The Wickedest Showman

by Lotta Smith

  “Okay.” Rick nodded. “But the thing is, Karina’s been really worried.”

  “I know,” Robert agreed. “As the head of the theater company, she has to worry about a lot of things. Still, that’s a part of her job. Hey, Rick, can I ask you something?”

  “Of course. Go ahead.” Rick gestured encouragingly.

  “How do you find the ghosts?”

  CHAPTER 6

  “Mrs. Rowling, you don’t want to close your eyes,” said the guy sitting across the table from me. I couldn’t see him, but he sounded like a middle-aged man. I was alone in the room with him. Rick wasn’t there, and neither was Jackie. Under normal circumstances, it would have felt awkward, but I didn’t feel uncomfortable at all. Even though I couldn’t see his face, he sounded familiar—like the guy who often appeared on Jewelry TV, selling diamonds, gemstones, and other exotic jewels that I’d never heard of.

  “I won’t,” I whispered. “Please let me see it.”

  My eyes were glued to the ring. It had a stone mounted in the center that looked like something used for construction of industrial products rather than fine jewelry.

  “Sure. You’ll be surprised when you see it.” Turning the ring toward me so I could take a good look at it, he switched off the lights in the room.

  “Wow.” My eyes widened. “This is… incredible.”

  Despite the darkness, the room felt as brightly lit as before. The stone in the ring was glowing—as if it had fluorescent lights hidden inside.

  “For a long time, this was thought to be just an ordinary stone,” he said. “It resembles marble used for the columns and floors, and yes, it’s been used in construction and occasionally as a chemical catalyst. But recently this stone, mined in a special location in Columbia, was discovered to glow in the dark. Since then, it started to be made into jewelry, and its popularity has skyrocketed. The glowing kind of this stone tends to be terribly fragile, and it practically takes a miracle for such a large crystal to materialize. And—”

  He seemed willing to go on and on with his explanation, but I interrupted him. “Sounds good. So, how much is it?”

  “It’s—”

  I was all ears when he opened his mouth, but suddenly Rick spoke to me.

  “Going shopping?” he said.

  “Um… well,” I mumbled, opening my eyes. Then I realized I was at home in my bed, sleep-talking to Rick in my least seductive sleepy voice. “I was looking at this stone at a jeweler. It wasn’t that pretty, but it glowed like a miracle in the darkness.” Then, sheepishly, I said, “Good morning.”

  “Morning, baby.” He kissed my shoulder. Cupping my face, he attempted to plant a kiss on my lips, so I turned my face away from him. “Why not?”

  “I can’t kiss you before brushing my teeth. I have morning breath.” I shook my head. He was already groomed and looked ready to leave for work. “Hey, you should have woken me up.”

  “I don’t think so.” He chuckled. “You were sleeping so peacefully, and I didn’t want to bother you. Besides, you stayed up late last night, and I was sure you and our beautiful daughter needed some extra beauty sleep.”

  “Oh, I see.” As I blinked away my sleepiness, the memory of meeting with Karina and Robert came back in vivid colors. Then again, when I recalled the part of that obnoxious, balding investor, I wished that my memory came back in black and white.

  “Holy Toledo, Mandy! You’re so lucky to have such a caring husband.” Jackie popped up from out of nowhere. “Guess what? He went so far as making a really yummy-looking omelet for you.”

  “Really? Dear me, I’m so lucky.” I giggled, prompting Rick to raise an eyebrow questioningly. “Jackie says I’m so lucky to have such a caring husband like you. And thanks for the omelet.”

  “Wow, Jackie knows everything.” He flashed a wide grin. Stroking my big belly, he said, “You’re welcome. The omelet is in the microwave. Zap it for a minute and half before eating.”

  “Sure. Thanks,” I said, patting his arm.

  “My pleasure.” He glanced at his watch. “Gotta go. Take care, and stay safe with Jackie and the baby, okay?”

  “Of course I will.” I got out of the bed, all smiles. “You too.”

  “Sure.” After planting another kiss on my shoulder, he turned on his heel. “Have a good day. I’ll see you in the evening.”

  “No worries. I’ll keep her and the baby safe.” Jackie waved, swooning.

  * * *

  An hour later, I was groomed and my stomach was full after enjoying Rick’s homemade omelet with ham, cheese, and dried tomatoes. Also, the nursery project was going well. The walls and drapes were finished with artistic sophistication. At my previous meeting with Alexa, we decided on lavender for the walls with gold drapes. The walls were already painted and awaiting an embellishment of a white orchid mural.

  And the best part was that the baby seemed to like her room. When I went inside and asked her what she thought, she kicked and seemed to do a little happy dance.

  After that, I went out for grocery shopping. In the past few days, I hadn’t cooked a decent dinner, and I was in the mood for lasagna. It was supposed to be a short trip to the store not too far from home, but on the way, I’d developed a sudden craving for the homemade bacon that was only sold at a mom-and pop-store downtown.

  After purchasing a chunk of bacon and eating a small Reuben sandwich in the shop’s dining area, I was in a cab heading home.

  At least, that’s what I thought.

  “Can you turn left at the next intersection, please?” I impulsively asked the driver.

  “Where are you going, Mandy?” Jackie questioned, sitting next to me in the back seat. “I thought we were going home.”

  “I don’t know,” I mumbled. Then I touched my ear, pretending I had earbuds in and I was on the phone. “The words just slipped out of me, totally out of the blue.”

  “Don’t tell me you’re being possessed again.” Jackie furrowed her eyebrows and squinted at me. “Remember the last time your body was taken over by a dead guy? You were forced to hop on a train and ended up in Connecticut.”

  “Of course I remember.” I shifted uncomfortably. “That was sooo scary.”

  “I know. Still, you don’t look like you’ve been hijacked,” Jackie commented. “I don’t see any ghostly shadows overlapping your body.”

  “Good.” Then I was telling the driver, “Can you stop at a theater called Theater 69, please? Thank you.”

  “Ooh-la-la.” Jackie rolled her eyes. “Perhaps some ghost is trying to summon you to the theater. I guess I need to have a long talk with that dead person.”

  Who was trying to take me to the theater? If I recalled it right, there wouldn’t be any shows performed that particular day, so the place should be deserted. I had a hunch that visiting now was going to turn out to be a waste of time.

  I looked at my belly as the baby kicked me.

  “Are you okay, Mandy?” Jackie asked me.

  “I’m fine,” I whispered. “It’s just she kicked, and….”

  “By any chance, are you trying to take your mom to the theater?” Jackie asked the baby.

  That time, she didn’t kick me.

  “Oh, she’s yawning.” Jackie shook her head. “Maybe it’s not her.”

  As it was in the middle of the day, the neighborhood was quiet, if not completely deserted when the cabbie dropped me off.

  I tried the front entrance door, but of course it was locked.

  “I’ll see if there are any doors open. You wait here, okay?” Jackie told me, heading for the back of the theater.

  “Sure.” I nodded, trying to catch any movements or sounds from inside.

  In less than a minute, Jackie came back to me. “This might sound weird, but I think I heard the lock of the back door clicking open. Do you want to check that out? I can fly over and see the lock, but I can’t tell if it’s open or locked just by looking. The back street is kinda deserted, but it doesn’t look filthy or dangerous.”
>
  The baby kicked me as if she was commanding, “Let’s go,” so I nodded. “Sure. Let’s take a look.”

  Jackie was right. The back door was open.

  “Hello?” I called to no one in particular as I went inside.

  It was dark, and no one seemed to be there. Under normal circumstances, a deserted theater might be creepy, but I didn’t feel that way as I proceeded down the corridor like someone other than me was driving my body.

  The props of the castle were already prepared, ready for the first scene of the next day’s show. The ghost of Hamlet’s late dad would appear and tell his son how he was murdered by his own little brother.

  “Wow, the stage is far bigger than I’d expected. Acting must be a lot of exercise,” I said to Jackie as I stood at the center of the stage.

  “It is, of course.” Jackie winked. “I once played the part of an artist with ADHD, and the show was simply exhausting. I practically had to run all over the stage for forty-five minutes.”

  “That’s impressive,” a male voice commented from behind us.

  Jackie and I both swiveled around. A tall, handsome man in his late forties was standing there dressed in a long black robe.

  “Wow, can you hear me?” Jackie said, perking up.

  “Of course I can.” He flashed a wide grin. “We theater crowd tend to have a sharper sixth sense.”

  “Wow. Um… I used to be an actor as Jackson Frederick Orchard. But I’m a ghost now. You can call me Jackie,” she introduced herself.

  “Nice to see you, Jackie.” He nodded.

  “Are you… the father of Hamlet?” I asked, recalling the costume I’d seen the previous night.

  “Yes, I am,” he said.

  “Were you in the show last night?” Jackie asked.

  “I was, but I appeared only for a brief scene. Unfortunately, I didn’t land a major role.” He shook his head slowly.

  “Don’t worry,” Jackie chimed in. “You have good looks, and I love your voice. On top of it all, I know you’re a great actor. I just know that. You’ll definitely score major roles soon, I promise.”

  “Thanks for your kind words, Jackie.” He smiled and turned to me. “Last night, I first recognized you sitting among the audience. And then before the curtain call, you and your husband came backstage, right?” he said, indicating my wedding ring.

  “Really?” I glanced at my baby bump. “Did you recognize me because of my belly?”

  “Oh no, I recognized you because you looked so beautiful,” he said, sounding like he actually meant it. “And I’m sure you’ll have a truly beautiful girl.”

  “Why, thank you!” I beamed. Then I realized that I hadn’t told him the gender of the baby. “By the way, how did you figure out that my baby is a girl?”

  But he didn’t answer. Mostly because he was no longer there.

  “Hello? Mister…?” I tried to call him by name, and then I realized I didn’t know it.

  “Hello?” Jackie called out while flying around the stage.

  “Any luck finding him?” I asked when she came back to me.

  “No.” She shook her head. “It’s like he’s evaporated into thin air. Mandy, I think he was a ghost.”

  “Are you sure?” I inhaled sharply. “But… he looked so real! It felt like I was talking to a living guy.”

  “I know!” Jackie nodded enthusiastically. “I think he used to be a really seasoned actor when he was alive. Otherwise, no one would be capable of disguising as a real living human with such strong reality.”

  “Wow,” I muttered.

  I was so excited and surprised, but then a voice called, “Who’s there?”

  CHAPTER 7

  For a moment, I was completely taken aback and gasped. I jumped up—or at least I thought I did—except it was more like a full-body shake rather than a jump.

  “Hello?” she called again. “Hello?”

  That time, I recognized that voice. “Is that you, Karina? It’s me, Mandy.”

  Karina stepped onto the stage. “Oh my… so, what brought you here today?” she asked skeptically.

  “Actually, it’s hard to tell. I was grocery shopping, and on my way home, I suddenly developed this compulsion to visit here. I was going to forget about it if the doors were locked, but somehow, the back door was open.”

  “Was it? That’s strange, I’m sure I locked it.” She furrowed her eyebrows. “Have you been talking to yourself?”

  “No way. She was talking with me.” Jackie giggled and waved at Karina. “Hey, Karina! I know you can’t see me, but it’s nice to be near you.”

  “No. I have a ghostly pal whose name is Jackie,” I explained. “She was an actor, Jackson Frederick Orchard. Do you remember him?”

  “Jackie? Oh my God, of course I remember him!” Karina exclaimed. “Oh, did you say Jackie is a she, not a he?”

  “Yes.” I nodded. “She’s the most rocking drag queen, and she prefers to be treated as a girl.”

  “Okay. I had a hunch she had a girlie heart.” Karina smiled. “Hey, Jackie, it’s so lovely you’re here!”

  “I know, I know,” Jackie and I said simultaneously.

  “By the way, Karina, were you with anyone else in here before you found us?” I asked, just in case the guy we presumed to be a ghost was actually an actor.

  “No, I came here on my own.” She shook her head. “I was checking out the props and stage equipment to ensure everything is functioning properly.”

  “Oh, okay.” I nodded, then knitted my eyebrows and delivered the latest news. “By the way, I met a ghost of a gentleman.”

  “Really?” She took a sharp inhale. “I thought you were talking to Jackie.”

  “Yes, I was, but before you caught me chatting with her, we were having a conversation with a tall, handsome gentleman. I’m sure he was an actor. Unlike many ghosts I’ve encountered, he looked so real and solid.”

  “Solid?” Karina parroted.

  “I know what you’re trying to say,” Jackie chimed in. “Ghosts tend to look transparent, especially when they’re newly dead. Even I tend to get a little translucent when I’m tired. In that regard, he didn’t look like a ghost.”

  “I see. I can imagine that.” Karina nodded as I passed on my guardian angel’s explanation. “How old did he look?”

  “Somewhere around late forties, I guess,” I said. “He was wearing the costume of Hamlet’s father.”

  “Uh-huh, okay.” She let out a small sigh.

  I noticed she didn’t seem shocked, panicked, or scared at all. “Do you by any chance happen to have a clue about who he was?”

  “I think he’s Russel Sassoon,” she said. “He was the president of Magic Lane Theater and the most talented actor. Why don’t we go to my dressing room? I have chairs so you can sit down and relax a little.”

  “Wow, how fabulous is that?” Jackie shrieked, flying all over the place.

  “Sure,” I agreed with Karina. “Jackie is totally thrilled about visiting your personal space.”

  Karina chuckled. “I should have tidied up beforehand.”

  When we walked down the corridor, Jackie couldn’t stop dancing. “Oh my God, this is the best case I’ve ever had!”

  “Welcome to my little castle.” Karina smiled at us, switching on the light of the largest dressing room. “Have a seat, Mandy. Does Jackie want a chair?”

  “Thanks, but no thanks,” Jackie declined her superstar’s offer as she quickly studied the room with just two chairs.

  “She says thanks for the offer, but no thanks.” Karina looked curious, so I explained, “She can position herself to look like she’s sitting, but she’s not really, and hence doesn’t need a chair.”

  “Okay. So, there’s something I want you to take a look at.” She rushed toward the dressing table. Her movements were so smooth and fluid, and I couldn’t help admiring her. Opening one of the locked drawers, she brought out a photograph of a good-looking man.

  “Is this Mr. Sassoon?” I asked, my
eyes widening. In the photo, he looked younger, but he was definitely the guy we’d just met. Just like minutes before, he was sporting a charming smile, looking so happy, carefree, and full of energy.

  “Wow, that’s him!” Jackie said excitedly.

  “Right, it’s him.” I nodded at her and then told Karina, “Mr. Sassoon is the gentleman Jackie and I met on stage.”

  “That’s what I presumed.” For a moment, she shut her eyes tightly, and then she opened them, looking indecisive, as if she were debating telling us more about Russel Sassoon.

  “What was he like when he was alive?” I asked casually, trying my best to sound lighthearted so she’d be tempted to talk.

  “Well, I joined Magic Lane Theater when I was twenty-two. Back then, I was a fresh college graduate. Even then, the future was often unclear for theatrical arts majors, so I was more surprised than overjoyed when I got a call directly from Russel himself.” Karina was smiling, as if she were recalling her feelings back then.

  “Wow, he must have predicted your future as a top actress,” I commented.

  “You’re so right,” Jackie chimed in. “I’ve heard about so many super-duper actors and actresses with a sixth or seventh sense to predict others’ artistic future. Russel must have had that.”

  “Thank you.” Karina smiled. “Anyway, he was like God Almighty of all the actors. As for me, I was like a groupie who suddenly gained access to her favorite superstar.”

  “I can imagine that,” I interjected.

  “Still, he was just a man when he wasn’t on stage. I learned about that when he dragged me into his bed.” Karina let out a small sigh.

  “You mean… like rape?” I lowered my voice, even though there was just the two of us living humans.

  “No. That wasn’t rape.” She shook her head. “I have no intention of screaming, ‘Me too,’ but it was shocking. I know it sounds crazy, but back then I regarded him as an idol. I had created the saint image of him without knowing him, and I was so devastated when I got to know how he was in bed. I was virgin when I slept with him for the first time.”

  “Hey, baby, you’ll want to cover your tender ears, okay?” Jackie whispered to my baby bump. “We’re talking about adult topics. Hey, don’t look at me like that.”