The Witch and the Borscht Pearl (43 page)

Mrs. Risk subsided. She glanced around the room. “Yes, well, if she hasn’t collapsed by now—go back there anyway. Tell her you’re her sister, that you’re standing by her no matter what—don’t argue with her about it. Just stay there.”

“Do you know this place is full of cops? Plainclothes everywhere, even some uniformed. You can’t tell me that’s normal security, even with the television broadcast. Something’s going on.” She laughed bitterly. “Are they looking for me?”

“No, they’re not!” I snapped. Why was Mrs. Risk wasting precious time with Bella?

“No, they’re not,” agreed Mrs. Risk. “But I must warn you—Pearl has told everyone backstage that you killed Solly. That means that in Ilene’s mind, you were responsible for Pearl’s pain and harassment. Right now, Ilene’s terribly disturbed. She’s dangerous to anyone she thinks has hurt Pearl. If she approaches you and a policeman is nearby, tell him Mrs. Risk said to take her into protective custody.”

What? She didn’t think Michael had Ilene yet? After the first rush of hope, I backed away from Mrs. Risk, repelled. “I thought you cared about Ilene, too. Not just Pearl.” My voice was bitter.

Mrs. Risk turned pitying eyes on me. “Sometimes the best thing can seem the most cruel, Rachel. It’s too late for you to look after her yourself now. Our attentions are needed elsewhere.”

She touched Bella. “Remember and do exactly what I said. Let’s go, Rachel.”

“No.”

“Yes! Come with me. You must trust me.”

“I don’t have to trust anybody. Ilene did and look at the results.”

Mrs. Risk’s lips twisted impatiently. I turned and plunged into the crowd. Pearl. Ilene would probably go to Pearl.

After an endless struggle through the backstage mash to reach Pearl’s dressing room, I found nobody there.

The manager was standing near the lighting control panel. I grabbed his arm. “Where’s Pearl?” I cried over the noise.

He shook his head. The man he’d been talking with said, “She and that bunch went back up to her suite.”

“Where’s her suite?”

The manager eyed me, seemed reassured by what he saw, closed his eyes and thought a moment. “Seven twenty seven.”

Without thanks I bolted for the exit.

My room was 708. She couldn’t be too far away from that.

When I reached the right hall I scanned room numbers. I began to plot how to gain entrance if Pearl’s friends were barricading the door, but needn’t have bothered. Her door gaped open. Anybody could go in, so I did. Food and drinks were piled on white cloth-draped tables and people were everywhere, but the mood was far from festive. A funeral hush reigned.

Ilene was nowhere in sight in the enormous suite.

“Where’s Pearl?” I asked Leeanne, to receive a grimace and the back of her head for my answer. The same question applied to Roselle got a similar response.

With an embarrassed glance at his wife, Simon said, “Pearlie’s in her room.”

I went to the bedroom door and pulled at the doorknob, but it was locked. I glanced around me. Nobody seemed to be watching so I put my ear to the wood. I heard odd muffled thumps.

“Simon, who’s in there with her?”

He shrugged and poured himself another drink. Soda water, I noticed. He dropped indigestion pills into it and watched the fizz morosely.

Suddenly the bedroom door was flung open. I lunged for it. Vivian strutted out moving fast. The triumph on her face as I brushed by her worried me, but the sight inside made me forget Vivian.

I exclaimed, which brought Leeanne and Roselle rushing, but I slammed the door in their faces and locked it again. I heard shouts outside. The door began to jolt from their pounding. I leaned back against it.

Within, Bella and Ilene were grappling in near silence. It was the bumping of their bodies against the wall as they shifted for position that I’d heard outside. Ropy veins stood out in Ilene’s creamy neck. Grunting with effort, Bella strained to keep Ilene’s hook-fingered hands away from her face. Ilene’s usually gentle eyes bulged and her breath hissed through her teeth. A crushed lampshade, some magazines, and feathers from Ilene’s jacket lay trampled on the floor. Both women’s breaths came in choked gasps.

Sobbing hysterically, Pearl was tugging, to no effect, on Ilene’s arm. Seeing me, she backed off and cried, “Stop them, Rachel!”

I lunged away from the door. I pushed one shoulder between them and with a mighty heave, broke them apart. Bella staggered and fell against a dresser. I held Ilene’s arms tightly as she reeled, still grabbing futilely for Bella. I shook her hard. “Cut it out!” She blinked at me in surprise and subsided.

Ilene’s hair and clothes were wildly disheveled, making Bella’s immaculate French knot look incongruously smooth, her simple dress oddly unrumpled. Bella’s face had a red streak across one parchment colored cheek, with blood welling from it, but her expression was bland, revealing nothing of her feelings.

Suddenly Pearl crumpled backwards to sit heavily on the bed, then, almost in slow motion, she tilted sideways and lay there, still as a corpse. I thought at first that she’d fainted, but her eyes were still open. Her face twisted with pain.

While Ilene stared, Bella whirled to crouch at Pearl’s side, an odd noise escaping from her throat. She lifted Pearl’s legs and swung them up onto the bed, grabbed one of Pearl’s wrists and began rubbing it.

Letting go of Ilene, I ran to the bedroom door and flung it open, not caring whether I damaged Roselle and Leeanne, who hadn’t stopped pounding. I yelled, “Get Dr. Savoia fast!”

People began filling the room, but shock kept them silent. I returned to Ilene’s side, mindful that if I’d stuck tighter to her earlier, none of this would’ve happened.

Dr. Savoia pushed through the onlookers. As he passed Ilene, he shoved her unceremoniously out of his path. She stumbled backwards and froze there, still staring at Pearl.

He grabbed Pearl’s wrist and pulled up her eyelids. Under his wordless direction, Bella darted to push a pillow beneath Pearl’s feet, elevating them. Color began to seep back into Pearl’s cheeks as he patted her.

“There, sweetheart, there. You’ll be fine.” He looked fiercely around at us. “What happened in here? Her heart’s jumping around like she’s been doing somersaults. My God.” That last was from seeing Bella’s cheek.

His exclamation was the signal that released the onlookers’ inhibitions, and now questions flew freely. “What happened? Why does Ilene look like that?” and on and on.

He squeezed Pearl’s shoulder and abandoned her for Bella. “Don’t move,” he commanded Pearl. He pulled an honest to goodness linen handkerchief out of his pocket and began dabbing at the blood that rolled freely down Bella’s chin.

Ignoring the babble, Pearl gazed in misery at Ilene, who still stood where Dr. Savoia had pushed her. Her face was puffy, her eyes wide and distracted. She was almost unrecognizable. Bella gazed thoughtfully at her over Dr. Savoia’s shoulder as he ministered to her cheek.

“Pearl! Eddie’s going on television for you,” I announced. Conversations halted abruptly, then began again. Louder. Roselle’s caw grated on my ears. A few left, maybe searching for confirmation, relieving the press in the room.

Astonishment brightened Pearl’s ravaged expression. “What?” She turned to Bella. “Did I hear that right? Eddie?”

Ilene took a step back toward the door, then another. I moved with her, staying close. Bella called out to me over people’s heads. “Eddie—he’s going to rescue Pearl’s show?” she asked.

I declared impatiently. “He’s her friend, isn’t he? Friends do everything they can for you, if they love you. Don’t they, Ilene?”

Ilene blinked dry eyes and the bulging, staring look began to fade. “Yes,” she managed to say.

Bella looked at her, her expression as reserved and cool as always, then her features softened. Compassion shone at that instant from her dark eyes. She lifted a tentative hand towards Ilene, but then must’ve thought better of it.

Ilene seemed then to deflate. She rubbed at her face like a child rubbing sleep away.

I remembered Vivian’s triumphant exit, the malice in her expression, and wondered if she was on her way to find Michael, to turn Ilene in. “Come on, Ilene,” I said. “We have somewhere to go.”

Pearl struggled to her feet. Dr. Savoia and Bella stooped to help her, with the doctor fussing. As Ilene and I left the room, Bella began scolding Pearl. “Okay Pearl, listen now, and listen well. I didn’t kill Solly.” She straightened, and facing the crowd, declared in ominous tones, “I never killed Stanley either. Believe it or not, just shut up about it. That’s it. No more.”

Before I closed the door behind us, the last thing I saw was a euphoric smile spreading across Pearl’s face.

I found Simon alone in the living room, straightening his cumberbund in a mirror, smoothing his hair. He looked much happier. Obviously, he’d heard about Eddie.

“Simon, looks like Pearl’s remembered a few of her jokes. I’ll bet she’ll go downstairs in a minute.”

“I thought she might. That’s my Pearlie,” he beamed at me.

I smiled back, but not so enthusiastically. “A detective, you’ve seen him. Sergeant Hahn. He’s looking for Ilene. If he asks you,” I glanced over my shoulder at her. Her eyes were vacant and she looked exhausted. She waited flaccidly, content for me to push and pull her wherever I wanted.

“I’m not asking you to lie to Hahn, but,” I shrugged, hoping that Simon, if none of the others, was compassionate enough to make good decisions. Help Ilene get a second chance she more than deserved.

His basset hound eyes rounded in horrified sympathy. “You mean, Ilene? She’s—the one?”

I didn’t answer. “Look at her. She can’t handle police inquiries or anything else tonight. So I’m taking her somewhere to rest. To find a doctor who can help her. Could you talk to the others in there?” Remembering the way they’d closed ranks against Mrs. Risk and me, I felt pretty sure he’d get the idea without my having to say it openly. To deny later. In court, if necessary.

He gazed at me, then at Ilene, and his already pale face paled even further. Without another word I pulled Ilene out the door with me.

The elevator was out of the question. And taking her to my room would only postpone things. We had to get out of Krasner’s.

Vivian’s room was only two doors down, between us and the exit stairway, but I had no qualms about passing that way. At best she was watching Eddie Miller with the rest of the hotel; at worst, she was blabbing to Michael. Whichever, she wouldn’t be in residence.

Then I noticed Vivian’s door was not quite closed. Was she inside? It might be only a maid turning down the bed …

I hesitated, drawing Ilene up close behind me.

This exit stairway was our only option. The elevator around the corner behind us became more of a threat as each second ticked by. Even without a tip-off from the trouble-loving Vivian, Michael might figure like I had that the best place to find Ilene would be at Pearl’s side. He could be stepping off the elevator even now.

A glance told me Ilene couldn’t stay on her feet much longer. We had to move.

We crept closer. As we drew nearly even with Vivian’s door, Mrs. Risk’s cheerful voice stopped me in my tracks. “Come in, dear. Hurry, before anyone spots you.”

I bumped the door open in exasperation. She added in a matter-of-fact voice without looking up from her task, which was that of pawing through Vivian’s suitcase, “Why are you dragging that poor child around this hotel, Rachel?”

More suitcases were lined up by the door in a neatly descending row.

I frowned at them. “How long did Vivian plan on staying here?”

Mrs. Risk glanced up and grinned. “You’re a wonder, know that? Let Ilene sit before she collapses. Michael will never think to look for her here.”

I led the now thoroughly oblivious Ilene to one of Vivian’s twin beds and eased her on to it, plumping up the pillows behind her head. With a sigh Ilene’s transparent eyelids closed and she seemed immediately to sleep.

“What she’s been through,” I murmured, half to myself. I sank down to sit at the foot of her bed, reluctant to stray far from her.

Mrs. Risk, still excavating the suitcase, nodded towards the door. “Sit over there and listen, will you? Leave the door open a crack, but shut it if you hear anyone approach.”

I shifted to the other bed. “You didn’t shut it when I approached.”

She grinned. “I would know your footstep anywhere.”

“What if someone comes in?” I asked.

“Vivian, you mean? Hide, or bluff. Play it as it comes.” Mrs. Risk grimly tilted her head toward Ilene. “She breaks your heart, doesn’t she? But she’s well-loved. By you, by Pearl.”

“I think even Bella sympathizes, in spite of everything.” I told her about the fight.

“Well, all that love will help her recover. She may still have a good life yet.”

“In jail?” I asked bitterly.

“Hey, works for me,” came a strident voice.

Cursing my inattention to the door, I jumped to my feet. Vivian slipped inside and leaned back against it. The lock snicked shut. Her face still glowed with the triumph and malice I’d seen earlier. In her hand she clutched a small silver gun.

I gaped at it stupidly.

Vivian pointed it at Mrs. Risk, who merely cocked one eyebrow at it as she continued her chore. Suddenly Mrs. Risk straightened.

“Here it is,” she said with massive satisfaction. And she lifted her prize above the suitcase lid so we could see. Draped from her palm, with the precious jewel dangling at the bottom, was the Borscht Pearl necklace. It glimmered with life.

Vivian’s mouth twisted into a pout. Taking two steps forward she made a snatch for it, easily eluded by Mrs. Risk.

“It’s mine,” said Vivian.

“It’s Pearl’s,” I said. “What are you talking about, yours?”

“I think she means she thinks she deserves it, Rachel. Because of something Pearl took away from her,” gently corrected Mrs. Risk.

“That’s right,” declared Vivian. “Now give it to me.” She made another swipe for it, which again Mrs. Risk eluded.

She clenched her teeth in frustration. “I’ve got a gun,” she stated unnecessarily.

“And I’ve got your plane ticket, which I could tear into pieces while I bleed to death from a gunshot wound,” chided Mrs. Risk, flourishing it in the other hand. “At the very least that would delay you long enough to be caught.”