“I’ve been at the Curtain Call long before Trest came along,” Rick said. “There are people involved besides that self-centered jerk. Next time you talk to him tell him I’m running things as usual. He made me the manager and that’s what I plan on doing.”
Rick nodded at us and then walked out swiftly.
“Is there anything else I can do for you?” Lina asked, obviously wanting us to follow Rick out the door.
“Yes,” Jack said. “Let Mr. Trest know that this is an ongoing murder investigation and he’s not to leave town. We still have questions.”
Lina nodded stiffly, and Jack and I turned around and headed back toward the front. Rick was waiting for us there.
“He’s really not a great artist,” Rick said, pointing to the beginning of life paintings hung on the wall. “Who would want that in their living room? It’s creepy. I think he’s got issues with his birth mom. I read somewhere she abandoned him and his grandmother raised him. I’m sorry I lost my temper back there.”
“It sounds like you’re just looking out for your people,” Jack said. “It’s understandable.”
“We’re a family,” Rick said. “I know some people don’t understand, but we really are. At first, we all just did it because we love the theater. We’d put on these plays in the park. Someone would write the script, and everyone would pitch in sewing costumes and helping with sets. But over the last several years the theater has been turning a profit, so we’ve been able to have full-time staff, and the cast gets a stipend. It only works if everyone is working together. Do you know how hard my job is? I’m dealing with actors and theater people on a daily basis. It’s constant drama and feelings and tantrums and lovers’ quarrels. It’s exhausting.”
“Why do you do it?” I asked.
“Because I love it,” he said, blowing out a breath. “Ever since I was a kid and saw Bye Bye Birdie onstage. I was hooked. But I found out early on that my talents are best used off
stage. I’m good at what I do. It’s not a big important job, and I don’t make a lot of money. But it was never about that. It’s about making the stars shine as bright as they can, and entertaining the people at the same time.”
Rick moved to open the front door and held it for us so we could pass through. I turned my face up to the sunlight, appreciating the change, even though the cold was still bitter.
“So what are you going to do?” I asked.
“I’m going to call a staff meeting and get things ready for rehearsal tomorrow,” he said. “He made me manager, so I’m going to manage until he fires me or we run out of money to pay the staff.”
“We talked to Bruno Corelli,” Jack said. “He couldn’t think of anyone who might want to harm Juliet. What about you? Can you think of anyone?”
“Not really,” Rick said. “There was a lady that interrupted rehearsal once. I think her name was Brenda. Maybe Brynlee. I don’t remember. It was three or four years ago. But she’d found out Juliet and her husband were having an affair and kind of went off her rocker. Came into the theater during practice with a baseball bat. A couple of the guys tackled her to the ground, and then she screamed at Juliet for a bit and ran off.”
“Nothing ever came of it?” Jack asked. “No police report filed?”
“Nah, Juliet didn’t want to mess with it. She didn’t want it to look bad for her husband. She always knew where her bread was buttered. She just shook it off and went about rehearsal like nothing had happened. That was one of her best performances that night. Really revved her up.”
“Can you think of any cast or staff members who were close with Jody Burkett?” Jack asked.
Rick laughed and looked at us like we we’d just fallen off the turnip truck. “Are you kidding? Jody Burkett is an acting legend. Everyone knows her around here. She does master classes all the time for the cast. She spent some time working in New York off-Broadway, so she’s really taken our performances up a notch. Why? You don’t suspect Jody could have anything to do with Juliet’s murder, do you? She’s a tough old bat, but she could never hurt a fly.”
“We found Jody Burkett’s body earlier today,” Jack said. “We believe she was murdered by the same man who killed Juliet.”
Rick paled and took a step back. “Oh my God,” he said. “I can’t believe it. Everyone is going to be devastated when they find out.” Then he looked at us in a panic. “Are we all in danger? Do you think we’re being targeted?”
“It’s a possibility,” Jack said.
“I need to call everyone together,” he said. “If we’re in danger we need to stick close to each other. Watch each other’s backs. That’s what we do best. And leave it to Mr. Trest to hide himself away while all hell breaks loose. Selfish bastard.” He put on his jacket, realizing he was still holding it. “I’m sorry. I’ve got to go.”
We watched him walk across the street and back toward the theater.
“Let’s get back to the sheriff’s office,” Jack said. “I want to take a look at that letter. This guy has us running in circles, and it’s really starting to piss me off.”
“It’s because he’s moving so fast,” I said. “It’s hard to get ahold of something and run it to ground when you keep having to go to crime scenes and process another dead body. We just need to go home and spend some time in front of the murder board. Something will click into place.”
“I hope you’re right,” Jack said.
“And just so we’re clear,” I said. “I’m on Brenda/Brynlee’s side. Only I’d be coming after you with the bat instead of the other woman.”
Jack grinned. “So noted.” He turned on his lights and sped back to the sheriff’s office.
The sheriff’s office was more crowded now that the roads had cleared and most of the major catastrophes had been dealt with. Cops sat at their desks filling out paperwork, and another group was laughing about something in the corner.
When Jack and I came through the back door things got quiet, and Jack looked around to see who was available.
“Riley,” Jack said. “Let’s put a surveillance team on Peter Trest. He’s supposed to be at his home. I’m waiting on a warrant for his art studio, but until we get it I want to know every move he makes. And don’t try to hide. I want him to know we’re watching him.”
“You got it, boss,” Riley said.
“Where’s Colburn?” Jack asked, looking for his lieutenant in charge of this shift.
“Interrogation room A,” someone called out. “He and some of the guys found warrants on a random traffic stop. Ended up making four arrests, seizing a nice amount of cocaine, and impounding a whole lot of bad guns.”
Jack raised his brows and said, “Nice day on the job. Tell him I need to see him when he’s free.”
Jack walked to Betsy, and she unlocked her desk drawer and gave him the evidence bag. The envelope was different this time—one of the brown legal envelopes—and the writing on the front was in large block lettering.