Cherry Cheesecake Murder by Joanne Fluke Page B

between her front teeth. Now, she was thin and glamorous, with a nose that looked much straighter and teeth that were white and even.
    “I never would have recognized her,” she said, shaking her head. “Is Larchmont her stage name?”
    “Yes, but it’s also her married name. After we split up, Linda changed her name to Lynne and went out to California to try to make it in the biz. She was there for over six months and almost ready to give it up and catch the next Greyhound home when she got lucky and landed a small part in a TV drama. That led to another, slightly bigger part in a made-for-cable movie, and that’s when she met Tom Larchmont. She always says that being Tom’s wife is the best part she ever landed. He’s rich, a lot older than she is, and he’s totally crazy about her.”
    Hannah could hear the sincerity in Ross’s voice. “You don’t sound at all bitter.”
    “I’m not. Tom’s a nice guy and I’m glad Lynne found someone. It worked out great for me, too. Tom’s financing this whole project because Lynne read my script and she told him she wanted to play the lead.”
    “What’s the movie about?” Hannah asked him.
    “Lynne’s character, Amy, is haunted by memories of her father. He’s dead, a suicide, but she just can’t come to terms with it and it begins to break up her marriage. Then her aunt dies, the aunt that raised her, and her shrink tells her to go back home for the funeral and try to lay the ghost of her father to rest. Amy goes back to Cherrywood, stays in her old family home with her older brother, Jody, and starts to have flashes of memory that don’t mesh with the explanation he gave her the night of their father’s death. Are you with me so far?”
    “I’m with you.” Hannah said, clearly fascinated by the story that was unfolding. “So the story the brother told Amy was a lie?”
    “That’s right. Amy realizes that she’s been brainwashed by Jody and her fraternal aunt, the woman who came to live with them after their father died. The aunt knew Jody killed his father, but she perpetuated the lie because she didn’t want her nephew to go to jail.”
    “A circle of lies,” Hannah commented.
    “Right. During the cocktail party that Jody hosts for her on the last evening of her visit, Amy relives the night of her father’s death, which took place right before a big cocktail party. It all comes back to her with startling clarity, and she finally realizes that Jody killed their father, why he did it, and how.”
    “Sounds fascinating. Does she confront Jody when the memories come back?”
    “Yes, and it’s the pivotal scene in the movie. When Amy tells Jody she remembers, he kills himself with the same gun he used to kill their father.”
    “You mean right there at the party in front of the guests?”
    “That’s right.”
    Hannah frowned slightly. “That’s awfully dark.”
    “That’s true. There are a couple of cheerful scenes of Amy as a child and as a teenager that lighten it up a little, but it’s still the story of a fatally flawed family. The only thing that saves it from complete tragedy is that Lynne’s character goes back to her husband and family at the end.”
    Hannah glanced over at Lynne again, wondering if her college friend could handle such a demanding part.
    “Oh, she can do it,” Ross said, answering Hannah’s unspoken question. “She was always a pretty good actress and she’s gotten even better over the years. When she married Tom, he sent her to a top-notch acting coach and she worked one-on-one with him for almost two years.”
    “Good for her. How about Burke Anson? Does he play her husband?”
    Ross shook his head. “He’s her brother, Jody. This is his first movie role. Burke’s a better actor than you’d think from watching his commercials.”
    “Really?” Hannah gave a little laugh. “You mean he can do more than hang ten?”
    “A lot more. You probably think of him as an empty-headed surfer, but he’s capable