“OH MY GOD, YES!” Thomas held Delphi at arm’s length and drank in the sight of her. “You look like a Sargent. No, a Renoir!”
“She hates hearing that,” Isobel said. “That’s why she has more piercings than a confused teenager.”
“Some women take a lot of work to look good in period dress.” Thomas glanced over his shoulder. “You know what I’m saying?”
“I know who you mean,” Isobel said.
Thomas pursed his lips. “Saucer of cream for the kitty?”
“That came out wrong,” Isobel protested. “I like Marissa. She’s just full-figured.”
Thomas picked up Arden’s second-act dress. “There’s nothing wrong with Marissa’s figure. Victorian dress is particularly well suited to voluptuousness as long as it’s proportional. Not to speak ill of the dead, but Arden was the challenge. A stick with boobs. No matter what I put her in, she looked like the cover model from Sports Illustrated dressed up for Halloween.”
Delphi smirked in Isobel’s direction. “Looks like you’re going to have to share your cream.”
Thomas waved his hand up and down the length of Isobel’s body. “It’s going to take some doing to make her clothes work for you. It’s a four-incher.”
“What’s that?”
“I have to take in her costumes four inches in every direction. You’re petite.” He whipped a tape measure around Isobel’s chest and made some quick notes. “You’ll keep your own first-act costume. The blue muslin is sweet on you, and Emma and Jennie are both upper class, so that’s fine. Besides, Arden’s first-act costume is still at the hospital. No idea when, if ever, we’ll see it again.”
“And I’ll wear this?” Delphi said, gesturing down at the mint and cream dress draped elegantly on her body.
“Yes. That was Talia’s townsperson costume. She’ll have to keep the Marjorie Moody gown on throughout, but we’ll throw on a shawl or a cape for the first act. I’ve got some other pieces I can use.” He knelt down behind Delphi and gathered up the excess fabric in the back. “This is a bit of a problem, though. I don’t have a bustle for you. I’ll have to stuff up some rolls and pin you. Won’t be the most comfortable thing, but it’ll do in a pinch. I might be able to borrow something from Capital Rep.”
He unzipped Delphi, and she stepped out of the dress. “It’ll all be altered and ready to go by tonight.”
Isobel rubbed some yellow grosgrain ribbon between her fingers. “Did the people from the Donnelly Group show last night?”
“They did not.”
Isobel’s face fell. “That’s disappointing.”
“But you know who was here?” Thomas asked, his eyes glinting.
“Roman Fried from the Post,” Delphi said.
Thomas jerked a thumb at Delphi. “I don’t like her. She ruins my punch lines.”
“I know because I was seated next to him.”
Thomas gave a knowing smile. “You were in Irv Donnelly’s seat.”
Delphi and Isobel exchanged confused glances. “What do you mean?”
“I’m not sure exactly what it signifies, but I know that those two seats were originally meant for Irv and guest. And instead they were taken by Fried and…you.”
Isobel frowned. “Do you think Donnelly is still going to come?”
Thomas pulled a black cape off a hanger and swirled it around his shoulders. “Who knows? It depends why he canceled and what his interest level was to begin with.”
“And I suppose it depends on what else Fried writes this week,” Isobel said.
Thomas stopped mid-swirl. “What are you talking about?
She affected a lofty smile. “He has tickets through the weekend.”
“Reeeeally.” Thomas turned abruptly and draped the cape over Talia’s ball gown.
“We’re wondering why he’d come back for more. Seems a bit masochistic,” Delphi said.
“Indeed,” said Thomas, his voice muffled by the rack of costumes.
“And also, who tipped him off in the first place,” Isobel said. “Any ideas?”
Thomas emerged from the costumes, a thoughtful expression on his face. “Don’t you think this is but one more example of sabotage? Add it to the masking, the laxative, the orchestra parts… Obviously, somebody wishes ill on this production.”
“Yes, but who?” Isobel asked.
Thomas examined a pincushion shaped like a tomato. “There are candidates. The most obvious is Geoff Brown, of course.” He appealed to the ceiling. “Why are the cute ones always straight?”
“Aha!” Isobel cried.
“Oh, my pearls!” Thomas gasped, clutching his chest. “Pleeease don’t tell me you’re shocked by my admission of homosexuality.”
“Hardly,” Isobel said. “But Jethro seems to think there’s something going on between Geoff and Ezra.”
“Why would Jethro think that?” Thomas sighed dramatically. “Ezra. There’s another one. So manly. But, alas, also not for the likes of me.”
“But seriously,” Delphi broke in, “why would Jethro say Geoff and Ezra were a couple?”
“To make it look like they’re somehow in cahoots,” Isobel said. “Because if Geoff is responsible for any of this, the only things he could have done himself are tip off Roman Fried and mess up the orchestra parts. He wasn’t around for the other stuff. As far as we know.”
“Geoff may not have a boyfriend, but he does have a girlfriend.” Thomas paused for effect. “Or three.”
“I think he’s dating Talia,” Isobel said. “Sunil and I saw them in Price Chopper.”
“But is he just dating Talia?” Thomas asked.
Isobel cast her mind back to the conversation. “She said, ‘I’m not playing games anymore,’ and then Geoff promised to do something. I don’t know what. I thought she might be referring to doing his dirty work backstage, but maybe she meant being two-timed.”
“Or three-timed,” Delphi remarked.
“So who are the others?” Isobel asked.
Thomas pretended to think, but Isobel knew the names were on the tip of his tongue. “Heather, and there were rumors about Kelly. You know, it’s a small theater community up here.”
“So, basically, Geoff has slept his way through half the women in the company,” Delphi said.
“That doesn’t explain Talia. She’s up from New York and she mostly does opera,” Isobel pointed out.
“What about Arden?” Delphi asked. “Did Geoff date her?”
“Not that I know of, although that doesn’t mean he didn’t. There are only ten people in theater, you know. We all just change costumes.”
“And three of us are in this room,” Isobel quipped.
Thomas touched the side of his nose knowingly. “That’s what I’m saying. It’s a small world. It’s certainly possible Geoff and Arden knew each other.”
“It still doesn’t answer the question we came in with,” Delphi said to Isobel.
“My head is so turned around, I’ve forgotten what it was.”
“Why is Roman Fried coming back to see the show six more times? Or are you too miffed that we found out before you did to investigate why?” Delphi jammed a loose pin into the tomato pincushion and tossed it to Thomas, who caught it deftly.
“Au contraire. I’m more motivated than ever to find out. After all, I have a reputation to uphold.”