The Angel Singers by Dorien Grey Page A

rephrase that, since I think any relatively intelligent primate could figure that out easily enough. What I meant was, how they got along out of bed.”
    “I really don’t think it’s my place to say.”
    “I disagree,” I said. “It’s important that I find out as much as I possibly can about the people involved. Every bit of information is like a piece of a jigsaw puzzle…” I realized as I said it how often I used that analogy, but true is true. “Some of the pieces may not fit, but a lot of them very well might, and one of them may be the key to the whole mystery.”
    Rothenberger sighed. “I’d known Crandall as a member of the chorus’ board and been a guest at his home many times as well as seeing him regularly at all the chorus functions. Over the space of the five years since the chorus was formed, he has had a number of young men in his company—one supposed son of a college friend staying with him while he attended school, another the supposed son of an East Coast business associate and, lately, his dear nephew Grant. I really don’t know why he bothers with this charade, but he does.
    “Anyway, I sensed in Grant a harder edge than most of his predecessors, and I was sure Crandall would not be able to dismiss him quite so easily as he had the others.
    “Grant was also the first of Crandall’s charges to have an interest in singing, and when Crandall informed me he wanted Grant to be in the chorus—it was not put in the form of a request—I simply told him that Grant would have to audition like anyone else. Crandall was obviously less than pleased, but wisely chose not to make an issue of it. I did agree to have Grant audition here rather than before a regular rehearsal as is the normal procedure.
    “When Grant arrived, I must say I was favorably impressed. He could be quite charming when it suited his purposes, and I was a bit surprised to find that he could actually sing! A very pleasant high baritone, which meant he could sing either tenor or baritone parts. So, while we really didn’t need either another baritone or another tenor at the moment, given Crandall’s dark cloud on the chorus’ horizon I didn’t want to alienate him. Besides, it never hurts to have a few more singers than the chorus really needs—spares, as it were.
    “And sure enough, two weeks later one of our tenors had a job transfer out of state. I was going to put Grant in the tenor two section, but then Jonathan came along and we ended up with both.”
    He paused, as if to give me a chance to say something, but I passed and he continued.
    “Crandall never misses an opportunity to try to undermine my authority. His insistence on Grant’s accompanying him on his frequent weekend gambling jaunts to Las Vegas, despite knowing full well the importance I place on Saturday sectional rehearsals, was merely another way of goading me.
    “And it didn’t take long after he joined before Grant began to show his own true colors—grandstanding, playing one member off against another, building his own little clique, making very unsubtle passes before, after, and sometimes during rehearsals. He especially seemed to target members he knew had partners. If he didn’t like a song, he would openly complain, or simply stand there and not sing it. He seemed to think that being ‘related’ to Crandall gave him special privileges, and when I made it clear to him that it did not, I started getting phone calls from Crandall.
    “One of the more interesting involved the ridiculous accusation that I was being vindictive against Grant because he had rebuffed me after I’d made several passes at him. Whether that’s what Grant had told him or he was making it up, I have no way of knowing. I find it difficult to imagine Crandall didn’t know full well what Grant was up to.”
    He shook his head, sighed and looked at me with a small smile. “Do I strike you as the kind of man who would be so stupid as to make passes at members of my own