“Unless of course you wish to talk about it?”She dropped the too obvious hint.
I did not, and we had moved on to other bits and pieces of theater conversation.
It did seem that she was not particularly looking forward to the tour this time.
“It does become tiring, and then there is all the competition from other actors and only so many productions. I have managed to save a substantial amount of my earnings. A girl must always have another plan waiting in the wings, don’t you think?”
Now as I arrived at the theatre, I hoped that Templeton might know Angeline Cotillard or at least be able to tell me something about her.
“The woman is quite despicable!” Templeton announced as we met in her dressing room.
That was certainly getting off to a most interesting start. And Ziggy had yet to make an appearance. Still, it was not wise to linger.
“What of Angeline’s personal life?”
Was she married? What was known about her family? Rumored lovers?
“She will sleep with anyone in order to get a part in a play, and I have heard that she has even slept with the president of France! She has absolutely no scruples.”
I thought that was a bit like the pot calling the kettle black, however in the interest of our current inquiry case I thought it best not to point that out.
“What else do you know about her? Anything that might be useful?”
Templeton’s eyes widened. “Is she a suspect in a case?”
“Merely someone who might know something about a private matter.”
“In other words, you cannot tell me.”
Those were the words.
She sat back in the chair at her dressing table with a thoughtful expression, the very image of Cleopatra, whom she had portrayed to great success.
“She would have everyone believe that she is descended from royalty,” she began. “Some distant, long-dead relative.”
“In France?” That did seem somewhat risky, given the purges and the new republic that had been created.
“Some Hungarian prince or other. It changes from time to time. I suppose that it depends on whom she is trying to impress. I have also heard that her mother worked the streets and her father, the man who some said might be her father, was merely one of her customers. She was then raised by another woman in the theater. She has been kept by more men than you have fingers on both hands.”
It did seem as if we had wandered into an area of speculation, rumor, or gossip, that didn’t tell me a great deal.
Yet it did seem that Angeline was an enterprising sort. The men of her ‘acquaintance’ were rumored to include the Prince ofWales, the very same host of that weekend of gaming and other ‘sporting.’ But what did that mean?
I did consider the fact that Templeton was rumored to have once held that lofty position with Bertie.
“The woman is absolutely unscrupulous!” she continued, on a roll, as they say.
“There are even rumors that one of her lovers died under suspicious circumstances over a piece of jewelry or a precious stone or some such that was quite valuable. He died while in the midst of…”
I understood her meaning.
“Does your current inquiry case involve her?” she asked with no effort to disguise her curiosity. “And you are now back with Brodie?”
Not exactly subtle. It was amazing how she managed to slip in a personal question. The truth was, I didn’t know where Brodie and I stood.
I explained that we were working together on the present case which didn’t answer that one question and didn’t fool her for a moment.
“Of course,” she replied.
