Worth

Chapter 6 (Pt. 1)

"It's rather lifelike," Edie said. "Oh, you know what I mean."

"I was trying to find the washroom," Marcia recited, "and hee-eere he was."

It was obvious to Violet, by the way Marcia kept rubbing her thumb along the nail of her index finger, that the hole dug out of Leo's wax right knee was not meant to be a cause of death. Violet couldn't blame her. She had never been so tempted to touch something so badly.

Philroy pretended to examine the body with a detective's method, his character being that of a family friend and a private eye employed by the studio. He inspected the dead man's fingers and then his lips. He balanced his hand atop the weapon handle poking out of the chest and announced, "This man's been poisoned."

"Not stabbed?" Thomas wondered.

"Stabbed too. And suffocated. See here the bluish tint to his nails and the faint impression under his nose. Telltale signs of toxins and asphyxiation."

"Good riddance!" Elizabeth, who was supposed to be playing a lush, hiccupped.

"Complete, thorough, undeniable riddance," said Philroy, "and nobody will leave this party until we've found out who caused it."

"I don't think I'm comfortable being stuck in a house with a killer," John said. "I think we should get out of here."

"Nobody moves," Philroy said sternly.

"Then I'm calling the cops, that is, the coppers."

"I have already called for back-up," said Philroy tersely.

"What's olden days for 911?" asked Paul.

"When did you have time to call the police?" asked Rolph.

"Before."

"Well, I vote Philroy's the killer," said John. "Unless you want us to believe you're a psychic detective."

"One of the servants called them then. Geez, John, work with me here."

"As in, be an accessory?"

"Oh, look," Elsa yawned, "a cufflink." She plucked it from a tray with slender fingers and held it for all to see.

"A clue, Elsa!" Philroy said, returning to form. "And with luck we'll find many. For the murderer is still in this room and I'm sure we can all agree that not one of us is without motive.

"Take for example you, Ms. Edie. As Leo's wife you stood to gain the most by way of the will and insurance. And you were jealous! Jealous of his taking for a mistress our very own Violet. That's motive. However, Violet is not as delicate as she seems. She stands to inherit from the will as well, so she too has motive.

"We cannot overlook the fact that Marcia found the body, which is only less incriminating than the fact that her recent affair with a married tennis instructor violated the moral clause standard for all actresses in her studio contract. Leo killed that relationship. Did she return the favour?

"Paul and Elsa, both stars at the studio, both pigeonholed by typecasting into playing what they consider to be inferior roles, how far would they go to get the roles they really wanted? Vera knows. The reigning Hollywood gossip columnist lives high on the dirt she has on everyone. You often resorted to blackmailing Leo until he found out the secret you would kill to conceal: that your famous director husband, Rolph, is having an affair with a younger man."

"I'm also a socialist," Rolph said.

"Let us not forget Elizabeth," Philroy said, turning to her. "People always discount the drunk. But not Leo. You were becoming an embarrassment to the studio. Leo was about to fire you and you knew it. James knew it too. He was, after all, his protégé, a status which would grant him power at the studio once Leo handed over the reins. Perhaps, James, you couldn't wait.