of her tea. âI 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. Iâve never seen anything like them. That blue-gray like translucent ice. If they were any lighterââ
âTheyâd seem to vanish?â Melanie asked.
Julie blinked. âYes, Mel. Yes ⦠Thatâs how they impressed me.â
Seth grabbed a handful of cashews. âSounds as if you donât feel entirely comfortable at the school, Julie. How come youâve stuck around?â
âWhen I knew Ilene Greenway had sold, I planned to quit. But I got a letter from the Dance LaâVousier 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.â Julie shrugged and smiled. âSo I stayed. I do feel pretty settled in here. That was in late July, I think.â
âA checkâshe sent you a check?â Seth asked.
Julie thought about Sethâs question. âNow that you mention it, it was an international money order.â
âWhy do you think Ilene sold the school, Julie?â asked Melanie. âShe and my mother were friends. Mom canât believe she left. Dance was her life, and she had told my mom that she loved it here. Sheâd planned to stay until she retired.â
Julie shook her head. âI was surprised. The money, maybe. She said Leona had offered her a lot. That coupled with several annoyances.â
âLike what?â asked Bryan.
âWell, Leona bought the Arbuthnot Shop first, it seems. We didnât 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
âThat was only temporary,â Melanie said. âNot a reason to leave. What else happened?â
âIlene came back to work one day after lunch to find her terrier dead. It was lying in the middle of the studio floor.â
âI remember that.â Melanie poured Julie more tea. She seemed on the verge of tears. âBut wasnât he really old?â
âNot that old. And he hadnât 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 wasnât anything to suggest foul play.
âIlene 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 Ileneâs office.â
âYou think Leona put pressure on Ilene at a weak moment?â Bryan thought of how strong and intense Leona was.
âThatâs 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.â
There was a moment of silence while they considered Julieâs story. Then Bryan spoke. âYou donât think Leona had anything to do with the dog dying, do you?â
âI donât know what to think, Bryan. Surely not.â
âIlene just disappeared?â Melanie asked. âShe didnât leave you a note? Have you heard from her since?â
âI got a scribbled postcard from London. Sheâd mentioned that sheâd always wanted to go there. But I didnât understand her not telling me she was goingâmuch less that sheâd sold the school. We were pretty good friends.â
âAre
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