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Episode Five concluded with:
He motioned for Rance
to follow him down a long hallway, towards the sounds of a piano and a female
voice singing the scales. The detective reckoned Floyd wouldn’t mind a
question. “Has there been any trouble?”
“Nothin’ serious. Reporters try ta barge in and some guys look at a picture of
the Songbird of the West and get kinda nutty; nothin’ too bad. They don’t mean
no harm. But Mr. McLeod wants Miss Whiting ta be safe, so I’m here as a butler
and bodyguard. I ain’t so good at the butler part yet, but Mr. McLeod don’t
mind as long as I’m a gentleman. By gentleman, he don’t mean knowin’ which fork
goes where, he means--”
“I know what he means, Floyd.”
Episode Six
They
reached the end of the hallway and entered a large elegantly furnished room.
The room was tidy except for the far left side, which contained a piano. Sheet
music lay scattered over the top of the piano and a table that sided it. Carrie
sat at the key board playing and singing the scales. She stopped and smiled at
the two men who had entered.
“Miss Whiting, Mr. Dehner is here.”
Carrie stood up and began to walk
toward her guest and her butler. “Thank you, Floyd.”
Floyd started to leave, then turned
around. “Ah, Miss Whiting, would ya like me to get Lilly ta make--”
“Lilly has already made the coffee,”
she gestured to a small, ornate table on the neat side of the room. “We’ll be
fine, thank you.”
Floyd nodded his head and hurried
off. Carrie watched him with an affectionate smile. “When I first moved into
this house, I didn’t know how I could live with two people always around. Now,
I can’t imagine getting by without Lilly and Floyd. You know, they’ve been happily
married for eleven years.”
That
last statement sounded wistful, and for a moment Carrie’s eyes glanced out the
back window and a view of lush trees. She quickly returned her glance to
Dehner. “Lilly and Floyd are going to
New York with me.”
“I didn’t know you were going to New
York.”
“Yes, the show I am rehearsing right
now opens in New York next week. We’ll be leaving in two days. But you and I
have more important things to discuss.” The singer again gestured toward the
ornate table. “We can talk over here.”
At the table, Carrie lifted a carafe
made of fine china, placed a finger on the lid to hold it in place, and poured
coffee into two cups. She handed one to Dehner. “Care for some sugar, or
cream?”
“No thanks.”
“I’m with you. I like the taste of
coffee.”
They settled into two comfortable
chairs on different sides of the table. Carrie got to the point. “George McLeod
was here earlier with my lawyer, Brad Simons. They’ve learned a lot. The
company that distributes Godey’s Lady’s
Book in Dallas was following a common procedure when they placed those
flyers in the magazine.”
Dehner nodded his head. “The
distributors sell local advertising for national publications this way. They
can even place flyers only in magazines that are being delivered to certain
neighborhoods. My guess: the flyers you’re worried about went to the poorer
neighborhoods.”
“Yes.”
“What does your lawyer say about
bringing action against the Philip Richardson Talent Agency? After all, they
lied in the advertisement when they claimed to have represented you.”
Carrie sipped her coffee and gave
her shoulders a quick shrug. “Mr. Simons claims there is not much we can do. He
exchanged telegrams with Philip Richardson. Mr. Richardson is sending him a letter
apologizing for what he calls a mistake and promising not to use my name again.
Brad Simons believes most judges would be satisfied with that.” The young
woman’s voice turned angry, “I wish most judges would talk to Anna Martino.”
“Were you able to get that picture
for me?” Dehner asked.
“Yes.” She picked up a large
envelope on the table, carefully extracted a photograph, and handed it to
Rance. “This was taken two years ago when the Martinos opened their store.
Maria is the only girl in her family. She was thirteen at the time.”
Dehner studied the photo carefully.
Five well dressed people were standing outside a building with a large sign
proudly proclaiming, Martino’s Groceries. Two were boys, both under ten, both
looking restless as they stood militarily-erect beside their father. Mr.
Martino had a thick mustache and a glum expression, and held a derby in his
right hand. Anna Martino stood beside
him, the smile on her face more nervous than happy.
Only Maria Martino, standing on the
other side of her mother, seemed to be enjoying the experience. Her entire face
looked radiant. The girl appeared out of place, not only with the rest of her
family but with the entire drab neighborhood. Rance thought about Maria’s days.
She went to school, where according to her mother she did well, and then the
girl returned home to help out in the store. There was homework before going to
bed.
And through it all, Maria Martino
had dreamed the dreams of the young. Some despicable snakes had taken advantage
of those dreams. They now had Maria.
Monday: Episode Seven of Save the Girl!
