PARADOXICALLY, ISOBEL WAS more nervous for her second performance as Jennie. She hovered by the entrance to the orchestra pit, chattering at Hugh.
“It’s completely understandable,” he said calmly. “Last night you were a hero. You could have botched everything, but it still would have been a triumph simply because you got through it. Tonight’s audience is expecting a performance. And you’re doing the whole show.”
She tugged at her bodice. “Is that supposed to make me feel better?”
“I’m just saying you should cut yourself some slack. You haven’t had the benefit of a rehearsal period.” He tapped his baton against his palm. “Accept that tonight is not going to be perfect, and use the performance as an opportunity to get more comfortable. How’s Delphi holding up?”
“Girl’s got nerves of steel.”
“Isobel! Can I talk to you for a moment?” Jethro lumbered toward her.
“Um, sure, I guess.”
“You were magnificent last night,” he panted. “I have to tell you—”
“If you have notes for Isobel, they’ll have to wait until tomorrow. No notes after half hour, and we’re at five,” Hugh reminded him.
Jethro glared at him. “It’s not a note!” He turned to Isobel. “I wanted to say you were Jennie. Absolutely uncanny.”
“Oh! Thank you,” Isobel said, flustered. “I don’t know if my performance will be as good tonight. I’m kind of nervous. But I’ll try my best.”
“The sweetness that was missing in your Emma was right there with Jennie.” To her surprise, Jethro took her hand and kissed it, and when he raised his head again, there were tears in his eyes. “Breathtaking. I’m deeply grateful.”
“I told you,” Hugh said as they watched him leave. “We all wanted you, but Felicity insisted the role be cast Equity. The Miss New York angle didn’t hurt, either.”
“Sunil said he thought Emma was better for me because she’s feistier.”
“She isn’t really,” Hugh said. “I think you were hitting her hard because you had so little to do.”
She gave him a pained look. “You never said!”
“You never asked.” He kissed her forehead. “But Delphi is Emma now, and you’re Jennie, so go out there and enjoy being the star.”
If Isobel hoped seeing Hugh before the show would settle her, it had the opposite effect. Feeling even more off-kilter than before, she went in search of Delphi and found her in the dressing room with Marissa. Thomas’s head was up her skirt, while Marissa looked on, amused.
“If I didn’t know better, I’d say you were being harassed,” Isobel said.
“Just fixing the bustle roll,” Thomas said, muffled.
“It came undone,” Delphi explained.
Thomas reappeared, his blond hair tousled, and smoothed down Delphi’s skirt. “You should be good to go. Toi, toi!”
He blew them all kisses and swanned out of the dressing room.
Isobel’s stomach dropped. “Did Kelly call places?”
“Not that I heard,” Marissa said.
“Whew! I thought I’d missed it. But what time is it?” Isobel asked. “I could have sworn five was about ten minutes ago.”
“I wasn’t paying attention.” Delphi looked over her shoulder in the mirror. “Does this bustle make my butt look big?”
“That’s kind of the point,” Marissa said.
“What were they thinking back then?” Delphi wondered.
Isobel shifted her weight impatiently. “What time is it?”
Marissa picked up her watch from her dressing table. “Ten after eight.”
“Kelly should have called places by now.”
Marissa shrugged. “Second night. Probably still some kinks being worked out. I’m sure she’ll call it any minute.”
There was a knock on the door. Heather opened it and stuck her head in.
“See?” Marissa said. “What did I tell you? Places.”
“Um, not exactly,” Heather said. “We’ve got a little situation, so we’re going up late.”
“Situation?” Isobel’s senses prickled.
“Nothing serious. I mean…it’s serious as far as the show is concerned, but nobody’s hurt. The stage manager’s book is missing. Kelly can’t call the show without it.”
“What?” Delphi cried.
Marissa, unaccountably, burst into tears.
“I’m sure it’ll turn up,” Heather said, although she didn’t sound like she believed it. “It’s got to be somewhere.”
“Like at the bottom of the Hudson,” Isobel muttered.
“Dan is on his way in with his copy. It should only be a few more minutes.”
Heather left to knock on more doors. Isobel turned to Marissa. “Are you okay?”
Marissa dabbed at her eyes with a tissue. “Yeah, sorry. I don’t know what came over me. I guess it’s all the tension, and Arden, and…” Tears trickled anew as Isobel and Delphi stood by awkwardly.
“We’ll leave you alone for a bit.”
Delphi followed Isobel into the hall. “The stage manager’s book?” She whistled. “Someone is definitely trying to shut this thing down.”
Isobel scuffed her boot against the baseboard molding and jumped when a piece of plaster fell off. “I’m not so sure. Is the person trying to shut it down or just hobble it? And if it’s the latter, is he or she pranking it so Fried will write about the shenanigans? Because even if they don’t succeed in shutting down the production, it’s a great way to tarnish a new property.”
“But shows go up late all the time for all kinds of reasons,” Delphi said. “That alone isn’t newsworthy.”
Isobel spotted Sunil and beckoned to him. “There’s also you going on cold for the first time. And who knows? Maybe something else will go wrong tonight.”
Delphi chewed her lip. “You know, sometimes I hate the way your mind works.”
“I’m troubleshooting. I think we should all be on our guard, that’s all.”
“Arden dying wasn’t enough?” Sunil asked.
“That still could have been coincidental,” Isobel said. “I mean, if somebody did murder her, why keep going with a prank like taking Kelly’s book?”
Sunil put a finger to his lips. “We should keep our voices down,” he warned.
“It goes back to the question of what the person is trying to accomplish,” Isobel whispered. “Someone may have killed Arden, but that hasn’t managed to kill the show.”
Suddenly, she froze.
Delphi grabbed her arm. “What?”
Isobel shook her head slowly. “It’s not a prank.”
“What isn’t?” Sunil asked.
“Hiding the book. It isn’t a prank,” Isobel said. “It’s hiding evidence. Kelly had the script page with ‘Die, bitch’ in the front pocket of her binder. Bet you anything if and when the stage manager’s book turns up again, the note will be gone.”