chart say about that?”
Joe had fortuitously brought the chart up to the office before any of the guests could see it. “I don’t think
Bill got to revenge,” Judith said, spreading the chart
out on the desk. “Wait—he did. Bill and Joe must have
worked on this while we were gone. Angela, Dirk,
Ben, Dade, and Chips all have mauve marks, which
stand for revenge.”
“They’re all associated with the Big Flop,” Renie remarked. “But murder doesn’t seem like the right way
to rectify a career stumble. I can’t imagine that any of
those celebrities won’t bounce back.”
Judith studied the chart for several moments. “It’s
got to be something personal. It almost always is.”
“You ought to know,” Renie said with a grin. “I see
Bill’s keyed in jealousy, but he’s marked it only for Angela and Ellie, with a slash for professional rivalry.”
Judith shook her head. “Why would either of them
kill Bruno?”
“Didn’t you say you overheard something about
Ellie’s next movie not being made now that Bruno’s
dead?”
“That’s my point,” Judith replied. “Bruno was worth
far more to Ellie alive than dead. Let’s face it, the only
person in the entourage who got violent with Bruno
was Dirk Farrar. They had that big fight in Marina Del
Rey. Which signifies to me that Dirk wouldn’t hesitate
to duke it out in a disagreement, but he’s not the homicidal type. If he killed someone, it would be in a burst
of temper with his bare hands.”
“You’re ruling out Dirk banging Bruno in the head
with the cupboard door and shoving him in the sink?”
“There would have had to be an argument first,” Judith asserted. “Dirk’s very loud. Joe or I would have
heard the two men quarreling, even from the basement.”
Renie didn’t say anything for a few moments.
“You’re convinced this wasn’t an accident?”
Judith grimaced. “I’m not going down without a
fight to prove otherwise.”
“I don’t blame you,” Renie said. “The problem is,
we don’t seem to be getting anywhere. We don’t even
know who all the guests were last night.”
Judith gave Renie a puzzled look. “Yes, we do. Except for Vito, the ones who came back here after the
premiere are the same people who attended the midnight supper.”
“So where’s Mrs. Mayne?” Renie queried.
“The one dressed as a pioneer woman?” Judith
shrugged. “I assume she’s still at the Cascadia. Morris
told me she wasn’t much of a traveler. She probably
didn’t want to make another move.”
“Let’s find out.” Renie reached across Judith to pick
