Page 15 of The Girl Who Knew Too Much

“Lots of things. Irene Glasson is shaping up to be a regular mystery woman. I heard her give Brandon her address in L.A. and the name of her landlady.”

“And?”

“I called the landlady this morning. Said I was a relative who was hoping to speak to my long-lost cousin. The landlady didn’t seem to know much about Irene Glasson, just that she had appeared on the doorstep a few months ago, looking to rent an apartment. She had enough money for the first month’s rent so the landlady didn’t ask a lot of questions.”

“Did you call theWhispersoffice?”

“Sure. Got right through to the editor, Velma Lancaster, who confirmed that Miss Glasson works for her, but that was about all she said. She sounded worried. When I told her who I was, she got even more nervous.”

“That’s no surprise. So, what it boils down to is that you really didn’t learn much about Miss Glasson.”

“Irene Glasson does not appear to have a past. All the evidence indicates that her life began four months ago when she showed up in L.A.”

“She wouldn’t be the first person to arrive in California looking for a fresh start. Take yourself, for example, and me, and most of the people who worked in the Amazing Oliver Ward Show.”

“Yeah. For example. But we all have pasts. Irene Glasson doesn’t.”

Chester’s expression tightened with concern. “You think she’s going to be trouble, don’t you?”

“She already is trouble. The question is, what do I do about her?Damned if I’ll let her destroy this hotel. Every nickel I’ve got is tied up in this place.”

“You’ve got a plan?”

“The plan is to figure out what happened to Gloria Maitland.”

Chester eyed him with a shrewd look. “What else do you have in mind?”

“I’d really like to know what Irene Glasson has inside her handbag.”

Chapter 7

“The Maitland bitch wasn’t supposed to become a problem.” Nick Tremayne tossed the copy ofWhispersdown on the table. “What the hell went wrong?”

“I don’t know.” Claudia Picton clutched her notebook to her bosom and tried to contain her anxiety. Her job depended on keeping the star calm. “Mr. Ogden assured me that everything was under control.”

Nick stabbed an accusing finger at her.

“Well, that’s not the case, is it?” he said. “The piece inWhisperssays that Maitland and I were rumored to have had an affair and that I’d recently ended the romance. Everyone who reads that story will assume that Maitland followed me here to Burning Cove. That she threatened to make trouble for me. And it’s all true, damn it. Talk about a motive for murder.”

“I’m sure everything will be all right,” Claudia said. She was practically pleading now. “The police are calling Miss Maitland’s death a tragic accident. No one has labeled it murder.”

“No one except a third-rate gossip rag. That’s all it takes.”

“I telephoned Mr. Ogden again a few minutes ago,” Claudia said, striving for a soothing tone. “He said there’s nothing to be concerned about. He said you are to go on with your vacation here in Burning Cove as though nothing happened. He says if you check out before you were scheduled to leave, it will only stir up more speculation.”

Nick gave her a savage glare and then stalked across the villa’s main room, stopping at the glass doors that opened onto a private patio.

The outdoor sitting area was enclosed with a walled garden. A sweeping view of the cove and the Pacific Ocean beyond was visible through the decorative wrought iron. The glare of the light dancing and flashing on the surface of the water was so bright it hurt Claudia’s eyes.

The knowledge that Nick was seething was more than enough to tighten her already strained nerves to the breaking point. She had a job that almost any other woman in America would gladly have sold her soul to obtain—she was Nick Tremayne’s personal assistant. If only those other women knew the truth. Her dream job had become a nightmare.

He had been a supporting player in his first film,Sea of Shadows, but he managed to steal every scene in which he appeared. He’d been cast as the lead in his second film,Fortune’s Rogue.The movie catapulted him to instant stardom. The gossip magazines couldn’t get enough of him. Female fans adored him. There were rumors that Stanley Bancroft, the star who had been expected to get top billing in the film, was drinking heavily and turning to cocaine to alleviate his depression.

“Ogden was supposed to deal with Maitland before she made real trouble,” Nick said.

He gazed grimly at the view through the open doors. Claudia watched him carefully, trying to gauge his mood. Stars were notoriously temperamental and Nick Tremayne was no exception. The disconcerting thing was that he could switch from laughter to rage in the blink of an eye. It was part of his talent but it was also unnerving.

“Mr. Ogden said that he gave Miss Maitland the money she demanded,” Claudia said. “He was certain that she would disappear.”