| |
Arthur
Thursday, May 5
The next morning, Vivian went downstairs and put her purse and blue carry bag containing her sketches on the table in the back room of the boutique. Nora would arrive any minute, so she unlocked the front door and tidied up a few things in the display room. Then she sat at the table, waiting.
When Nora arrived, Vivian apologized for her abrupt behavior yesterday and reassured her that everything was fine. “I need to take care of something this morning, and I’ll be gone for a few hours.”
“Is there anything I can do for you?” Nora asked.
“Just watch the shop while I’m gone, and I’ll order some lunch for us when I get back. Unfortunately, my car is acting up,” she lied. “I need to take the bus, but I’ll bring Bella with me. She’ll enjoy the ride.” Vivian quickly grabbed her things, called Bella, and they left the shop.
Instead of heading straight down Third Street to the bus stop, Vivian and Bella walked behind the shop to the next road over and waited for the bus on Beverly Boulevard. Vivian couldn’t remember the last time she rode the bus, but she felt safer taking a different form of transportation today. Between the man hanging around the post office a few nights and the police car parked across the street for a while last night, she hoped leaving her Renault in the alley would deter anyone from following her and finding out where she was going.
The bus finally arrived. Vivian carried Bella up the steps and sat in one of the front seats with Bella in her lap. After transferring to a connecting line, they got off at Pearl Street and walked down the quiet residential road.
They were several houses away when Bella started running down the narrow sidewalk and disappeared up the stone path leading to the small brick home. As Vivian walked up the sidewalk, Bella was on the front steps, scratching at the door and wagging her tail.
The door opened, and Bella raced inside.
Arthur stood in the doorway dressed in a lime-green sweater and tan slacks with his pure white hair neatly combed back. “Good morning, Vivian. This is a surprise.”
“I’m sorry for showing up unannounced. Do you have time to talk?”
“Of course, I do. Come inside.” After he closed the door behind her, he bent down to pet Bella, who was excitedly running circles around his feet. “Did you want a cup of coffee? I just made a fresh pot.”
“Yes. I can help myself.”
“Nonsense. Have a seat. No cream or sugar, right?”
Vivian nodded and sat on the couch. Bella pranced right along behind Arthur into the kitchen and came back with a dog biscuit sticking out of her mouth.
“Here we go,” Arthur said. He handed Vivian the coffee mug and sat in one of the armchairs. “So, what’s on your mind?”
She took a deep breath. “It probably won’t surprise you that I didn’t heed the advice you gave me the last time I visited.”
“That was four months ago, Vivian, and any advice I give you is merely a suggestion. You’re old enough to make your own decisions. Tell me what happened.”
“You’re not going to like it. I contacted Joey Carnival in New York. I knew he had some connections in Los Angeles, and he gave me the name of a man who helped me track down Elliott Kimball.”
Arthur took a sip of his coffee. “You know better than anyone how dangerous it is to ask a favor from Joey, but I read in the paper that the police killed Kimball in a shootout, and they closed George’s case. Let me guess. You were at Bunker Hill Saturday night, weren’t you?”
“Elliott Kimball didn’t kill George, but I think I know who did, and Joey is the least of my problems right now...” Briefly, she told him about going to the hotel, running into Preston, and finding Tilly Trimble dead along with the photograph of her and George on the coffee table. She explained about the mayor’s affair with Tilly, going to the courthouse to watch Captain Kynette’s trial, and driving to the docks at Marina del Rey. “Captain Kynette killed George. I’m sure of it, but I think I opened up Pandora’s box.”
She waited for Arthur to say something, anything, but he just sat there for a few minutes, taking his sweet time to respond while she was crawling out of her skin since she had so much more to tell him.
“If you’re stepping on the mayor’s toes, Vivian, then you’re right. That’s more dangerous than owing Joey a favor, especially now. I just heard on the radio that a few charges against Captain Kynette were dropped, and he’s probably feeling pretty confident that the mayor will make sure he goes free. Therefore, retaliation is the only thing on his mind. Has anyone threatened you?”
“Yes, but in such a ludicrous way, I can’t believe the mayor is behind it.” Vivian opened her carry bag and pulled out her sketches. “I received a ticket to a movie premiere the other day. I thought one of my new clients sent it as a gift. When I got to the Liberty Theatre yesterday afternoon, Preston Stone was the only person in the audience. The movie was just a short, seven-minute clip, but it had a very threatening message, although, for the life of me, I can’t figure out what that message is outside of the fact that someone plans on killing me and possibly Preston. I’ve sketched a couple of scenes. Here, take a look at these.”
Arthur set his coffee mug down and took the sketches from her. “You haven’t lost your touch. These are extremely detailed sketches. Tell me about the content of the movie.”
As she gave him a recap, she pointed to the sketch of the woman wearing a blazer exactly like hers, which was missing from her boutique, and the man’s scarf with Preston Stone’s initials. “The last few sketches were the most significant. The coins were the focal point of the entire movie, but I don’t know anything about any coins.”
“Preston Stone...isn’t he the rich fella your sister was seeing just before she moved back to New York?”
“Yes, and I know what you’re going to ask next. I have no idea why Preston arrived at the hotel room when I did, either. I thought he might have killed Tilly Trimble, but I’m convinced the mayor had one of his men kill her, just like he had Captain Kynette kill George out of jealousy.”
Arthur studied the drawings. “This movie doesn’t sound like the mayor’s handiwork. Are you sure Preston Stone wasn’t behind it?”
“As much as I dislike him, I can’t believe he’s that good of an actor. He seemed genuinely surprised to see me at the theater when I walked in and shocked at the contents of the movie. Besides, he was depicted as a victim, too. Since his family is extremely wealthy, I considered the possibility that the coins symbolized a large amount of money and extortion was behind it. But if that were the case, why involve me at all? In the movie, the coins were in my possession, and Preston was searching for them.”
“Perhaps the coins represent something else, Vivian. If the entire purpose of the movie was to force you to hand over these valuable coins to them, how would you do that? They didn’t give you any sort of instructions, timeframe, or drop-off point. I would’ve expected that to be included. It sounds to me like the movie was more of a warning than a threat.”
Vivian stood up and walked across the room. “Maybe you’re right. Carole and I went to Perino’s Restaurant last night. Joe Shaw cornered me in the hallway and tried to intimidate me. There was definitely a hidden message behind his words and demeanor.”
“The Shaw brothers might know this Trimble woman had called you shortly before her death, and they’re worried she told you something that could damage them.”
“Like the fact that the mayor arranged George’s death,” Vivian stated. “I wondered if that was the reason Tilly wanted to meet with me. Maybe the mayor thinks she told Preston the same thing. That would explain why they’re targeting both of us. It also proves the mayor’s guilt.”
“Do you still have your Beretta pistol?”
“I packed it away somewhere when I moved here.”
“Carry it in your purse for a while, just to be safe. I’m also going to call a friend of mine. I’m sure he’d be willing to watch over you until this blows over.”
When Vivian turned around to look at him, a small picture hanging on the kitchen wall caught her eye. “No, don’t trouble him. I don’t want anyone following me around.” She wandered into the kitchen as she spoke, then stood there gazing at the framed charcoal portrait of her mother. “Where did you get this picture, Arthur? I’ve never seen it here before.”
“I always put it away when you stopped by,” he told her. “I didn’t want to upset you, but you caught me off guard today.”
“Did Uncle Reggie give it to you?”
“Yes...after the funeral. The three of us were inseparable as kids.” Arthur set the sketches down and went into the kitchen to stand behind her. “As I said, your artistic ability is exceptional. You were only sixteen years old when you sketched that picture.”
She reached up to touch the portrait. “My mother was very pretty, wasn’t she?”
“Ellie was a beautiful woman. You’re the spitting image of her, you know.” He placed his hand on her shoulder. “Vivian, I’m sorry about what George did to you. I didn’t know him, but from what you told me, I didn’t see this coming. Why don’t you and Bella stay with me for a few days? You’ll be safe, and I won’t have to worry about you.”
She shook her head while gazing at the portrait.
He grumbled under his breath. “I’m not sure why you came here to tell me all this if you won’t let me help you.”
Vivian turned to him. “I’m not going to run away and hide again.”
“You haven’t been in hiding,” Arthur sighed. “You simply closed the door to your past and came here to start a new life. There’s a difference.”
“Is there, Arthur? Why do I feel like the past is just repeating itself?”
“Because George turned out to be a damn louse! He’s the reason you’re involved in this. You could dig deeper into what attracted you to George, and why you didn’t see who he really was underneath. You could spin your wheels for years trying to figure that out, but you know better than anyone that some people are just that good at concealing their true selves. And then there are times when we don’t want to see the truth, even when it’s staring us in the face. If you’re hiding from anyone, Vivian, maybe it’s yourself. You may not want my advice or heed it, but here it is anyway. Take charge of your life again, keep that pistol within reach, and don’t let anyone else make you feel like a victim.”
As she absorbed his words, her expression eased. “Thank you, Arthur, and not only for the advice but for being honest with me. You’re one of the few people I trust. That’s why I came here, and what I love most about you.” She leaned over and kissed his cheek. “Do you have a telephone book?”
“It’s on the kitchen counter. Why?”
“I’m going to find out who had access to the Liberty Theatre yesterday afternoon.” She went over and flipped through the pages. Then she went into the living room to gather her things. “I’ll call you later.”
“Watch your back, Vivian.”
She nodded and left with Bella to catch the bus heading for Sunset Boulevard. The main office for the Liberty Theatre was located on Sierra Drive, right around the corner from the theater. Within twenty-five minutes, she and Bella walked into the office building and spoke to the front receptionist, who directed her to the manager’s office down the hall.
Vivian decided to carry Bella to keep her quiet. She noted the man’s name on the door, entered the office, and approached his secretary. “Good morning. My name is...Missus Ramsey. I wondered if I could speak with Mister Callahan for a moment?”
“Do you have an appointment?” she asked.
“No, but it should only take a moment.”
The young woman picked up the phone and spoke to the manager. “You may go right in, Missus Ramsey.”
Vivian thanked her and entered the office. The gentleman sitting behind the desk was an older man. “Good morning, Mister Callahan. Thank you for seeing me on such short notice.”
“Certainly. How can I help you?”
“A friend of mine attended a short film at the Liberty Theatre yesterday afternoon. I wondered if you could tell me who was in charge of the production.”
He started laughing. “It must have been one hell of a movie. Excuse my language, but you’re the second person to ask about it. I have no idea who produced it, but Mister Preston Stone rented the theater for the afternoon. He could answer your questions better than I can.”
