A Talent for Murder

  As Nancy hung up, Ned, Evan, and Jane were staring at her expectantly. “He says Tina is there, acting crazy. He’s scared,” she explained. “Were you aware of any relationship between Sean and Tina?”

  Jane and Evan looked at each other. Evan shook his head. “They knew each other to say hello to,” Jane said. “That’s all I noticed.”

  Nancy held up the address she’d written down. “He wants me to come to his studio as quickly as possible. Evan, can Ned and I use your car?”

  “Sure,” Evan said, handing her the keys. “Is there anything we can do here?”

  “If the lieutenant calls, tell him that I suspect that Tina Grayce might be Ursula’s killer. Tell him I think she’s a threat to her own or someone else’s life, and that we’re on our way to find her at Sean McKearn’s studio.” She gave him Sean’s address.

  “Good luck,” Jane called as Ned and Nancy left the office.

  At the car, Nancy gave Ned the keys. “You drive,” she said. “I’ll navigate.”

  “Gotcha,” Ned said, starting up the engine.

  On the way to Sean’s, Nancy sat tensely, drumming her fingers on the dashboard as Ned battled city traffic. At last, they arrived at the grimy block of lofts where Sean lived.

  As they parked Ned asked, “Are Sean and Tina old friends? Why would she go to him?”

  “That’s something we need to find out,” Nancy said as she rang the bell.

  Sean opened the door. “What took you so long?” he asked. “She’s gone.”

  “We came as fast as we could,” Nancy said. “Can we come in?”

  Sean’s place was a spacious, high-ceilinged room, with living quarters in one corner. The rest was full of machinery, tools, and objects that Nancy decided must be pieces of sculpture—hunks of stone in odd shapes and carved wooden structures.

  Thinking back to Tina’s remarks about Sean’s temper and personality, Nancy figured the two might have been close. She decided that a bluff was in order.

  Facing Sean, she asked, “How long did you and Tina go together?”

  Sean’s startled reaction indicated that her bluff had worked. “How did you know we— I don’t want to talk about that stuff. It’s my business.”

  Ned stepped forward with a glint in his eyes that made Sean back away. “You’re going to talk,” he said, “either to us now or to the police.”

  Nancy spoke quickly. “When Tina said she had blood on her hands, she meant it. Let’s hear about you and Tina before anyone else gets hurt.”

  Sean wilted. “We went together six months, until I met Ursula. Tina was okay, she even helped out here. She’s good with her hands.”

  “Nobody at JZA knew about you two,” Ned said.

  “At the time, Tina wasn’t trying to make it in modeling,” Sean explained. “That came later.”

  Things were beginning to make sense to Nancy. “So you met Ursula and dropped Tina,” she prodded.

  Embarrassed, Sean said, “Ursula was gorgeous and smart. And she was making tons of money.”

  Nancy found herself disliking Sean more and more. “When did you break up with Tina?”

  “About five months ago,” he answered.

  Nancy nodded. “Was it after you broke up that Tina decided she wanted to be an actress and model and went to JZA?”

  “I guess so,” Sean replied. “I went to the agency one day to pick up Ursula, and there was Tina. I was afraid she might start yelling, but she just said hello and that was all there was to it. No hard feelings. Last week, she even called up and suggested that we could still be friends.”

  Ned turned to Nancy. “Tina must’ve told him about you being a detective and where we were staying,” he said. “Tina was in a position to pick all that up at JZA. Right, Sean?”

  “Well . . . yeah,” Sean muttered.

  “Was she the one who gave you the idea that I was trying to frame you?” Nancy demanded.

  Sean finally met Nancy’s eyes for a moment before looking away again. “She said to watch out for you, and I knew somebody was framing me.”

  Nancy shook her head in exasperation. “Come on, Sean, use your head!”

  “What do you mean?” he asked innocently.

  “Tina’s not your friend,” Nancy insisted. “You dumped her. She was obsessed with losing you to Ursula. Why did she suddenly decide on a career in acting and modeling? I doubt that she cared about gaining fame and fortune. It was more like her boyfriend was stolen by a glamorous actress so she’d get back at you by becoming one, too. Or she’d get revenge on Ursula by beating her in her own field.”

  Nancy frowned, then continued. “But Jane couldn’t give her what she needed, so she turned to Top Flight Artists, hoping to make it there. Ursula wanted to make friends with Tina, and Tina became her confidante. I think Ursula did decide to move to Top Flight and told Tina about her plans. To Tina, it was like saying, Now I’ll be number one at Top Flight and you’ll be out of luck again. That was the last straw.”

  Sean stared, stunned. “You mean Tina—”

  “Yes,” Nancy said grimly. “I think she worked herself up to a homicidal pitch and saw a chance to get back at Ursula and you with one move. She would kill the woman who had stolen you from her and make sure you were blamed for her murder.”

  Nancy walked over and pointed to a wall rack of tools. “Tina took the mallet, used it on Ursula, and left it where the police would be sure to find it, knowing they’d trace it to you, Sean.”

  Sean stared at Nancy as he fit the pieces of the mystery together. “What’s she going to do now?” he asked.

  Nancy’s nerves were on edge as she turned to face Ned and Sean. “There’s one other person who has treated her badly enough to be on her list of projected victims, if I’m right about what’s been happening.

  “That person is Marty Prince.”

  Chapter

  Sixteen

  WAIT A SECOND,” Ned interrupted. “I thought Tina was hoping Marty could make her a success.”

  “Right,” Nancy said. “Something must have changed. If Tina killed Ursula, she’s also the one who left Marty’s card in Ursula’s purse. If she sabotaged the balloon, then she left that note there using Marty’s personal stationery. Marty is her enemy now, and she’s gone out to—how did she put it?—‘set things right.’ ”

  Confused, Ned shook his head, saying, “You have her trying to frame Sean and Marty for the same murder! That’s not logical.’

  Nancy nodded sadly. “I think Tina has gone way past logic. She’s never had control of her emotions. Jane said that in auditions, she comes across as desperate. When we first met her, her nerves were stretched to the breaking point.

  “Marty said that she had a habit of making ugly scenes there, and yesterday was the worst ever. Remember we met her running out of his office? She said he threatened her for talking to the police. But Marty said she begged him to sign her, and then threatened him. I think Marty’s version was closer to the truth.”

  Nancy looked coldly at Sean. “Look at the ways she’s been hurt. She lost Sean. She couldn’t measure up against Ursula at JZA, or at Top Flight. Finally, something snapped. Tina couldn’t handle it anymore,” she finished, then asked Sean, “Where’s your phone? I want to try the lieutenant again.”

  “On that desk,” he said, pointing it out.

  As Nancy went over to the phone, Sean checked out the tool rack. Then he opened a drawer and froze.

  “Hey,” he muttered, “she’s been messing with my stuff. What— It’s gone! She must’ve taken it!” His knees gave way and he collapsed into a chair, his face pasty white.

  “What’s gone?” Ned asked. “What’s happened?”

  “My gun,” Sean whispered. “I keep it in here and it’s gone. It’s got to be Tina—”

  “You have a gun?” Nancy’s heart was racing.

  “It’s a dangerous neighborhood,” Sean protested. “I have to protect myself, don’t I?”

  “Do you have a permit?” Nancy ask
ed. Sean scowled and said nothing.

  “That figures,” Nancy said, reaching for the phone. But there was no dial tone. The phone was dead.

  She pulled on the cord to the jack. It had been torn loose and the plug was gone.

  “Tina didn’t want you calling anyone for a while,” she said, looking at Sean. “Let’s get moving!” When Sean didn’t move, Nancy said, “You, too.”

  “Me?” Sean asked. “You want me to go looking for Tina, when she’s running wild with a gun? Uh-uh, no way!”

  “You think you’re in trouble now?” Nancy said. “When Tina shoots someone with your unregistered weapon, you’ll see what real trouble can be. This is your chance to undo the damage you’ve helped to cause. Let’s go!”

  Sean pouted but allowed himself to be propelled by Ned out the door and to Evan’s car. He slouched in the back seat while Ned and Nancy got into the front.

  “Where to—Top Flight?” Ned asked.

  “As fast as you can make it,” Nancy said. “If a police car wants to pull us over for speeding, we can bring them along for reinforcement.” She turned to Sean, who was sitting sullenly behind her. “Better fasten that seat belt. It may be a wild ride.”

  Evan’s car had a powerful engine and was designed to handle well. Ned stomped on the gas pedal, and they roared off, making a tight right turn and zooming up a hill.

  At the top of the hill a car swung out of a parking place without signaling. Ned swerved to the left, missing the other car’s fender by inches.

  “Some drivers are a real menace,” Ned said.

  The rest of the ride was tense and silent until Ned said, “Here we are,” as he nosed the car into a parking place.

  “Let’s hope we beat Tina,” Nancy said, as they ran inside, “or that Marty is out somewhere.”

  The blond receptionist looked up, startled, as the threesome burst into the Top Flight office.

  “Is Marty in?” Nancy asked.

  “Yes, but he’s— Hey, wait!” the woman protested.

  Ned, Sean, and Nancy charged into Marty’s office. The agent was talking on the phone.

  “What is this?” he demanded, looking annoyed. “Something’s come up, I’ll call you back,” he said into the phone, then hung up.

  Marty scowled at Nancy. “What do you think you’re doing, busting in like this?” he demanded. “Who’s this guy?”

  The harried receptionist appeared behind the three intruders. “I’m sorry, Mr. Prince,” she said. “They ran right by before I knew what was happening.”

  “We have to talk, Marty,” Ned said. “Right now. It’s about Tina.”

  The agent smiled at the receptionist. “It’s all right, Claire. I’ll handle this.”

  “Can I go to lunch?” Claire asked.

  “Sure,” Marty said, waving her off. Then he spread out his hands in a puzzled gesture. “What about Tina?” he said. “Has she been telling wild stories? You shouldn’t believe what she says about me. She’s a sick girl.”

  “You’re right about that,” Nancy snapped. “Tina is disturbed. This is Sean McKearn, who used to be her boyfriend.”

  “What does this have to do with me?” Marty tried to look like a picture of injured innocence. “As I said before, Tina bugged me to take her as a client, and I turned her down. She pleaded and even threatened, and all I ever told her was no. What’s so terrible about that?” he asked.

  “We know you had a pipeline into JZA,” Nancy said, sitting down. Ned and Sean sat on the couch beside her chair. “You always knew what was going on at JZA as soon as it happened. When Ned signed his contract and got the King Kola commercial, you knew immediately. Tina is the only one who could have told you, other than Jane herself and Evan Chandler. You promised Tina work if she kept you informed, and then you cut her loose.”

  “Prove it,” Marty said with a smug grin.

  “That’s not why we’re here,” Ned said. “Believe it or not, we’ve come to help you.”

  Marty snorted. “Help me? By making wild accusations? Help like that I can do without.”

  “We thought you’d want to know that Tina has a gun,” Nancy said. “Of course, if she has no reason to want you hurt, then never mind.”

  Marty’s tan face suddenly paled, and he swallowed hard. “Gun?” he said. “Is this some kind of gag? Because it isn’t funny.”

  “No gag, Marty,” Nancy said. “Tina wants revenge. Did you know she was doing other things in an effort to put you in her debt? Like sending actors unsigned notes, threatening them if they didn’t sign at Top Flight?”

  “What?” Marty gasped.

  “And someone was making late-night phone calls, harassing people,” Ned said. “Was that Tina, or you? And did you know about the Top Flight business card that was found in Ursula Biemann’s purse, right beside her body?”

  Marty could only gape, speechless.

  Ned leaned forward. “Remember the hot-air balloon sequence I was shooting yesterday? Someone tampered with the balloon and I almost got killed, along with two other people. We found a note saying that the company should’ve used Top Flight talent. It was on your personal stationery.”

  Marty looked from Nancy to Ned and back, chewing nervously on his lower lip. “I didn’t know. I had nothing to do with that stuff. It’s Tina. She’s gone bananas,” he said, his voice hoarse. “Totally flipped out, I’m telling you.”

  “I’m not crazy, Marty,” a voice said from behind Nancy’s chair.

  Nancy swung around and found Tina standing in the doorway, glaring at the agent. In her right hand she held a pistol, its barrel pointed steadily at Marty’s chest. Her blue eyes glittered unnaturally.

  “I am not crazy,” she repeated. “But I am angry.” Her eyes skimmed the room. “Oh, good, Sean’s here, too. How convenient. Everyone stay right where you are.”

  Tina smiled wickedly. “It’s payback time.”

  Chapter

  Seventeen

  TINA, TAKE IT EASY,” Marty croaked, staring at the gun. “Let’s talk, okay?”

  “You’re a good talker,” Tina said, shutting the door behind her. “But you’re bad at keeping your word. ‘Just help me out and you’ll get lots of work,’ you said. So I told you what was happening at JZA. And I did more. One day when you were away from your desk, I took some of your notepaper. I wrote actors little notes to get them to sign with you, and I made phone calls, too. I was on your team, Marty, and you dumped me.”

  “Tina,” Nancy said, speaking gently, “I know you’ve been treated badly, but—”

  “Shut up!” Tina snapped. “You told me to tell the police what I know. If I’d done that, I’d be sitting in jail right now. You’re not my friend.”

  “Be reasonable,” Marty said, giving Tina a shaky smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “Claire will have called the police by now and—”

  “Wrong, Marty,” Tina said, circling to his side with the gun trained on him. “I saw her leave before I came in.”

  “You’re not a killer by nature,” Nancy said, trying to speak calmly and quietly.

  “No? Tell that to Ursula. I’m a killer now. And these two”—she waved the gun at Marty and Sean—“made me what I am. They’re going to pay the price.”

  Nancy heard a strange whimpering sound. She saw that Sean was hunched forward with his arms around his knees. He was crying.

  Tina looked at Ned. “I really didn’t mean for anyone to be hurt in that balloon, though. I just wanted to put Marty on the spot. Really.”

  “Did you mean to kill Ursula?” Nancy asked. She wanted to keep Tina talking. As long as she talked, she wasn’t likely to shoot.

  “It doesn’t matter, now. I called her and said we had to talk, that I would pick her up that night.” Tina grinned at Nancy. “She actually thought we were friends. Can you believe that? She didn’t have a clue.” Tina chuckled to herself. “I had taken a mallet from Sean’s studio. Did you know I had your key, Sean? You should change the lock when you change girls.”


  Tina went on. “I wanted Ursula to stop taking things from me. She took Sean and she took all the work at JZA, and she wanted to take all the work at Top Flight. It wasn’t fair. She had it all and left me nothing.”

  Nancy saw that Ned was poised for a chance to go for the gun. But neither Sean nor Marty looked as if they’d be of any help.

  “Ursula got in my car, and I said she had to stop stealing from me,” Tina continued. “But she saw the mallet and started to scream and jumped out. I got out and hit her to make her stop. I keep work gloves in my car, so I put them on—I know about fingerprints. Then I dragged her into the car. There were no witnesses. I took her where she was working the next day and left her in that alley. Wasn’t I nice? I made sure she kept her last appointment, and I put Marty’s card in her purse.”

  “And you put the mallet in Ursula’s wastebasket?” Nancy asked. As long as Tina wanted to talk, Nancy would play for time.

  “Right,” Tina replied. “I went back up and dropped it in the trash. Then I got some letters from Marty that Ursula had shown me, wrote some notes on Top Flight paper, and left them for the police to find. Marty deserved to take the blame!”

  “Sure he did.” Ned spoke softly, persuasively. “When people hear what really happened, they’ll understand. They’ll give you help.” He started out of his chair.

  “No!” Tina shrieked as she swung the gun toward Ned. “Sit down. Now!”

  Ned slowly sat again.

  Tina stood beside Marty and placed the barrel of the gun against his head. The agent’s breathing became ragged. “Marty, admit what you did was wrong. Say it!” she demanded.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Marty insisted. His face was bloodless.

  “Okay. You’re a liar, and you’ll die a liar.” Tina cocked the hammer with a click.

  “Marty, tell her what she wants to hear!” Nancy shouted.

  “Okay!” screamed the agent. “It was wrong! I strung you along! Now put away the gun!”

  Tina shook her head. “It’s too little and too late. Goodbye, Marty.”