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Secrets Page 22
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The only troubling part of the instructions was that she was to sneak into Charles Faulkener’s bedroom and steal some letters from inside a clock. Cassie thought back to the last time she’d gone sneaking and she dreaded trying to get the letters.
Also in the box was a packet of glossy colored photos and instructions printed by the Charles Faulkener Foundation. Cassie read through them in disbelief. The man’s breezy style made the murder of a 1940s starlet sound like a nightclub act. He talked of past re-creations and spoke of the “fun” they’d had. One photo showed the victim’s character taking a bow while wearing her bloodstained dress.
There were pages of instructions, such as manners and slang, and what were the hottest crazes of the moment.
“Preparing for a world war,” Cassie said under her breath. “That’s what took up people’s minds in 1941.” She was disgusted by the tone of the pages.
She read every word sent to her, and tried to memorize her part.
She’d spent all day Thursday at a vintage dress shop in Fort Lauderdale. Althea had sent detailed instructions to the owner of the store, and she’d even had someone in Hollywood send some period clothes that would fit Cassie.
Whereas Cassie didn’t like the premise of re-creating a ghastly murder, she loved the clothes. Althea hadn’t just had any old, worn-out vintage items sent to her, but there were gowns by Adrian in Cassie’s matching period luggage. There was something about bias-cut silk sliding across a woman’s skin that could change her mind about almost anything.
In between reading about the murder, and reading Althea’s notes about secrets in the Faulkener mansion, she rented movies from 1941. She was astonished at how many fabulous movies had come out that year: Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde , The Lady Eve , the original Mr. & Mrs. Smith , and Here Comes Mr. Jordan . And of course Althea’s movie The Best of Tomorrow , which many people believed was her best.
Now Cassie had on a form-fitting, lightweight wool suit with a matching hat that tipped down over her left eye. Her shoes had thick soles and a strap around her ankle. Now that she was leaner and more fit, the clothes looked better on her than they would have before, and she loved wearing them. Tonight she was to dress in a clingy pink silk gown with earrings that looked like real diamonds.
“You must be Althea,” said a man from behind her.
Cassie turned to see a man who was probably over eighty years old, but the skin on his face was stretched so tight there wasn’t a wrinkle in it. His eyebrows were “enhanced” with too much dark powder, and they were so high on his face from the skin having been pulled upward so many times, that he had a constant look of being surprised. His nose was tiny, his lips were slightly pouty, and his teeth were so white the sun caught on them and flashed.
He had on a burgundy velvet jacket and a silk cravat. He was quite overweight, but she felt sure he had on a corset to hold in his big stomach. His skin was as white as porcelain.
It was all Cassie could do to keep from laughing, but she just smiled graciously and held out her hand to him. “That I am,” she said and did her best to hold herself upright in the way Althea did. Even when she was in bed with no makeup on, Althea’s posture was perfect. Of course it didn’t hurt that for the last six months Cassie had done several thousand lat pulldowns with ever-increasing weight. Her back was now so tight that her muscles hurt if she slumped.
“I’m Charles Faulkener,” he said, “and do call me Charles.”
Cassie laughed in a way she’d heard Althea laugh. It was sexy, provocative, and humble at the same time. “How modest you are,” she said. “As if the world hasn’t seen you in The Last Man. ”
“Well,” Charles said, lowering his eyes to the floor for a few seconds, “not many people your age have seen such an old, worthless movie.”
“Not many people my age have seen Citizen Kane , but that doesn’t stop it from being great, does it?” Cassie wanted to kick herself even as she said it, but Charles didn’t protest her comparing his worthless cowboy picture to one of the greats. What an ego! she thought. He was just as Althea had described him. She’d said that Cassie could tell Charles he was the best actor ever to have lived and the man would agree.
“You aren’t like Althea at all,” Charles said, taking her arm in his. “She had such a sharp tongue on her. Always ready to say the nastiest thing possible to everyone. I could never keep employees when Althea lived with me. You did know, didn’t you, that she and I were lovers?”
“Of course I did,” Cassie said, smiling as though to say she understood why. But inside she was thinking that she was going to ask Althea how she could abide this awful man. Cassie managed to keep her smile plastered on as they started up the wide marble stairs. Behind them two young men in uniform carried Cassie’s four matching suitcases.
“You’ll have to tell me everything,” Cassie said, leaning against the man in a familiar way.
“There’s so much to tell! Althea loves to tell people that I asked her to marry me and live in this…” He swept his arm out to indicate the magnificence of the house.
Cassie glanced about her. The house was like a time warp. Movies from the 1930s could be shot in the house and no set dressing would have to be done. There were several huge palms in big Chinese pots, and Art Deco ornaments graced the gilded tables. She wanted to ask him if he’d bought anything in the last fifty years. “I can see why anyone would want to be mistress of this house. It must be one of the last great centers of true taste and refinement.”
“Oh, my goodness, you are a dear, aren’t you?” He leaned toward her and lowered his voice. “Maybe you and I could have a drink together later. Just the two of us. You and me. Alone.”
Cassie swallowed. His fat white hands were moving up her arm, feeling her, moving closer to her breast. Again she had to work to keep from squirming.
“Ah! Hinton! Here you are,” Charles said. “I don’t think the two of you have met.”
“Yes, we have,” said a voice that made Cassie’s heart nearly stop.
She stopped trying to get away from Charles’s grasp and looked up into Jeff’s eyes. He had on a suit from the 1940s, the wide lapels and the wide tie suiting him well.
“You forget that Althea and I have been in three movies together,” Jeff said calmly.
“Oh, yes, of course you have. But then Althea does so much with so many men that it’s difficult for me to keep all of them straight. Did you and your wife find your room all right?”
“Yes, thank you. Ruth is quite happy with the room, but she asks if she might have a few more towels.”
“Of course,” Charles said, and his voice oozed sympathy. He knew that within twenty-four hours this man was going to be arrested for murder.
All Cassie could do was stare at Jeff, but he wouldn’t meet her eyes no matter how hard she glared at him. Whose trick was this? Cassie wondered. Was it Althea’s or Jeff’s? Which of them had set it up?
“There you are, darling,” came another voice that Cassie knew well. She looked up at Skylar, wearing a bright blue dress that clung to her tiny waist and skimmed over the rest of her body in a flattering way. She slipped her arm through Jeff’s possessively.
“So who’s this?” Skylar asked, holding on tightly to Jeff.
“What a funny creature you are,” Charles said. “As if you didn’t know this was Althea Fairmont.” Charles’s voice told that he wasn’t displeased by Skylar’s dismissal of Althea.
“Of course. She was in one of your movies, wasn’t she, darling?” she said to Jeff.
Jeff finally looked into Cassie’s eyes. “Yes. She was in my movies. She was in my life,” he said softly.
“Yes, I was,” Cassie said as breezily as she could manage. “I was in your life for a very long time. Oh, how you must have been amused by me! I hate to think of all the laughter I caused you.” She looked at Charles and squeezed his arm. “Show me to my room, darling. I’m dying to freshen up…for you,” she added.
Charles patted her hand a