A Knife to Remember

The woman was pure ego. But besides that, Jane and I were on the set this afternoon and everybody—even the people who hated her the most—said she’d given the performance of her life today. Nobody could say enough good things about it.“
    “That’s true,“ Jane said.
    Shelley went on, “After years and years of wallowing in mediocrity, she’d finally shined again. Today was, well... a springboard to glory. She’d reestablished her talent and celebrity. She had everything to live for and believe me, she’d have wanted to revel in every gratifying second of it. She positively wouldn’t have given it up.”
    Mel looked thoughtful, but said nothing for a long moment. Then, “Jane, do you agree?”
    Jane didn’t hesitate. “I didn’t talk to her much, but if Shelley feels this strongly, I have to agree.”
    He walked across the kitchen and looked longingly at the coffeemaker. Jane handed him a cup, which he filled and sipped at for a minute. It was the dregs of the pot and must have tasted foul, but he made no sign of distaste, not even a slight flinch, which was a measure of his preoccupation.
    Finally he said, “So do I. Agree with Shelley, that is. There’s no proof in the world—yet—but my instinct tells me somebody killed her.”
     

19
     
    “They have to be connected,“ Shelley said when Mel had gone back outside to oversee the police examination of the dressing room trailer. “Two people in the same production don’t get killed for entirely different reasons by different people.“
    “How do we know that? I mean it, Shelley. There are more than a hundred people out there every day. Any six of them could be potential mass murderers.“
    “You’re suggesting that six out of a hundred is some kind of national average? You know perfectly well you don’t believe that.“
    “I didn’t say I believed it. But it is possible.“
    “But it’s more probable that it’s one person.“
    “As far as I’m concerned, they can all kill each other off, so long as they go away. Sorry. I don’t mean it. But I do wish they’d go away.“.
    “Jane, you’re not thinking very clearly here. They’re supposed to be finished tomorrow afternoon and have a wrap party tomorrow night—“
    “Surely they’ll call that off.“
    “Want to bet?“
    “No, I don’t think so. But what difference does it make?“
    “Jane, Mel could be tied up investigating this thing for months! He can’t keep the whole production in town. They’re going to scatter like milkweed fluff by Saturday morning.“
    “Oh. I see what you mean. My weekend with him might be sometime next year.“
    “Right. And what you said about understanding their motives is dead-on, if you’ll excuse the phrase. He looks on all those people as ‘foreigners.’ Almost ‘aliens.’ You and I don’t understand them a whole lot better, but we’re not thrown for quite such a loop as he is.“
    “I don’t know, Shelley. I’d really rather stay out of it, I think. The police can’t keep Mel chained to his desk forever.“
    “Jane...“ Shelley began in a strained voice. “You can’t stay out of this.“
    “I certainly can. I’m not terminally nosy, you know.“
    “That’s not what I meant, exactly.”
    Jane picked up the now empty coffee carafe and started rinsing it out. “What do you mean?“ She put a hearty scoop of coffee into the basket.
    Shelley didn’t answer right away. “Well—I don’t quite know how to say this, but there’s something you’re overlooking.“
    “Probably dozens of things, but what did you have in mind?“ Jane poured cold water in the coffeemaker and pushed the button to start it brewing before she sat back down across from Shelley at the kitchen table.
    “Jane, sooner or later—God, I hate to say this! Sooner or later Mel is going to question everyone about every conversation they heard Lynette Harwell have on this set.”
    A faint alarm bell went off in the dim recesses of Jane’s mind. “Yes?“ she said warily.
    “And one of her more ‘public’ conversations was with you and your son about her having had an affair with your husband. Lots of people might have overheard it. You and Mike both went off obviously upset, I assume. All of that is going to be in the record, from interviews with other people.”
    Jane gulped. “But... but...“ she sputtered. “I already told him all about it. And about Steve’s leaving me. It’s got nothing to do with all this.“
    “Before Lynette was