I had an urge to tell him about Robert’s unfaithfulness, but decided I didn’t need to be adding more fuel to this fire. “What about Chuck?” I asked instead. “If we assume Robert didn’t kill him, who would have wanted to hurt him?”
Brad got a faraway look in his eyes. “It doesn’t seem possible.”
“What doesn’t?” I prodded. By the look on his face, I was starting to believe we were getting somewhere.
Brad thought it through a moment longer before taking me by the arm and walking me farther away from Asia’s apartment. No one had come out since we’d left, and no one else had gone in, but it was clear he wanted to be careful so he wouldn’t be overheard.
We stopped beside a heavy duty pickup. We could see the door from there, but would be most blocked off from view if anyone were to peek their head out and look.
“Chuck came to me a few weeks back, talking about some sort of investment opportunity he’d become aware of. I thought he was joking at first, but after I looked into it some more, I realized he was on to something. He said he needed money up front and was willing to include me in on it, full partner. He didn’t give me enough in the way of details so I could do it myself, not that I know anything about investing.”
He paused when there was a loud cheer from Asia’s apartment. After a few seconds when nothing else happened, he went on.
“He was asking for a lot, but I figured it was worth it. I gave him the money and he took care of the rest. Or, I thought he did. The day he died, he called and told me he needed more money than he thought. I was upset. It was too much, but I knew that if I could come up with it, we’d both be rich. That night, I took him aside to talk to him. You saw us go.”
“And then he died.”
Brad nodded, anger in his eyes. “I didn’t think I could get the money and wanted to ask him if there was some other way we could do this. He said there wasn’t, that we’d need to get a third involved, or else the money would be lost. My money. I was angry, but when I left him, he was alive. I swear I didn’t kill him.”
“Did he already talk to this third he mentioned?”
Brad shook his head. “He said he had yet to talk to anyone else about it. We were going to be partners, and I assured him I’d find a way to come up with the money, though I was angry he wasn’t upfront with me from the start.” His fists clenched. “Someone must have overheard us talking at some point and decided to kill him.”
“But why?” I asked. “If someone caught wind of what you were doing, why not offer to be the third partner?”
“I don’t know,” Brad said. “Maybe they wanted to keep the money for themselves. Or maybe they went to Chuck after I left and he refused to listen. He was never good at dealing with other people at the best of times, and he was stressed because of the whole thing. Either way, my chance is shot now. I have no clue how to proceed without him. I’m not sure I even want to.”
Now, this was a motive I could do something with. People did some crazy things for money, even if it wasn’t a sure thing.
My brain pinged then. Money. The envelope that passed between Lawrence and Randy!
“Do you think Lawrence could have overheard you?” I asked, growing excited. It would tie everything together neatly if that was the case. Lawrence overhears Brad and Chuck talking, decides he wants in on it. Chuck refuses, so Lawrence gets rid of him.
But why bring in Randy afterward? If, like Brad, Lawrence doesn’t know anything about investing, and Randy did, it would be make sense. Or perhaps it came right back to money. In order to invest in something, you had to have money to start with. Did Randy have money saved up and was willing to contribute, despite how poorly he and Lawrence were getting along at the time? Or did I have it all backward and it was Randy who’d overheard Chuck talking?
“I don’t know,” Brad said. “And at this point, I don’t care. I just want it to be over with.” He stepped back from me. “If you see Trisha before I do, tell her I’m sorry. With everything that’s happened, I lost my head a little and . . .” He shook his head, sighed.
“I will,” I said. “Thank you.”
He nodded and then got into the large pickup we were using as a shield.
I watched him drive away and wondered if what he’d told me was the truth. If it was, then I very well might have stumbled on the reason for Chuck’s murder.
All I had to do now was figure out what to do about it.
20
Practice came both all too soon, and not soon enough. I was anxious to confront Randy and Lawrence about what Brad had told me, but I wasn’t too keen on dancing and singing tonight. The memorial had been surprisingly depressing despite the upbeat music and interactions. It was sad to see that no one seemed to care about Chuck. I felt as if someone should be mourning him, even if it ended up being me.
Prudence was waiting for me as I entered the theatre, curiosity painted all over her face. “What was it like?” she asked the moment I was through the doorway.
“You were right. It was all an excuse to have a party. Hardly anyone showed up, other than Asia’s neighbors and friends. I didn’t stay long.”
Prudence nodded knowingly. “That girl has no class. Always thinking about herself without a care about anyone else in the world. She can’t even see what’s right in front of her.” She sniffed. “I bet she won’t even show tonight. Probably wore herself out with her little party.”
I was guessing Prudence was right. It wouldn’t surprise me if the party carried on into the night. “I should have listened to you and stayed home.” Though in doing so, I wouldn’t have gotten the chance to talk to Brad.
Prudence patted me on the shoulder. “You’ll learn. We old folk know what we are talking about.”
I smiled, then glanced around. “Have you seen Randy yet?” Not only was Asia and her friends missing, but so were quite a few others. We were decidedly light tonight and I hoped that meant we’d get to go home early.
“Haven’t seen him. Lawrence isn’t even here yet.” She sounded shocked by the last.
“What about Brad?” I asked, wondering if tonight was going to be a complete bust. It seemed like every one of my suspects had decided to take the night off.
“Same. I wonder if Lawrence called off practice without letting the rest of us know. Probably expects us to go on without him.” She harrumphed.
I shrugged as I finally spotted someone coming from the dressing rooms. “I’ll talk to you in a few,” I told Prudence before heading over to where Mrs. Claus now stood, looking nervously toward the stage. “Seems slow tonight,” I said to her.
Trisha hugged herself. “I hope no one else shows. I’m not in the mood for this. I went to see Robert earlier and he’s extremely distraught about all this. He thinks his time is running out.” She looked to me, eyes hopeful. “Please tell me you’ve made some progress.”
“Some,” I said. “But I’m not sure if it will help him or not. I need to talk to Randy and Lawrence to clarify some things. Have you seen either of them yet tonight?”
She shook her head. “I’ve been in the dressing room since I got here. It’s quiet back there. I . . .” She gave me a sad smile. “It’s hard. I wanted some time alone to think.”
“I understand how you feel.”
She took a deep, shuddering breath. “Robert’s terrified he’s going to end up in prison for the rest of his life. I don’t know what I’ll do if that happens.”
“He won’t,” I promised her, though I was starting to worry. “If you see Randy or Lawrence, please let them know I want to talk to them.”
“Do you think they had something to do with Chuck’s death?” she asked, hand going to her mouth as she realized what I might be implying.
“I don’t know,” I said, not wanting to start rumors, but wanting to assure her at the same time. “There’s some interesting tidbits going around and I’d like to confront them about them to see how they react. It might be nothing.”
“Or it could be everyt
hing,” she said. “I can’t imagine Lawrence being involved.”
Of course, she hadn’t seen him when he’d all but threatened me the other night. I checked to make sure no one was paying us any mind and then asked, “Have you heard anything about some sort of investment opportunity? Apparently, Chuck was about to get involved in one before he died.”
“No, I haven’t heard anything of the sort.” She leaned forward, lowered her voice. “Do you think that’s why he was killed?”
“Could be.” And if it was, going after Lawrence and Randy could be hazardous to my health. It would be a wiser course of action to call Buchannan or Garrison and let one of them handle it.
But it was unlikely Lawrence and Randy would be willing to tell the cops anything. I had a way of getting people to talk, which was probably why I wasn’t very popular, but it did get results.
“Well, I hope you figure it out soon,” Trisha said. “Robert shouldn’t have to stay one more minute behind bars for something he didn’t even do. It’s not fair.”
“I’ll do the best I can,” I said. I started to walk away, and then remembered the message I was supposed to deliver. “Brad wanted me to tell you he’s sorry for last night,” I said. “I guess he’s been under a lot of stress lately, though that’s no excuse for what he did. Still, he said he was sorry, and I believe him.”
Trisha looked surprised. “Oh, thank you, Krissy. I’ll have to talk to him when he gets here.” She got a contemplative look on her face, as if trying to decide if she should accept his apology or not. I mean, it would have been better coming from him, but at least now she might be willing to hear him out when he finally did get up the nerve to tell her.
I left Trisha then to go back to get changed. Everyone else was already dressed, so I had the room alone. Asia’s speaker was sitting silently in the corner. I had half a mind to hide it so I wouldn’t have to listen to her music whenever she arrived, but left it alone. I might not like it, but it could be soothing to some.
I changed, and then made my way back out front, hoping to catch Randy and Lawrence before practice officially started.
That was not to be.
The door opened and Randy came in, but before I could rush over to him, Lawrence followed him in with a man I didn’t recognize. The man was tall, with a slight paunch. He wore a wool suit and had a few rings on his fingers. His hair was black, going on gray, and deep lines marred his face around his eyes and mouth.
“Who’s that?” I asked Prudence, who was watching with me.
“Kenneth Purdy,” she said, with clear disdain in her voice. “He controls how the money is spent for the theatre. There’s rumors that he’s squandering most of what we earn. It’s been years since we’ve gotten a new script, let alone new costumes, so I’d believe it.”
Lawrence led Kenneth toward an electrical box, opened it, and gestured toward the mess of wires inside. I eased forward to listen in, but didn’t have to. When Kenneth spoke, he practically shouted.
“It’s fine for now,” he said. “You’ve managed to make it work this long, and I’m sure you can make it last a little while longer. Once the play wraps, I’ll see what I can do.”
“It might short out before that happens.” Lawrence seemed beside himself, but kept his temper mostly reined in.
“I’m sorry,” Kenneth said, not sounding sorry in the slightest. “But you know nothing can be done until after the play is done. Funds are low.” He brushed imaginary lint from his shoulder. “I fully expect the show to be a success this year.” He glanced back, saw me listening and huffed. “I do hope you’ll stop wasting my time.”
And with that, he spun on his heel and walked off.
Lawrence stood there a moment, watching as Kenneth left through the side door, before he slammed the electrical box closed and headed for the front, grumbling to himself. I guess I should have been happy he hadn’t turned on me to vent his frustrations, but I wasn’t. That mess of wires had looked dangerous, and if Mr. Purdy was supposed to be keeping the place running, he was doing a pretty poor job of it.
“It’s like that every year,” Prudence said. “It’s about the only time I ever feel sorry for Lawrence.”
“I can see why.” Kenneth Purdy did not seem like a nice man.
“Places!” Lawrence shouted from up front. “Now! Dean, get those props into place!”
I scurried to the stage with the rest of the cast, or at least, the cast that was present. While the important roles were here, we were missing quite a few elves. It didn’t take long for Lawrence to notice.
“This will not fly!” he shrieked. “Don’t you people understand how close we are to opening night? If we want to have a successful show, we need everyone here doing their part!” He seethed a moment before throwing his hands into the air. “I suppose this will have to do. Lights!”
The lights dimmed, the curtains closed, and we were off to our places. As predicted, Asia and her friends hadn’t shown, nor had Brad. Trisha was out of sorts, probably because of both my questions and Brad’s absence. She flubbed her first line, which sent Lawrence off on another tirade about responsibility. I could only stand and watch in silence, though I did notice Dean standing off to the side, watching Lawrence with a frown. The poor guy had been the target of his own share of tirades to know how it felt.
He glanced my way as if feeling my eyes, flashed a smile, and then vanished behind the curtains again.
Practice went on like that for a little while. No one had much energy or life, which caused Lawrence’s frustration to build. Finally, having enough of it, he called for a break. He stormed to the front of the building, likely to blow off steam. Knowing it was my best chance to get him alone, I hurried after.
“Lawrence,” I said, catching up to him right before he walked out the front door, presumably for fresh air, albeit frigid air.
“Ms. Hancock.” He sighed. “Is there something I can help you with?”
“Was that the owner I saw you with earlier?” I asked, deciding to start small.
“He owns the building. Nothing else. Why?”
“No reason,” I said. “I was just curious.”
“Well, take your curiosity somewhere else. If that’s all, I’d like to clear my head before we begin again.”
“Actually,” I said, stopping him before he could go outside. “I’ve heard an interesting rumor.” I glanced back to make sure no one had followed us, and then lowered my voice, hoping it would give credence to my ploy. “I’d like in.”
Lawrence frowned. “I have no idea what you are talking about.”
“Come on,” I said, edging closer. “You know who I am, what I do. I ask a lot of questions, learn things.” I winked. “I’d like a part of it.” I was careful not to say of what, wanting Lawrence to say it himself.
He eyed me, fidgeting. “Ms. Hancock, I can assure you, I am at a complete loss as to what you might be referring to. Now, if you’ll excuse me . . .” He started to walk away, but I stopped him with a hand on his arm.
“You and Randy are in on it together, right?” I asked.
“That’s none of your concern.”
Bingo. “Isn’t it? From what I hear, you’ll both come out of this with some extra cash, and I, for one, could use some more money.” And that wasn’t a lie. Death by Coffee might be doing great, but that didn’t mean I was rolling in cash. In fact, we often spent most of what extra we earned improving the place.
“You don’t know what you are saying,” Lawrence said, eyes darting all around. “You’d be best served to walk away right now and pretend you never heard a thing.”
“Or what? I’ll end up like Chuck?”
His eyes narrowed and it was his turn to lean in close and lower his voice. “If you press long enough, who knows?”
I swallowed nervously, but pressed on. “What are you investing in?” I asked. I refused to be put off so easily. Lawrence appeared to be this close to cracking and letting something slip. He’d already threatened me, albeit
vaguely. If I could get him to admit more, I might be able to take it to Buchannan and be done with this whole thing.
“Investing?” Lawrence stepped back, frowned, and then broke into a wide smile. “You really do have no idea what you’re talking about. This is all a front.” He laughed. “You aren’t a very good actress, you know? You can’t fool me with your flimsy story.” He spun on his heel. “I’d suggest returning to the back and practicing a bit before we move on because, quite frankly, you need it.”
He pushed open the front door and a rush of cold air blasted in. Lawrence glanced back once, still smiling, and shook his head, almost as if in humored disbelief, before the door swung closed, leaving me alone in the lobby.
I couldn’t decide if Lawrence’s change in demeanor was because I was truly off base, or if I’d come too close to the truth, and he’d needed an escape. If it wasn’t an investment that brought him together with Randy, then what was it? And how did it lead to Chuck’s murder, if at all? I was back to wondering if I’d been right when I’d first thought it was blackmail, but if that was the case, why were they acting so friendly to one another now?
I headed back to the stage, mind on anything but the play. Dean was busy changing the flats to the post intermission side. He smiled and waved me over.
“Could you help turn this one?” he asked.
I obliged and took one side. We turned the flat to the other side—a frozen, nature scene, snow covering everything. Just the sight of it made me shiver in remembered cold.
“I saw you chase after Lawrence,” he said, wiping sweat from his brow. “Is everything okay?”
“I guess,” I said. “I’m trying to figure this thing out and it’s just not making sense.”
Dean glanced at the flat. “What? The play?”
“No, Chuck’s murder.” Then, realizing I’d basically admitted I was looking into it, I flushed. “Robert and I used to date and I’m pretty sure he couldn’t have killed anyone. I figured I’d at least see if I could learn anything about who might have had a reason to kill Chuck, but I’m getting nowhere.”
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