“Ellie,” Winifred called after her, “don’t be mean!
Angela has enough problems as it is.”
Halfway up the stairs, Ellie leaned over the banister.
“Hey, Win, that’s not entirely my fault, is it?” The
young actress skipped up the steps, long hair swinging
behind her.
“I suppose,” Judith said in a musing tone as she put
Dirk Farrar’s doublet and hose into another garment
bag, “there’s bound to be jealousy between actresses
like Ellie and Angela.”
Winifred shot Judith a sidelong look. “Oh, yes.
You’ve no idea.”
Judith dared to risk a thorny question: “Enough that
Ellie would slash Angela’s gown?”
“No,” Winifred said flatly. “Ellie Linn doesn’t have
to resort to cheap stunts like that.”
Emboldened, Judith was about to ask why not when
Renie gave a shout from the kitchen.
“I’m here. I’m early. I’m out of my mind.”
Judith looked at her cousin, who had come into the
hallway and definitely appeared a little deranged. Her
hair, which was rarely combed unless she was attending a business meeting or a social event, was going off
in every direction of the compass. A smudge of dirt
stood out on one cheek and a pair of red socks peeked
through the holes in her shoes. Even the rattysweatshirt-and-baggy-pants combination that made up
Renie’s working ensemble was more disreputable than
usual. And old. The sweatshirt featured the Minnesota
Twins World Series victory in 1991.
“Good grief,” Judith breathed, “you do look sort of
awful.”
“I know.” Renie, who was carrying a large suitcase,
offered Winifred a desultory wave. “I had to get out of
the house. The children are arguing about who should
get married first. Bill left early for a very long walk,
maybe all the way to Wisconsin.”
Judith pointed to the suitcase. “Is that your costume?”
“Mine and Bill’s,” Renie replied. “We dumped the
pumpkin idea. Bill’s glasses kept getting steamed up.
Oh!” she exclaimed, showing a spark of animation.
“Look at those costumes. They’re beautiful, and they
look familiar.”
Judith and Winifred explained how and why the
costumes had been chosen, then told Renie about the
damage that had been done to Angela’s.
Renie was genuinely upset. “That’s horrible. Bill
