Sample Chapter (Chapter Nine): Amanda goes to a play to see if
she can find out any information about the suspicious deaths of two
of her elderly clients. She has just found disturbing irregularities in
the tax returns of DeeDee and Rose, who were friends of the dead
women.
Chapter Nine
Amanda followed Priscilla's instructions and paid attention to the
many conversations. In the pre-play dinner she listened
sympathetically as Rose told about her daughter Janet's troubled
marriage. The girl had just found an apartment after having had to
stay with Rose for over a year. Rose seemed very worried about the
situation. She also learned that DeeDee's niece had married one of
Rose's distant cousins. The young couple had decided to celebrate
both the Christian and Jewish holidays, so the two families were
now enjoying a near constant round of entertaining each winter and
spring. Amanda listened politely while Rose and DeeDee discussed
exchanging recipes, borrowing pots and pans, returning serving
dishes,and of course, various items from DeeDe's sterling collection
making the journey to and from Rose's house.
She was proud she hadn't fallen asleep. She'd report all to Priscilla,
but she honestly couldn't imagine what the new information could
add to the mysteries at hand.
By the time they arrived at the play Amanda had to make sure her
soft drink contained caffeine. It had been a long day and it was going
to get longer. She barely noticed when Rose shoved a program in
her hand. It was the thumping that got her attention.
"See that's almost your year. You knew him right?" Rose was
thumping her finger vigorously on the program. Amanda had to pull it
away to see what she was trying to show her.
"Oh my God." A round faced man stared back at her. You could tell
he'd had a boyish face once, not anymore. The bright red hair
Amanda remembered looked slightly different. It had probably been
dyed. He was a year older than Amanda, so it would be getting about
that time. But Amanda was puzzled by the name. Rose Este was the
name Andy was using now. When they were in school Andy had
insisted he would never change his name. Andy O'Neil was just too
perfect. It was Irish. The best actors were Irish, everybody knew that.
Even though Andy had been adopted, he always payed the part of the
Irish bard to perfection. The Irish were expected to drink, so Andy put
on a superb performance at every party he went to pretending to get
drunk. They truth was liquor just didn't agree with him, so he would
dump some on his clothes for the smell, pour out the rest and--act.
Extremely well. He was one of the best college actors Amanda had
ever seen.
Stephens had always been a woman's college. Very few men
attended. Each year only a handful of dancers, musicians, and
actors were selected to participate in the fine arts programs. He was
one of the best of the best. This was going to be a great evening
after all.
"Introductions," she heard whispered rather loudly in her ear as she
was quickly pushed across the foyer. She stood facing an older
couple, very well dressed, very tall, and obviously, very rich, "Mr. and
Mrs. Jason Robinson, Amanda French."
"I knew your mother, Amanda, so nice to meet you." The man
grabbed her hand from what seemed like across the room. He was
taller than--of course--Jonathan Robinson. Liz had once said
everyone in her husband's family was 'terribly tall.' She was right.
"We're so glad you're helping Jonathan. It's his first job, and well,
we're anxious he learn responsibility and everyday life. Well, I mean.
. ." The woman looked embarrassed by what she'd said. Amanda
guessed she wasn't used to trying to explain they wanted their rich
son to know what it was like to be a normal person.
"He's taking honors courses, you know, and he's working everyday at
my company." The man now had his hands on his wife's shoulders
and they were both standing up to their very full height. They looked
like a Fortune 500 version of Grant Wood's painting of the farm
couple with the pitchfork.
But Amanda knew the good kind of pride when she saw it. "You
should be very proud of him He brought in all his papers the first
time and he's very well organized. I'm sure he's great asset to your
business."
They both nodded at this. "That boy can practically make a computer
sing and dance. I've never seen anything like it in all the years I've
been in business," Jason said.
"Do you come to the theater often?" Mrs. Robinson politely ended her
husband's bragging.
"No, I haven't been here in ages. But I just found out I went to school
with one of the actors. He's excellent. This should be a fantastic
performance."
"Oh, yes,. I've always loved all of Aeschylus' Oresteia trilogy." The
woman seemed to be loosening up a bit. She wasn't standing at
attention anymore. "I mean can you imagine anything more dramatic
than the tale of a man, Orestes, asked to kill his mother to avenge
his father's murder? The Greeks had such an understanding of the
conflicts involved."
"Which play are we seeing?" Jason interrupted. "This says it's by A. .
. "
"It's 'ee-skull-us,' like escalator dear, you have the right program. We
are seeing a shortened version of each of the three plays in the
trilogy--the series.' his wife patiently explained. "The first is
Agamemnon, he's killed by his wife after returning from battle in the
Trojan War." Jason nodded at the mention of the war, probably the
only name that would be familiar to him.
"In The Libation-Bearers, Orestes is greatly encouraged to take
revenge against his mother by his sister, Electra."
"I knew the woman made him do it," Jason teased.
"The last play,The Eumenides, traces the wanderings of the
now-mad Orestes."
"Sounds like that family was cursed if you ask me." Amanda looked
up and saw DeeDee standing besides Mrs. Robinson.
"Oh yes." Amanda jumped in now. "There was a curse. The curse of
the house of Atreus was covered by all the major writer of the time."
"I'll bet Dennis Rodman agrees with that. He was married to an
Electra wasn't he?" Amanda was wrong. Jason had found another
familiar name in the story.
"You have to really be careful of those women named Electra, they
can make you do anything." Jason was obviously teasing his wife,
but Amanda didn't know why.
She soon guessed. "You have a theater background don't you Mrs.
Robinson. You look very familiar to me."
'"She was Electra." Jason was now beaming proudly again. "And
there was never a finer one in all of the Midwest."
"You came to our college in a series on Aeschylus' plays. Your
husband's right. You were wonderful." Amanda meant it.
"That was many, many years ago. I'm simply happy to be a fan now."
The woman seemed to be genuinely modest. "I'm just happy we're
able to continue to see this kind of drama."
As if on cue, the lights dimmed. It was time to go in.
"And we always will if I have anything to say about it. Here, Amanda,
come to our reception. Jonathan's information is in here." He stuffed
a small packet in her hand with tickets attached to the top. "But he
would still really like it if you would join us."
"We all would," his wife added hastily. They were all walking and
talking to get to their seats in time. Amanda quickly agreed and sat
down just as the lights dimmed. She suddenly realized the
Robinsons must be sponsors of the play.
The curtain rose and Amanda was soon engrossed in a twisted tale
of a family curse, a man driven to murder his mother by a long-lost
sister, and madness unleashed upon him.
She was glad none of it was real.
she can find out any information about the suspicious deaths of two
of her elderly clients. She has just found disturbing irregularities in
the tax returns of DeeDee and Rose, who were friends of the dead
women.
Chapter Nine
Amanda followed Priscilla's instructions and paid attention to the
many conversations. In the pre-play dinner she listened
sympathetically as Rose told about her daughter Janet's troubled
marriage. The girl had just found an apartment after having had to
stay with Rose for over a year. Rose seemed very worried about the
situation. She also learned that DeeDee's niece had married one of
Rose's distant cousins. The young couple had decided to celebrate
both the Christian and Jewish holidays, so the two families were
now enjoying a near constant round of entertaining each winter and
spring. Amanda listened politely while Rose and DeeDee discussed
exchanging recipes, borrowing pots and pans, returning serving
dishes,and of course, various items from DeeDe's sterling collection
making the journey to and from Rose's house.
She was proud she hadn't fallen asleep. She'd report all to Priscilla,
but she honestly couldn't imagine what the new information could
add to the mysteries at hand.
By the time they arrived at the play Amanda had to make sure her
soft drink contained caffeine. It had been a long day and it was going
to get longer. She barely noticed when Rose shoved a program in
her hand. It was the thumping that got her attention.
"See that's almost your year. You knew him right?" Rose was
thumping her finger vigorously on the program. Amanda had to pull it
away to see what she was trying to show her.
"Oh my God." A round faced man stared back at her. You could tell
he'd had a boyish face once, not anymore. The bright red hair
Amanda remembered looked slightly different. It had probably been
dyed. He was a year older than Amanda, so it would be getting about
that time. But Amanda was puzzled by the name. Rose Este was the
name Andy was using now. When they were in school Andy had
insisted he would never change his name. Andy O'Neil was just too
perfect. It was Irish. The best actors were Irish, everybody knew that.
Even though Andy had been adopted, he always payed the part of the
Irish bard to perfection. The Irish were expected to drink, so Andy put
on a superb performance at every party he went to pretending to get
drunk. They truth was liquor just didn't agree with him, so he would
dump some on his clothes for the smell, pour out the rest and--act.
Extremely well. He was one of the best college actors Amanda had
ever seen.
Stephens had always been a woman's college. Very few men
attended. Each year only a handful of dancers, musicians, and
actors were selected to participate in the fine arts programs. He was
one of the best of the best. This was going to be a great evening
after all.
"Introductions," she heard whispered rather loudly in her ear as she
was quickly pushed across the foyer. She stood facing an older
couple, very well dressed, very tall, and obviously, very rich, "Mr. and
Mrs. Jason Robinson, Amanda French."
"I knew your mother, Amanda, so nice to meet you." The man
grabbed her hand from what seemed like across the room. He was
taller than--of course--Jonathan Robinson. Liz had once said
everyone in her husband's family was 'terribly tall.' She was right.
"We're so glad you're helping Jonathan. It's his first job, and well,
we're anxious he learn responsibility and everyday life. Well, I mean.
. ." The woman looked embarrassed by what she'd said. Amanda
guessed she wasn't used to trying to explain they wanted their rich
son to know what it was like to be a normal person.
"He's taking honors courses, you know, and he's working everyday at
my company." The man now had his hands on his wife's shoulders
and they were both standing up to their very full height. They looked
like a Fortune 500 version of Grant Wood's painting of the farm
couple with the pitchfork.
But Amanda knew the good kind of pride when she saw it. "You
should be very proud of him He brought in all his papers the first
time and he's very well organized. I'm sure he's great asset to your
business."
They both nodded at this. "That boy can practically make a computer
sing and dance. I've never seen anything like it in all the years I've
been in business," Jason said.
"Do you come to the theater often?" Mrs. Robinson politely ended her
husband's bragging.
"No, I haven't been here in ages. But I just found out I went to school
with one of the actors. He's excellent. This should be a fantastic
performance."
"Oh, yes,. I've always loved all of Aeschylus' Oresteia trilogy." The
woman seemed to be loosening up a bit. She wasn't standing at
attention anymore. "I mean can you imagine anything more dramatic
than the tale of a man, Orestes, asked to kill his mother to avenge
his father's murder? The Greeks had such an understanding of the
conflicts involved."
"Which play are we seeing?" Jason interrupted. "This says it's by A. .
. "
"It's 'ee-skull-us,' like escalator dear, you have the right program. We
are seeing a shortened version of each of the three plays in the
trilogy--the series.' his wife patiently explained. "The first is
Agamemnon, he's killed by his wife after returning from battle in the
Trojan War." Jason nodded at the mention of the war, probably the
only name that would be familiar to him.
"In The Libation-Bearers, Orestes is greatly encouraged to take
revenge against his mother by his sister, Electra."
"I knew the woman made him do it," Jason teased.
"The last play,The Eumenides, traces the wanderings of the
now-mad Orestes."
"Sounds like that family was cursed if you ask me." Amanda looked
up and saw DeeDee standing besides Mrs. Robinson.
"Oh yes." Amanda jumped in now. "There was a curse. The curse of
the house of Atreus was covered by all the major writer of the time."
"I'll bet Dennis Rodman agrees with that. He was married to an
Electra wasn't he?" Amanda was wrong. Jason had found another
familiar name in the story.
"You have to really be careful of those women named Electra, they
can make you do anything." Jason was obviously teasing his wife,
but Amanda didn't know why.
She soon guessed. "You have a theater background don't you Mrs.
Robinson. You look very familiar to me."
'"She was Electra." Jason was now beaming proudly again. "And
there was never a finer one in all of the Midwest."
"You came to our college in a series on Aeschylus' plays. Your
husband's right. You were wonderful." Amanda meant it.
"That was many, many years ago. I'm simply happy to be a fan now."
The woman seemed to be genuinely modest. "I'm just happy we're
able to continue to see this kind of drama."
As if on cue, the lights dimmed. It was time to go in.
"And we always will if I have anything to say about it. Here, Amanda,
come to our reception. Jonathan's information is in here." He stuffed
a small packet in her hand with tickets attached to the top. "But he
would still really like it if you would join us."
"We all would," his wife added hastily. They were all walking and
talking to get to their seats in time. Amanda quickly agreed and sat
down just as the lights dimmed. She suddenly realized the
Robinsons must be sponsors of the play.
The curtain rose and Amanda was soon engrossed in a twisted tale
of a family curse, a man driven to murder his mother by a long-lost
sister, and madness unleashed upon him.
She was glad none of it was real.
( Your Highlights Here )
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