A Knife to Remember

it. They thought it was fun. Like a secret code.”
    Mel said, “I’ve got my men asking around if any of the others at that table have anyone in their family with a hearing problem. But it still doesn’t prove anything. It’s possible that this has nothing to do with the murders. And even if it does, it’s only a reason to kill Jake—and certainly not Lynette.“
    “I know,“ Jane said sadly.
    “Jane, I appreciate your help. Really. It’s not your fault this wasn’t as useful as we’d all hoped.“
    “Mel, just rerun it one more time. I’m sure there’s something there that will help.”
    He obligingly rewound the tape and played it again. “Okay, who’s able to see what he’s doing?“ Jane asked. “George is on his left. He might be able to see Jake’s right hand. And Lynette is directly across from him acting like she doesn’t notice either him or Olive standing behind her like a Secret Service agent. You can just see Butch at the edge of the frame, sitting on a folding chair with his lunch in his lap. But his face is out of the picture most of the time. We can’t see what he’s looking at.“
    “Cavagnari keeps looking Jake’s way,“ Shelley said.
    “Right, maybe because Jake’s the only one who appears to be listening to him. Or maybe because he’s ‘listening’ to Jake,“ Jane said.
    “Angela and the intern are at the end of the table,“ Shelley went on. “It’s hard to tell from this angle if they could see his right hand, what with all the drinking glasses that might have been in their line of sight.“
    “Angela must know signing,“ Jane said. “She was Jake’s niece and it was one of his professional gimmicks. The intern had to learn it to work with him.“
    “The problem is, we have no way of knowing who else was just out of camera range,“ Shelley said. “No, the problem is that this gives Lynette a very slight, possible reason to have killed Jake, but nobody a reason to have killed Lynette,“ Mel said harshly. “I’m sorry, but it’s really no help at all. Charlene, thanks for coming over so quickly,“ he added to the secretary.
    She was a plump, pretty woman of about thirty. She sighed and picked up her purse and sweater. “I’m sorry I wasn’t able to help more. This is such a sad, sad thing, Lynette Harwell dying like that. I’ve sort of followed her career. Seen a couple of really bad movies just because she was in them and I kept hoping she’d be terrific again someday.“
    “Well, she was terrific yesterday,“ Jane said. “Shelley and I watched from a distance and really couldn’t hear much, but everybody on the set said she gave her best performance ever.“
    “Well, at least she went out in style then,“ Charlene said. “Not all of us can lay claim to that much.“
    “I’m afraid that’s true,“ Shelley said.
    “And to think she was a—“ Charlene stopped. “Well, it doesn’t matter now, does it? She’s got at least two really outstanding performances that will outlast her. Her family and friends and all her many fans will have to find a way to take comfort from that, I suppose. Mel, I’ve got some papers in the car for you. If you want to walk with me—”
    They headed out through the kitchen, where two men were carefully taking fingerprints from every surface.
    “Jane, I hope they clean up before they leave your house,“ Shelley said. “That black powder is making a mess. It’s a good thing we had all the kids fingerprinted last year when they had the program at school. That way, you don’t have to involve them any more than—Jane?“
    “What?“
    “I said—Jane, what’s the matter with you?“ “I think I know. It was what Charlene said.“ “Know what?“
    “Everything. Why and who and even how!“ She leaped up and ran after Mel. “Wait!“ she shouted at him. “Come back. We have to talk!”
     
    “All right, I’ll admit you could be right,“ Mel said twenty minutes later.
    “It all fits! What do you mean I ‘could’ be right?“
    “It’s all circumstantial, Jane.“
    “But the fingerprints in the kitchen will prove it, won’t they?“
    “The fingerprints will only prove that someone was in your kitchen. Not why or when or with what intent.“
    “But it’s obvious! To find the tape and to pick up a handy weapon!“
    “Jane, a trial lawyer would make mincemeat of that. He’d say his client just took an irrational, overwhelming dislike to you and trashed the kitchen as an expression of it.