Vera looked startled for an instant. Then she gave a throaty little laugh. “I admit that, like everyone else in town, I’m curious about the death of Madam Zolanda. She never became a star on the silver screen, but she was certainly a Hollywood celebrity. I know several of her clients. It was amazing how many people fell for her act.”
This was getting dangerous, Adelaide thought. The tearoom was not very large. Although she and Vera had been conversing in low tones, Adelaide was quite certain that those who were sitting at nearby tables had overheard every word.
“I hope you enjoy your tea, Miss Westlake,” she said. “Please excuse me. As you can see, we’re quite busy today.”
Vera’s mouth twisted in a humorless smile. “Nothing like a mysterious death to bring out the curiosity seekers.”
“Evidently,” Adelaide said.
She hurried off to check on a nearby table before Vera could say anything else.
Florence emerged from the kitchen with a pot of tea and a sly expression.
“Your new boarder is waiting for you,” she whispered when she passed Adelaide.
Adelaide hurried into the kitchen. Jake was there. She realized he had entered the tearoom through the kitchen door.
“Florence told me that Vera Westlake managed to snag you,” he said. “I assume she was curious about the psychic’s death?”
“Yes.” Adelaide set the tray on the counter. “I didn’t tell her anything more than what was in the Herald. Evidently she and Zolanda knew each other when they were aspiring actresses. Their lives went in different directions when Vera became a star and Zolanda . . . didn’t.”
“Huh.” Jake looked interested. “Was Westlake one of Zolanda’s clients?”
Adelaide raised her brows. “You’re wondering if Vera Westlake might have been one of Zolanda’s blackmail victims, aren’t you?”
“The possibility crossed my mind. If so, she would have had a motive for murder.”
“I asked Miss Westlake if she had ever consulted with Zolanda. The answer was a very firm no. Miss Westlake doesn’t believe in psychic powers. But she did say she finds it difficult to believe that Zolanda took her own life. She suspects that Thelma Leggett had something to do with the psychic’s death.”
“She’s not the only one holding that theory. A lot of people in town are convinced that Leggett murdered her boss.”
“Why?
“The folks I talked to assume that Leggett murdered her boss in order to steal money or jewelry.”
Adelaide frowned. “Where did you hear all this?”
“The hardware store. Where else? Women get their local news at the beauty shop. Men get it at the hardware store.”
“I’ll remember that.”
“I learned something else about Zolanda today. While she was here in Burning Cove she was a regular at the Paradise Club. The night she died was the one night she did not go to the club.”
“Who told you that?”
“Luther Pell.”
Adelaide stilled. “Florence mentioned that you and Mr. Pell are acquainted.”
“Pell and I met each other a few years ago.”
“I see.”
“Luther also mentioned that Thelma Leggett usually drove Zolanda to the club and escorted her inside. After seeing her boss settled into a booth at the Paradise, Leggett was in the habit of going to the Carousel, a club on the other side of town. But on the night of Zolanda’s death, Leggett evidently took her boss straight back to the villa. Leggett showed up at the Carousel as usual. She left around three thirty in the morning. No one saw her after that.”
“What does that tell us?”
“It could indicate that Zolanda expected to meet someone after the show.”
“Maybe.” Adelaide waved the issue aside. “But it could just as easily mean that she was exhausted from the performance. Either way, it still leaves Leggett as the chief suspect.”
“After I talked to Luther it occurred to me that it might be interesting to go to the Paradise Club tonight.”
“Why?”
“Because Luther also told me that Zolanda was not the only regular who did not show up at the club on the night that Zolanda died. Dr. Calvin Paxton has made a practice of appearing at the Paradise on most nights. He usually comes in around midnight and sits at Miss Westlake’s table. They have a few drinks and a few dances together, and then they both leave in separate cars around three in the morning.”
“So?”
“On the night Zolanda died, Vera Westlake arrived at the Paradise Club around midnight, as usual, but Paxton never joined her.”
Adelaide gave that some thought. “Maybe Paxton decided to go somewhere else after Zolanda’s performance. The bar at the Burning Cove Hotel is also very popular with the Hollywood set.”
Jake shook his head. “Luther talked to his friend Oliver Ward, who owns the Burning Cove Hotel. Paxton is staying there but he called for his car around seven o’clock. He drove himself to the Palace Theater, where he met Vera Westlake. Following the performance, Paxton seems to have disappeared until he returned to the Burning Cove Hotel around four thirty that morning.”
“Maybe Paxton went to one of the other nightspots in town.”
“It’s possible, but Paxton likes to hang out with celebrities. He’s not the sort to spend a night at a joint like the Carousel. Look, under most circumstances I wouldn’t have given Paxton’s failure to show up at the Paradise or the bar at the Burning Cove on any given night a second thought. But Luther came up with one other interesting fact. A few days before her final performance, Zolanda and Paxton both left the Paradise Club together in Paxton’s car. Evidently, Paxton offered to give her a ride back to her villa. But the valet said that when they got into the vehicle, they were arguing.”
“What about?”
“The valet said that all he overheard was something about running out of time. He said he didn’t hear anything else, but it was clear they were not on friendly terms.”
“Hmm.” Adelaide leaned back against the counter and folded her arms. “Paxton might be able to account for his whereabouts on the night Zolanda died but we can’t ask him outright for the information. We’re not the police.”
“No, but it might be interesting to observe Paxton in his natural habitat, so to speak.”
Adelaide raised her brows. “Meaning?”
“If he stays true to form, he’ll be at the Paradise Club tonight.”
“Which is why you’ll be there, too.”
“Correction. You and I are both going to the Paradise tonight.”
Startled, Adelaide unfolded her arms and straightened away from the counter. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. It will look like we’re out on a date.”
Jake smiled. “That is more or less the whole point of the exercise.”
“But we’ve been telling everyone that you’re my new boarder.” Adelaide realized she was waving her arms. She forced herself to stop. “People will get the wrong impression.”
“Got news for you. The boarder story isn’t working very well.”
She winced. “You heard that at the hardware store?”
“I told you, hardware stores are hotbeds of local gossip.”
“Apparently so. You do realize I haven’t a thing to wear—not to a swanky place like the Paradise. I’ll have to go shopping after the tearoom closes today.”
“This is my idea, so I’ll take care of the bill for the dress.”
She narrowed her eyes. “No, you will not pay for my new dress. That will only add fuel to the gossip fire.”
“You refer to the fire that is already burning?”
Adelaide beetled her brows. “Shouldn’t you be installing locks or something?”
“Oh, yeah. Locks.” Jake picked up the sack and headed for the kitchen door. “Let me know when you’re ready to do your shopping. I’ll drive you.”
“Do you really think that’s necessary?”
Jake paused, one hand on the doorknob. “We don’t know a lot about what is going on here in Burning Cove, but we do know that someone was watching your cottage on the night that a famous psychic died. Until we get some answers, I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to be alone.”