Free Becklaw's Murder Mystery Tour (Jo Anderson Series) by Dane McCaslin Page A

sister-in-law that she intends to join our little family and run part of the troupe.’ Miss Bea’s face was unnaturally red, and her hair had completely come undone, its tangled frizzle hanging around her face à la Medusa. If that didn’t give one nightmares, then nothing could, I thought, as I edged even closer to Leslie.
    ‘What’s going on?’ Leslie looked from me to Miss Bea, concern evident in her tone. ‘Do you need us to run her off, Miss Bea? I can certainly do it and LJ will be more than happy to take care of business for you.’
    Miss Bea brushed aside an armful of clothing and plopped down on the stool. I held my breath, praying silently for its safety and hoping that the craftsman had counted on bottoms of all sizes.
    ‘No, that’s very kind of you, my dear,’ she said, her face less flushed and her voice quieter. ‘When I married my sweet Desmond, I essentially married his family. His sisters, Lucinda and Miranda, were so clingy, and his mother, God rest her soul, acted like Desmond wasn’t old enough to leave home. We took off as soon as we had the money, leaving kith and kin behind and happy to do it.’ She paused, smiling at the ceiling in a way that I now associated with her many visits to a happier past.
    ‘There are two of them?’ I couldn’t keep the horror out of my voice, looking back over my shoulder as if another Becklaw Person was going to come swooping at me from the shadows.
    ‘Yes,’ smiled Miss Bea in amusement. ‘Lucinda and Miranda – Lucy and Mindy – are twins. For every bad point that is Lucy, Mindy is as sweet and kind as the day is long.’
    I shook my head in disbelief. I couldn’t get out of my head the fact that Miss Lucinda had a twin and that this twin was sweet. ‘Sweet’ was not an appellation that one would ever, ever apply to Lucinda Becklaw.
    Leslie came to life, pointed to Lily’s dress, and asked if it looked OK. Miss Bea turned an appraising eye toward the flounces that Leslie had pinned up to accommodate Lily’s shorter stature.
    ‘That looks fine, my dear,’ Miss Bea said, rising from the stool. I heard a groan and wondered if the stool was thanking its lucky stars that she had stood up.
    Once more, the door was opened with force. Miss Lucinda stood there in the open doorway, arms firmly crossed and a stern look on her face. She homed in on Miss Bea, who seemed to suddenly grow ten feet taller and shoot sparks.
    ‘I believe that the actors’ dressing rooms are off-limits to the public,’ Miss Bea announced in stentorian tones.
    ‘Oh, give it a rest, Bea!’ Miss Lucinda bit her words off as cleanly as a seamstress cutting thread.
    Leslie turned to look at me, making a slight pointing motion with her head, first toward Miss Bea then toward Miss Lucinda. I shrugged, wiggling my eyebrows to telegraph my opinion. Miss Bea’s radar, though, was in fine working order.
    ‘Girls, you don’t need to do that,’ she admonished sternly, although I swear I could detect a smile in her eyes. ‘Whatever it is you need to say, just say it.’
    I took a deep breath. Leslie was counting on me to be the leader, and poor Lily was in something like shock, watching the drama unfolding in front of her.
    ‘Miss Bea, Miss Lucy,’ I began, then swiftly corrected myself. ‘Miss Lucinda. We need to get these costumes ready to go for tonight. Which one of you will be in charge of that?’
    I felt the air thicken as Miss Bea’s eyes narrowed. I had really stepped in it.
    ‘I am the One in Charge,’ Miss Bea said stiffly. I felt crushed. Miss Bea had never used that tone with me.
    ‘I didn’t mean it like that, Miss Bea,’ I replied contritely. It must have worked, because her sunny smile returned and I felt forgiven. ‘What I really meant to say was, are these changes that Leslie made OK with you?’ I had clean forgotten that she’d already told us that they were. I was pretty shaken up, I guess.
    Apparently she was shaken a bit as well, because she