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Teddy was confused. Viveca’s young man had gone up on stage and moved the microphone, a totally bizarre gesture that had to mean something. Teddy had already connected Bruce to the death of the gossip columnist, and while he’d never seen Bruce and Dylan the gofer together, they were connected through Viveca.

He was up to something.

There was danger, but it was spread out among Gino Patelli and his henchman, the potential hit man in the audience, and Viveca’s young man sitting just two rows away.

If anything was going to happen, it would happen soon. The Oscars were winding down. Peter had picked up his second Oscar for Best Director, which meant the Best Actor and Actress categories were coming up. After that it was Best Picture. That was the moment of most danger. It would happen then, as all the producers and writers and director and actors would mob the stage to celebrate the acceptance of the award. It would happen in that confusion.

If Desperation at Dawn won, they would all be on stage, easy targets. If another picture won, the mob on stage would attract attention away from those left in the audience. Teddy and his friends would be sitting ducks. That was the only possible instance in which the man he had marked as a potential danger might strike.

He considered walking the aisle to make sure the man he’d spotted earlier was still in his seat.

Before he could move, the music swelled and they were back from commercial.