Cait had never experienced such a tender gesture from a child and instantly fell in love with Niki. The dog pawed at her jeans, his soulful brown eyes begging for attention. She crouched in front of him. “You’re beautiful.” Overwhelmed, she looked up at RT with tears in her eyes. “Please thank Mindy for me the next time you talk to her.”
“I will.”
Everyone gathered around Cait and Niki, talking and laughing while the dog bounced around, barking at the attention he’d drawn. RT released the leash from Niki’s collar, pulled a dog treat from his pocket, and gave it to Cait. “Give him this.”
“Won’t he run away?” Cait asked, as she offered the treat to Niki.
“No, he’s trained to follow commands. I’ve got his food, bowls, and favorite pillow in the trailer. I’ll bring them to the house later.”
The dog grabbed his treat and ran with it.
Cait rose, her eyes on Niki. “I’ve never had a dog.”
“In case you’re wondering,” RT said, “he’s house-trained. Take him upstairs with you at night.”
“About time you got a dog.” Ray Stoltz walked over, and his face softened into a smile as he watched Niki. “Maybe now this place will be safer.”
Is this the same angry Ray from a few minutes ago? “I’m sure it will be. There’s lots of space for a dog to explore.”
Ray turned to Detective Rook. “All that’s missing from my truck is the hammer. No need to file a report.”
Rook nodded. “Let me know if you change your mind.”
Cait wondered what turned Ray from Godzilla into a friendly human being. Was it Niki?
RT closed the door on his trailer and locked it. “Time I met the actors.” Niki ran up to him. “You too, buddy. Maybe you can sniff out the bad guy, if he’s around.” He pulled another treat from his pocket and gave it to Niki.
“Jim and I should set up the benches,” Marcus said. “We could use help. How about it, Ilia? Think you could put your camera down long enough to help carry tables and set them up under the trees?”
“Sure,” Ilia said.
“I’ll help, too,” Fumié said.
Cait hung back while the others went ahead. She looked over the golden hills sloped in shadowy patterns beneath the late-morning light. This is my world now, far from city traffic, streets packed with people rushing to their destinations, and the smell of pollution. But I’m responsible for the mayhem that followed me to this valley, and it’s up to me to solve it.
She caught up with RT, Rook, and June. “I’ll be at the Elizabethan. I want to talk to Ray.” She wanted to get him alone. If he had another problem besides his truck being broken into, she wanted to know, particularly if it had anything to do with the actors or crew.
Cait entered the theater through the side door and waited while it closed with a soft wheeze behind her. She heard raised voices from the back of the theater and looked up the aisle, but whoever was there was hidden in the shadows. When the voices became heated, she tiptoed up the aisle and slipped into a wall recess to listen.
“Why else would you come here except to check on me?”
Cait thought she recognized Chip Fallon’s voice.
Someone laughed. “I’m not here because of you. You’re not worth my time. But since I am here, I’ll see the play and hope you don’t screw up. Hamlet deserves the best to play him. Trust me, that’s not you.”
Cait cringed at the harsh words directed at Chip.
“You arrogant bastard, Alt! You probably consider yourself to be the best,” Chip said.
Cait peeked out from her hiding place. Oh no. Kenneth Alt? Chip? All I need is hostility between the two men to ruin the festival. She was about to confront them when Alt continued.
“If you’d paid close attention, you might have learned something when I was Hamlet,” Alt said.
“Ha. Then explain why Tasha invited me here and not you,” Chip said.
“Because I’m too busy getting ready to direct Hamlet at OSF. She must have been under a lot of stress at the time she asked you,” Alt said. “Don’t forget, she was murdered.”
“We don’t know that for sure. You must be desperate for roles now that you’re getting up there in years where roles are fewer and further between.”
“That’s totally absurd! I’ve got more requests for my services than I can handle.”
“Tell me why you’re here,” Chip demanded. “To gloat that you removed me from your short list? I would have made a better associate artistic director than you would as a director.”
“Time will tell,” Alt said. “It always does.”
“What the hell does that mean? Don’t you dare do anything to screw up this festival. Cait’s got enough on her mind after inheriting this place.”
“As I said, time will tell.”
“I know what your problem is, Alt. You’re a jealous has-been.”
Cait heard a shuffling of feet and what sounded like a thud. Suddenly, the gun at her back felt heavier. She pulled her cell from her belt in case she’d need to call Detective Rook to intervene. She hoped Alt and Chip could resolve their problem before she’d be forced to evict them from the premises. But then what would she do without someone to play Hamlet?
“Go rehearse your lines,” Alt said. “I’m sure you need to.”
“And I’m sure you should go back to Oregon,” Chip snapped.
Cait heard feet approaching and slipped out the door. She waited a few seconds and then went back in as if she’d just gotten there and didn’t know what had taken place between Alt and Chip. She hoped she would learn more by playing innocent, unless the situation progressed too far.
Alt stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Cait. “I didn’t know you were here.”
She smiled. “Just came in.” She glanced over his shoulder and saw Chip walking down the aisle behind Alt. “Were you rehearsing?”
“No, I’m not in the play,” Alt said.
Of course you’re not, she thought. So why are you here?
“Cait,” Chip said. “I want to talk to you. Got a minute?”
“Sure.”
“Let’s go backstage,” Chip said.
Cait felt Alt’s eyes on her back as they went up the stairs. Before they slipped behind the curtain she glanced back, but Alt had disappeared.
Chip ushered Cait to a far corner of the green room, surprisingly empty of actors and crewmembers. His voice rushed, he asked, “Cait, did you invite Kenneth Alt to come here?”
“Of course not,” Cait said. “Why would I? I’d never met the man.” She wondered if she should tell him about her phone conversation with Alt a month ago, when she’d asked for the names on the short list, but she decided to wait and see where this conversation was going.
Chip nodded, his unruly blond hair falling across his forehead. “Don’t get me wrong. There’s no denying Kenneth Alt is a great actor, about as good as they come. He’s going to direct Hamlet this season at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. That’s a big deal, and I admit he’s earned it.” He glanced around the room. “But he’s got some hidden motive for coming here. I don’t trust him, and I don’t think you should, either.”
Surprised by his warning after he’d praised Alt’s work, she said, “Those are strong accusations, Chip. If you know why he’s here, please tell me. If not, I’ll find out myself.”
He shook his head. “I don’t know, other than to torment me.” He brushed his hair back. “Look, it’s no secret Alt and I don’t like each other. We weren’t rehearsing. I wanted to know why he was here. I don’t want him to spoil your festival or for you to get hurt.”
She drew in a deep breath. “You think he’d hurt me?”
“Not physically.”
“Well, I assure you I’ll be safe and so will you and the rest of the actors. Several police officers will be here this weekend.” She considered telling Chip why Alt was the least of her worries unless his reason for being here affected the festival. Then Chip flashed his dimples, and she didn’t want to spoil his day with more bad news.
“Good,” said Chip. “I was happy to see June and Jim Hart. They’re fine people.”
“All right, everyone,” Ray said, loudly and firmly, but not sounding unfriendly. “On stage.”
Actors streamed into the green room from several directions. Chip stepped close to Cait and whispered, “Jim Hart worked in the art recovery business—still does, I think. He’s smart. You can trust him with your life.”
Chip hadn’t told her anything she didn’t already know, except to keep her eye on Kenneth Alt. Her list of candidates to watch had grown.
Cait grabbed Ray’s arm before he got away. “I need a minute.”
He wiped his dusty hands on the front of his shirt. “What’s on your mind?”
She glanced around the room, which was buzzing with activity. “Can we step outside?”
Ray scowled, but followed Cait out the back service door and into the bright sunlight. “Make it quick. Actors are an impatient bunch.”
As are you, she thought. Her eyes swept the trees and shrubs for any sudden movement; she needed this moment of privacy with Ray. If he had a problem with the plays, the actors, or the theaters, she wanted to know. “It’s obvious something is going on with you other than your missing hammer. Can I help?”
Ray wiped his brow with his sleeve and looked off into the distance. “You don’t mess around, do you? I like that you’re direct, but it’s personal, okay? I can handle it.” He opened the door and slipped back inside without giving Cait a chance to respond.
Before the door closed, she grabbed it. “Does it have anything to do with your brother or one of the actors?”
“You’re way off base.”
Cait let the door click shut. What is it with these people? Kenneth Alt and Chip Fallon, and now Ray Stoltz. Is it this place or their work that brings out the worst in them?
She wondered if RT, Rook, and June were still waiting for her at the Blackfriars. She went around the theater and saw them heading toward her. She started to cross the courtyard as something hissed past her and slammed against a tree, a few feet from where she’d been standing, sending bark flying. The faint click of a rifle’s action told Cait the direction from which the shot had come.
“Gunshot!” Cait screamed as she threw herself on the ground. She reached for her gun and scraped her left palm as she crawled for cover behind a shrub.
There was a scurry of critters racing for cover.
Damn, this can’t be happening.
Another bullet pinged against the bricks near her feet, sending chips shooting in the air. She scooted back to get out of the line of fire.
A few people ran out of the theaters.
“Stay back!” Cait yelled.
“Everybody down!” RT and Rook yelled. RT dodged his way over to Cait with his gun drawn. Niki barked at the commotion. Rook covered RT with his own weapon as RT dropped down beside her. “Are you okay?” he asked as he scoured the area.
“Yes,” she said, breathing hard. “Oh, God! What about the actors? The crew? Anyone hurt?”
“I don’t think so. They’ve gone inside.”
Rook crouched beside them. “Let’s wait, then spread out and look for this sucker. If he’s smart, he’s running.”
They cautiously got to their feet. No shots were fired. Cait pointed across the courtyard. “The shots came from over there, by that oak tree.” She brushed her scraped palm down the side of her jeans. “I don’t know where Ilia and Fumié are. Or Marcus. I have to call and make sure they’re okay.” As she reached for her cell phone, June ran up to her.
“I called Marcus and the kids,” June said. “Everyone’s okay.” She looked Cait over. “What about you?”
“Fuming.” Cait held her gun down by her right leg. “Would you please go inside the theater and see if everyone’s okay? They must be frightened. I’ll explain everything to them later, but right now I’m going to help look for this jackass.”
“He can’t be far if he’s on foot,” Rook said. “I didn’t hear a motor start up, but I’ll head over to the parking lot anyway. Or maybe he left a car on the road and ran back down the hill.”
RT reached into his pocket and pulled out a knife. “I want that bullet.”
Rook stood watch as RT dug the bullet from the tree.
Ray Stoltz ran out of the theater. “Holy crap, Cait. I was so caught up in my own problems, I underestimated the seriousness of yours. You okay?”
She pursed her lips and nodded. “I’m afraid the actors will freak out after hearing gunshots, and when Actors’ Equity hears about this, I could be forced to close the festival.”
“I think I can help you with that,” Ray said and hurried off.
“Well, well,” June said. “Big Ray to the rescue. Cait, I told you he could be counted on when times got tough.”
“He’s a stage manager, June. How much influence could he have with Actors’ Equity?”
June glanced back at the theater. “I don’t want to know, but he seemed confident.”
“Look at this,” RT said. He held up the bullet he’d dug out of the tree.
Cait stared at it. “From an AK-47?”
“Or a variant of it that uses the same type ammo,” Rook said. “Cheap, used on the street, and easy to get.”
Cait took a deep breath to shake off chills running through her body. She looked over her shoulder several times, a nervous survival habit she’d acquired on her job. “Wally Dillon means business. Maybe Marcus was more intuitive than I realized.”
“What do you mean?” RT asked.
“Marcus brought his horse this morning. Let’s ask if he’s up for a ride.”