Choreographed Crime (Miss Demeanor 3) by Jackie Marilla Read Free Book Online Page A

hand.
    “Where did you get that?” Clarissa seemed confused.
    Maile responded, “From a friend.”
    “It looks like Floriano’s.” She squeezed her eyes shut. “Did he give it to you?”
    “No.”
    “He took it from me when he was angry about Kalama. He said he’d find another lover to give it to.”
    “Will you help me to find that person, Clarissa? I think there’s a good chance that whoever he gave the keycard to is the one who killed him.”
    Clarissa nodded. “What can I do?”
    “Hold on just a minute. I’d like to make a call and then we’ll try my plan.”
    Maile phoned River and asked for her new friend Police Detective Gage Hamlin’s phone number. River texted his cell number.
    It didn’t take long for Maile to convince Detective Hamlin of the need for a search warrant for the Seattle Ballet building.
    Maile walked Clarissa to a corner of the lobby and told her what she had in mind.
    A few minutes later, Edward came to the doorway and called Clarissa back into the practice room. She did what Maile instructed her to do—she walked all the way across the room before she held up the keycard where both Charles and Edward could see it and Maile could see the men’s faces. Charles showed no response, whereas Edward glared at Clarissa and swiped at her hand to get the card.
    “Where did you get that?” he demanded.
    “From me.” Maile had entered the room apparently without him noticing. “It was on the floor of the men’s locker room, in front of your locker.”
    He shook his head with such force Maile thought he might break his neck. He lunged at Maile. “Give it to me.”
    She dodged him and shouted, “It’s all over, Edward! The police will be here soon with a search warrant.”
    Edward straightened his shoulders and positioned his feet, heels together and toes pointed outward. “I did it for you, Clarissa. He stole your spotlight. I figured I brought him into our midst, so I should be the one to take him out. He deserved what he got.” He snickered. “You should have seen him beg at the end, Clarissa. It was really quite amusing.”
    Clarissa spat in his face and left the room. Charles followed her.
    Edward stood glued to the floor. His glare seared through Maile—a look of pure hatred. She left Edward alone in the room.
    Detective Hamlin arrived about fifteen minutes later. Maile filled him in on the events that led to Edward’s confession. She pointed to practice room three. “He’s in there.”
    Maile watched as the detective read Edward his rights and bound his wrists together.
    Edward left the building with his chin held high.
    Maile stayed in the building to assist Detective Hamlin’s partner if he needed her help with the search. In the meantime, she and Clarissa comforted Patricia who repeated through heaving sobs, “How could he do it? He was such a good man.”
    When Detective Hamlin’s partner arrived with the search warrant, Maile accompanied him to the locker room where he opened every locker and came up empty. The gold mine of evidence was in the Ballet Master’s office. In Edward’s top desk drawer they discovered a notebook tightly wrapped in black fabric. The first entry dated over two years ago when Edward first saw Floriano on stage in Portland. The last entry, made just last night, detailed why Maile needed to die. She excused herself and ran from the room, her arms wrapped around her stomach.
    Clarissa leaned against the wall in the hallway. “I loved them all.”
    “I suppose you did,” Maile said, as bile collected in the back of her throat. She brushed past Clarissa and went into the ladies locker room to vomit.
    “Maile?” Clarissa touched her shoulder. “You should feel proud of yourself. Floriano deserved justice.”
    Maile raised her head from the ceramic toilet bowl. “Thank you, Clarissa.”
    She remembered how fragile Clarissa was. “I’m sure this has been a shock for you. Is there a friend I can call to stay with you