When Stars Collide (Chicago Stars #9)(84)

Lena’s incredulity as she’d gazed at her husband was all the proof Olivia had needed that Lena wasn’t the one who’d tried to sabotage her. She drew Lena to her feet and directed her to the room’s single easy chair. “I know you didn’t. And I’m sorry about your bird.”

Lena dropped her head in her hands and started crying all over again. “Florence was special. She’d trill for me when I left the room. I could cuddle her in my hand, and if she didn’t think I was giving her enough attention, she’d sulk.” Lena dragged her sleeve across her nose. “She stopped eating a few weeks ago, and she was sleeping all the time, so I knew she was sick, but . . .” She gulped for air. “I think he killed her.”

Olivia winced.

The words came pouring out. “After you left, he pulled me into the hall and tried to convince me nothing you said was true. I said I knew he was lying. That made him furious and he told me all of it. Everything he’d done to you. He threw it at me. Like it should make me happy. He said since I wasn’t looking out for my own career, he had to.”

Olivia sat at her dressing table and rubbed her eyes. “He wanted to get rid of me so you could have your big moment.”

“Covering for you was my big moment, but he couldn’t see that. He kept talking about how this was my chance and that I should see what he’d done to you as a sign of how much he loved me.”

“Twisted.”

“I should have figured it out. He’s been so secretive. I told him I hated him. That I was divorcing him and never wanted to see him again.” She bit her bottom lip. “I thought he was going to hit me, but Jeremy came out to check on me and kicked him out of the building.”

Jeremy was the big, barrel-chested bass covering for Ramfis.

“You’re not safe with your husband,” Olivia said.

“I know.” Lena plucked at the chair arm. “When I met him, he was so charming. He was interested in everything I did. I’d never had anyone care about me that way.” Lena looked up. “A few months after we got married, things started to change. He wanted to know where I was every minute. Nothing I did was good enough. I wasn’t working hard enough. I gained a few pounds, and he told me I was fat. He started monitoring everything I ate. He made me feel stupid. He said he had to be tough with me because he loved me so much, and he only wanted the best for me. He said I should feel lucky to be married to a man who cared so much. But I knew it was wrong. As soon as the Aida run was over, I was going to tell him I wanted a divorce.”

“Where is he now?”

“I don’t know.”

“You can’t go back to your apartment.”

“I called a friend. I’m going to stay with her.”

“Promise me you’ll let me know if I can help.”

“How can you say that after what happened?”

Olivia smiled at her. “We sopranos have to stick together, right?”

That made Lena start crying all over again.

*

Thad banged on the door of Lena Hodiak’s apartment, then moved to the side so only Piper could be seen through the peephole.

The door swung open. Thad shouldered Piper away—exactly what she’d warned him not to do—and stepped into the door frame. “Christopher Marsden?”

Marsden wiped the early-morning sleep from his eyes. “Who are you? Wait— Aren’t you—”

“Yeah. Thad Owens. A good friend of Olivia Shore.”

Christopher tried to slam the door, but Thad wasn’t having it. He shoved his way in before Piper could stop him and delivered a perfectly targeted undercut to Marsden’s jaw followed up with a punch to the gut that sent the vermin sprawling to the floor.

“Okay, that wasn’t helpful,” Piper said. “But completely understandable.” She shut the door, closing them inside the apartment.

Thad wanted to finish the job, but Piper pushed him away and advanced on Marsden. “I have a few questions for you, Mr. Marsden. And I think it’s only fair to inform you that my friend here has a hot temper and short patience when it comes to liars, so I suggest you stick to the truth.”

Marsden whimpered. His lip was bleeding, and he looked like he might throw up. Thad had a strong stomach, and he wouldn’t mind seeing that.

Piper put one of her small feet, clad in a black leather motorcycle boot, on Marsden’s chest. “I think we should start at the beginning, don’t you?”

It all came out. Marsden had formed a friendship with Dennis Cullen, Rachel’s husband, when their wives were appearing together in Minneapolis. From Dennis, Marsden had learned that Olivia wasn’t handling her ex-fiancé’s suicide well. Dennis, who needed to learn how to keep his fucking mouth shut, had repeated Rachel’s speculation that Olivia was traumatized with guilt after her ex-fiancé’s suicide, and that her vocal problems were worse than she was letting on. That was all Marsden needed to hear, and it didn’t take him long to come up with a plan to prey on Olivia’s guilt. The possibility of his wife being able to step into Olivia’s shoes and have her shot at the big time had been his catnip. He saw playing mind games with Olivia as low risk, with a potentially huge payoff for his wife’s career.

“Lena can’t do anything for herself!” Marsden whined, clutching his stomach. “She was happy being second rate. I have to do everything.”