Rex waited until they reached his condo before mentioning Marla’s attempt to make a video. “So? You’re gonna try it?” he asked.
Kitty knew Marla didn’t want Rex to be aware of her plans yet. Still, she’d brought them up. Deliberately. It hadn’t been a slip of the tongue. Despite the fact that they were deeply embroiled in the Wallace investigation, Kitty thought her sister should be getting on with this new venture. What better way to do so than to get Rex involved? As demonstrated with the pie, he wasn’t one to hold back.
“Kitty got ahead of herself. We tried it once, and it didn’t go well.”
“What happened?”
She tried to steer clear of the subject. “It was no big deal.”
“Really? Marla Danes, who certainly knows her stuff in front of the camera, had problems with a video? Why didn’t you go with the idea of a podcast like I suggested to you in the first place? That would’ve been a natural transition for you.”
“Can we just drop it?” she said. “We have so much to discuss about today’s interviews.”
He studied her a moment. “If that’s the way you want it, Marla, but I don’t understand. Either podcasting or videocasting seem perfect for you. At least while you’re waiting for the right part to come along.”
She didn’t reply to his comment. “Okay if I spread out on the sectional while we wait for the pizza to arrive? Maybe we can cover one or two of the interviews.”
He waited for her to relax on one side of the sectional, then settled in one of the overstuffed easy chairs. “We’ve already decided that Liz is probably not the killer, even though she didn’t care one bit for the woman. She says she remained on the team in hopes Eloise would help promote her fashion line. But as open as she appeared to be with us, we came away from her interview thinking she wasn’t sharing everything.”
“So we talk to her again, but only after we’ve learned more from the others than we uncovered today,” she said. “Next up, Brecken Wallace. We’ve already agreed he’s holding back. He certainly steered his way around suggesting a possible killer.” Another thought hit her. “It’s kind of sad, actually. The fact that there’s no one else to deal with her remains. No apparent relatives, no children, no friends. I wonder how much he’s enjoying the task of decision-maker.”
“Why do you say that?”
“It’s sort of his opportunity to have the last say, since she didn’t leave any instructions. He could make selections he knows would upset her if she were still around. You know, no funeral, just a memorial service. Cremation versus burial. No eulogies. Music she hated. Those sorts of things.”
He gave her a strange look. “You have an evil mind, Marla. Remind me not to let you handle my final details.”
“I was just speculating. For such a seemingly smart woman, it’s not easy to believe she never thought about her death. Or a succession plan for Essy.”
“Anything else about the ex-husband?” he asked.
“His relationship with Grace needs more light. He said it was just platonic and even suggested we talk to her about it, but by the time we get to her tomorrow, he probably will have contacted her and given her the party line.”
“Yeah, we missed a beat there, not telling him to keep what he told us to himself. But maybe that will work in our favor,” Rex said.
“How so?”
“If what she tells us sounds like a repeat of what he told us, we’ll know there’s a closer tie between them than he wanted us to believe,” Rex replied. “Any other points about Brecken?”
She thought back through their interview. “He seemed to be totally oblivious to how much water she imbibed during the morning. That might make sense if he hadn’t been her partner and out there on the court with her. Have you seen those courts? There’s not much room for moving around. I think he knows more about her hydration habits than he’s telling us, although that may simply be because he didn’t pay much attention.”
“But Tanner knew about the equipment bag,” Rex pointed out, “at least the fact that it contained two water bottles and were filled with her own special spring water.”
“Someone could’ve brought an identical bottle filled with poison and swapped it without her or anyone else knowing, if no one saw them making the switch.”
“That’s a big IF,” he replied. “But it is a plausible explanation.”
“I wish we knew more about the tox results.”
“I’ll check again with Goodhue,” Rex said, “but he would’ve let us know as soon as he knew anything.”
“We learned a lot more from Tanner,” she went on. “He definitely doesn’t like Chloe, and even though he denies being jealous of her relationship with Eloise, he didn’t like being replaced as the woman’s closest confidante.”
“Then there’s Chloe Reardon herself,” he said. “Interesting subject to say the least. She wants to come across as helpful, the perfect assistant. But it felt like she was trying too hard.”
“I knew actors like her. Usually newcomers, like Chloe, who were trying to get ahead faster than their talents and experience would allow. Some were quite obvious in their efforts, but a few hid their motivation too well. People who trusted them got burned.”
“Did that ever happen to you?”
She took a moment to reflect on her dealings with other actors over the years. “Are you familiar with the movie All About Eve? Probably not. It came out in the 1950s. A young woman becomes the personal assistant of a famous actress and insinuates herself so much into the woman’s life she starts to become her. Every so often, a younger actress who was guest-starring on the show started showing signs of something like that with me. Unless you’re overly cynical and skeptical of anyone showing positive interest in you, you don’t notice their overtures at first. You accept them as honest admiration or the desire to learn from you. Once I spotted the tendency, I had to be careful not to come across too strongly or I’d get the reputation as a shrew.”
He steepled his fingers under his chin and studied her.
“What?” she asked, picking up on his change of mood.
“I’m trying to picture you in that role. When you first arrived and even when we first found ourselves working together, I saw you as this ‘Hollywood type,’ haughty and demanding, but I soon learned I’d stuck you with my idea of a big-time actress. That was unfair. I hope by now I’ve shown you how wrong I was.”
Though she’d come to know Rex as a straight shooter when speaking his mind was concerned, he didn’t often bare his personal feelings like this. Though humbled by his admission, she didn’t want to embarrass him with her own feelings. Keep it simple, Marla. “Thanks, Rex. I wasn’t sure how partnering with you would work, but I’ve been pleasantly surprised.”
“Yeah, well, uh, back to Chloe. I was getting so many different vibes from that young woman, I want to make sure I don’t forget any.”
“Okay, what else did you get from her?” she asked, happy to shift away from the more personal turn their talk had taken.
“That whole free apartment thing has me wondering. All she had to do was keep it clean and fill the fridge when guests were on the way. Sounds too good to be true.”
“That’s what Tanner said the victim and the former accountant, Nell, were arguing about last Saturday.”
Rex nodded, remembering. “In other words, she had some questions about the apartment too.”
“It’s not unheard of in the entertainment world to maintain a property for the use of guests,” she said. “Lodging costs have increased so much in recent years, in some circles this tactic is viewed as one way to reduce expenses. But here in Minnesota, I don’t know how common it is.”
“The former roommate said the move happened overnight. That’s curious, too.”
“And where does she go when guests show up?” Marla said. “The old roomie didn’t mention Chloe coming back there occasionally.”
He narrowed his eyes, considering that comment. “Besides there being no rent, that is telling. Does it suggest anything shady to you?”
“Shady? That may not be the exact word I’m thinking of, but yes. It suggests that Eloise was not only grooming Chloe for more than just running the business someday, but she expected her to provide certain clients with sex when called for. Whether Chloe was aware of her boss’s intentions remains to be seen. And keep in mind, I said it suggests. I didn’t say it meant.”
“I get that, but think of it, Marla. If what we suspect was going on, we may have found the real motive for her murder.”
“But Chloe must’ve realized what was going on,” she said. “Why else would she have gone along with Eloise’s suggestion she take that gourmet cooking course?”
“That course could be part of the plan. The ‘hostess’ entertains the guests with her culinary expertise.”
Marla thought through the ramifications of the scenario. “We need to learn more about the health of the victim’s business. If what we think might’ve been happening was the case, it could be that Eloise had some big plans in mind. Plans that included upping her catering to out-of-town clients. Clients who expected to be wined and dined and entertained in every sense of the word.”
“Nell needs to be first on our list of interviews tomorrow,” he said.
“Good place to end our first day’s efforts,” she said. “Want to return to Kitty’s condo with me and see if there’s any apple pie left?”