Set the Stage for Murder (3 page)

“
Mother, no one amasses 650 million dollars by being totally straightforward and honest. And if
you’re
being honest, you’ll have to admit that you were not happy about my hiring Vincent.”

“
I just couldn’t see the need for a bodyguard,” conceded Phoebe. “People like me do not have bodyguards. It’s as if I were an underworld crime boss or a gangsta rap mogul.”

“
Gangsta?” Vicki asked. “Phoebe, did you just say ‘gangsta’?”

“
Vincent,” Teddy said to his wife, “I’m pretty sure that would be his influence, as well. And you’re right, Mother, people like you usually don’t have bodyguards, unless they are victims of an attempted kidnappings. Then their sons almost always insist on hiring bodyguards.”

“
There you go again, Theodore, blowing things out of proportion. You make it sound as if a gang of hoodlums abducted me at gunpoint. It was one person and I never even saw a weapon.”

“
Phoebe, he ran your car off the road and knocked your chauffer unconscious,” Vicki chided. “The only reason you got away was that you sprayed him in the face with your perfume atomizer.”

“
Which, as far as I’m concerned,” Phoebe said, “is proof enough that I can take care of myself.”

Teddy sighed. “They didn’t catch the guy and you’re never going to win this argument, so you might as well give up. Besides, it sounds as if you and Vincent are getting along just fine.”

“
He’s delightful,” Phoebe proclaimed in a way that sounded an awful lot as if the matter had been settled and was no longer up for discussion. “He’s a gentleman and a careful driver.”

“
A very handsome gentleman, at that,” Vicki chimed in.

“
I wouldn’t know, Victoria,” her mother-in-law said with a prim expression. “He is young enough to be my grandson.”

“
And young enough to be my son, Phoebe. Well, almost. If I’d married at 13, that is. Don’t get me wrong; I’m not suggesting anything untoward. I’m just saying that spending your days with a handsome gentleman has its advantages,” said Vicki, glancing appreciatively at her dark-haired, blue-eyed husband. “I’m somewhat of an expert on the subject.”

“
And at the last minute, she saves herself from being in an awful lot of trouble” Teddy said. “I was suddenly leaning toward firing Vincent after all and replacing him with some middle-aged, female body-builder.”

“
You’ll fire Vincent over my dead body!” Phoebe pronounced.

“
Whatever you say, Mother,” Teddy acquiesced as he rose from the table and bowed slightly. “As always, your wishes will be followed to the letter.”

“I’m going to speak with your wife now and ignore that smug, victorious look on your face,” Phoebe said, turning and directing all of her attention to Vicki. “What does this recent development do to the rehearsal schedule for the new production? Isn’t this the weekend of your gathering?”

Vicki sighed. Since last night’s dramatic developments, she dreaded the weekend house party more than ever. Still, the show must go on, as they say. Perhaps she should rethink the order she placed at the liquor store. Suddenly, doubling it seemed like a really good idea.

This sort of pre-rehearsal gathering wasn’t necessarily protocol for Teddy and Vicki, but the upcoming show was special. Teddy McDowell was about to produce a 20th anniversary sequel to the show that had established him as a serious and successful player on Broadway at the tender age of 25. The original play had won a Pulitzer Prize and a Tony Award and had been made into a wildly popular and critically acclaimed film. It also had made Rosamund a star and had turned some of the other actors into bankable commodities in an uncertain business. Gathering the original cast and designers and commissioning the playwright, Harold Fiske, to write a sequel to his earlier work had been a labor of love, as well as an enormous pain in the ass for the better part of two years. But now the stage had been set and they were a little more than a week away from the first rehearsal. Vicki and Teddy had decided that a weekend get-together at their place was the best way to break the ice and get everyone ready to work. They were booked to open in Boston in seven weeks and anything that would jump-start the proceedings could only help them along. Plus, there were a lot of personalities involved and, unfortunately, some old grudges and hurt feelings that the couple felt needed to be smoothed over before rehearsals began. What better way to do that than providing a relaxed country setting, excellent food, and lots to drink? It had sounded like a good idea a month ago when it was first planned and it probably still had merit, but Vicki was certain about one thing and one thing only; she was definitely doubling the liquor order.

“
Victoria?” Phoebe looked at her daughter-in-law expectantly.

“
Sorry Phoebe,” Vicki said. “Yes, it’s this weekend and it’s still on. Rosamund said last night that she wouldn’t hear of a postponement . . . ”

“
Which is a good thing,” Teddy interrupted, “since we couldn’t possibly, without losing a fortune.”

“
Rosamund said everything should proceed as planned,” Vicki continued, giving Teddy the look she always gave him when he interrupted her, which he always did, “And she said she was going to try and take care of this matter privately and quickly.”

“
She sounds terribly sure of herself for a woman who fainted at the sight of a bouquet,” Phoebe said, skeptically. “I hope, for her sake, that she knows what she’s doing. It all sounds very dangerous to me. Theodore, maybe you should go to the police.”

“
Am I back in the conversation?” Teddy asked. “If so, I’m afraid that Roz was adamant about no police involvement. It seems she is afraid they’ll find something she doesn’t want found.”

Vicki sighed. “And that’s the part that really bothers me; apparently Roz has done something so bad - possibly something so illegal - that she would rather risk her safety than have it discovered. I just thought I knew her better that that.”

“
Trust an old woman with a lot of experience, dear,” Phoebe said, as she put her hand over her daughter-in-law’s. “You never know anyone better than that.”

“
And on that cheery note,” Teddy said, “I’m off to the office. Vic, why don’t you and Mother do something fun and distracting to take your mind off last night?”

“
Oh, let’s, Victoria. It’s been ages since we’ve had a girl’s day. We could go shopping and have a nice lunch.”

“
I’m sorry, Phoebe,” Vicki said. “I would love to, but I have a million things to do to get ready for the weekend. I should go back to the apartment and start making phone calls. Raincheck?”

“
Of course, dear,” Phoebe said, offering her cheek for Vicki to kiss.

“
Are you going upstate this weekend, Mother? If so, why don’t you join us?”

“
Oh Phoebe, do!” Vicki insisted. “It promises to be fraught with drama and I could use the moral support. Please say yes.”

“
Well, how could I refuse? Besides, Mim Van der Vorn is having one of her legendarily dreary dinner parties for some exiled European monarch this weekend that I’m just dying to miss. Plus, it sounds to me as if Rosamund may need our help.”

”
Our
help?” Teddy asked.

“
Mine and Vincent’s, of course. She may insist on no police involvement, but she won’t think twice about a nosy old socialite and her chauffeur, will she?”

*****

In a peach-lacquered dining room just a few blocks away, Juliet Whiting sat across the table from her mother and fretted. She was prone to fretting, and the events of last night were definitely of the sort which caused even the most carefree to fret. Rosamund stared out the window, oblivious of the scrutiny she was under. She looked beautiful to Juliet, but she also looked pale and thin. The morning sun streaming through the French doors highlighted the tiny lines on Rosamund’s face that Juliet had never noticed before, and dark circles had appeared under her eyes, seemingly overnight.

Juliet had missed the whole thing. Normally, she would have been there, cheering her mother’s final performance, but last night she ducked out early to go to the restaurant and make sure everything was under control. Juliet and Meg Pierce, her godmother and her mother’s best friend, were throwing a big bash to celebrate Rosamund’s final performance as Mary, Queen of Scots. They had found out about the mayhem at the theater only when Teddy and Victoria McDowell had come by the restaurant and told them. The McDowells had taken them immediately to Rosamund’s apartment, where they had both spent a sleepless night periodically checking on a heavily sedated Rosamund. It seems a doctor will still make a house call if you are Rosamund Whiting and you collapse on the evening news.

“
Julie, dear, do you want more coffee?” Meg asked as she was already refilling her goddaughter’s fine bone-china cup. “What about you, Roz?”

“
What?” Rosamund asked, distracted.

“
More coffee?”

“
No; no, I’ve had enough.”

“
What about some eggs or toast? You really should try to eat something.”

“
Meg is right, Mother; you should try to eat,” Juliet said.

“
I’m not hungry,” Rosamund said, listlessly. Then, as if realizing that she needed to at least appear to be in control, she continued. “I know you’re both worried, but let’s not dwell on last night. I overreacted and in the light of day, I’m more than a little embarrassed about all the fuss I caused. I just want to forget about it as soon as possible. I’m going to lie down for awhile; I’m still a little groggy from the shot the doctor gave me.” She gave them a tired smile as she rose from the table. They watched in silence as she walked down the hall to her bedroom and closed the door.

“
I’m scared, Meg. I’ve never seen her like this. She’s shaken to the core.”

“
Look, my love,” Meg said as she took Juliet’s small hand in her own, “she’s had a terrific and very public scare. She’ll bounce back; it may just take her a day or two. She’s got us in her corner and together we can tackle anything.” With a determined air of casualness, Meg began to clear the table. As she was leaving the dining room, tray in hand, she asked over her shoulder “Have you spoken with Connor since all this happened?” A stranger might not have picked up on the anxiety in her voice but Juliet was no stranger. And she was aware that both Meg and Rosamund did not like the fact that Connor’s interest in Juliet had taken an unexpected turn recently, ever since he had gotten out of rehab. In fairness to the two women, Juliet understood that Connor Cortez probably wouldn’t be any parent’s first pick for their daughter, unless that parent endorsed alcohol abuse, illicit drug use and run-ins with the law. But he had been through rehab and he was clean and sober. Didn’t her mother and godmother understand that he’d actually faced his problems and gotten help?
Shouldn’t that count for something? And it wasn’t as if he were a stranger to them; they’d known him practically all his life. His parents, Sally Crandall and Ed Cortez, were in the production in which Juliet’s parents and Meg had first met each other. Now, thanks to Harold Fiske’s new play, all of them, including Juliet and Connor, were about to take to the stage together.

The whole thing had sounded too good to be true when Teddy McDowell first floated the idea past everyone. For Juliet, it was a chance to have all the people she loved most in the world together for the first time, really. Her parents had divorced when she was two, so she had no memories of being part of a real family. Up to this point, her life had consisted of a strict but loving upbringing in New York City by her mother and godmother. Holidays had been spent in England with her father and stepmother at their London townhouse or Kent estate. Just having her parents on the same continent was a thrill for Juliet; being in the same rehearsal space and then on the same stage with them was beyond her wildest dreams.

And just when she thought things couldn’t get any better, there was Connor. Talented, funny, and charming Connor Cortez, who had been a part of her life for as long as she could remember, was showing a new sort of interest in her, an interest that clearly upset her mother and Meg. Juliet knew that this disapproval is what prompted them to arrange a trip to London for her rather hastily. Roz had presented it as an opportunity for Juliet to have some fun before rehearsals began as well as a chance for her to assist her father and stepmother with their packing for New York. But her dad and Caroline had a houseful of servants for that sort of thing and Roz knew it. Also, the two of them were scheduled to arrive in New York four days before Juliet’s return ticket. Her mother had arranged for her to stay with family friends and see shows in the West End for the remainder of her trip. Juliet’s time had been thoroughly and quite obviously booked for the past three weeks. Her mother was usually subtler than that, she thought with a smile. Clearly, Roz and Meg were rattled by this new development in her personal life. And to be fair, it was a little out of the ordinary for her. Roz, and particularly Meg, had kept Juliet on a short leash for most of her life. Fortunately, Juliet hadn’t minded all that much. She had always been on the quiet side, preferring reading and studying to some of the outrageous antics of her classmates at the private Catholic girl’s school she had attended for twelve years. On more than one occasion, she had heard Meg say to her mother, “Thank God, she’s not boy crazy. The Blessed Mother is watching over her.” Well, yes, thought Juliet, the Blessed Mother along with the other two vigilant women in her life.

She knew they were just being overprotective; Juliet was fairly inexperienced with men, and Connor, in addition to his widely publicized alcohol and drug abuse problems, already had the reputation of being a womanizer, just like his father. Presumably, Rosamund didn’t want to see her get hurt. And she knew that Meg’s past was spotted with troubled relationships and maybe she wanted to spare her goddaughter all of the pain she had been through. Still, it hurt her that the two most important women in her life suddenly seemed like the enemy. Connor was different now. Why couldn’t they see it?