Page 46 of The Other Lady Vanishes

“I learned something else about Zolanda today. While she was here in Burning Cove she was a regular at the Paradise Club. The night she died was the one night she did not go to the club.”

“Who told you that?”

“Luther Pell.”

Adelaide stilled. “Florence mentioned that you and Mr. Pell are acquainted.”

“Pell and I met each other a few years ago.”

“I see.”

“Luther also mentioned that Thelma Leggett usually drove Zolanda to the club and escorted her inside. After seeing her boss settled into a booth at the Paradise, Leggett was in the habit of going to the Carousel, a club on the other side of town. But on the night of Zolanda’s death, Leggett evidently took her boss straight back to the villa. Leggett showed up at the Carousel as usual. She left around three thirty in the morning. No one saw her after that.”

“What does that tell us?”

“It could indicate that Zolanda expected to meet someone after the show.”

“Maybe.” Adelaide waved the issue aside. “But it could just as easily mean that she was exhausted from the performance. Either way, it still leaves Leggett as the chief suspect.”

“After I talked to Luther it occurred to me that it might be interesting to go to the Paradise Club tonight.”

“Why?”

“Because Luther also told me that Zolanda was not the only regular who did not show up at the club on the night that Zolanda died. Dr. Calvin Paxton has made a practice of appearing at the Paradise on most nights. He usually comes in around midnight and sits at Miss Westlake’s table. They have a few drinks and a few dances together, and then they both leave in separate cars around three in the morning.”

“So?”

“On the night Zolanda died, Vera Westlake arrived at the Paradise Club around midnight, as usual, but Paxton never joined her.”

Adelaide gave that some thought. “Maybe Paxton decided to go somewhere else after Zolanda’s performance. The bar at the Burning Cove Hotel is also very popular with the Hollywood set.”

Jake shook his head. “Luther talked to his friend Oliver Ward, who owns the Burning Cove Hotel. Paxton is staying there but he called for his car around seven o’clock. He drove himself to the Palace Theater, where he met Vera Westlake. Following the performance, Paxton seems to have disappeared until he returned to the Burning Cove Hotel around four thirty that morning.”

“Maybe Paxton went to one of the other nightspots in town.”

“It’s possible, but Paxton likes to hang out with celebrities. He’s not the sort to spend a night at a joint like the Carousel. Look, under most circumstances I wouldn’t have given Paxton’s failure to show up at the Paradise or the bar at the Burning Cove on any given night a second thought. But Luther came up with one other interesting fact. A few days before her final performance, Zolanda and Paxton both left the Paradise Club together in Paxton’s car. Evidently, Paxton offered togive her a ride back to her villa. But the valet said that when they got into the vehicle, they were arguing.”

“What about?”

“The valet said that all he overheard was something about running out of time. He said he didn’t hear anything else, but it was clear they were not on friendly terms.”

“Hmm.” Adelaide leaned back against the counter and folded her arms. “Paxton might be able to account for his whereabouts on the night Zolanda died but we can’t ask him outright for the information. We’re not the police.”

“No, but it might be interesting to observe Paxton in his natural habitat, so to speak.”

Adelaide raised her brows. “Meaning?”

“If he stays true to form, he’ll be at the Paradise Club tonight.”

“Which is why you’ll be there, too.”

“Correction. You and I are both going to the Paradise tonight.”

Startled, Adelaide unfolded her arms and straightened away from the counter. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. It will look like we’re out on a date.”

Jake smiled. “That is more or less the whole point of the exercise.”

“But we’ve been telling everyone that you’re my new boarder.” Adelaide realized she was waving her arms. She forced herself to stop. “People will get the wrong impression.”