Free Silver Scream: A Bed-And-Breakfast Mystery by Mary Daheim Page B

tell her what happened to her costume. You know—it’ll save you the trouble, Win.” This time, her giggle sounded slightly sinister as she headed for the entry hall.
    “Ellie,” Winifred called after her, “don’t be mean! Angela has enough problems as it is.”
    Halfway up the stairs, Ellie leaned over the banister. “Hey, Win, that’s not entirely my fault, is it?” The young actress skipped up the steps, long hair swinging behind her.
    “I suppose,” Judith said in a musing tone as she putDirk Farrar’s doublet and hose into another garment bag, “there’s bound to be jealousy between actresses like Ellie and Angela.”
    Winifred shot Judith a sidelong look. “Oh, yes. You’ve no idea.”
    Judith dared to risk a thorny question: “Enough that Ellie would slash Angela’s gown?”
    “No,” Winifred said flatly. “Ellie Linn doesn’t have to resort to cheap stunts like that.”
    Emboldened, Judith was about to ask why not when Renie gave a shout from the kitchen.
    “I’m here. I’m early. I’m out of my mind.”
    Judith looked at her cousin, who had come into the hallway and definitely appeared a little deranged. Her hair, which was rarely combed unless she was attending a business meeting or a social event, was going off in every direction of the compass. A smudge of dirt stood out on one cheek and a pair of red socks peeked through the holes in her shoes. Even the ratty-sweatshirt-and-baggy-pants combination that made up Renie’s working ensemble was more disreputable than usual. And old. The sweatshirt featured the Minnesota Twins World Series victory in 1991.
    “Good grief,” Judith breathed, “you do look sort of awful.”
    “I know.” Renie, who was carrying a large suitcase, offered Winifred a desultory wave. “I had to get out of the house. The children are arguing about who should get married first. Bill left early for a very long walk, maybe all the way to Wisconsin.”
    Judith pointed to the suitcase. “Is that your costume?”
    “Mine and Bill’s,” Renie replied. “We dumped thepumpkin idea. Bill’s glasses kept getting steamed up. Oh!” she exclaimed, showing a spark of animation. “Look at those costumes. They’re beautiful, and they look familiar.”
    Judith and Winifred explained how and why the costumes had been chosen, then told Renie about the damage that had been done to Angela’s.
    Renie was genuinely upset. “That’s horrible. Bill and I watched a special on TV a while ago about movie costume restoration. It was criminal the way so many of those gorgeous outfits had been left to deteriorate and rot. If I hadn’t become a graphic artist, I might have been a costume or a dress designer.”
    “Then maybe you can help your sister here with getting these costumes to wherever she’s taking them,” Winifred said briskly. “It’s almost twelve-thirty. We don’t have much time, especially if Angela’s is to be ready.”
    Renie had bristled over the commanding tone in Winifred’s voice, but Judith intervened, putting a hand on her cousin’s arm.
    “We’re not sisters,” she explained with a smile. “We’re cousins. But we’ve always been as close as sisters. Closer, perhaps, without the sibling rivalry.”
    “Lovely,” Winifred remarked, putting the last costume into a bag. “I’ll see you later.” She marched toward the stairs and out of sight.
    Driving to the top of Heraldsgate Hill, Judith allowed Renie two minutes to vent her ire about Winifred’s high-handed manner. As they unloaded the car in Arlecchino’s small parking lot, Judith gave her cousin another three minutes to complain about the Jones children. Then Judith insisted that Renie stay inthe car while she dealt with the costume store’s owner. The cautions about the valuable ensembles and the discussion of how to repair Angela’s Scarlett O’Hara gown took a full ten minutes. By the time she got back to her Subaru, Renie was fuming again.
    “You should have let me help you in