Page 92 of When She Dreams

“What happened to her?” Maggie asked.

“She worked at lunch counters until her death a few years ago. Dolores got her mother’s looks and tried to become an actress. She landed a few small parts, but in the end she failed. She found work as a receptionist in the office of a doctor who specialized in dream analysis.”

“Is that how she met Arthur Guilfoyle?” Sam asked.

“Yes, but at the time he was a struggling actor named Arthur Ellis. Apparently he had dream issues.”

“I think he really is a lucid dreamer,” Maggie said. “It explains why he booked an appointment with that doctor.”

“True,” Raina said. “At any rate, it wasn’t long before Dolores and Arthur apparently realized there was money to be made in the dream business. They decided to go out on their own as a team.”

“How did they end up here in Burning Cove?” Sam asked.

“Dolores’s financial situation underwent a dramatic transformation when Carson Flint died,” Raina said. She turned a page in the notebook. “He had a change of heart after his son was killed in a motorcycle accident. Flint redid his will and left everything to Dolores. Mostly that meant the Summer House estate here in Burning Cove. There was some money, but not a lot, because Flint was hit hard by the crash and lost more when the Depression got underway. The Guilfoyles must have used every last penny to renovate and refurbish Summer House in order to convert it into the Institute.”

“When did Dolores Johnson and Arthur Ellis become the Guilfoyles?” Sam asked.

“They did not become Mr. and Mrs. Guilfoyle until Dolores discovered she had inherited the Flint estate,” Raina said.

“Hah,” Maggie said. “Arthur married her because she inherited Summer House.”

“The timing is somewhat questionable,” Raina said.

“But why the name change?” Sam asked.

“That,” Raina said, “is a very good question. I suspect it has something to do with the fact that four years ago, Dolores Johnson and Arthur Ellis were living in Keeley Point.”

Sam smiled slowly. “Well, damn.”

“According to the librarian at the Keeley Point Library, they were running ads in the local paper promoting the Ellis Dream Program.Arthur Ellis billed himself as the Dream Master. They both disappeared shortly after Virginia Jennaway was found dead on the beach.”

Maggie looked at Sam. “The Dream Master signature on the bracelet. That’s Arthur Guilfoyle.”

“That’s it.” Sam snapped his fingers. He went to stand at the edge of the small pond. “The blackmailer found out the couple now known as the Guilfoyles could be linked to the Jennaway death.”

“At this late date it won’t be possible to prove that either of the Guilfoyles drugged Jennaway on the night she drowned.”

“That’s the thing about blackmail, isn’t it?” Sam said. “The extortionist doesn’t have to prove that a crime was committed. All that is necessary is to threaten the target with public exposure. The fear of scandal and tarnished reputations does the rest.”

“Very true,” Raina said.

“But why blackmail Lillian Dewhurst?” Maggie said.

Sam turned away from the pond. “I’ve got a feeling Dewhurst was a target of opportunity. The blackmailer must have discovered that she was a member of the Astral Travelers Society for a while. Dewhurst has a big secret to protect—her identity. A scandal involving drugs and a dead woman could ruin her career.”

“How did the blackmailer know Aunt Cornelia would attend the conference?” Raina asked.

“There was no way to know,” Sam said. “That’s why the instructions in the note told her to purchase a ticket and attend the opening event.”

Raina nodded. “A target of opportunity, but not one of the primary targets. Things got confused because the imposter showed up claiming to be Cornelia.”

“I’m almost positive now that Nevins was the blackmailer,” Sam said.

“Who was murdered by one of her intended victims that first night,” Raina said. “That fits.”

“Where does all this leave us?” Maggie asked.

“It leaves Detective Brandon with a probable murder on his hands,” Sam said. “But I doubt he’ll be able to pursue the Nevins investigation. There isn’t any hard evidence, and no one seems to be applying pressure.”

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