Read Online Untimely Death by Elizabeth J. Duncan - Free Book Online Page A

this. I don’t know what to say, but it must have been awful for your family. So she was your cousin, but she wasn’t Harvey’s daughter, so how . . .”
    “There are two sisters and a brother. Uncle Harvey, my mother, and my Aunt Esther. My cousin was Aunt Esther’s daughter. Her only child, in fact.”
    “And how long ago did this happen?”
    “Nine years ago. She was only fourteen.”
    “I see. And Harvey, did he know that about this Lauren? Sorry, I think of her as that. Leah.”
    “No. He didn’t make the connection, but there’s no reason, really, why he should have. My uncle doesn’t hire the actors. He leaves casting decisions and things like that to the director. I doubt if he could even tell you any of the actors’ names. I tried talking to him about her last night, but I didn’t pick the right time. I could try talking to him again.
    “But the worst thing is that Leah was never punished for what she did. She just got on with her life. She gets to have a career and probably doesn’t even know what happened to my cousin, and if she did, she wouldn’t care.”
    Neither said anything for a moment, and then Aaron resumed speaking.
    “I hate her. I hate everything about her. I’ll try to be professional around her, of course, but I wanted to ask if you would look after her fittings. I don’t want to touch her.” He looked with distaste at the dress she had tried on. “It’s hard enough just touching something she’s worn. You talk about hand washing. Makes me want to do just that.”
    “Does she know who you are, Aaron? Your family, I mean?”
    “I doubt it. My aunt has a married name. My cousin’s last name wasn’t Jacobs.”
    “Oh, that’s such a sad story. I’m so sorry about your cousin,” said Charlotte. “I understand how you feel about the dress, so just leave it there and I’ll deal with it. And I’ll look after her, too, if she comes back. But I’d better let the police know her bag’s been found.”
    She slipped the wallet back in the handbag and phoned Ray while Aaron opened the box that contained the costume details. He pulled out a card and studied it as Charlotte told Ray she’d checked the wallet and discovered Lauren’s real name. Keeping her tone neutral, she shifted slightly in her chair as she felt Aaron’s eyes upon her. As she listened to Ray, she met Aaron’s intense gaze full on. He had stopped the pretense of looking at a card and was looking at her with an odd look on his face that she read as a mixture of fear and embarrassment.
    “Oh, that’s interesting,” Charlotte said, still looking at Aaron. “Right. I’ll let them know. See you later.”
    She ended the call and then turned to Aaron. “It seems Lauren is attracting a bit of media attention. Someone called the local newspaper to tell them she’s in hospital. So you’d better find Simon and let him know and also tell your uncle. If the papers pick up the story, they’ll probably want to interview one or both of them, so they should start thinking about what they want to say if a reporter calls.”
    Well, well , thought Charlotte, after Aaron had left on his mission. Who could have alerted the media? Lauren’s agent, if she’d had one? Lauren was ambitious, and it made sense that she would seek publicity, and the more the better, to fulfill her ambition and advance her career. Could Lauren have taken an overdose of something just to attract media attention?
    Or perhaps Harvey Jacobs had told the press. The hotel could benefit nicely from the publicity and the increased bookings it would likely generate.
    Who else? Brian Prentice? She wouldn’t put anything past him. His sagging career might get a temporary boost from being a bottom-line mention in a newspaper story, but it seemed his career was long past its “best before” date. Unless he quit drinking, she didn’t see a second-act rebound in his future.
    And what if the attention on Lauren brought their affair to light? That could