Silver Scream : A Bed-and-breakfast Mystery

handy for guests. “Okay.” The actress didn’t look up.

“Your key,” Judith said, reaching into the pocket of

her best black flannel slacks. “I’ll give the other one to

Ms. Linn.”

“Fine.” Angela still didn’t look up.

“Your baggage is right there,” Judith said, pointing

to the piled-up suitcases and fold-overs the drivers had

placed in front of Grandma and Grandpa Grover’s old

oak book shelving. “Only Mr. Zepf’s has been put

away because I wasn’t exactly sure who was staying

where. Some of his belongings arrived earlier today

via UPS.”

Angela yawned. “Right.”

Judith gave up and headed past Rooms Four, Five,

and Six to the back stairs. She wanted to pop the appetizers into the oven before she joined her other guests.

Halfway down, she realized she hadn’t given Angela

the front door key along with the one to her room.

Though her hips were growing weary, Judith hurried

back to the second floor.

The settee was empty, the magazine that Angela had

SILVER SCREAM

33

been perusing lay on the floor. Judith frowned. Could

Angela have already collected her luggage and gone

into Room Six so quickly?

The stacks of baggage sat untouched. But the door

to Room Three, Bruno’s room, was ajar.

“Hunh,” Judith said to herself. When she picked up

the copy of In the Mode magazine, she noticed that it

was open to a spread on a recent Hollywood gala. The

large color photo on the left-hand page showed Dirk

Farrar and Angela La Belle with their arms around

each other. The caption read, Super Hunk and the Ul-

timate Babe get cozy at the annual Stars for Scoliosis

Ball. Are Dirk and Angela hearing La Wedding Belles?

Judith wondered if Angela and Dirk had no intention of staying in different rooms.

THREE

RENIE AND ARLENE seemed to have everything under

control. Arlene already claimed to have formed a

fast friendship with Ellie Linn, and insisted that Ben

Carmody would be the perfect husband for her unmarried daughter, Cathy.

“They’re not snooty,” Arlene declared, putting

another batch of puff pastries into the oven. “You

just have to go about it the right way when it comes

to asking questions. For example, when I spoke to

Dirk Farrar about the paternity suit that was in the

news a year ago, I mentioned how wonderful it was

to be a parent. Then I asked how he liked being

called Daddy. So simple.”