Done to Death Page 10

  ‘Can I come?’ Aaron asked.

  ‘You have classes,’ Ada said, feeling a mix of emotions as she took stock of Aaron. He was tall, the only good thing her vile son-in-law had contributed to the gene pool. His hair was dark blond with floppy bangs she wished he’d cut, and he had hazel eyes like his mother’s.

  ‘Everyone cuts,’ he said, with the authority of a second semester University of Connecticut freshman. ‘Please, this is going to be more educational than sitting in the auditorium with a hundred grade-grubbing pre-meds watching a PowerPoint about shark cartilage.’

  ‘He has a point,’ Rose said, ‘and besides, he could take me too. I wouldn’t mind seeing my daughter in all her glory.’

  ‘You’re not kidding,’ Lil added from inside the galley kitchen, which had a pass-through window and counter into the dining room. ‘It’s as if Ada was born for this.’

  ‘It’s just like having a conversation, only I think of the cameras as people,’ Ada said.

  ‘And you used to do those ads for Strauss’s,’ her mother added.

  ‘You liked it?’ Lil asked.

  ‘Of course she did,’ Rose said. ‘Ada’s always been a ham.’

  ‘Thanks, Mom.’

  ‘Just being honest,’ Rose said. ‘It’s so sad about Lenore. It was all over the news today. I even saw the two of you.’

  ‘Really?’ Lil asked, as she pushed just-from-the-oven sweet potatoes and roasted vegetables across the granite pass-through.

  Aaron got up to serve. ‘It was the number one item on the Internet,’ he said. ‘Lots of YouTube videos. Everyone must have had their camera phone out. So, you actually saw her getting wheeled away. You realize the two of you are like murder magnets.’

  ‘Aaron, that’s a terrible thing to say.’ Ada pushed a trivet in his direction.

  ‘Not if it’s true,’ Rose commented. ‘Regardless, let’s accept the fact that you and your girlfriend are modern angels of death. I’d say it’s just Grenville, but apparently your killer touches extend to Manhattan. Who do you think did it?’

  Lil, while plating the roast chicken (dark meat for Ada and Aaron and white for her and Rose), commented, ‘People didn’t like her.’

  ‘Speaking of which,’ Ada said, ‘I met her children.’

  Rose stared at her. ‘Oh my goodness, you didn’t.’

  ‘No way!’ Aaron added. ‘I leave the two of you alone for a few months and just look what happens. Maybe I should transfer to West Conn and commute. Who’d have thought life in a retirement community was more exciting than living on campus?’

  ‘I met them both.’ Ada got up and grabbed the plates as Lil passed them through. ‘And so did Lil.’

  ‘Briefly,’ Lil commented. ‘It was odd.’

  ‘Agreed,’ Ada said. ‘Even taking into account the fact that their mother had just been murdered.’

  ‘They stand to gain the most,’ Rose said, taking a sip of her evening sherry, which she insisted her cardiologist had told her was medicinal. ‘Financially, at any rate. Fortunately for me it’s my daughter who’s loaded.’

  ‘Yes, Mother, that’s the only reason you’re still breathing.’

  Rose raised an eyebrow. ‘It’s not to say you haven’t tried, dear.’

  ‘Rose,’ Lil said, putting a skinless breast in front of Ada’s mother. ‘Your daughter did not set that fire.’

  ‘So you say. And?’ She looked at Ada.

  ‘What?’

  ‘Rachel and Richard,’ Aaron prompted. ‘What were they like? What did you talk about? Details.’

  As Lil spooned out the sides, Ada filled them in about her day. ‘You going to do a column on this?’ she asked.

  ‘Of course. It’s a no-brainer. The Lenore angle, while admittedly gruesome, might get me some additional papers. It’s a great topic and, with you as the show’s hostess, I’m assuming I’ll get any good scoops. Even Barry came straight out and asked me to do it.’

  ‘Who’s Barry?’ Aaron asked.

  ‘The producer,’ Ada said. ‘I’m not sure my agent would approve.’

  ‘Agent?’ Lil asked.

  ‘Apparently I need one,’ Ada said. ‘Rachel Parks gave me the name and number of Lenore’s. I called him this afternoon, because it seems that doing what I did today is almost illegal.’

  ‘How’s that?’ Rose asked.

  ‘Working without a contract. The crew kept asking me stuff I couldn’t answer, and so I referred them to Melanie or Barry. It’s just everything has happened so fast, which is odd. I got the distinct sense from Richard Parks that this show didn’t go through the right channels. He was pretty upset about it. And that’s not even the weirdest.’

  ‘Which was?’ Lil prompted.

  ‘Rachel wants to use Lenore’s estate for the first show.’

  The others stopped eating. ‘You’re kidding?’ Lil asked.

  ‘Oh no. She was serious, and one thing’s quite clear. The girl is not stable.’

  ‘I think she’s pregnant,’ Lil added.

  ‘What?’ Aaron said. ‘That’s a scoop. Some tabloid would give big bucks for that.’

  ‘Interesting,’ Ada said. ‘That explains her throwing up in the cemetery. So about my new agent, Max Titelbaum. At first he said he wasn’t taking new clients and was going to pass me along to an associate. Then Rachel got on the phone. I wouldn’t say she blackmailed him …’ Ada paused. ‘No, that is what she did. Talked about her mother’s residuals, and handling her royalties posthumously. The girl may be mad, but she’s sharp. By the time she got off the phone, he was my agent. He told me not to worry about anything but to refer all the business to him and he’d vet the contracts and handle the negotiations. I told him that I didn’t really need the money. His response was,’ she paused again, ‘“Don’t say that. Don’t ever say that.” As though I’d somehow voiced something forbidden.’

  ‘Of course,’ Rose said. ‘You’re talking about his fifteen percent. The more you get, the more he gets. It’s a perfect arrangement. It’s why you always gave your sales help commissions. The more they sold the more you made.’

  ‘True, money is a great motivator. But he said something else … that while I may not need the money, how much he’s able to get sets my worth. That’s not exactly how he said it, but it’s as if there’s a hierarchy based on how much you’re able to command.’

  Rose sucked the last drops of her sherry. She looked at Aaron, who got up to get her a refill. ‘So how much are you worth?’

  ‘I don’t know yet,’ Ada admitted. ‘He told me to go ahead with filming the pilot, but anything related to money or contracts, I’m to refer back to him.’ She looked at Lil. ‘I did ask about Lenore.’

  ‘And?’

  ‘He started with a canned response, how sad he was, what a great lady, good friend, but what I really wanted to know was why a star as big as Lenore would still need an agent. Apparently, Max was with Lenore back in the beginning. He was her one and only agent for thirty-something years; that says something.’

  ‘On both ends,’ Lil added. ‘Because I think you’re right, at some point Lenore didn’t need an agent. I’m sure LPP has more than enough entertainment lawyers to handle any kind of contract.’

  Aaron topped up Rose’s sherry glass.

  ‘Mother,’ Ada said, ‘will we need to send you to rehab?’

  ‘Your mother is old, dear,’ Rose said. ‘If I want to be a ninety-five-year-old lush, it’s my prerogative. So about your agent and his fifteen percent of Lenore. That’s a lot of money, millions. Why would she keep him? He’s got to be doing something.’

  ‘True,’ Ada said, ‘and I don’t have a good grasp on what any of these people do. Though it is fascinating.’

  ‘See,’ Aaron said, ‘this is much better than the life cycle of some jellyfish.’

  Before Ada could respond, the phone rang.

  ‘Let the machine get it,’ Lil said. They ate and listened as the phone rang four times and then Lil’s familiar outgoing message came o
n. A man with the hint of a British accent started to speak. ‘Hi Lil, Ada, it’s Tolliver Jacobs, I was hoping to get in touch with you. I understand you have something to do with the taping of the show they’re doing in town …’ He left his number. ‘I hope to hear from you, thanks.’

  ‘Not in this lifetime!’ Ada said.

  ‘He’s not that bad,’ Aaron said.

  ‘He’s a thief!’ Ada shot back.

  ‘Aren’t they all?’ Lil replied.

  ‘Who’s Tolliver Jacobs?’ Rose asked.

  ‘One of the local antique dealers, and it’s a long story,’ Ada said.

  ‘You know,’ Lil added, as she listened to the machine and realized Tolliver hadn’t hung up, as though he knew they were screening calls, ‘if it weren’t for him’ – she looked at Ada – ‘we might still be just friends.’

  ‘Do you want to talk to him?’ Ada asked.

  Lil glanced at the phone. ‘I’m hoping to get a series of articles out of this show. I might as well.’ She got out of her chair and grabbed the phone.

  ‘Put it on speaker,’ Rose said. ‘I want to hear.’

  ‘Hello?’

  ‘Lil?’

  ‘Hi Tolliver.’ She looked at Ada, who was making faces.

  ‘Lil, I’m glad I caught you, although I’m wondering if maybe I need to speak to Ada.’

  ‘About?’

  ‘The ad in the evening edition of The Register.’

  ‘I’ve no clue what you’re talking about.’

  ‘For the TV show they’re filming,’ he added.

  The line clicked. ‘Tolliver, hold on, I’ve got someone on the other line.’ Before he could respond, she pressed to get the incoming call.

  ‘Mrs Strauss?’ A woman’s voice.

  ‘No, this is Lillian Campbell. Who am I speaking to?’

  ‘Lil, it’s Belle. How are you?’

  ‘Good,’ wondering why her one-time employer at the Grenville Antique Center, a sprawling multi-dealer shop, would be calling. She grabbed a pen and paper from next to the phone. ‘Belle, I’ve got Tolliver Jacobs on the other line. Can I call you back?’

  ‘That sneaky bastard.’

  ‘Excuse me?’

  ‘He’s calling for the same thing.’

  ‘The ad in The Register?’ Lil asked, noticing Ada had left the table.

  ‘Yes; please call me right back. And I’d be much better than Tolliver. So what that he’s handsome and has that stupid British accent. He’s from Grenville for God’s sake! It’s all a put on.’

  ‘I’ll call you right back,’ Lil promised, as Ada reappeared with the evening paper. Lil clicked back to Tolliver. ‘Sorry, it was one of your colleagues.’

  ‘Not surprised. Could I speak to Ada?’

  Ada shook her head in the negative.

  ‘She’s not available right now,’ and Lil read over the full-page ad that Ada was holding up.

  Open Casting

  Lenore Parks Productions

  − Final Reckoning −

  We are actively scheduling auditions for FINAL RECKONING, a new competition-based reality show to be filmed in and around Grenville. We are looking for experienced, articulate and established antique dealers interested in being on-screen experts for a new show.

  Applicants should be familiar with estate liquidations and come prepared with a headshot and résumé. We are seeking experts who are comfortable on camera and who have broad-based knowledge of antiques and collectibles, as well as specialty areas of in-depth expertise.

  ‘Do you know when she will be available?’ Tolliver asked.

  Lil read the last paragraph where it gave a number for people to call and another for faxing headshots and résumés. ‘Tolliver, Ada doesn’t have anything to do with casting the show.’

  ‘It’s just …’

  ‘What?’

  ‘Everyone knows that she’s involved. We all saw her with that film crew. I’d really like to get on this show, and with how things got left—’

  ‘You mean when you deliberately undervalued a two-million dollar painting that belonged to a friend of ours?’

  ‘I didn’t know it was worth that much. And in the end the heirs got the correct amount.’

  Ada rolled her eyes.

  ‘I’ll tell her you called.’

  ‘Lil, it was a horrible time for me,’ the accent now pure New England. ‘If I made a mistake I’m sorry. Business has not been good, not for any of us. I need this.’

  ‘Tolliver, I don’t think Ada will have anything to do with who gets picked for the show.’

  ‘But she might,’ he said, ‘and I think if my name were in the mix—’

  Lil’s focus was pulled by the ringing of a phone from the living room.

  Ada mouthed, ‘It’s my cell.’

  And then a knock at the door.

  ‘It’s like Grand Central,’ Rose remarked from the table, her sherry glass once again full.

  ‘Tolliver,’ Lil said, ‘I’ve got to go. I’ll let Ada know you called.’ And she hung up.

  The knock at the door was followed by three rings on the bell, and a woman’s voice. ‘Hello! Lil? Ada?’

  ‘Do you want me to get that?’ Aaron asked, getting up from the table.

  Lil followed him down the hall as Ada retrieved her cell from the living room.

  Through the small windows on the side of the door Lil saw their across-the-walk neighbor Bernice Framm holding a tray of cookies. What now? she wondered. She opened the door. ‘Hi Bernice.’

  ‘Lil.’ Bernice held out the cookies. ‘I saw the light on and thought I’d bring these over.’

  ‘Thanks, Bernice.’ Lil accepted the tray, noting at least four types of home-made treats through the cellophane wrap. On the best of days, Bernice was barely civil to Lil, but baked goods? This was unprecedented.

  ‘My pleasure,’ Bernice said, giving Aaron a tight smile and looking expectantly down the hall.

  Lil felt trapped. The cookies were clearly a ploy to get the two things Bernice lived for − information and power. As the secretary to Grenville’s mayors for over three decades, Bernice had reveled in her role as gatekeeper. It was well known that, if she didn’t like you, applications, building permits, variances and various other bits of small-town commerce could become lost. As one of the seven members of the Pilgrim’s Progress Owners’ Association, Bernice had again worked her way into a position of local power.

  ‘These look delicious,’ Lil said, weighing the pros and cons. ‘Would you like to come in for some coffee?’

  Bernice hesitated, her attention pulled by unfamiliar voices coming from over the crest of the steep walk that led to their cluster of condos. ‘It’s getting busy around here,’ she remarked. ‘Are you really going to be on TV?’ she asked, keeping her voice low.

  ‘Ada is,’ Lil said, realizing that Bernice’s curiosity was at war with her fear of being associated with her and Ada.

  ‘It’s very exciting. Can you talk about it?’

  Lil glanced behind Bernice as Melanie Taft appeared, one hand holding her cell and her other pulling a wheeled legal-style briefcase. ‘I’m right outside your condo,’ she said into the phone. ‘Hi Lil.’ She glanced at Bernice. ‘Hi, I’m Melanie Taft.’

  ‘Bernice Framm, I’m Lil and Ada’s neighbor.’

  ‘Fantastic! This whole town.’

  Lil stared at the perky assistant producer. It was getting on to ten p.m. and the young woman’s eyes were wide and bright.

  ‘We like it,’ Bernice said, her body positioned between the door and Melanie.

  ‘Lil,’ Melanie said, ‘I’ve got a stack of headshots, I was hoping you and Ada could talk me through them. You know who’s for real and who we maybe shouldn’t waste our time on.’

  ‘You’re with the TV show,’ Bernice said. ‘I saw that ad in the paper. You mean people have already responded?’

  Melanie laughed. ‘Cookies! I love cookies.’

  ‘I made them,’ Bernice said, taking the plate from Lil and
pulling off the wrap. ‘Here, help yourself.’

  Melanie shoved her cell into a pocket and snatched one of Bernice’s oatmeal raisin cookies. ‘Love these! So good. And yeah, I grabbed a stack off the fax. Would you mind, Lil? I know it’s late, but if we can go through this batch it’ll give us a jump in the morning. I was hoping maybe to pick a few and do some tests.’

  ‘Sure,’ Lil said.

  Oblivious to tension or any past history between Lil and Bernice, Melanie grabbed a brownie and a shortbread and wheeled her case into Lil’s condo.

  Bernice’s curiosity won the day and she followed, as though popping into Lil and Ada’s home was something she did all the time. ‘I might be able to help,’ she added. ‘I was the mayor’s secretary forever.’

  ‘Awesome,’ Melanie said. ‘Hi Ada, sorry to do this, and I want you to get as much rest as possible. And I have to say,’ she glanced at Rose, Aaron and their half-eaten dinner, ‘the scenes we shot this morning were awesome.’

  Like some overwound toy, she jogged to the table. ‘Hi, I’m Melanie,’ and she introduced herself to Ada’s mother and grandson. ‘So, where can we work?’ She opened the oversized briefcase and pulled out stacks of faxed headshots and résumés.

  Aaron cleared away the dishes.

  ‘What are we doing?’ Rose asked, buzzed on sherry and ready for the evening’s entertainment.

  ‘Looking for talent,’ Melanie said, dropping a stack on to the dining room table. ‘I figured you’d know who some of these were.’

  The phone rang. Lil scanned the caller ID. ‘This is crazy.’

  ‘Who is it?’ Ada asked.

  ‘The Greenery,’ she said.

  ‘Makes sense,’ Ada replied. ‘The Auchinstrasses.’

  Bernice rolled her eyes. ‘I bet it’s Frieda trying to get the inside track.’ She turned to Melanie. ‘They’re not real Grenville. But they want everyone to think they go back to the Pilgrims.’