Ray jabbed his finger at the Elizabethan theater. “Who is going to tell them their friend is dead?”
“Remember,” June whispered to Cait, “actors are tough and ego driven but supportive of their own when it gets right down to it. It’s the same with stage managers. Give Ray room to vent his frustrations, and he’ll be all right.”
Cait looked at Ray’s flushed face and then at the actors walking into the theaters and drew a deep breath. “It’s your responsibility as stage manager to tell them what happened, but I’ll do it if you’re not comfortable with making the announcement. I hope they’ll stay. Kenneth Alt has agreed to step in and fill the role of Hamlet.”
Ray kept his eyes on the actors. “They’ll stay if I ask them to. Nobody wants to let you down, Cait, but I’m not sure I should ask them to stay. When will it end? What would you do in their shoes?”
Frustration gnawed at her. “I’m carrying a lot of guilt over this, Ray. I don’t like it, but it is what it is. Try putting yourself in my shoes. What would you do?” Their raised voices caught the actors’ attention. “The performances are sold out. Please don’t shut me down.”
“Their lives are at stake,” he said.
“They have contracts,” Cait said.
“So do I,” he said, “but contracts can be broken.”
“Cait—” RT cut in.
She cut him off. “This is my battle.”
“Then you might remember that while you’re standing here exposed, Wally could have you lined up in the crosshairs of his AK-47 again.”
She’d neglected her own safety while she worried over the actors. She glanced at those standing outside both theaters with confusion etched on their faces. “How do you want to handle this, Ray?”
Ray’s shoulders slumped. “June, please ask everyone to congregate in the green room.”
June nodded and hurried off.
Cait followed Ray to the Elizabethan. She trusted him to do the right thing while she was doing everything possible to keep the festival going. There was no other choice.
Jim remained outside the theater with Niki to guard the door. Once everyone had gathered in the room, Cait stood off to the side to collect her thoughts in case Ray called on her.
Ray took his time, his gaze canvassing the room of expectant faces. “I have sad news. We’ve lost a friend. Chip Fallon is dead. He was murdered last night.”
After an initial frozen silence, the room filled with the sounds of people gasping and sobbing.
His blunt pronouncement stunned Cait, even though she knew what was coming. Her eyes misted. She wanted to curl up in a corner and go to sleep, then wake up and hear Chip telling her it had all been a joke. The warmth of RT’s arm around her shoulder comforted her and helped her collect herself should Ray ask her to speak.
Ray glanced at Cait and cleared his throat. “We have a decision to make. Should we close the show?”
Cait saw Kenneth Alt across the room, head bowed. She worried that under the circumstances, he wasn’t strong enough to step into Chip’s place, that he’d be overwhelmed with guilt because of their constant arguing. She looked at the distraught faces in the room but couldn’t help but wonder which one of them was supposed to have carpooled with Chip last night. No one exhibited signs of guilt, only shock at the loss of their friend.
The first question came from Paula, who played Hamlet’s mother. She coughed a couple of times and then said, “We can’t have a show without Hamlet.”
Alt looked up.
Ray nodded. “True.” He hesitated. “But we’re fortunate Kenneth Alt is here. We all know he’s a seasoned and respected actor. He’s played the role of Hamlet numerous times. He’s agreed to take over the role if we decide to continue.” His gaze swept the room as he waited for their response.
Despite the undertones of surprise in the room, Paula rose from her seat on the sofa and went over to Alt. “Kenneth, how do you feel about it? Would you be able to after . . .” she faltered, her voice shaking.
Kenneth impressed Cait when he took Paula’s hands in his. “I’ll do it if you want me to.”
Paula nodded. “We’d all be happy if you would be our Hamlet.”
Cait wondered if she’d misjudged him. She still wanted to know his real reason for coming here. Maybe the time had come to ask.
An hour before the matinee, Rook, McCloud, and the officers did a thorough search of both theaters but found no one lurking about. RT took Niki with him to check the house before he’d let Cait go upstairs to change her clothes.
Cait showered and dressed in white slacks, pink silk camisole with matching blouse, and white sandals. When she went downstairs, she felt heat rise in her cheeks as the desire in RT’s eyes drew her to him.
He grinned. “You look damned edible.”
RT escorted Cait to the Blackfriars theater and then had a few words with the officer stationed at the door. He whispered to Cait, “I have to go. When you’re ready to leave, this officer will escort you to the Elizabethan.” He gently touched her hand and then left. Annoyed to be passed from one person to the next, her instincts were to run out the door and take her chances on her own. Instead, she found a seat againt the wall to watch the reaction of the audience and how they responded to being so close to the stage. Her gun was tucked beneath her blouse and rubbed against the wooden chair when she shifted in her seat, reminding her to pay more attention to her situation than the play.
One of Shakespeare’s most thoughtful plays, Macbeth was fueled by the occult, battle scenes, and lusty passion. Part mystery, part action, and part drama, it was one of Cait’s favorite plays. Performed on the small stage with only two chairs, two goblets, and the crown, the play focused on the psychology of the characters with the crown as a central image to the play. She admired the simplicity and elegance of the costumes and tried to visualize Tasha dressed in a costume like the one worn by Betsy Ryder, the current Lady Macbeth.
She rose, walked to the back, and whispered to the officer, “I’ll be okay. I’m armed,” and slipped out before he could respond. She tracked her gun over the courtyard as she kept her eyes on the surroundings. She listened for sudden movements, footsteps, or nervous birds taking flight.
When she reached the outdoor theater, she tucked her gun back under her blouse and joined June inside at the rear of the theater.
“How’s he doing?” Cait whispered.
“Kenneth is a pro.” June pointed to the other side of the theater where Detective Rook stood with a uniformed officer. “Looks like our detective’s enjoying the play.”
“Or keeping his eyes on Kenneth in case he decides to run.”
June shook her head. “Not going to happen. Kenneth’s innocent.”
Cait hoped so, but someone had murdered Chip.
Act 5, scene 1, began with Hamlet and Horatio entering the stage, then pausing to listen to the first gravedigger sing snatches of a ballad as he digs in the earth. Cait watched Kenneth for signs of inability to respond to the situation as he filled the role of Hamlet, but she saw nothing abnormal until the gravedigger tossed up a skull and then dashed it to the ground.
Alt stood frozen long enough for the audience to start buzzing. Cait silently urged him on. Finally, he began musing upon death as the great leveler of all people. Hamlet questioned the gravedigger and learned the skull was that of the king’s jester, who died twenty-three years ago.
Cait hadn’t realized she’d been holding her breath until June nudged her. “Let’s go backstage.”
Cait followed June down the aisle and out the door, where they ran into RT.
“Niki’s missing,” RT said.