Murder at St. Winifred's Academy

by J. D. Griffo

  “It’s all right, Bruno, I’ll take her,” Jinx said.

  The two women slowly walked around the front porch to room 8, where Adrienne was staying. When they got to the door, Adrienne twisted the doorknob and walked right in. Before Jinx could make a comment about her entering the room without putting her key in the lock, Adrienne turned around and said good-bye.

  “Maybe I should come in,” Jinx said. “To make sure you get to bed safely. You really did have a lot to drink.”

  “I’m fine,” Adrienne replied, suddenly more sober than she’d been for most of the night. “The nap I took on the ride home cleared my head.”

  Jinx tried to peer into the room, but Adrienne stood tall and blocked her view. “If you’re sure.”

  “I am,” Adrienne said. “Thanks for a fun night, and please thank Bruno for me too. I didn’t mean to come off as rude.”

  Before Jinx could reply, Adrienne shut the door. Jinx stood on the other side for a moment, not sure why but suspecting that Adrienne was hiding something. After half a minute of silence, Jinx retreated back to Freddy’s Ford.

  It wasn’t until they started to drive away that Jinx realized her suspicions had been right. Someone—not something—had been hiding nearby. Across the street from the Tranquility Arms was parked a yellow Jeep. It was the same kind of car Kip drove.

  CHAPTER 26

  Alcuni bambini non crescono mai.

  One of the best and worst things about putting on a show was technical rehearsal. Or simply tech, as theatre savvy folks referred to it. Some people relished the experience, others would rather deliberately cut themselves and then swim with sharks.

  Tech is when the actors are forced to play second fiddle to the behind-the-scenes technical designers and stage crew. Finishing touches were made to the set, lighting cues were implemented, quick costume changes were refined, and the sound system was fine-tuned. And the days were long. They were known in the industry as 10 out of 12s, referring to the ten hours Actors’ Equity, the union for stage actors, will allow its members to work in a twelve-hour period. On a Broadway show, tech rehearsals could last over a week; at St. Winifred’s Academy, everything had to be completed in one day.

  With opening night looming on the very near horizon and only twenty-four hours to make sure all the technical details of the show were locked-in, safe, and artistically acceptable, it was no surprise to even a stage novice like Alberta to find the air fraught with tension. Anxiety levels were high, stress was palpable, and patience was an extinct commodity. Luckily, Alberta had grown up in a loud, crowded Italian family, so she felt right at home.

  “This is so much fun!”

  By the look on Nola’s face, Alberta could tell the woman disagreed with her exclamation.

  “You don’t have any antacid in your pocketbook, do you?” Nola asked.

  “I’m sorry, honey, I don’t,” Alberta replied. She then pulled out something from her purse wrapped in tinfoil. “I do have part of a prosciutto and capicola sandwich—oh, and fresh mozzarella, the tiny balls like in my antipasti; that might settle your stomach.”

  “Mrs. Scaglione, you know I love you and your food, but if I took a bit of any of that, I’d hurl,” Nola said.

  “Don’t be so nervous,” Alberta said. “This is the exciting part. Your dream is about to come true.”

  Nola smiled a queasy smile. “It’s thrilling, it really is, and I love tech rehearsal, but there’s so much that can go wrong from here on in.”

  Alberta was going to tell Nola that she was imagining things but stopped herself because the woman was right. A two-time murderer was still at large and was quite possibly in the theatre with them at that moment, two actors in the cast—Alberta included—had barely memorized their lines and still forgot some of their blocking, and they had yet to run through the entire show from start to finish. When Alberta thought about it, the potential for disaster was high. For some reason, however, she wasn’t concerned. It probably had to do with the fact that she was a novice and didn’t really understand the pressure of performing in front of an audience, but mainly it was because she was going to be onstage in every scene with her sister. She trusted Helen with her life; why shouldn’t she trust her with her performance?

  “You’re much more experienced than I am,” Alberta said. “But from where I’m standing, it looks like everything is under control.”

  Someone shouted from backstage and the lights shut off just as a loud crash was heard from somewhere in the wings.

  “You call that under control?” Nola asked.

  “Honey, this is calm and orderly in comparison to what happened at my cousin Matty’s second wedding,” Alberta said. “Let’s just say it involved several doves, a flame thrower, and a belly dancer. I don’t see any birds, nothing’s on fire, and as long as you don’t expect Helen or me to dress like harem girls, we’re ahead of the game.”

  Nola burst into ripples of laughter and threw her arms around Alberta.

  “Thank you for that, Mrs. Scaglione,” Nola said. “I know you made up that story to make me feel better, but it worked.”

  “Nola!”

  This time it was Johnny’s voice that reverberated through the theatre.

  “Sounds like somebody needs me,” Nola said. “Excuse me.”

  Nola nearly collided into Helen and Jinx as she ran down the aisle, she was so focused on getting to Johnny she didn’t even notice them.

  “That girl is going to collapse from exhaustion if she doesn’t slow down,” Alberta said.

  “She’s in charge of a million little details that need to be taken care of before we open,” Helen said. “She’ll relax once the rave reviews come out.”

  “I told her that we got through Cousin Matty’s wedding and she thought I was making it up,” Alberta said.

  “The first or the second wedding?” Helen asked.

  “The second of course,” Alberta replied.

  “What’s the difference between the two of them?” Jinx asked.

  “After his first wedding he had to spend his honeymoon in jail,” Alberta explained. “But at the second wedding, the police weren’t even called.”

  “Sounds like the night I had last night,” Jinx said. “I got in too late to call you, and then you’ve been tied up with tech all morning.”

  “That’s all right, lovey, tell us now,” Alberta said.

  “I got Adrienne drunk like you suggested, Gram, and she confirmed a lot of what we already knew about Missy,” Jinx said. “But after we dropped her off, guess whose car we spotted across that street from the Tranquility Arms?”

  “Johnny’s?” Alberta guessed.

  “Nope, the other suspect,” Jinx replied.

  “What was Kip’s car doing parked across the street from where Adrienne is staying?” Alberta asked.

  “He was either stalking Adrienne and broke into her room,” Jinx surmised, “or he had rehearsal last night and parked there; it’s only a block away.”

  “He’s a stalker,” Helen said.

  “How do you know?” Alberta asked.

  “I was here last night with Joyce, Father Sal, and some of Nola’s students painting the set,” Helen explained.

  “Dio mio!” Alberta exclaimed. “Every time I cut that boy some slack, he does something to make me think I’ve been duped. I want to trust him, but I just don’t think I can.”

  “Kip!”

  And now it was Helen’s voice that echoed throughout the theatre.

  “Helen, what are you doing?” Alberta asked.

  “I’ve had it with him and his lying,” she replied. “Every time I’m onstage with him, I’m thinking the only one in the cast not playing a murderer could really be a murderer. He’s pulling me out of character and I won’t stand for it anymore.”

  “Helen, is something wrong?” Kip said, running up to them.

  Helen pointed her finger at Kip’s face and shook it wildly, “Why are you stalking Adrienne?”

  “I’m not stalk
ing Adrienne,” Kip stated.

  “Thank God,” Alberta said. “At least we settled that.”

  “I’m stalking Johnny,” Kip said.

  “Why are you stalking Johnny?” Alberta asked.

  “Because I know he’s the one who killed Missy and I want to prove it,” Kip said.

  “We all want to find out who killed Missy,” Jinx said, “but that doesn’t explain why your Jeep was parked across the street from the Tranquility Arms last night. We saw you when we brought Adrienne home.”

  “I saw you too,” Kip said. “I was crouched down in the front seat of the car.”

  “But that still doesn’t explain why you were there in the first place!” Helen cried.

  “Because last night I was following him! And I followed him right to the Tranquility Arms!”

  Every head in the theatre snapped in the direction of where Kip was pointing, which meant that every head in the theatre was now looking at Johnny. The noise of tech died away and in its place was a hushed silence as everyone waited for the scene to play out. The next line didn’t come from either Johnny or Kip, but from Nola.

  “Why were you at the Tranquility Arms last night?” Nola asked.

  As the director, Johnny was the one who told everyone else what to do; he was not used to having to perform in front of an audience. He was also not used to being confronted by an angry girlfriend in public.

  “I can explain everything, Nola,” he said, trying to keep his voice calm. “Let’s go into your office so we can talk privately.”

  “I’m not going anywhere with you until you tell me the truth!” Nola cried. “I covered up your lie about your real name and now you lie to me about where you were last night. You said you needed to rest, that’s why you couldn’t help us paint the set.”

  “I wasn’t lying,” Johnny said.

  “You were just cheating on Nola with Adrienne!” Kip shouted.

  “Shut up, Kip!” Adrienne screamed. “Johnny isn’t cheating on Nola with me.”

  “I’m not cheating on Nola with anyone,” Johnny cried. “Especially Adrienne.”

  Alberta turned to Helen and whispered, “What does he mean, ‘especially Adrienne?’ ”

  “I have no idea, Berta, but if our scenes are this good on opening night,” Helen replied, “The Herald is going to give us five stars.”

  “If you’re not sleeping with Adrienne, what are you doing with her, Johnny?” Nola asked.

  “Come on, Johnny, tell her!” Kip yelled. “Then tell everyone how you killed Missy!”

  “I didn’t kill Missy!” Johnny shouted. “You killed Missy!”

  “Oh caro Dio in cielo,” Alberta said, throwing a fist into the air. “If either one of you killed Missy, you know we’re going to be able to prove it, don’t you forget that. But first, Johnny, you need to tell Nola what you were doing at Adrienne’s last night.”

  “And if you don’t tell me right here and now, I swear to God I will cancel this show before we even open!” Nola shouted.

  The entire cast started screaming at Johnny to start talking and explain what he was doing with Adrienne when he was supposed to be with Nola. Alberta thought she was suddenly cast in the stage version of Frankenstein and they were rehearsing the scene where the villagers storm the castle with pitchforks and torches.

  “I was with Adrienne because of you!” Johnny shouted. “I was giving her private acting lessons so she would shine in the part like everyone else is. I got to her room early and the door was open, so I waited for her until she got back. I know I can be a jerk, Nola, but I’ve been trying to make this the best damn play you ever produced because I love you!”

  The entire group sighed with delight as the horror show suddenly turned into a romantic comedy.

  “You love me?” Nola asked.

  “Yes, you idiot!” Johnny cried. “I would never look at another woman when I can look at you.”

  Nola was on the verge of tears, but perhaps remembering what Alberta had told her earlier, she shook her head to prevent them from flowing and embraced her boyfriend. They kissed passionately and almost all the onlookers swooned.

  Out of the corner of her eye, Alberta saw Adrienne walk up the aisle from the lip of the stage and thought she was going to leave the theatre; instead she marched right up to Bruno, who was standing nearby. “Tell me the truth, Bruno, was our date last night a setup so Jinx could get into my room?”

  Alberta knew before Bruno spoke that he was going to tell the truth. He was, after all, one of the good guys. “It was a setup, but I swear to you it was never our intention to search your room.”

  “Like hell it wasn’t,” Adrienne barked. “You stay out of my things, Bruno, do you understand me?”

  “Loud and clear,” Bruno replied.

  Adrienne stood stock-still for a few moments, staring at the floor, her fists clenched. Alberta thought she looked like one of her children when they would have a temper tantrum. She thought of something her grandmother Marie would say when she saw an adult acting like a baby, Alcuni bambini non crescono mai. Some children never grow up. She wondered what her grandmother would say about Adrienne. It was understandable that the woman would be upset that her date had been fake, but why did she assume Jinx wanted to search her room? What did she have to hide?

  “I need the following people onstage right now,” Johnny shouted. “Bruno, Father Sal, Luke, Benny, Kip, and Adrienne. The rest of you have a twenty-minute break, but don’t go far, we’re in a time crunch, people. We open tomorrow night!”

  Those four words made everyone forget about Johnny the loudmouth and Johnny the cheater; from this critical moment on, he was only Johnny the director, just as Missy had dubbed him. As much as Alberta wanted to see if any more fireworks would start while he was directing the explosive trio of Kip, Bruno, and Adrienne in a scene, she wanted to use her time wisely.

  Alberta turned to her sister, but before she said a word, Helen spoke for her. “We’re going to break into Adrienne’s room at the Arms, aren’t we?”

  “I love that you can read my mind,” Alberta gushed.

  “It’ll come in handy when we’re in side-by-side cells,” Helen replied.

  “If we’re going to sneak in without Sanjay calling the police, we’re going to need Joyce’s help,” Alberta said.

  “I already texted her,” Helen replied. “She’s waiting outside for us with Sloan.”

  “Helen, you’ve thought of everything,” Alberta said.

  “What are big sisters for?” Helen asked.

  * * *

  Alberta was grateful that her sister-in-law was a fashionista. Regardless of where she was going, Joyce was always dressed to the nines. So even though she thought she’d be spending the entire night at St. Winifred’s in tech, she was perfectly outfitted to play the femme fatale. And judging from the way Sanjay was ogling her, Alberta could tell that he couldn’t think of anything else except how beautiful Joyce looked standing in the middle of the lobby of the Tranquility Arms.

  Her black crepe pants tapered at the ankle and were topped with a gold, cashmere V-neck sweater. Instead of a belt, she wore a black-and-gold-striped silk scarf tied in a knot at her waist that fell to her knee. In place of her trademark gold hoops, her earrings were three black pearls stacked on top of one another that matched perfectly with her chunky, black pearl necklace. Black, backless pumps completed the outfit that Joyce described as “1940s glam meets 1980s disco.” Joyce loved the look and, better yet, so did Sanjay.

  Peeking out from around the corner of the hallway, making sure she couldn’t be seen, Alberta watched Sanjay. Her plan was working, he couldn’t keep his eyes off of Joyce.

  “Joyce Perkins Ferrara!” Sanjay screamed when he saw her. “Have you finally come to your senses and decided to run away with me?”

  “I can’t run anywhere,” she cried. “I was walking to my car from St. Winifred’s and twisted my ankle.”

  Falling right into her trap, Sanjay ran out from behind the fr
ont desk as Joyce plopped into one of the chairs in the lobby. Sanjay dropped to his knees and grabbed Joyce’s ankle to examine it.

  “It’s the other ankle,” Joyce said.

  Dutifully, Sanjay dropped one ankle and picked up the other. Joyce moaned at his touch, and when she saw Sloan enter the lobby, she let out a cry to camouflage the sound of the door opening. Sanjay let out an even louder cry when he thought he hurt Joyce, which hid any sound Sloan might have made as he grabbed the key to Adrienne’s room from the hook behind the front desk.

  Joyce maneuvered herself in the chair, causing Sanjay to have to turn slightly right as Sloan ran from behind the front desk to the hallway where he met Alberta. Joyce let out a sigh of relief now that her part of the plan was completed. Alberta gave her a quick nod before disappearing with Sloan down the hallway. Her part was just beginning.

  Sloan ran down the hallway, followed by Alberta, and met Helen in front of room 8, waving the key triumphantly in his hand. They silently cheered Sloan on as he opened the door. Alberta only had time to give him a quick celebratory kiss on the cheek before following Helen into the room; the clock was ticking and they only had a few minutes to scour Adrienne’s room for clues.

  They found what they were looking for in literally less than one.

  Sitting right on the bench at the end of the bed was the cardboard box decorated in daisies that Alberta had seen in Adrienne’s apartment. What was it doing here? Surely Adrienne didn’t need to bring Post-its, paper clips, and old CDs with her to prepare for her stage debut. Alberta didn’t have time to wonder what was in the box, she just opened it. She did not find what she hoped she would. The box didn’t contain anything about Missy, but what it did contain would tell them everything they needed to know about Kip.

  CHAPTER 27

  Onorevoli colleghi, vi prego di dare il benvenuto alla signora dell’ora.