Chapter 36

Chapter Thirty-Six

"A free show. Free champagne. Free hors d'oeuvres. This is my kinda party," Alice said outside in the lobby. "Too bad there's only a handful of us to enjoy it."

Natalie glanced around. There might only be a handful of livings, as Alice had said—the cast and crew only put them at a little over a dozen people—but the lobby was teeming with spirits.

Most of the guests who'd come to the show had stayed for the after party. It was wall to wall in there, which made it hard to navigate for Natalie who could actually see the obstacles in her path.

Alice, on the other hand, had barreled right through a good dozen ghosts in her path to the champagne.

"Miss Chase."

At the sound of her name, Natalie turned to find a woman reaching out to touch her sleeve. She resisted the urge to shiver from the ghostly touch and said, "Yes. That's me."

"I'm Roberta. I used to work here at the Stanley, cleaning. I was here the night Miss Hartwell and Mr. Carlisle died."

"You were?" Natalie gripped Liam's arm tightly with excitement.

He glanced down on her claw-like hold on him. "I'm assuming something is happening."

"Yes. There's a woman who was here the night Evie and Vinny were murdered."

"Hmm. Well, let me know if you need me. Harper and I are going to be over here watching Alice fill her purse with shrimp while not hearing or seeing anything that you are."

Fine. She'd work this case on her own. Turning back to Roberta, Natalie said, "What can you tell me about that night?"

"It was just like any other night… except for the gifts."

"The gifts?" Natalie asked.

"Yes. Usually whenever Miss Hartwell was at the theater, she received all sorts of things from gentlemen admirers. Champagne, flowers, even perfume and jewelry. Often times I was asked to bring the gifts back since patrons aren't allowed backstage or in the dressing rooms. But this night was different."

"How?" Natalie asked, heart pounding.

"Mr. Carlisle received a gift this time. A man asked me to deliver a box of chocolates to his dressing room, which I thought was rather odd."

"And did you do it?"

"I did. And that night, both Mr. Carlisle and Miss Hartwell were found dead in their dressing rooms. It was horrible. We were all shaken up. After they took the bodies away we—the staff—just sat here waiting for the police to interview us and crying. When my turn came they asked me where the champagne came from, because they found glasses of it in both Mr. Carlisle and Miss Hartwell's dressing room. They thought that must be the connection. What had killed them both since it was the only thing they both had that we could see. This was right after Prohibition had been repealed, so the spirits were flowing again but this champagne wasn't cheap. Not everyone had bottles of it, you know? I told them a bottle had been delivered to Miss Hartwell. They took it as evidence and I was told not to clean the dressing rooms in case there was more evidence in there."

"And did they find poison in the champagne?" Natalie asked.

"No. They were stumped but the theater had to get back to business so they told me to go ahead and clean out the dressing rooms. That's when I found the box of chocolates that I had delivered to Mr. Carlisle was in Miss Hartwell's dressing room. And two pieces were missing."

"Did you tell the police?" Natalie asked.

She shook her head.

"Why not?"

"I'm too embarrassed to say."

"Please, Roberta. What you know could solve two murders."

The ghost drew in a breath. "I didn't tell the police because I took the chocolates home and ate them myself."

Natalie gasped. "And you died. Because the chocolates were poisoned, not the champagne."

Roberta nodded.

"Oh my God. Roberta, do you remember who gave you those chocolates to put in Vincent's dressing room?"

She nodded.

"Who?"

She turned to look around the room… and then pointed at Edgar Winslow. The man who spent every performance of his life and afterlife in the back row seat in which he'd died.

"Edgar Winslow?" Natalie asked. "You're sure?"

Roberta nodded. "Definitely. He was much younger then, of course, but he was here for every show. And he always sent something back for Miss Hartwell when she was in town. He was quite her admirer."

"But this one time he sent a gift to Vincent instead. A poisoned gift, not anticipating Vinny would share it with Evie."

"Eddie killed me?" Evie said.

Natalie spun and found the starlet behind her, hand clutched to her chest.

"What's this?" Bobby asked, moving closer.

"Did you just say Winslow killed you?" Vincent came closer as well.

"Killed us, " Evie corrected.

"It was the chocolate that was poisoned, not the champagne. Edgar had it delivered to Vinny's dressing room," Natalie supplied, as more ghosts heard the conversation and began to gather.

"Why?" Vinny asked.

"Jealousy," Evie supplied.

Vinny shook his head. "But there was nothing going on between us. At least not back then."

Not back then… Natalie's brows rose. Did that mean there was something going on between the two stars now? Interesting, but a tidbit for later.

Evie flicked one wrist. "He couldn't know that. You remember how we played things up for the movie premiere. The studio said it would sell tickets. Eddie sent me gifts all the time. Expensive things. He was definitely sweet on me. There was nothing going on between us, of course. Not only because he was married, but because a smart girl knows to play hard to get."

"But he's been here right under your noses the entire time. Did you two never talk after he died?" Natalie asked.

"Darling, I died in 1933. Eddie didn't join our ghost ranks here until close to fifty years later. And no, he never talked to me. As I said, there was never anything between us except for the gifts, and he wasn't the only male admirer I had. I didn't think anything of it."

"But now what?" Natalie asked. "I mean, he intentionally murdered Vinny and was responsible for the deaths of both Evie and Roberta. He can't just get away with it."

It seemed to her they had a big problem. What did they do about a murderer who was a ghost?

"Oh, he won't get away with it," Bobby said. "Look."

Two ghosts, in police uniforms, were currently hauling Edgar Winslow out of the theater.

"What's going on? Is there some kind of a ghost jail?" Natalie asked.

"Not exactly. But he will be banished from the theater and everywhere else around here. He'll have to live out the rest of eternity alone. Not a perfect justice system but it's all we've got." Bobby shrugged.

Vinny wrapped one arm around Evie as they both watched Edgar being forcibly removed. Evie turned under Vinny's arm to face him.

"I can't believe it. After all these years we finally know what happened. And it was your fault, you big lug! You always blamed me." Evie slapped Vinny's chest.

He caught her hand, hauled her close and pressed a screen-worthy kiss against her mouth. Finally releasing her, he said, "Shut up and marry me."

"What?" Evie squeaked.

"You heard me. Let's get married. Look, we've even got a priest. Why not? You got a better offer?" Vinny asked.

Evie drew in a breath and let it out, finally saying, "What the hell. All right. I'll marry you."

Natalie couldn't help but laugh. "I thought you two hated each other."

Evie waved that notion away. "Darling, enemies to lovers has always been my favorite trope."

Natalie smiled. "Yeah. It's mine too."

She felt Liam's arm around her shoulders and glanced up.

"What's happening?" he asked.

She shook her head. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."