Murder in the Second Row (28 page)

‘Yes, thank you
Terence. It’s just slightly injured, nothing life-threatening I
assure you.’

She hobbled to
the box office. ‘How’s the house, Gerald?’

He didn’t say
anything, just turned the computer screen towards her. Her face
fell. About half the downstairs was booked, but the back half and
upstairs circle were empty. She sighed.

‘Well, it’s not
the worst house we’ve ever had. I suppose you saw the newspaper
crit? It certainly hasn’t helped, has it?’

‘You can’t win
with those things. If they’re too favourable the public think that
some friend of the theatre has written it and they disregard it –
if it’s unfavourable then they have an immediate excuse not to make
the effort to go to the show.’

‘Remind me
again why we do this?’

‘We’re keepers
of the flame, my dear. Slaves toiling in the service of culture and
history.’

‘And what if
one day we tired of the struggle and just stopped toiling?’

‘Two words.
Shopping Mall.’

Jessica
returned to the Green Room with dispiriting news of the second
night’s audience numbers and addressed the cast.

‘If any of you
can help with promoting the show, I’d be very glad of your
assistance. Since Nick’s been banged up in the clink I’ve had to do
publicity myself and I just don’t have the contacts that he does.
Please, if you have social groups that you belong to, get a poster
on their notice-board and take some flyers with you. Do the same at
your workplace. Email all your friends – promise them that seven
incredibly wonderful lucky things will happen to them in seven days
if they come to the show and forward your email to everyone they
know.’

There was a
ripple of laughter.

‘Wow, Jessica,
that’s viral marketing – very hip, very now,’ grinned Phil. ‘It’s
verging on spam, but in a good cause.’

‘Hey, I’ll use
any method that’s free and helps the theatre. Whatever gets people
in the door works for me.’

‘I suppose I
could suggest it as an outing for my chapter of the Red Hatters,’
said Simone grudgingly. ‘It’s a little tame for them but they would
probably make allowances since I’m personally involved.’

‘What are the
Red Hatters?’ Phil whispered in Jessica’s ear. She chuckled.

‘They’re a
group of menopausal matrons who let rip once they’ve reached their
mature years and do all the fun things they’ve been missing out on
while rearing children or working on their careers. We’d better
seat them well back or they’ll be throwing their knickers on stage
for you.’

Horror raced
fear across his face and won hands down. ‘Do they do that sort of
thing?’

‘Possibly. But
don’t worry, they’ll be easy to recognise. Just watch out for red
hats and purple outfits. I don’t think they bring men along, so at
least the Shaggers’ Shield should be safe.’

Phil retreated
with a shudder and went to sit close to Pippa.

‘So these Red
Hat ladies, Simone, they’re game for a bit of fun, are they? They
like a bit of a laugh?’ Austin winked and looked at her
knowingly.

‘I’m certain
that whatever you had to offer would indeed cause them to laugh, Mr
Sudgeway.’

His jaw dropped
as her words registered, and sniggers ran round the room.

‘She got you
that time, Austin!’

‘Ooh, that’s
harsh!’

‘Nice one,
Simone.’

She
acknowledged them with a small smile and a tilt of the head. ‘If I
was in the habit of procuring gentlemen for my friends, I would
seek someone of a higher calibre, I assure you.’

Austin pouted
and consulted his watch. ‘Five minute call!’

Jessica stayed
backstage during the performance as it was just too painful to limp
all the way out to the auditorium. There were enough people in the
auditorium for the actors to work to and she could tell from the
first few minutes that it was a responsive audience. Their laughs
could be heard through the back wall of the stage whenever one of
the “dated comic characters” had an amusing line.

When Erica came
in with a basket of goodies, Jessica helped her prepare and set out
the food ready for interval. The wall-mounted water heater began a
steaming shriek as it came to the boil and Jessica grabbed a
tea-towel to muffle it. The actors who were first off the stage as
interval approached, came out back and grabbed their cups of tea or
coffee, radiating the intense energy that comes from a
strongly-focused performance. They were high with the adrenaline
rush of remembering all the lines and cues and moves they needed to
be in the right place at the right time. In contrast, the stage
crew were laid back and relatively relaxed, eyeing the excitable
actors with amused tolerance.

‘There’s a
weird woman in the second row,’ said Howard. ‘Just sitting there
glaring – hardly reacts at all.’

‘Better than
that guy with the neighing laugh on prompt side,’ said Phil. ‘He
nearly threw me off my cue when he was braying so loudly after the
dragoman’s line about Balaam’s ass.’

Austin called
beginners for Act Two so they hurriedly gulped their coffee and
went back to work.

After the show,
Jessica limped out to the foyer to assess the crowd’s mood and to
see how they’d enjoyed the show. The murmurs were more subdued than
the previous night but generally sounded positive. Once all the
patrons had left she went over to the bar.

‘You’re not
staying open tonight for the cast and crew, are you Greg? Let’s
shunt them all home and shut up shop. Our security guys would
appreciate an early night, I’m sure.’

‘Yeah, I wasn’t
planning on another party night. The beer’s almost run out and I
need to re-stock tomorrow. My other half will be happy to see me
home, too. Hey, did that lady find you?’

‘What lady was
that?’

‘Dunno. She
asked if you were here so I pointed you out when you came in. I
assumed she’d go and talk to you.’

‘Nope, didn’t
see her. I guess it wasn’t important. She can get my autograph some
other time!’

She slowly
collected up empty glasses from around the foyer and lined them up
on the bar ready to be washed. There were several beer bottles out
on the street so she picked them up for the recycling bin and
brought in the “No Parking” signs that held spaces open, out front,
in case a fire engine needed access.

At last Howard
was finished with setting the stage and appeared in the foyer to
take her home.

‘Wait here,
Jessica, I’ll bring the van round. Can’t have our little princess
waiting on the street, can we?’ He ducked out of the door as she
pretended to throw a bottle at him.

Minutes later
he tooted from the street and she limped to the front door to meet
him. On her way out, she inadvertently banged her sore toe against
the door frame. With a gasp of pain she hopped to Howard’s van,
rested one hand on the roof and bent over to check her foot. As she
did so something flew past her ear and shattered the passenger
window with an explosion of crackling glass.

‘Bloody hell!’
Howard popped out of the driver’s door like a jack-in-the-box.
‘What on earth was that?’

They heard
scuffling noises, getting fainter as someone ran off down the
narrow alleyway beside the theatre.

‘Oh hell, look
at that, there’s bloody glass everywhere.’ He walked around the
front of the car muttering darkly. ‘And I’ll bet the insurance
glass cover only means windscreens not windows. Blasted vandals.
You all right, Jessica?’ he asked, a bit late.

She was looking
into the car through the rim of broken glass around the window
frame. There was a heavy stone on the passenger seat in a pool of
glittering shards. She wasn’t quite sure under the orange
streetlights, but the paper wrapped around it appeared to be
purple.

‘Not really,’
she said shakily. ‘I think we’d better call Jack for this one.’

Jack sat beside
Jessica on the foyer sofa. She wrapped her hands round the mug of
hot coffee that Greg had made for her and tried to stop her teeth
from chattering.

‘It’s a b-bit
chilly tonight, isn’t it?’ she said, knowing perfectly well that it
wasn’t.

‘It is for
someone suffering from shock,’ said Jack, knowing perfectly well
that she was. ‘Now just take me through it one more time. You came
outside, the stone came at you just as you bent down, and you heard
someone running through the alley, right?’

‘That’s it,
apart from Howard pacing about madly, cursing at his broken
window.’

Howard, who’d
just come in after taping plastic over the shattered glass, looked
at her reproachfully.

‘Hey, I’ve only
had the van six months, I’m allowed to be upset when it’s damaged.
At least I stayed round to look after you and didn’t go chasing
after the little brats that did it.’

‘I’m glad to
hear that,’ said Jack. ‘Especially as I don’t think it was kids
aiming at your car. I’m afraid it was someone actually trying to
harm Jessica. If that stone had hit her in the head it would have
done very serious damage. The message that was wrapped round it
made the intention pretty clear.’ He read him the note.

My hand shall
be the first raised to slay you; the rest of the people shall join
in with me. I shall stone you to death, because you sought to lead
us astray from the LORD, our God. Cursed be he who does the LORD’s
work remissly, cursed he who holds back his sword from blood.”

Jessica
shuddered.

‘I’m not sure I
like being the target of a raving lunatic. It was bad enough when
they were attacking the theatre, but now it’s become a bit too
personal.’ She turned big brown eyes to Jack. ‘I don’t suppose I
could have you as a permanent bodyguard until they’re caught? I’m
sure it’s the only way I’d ever get any sleep.’

Howard saw the
look Jack was giving her. ‘OK,’ he said. ‘I can see my cue to
leave. Let me know if there’s anything you need, Jess, but I’m
guessing there won’t be.’ He grinned and left them alone in the
foyer.

‘Um, I’m going
to need a ride back to my place, Jack. Is that all right?’

His smile sent
new and much nicer shivers down her spine. He stood up and pulled
her gently to her feet then cupped a hand round the back of her
head, placing a soft kiss on her lips. Her arms went round his neck
and pulled him down harder. She let the heat from his body soak
into hers, pressing against him first for comfort, then with
increasingly urgent desire. Finally he broke free with a
chuckle.

‘All right
miss, that’s enough, we have to get you home now. You need to be
tucked up safe and warm in bed. I’ll even let you play with the
emergency light on the way, if you like.’

‘And the
siren?’

‘No.’

He supported
her as far as the door then checked outside and came back for her.
‘All clear, come on.’

Despite Jack’s
reassuring presence she couldn’t repress a shudder as she reached
his car. The image of a big rock rushing towards her head made a
cold sweat break out. She got in hurriedly and breathed a sigh of
relief as Jack closed the door.

He drove off
quickly and smoothly, but she was puzzled to see that he was
driving away from her place instead of towards it.

‘Where are we
going, Jack? It’s a bit late to be out sightseeing, isn’t it?’

‘Just making
sure we’re alone. I don’t want to worry you, but if there’s
somebody who’s determined to do you harm, I’d rather not lead them
to where you live. It’s a good thing your name’s a nice common one
– they’d have trouble identifying you from the phonebook. I assume
you’re just listed as “J. Jones”?’

‘Of course.
There are a hundred and thirty five Joneses listed in the Whetford
phonebook so I should be pretty safe.’ A thought occurred to her.
‘Greg said there was some woman asking for me in the bar tonight
but I never found out who it was.’ She shrugged. ‘I don’t suppose
it’s relevant.’

‘Right now,
everything is relevant,’ he said. “I’ll talk to Greg on Monday.

Jack pulled in
to the police station car park and switched off the engine, winding
his window down to listen for any vehicles idling out on the street
or driving away. Satisfied that all was clear, he drove Jessica
home and firmly locked her in the car while he checked all round
her house for any signs of tampering.

She resisted
the temptation to fiddle with the alley lights or the radio,
content to wait patiently until he reappeared on her garden path.
When he had escorted her inside they stood awkwardly for a moment.
She had sudden doubts about whether they were on the same page or
not.

‘Um, is it
really OK for you to stay the night, Jack? Purely for protective
purposes of course – no pressure. I’d very much like you to stay if
you can.’

‘I was going to
insist, but since you’ve invited me so nicely I accept with
pleasure.’ His dark eyes met hers. ‘Where would you like me?’

Her doubts
melted under the intensity of his gaze. And she couldn’t resist a
gift line like that.

‘Jack, I want
you – I want you between my…’ she paused, and he leaned forward
eagerly. ‘I want you between my bedroom and the front door, in case
of intruders.’ She burst out laughing at his exasperated look. He
eyed her severely.

‘Jessica, there
are times when your smart comments could really put a man off his
game.’

‘Oh, come on
Jack, I’m just messing with you. It’s my way of dealing with
serious stuff, OK? You must have figured that out by now. Get into
the bedroom, will you? It’s late enough already.’

She lay in bed
watching him prowl around checking the windows before climbing in
beside her.

‘Tired?’ he
asked softly.

‘Not as tired
as I hope to be.’