When She Dreams (Burning Cove #6)(28)

“Let me clarify a few things for you,” Sam said. “We know you’re impersonating the real Aunt Cornelia.”

“You can’t prove that,” the woman said. But there was no energy in the denial. “No one knows the identity of the real Aunt Cornelia, not even me.”

“I know who she is,” Maggie said. “I work for her. I’m her assistant. The real Cornelia is out of the country on an extended ocean voyage. She’s not due to return for another month. But you already knew that, didn’t you?”

“Prove it,” the woman whispered.

“That would take time,” Sam said. “We don’t have a lot of that because you are obviously in a hurry to get out of town.”

“I’ve got news for you—stumbling over a body is hard on the nerves,” the imposter shot back.

“I agree,” Maggie said gently. “Let’s start with something simple. What is your name?”

The imposter seemed to sink in on herself. “Phyllis Gaines.”

“Why did you go into the theater tonight?” Sam asked.

“I was looking for the ladies’ lounge.”

“No,” Maggie said.

Phyllis did not argue.

“Did you go to the theater to meet Miss Nevins?” Sam asked. “Or someone else?”

“I don’t—” Phyllis closed her eyes. When she opened them again, she looked at Maggie. “Do you really work for the woman who writes that advice column?”

“Yes,” Maggie said. “And speaking on her behalf, I can assure you that she would advise you to tell us what is going on here.”

“Look, it was just a publicity stunt. A job.” Phyllis sighed. “I’m an actress, see? Haven’t worked much lately. I was sent money to buy the clothes and the jewelry I needed to carry off the role. I was told I could keep everything. I’m doing exactly that, by the way. I’m not stealing this stuff. It was part of the arrangement.”

“Someone hired you to play Aunt Cornelia here in Burning Cove?” Sam asked.

“The plan was to promote the opening of the Guilfoyle Institute,” Phyllis said quickly.

“What were you supposed to do if the real Aunt Cornelia showed up and objected?” Sam asked.

“I was told she would never know because she was traveling in the South Pacific. Look, I realize it all sounds a little shady, but—”

“A little shady?” Maggie said.

Phyllis took a step back. “I really needed the work, and there didn’t seem to be any harm in it.”

“You’re telling us that whoever hired you knew the real Aunt Cornelia was out of the country?”

“I was assured she would never find out,” Phyllis said. “All I had to do was play the role for a few days at the conference and then disappear.”

“Who hired you to impersonate Aunt Cornelia?” Sam asked.

Phyllis frowned. “Someone from the Institute. Why?”

“I need a name,” Sam said. “Guilfoyle? His wife?”

Phyllis shook her head. “No, it was a woman in the marketing department. Miss Finley. I never met her in person. The arrangements were all done on the phone. There was an envelope full of cash waiting for me when I checked into the cottage. I was supposed to get the second half of the money when I finished the job. But I got a message telling me to meet someone in that theater tonight. I was afraid I was going to be fired. When I saw the body, I panicked. If the cops decide it’s murder, I’m going to be at the top of the suspect list.”

“You may be right,” Sam said. “But you’ve got a couple of eyewitnesses who can testify that you weren’t inside the theater long enough to murder Miss Nevins.”

“You two?” Phyllis grimaced. “Thanks but no thanks. I don’t like my odds. I’m going to disappear until this mess blows over.”

“You said you got a message telling you to meet someone in the theater this evening?” Maggie asked.

“Someone slipped it to me when I went to the ladies’ room. It was shoved under the stall door. All I saw were a pair of evening sandals and a hand. The note said: Meet me in the theater. Tell no one. The floor plan of the Institute had been torn out of a brochure. The location of the theater was marked.”

“Was the note signed?” Sam asked.

“Just an initial,” Phyllis said. “It looked like the letter T, not F for Finley, but I figured maybe it was poor handwriting.”

“On the basis of that you went to meet a stranger?” Sam asked.

Phyllis grimaced. “I told you, I thought the note was from the woman who hired me to play the part of Aunt Cornelia.”

“What happened when you opened the door of the theater?” Sam asked.

“It took me a moment to see anything because of all those horrible flashing lights. They made me nervous. I was going to leave but I finally noticed the woman at the end of the last row. I assumed it was Miss Finley. I started toward her. When I got close I spoke to her. She didn’t respond. I had a feeling something was wrong, but I didn’t know what to do.”

“Go on,” Sam said.

“I thought maybe she was asleep or had fainted, so I tried to shake her awake,” Phyllis continued. “That’s when I realized she was dead or unconscious. I screamed. I thought I heard someone on the stage or in the wings.”