A Sadie Kramer Flair Mystery 02 - A Flair For Drama
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“I don’t understand,” Sadie said. “What about Coop?”
“He can’t do his usual job. He has to be in the show now.”
Sadie tried to put the pieces together — a challenge between the rustling movement of her tote bag and Roxy’s attempts to fit the headset on her. “Because…?”
“Because Alex has to pick up Russell’s part.”
“Right, because Alex is Russell’s understudy,” Sadie mumbled, rocking her tote bag as if she were calming a baby. “But what does that have to do with Coop?”
Roxy sighed. “Coop is Alex’s understudy.”
“I seem to recall buying tickets to this show, you know.” Sadie tapped one finger on her chin and looked up at the ceiling. She lowered her eyes quickly at the eerie sight of the roped off catwalk.
“I’ll get you a refund, don’t worry.” Roxy placed the headset on Sadie’s head. “I appreciate this, I really do.”
“That’s so sweet of you,” Sadie crooned before flattening her tone. “Considering I haven’t the least idea what I’m going to be doing. What about the rest of the crew? Can’t one of them step up?”
“They all have specific tasks,” Roxy explained. “I need someone who can float. Just follow whatever directions I give through the headset, and you’ll be fine. And be prepared for some confusion back here. Nevada and Alex are bound to be nervous, and nerves can be contagious.”
“Because they didn’t have any warning or rehearsal time?” Sadie asked.
“Right, other than outside in the alley now.” Roxy removed Sadie’s headset and adjusted it slightly. “Nevada may have expected to fill in for Brynn sometime, and Alex knew he might fill in at some point for Russell. But having both leads out at the same time is exceptionally unusual.”
“So Nevada and Alex would never have expected to fill in together,” Sadie said, still swinging her arm.
“Not likely.” Roxy placed the headset back on Sadie and looked down at the tote bag. “We’re going to have to stash your bag somewhere.”
Sadie paused. “I can run back to the hotel quickly and get Coco’s crate.”
Roxy shook her head. “There’s no time. You can leave the bag in Russell’s dressing room. He obviously won’t be using it tonight.”
“Won’t the police need to check it?”
“They searched every inch of this place earlier today. Whatever it was that made them take Russell in, they already have it.” Roxy pulled Sadie aside as two of the stage crew rushed by. “Here, follow me. And watch that your shoulder doesn’t bump the back of the curtain. It’ll make it ripple.”
Roxy showed Sadie to Russell’s dressing room and left her to get Coco settled. The small room smelled heavily of cologne and lightly of guilt, a combination that Sadie found unnerving. Still, for lack of a better solution, she set the bag down under the main dressing table. She pulled a collapsible water dish from the tote bag’s side pocket and filled it from an accompanying bottle of water. Adding a treat beside the bowl, she gave Coco a short pep talk about being a ‘good girl’ while she helped a friend. Coco sneezed twice. Sadie closed the door firmly and went in search of further instructions.
The activity backstage began to escalate as cast members returned from the alley to prepare for the show. Nevada and Alex walked the length of the stage, blocking the entrances and exits of their scenes. Sid snapped directions at some of the crew, obviously unsettled by Brynn’s death and the police presence. Stagehands adjusted curtains and props. Lights dimmed and brightened, turned red, then yellow, then blue. A voice chirped, “testing, testing,” from a sound system overhead. A short woman with a shock of blue hair and a tape measure around her neck steered a wardrobe rack of clothing. As the rack rolled by, Sadie reached out to stroke a particularly appealing jacket in a shade she would label tangerine.
Excluding the detail of the murder, Sadie had to admit the whole excursion had turned into quite the adventure. Here she was, not a spectator, as she had expected to be, but actually in show biz! The feeling was nothing short of exhilarating. She pulled herself up tall and mimed signing an autograph for an eager — albeit invisible — fan. She tilted her head from side to side while accepting accolades from her imaginary admirer. Satisfied that she fit the role nicely, she turned around and found herself face to face with Roxy.
“You’re not letting this go to your head, by any chance, are you?” Roxy smirked.
Sadie cleared her throat and squared her shoulders. “Of course not!”
“Good, because we have work to do.” Roxy took Sadie’s elbow and gave her another tour of backstage, more in depth than before. Not just a scenic tour this time around, she indicated areas for water, towels, and first aid kits. She pointed out electrical cords, glow tape, overhead lights, and a prop table with numerous items: a cane, suitable for an elderly person, a derby hat, a picnic basket with a few pieces of plastic fruit inside. She introduced Sadie to several stagehands. Caught up in the mixed atmosphere of energy and tension, Sadie did her best to memorize everything that Roxy showed her.
“Now,” Roxy said. “You’ll be able to hear me clearly through the headset. If for any reason you need to take your headset off, you need to say, ‘getting off headset’ before you do.”
Sadie nodded. “And when I put it back on?”
“You’ll say, ‘back on headset’,” Roxy explained. “This way I always know when you can hear me and when you can’t. Keep your microphone volume knob down unless I ask you to respond to something. That way noise around you won’t leak out to other headsets.”
Sadie practiced her two lines as if she were the star of the show. “Getting off headset.” “Back on headset.” “Getting off headset.” “Back on headset.”
“Excellent.” Roxy said. “You’ll also hear me say ‘standby’ at times. It’s important you stay silent when you hear that.”
“Got it. And what exactly will you need me to do?” Sadie could barely contain her excitement at this point. She could almost picture the Broadway resume she was building.
“Hopefully nothing.” Roxy looked around at the crew. “Everyone knows Coop has to jump in and play Alex’s part. They’ll each pick up tasks he normally does. And he’s only in the first act. He can take over after that.”
“Oh.” Sadie’s spirits dropped. It had all seemed so thrilling a moment before.
“Don’t worry,” Roxy laughed. “There’s always some little thing. Besides, just knowing you’re here in case I need an extra hand is enough.”
“I don’t get an Equity card for this, do I?” Sadie quipped.
“No, you don’t.” Roxy patted Sadie on the back. “Come with me, let’s get you situated somewhere upstage.”
“Oh, how lovely!” Sadie began to walk toward the front.
“Um, that means this way,” Roxy reached out and caught Sadie’s elbow again, turning her around. She guided her to a position in the back, where she’d be out of the way unless needed. Sadie had to admit her designated location was a wise choice. It allowed her to watch both crew and actors move about in preparation without them tripping over her.
The growing activity was intoxicating, as were the muffled sounds of the audience filing in. As she listened to the periodic chatter on the headset, she felt like a true insider. She dutifully kept her volume down and remained quiet, other than responding to one comment: Roxy asking her to make sure she stayed close to the first aid box, towels and masking tape, in case she needed to hand those to anyone. “Roger that!” Sadie responded, not certain it was correct stage lingo, but feeling official, all the same.
“Places!”
Even Sadie knew enough about theatre to stay put when she heard this word. She watched as cast members stepped into positions, and listened as the talk in the auditorium faded away. A deep voice welcomed the audience, and shortly thereafter the show began. Although she could see little from her corner, the back and forth conversation over the headsets fascinated her even if she didn’t quite understand it.
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“Warning light cue 3”
“Warned.”
“Standby light cue 3.”
“Standing.”
Even the lines the actors delivered intrigued her, as they echoed slightly when they reached Sadie’s ears This was quite different from experiencing theatre as part of an audience. Everything she observed and heard carried a spark of newness.
The production itself moved forward. Since she’d attended the dress rehearsal the day before, Sadie knew Songs to the Sun to be a light production, but not specifically a comedy. The audience response wavered between silence and light murmurs of appreciation, just as she expected. That is, until the picnic scene just before intermission, when the house suddenly erupted into frenzied laughter. Several stagehands hopped into action, and a sharp command came through the headset, Roxy’s voice.
“Sadie, get up here. Now!”
No, it can’t be… Sadie hustled to the front, where Roxy waited, a panic-stricken look on her face. Turning toward the stage, Sadie gasped but quickly covered her mouth to silence herself. Center stage, above an open picnic basket, Coco sat on Alex Cassidy’s chest, delivering loving kisses to his shocked face.
“Oh, my!” Sadie whispered. “I’ll get her.” She took a step into the wing, but Roxy pulled her back.
“No, let them improvise this. It’s our only hope of a save,” Roxy said. “Or at least any chance that Sid won’t go ballistic.”
It took all of Sadie’s willpower to stay put, but she did. And she watched, amazed and grateful, as Nevada jumped right in.
“Oh, Fluffy! I’m so glad you joined us for our picnic,” Nevada cooed as she lifted the Yorkie off Alex’s chest and pulled an invisible bone from the basket. “We brought treats just in case you showed up.”
Fluffy? Really?
It worked. Sadie and Roxy watched as Coco stepped brilliantly into her new role. She licked the hand with the invisible treat, rewarded Nevada with another kiss, and curled up dutifully by her side while Nevada and Alex finished the scene. Only once did she move, trotting confidently back to the picnic basket, hopping in and emerging again with a small bunch of grapes, which she delivered to Nevada as a gift before curling up by her side again. This sweet gesture triggered oohs and aahs from the audience. As the curtain fell for intermission, Sadie and Roxy looked at each other, the same thought running through their minds.
Maybe Sid will spare our lives.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Sadie watched Roxy walk into The Sea Urchin and braced herself for whatever conversation was about to evolve. Coop had caught Coco as soon as the curtain fell for intermission, and he ran into the wings to trade the furry bundle for the headset. Following Roxy’s undoubtedly sage advice, she left the theatre as quickly as possible, detouring no more than fifteen seconds to retrieve her empty tote bag from Russell’s dressing room on the way out. She had noticed the door was cracked open though she remembered shutting it firmly.
“How bad?” Sadie waited while Roxy took a seat in the cozy booth. Prepared for the worst, she was stunned when Roxy sighed and smiled wearily.
“Not as bad as I expected.”
“You’re kidding, aren’t you?” Sadie said. “You’re just trying to make me feel better, when I’m really responsible for ruining opening night.”
“Sadie…” Roxy paused to order a draft beer from a server. “You did not ruin the show.”
“Well, Coco did. And it’s my fault for leaving her unattended in that dressing room. The result was a huge amount of unnecessary drama. I feel terrible.” Sadie sipped her martini, her second.
Roxy shook her head. “First of all, Coco…that’s her name, right?”
“Yes,” Sadie sighed. “Though I wouldn’t be surprised if she expects to be called Dame Coco from now on.”
“Coco’s contribution to drama is far upstaged by Brynn’s murder and Russell’s arrest,” Roxy pointed out. “A little comic relief can do us all some good at this point.”
“Nice try. I appreciate the sentiment, but I’m sure your director didn’t see it that way.”
“Actually, he did.” Roxy paused as the server slid her beer on the table, and then continued. “I’m sure he was steaming when he first headed backstage. But he sits at the back of the theatre during shows so he can see what the audience sees.”
“Well, he saw what they saw, I’m sure.” Sadie shook her head, still not quite believing the entire incident.
“Yes, he did. He also heard their reaction. And several people stopped him before he got behind the curtain, including Mitchell Morgan.”
“Your publicity guy?”
Roxy nodded. “Right. And apparently Mitchell raved on and on about how this was a great stunt to take everyone’s minds off the murder. He’d already had one local reviewer pat him on the back and wink.”
“That’s a good thing?” Sadie popped a pretzel in her mouth. Out of habit, she dropped another on an empty chair beside her, forgetting she had left her tote bag in her hotel room, Coco safely secured in her silk-lined travel crate-AKA-palace, where the crafty canine could contemplate her newly acquired star status without getting into any more mischief.
“Yes, at least Sid thought so, or Sid thought so because Mitchell thought so. Or something like that.”
“So your director doesn’t want to strangle me?” Sadie tapped a pretzel on the table as she nervously awaited an answer.
“You? Oh, no,” Roxy said immediately. “I’m the one in charge of everything that goes on during the show onstage and off. Mishaps are my responsibility, no matter how they happen. It’s my job to make sure things run smoothly. I only suggested you leave quickly so you wouldn’t get caught in the crossfire.”
Sadie’s tension began to melt away as she sank back in the booth. “Well, at least I didn’t cost you your job. I was worried about that.”
“No,” Roxy said. “Things go wrong all the time in productions, although…maybe not quite as…unique as Coco’s stunt. The important thing is how they’re handled. Nevada played right into the unexpected detour. Alex didn’t panic — though I found out later he’s allergic to dogs — and the crew kept their cool.”
“And you stopped me from running out on the stage to get her, when that was my first instinct.”
“Yes, we made it work. That’s the most important thing. At least, I think so…” Her voice trailed off as her attention moved to the entrance. Sadie followed her gaze, growing alarmed at the sight of Sid Martin and Mitchell Morgan scanning the bar. Both she and Roxy slid down a little lower in the booth, but Sid spotted Roxy, tapped Mitchell’s shoulder, and pointed at the women. The two men then made a beeline for the booth as Sadie and Roxy exchanged nervous glances.
“I thought we’d find you here,” Sid said, sliding into the circular booth next to Roxy without invitation. “Coop said you’d be meeting your out-of-town friend.” Mitchell slid into the opposite side of the booth next to Sadie effectively blocking any possible escape. Her elbow now pressed up against Roxy’s, Sadie wasn’t sure which made her more nervous: the close quarters, or the anticipation of what was about to happen.
“A scotch on the rocks, please,” Sid called to a server a solid ten yards away.
“Make that two,” Mitchell echoed.
The server nodded and headed to the bar.
“So, this…”
Mitchell had barely started when Sid interrupted. “So, Roxy, this must be your visiting friend.”
Sadie took a deep breath, prepared for the worst. What would it be? Formal apology? Lawsuit? Damages, even? Her mind reeled.
“Yes,” Roxy said, her voice far calmer than Sadie expected. Only the guarded look on Roxy’s face indicated her friend wasn’t sure what the two men were up to. “This is Sadie Kramer, visiting from San Francisco. We’ve been friends for decades. Sadie, this is Sid Martin, our director, and Mitchell Morgan, our publicist.”
“It’s very nice to meet you both,” Sadie said, not entirely sure this was true.
Mitchell nodded as he tipped the server for setting the ordered drinks in front of the two men. Both Roxy and Sadie declined an offer from the server to bring them refills, though Sadie suspected they might soon wish they’d ordered another round.
“Indeed we are,” Mitchell said, shooting a smile at Sadie befitting a media magician. “And we were wondering how long you plan to be in town. Isn’t that right, Sid?”
What a fine-tuned show these two are putting on, Sadie thought. Time to cut to the chase.
“So, gentlemen,” Sadie said, looking first at one and then the other, “I’m going to save you time by apologizing right now for what happened tonight. This was entirely my fault, not Roxy’s…” She held up a hand as Roxy started to jump in. “…And I can’t emphasize strongly enough how horrible I feel about it. Coco and I will be leaving first thing in the morning, which is what I’d planned, anyway. So you won’t need to worry about any further problems. Again, I am truly sorry.”
To her surprise, both men laughed as if she’d just told a doozy of a joke. Sid even reached across the booth and squeezed her hand, a move she found disturbing, if not downright creepy. What was the matter with these men? Roxy rubbed both her temples, eyes closed.
“Tell me this isn’t going where I think it’s going,” Roxy murmured.
“Now, Roxy, just listen” Sid said, reaching for the stage manager’s hand. It didn’t surprise Sadie in the least to see Roxy pick up her beer quickly and take a gulp, avoiding Sid’s grasp. Undoubtedly, this was a manipulative gesture that Roxy had seen many times.
Sid turned his attention from Roxy to Sadie. “We’re hoping you might be interested in staying in town.”
Roxy cleared her throat. “And I suppose this is where you say, ‘and your little dog, too’.”
“Nice impression, Rox,” Sid said.
Sadie had to agree; Roxy had her Wicked Witch of the North voice down pat.