The Dance by Barbara Steiner Page A

of her tea. “I met them. It was all the contact I cared to have. They were pretty cool to me. The one named Nicol seems very bright and friendlier than the others. She speaks and smiles, at least. I can never get over those eyes when I see her. I’ve never seen anything like them. That blue-gray like translucent ice. If they were any lighter—”
    â€œThey’d seem to vanish?” Melanie asked.
    Julie blinked. “Yes, Mel. Yes … That’s how they impressed me.”
    Seth grabbed a handful of cashews. “Sounds as if you don’t feel entirely comfortable at the school, Julie. How come you’ve stuck around?”
    â€œWhen I knew Ilene Greenway had sold, I planned to quit. But I got a letter from the Dance La’Vousier in Paris. From Leona Turva. She asked me to stay, to keep my classes intact. For my trouble, she sent a check for twenty-five hundred dollars.” Julie shrugged and smiled. “So I stayed. I do feel pretty settled in here. That was in late July, I think.”
    â€œA check—she sent you a check?” Seth asked.
    Julie thought about Seth’s question. “Now that you mention it, it was an international money order.”
    â€œWhy do you think Ilene sold the school, Julie?” asked Melanie. “She and my mother were friends. Mom can’t believe she left. Dance was her life, and she had told my mom that she loved it here. She’d planned to stay until she retired.”
    Julie shook her head. “I was surprised. The money, maybe. She said Leona had offered her a lot. That coupled with several annoyances.”
    â€œLike what?” asked Bryan.
    â€œWell, Leona bought the Arbuthnot Shop first, it seems. We didn’t know who the owner was at the time, but it came out later. The noise of the remodeling was terrible. Ilene complained about it time after time. We had plaster coming off the walls in the studio from that brick wall they have in common. Even Mr. Brandish complained about the dust and dirt and having to work all night repairing our walls.”
    â€œThat was only temporary,” Melanie said. “Not a reason to leave. What else happened?”
    â€œIlene came back to work one day after lunch to find her terrier dead. It was lying in the middle of the studio floor.”
    â€œI remember that.” Melanie poured Julie more tea. She seemed on the verge of tears. “But wasn’t he really old?”
    â€œNot that old. And he hadn’t been sick or anything. Ilene was distraught. He was her only family. She even let the vet do an autopsy. He was puzzled, and he found nothing. He said it must have been a heart attack. There wasn’t anything to suggest foul play.
    â€œIlene was so depressed. I stayed with her that night. The next day I bumped into Leona as I was leaving the school. She was headed for Ilene’s office.”
    â€œYou think Leona put pressure on Ilene at a weak moment?” Bryan thought of how strong and intense Leona was.
    â€œThat’s all I can think. When I came to work the next day, I found Ilene gone and Leona the new owner, but she was gone, too. Voska seemed to be in charge, and you know how easy she is to talk to. She told me to continue with business as usual. By the end of the week, I had the letter and the money from Leona.”
    There was a moment of silence while they considered Julie’s story. Then Bryan spoke. “You don’t think Leona had anything to do with the dog dying, do you?”
    â€œI don’t know what to think, Bryan. Surely not.”
    â€œIlene just disappeared?” Melanie asked. “She didn’t leave you a note? Have you heard from her since?”
    â€œI got a scribbled postcard from London. She’d mentioned that she’d always wanted to go there. But I didn’t understand her not telling me she was going—much less that she’d sold the school. We were pretty good friends.”
    â€œAre