Free Death in Daytime by Eileen Davidson Page A

said. "That's pretty harsh, coming from someone who really didn't have to work with her."
    "Maybe not," she said, "but I did the makeup for a lot of people who worked with her, and let me tell you, plenty of them . . ."
    My heart started to race.
    "Plenty of them . . . what? Come on, Linda, don't cop out on me now."
    "Well . . . I was going to say there are a lot of people who wanted her--who wouldn't have minded if she got herself--"
    "Are you trying to say there are a lot of people with a motive to kill her?"
    Linda looked at me in the mirror. "If you want to believe rumors."
    ***
    Linda turned out to be Rumor Central. It was like reading a gossip column.
    What studly soap actor was in danger of losing his job if he didn't agree to have a little fling with the head writer on the side?
    What veteran actress--not me--had been reduced to running personal errands for a certain head writer in order to keep her part viable?
    What aging soap actor had been driven by selfdoubt--fueled by Marcy's treatment of him--to hire a life coach?
    And what young staff writer had been forced to allow his own work to be presented as that of the head writer, who had run into a little case of writer's block?
    Four likely suspects--in my eyes, anyway--and yet all of them had confided in Linda that they didn't "care" if I'd killed Marcy. And if they didn't care if I did it, did that necessarily mean they didn't?
    And why would they air their grievances to Linda, who was so notorious for passing on rumors?
    "Have you told the police any of this?"
    "It's all gossip," Linda said carefully. "I'll tell you, I'll tell George, I'll tell some other people connected to the show, but why would I tell the cops? I don't want to cast suspicion on anybody."
    "Because it could take some of the heat off me," I told her.
    "Then why don't you tell them yourself?"
    "Coming from me, it would just sound like I was trying to cover my own ass."
    "Alexis," she said, tossing me a surprised look in the mirror, "you want me to throw some other people to the cops so they'll stop looking at you?"
    I hesitated, then said in frustration, "Noooo! That would just make me a horrible person, too, wouldn't it?"
    I looked in the mirror and saw the dark circles Linda had put under my eyes.
    "How is it?" she asked.
    "Too damned good," I said. "Looks like me after a particularly bad night with Sarah."
    "Well, then I guess my work here is done!" she replied.

Chapter 17
    I got through my two scenes and went to my dressing room. I had the distinct feeling that everyone on the show thought I was a killer. I could feel their eyes following every move I made. Despite the words of wisdom from my mother the night before, it was still very disconcerting to think that people I'd known for a long time--some of whom I thought of as friends--could even imagine I'd hurt Marcy. And to add to the frustration, some of them--most of them?--had obviously expressed their opinions to the police. There were still several members of the cast I needed to talk to. But with the word going out--I knew Linda wouldn't be able to keep her mouth shut--
    that I was snooping around, I decided not to approach them at the studio. I knew where everybody lived, so I was going to conduct my interviews at their homes. The same went for the ex-husband Marcy seemed to be trying to hide from me--Henry Roswell. I dressed in my street clothes--back to the comfort of my jeans and sweatshirt--and dug out the pages Will had sent me. I double-checked the Roswell address and saw that I'd be able to kill two birds with one stone. He lived right near one of the actors on the show, Andy McIntyre.
    I read the background. Roswell was an investment banker, apparently good enough to eventually go out on his own, which was what he'd done when he moved to California with Marcy and their daughter. According to the info from Will, it was Roswell who had filed for divorce, citing the old standby "irreconcilable differences." Marcy had countersued