Wild Keepers

by Dee Bridgnorth

  And yet, there was something in her large, expressive eyes…something that he couldn’t quite put his finger on. Yes, she was beautiful, but it was more than that. He could see vulnerability in them, somehow. As if there was much more going on beneath the surface than she was prepared to show to anyone.

  The door opened, and Jack stuck his head out. “Evan, could you come in?”

  Evan entered the room again, sitting down next to the choreographer. What was her name again? Vera. He studied her covertly, while Jack sat down opposite them.

  The woman was middle-aged and as thin as a whip. She was dressed in a tight fitting black jumpsuit, with bright pink leg warmers, and her grey threaded hair was scrapped back into a tight bun the same as the other dancers that he had seen. Her mouth was set in a grim line.

  “Vera is concerned about Miss Roberts,” said Jack. “Perhaps you could tell Evan what you told me, Vera.”

  Vera reluctantly turned to look at Evan, her dramatic eyebrows frowning slightly. “I am not sure about this, Jack,” she said, her frown deepening. “This man has only just started with your security firm, and we would want someone experienced to watch her.”

  Jack sighed, leaning back in his chair. “I’ve already explained, Vera,” he replied. “Evan comes with great references, and is very experienced. Besides, all my other guys already have their duties. This is an extra that you are requesting, after all.”

  Vera sighed, her lips thinning into a tight line. “Very well.” She hesitated. “Miss Roberts—Maya—is having trouble settling after what occurred last week. Do you know the details of what happened…Evan, is it?”

  Evan nodded. “Yes, Jack filled me in quickly, and I have read about it. Miss Roberts discovered the dead man?”

  Vera nodded. “Poor David! Such an undignified way to go. He would have hated it.” She paused, her eyes filling with tears. “Maya is jittery, jumping at everything. Her dancing is suffering. She is scared to go anywhere by herself, and is even scared when she is in a group. She had a turn just now, in the rehearsal room. I settled her in her dressing room then came straight here to see if we can sort something out.”

  “Like what?” Evan stared at the woman.

  “I want Maya to be guarded,” said Vera. “Just until she has settled down and isn’t jumping at shadows so much. She is traumatised, but it’s more than that. She is genuinely fearful that David’s murderer might come for her next.”

  “She believes she is a target?” asked Evan, his frown deepening. “Why would she think that she would be targeted over anyone else? She didn’t see the murderer, did she?”

  Jack shook his head. “She said that she discovered David in the costume room, but that was all she saw.”

  Evan nodded. “I don’t blame her,” he said slowly. “Even if it is completely irrational, her fear is real. And the other side of it is that perhaps the fear isn’t irrational, at all. The murderer hasn’t been apprehended, and there is a chance it might not have been random.”

  Vera paled. “Do you think that it could be someone who works with the Company? That they are still here?”

  Evan shrugged. “I don’t know enough details yet to say,” he replied. “But, I might add, there have been rumours of deepening trouble within this ballet company for some time now.”

  No one replied for a moment. Then Jack sighed deeply.

  “It’s true,” he agreed. “The Company has been flailing for a while now. I’ve worked in security here for ten years, and it has never been like this, before. And then, there was what happened with Ariane…”

  Vera suppressed a sob. “Please, let us not speak of it. It is too painful.”

  Evan frowned, again. Who was Ariane? Was this something about the mysterious death that Thad had mentioned?

  He stared at Jack, hard.

  “Evan should know, Vera,” said Jac, gently. “It’s background, and it will help him in his job of protecting Maya.”

  Vera sighed. “Alright. But you tell him. It is still hard for me to speak of her.”

  Jack cleared his throat. “Ariane was an assistant costume designer with the company,” he began slowly. “She was also a very good friend of Vera’s. Three months ago, she was found slumped over her sewing machine, dead.”

  “Dead?” Evan stared at Jack. “But how?”

  “Apparently, she had a heart attack,” said Jack. “But she was very young, and had no history of heart disease in her family.”

  “It happened in this building?” asked Evan.

  Jack nodded. “Yes. The very same room that David was discovered in.”

  Vera choked on a sob. “I still can’t believe it,” she sighed. “Ariane was so fit and healthy! A young woman, of only twenty-eight! How could she have just had a massive heart attack and died like that?”

  Evan shook his head. “It is strange, but not unheard of. She may have had an underlying heart condition that was undetected. I assume they did an autopsy and confirmed it.”

  “So we were told,” said Jack. “But Ariane’s death was a shock, and now with what happened to David Wagner…”

  Evan nodded. “Yes, I follow you.” He turned to Vera. “So, you want me to act as a personal bodyguard to Miss Roberts, then?”

  Vera sighed. “I haven’t spoken of it with her, yet, but yes, that’s what I want.” She took a deep breath. “Maya is new here, and she is a principal dancer with the company. I am afraid that we will lose her if she doesn’t start to feel safe again. And we can’t afford for that to happen. I don’t know if the company could take another loss. Especially now that we have to replace David.”

  “Why can’t you just keep on the guy who is filling in?” asked Jack.

  “Because he isn’t experienced enough,” said Vera. “And a good ballet company has to have the status of a respected and well known artistic director. Nick is talented, but has yet to prove himself.” She took another deep breath. “Our patrons would not be happy if he stayed on as artistic director, and we have lost so many investors as it is. They want to see a star director at the helm of the Covenester Ballet Company.”

  Jack sighed. “So be it then,” he said. “But it is more change and turmoil for your dancers, in my opinion.”

  Vera sighed dramatically, rolling her eyes towards the ceiling. “We have to work with what we have,” she said. “I am committed to this company. I have worked here a long time, and I do not want to see it fail.” She paused. “It has such a long, noble history. It was formed almost as soon as Covenester was founded, you know. It simply can’t close because it is surrounded by scandal and rumour. I won’t let it.”

  Evan stared at the choreographer. A determined woman, obviously. A woman who was willing to fight for this place, and try to do everything that she possibly could to stabilise it.

  He wasn’t sure if that was going to happen, though. He was starting to believe, now, that there was something going on here. Whether it was Vilgath or not, this dance company was plagued by misfortune. It could be just coincidence…but it might not be. And the artistic director had been murdered under this very roof.

  He turned to Vera. “We should go and see Miss Roberts,” he said. “She will probably need to know that she has just been appointed a bodyguard.”

  ***

  Maya stared at herself in the dressing table mirror. Even without the lights on, she looked stark and pale. She glanced fearfully around the room, hearing the floorboards rattle from the dancers jumping in the rehearsal room. She should be with them, instead of sitting here alone and forlorn.

  She still couldn’t believe that she had collapsed during rehearsal. It was so unlike her. Usually, even if she was so tired she could barely stand, she pushed on. It had been drilled into her from an early age, after all. She still remembered her mother dragging her to ballet classes when she was recovering from sickness, adamant that she couldn’t let people down.

  Vera had brought her here, telling her that she needed to rest. Then the choreographer had gone, say
ing that she had an idea. She was going to fix everything.

  Maya smiled slightly. Vera was such a formidable woman. She had been the principal dancer with a Russian ballet company in her youth and was so passionate about dance. She had been choreographer here for many years and was known for her determination and flair.

  Vera wasn’t the type to desert a sinking ship. And it was slowly dawning on Maya that perhaps that was what the Covenester Ballet Company was. A veritable Titanic, teetering dangerously close to the iceberg.

  There was a soft knock at the door, and Vera entered, smiling broadly.

  “Maya, myshka,” she said, gently. “How are you feeling now?”

  Maya smiled. Vera was always calling the dancers pet names in Russian. Apparently myshka meant “little mouse.”

  “Much better,” she said in a small voice. “I’m so sorry, Vera. I don’t know what came over me.”

  “You have had a big shock,” said the choreographer. “And you are scared. But I am about to fix that.” She turned back to the door, gesturing for someone to come in.

  Maya’s eyes widened. A man stepped into the room. She recognised him immediately. It was the man who had been in the foyer, staring at the poster.

  He nodded to her. “A pleasure to meet you, Miss Roberts.”

  Maya’s smile wavered. She turned to Vera. “I don’t understand.”

  Vera sighed. “This is Mr. Evan Watts,” she said crisply. “He has just started with the security company, Maya. And I have decided that he is going to be your personal security guard.”

  Maya blinked rapidly. “My personal security guard?” She stared at Evan, doubtfully. “You mean, my bodyguard?”

  Vera nodded. “Yes, myshka. Your own bodyguard, so that you can start to feel safe again.”

  Maya stood up slowly. “I’m very sorry, Mr. Watts,” she said. “But you have been misinformed. I don’t need a bodyguard.” She turned to Vera. “You should have asked me before you arranged this, Vera.”

  Evan smiled. “It doesn’t have to be forever, Miss Roberts. And it doesn’t have to be overly intrusive.” He stared at Maya. “I would just be in the background, making sure everything is as it should be.”

  Maya could feel herself starting to tremble. A bodyguard? For her? Did that mean that Vera thought she was under threat of some sort? Was that why she had done this?

  “It would put your mind at ease, myshka,” soothed Vera, stroking her arm. “You are not coping, Maya. That is the truth of it. And if you are prima ballerina, you must be able to cope. The presence of Mr. Watts would just make you feel safe again, that’s all. And as Evan has said, it doesn’t have to be forever. Just until things settle down a bit.”

  Maya took a deep breath. “I am not a child,” she said crisply. “Nor am I mentally fragile. I don’t need someone looking over me, following me around. I can take care of myself.” She squared her shoulders then walked out of the room.

  Evan stared after her. “That went well.”

  Vera shrugged apologetically. “I will talk to her,” she said quickly. “Stay here.” She rushed out of the room.

  Evan stared around the room. It was filled with small dressing tables with mirrors above each one, surrounded by lights. A place where the dancers waited before shows apparently. He could almost picture Miss Maya Roberts sitting at one, putting on her stage makeup.

  Maya Roberts. His lip curled slightly. Prima ballerina. Primadonna, more like.

  Chapter Four

  Maya glanced over her shoulder. Yes, he was following her. A surge of irritation shot through her as she smiled sourly at him. Evan Watts, her own personal bodyguard.

  It was embarrassing. All the other dancers had stared at her, not speaking, when they had been told. Vera had explained to them all that Evan would be shadowing Maya for a while, until David Wagner’s murderer was found. So that Maya would feel safe. Maya had felt her face colouring as their gazes had fell on Evan, who even then was hovering behind her.

  It made her feel like she was some kind of crazy person, or an invalid, having to have her own bodyguard. Or that she was precious, somehow above the others, who didn’t need such protection.

  “Lucky Maya,” Isabel, one of the dancers who she also lived with, had said sarcastically. The other dancers had all tittered. Maya’s face had reddened further.

  And it was irritating, to say the least, being followed constantly. He even waited outside for her when she went to the bathroom.

  “Do you want to check that I washed my hands properly?” she had said to him, tartly, the first time. “Can’t you…go on a break, or something, while I’m in the bathroom?”

  Evan had smiled. “Thirty seconds,” he said.

  “What?” She stared at him, her head tilted.

  “Thirty seconds is how long you need to wash your hands for,” he said, his smile widening. “Would you like me to follow you in there so I can show you?”

  Maya had blushed and shook her head. “You are crazy,” she muttered, staring at him from beneath her eyelashes. What was it about the man that infuriated her so? Was it just because he had been assigned as her bodyguard or was it his personality?

  He relished teasing her and making her feel uncomfortable. He was always making jokes about following her into intimate places. Maya hardly knew how to react. If it had been Jack, or one of the other guards, she would have probably laughed along with them, or told them to casually bugger off. But she couldn’t do that with Evan Watts. Every time she attempted to, she would start blushing and any words that she had formed in her head to retaliate with would suddenly fly away.

  She felt like a fool around him. It didn’t help that he was just so damn handsome. It unsettled her, having him as her shadow.

  She still couldn’t believe that she had agreed to it. But Vera had persuaded her, gently, until finally Maya had come to see the value in it. Perhaps having him around would ease her mind. She definitely didn’t feel safe in this building, or anywhere, for that matter. Not while that creature she had seen, hovering on the ceiling, was at large.

  The creature that she couldn’t tell anyone about for fear they would all think her stone cold mad. Or even more than they already did, that is. Perhaps she was going mad. How could it be true, what she had seen? She had tried to piece it together in her mind, explain it, rationalise it. But the truth was, she had simply never seen anything remotely like it in her life, and it scared the hell out of her.

  Sometimes, she would raise her eyes to the ceiling, almost against her will. Fearfully. Sickeningly. Half expecting that the creature would be floating there, staring down at her. It never was, but that didn’t change the fact that she was scared. Damn scared.

  “Sleep well?” she called out to Evan now. At least he went home at the end of the day and didn’t sleep at her house. That was something to be grateful for. She didn’t know how she would handle it if Evan Watts was spread out on their sofa in his underwear.

  The thought of him in his underwear made her face glow pink again. Why had she thought of him that way? It wasn’t helping matters at all!

  “Very well, thank you,” he said, his dark blue eyes gleaming as they rested on her. “And what about our prima ballerina? Did you get the required amount of rest so that you can dance your little heart out?”

  Maya bristled. He always called her prima ballerina, as if it was an insult. And he was patronising about her dancing, as if he couldn’t believe that sane people actually did such a thing.

  Maya felt herself expelling air from her nose, like a bull in the ring. “I am a professional dancer, thank you,” she said, curtly. “You make it sound like I’m about to go out clubbing.”

  “Maybe you should,” he answered. “Let your hair down. See how the other half live. How people dance who aren’t professionals.”

  Maya reddened. “I don’t have any interest in nightclubs,” she said acidly. “But I’ll take your word for it, Evan. You are obviously familiar with dives.”

  She w
alked off, pretending that she couldn’t hear his laughter behind her. The man was simply intolerable. After this meeting, she would speak to Vera and tell her that she had changed her mind. She didn’t want a bodyguard anymore, thank you very much. She would just have to cope on her own. She should never have agreed to it in the first place.

  But as she took her seat, her heart started to sink a little at the thought. Evan irritated her, there was no doubt about that. But the truth of it was she had started to feel better since he had been around. She wasn’t jumping at shadows quite so much, and there were times when she forgot all about what had happened.

  She watched him, now, taking a seat at the back of the room. He was solemn, studying all the people who were taking seats. Assessing them almost. He obviously took his job very seriously, and there was something to be said for that.

  Perhaps he might even flush out the killer, if they were still here. But no. Maya knew that the killer wasn’t a person who was sitting in this room. The killer was not of this world, of that she was very sure.

  Perhaps it would be good to have Evan Watts around, just in case.

  ***

  “Thank you, everybody! Could I have some quiet, please?” Vera was yelling over the group, trying to get their attention. Eventually someone rattled their teaspoon against a cup, and everyone fell silent. They all gazed at Vera, expectantly.

  Vera took a deep breath and smiled. “Great news!” she announced. “As you are all aware, Nick has been filling in as artistic director, since David’s awful accident…” her voice trailed off for a moment, then grew louder again. “And he has done a great job! We want to thank you, Nick, for being such a team player, and stepping up at such short notice, and in such terrible circumstances.”

  Everyone clapped and cheered. Nick stood up and gave the group a mock theatrical bow then sat down again.

  “But now,” continued Vera, her smile broadening. “The board has just announced our permanent replacement. Ladies and gentlemen, I want you all to give a very warm welcome to Mr. Freddie Armstrong!”