“She knew Jenna. There are photos of them together.”
“She did not tell me that,” Ann replied, her voice lifting. “We need to have another talk with Lynne.”
“I’m going to drive by the Music Hall, see if there’s a concert playing tonight. If so, I hope to catch her at the end of a work shift. Want to join me?”
“Count me in.”
“I’ll call you back if it looks promising. If not tonight, we’ll track down her home address for a conversation first thing in the morning.”
Evie said goodbye and drove to the Music Hall. She called David as she drove, setting up her phone for a hands-free conversation.
“Hey, Evie.”
“I’ve got a name for you. Lynne Benoit. Candy looked at the photo and said ‘Wannabe Maggie?’ when I asked if she knew the girl.”
“Oh, boy.”
“Yeah. She’s still living in this area.”
“I’m pulling up DMV now. The name doesn’t click as one of Maggie’s problem fans.”
“Lynne works backstage at the Fifth Street Music Hall. Think back to the concert the night of your accident, being backstage with Maggie. Lynne would have been an overeager staffer, ready to get anything Maggie might need, was probably working the dressing room area.”
“That describes a lot of people. But cross it with a devoted fan and that contact could have sparked an obsession,” David said. “Hold on here . . . okay, DMV shows six matches for the name.”
“She was in college with Jenna, so you’re looking for late twenties.”
“It’s going to help to see that photo you have of her from nine years ago. None of these images are ringing a bell. Wait . . . okay, here—I think the one you’re looking at is a Lynne T. Benoit. The age fits, and she’s still in Ellis. She lives at 37 Garver Road.”
Evie felt a surge of adrenaline. “I recognize the street. That’s about midway between Brighton College and the Fifth Street Music Hall. Single-family homes are along that stretch. Ann and I walked the cross street to it.”
“I’m checking property records now. I get a Nancy and Kevin Benoit, property purchased in 1982, probably her parents. Lynne would have grown up in that house. Goes to the nearby college, lives at home, works at the Music Hall. Let me guess, music major?”
“Another yes. That night was huge in Lynne’s life. Getting to meet her idol, a photo with Maggie, an autograph, to speak with her in person, help her get ready to perform—Lynne would have been layers above cloud nine by the end of that evening. She leaves the Fifth Street Music Hall after that experience, she’s not going to want to go home to her parents, be alone in her room. No, she’s going to want to share every detail with friends. Who better with than a girlfriend who was at the concert?”
“Jenna.”
Evie nodded as she drove. “I don’t know much about Lynne yet, but put Jenna and Lynne together, something gets said wrong about Maggie, or Jenna steps on Lynne’s dream to make it as a singer one day—according to Candy, she had talent—maybe Lynne lashes out at Jenna and that ends this mystery.”
“Where are you now?”
“On my way to the Music Hall to see if a concert’s on tonight, catch Lynne at work. Ann said Lynne was vague on the search for a missing college girl, but I’ve got photographs of Lynne with Jenna and her friends. Lynne is conveniently erasing Jenna from her memory, something you might do if you had a hand in her death.”
“Call me if there’s a concert and I’ll come meet you. Otherwise I’ll start digging up more data.”
“Will do. I’ll know in about fifteen minutes.”
Lynne Benoit . . . Maybe Jenna had disappeared because of a her.
The Fifth Street Music Hall was lit up, but there weren’t the cars and crowds to indicate a concert. Evie debated finding the night manager, getting a read on Lynne, a copy of her employment records, but reined in the impatience. Odds were high Lynne would be working tomorrow night. The marquee announced the band Priceless was being promoted for Friday and Saturday nights, with The Chili Peppers once again warming up the crowd.
Evie called David, then Ann, letting them know a conversation with Lynne would happen in the morning. She then drove south to Garver Road and slowed enough to snap photos of house number 37 as she passed. A well-maintained, single-family two-story home, bushes lining a narrow driveway, a detached garage behind the house, probably three bedrooms, built in the 1950s. There was an older model blue Civic parked in the driveway with both a college bumper sticker and a Music Hall sticker. The plate read LYN 3356.