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“They could, but there could also be a pattern of attempts made to look like accidents.”

“I know.”

This territory was always thin ice, and Ellery proceeded with caution. “Is there anyone else who might have a grudge against Lara? How does she get along with the rest of the band?”

“They’re not really a band. They’re just back up players. Hired guns. With the exception of Gig, the drummer. Gig’s been with Lara since White Wine Records.” Jocasta gave a little laugh at Ellery’s expression. “In fairness, Lara’s band never was a band so much as regular backup players. No one ever got a vote on anything. Larawasthe band.”

“I see.”

“But she’s really good to her players. She insists that we pay them well—more than we can afford, honestly. They’re in the same hotel as us. You don’t have to worry about the band.”

“Check. Next question. Why did Lara cut Neilson out of her will when she went to prison?”

Jocasta’s eyes widened. “She told you that?”

Ellery nodded.

Jocasta bit her lip, stared out the window. Clearly this presented a dilemma for her, and Ellery thought he knew why. Jocasta was a loyal sister, but she seemed pretty darned fond of her brother-in-law.

She said finally, “Lara felt like Neil didn’t fight hard enough to keep her from going to jail.”

“Oh.” Not what Ellery expected.

“Also, he was having an affair.”

“Oh.”Thatwas what Ellery expected.

“The affairs didn’t mean anything,” Jocasta said quickly.

“Affairs. Like plural?”

Jocasta nodded. “Neil was a player before they got married. I mean aplayaplayer, not a musician. Anyway, it took him a while to settle down. Lara knew and she didn’t care. She was crazy about him. And she knew he was crazy about her. But then, when she realized she was really going to go to prison, she got paranoid. She changed her will. But she changed it back when she got out.”

Had she? A lot had happened since his breakfast meeting with Lara, but Ellery’s impression was Lara hadnotchanged her will back. He distinctly remembered her saying everything went to Jocasta.

Then again, Lara had also said that both Neilson and Jocasta knew the terms of her will, and it was clear Jocasta did not.

“She’s different now,” Jocasta was saying. “If you’d known her before… She was a different person. I mean, she was always driven. She was neverpatient, but she didn’t used to be unkind. Not deliberately.”

Ellery considered that. “You think she’s deliberately unkind now?”

Jocasta too seemed to consider. “Maybe not deliberately. That might not be fair. But now she doesn’t care if she’s unkind. If she hurts your feelings, she thinks it your problem. She’s a lot harder. A lot more cynical. The only thing she cares about now is the music.”

“It would change you, I guess. Going to prison.”

“She says it gave her a lot to write about.” Jocasta smiled faintly. “But it did change her. She has trouble sleeping. She doesn’t like to leave her room. She can’t stand crowds. Those are all problems for a musician. Yeah, it changed her. In little ways and in big ways. I miss the old Lara.”

Ellery checked his phone. He didn’t want to keep Dylan waiting.

“Do you have any idea who on this island could be sending those threats to Lara?”

Jocasta nibbled her bottom lip in what Ellery was recognizing as one of her giveaways. “Not really. Did Lara have any ideas?”

“She did, yeah. She mentioned being in a band with a couple of people back when your family used to summer here. That there might be some hard feelings there?”

“Jamie and Arti? Wow. She really did tell you everything.”

Ellery laughed. “I seriously doubt that.”