“I haven’t seen a mistake yet. Have there been any?”
Ward gave her a signal he had to go back to the lighting booth and she nodded.
“Not that I noticed,” Jonas answered. “But I don’t have the script in front of me. Glenda does.”
“Where is Glenda?”
“She’s behind the sets, going over her notes. She won’t hesitate to give pointers to the actors and actresses before they go onstage if she thinks it will make the production better. But sometimes I think it throws them off. Jasper almost missed a cue because she told him something before he went onstage. It turned out all right, though.”
Daisy supposed too much instruction was as bad as not enough. “Is Rowan around? I didn’t see him in the audience.”
“He was backstage with Glenda but then I lost track of him. He could be roaming around making sure all is well. After all, he put a lot of effort and money into this place.”
“I’m going to slip out to the lobby and get a drink with Iris and Vi. Vi was going to call Foster. I’m hoping everything is okay.”
Jonas leaned down to Daisy and kissed her lightly on the lips. “To be continued later,” he said with a wink.
Daisy was looking forward to it.
* * *
In the lobby, Daisy was noticing who had attended the play when Iris asked Vi, “Are you ready to go back in?”
With a wide smile, Vi nodded. “Foster’s doing fine with Sammy. It has been good to get out tonight. I’ve missed being with all of you by myself. The play is actually good.”
With a hearty laugh, Iris put her arm around her niece.
Daisy, thankful Foster and Sammy were doing well, finished the last of her soda. She was ready to follow Iris and Vi into the theater when Vanna slipped up beside her and took hold of her arm.
Daisy said to Iris and Vi, “I’ll be along in a minute.”
The look on Vanna’s face had told Daisy she needed to talk, if only for a few minutes. Knowing Vanna was still immersed in her grief, Daisy wanted to help any way she could.
“Can I talk to you?” Vanna asked.
“You can always talk to me. Come on, let’s go over by the window.” Many of the playgoers were already heading into the theater at the end of the intermission, though the lights hadn’t blinked yet as a warning to be seated.
“I found out something that you should know,” Vanna explained.
That comment had Daisy puzzled. “Go ahead,” she said.
“I heard from Margaret’s lawyer today.”
Daisy supposed that could be about one thing. “Her will?”
Her head bobbing vehemently, Vanna confirmed, “Yes, her will. Her funds were separate from Rowan’s. I never thought about having a marriage like that. From the moment my husband and I were married, everything we did was together. We put our money together, just like we put our thoughts together and our hearts. But Margaret and Rowan didn’t do that.”
“Vanna, Rowan probably had much more money than Margaret did. Was there a prenup?”
“A prenup?” Vanna looked puzzled, as if she didn’t know what Daisy was talking about.
“Yes. A prenuptial agreement is a contract that two people make before they’re married. Basically, it’s to protect the person who has a lot more money. It says how the funds are supposed to be divided, or what might happen in case of a divorce.”
“I see,” Vanna said slowly, staring into space. “Nobody mentioned anything like that. But since Margaret’s funds were separate, in her will she designated me as her heir, not Rowan. That means I’ll receive everything she saved. It’s a tidy sum that might pay a nursing home for a few years if I ever have to go that route.”
“Oh, Vanna. I don’t think your children would let that happen unless it was an absolute necessity.”
“Maybe not. But if I keep good count of it, I can will it to them. It would help all of them.”
“I can see that.” She could. But she didn’t quite understand why this was something Vanna needed to tell her.
The warning lights blinked that intermission was almost over. Vanna took hold of Daisy’s elbow. “The police could think that I killed her!”
“Oh, Vanna. I doubt that.” Though Daisy wasn’t sure. She wasn’t sure at all what the detectives were thinking.
* * *
As Daisy returned inside the theater, she saw her dad standing at the end of the aisle. Her mother must have gone to the ladies’ room because she wasn’t in her seat or in the near vicinity.
Daisy placed her hand on her dad’s arm. “Are you enjoying the play?”
“To my surprise, I am. Even though the actors are local, they’re quite good.”
“They’ve made a concerted effort to make this play a success for Margaret’s sake.” Since she didn’t want to enter into a discussion about that with her father right now, she asked, “Is Mom enjoying the play?”
“I think she is. I heard her question Vi more than once about how she’s feeling. She’s worried about her.”
“Mom seems unusually quiet tonight. She has been feeling well, hasn’t she?”
“I think she’s feeling fine. She’s been working hard at the nursery. You know, as the holidays gear up, we have more and more to do. In January we’ll slow down and take a vacation again.” Her father squeezed Daisy’s shoulder. “I’d better go to my seat. Thanks for asking us to join you tonight.”
While her father made his way to his seat, Daisy stood glancing around the theater. She spotted Cade a few rows ahead of her. He was standing as if to stretch his legs. He waved and smiled, and she waved back. Tessa had been escorted by Trevor tonight. In fact, speaking of the devil, Trevor was coming down the aisle from the lobby now.
He gave Daisy a wink and said in a low aside, “You better avoid the trees.”
Trevor’s dry humor didn’t offend her. She returned his comment with one of her own. “I’ve been watching out for more than trees.”
Trevor
