“I’m sure Alex explained the dirty details.” Henderson rolled her eyes. “It was all quite ugly, but I bowed out early. Seth’s disgrace was biblical. The people in the music industry work hard for what they attain. Anyone who threatens or undermines that hard work suffers the consequences.”
Donna reappeared with a tray and glasses of water embellished with lemon wedges.
“Mr. Henderson was aware of the woman’s intent when he introduced her to Legard?” Finley sipped her water.
Gloria shrugged. “Who knows? Doesn’t matter. What happened was his fault. Period.”
“Do you believe he had anything to do with what happened to Legard?”
“Knowing what a coward my husband was, I doubt it.”
“What about you? Your husband isn’t the only one who suffered.”
Gloria laughed. “I would have done something far more creative.” Her eyebrows arched with knowing. “Prescott is the one you should be talking to.”
“Really?” Finley studied the woman’s contented expression. “She seems to have gotten her happily ever after in spite of the kerfuffle.”
“In time, yes,” Gloria agreed, “but she was dragged through the mud first. No one would hire her.” She smiled. “Her life was a living hell for quite some time. Maybe you hadn’t noticed, but the twit had the same dark hair and eyes as those daughters—the twins. Could have been her who hired Charlie Holmes. She may have passed herself off as one of his daughters.”
The images Finley had pulled up on the net showed a blonde Cherry Prescott. But hair color could be changed, especially when a person wanted to hide. Finley knew this firsthand. Olivia Legard had done the same thing. Definitely a lead worth following up.
“But you didn’t know him—Holmes, I mean—or have any dealings with him at any time,” Finley clarified.
“Absolutely not.” Gloria’s face contorted in distaste.
“You never met him?” Finley pressed. “Never heard of him?”
“No.”
“You called him Charlie,” Finley pointed out. “A moment ago, you said Charlie. Why would you call someone you don’t know by a nickname?”
Gloria’s smug expression vanished. Face blanked. She blinked. “Did I?” Another shrug, this one a little jerky. “I must have heard him called that on the news. I don’t know him, and I’ve certainly never met him.”
Finley placed her glass on the tray Donna had left on the table in front of the sofa. She slipped a card from her bag and left it next to the tray. “I hope you’ll call me if you remember anything else that might be useful in finding all the facts surrounding Mr. Legard’s murder.”
“I will,” Gloria confirmed as she rose to her feet. “Here, let me send one of my favorite books with you.”
Finley started to tell her she didn’t have a lot of time to read, but the woman thrust a book in her hand too quickly for her to beg off.
“I’ve already autographed it. Enjoy.”
Finley looked from the book to the woman. “This is your book? As in . . . you wrote it?”
Gloria waved a hand at the bookcases. “I wrote all these books. Using a pen name, of course. Seth’s money was good for a while, but I had my own money. Still do.” She looked directly at Finley then. “If you’re thinking I wanted some sort of revenge against Legard for ruining Seth in the industry, think again. I didn’t need his money, and as far as I’m concerned, Legard did me a favor. In truth, Cherry did as well.”
Finley surveyed the quiet neighborhood as she walked back to her car. Other than calling Holmes by his nickname, which may very well have been because she’d heard it on the news, Gloria Henderson presented herself as frank and forthcoming. Finley’s instincts told her that she was telling the truth.
She glanced one last time at Gloria Henderson’s home. It was strange, really, when one thought about it. Life happened like a stage play, all the characters fulfilling their roles—surviving tragedy and reveling in success. Trudging through the paces required of the roles. Was the success sweeter if preceded by tragedy? Certainly seemed that way for Gloria Henderson.
Finley climbed into her car and tossed the novel to the passenger seat. Deadly Passions.
Her gaze narrowed, and she picked up the book once more and opened the cover. A quick flip to the dedication page and she confirmed her conclusion.
A special thanks to Cherry for providing the inspiration to launch my writing career over the top. I’ve never been happier.