Stage Fright (9 page)

The figure still had his back to the camera. He was leaning over a box, his right leg bent and lifted in mid-stomp. Flames from a small fire licked up towards his foot.

“He must have tossed his cigar butt without thinking,” Mike said.

The final photo left no question as to the identity of the subject. A clear image of Preston Stringman was captured as he ran from the scene, clutching his fedora to his head, and framed against a backdrop of debris engulfed in flames.

“That’s definitely Stringman,” Thomas said, “So Monroe didn’t do it!”

Schmidt shrugged “Well, the guy who set the fire is dead. The guy he wrongly blamed is dead. And the woman who took the photos is dead. No one was ever charged with a crime. So, other than satisfying your curiosity, I’m not really sure what we’ve accomplished here. Is there anything else I can help you folks with?”

“You can help us get the Evening Star to print a retraction,” Thomas said

Schmidt pushed back his baseball cap and scratched his hairline. “From a story they published in 1955?”

“The Star fed off of that story for weeks and ruined an innocent kid’s reputation. They published Preston Stringman’s accusations about Kip Monroe as a matter of fact and this police department issued a statement that the fire was probably arson and that the likely perpetrator had died committing the crime. What was that headline, Bridge?”

Bridget flipped through her file then tapped the photocopy of a headline. “Reclusive Greaser Likely Firebug in Bijou-Rialto Conflagration.”

“Right,” Thomas said. He crossed his arms over his chest and stared at Schmidt. “Well?”

“Aw, shit!” the detective said. He swivelled to face the monitor, minimised the window of scanned images and clicked on a documents folder on the computer desktop. He scrolled down until he found a subfolder labelled “Closed Cases.”

He hovered over the file ‘Rialto/Bijou Fire 12 August 1955– Closed 15 August 1955’. He paused then tilted his head from side to side. The pops from his realigning vertebrae rang out in the quiet room. Without turning from the screen he said, “I’m going to be here all night filling out paperwork. Can you find your own way out?” His annoyance was obvious.

Chapter Six

News crews were waiting for them when they arrived at the theatre late the next morning.

“Looks like Schmidt made some calls,” Thomas said.

The reporters had swarmed the van before they had stepped out. Toni stuck close to Thomas’ side as tape recorders and microphones were thrust towards them. “Mr Becker, Dani Cross from News Six. Can you tell us how the Paranormal Research Team discovered the evidence that will almost certainly clear Kipling Monroe’s name?”

Toni squeezed his arm and he smiled down at her. She winced and hoped he understood that she didn’t want him to tell the whole truth. Thomas pasted on his TV star smile. “Dumb luck, Dani. We were going through some old items and happened to find the film negatives. It was really the hard work of the Travois Police Department and Detective Bob Schmidt that cracked the case.”

A stream of questions rushed out from the other journalists. Thomas held up his hand. “I’m sure Detective Schmidt would be happy to give you the particulars. However, I think the real story here is the restoration of a Travois landmark. The Bijou will reopen tonight thanks to its new owner, Mike Briggs.” Thomas nodded towards Mike and the huddle of reporters shifted to surround him.

While Mike happily fielded questions out on the sidewalk, Thomas, Toni and Bridget slipped into the theatre. They’d just wriggled out of their coats and gloves when a delivery man wheeling a dolly stacked with boxes entered the lobby. He steered the cart around the stack of metal Paranormal Research Team equipment cases that were stacked near the entrance. Bridget signed the receipt and directed him to drop the load behind the concession stand. “Candy’s here!” she said. They opened the cartons and began arranging the colourful boxes of snacks in the case.

Toni had just started unloading the stacks of soda cups and popcorn buckets when Mike strolled in grinning from ear to ear. “That was awesome! The TV station is going to send a crew back in a couple hours to film the interior for a story about the grand opening to run on the evening news.”

Mike reached under the counter and pulled out a box marked ‘Sign Letters’. “I’ve got to go put the movie title on the marquee. Can somebody go grab the ladder? I left it in the theatre when I was changing the bulb in the Exit sign.”

“I’ll go,” Thomas offered heading for the screening room.

He burst back through the swinging doors seconds later and sprinted for the pile of silver cases. Toni could see that his hands were shaking as he worked the latches and yanked open the lids. He pulled out the full spectrum camera and passed the infra-red to Mike. He handed Bridget the digital voice recorder. “You guys aren’t going to believe this,” he said, heading back towards the theatre.

* * * *

Mike and Thomas led the way through the swinging doors with their cameras poised. Bridget and Toni followed close behind. Toni craned her neck to see around the taller men. When they’d fanned out to film, she got a clear view of the theatre. Every seat was occupied. The audience was made up of people from a different time in disparate clothing styles that spanned the decades. She recognised the spirits from the VIP lounge and noticed Priscilla Stringman sitting between her father and stepmother. The translucent beings all stared at the blank screen, reacting with silent laughter and applause to an unseen movie.

Thomas and Mike walked the opposite aisles, pausing occasionally to get close-up shots of the ghostly patrons. Bridget took a position halfway down one side and held up the digital voice recorder.

Toni stood alone at the rear of the room, not sure where to look next. A warm tingle washed over her body and she felt a puff of hot air on the side of her neck.

“You did it, doll.”

Toni turned to see Kip Monroe standing beside her. She reached out to touch him and her hand slipped through his body. He winked in response then started walking towards where Bridget stood. The redhead stared as he approached and when he passed through her, her body jerked. Thomas stepped in front of the ghost and walked backwards, continuing to film as Kip headed to the left of the stage. Mike joined him and the men trained their cameras on Kip as he pushed on the door and held it open. The audience members rose as one then filed slowly towards the exit. Some patted Kip on the shoulder as they passed him on their way out. Others just nodded and smiled.

Toni’s stomach knotted as Preston Stringman advanced to the front of the receiving line, but when the ghost clamped his stogie between his teeth and extended his beefy hand, Kip only paused a moment before accepting the handshake. Bitsy was next. She kissed the greaser on the cheek then slipped her fingers into the crook of her husband’s arm and let him lead her into the night. When it was her turn, Priscilla Stringman took a step backwards and brought her camera to her eye. Kip mugged for the picture. Once she’d got her shot, Priscilla held out her arms and he pulled her into a long hug. After he released her, the photographer turned to the back of the theatre and waved. Tears filled Toni’s eyes as she returned the farewell.

When the last spirit had gone, Kip slowly scanned the empty seats then smiled at the team. “Enjoy the show, folks!” he said then dissolved away. The heavy metal door swung shut and the four ghost hunters were alone.

* * * *

Toni and Bridget rushed to keep up with the steady stream of customers at the concession stand. They sold a tub of popcorn to the last one in line then grabbed drinks for themselves. Bridget headed upstairs to join Mike in the booth and Toni went to find Thomas in the theatre. She settled in beside him just as the house lights dimmed.

Mike’s voice filled the room over the PA system. “And now, ladies and gentleman, the Bijou Theatre proudly presents, ‘The Gentleman’s Wish’.”

 The packed house erupted with applause and Thomas reached over and squeezed Toni’s hand. She stole glances at him throughout the movie and when a beautiful actress dressed as a cigarette girl entered the scene, he smiled. He mouthed the words as Claudette Becker delivered her line, ‘Will there be anything else, sir’?

She was only on the screen for a moment, but Toni could feel the affection rolling off Thomas. In that moment she felt as if she finally understood him and his desperate need to prove the existence of life after death. She had seen the relief on his face when they’d played back the video and found that the ghostly audience had been caught on tape. He’d said that people would probably claim that they’d faked the footage, but he didn’t care. He knew it was real. It seemed as if the weight of the world had been lifted from his shoulders. Toni felt different too. As soon as Kip had disappeared, she’d felt something shift inside her. The underlying edginess that had been with her since her first ghost encounter had instantly dissolved away. She felt certain that she’d been visited by her last spirit. The realisation made her somewhat sad, but mostly relieved. She was looking forward to a life where she was ‘just Toni’. She glanced at Thomas and concluded that she was also looking forward to a life spent with just him.

They stayed until the last credit had rolled and the applause had died down, then found Mike in the lobby surrounded by well-wishers and locals thanking him for bringing back the Bijou. When the last patron had left, Mike locked the front door, flicked off the marquee lights and joined the others at the counter. Bridget served up buckets of buttered popcorn. Mike grabbed four disposable cups from beside the pop machine and filled them with champagne. “To new beginnings,” he said and raised his drink. The others repeated the toast, touched their cups together then drank.

“Congratulations, Mike. What a great night! Here’s to a long and happy future,” Toni said raising her glass again.

Mike smiled. “What about you, Becker? What are you going to do now that we actually caught evidence of ghosts on camera—this time without Toni frying the equipment?”

Toni playfully stuck out her tongue at Mike and he winked back at her.

Thomas wrapped his arm around Toni’s waist and pulled her close. “I think I’m ready to retire from the ghost-hunting business. Maybe I’ll settle down, get married.”

He tightened his grip and Toni stared up at him. He smiled at her. “What do you say, Bianchi? Do you want to spend the rest of your life with a washed-up TV star?”

She answered by wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him.

* * * *

Toni lay back on the pillows and watched Thomas undress and her body thrummed with anticipation. He slid into bed beside her and propped himself up on one elbow. With his free hand he traced the swell of her breasts, her nipples tingled and tightened at his touch.

“I love you, you know,” he said.

“And I love you, Thomas. Only you.”

When he moved to lie on top of her, she could feel his hardness against her thigh and her sex grew hot and wet. She ran her fingers over the muscles of his arms and shoulders, up his neck and across his handsome face. Lacing her fingers in his hair, she pulled him into a kiss. While his tongue probed her mouth, she wrapped her hand around his cock and guided him to her opening. He gradually pushed into her and she spread her legs wide to accept him. He took his time loving her, pulling out of her to tease his way down her body and taste her pussy. Sliding a long finger into her wet canal he expertly stroked the bundle of nerves just inside. Still massaging her G-spot, he clamped his lips over her clit, sucking and flicking the nub with his tongue. The sensation was like nothing Toni had ever felt and she arched into him. Pleasure surged from inside and out, like waves crashing into each other on a stormy ocean. He kept massaging and licking her, increasing his pace as she bucked her hips in climax. The intensity of it rippled out from her core and she was only vaguely aware of her own cries of rapture.

Before she could catch her breath, he was moving back up her body, leaving a trail of wet kisses over her stomach and breasts. He drew a hardened nipple into his mouth and twirled his tongue over the sensitive flesh, then dragged the pink bud through his teeth and pushed into her again. Each stroke was ecstasy. Now his lips were on her collarbone, then the side of her neck and he sucked hard until she cried out at the perfect balance of pleasure and pain. As she felt another orgasm building, he grasped her wrists and held them fast against the pillows above her head. She let herself get lost in his power over her and the quickening pace of his thrusts. He seemed to read her every need and as she climbed towards release he crushed his mouth against hers and rammed hard into her, exciting her clit with every advance. Her moans were lost against his possessive kiss and she felt his hot cum spurt deep inside her as her slick walls squeezed down around him.

They remained joined together while they caught their breath, then Thomas kissed her tenderly and slid to one side, draping an arm and leg over her body. He stroked the side of her breast as she drifted off. Her last thought before sleep overtook her, was that she was finally where she was meant to be.

Epilogue

They were married in the spring under a stand of pines beside the lake at Thomas’ cabin. Mike officiated the sunset ceremony and no one was surprised to learn that he’d received his online ordination years before.

As the four lounged in their camp chairs, sipped champagne and roasted hotdogs over the fire near the shore, Toni was overcome with gratitude. In the months since helping Kip and the other Bijou Theatre ghosts cross over, she’d not had a single visit from the other side.

Thomas patted her knee. “How about some dessert?” Toni nodded then watched her new husband walk to a small picnic table and arrange marshmallows, chocolate bars and graham crackers on a tray. Bridget had pouted when Toni’d told her they didn’t want a traditional wedding cake. The redhead compromised by sticking a plastic bride and groom into a convenience store muffin. Toni thought it was perfect. Everything about this day had been perfect and she marvelled at the people and events that had brought her to this place.