, Nick said he didn’t really know her and had not invited her directly. That she’d come with Heath O’Hara. Heath was dating Jennifer at the time, and maybe Lana was a mutual friend from acting classes.”
“That sounds possible. I can imagine young, unknown actors eager to go to a party at some successful director’s house. Trying to do each other a favor by bringing a friend along.”
“Exactly,” Lucy replied. “Lana Lambert was a stage name, which is why it was hard at first to find out anything about her.”
“What was her real name?” Maggie asked curiously.
“Eileen Litowinsky. Sort of a mouthful. You can understand why she changed it.”
“Absolutely. Lana Lambert is much more glamorous. Where did she grow up—did you find that out, too?”
“There was quite a list of prior residences before California. I guess her family moved around a lot. She had one sibling, a sister, Ava. About five years younger. Her father died recently but her mother is still alive. I’m not sure where she lives.”
“That’s all very interesting, but I’m not sure how it fits in. Except to give a more detailed picture of the poor girl.” Maggie had a class coming soon but had already sorted out the yarn and other supplies. She set the basket on the middle of the table alongside some number-five needles.
“I’m not sure, either,” Lucy admitted. She was about to close her computer but opened it again. “You just reminded me. I found a picture. Sort of blurry, but you might want to see.”
She clicked a few times and a picture came on the screen. It was unclear, black and white, but looked professional. Maggie fumbled with her glasses and leaned toward the screen, peering over Lucy’s shoulder.
“It’s probably a head shot, the type actors send with their résumés when they audition for a role,” Lucy said.
“She’s flat-out gorgeous,” Maggie murmured. “With some talent, she might have gone far.”
“I thought the same,” Lucy agreed.
Lana was a beautiful girl with thick, dark hair, high cheekbones, and large dark eyes. She had an exotic look, simmering with sex appeal, even at that young age.
“I’m not sure how this connects, if it does at all. But it is a situation that Jennifer, Nick, and Heath shared, and a dark shadow on their past.” Lucy closed the computer and looked up at her. “Do you think the police have made this connection yet?”
“I imagine so. I can’t say for sure. Who knows what the police are thinking . . . except Dana, perhaps,” she murmured.
“I thought you should call Charles. He might not have found this stuff yet. He might be interested.”
“That’s very considerate of you, Lucy. I would call Charles . . . but I’m not sure that we’re speaking to each other.”
Lucy sat back, looking shocked. “Why? I thought everything was going so well. Did you have a fight?”
“Not exactly . . .” Maggie tried to explain what had happened without getting upset. But it was hard. “So I thought I was being considerate of him. And he thought I was being . . . I don’t know, willful or something? It just got so fouled up. And we decided we wouldn’t be in touch until the case is over. But this case is over, it seems. And he hasn’t gotten in touch with me. Either way, I doubt it will be a very happy reunion. More like a second breakup,” she said.
“Oh, I don’t know about that. You can work it out. He’s under a ton of pressure right now.”
Maggie sighed. “Unfortunately, I added to it. I guess we’ll just have to see what happens. I’m not sure how it will go,” she added honestly, trying to sound far more sanguine about the situation than she felt.
“Maybe I should tell them,” Lucy said. “It might be helpful. I don’t even have to tell Charles. Any of the detectives would hear me out. For a few minutes,” she added.
“I hope they do. They might not be interested, since they think the murderer is behind bars. I feel doubly sad for Jennifer. I think she’s innocent, and now she’s all alone here, with no one to support her but some attorney she probably doesn’t even know. Her husband is in a hospital, still in intensive care. One of her very best friends, and possibly her lover, is dead, and even Alicia is in LA by now. Jen told me yesterday that everyone had left for Heath’s memorial service.”
“Maybe Alicia will come back . . . or maybe Regina Thurston?” Lucy offered.
“I hope so. Maybe her family will come to help her. She should be out on bail soon, but she might have to stay in Massachuse
tts,” she added. She looked back at Lucy again. “I’m not sure how all this information about Lana Lambert can help her. But if there’s any possibility at all, I think you should bring it to them. Even if they do brush you off, at least you tried.”
“That’s what I’m thinking, too.” Lucy stood up and tucked the computer case under her arm. She glanced at her watch. “But I can’t go right now. I offered to ride with Suzanne out to the beach house. The police said she can finally do her walk-through. I’ll go right after that. She can drop me at the station.”
“You’re a brave woman, Lucy Binger. I applaud you. You know how the police always scoff at amateurs. They say we’re crackpots and busybodies.”
“But we know that we aren’t either. And a Black Sheep knitter’s got to do what she’s got to do.”
Maggie could not argue with that.
Lucy met Suzanne at Prestige Properties, a few blocks down Main Street. They were soon cruising past the Marshes and heading for the Beach Road in Suzanne’s SUV. Suzanne seemed uncommonly distracted and anxious.
“Thanks for coming with me, Lucy. You’re a pal.” Suzanne turned to her briefly, with a thin smile. “I just want to get this over with. I don’t know what’s rattling me more—visiting the spot where poor Heath died or waiting to see if the cops trashed the house.”
“Maybe both? I feel sad going back there, too,” Lucy admitted. It was impossible not to think of Heath today. “If I saw all of this in a movie—everything that’s happened to these Hollywood people this past week—I’d say, that is totally unbelievable.”
“I hear you. Has it only been a week? It feels like a freaking month,” Suzanne moaned.
They drove in uncommon silence for a few minutes. Suzanne turned on the road parallel to the beach and the house soon came into view.
The trucks that transported the movie equipment were gone, but Lucy was surprised to see the big white RVs still parked on the side of the road, a few strands of crime scene tape drifting in the wind around them like yellow streamers.
“I didn’t think the trailers would still be here,” said Lucy.