Read Pie A La Murder for Free Online

in front of the glass and brass entrance. Even though I’d read that the hotel had acquired a new owner, the name remained the same, as did the large entwined letters “O” and “G” etched onto the glass door in ornamental script.
    The first visible indication of new management was the lobby. Gone were the pagan temple scenes and the wall frescoes depicting Greek gods and goddesses at play. They had been replaced by live trees and wall paintings of a lush forest and men in Shakespearean costumes. I realized that we’d walked into As You Like It when I read the words on the large scroll on the wall among the painted trees:
    And this our life exempt from public haunt
    Finds tongues in trees, books in the running brooks. Sermons in stones and good in every thing.
    What the name “Olympia Grand” had to do with Shakespeare I didn’t know, but I found the new design attractive and tranquil. I preferred it to the former owner’s gaudy decor.
    The As You Like It theme continued in the main ballroom. Previously, it had been called the Elysian Room and the tables had been encircled by two dozen artificial palm trees; now it was the Arden Room, and the palms had been replaced by a virtual forest of trees with thick green foliage.
    Just inside the double doors to the ballroom was a table with three women sitting behind it, checking guest lists.
    Liddy stepped up to the nearest woman. “I’m Lydia Marshall. These are my guests, Della Carmichael and Celeste D’Martino.”
    “Oh, no,” Celeste protested. “It’s not D’Martino. I’m Celeste Fontaine.”
    “Fontaine?” I said.
    “I use my mother’s maiden name. It’s less . . . ethnic .”
    At that moment, I felt a stab in my heart for Nicholas.
    Liddy picked up the little envelope of tickets that had our table number on it, and led us through the maze of tables in the ballroom to our assigned seats.
    Celeste followed Liddy, and I followed Celeste, which allowed me to see how many male heads turned toward her as we passed.
    We were the first to arrive at our table of eight, but the majority of members of the Hollywood Film Society were already there, milling about, looking for their seats and talking to each other.
    Liddy placed Celeste between us and began pointing out some major names in the industry. “See that man with the red hair? He’s the creator-producer of Medical Cops , the top-rated show on CBS. The man he’s talking to is the top director of sitcoms in the business.”
    “TV’s fine, but I’m only interested in films. Who’s here that does those?”
    Liddy indicated a slender man with a shock of hair that stood up straight, giving him the appearance of having just suffered a powerful jolt of electricity. “That’s Brian Grazer. He’s produced some of the most successful movies in the last ten years. The man with him is the director Francisco Mantillo—they call him the new Fellini.”
    Celeste wrinkled her perfect nose in distaste. “His movies don’t make much money. Anyway, he’s gay.”
    Liddy’s eyebrows rose. “You’re not going to do very well in Hollywood if you don’t like people who are gay.”
    “That’s not it—half my friends in London and Vienna are gay. It’s just that he stayed with us at Freddie’s chateau in Gstaad last winter and wasn’t interested in me at all.”
    Liddy asked, “You live in a chateau in Switzerland?”
    “Only during the winter so we can ski.”
    I couldn’t stop myself from asking, “Who’s Freddie?” Celeste wrinkled her nose again. “Mummy’s prince.” She straightened up, good posture making her even more striking. “Oh, look. There’s Chad Moody!”
    Currently, the world’s number one movie star.
    “He’s one of my husband’s patients. Bill aligned his teeth for him.” Liddy stood. “I’ll introduce you.”
    Celeste gripped Liddy’s wrist, holding her back. “No, don’t. Mummy and Freddie say that people are supposed to come to you .”
    And at that moment, someone