Dead in Bed

by Wendy Meadows

  Sooner or later, he would question her. She did not know if she could bear to hear those doubts spoken out loud. She closed her eyes for a brief moment and touched the promise ring on her finger.

  Mac was still intent on his thought process and continued to pace. “Did William Pendleton visit Ellen more than the one time you observed him?”

  Brenda forced herself to answer normally, though she could feel herself wanting to run away or panic. “I don’t know if he did or not. He could have. This is a big place and I’m not always at the entrance or on this floor for that matter. My guests relax and interact as they wish.”

  “I will interview him next. He may have a clue I can go on. Maybe he saw someone heading upstairs when he left.”

  “He was in her room when I came in. He should be interviewed as you are doing everyone else.”

  Mac noted her set jawline. She was savvy enough to know he had to consider her as a suspect along with everyone else. “I will talk with William Pendleton. I have my doubts he was involved in a murder...but I’ll have to get to him after I deal with your guests.”

  Brenda knew Mac admired William. After the death of William’s wife, he had been very benevolent toward the people of Sweetfern Harbor. Mac Rivers was devoted to his town and often commented on how peaceful things had become after William had gained control of the wealth of properties that had been controlled by his greedy, unhappy wife before her death.

  Brenda turned away and mumbled she would see Mac later. She felt sure if she stayed another moment, he would probably just ask her to leave in case she influenced the investigation. And it was agony to see the man she loved extend the benefit of doubt to William Pendleton but not to her own circumstances. But she resolutely refused to dwell on this. She went to the office to check with Allie on who the next guests would be when the cast of “The Rich Game” left. If the play would go on as normal, then so would the Sheffield Bed and Breakfast.

  Chapter Six

  More Questions

  Mac Rivers asked Phyllis for a cup of coffee and wearily flipped through his notes. It had been a long morning already and it was still not over. Luckily, William Pendleton had shown up at the bed and breakfast without even being called. He had come to support Phyllis, and had easily agreed to wait with the actors for his own turn to be interviewed. Mac signaled William from the small group waiting in the dining room. He realized he still expected to see Brenda behind him but she was nowhere in sight. He sat across from William in the sitting room and asked him to recount his movements of the night before until this morning.

  “Phyllis and I walked back here after the performance ended. It was a beautiful night. We both like to walk on these lovely summer nights. We went directly to her apartment in the back of the bed and breakfast.” William smiled fondly. “I’ve tried to get her to move in with me – that rambling house I live in is too big for just one person and needs a woman’s touch – but she likes her independence. It may take time, but I’ll convince her soon to marry me.” He appeared to drift off in his thoughts until Mac drew him back in with another question.

  “How long were you with Phyllis?”

  “Perhaps twenty minutes? She brought out cups of tea and cookies and we enjoyed that until we heard the actors come in at the front door. Her oatmeal raisin cookies are hard to resist but I wanted to congratulate the cast before everyone headed to bed. Phyllis said she was tired and had seen them every day since their arrival anyway. To be honest, Mac, I was glad she stayed behind. I was drawn to Ellen in a lot of ways. She was a great actress and not bad to look at.”

  Mac’s eyes cast a look of frank disbelief at the older gentleman.

  “Oh no, it was nothing like that,” William added hastily. “Phyllis is my true love. But I admire Ellen, and we had met on several occasions. We conversed easily together unlike many who found her too aloof. She called Chester in to open champagne. She was in quite a celebratory mood. The three of us sat down and were drinking it when Brenda came to the door. Any alcohol makes me sleepy right away. I used to be able to handle it better. When Brenda came to the door it gave me an excuse to leave before I fell asleep right there. I didn’t see Phyllis again since she told me she was going to bed after I left for Ellen’s room.”

  “Did you see anyone in the hallways when you left?”

  He shook his head no. “Everyone must have been in their rooms, I assumed. By then, it was close to eleven or after.”

  “Did you see anyone around the office or front entrance on your way out?”

  Again, his answer was in the negative. Mac excused him to go home if he wanted and next he asked Ricky Owens to join him in the sitting room. The actor’s light brown hair matched his neatly trimmed beard. Mac assessed his age to be near his own early forties. He was aware that this actor was well-known in the theatre world. The detective had done his homework and found that Ricky Owens had won many acting awards. He had also been acclaimed since being cast in several roles opposite Ellen Teague. He reached for Mac’s hand and the firm handshake was sure. Mac gestured for him to sit down and was impressed that Ricky, like the other actors, appeared well in control of his emotions despite the events of that morning. But he immediately wished to have a second set of eyes to confirm his impressions of the actor.

  “If you don’t mind, I’d like to have Brenda in here on these interviews. Excuse me for a moment and I’ll find her.” Mac walked out into the hall, thinking back to the look on Brenda’s face before she had left the room earlier.

  Brenda walked out of the office just as Mac came out of the sitting room. He asked her to join him again. “I thought you were going to stay with me during these interviews. I need your input.” His eyes teased a little. “You are good at this, Brenda. You know I’ve always admired you for your investigative work back in Michigan.”

  This gave Brenda the boost to her ego she needed after the incident earlier between them, so she swallowed her fears and rejoined him. They all three settled comfortably in the paisley chairs. Brenda was happy that Mac trusted her enough to keep her around for the interviews, after all. Perhaps she had overreacted to his earlier remarks.

  “I want to hear what you did after you arrived back here last night, Mr. Owens,” said Mac.

  “It had been a long night. Our fans swarmed around wanting autographs after the show. Ellen of course liked to keep the crowds there for as long as possible.” Ricky laughed softly. “The truth was that Ellen loved to bask in her glory. She had the habit of pushing the rest of us aside when someone asked for an autograph. She would then scribble her name on whatever the fan pushed toward her. Ellen was like that. She always had to be in the limelight.” He grinned. “It’s just the way she is – was. It was irritating to all of us at times, but what could we do?”

  Brenda bit her lip. With Ricky’s joking attitude it was hard to tell if Ellen’s “irritating” habits were really the full story. “When you got home, what did you do next?” she asked.

  “I went straight to bed. We had one last performance coming up and I was too exhausted to celebrate with anyone. Besides, we usually have a bigger celebration in New York after the last show. But I guess Ellen was celebrating. I saw the champagne glasses.”

  Brenda and Mac stared at him. “Have you been in her room since her death?” Mac asked.

  “I haven’t been in there at all. I knew my costume wouldn’t be ready until early afternoon. I saw the champagne remnants from the open doorway while we all waited out in the hall. It was while the coroner was in her room.”

  “Can you say for sure you did not leave your room once you settled in last night?” asked Mac.

  “There is no one to vouch for me, but I can say for sure I did not leave my room once I arrived back here. I admit I was still awake when I heard loud voices coming from her room.” He didn’t mention Brenda’s voice in particular, for which she was grateful.

  When Ricky Owens left the sitting room, Mac and Brenda discussed the fact that there was no real wa
y to prove whether Ricky Owens was in bed all night long, and alone, or not. He seemed to be upfront and honest. He certainly didn’t hold back on how the others felt about Ellen Teague’s ego and leadership style. But despite his smooth and polite exterior, Brenda couldn’t help but think that Ricky was holding something back.

  Bonnie Ross was next in line for an interview. Brenda had been paying close attention to everyone’s hands. Ricky’s had been sinewy and strong looking. Shawn Quincy’s hands were slender and more refined from years of training as a dancer. She looked at Bonnie’s hands as the young woman settled herself into the chair in front of her. Overall, she was a bit overweight but curvy and with delicate features. Her hands with their delicate pink manicured nails didn’t look strong enough to wield a belt around someone’s neck enough to strangle them. Brenda realized that the murderer would have to be strong enough to manage it without letting Ellen making a sound to alert her assistant through the adjoining door.

  Why hadn’t Chester heard anything? Brenda recalled how often she had witnessed him responding to Ellen when she called for him, no matter how far away from her he was.

  “I was in bed asleep the whole night,” said Bonnie as Mac began the questioning. “I was so excited, but a girl needs her beauty sleep. This is my first play and to be working with Ellen Teague is icing on the cake.” She laughed and then blushed. “That is – it was. I can’t believe she’s gone.”

  “How did you personally feel about Ellen?” Bonnie drew back a little at the penetrating gaze the detective gave her.

  “I reveled in the chance to act on stage right next to someone as talented and well-known as Ellen. I know the other actors complained about her, called her narcissistic. I don’t deny that she wasn’t always easy to work with but I tried not to let it bother me.”

  “Did you hear anything unusual in the middle of the night?” Mac asked.

  Bonnie shot a wide-eyed glance toward Brenda and hesitated.

  “Go ahead and tell us everything,” Brenda said, knowing what caused her hesitation.

  “Well, I heard arguing in the hall. I think I had been asleep maybe an hour or so. It was your voice, Brenda, right? I heard you and Ellen arguing. That’s what woke me up, but once things settled down again I was back into a deep sleep.”

  Brenda expressed an apology to her guest for the disturbance. Bonnie waved it off. “You weren’t the first person to argue with Ellen,” she said with a dimpled smile, “but I have to admit I believe you were the first to get the last word in.”

  After Bonnie was excused, Mac looked at Brenda with an unreadable expression. “It seems your argument with Ellen Teague left quite an impression.” Brenda was once more chagrined and looked away from the man she loved, trying to gather her thoughts.

  “Mac, no one here doubts my commitment to the Sheffield Bed and Breakfast...” she paused and swallowed nervously, trying to gain courage. “I’m happy to answer any questions you have for me, at any time.” He nodded and thanked her for being so open, but privately he still wondered.

  Mac shuffled his notes and left the room to fetch Anna Quincy. She was the only guest remaining to be interviewed before they would proceed to speak with Brenda’s staff members Phyllis Lindsey and Allie Williams. Mac knew he also needed to interview Chester Boyd again. He had no reason to suspect him in particular, but the assistant knew the star better than anyone else, to say nothing of his easy access to her room.

  “Did you like Ellen Teague?” Mac directed his first question to Anna when she was settled in the sitting room with him and Brenda.

  “I admired her and was grateful she cast me in the plays she helped produce and direct and star in, but as for liking her, Ellen was not an easy person to like.”

  “I would think if she continued to give you important parts that you could overlook her shortcomings.” Brenda kept her eyes on Anna for a reaction, but the young actress held her gaze with seeming honesty and openness.

  “To be honest with you, I had an argument with her only an hour before the performance yesterday. She knew I was good in this role, it was a bigger and better part than I’d had the chance to act in before. But she told me that in the next play I would have a very minor role. I was very unhappy to hear that from her and we argued back and forth a little bit... I felt almost as if she tried to start a fight with me just before the performance to throw me off my game.” Brenda couldn’t help but wonder if anyone else had witnessed that particular argument.

  When questioned further, Anna explained that Ellen was fond of typecasting her as the dumb blonde in the stage comedies she liked to produce back in New York. “I only took those parts to get ahead, not to make a career out of them. Shawn told me Ellen knew I was good and didn’t want me to outshine her.”

  Brenda found that assessment eerily similar to the behavior her Uncle Randolph had described from many years ago. It seemed that sabotage was Ellen’s specialty, and she had only gotten better at it as her fame and career had advanced. After Mac dismissed Anna, he turned to Brenda. “What do you think?”

  “I think she had motive. Maybe she and Shawn did it together. I’ve seen how protective he is of Anna.” Brenda reminded Mac of the incident they had witnessed in Harbor Park after the performance on opening night. “The press and all those fans were heading toward Shawn and Anna too until Ellen walked out. She stole the spotlight from the other actors in there. It appears none of them liked her but held on to move careers ahead.” She stood up to go. “I think that’s the last of them. You did interview the couple staying in the far wing, didn’t you?”

  “I ruled them out. We’ll fingerprint them too, but I’m sure they had nothing to do with it. They are shaken up over the whole incident.” Mac tapped his pen on his notepad absently and she suddenly knew what he was waiting to ask. “I need to ask you questions now, too, Brenda. You knew this was coming.” Brenda nodded and sat back down. “Your relationship was certainly strained once you found out that Ellen meant to take the Sheffield Bed and Breakfast away from you.”

  Brenda stared at him. “I told you everything I know about that – Edward never called me so I don’t know if he found out anything more. I told you about the argument that everyone seems to have heard. It was bad timing, but it was just an argument. And I don’t deny it. But I didn’t step foot in that room until Shawn came to tell me she was dead. Are you calling me a suspect?”

  “Everyone is a suspect, Brenda. And especially anyone who had a motive and you did have motive.” Mac told her he was on his way to see Edward Graham. “I have to find out more details about the case against you and the Sheffield estate.”

  He didn’t deny she was a suspect. She could feel her heart pounding in her chest painfully.

  “You really don’t know me at all, do you Mac Rivers?” Brenda rolled the promise ring around on her finger. “If you did, you would be looking for the real killer.”

  “I have to look at everyone.” He stood and left without saying goodbye, aware of the awkwardness of the situation.

  After he left to go to the lawyer’s office, she took the ring off and slipped it into her pocket.

  Mac drove his squad car to Edward Graham’s office as fast as he could safely allow himself to go, but his mind was racing even faster. The more Mac thought about the events between Brenda and Ellen, the more he seethed. How could he be questioning someone he was sure he was in love with? Had he been falling for a woman capable of murder? He parked and hurried into the lawyer’s office. Tracy, Edward’s paralegal, told him Mr. Graham was working at his desk. When she buzzed his office, he told her to send Mac in.

  “Edward, I need to know the details of the lawsuit against Brenda and the Sheffield estate. It may have bearing on a murder investigation.” Mac’s jaw tensed as Edward turned to regard him seriously.

  “It’s true that Ellen Teague was bent on suing for ownership of the Sheffield Bed and Breakfast. In fact, Ellen had an appointment with me today to deliver the final version of the lawsuit aga
inst the Sheffield estate, she had her lawyer in New York draw it up before she came to town, evidently. She had already brought me a draft of it...she told me she wanted to get it moving along before she left for New York City after the last performance.”

  “I need details of that lawsuit.”

  Edward opened his computer and then printed a hard copy. He handed it to the detective. “Ellen was adamant that Randolph promised her the establishment. In the lawsuit, she states that she was to retrieve proof of his promise and provide it in court. She swore she had proof of his intentions.”

  “But I thought his will named Brenda as his sole heir.”

  “You’re correct. I took care of that for Randolph and notified Brenda as soon as the will was to be read. The question is, what date is on the so-called proof Ellen Teague had? If it was after the will, then Ellen’s claim perhaps would have been a strong one.” Edward tilted his chair back and clasped his hands behind his head. “Ellen was determined to fight her case in court.”

  “She didn’t appear to be someone who would enjoy running a bed and breakfast.”

  Edward laughed ruefully. “She didn’t plan to keep it as a business. In fact, I don’t believe she was as interested in owning the place as much as she was in winning it from Brenda. Ours was not a pleasant meeting. She hinted that she and Randolph didn’t part on good terms once he decided to leave show business.”

  “Then why would he give it to her?”

  “According to Ellen, it was a token of their former relationship. A promise made because he naively hoped she would join him in his love of Sweetfern Harbor. But Randolph must have forgotten all about it, if what she says is true. This is all an act of revenge of some sort on her part.”