THE SPIRIT IN QUESTION

by Cynthia Kuhn

  She looked up. “Yes, fine. Why? What are you doing here, Lila?”

  I looked around the room. “I thought I heard someone scream.”

  “Oh,” she laughed. “That was me. I’m so sorry—didn’t mean to scare you.”

  “What about the banging?”

  Zandra blushed. “This is embarrassing. I tripped on the chair leg and it made me so mad that I screamed and then pounded the table top.”

  “Are you okay? You aren’t hurt, are you?”

  “No, thank you. I just saw red for a second. I’m feeling much better now. It actually helped to vent some of the frustration that has been building up. It’s been an emotional couple of weeks, you know?”

  “Definitely. Where’s Bella? I thought she was coming to the meeting.”

  “She cancelled,” she said, flipping another page and squinting to decipher my margin comments.

  “Is that my script?” I already knew it was.

  “Oh, is it?” She closed it and looked at the front cover, which had my name written on it. “So it is.” She held out the notebook toward me. “Here you go.”

  “Thank you.” I put the notebook on the table. “What’s the meeting about?”

  “Tolliver had an idea. But, as I said, she cancelled. Why are you here?”

  “Bella thought everyone was invited.”

  “Did you get an invitation?” She was looking down at one of her fingernails and examining the polish.

  “No, but—”

  “If you were wanted here, you would have been invited too, don’t you think?” She gave me a level look, then refocused on her fingernail polish.

  Message received.

  “Not to exclude you or anything. Tolliver just wanted to speak to her privately.”

  “Got it.”

  “But since you’re here,” she continued, standing and walking over to the hole Braxton had made with the hammer, “would you please help me look into this wall?”

  “What?”

  She clicked on the flashlight app of her phone and held it out. “Hold this for me, would you?” She got down on her hands and knees and peered inside the hole. I angled the light for her the best I could.

  “Do you see anything?” I moved the light slightly from side to side.

  “No,” she said. She straightened out one of her arms and felt around, grimacing slightly, then pulled it back and dusted off her sleeve. “Nothing’s in there.”

  I was torn between disappointment and relief. It would have been exciting to find the diamonds, but it didn’t seem right that Zandra was poking around the theater without Bella.

  “We should probably wait for Bella to do any more searching,” I said, handing back her phone.

  “Good idea,” she said. “We can talk to her at the performance tonight.”

  “Are you done? I’ll walk you out,” I said.

  She stared at me for a moment. I had the feeling she was grasping for a reason to refuse my offer but couldn’t come up with anything.

  When we reached the lobby, I realized something. “Where’s Tolliver? You said he wanted to talk to Bella.”

  Was she squirming a little or was that my imagination? “He was on the way over, but when she cancelled, I called and told him not to bother. It’s such a hassle for him to move around with the crutches and all.”

  “So why were you here without him?” It wasn’t adding up.

  She looked down for a long while, then met my eyes. “Okay, I confess. I wanted to look in that hole.”

  Fair enough. I was curious too.

  “You would have given anything you found to Bella, though, right?”

  “Absolutely.” She laughed. “C’mon, Lila. I just wanted to play pirate and search for gold. Not steal anything.” Her phone rang. She set her giant bag down on the carpet and shuffled through it until she found her cell, which she held up triumphantly. “Mind if I take this? It’s Tolly.”

  I watched as she went through the door into the auditorium. Clearly she wanted some privacy. I wasn’t leaving her alone in the Opera House though. Who knows what she would do to the wall if I left her unsupervised?

  The funny thing was that she seemed as determined not to leave me behind as I was determined not to leave her behind. I wondered if she thought I was treasure-hunting too. Probably.

  I leaned against the wall and looked up at the elegant chandelier. Then my gaze fell on the man standing at the far end of the lobby, faced away from me. He had a dark suit and excessively long arms. It was the same person who’d been watching the dancers and disappeared from sight almost instantly.

  The mere sight of him gave me the creeps.

  I entertained the possibility that it was our resident ghost.

  I scurried across the lobby, trying to be quiet so he wouldn’t disappear through a wall or something. When I got close enough, I tapped him on the shoulder. It was solid, not ectoplasmic, thank goodness.

  He let out a yell loud enough to wake the dead and spun around.

  I yelled too.

  “Dr. Maclean,” he said, breathing heavily. “Give me a second.” He put his hand on his chest and calmed his breathing. “You scared me.”

  I’d recognize those enormous teeth anywhere. “Dr. Frinkle! I’m so sorry I startled you.”

  “I didn’t see you coming. But why did you yell?” He cocked an eyebrow and made a rumbling sound that I realized after a second was a laugh. “You thought I was a ghost, didn’t you?”

  “No,” I lied.

  “Wouldn’t be the first time someone has taken me for Malcolm Gaines here. I’ve long thought that it might be the suit.”

  I thought it might be the creepiness.

  He grinned, an unsettling sight. “I’m meeting the spirit wranglers to shoot something for the promos. They should be here soon.”

  “We have a performance tonight,” I reminded him.

  “Don’t worry. We’ll be done long before then,” he said.

  I smiled at him. “Thank you. And please tell Vance hello from me.”

  Zandra re-emerged and scooped up her bag, tossing her phone inside. She stopped short at the sight of Gavin.

  “Do you two know each other?” I asked.

  He nodded, but she shook her head.

  “I’ve seen you around,” he said to her.

  She blanched.

  Quickly, I introduced them.

  “Hello.” Zandra turned to me. “I’m going to meet Tolliver at Scarlett’s. Would you like to join us?” She paused and addressed Gavin haltingly. “You’re welcome as well.”

  He declined, tipped an imaginary hat, and wandered off.

  “Good luck with everything,” I called after him.

  He waved without looking back.

  She looked at me expectantly.

  “Thanks for the offer, but I have some work to do. I’m heading that way, though. Shall we walk together?”

  We left the theater and walked silently for a bit.

  Zandra finally spoke. “So why was Gavin there? I hope never to encounter him again.” She shivered. “How do you know him?”

  I explained his Opera House research, ending with my embarrassment at thinking I was seeing a ghost in the lobby.

  She laughed. “Malcolm is much more attractive than that.”

  “What do you see when you see him?”

  “He looks like he does in the picture hanging on the lobby wall. More or less.”

  “Nice. Do you think the students who believe they’re seeing Malcolm are just seeing Gavin? He has been studying the Opera House for seven years, so I’m sure he found the staircase.”

  “The Worthinghams didn’t know about it, did they? They’ve been here even longer. I didn’t know about it either until you all discovered it.”

  “That’s tr
ue. Though if Gavin has been working while we rehearsed, as he said, and he did use the staircase, it would provide an explanation for the full-body manifestation rumor.”

  “But Lila,” Zandra said earnestly, “Malcolm really is there. I’ve seen him.”

  “Oh, right.” Forgot who I was talking to for a minute.

  Soon, Scarlett’s familiar awning swam into view, and we said goodbye. The bells on the door jingled as she went inside and although the fragrant burst of coffee and fresh bread almost tempted me to join them, I made myself keep going.

  A few minutes past the café, I realized that I had left my script back at the Opera House. Again.

  I paused to weigh the pros and cons of returning now. It would be there waiting for me later, after all. And I wasn’t eager to run into Gavin again. Especially since the talk about the staircase was making me wonder more if he could have been involved in the murder? I bet he did know about the staircase, and even used it to stay unobtrusive. I’d have to talk to Lex about him as soon as possible.

  However, if Zandra went back and read my script, there were a few comments I’d prefer she not share with Tolliver. The image of her flipping through my script earlier that morning popped back into my mind. She hadn’t mentioned any of my margin notes, but she’d definitely had a strange energy. It seemed purposefully casual, with an air of anticipation, almost as if she was expecting me to call her out for reading my script.

  Something clicked.

  But it wasn’t about the script. It was about what she’d done before reading my script.

  If my hunch was right, there was no time to lose.

  I whirled around and ran toward the theater.

  After racing downstairs, I flew down the dark hallway to the dressing room and reached around the doorframe to switch the light on.

  Just then, I heard a low moan.

  All the hairs on my neck rose.

  I dropped down and crawled to the hole in the wall. Whipping my cell phone out of my pocket, I tapped the flashlight icon and aimed the beam into the hole. Nothing.

  The moan came again, growing louder. It was behind me.

  Leaving my phone, I scrambled over to the door of the secret staircase. No matter how hard I pressed, it wouldn’t unlatch, but inside, there was some kind of movement.

  I knew it.

  “Bella!” I called. “Is that you?”

  I stood up and put my ear to the door. There was another moan.

  “Hang on. I’m going to find something to open this.”

  I ran to the prop room and searched around, making a mess of the neatly hung tools in the workshop, flailing around until I found a crowbar. Racing back to the dressing room, I slid my fingers along the wall until I felt a slight vertical line just big enough for me to insert the end of the crowbar. I pulled on it with all my might, trying to remember that physics lecture where my professor talked about angles and leverage, attempting different tactics until something gave way and the door finally sprang open.

  Bella was curled up in a ball on the lowest step, weeping in the dark. I went inside and touched her arm. “You’re safe,” I repeated until she calmed down.

  I helped her stand slowly and move out into the dressing room. She stopped and blinked in the bright light. I led her over to the velvet chair near the table. Bella sank down into it, grabbing a tissue to wipe the tears from her eyes.

  I leaned against the wall, watching her closely. “What happened?”

  She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I couldn’t open the door.”

  “Who put you in there?”

  “I was in the dressing room talking to Zandra. She hit me with something”—she pointed to a nasty-looking bump on her forehead—“and I must have passed out.”

  “Are you okay?”

  “It hurts,” she said, uncertainly. “I just want to sit here for a minute to see if it makes the dizziness go away.”

  “Okay. Does the staircase open on the upper level or is it jammed there too?”

  “I don’t know. I just woke up, pressed on the lower door, and panicked. Didn’t even think of going up the stairs. My head hurt so much, I couldn’t think straight.”

  I stood up and inspected the panel more closely. There was a bent nail sticking out right above where I’d shoved in the crowbar.

  “Well, I think I know why she hit you.” I watched Bella’s face.

  “Why?” She appeared completely confused.

  “If last night is any indication, she wants Chip to build the entertainment complex he originally proposed. And he was heading that way until you two got engaged. I don’t know if she attacked you to try and stop you from selling, or to punish you for getting in the way.”

  “Maybe both? She was saying some strange things about Chip. I couldn’t follow it all.”

  “Or perhaps she thought if you were incapacitated, the closing wouldn’t take place?”

  “It already happened. We went in early this morning and signed all the paperwork.” She winced and touched the bump on her head.

  “Good. But we need to get you looked at right now,” I said.

  “I’m fine,” she protested. “I just need to rest.”

  “We’re going to the doctor, Bella. I insist.”

  We spent the next few hours at the emergency room. She was thoroughly checked out and her tests came back fine. She did not appear to have a concussion, surprisingly, though she would need monitoring.

  Chip came to pick her up. He was effusively grateful. He hovered over Bella and helped her very gently, as if she were made of glass, discussing his plan for concussion patrol all the while. They gave me a ride home, where I threw all thoughts of working out the window. I had to rest up for the events ahead, so I curled up on the sofa with Cady and streamed an old noir film on TV.

  I’d spent much of my ER waiting time on the phone with Lex. He was unhappy to learn about the latest turn of events and said he’d be paying Zandra a call immediately. I had asked him to hold off just a bit. I wanted to try and get her to admit to me privately what she’d done. We needed to find out whether it had been a rogue move or a plot involving someone else. And I hoped to be able to find out what her end game was.

  He was resistant at first, but eventually I had been able to convince him that it was advantageous, listing the reasons over and over again. Promising another round of noodles if we were successful may or may not have been the clincher. Probably not, though it did make him chuckle.

  He called back later, having obtained the required approvals, and we strategized further. We’d finalized the plan and agreed to meet in the lobby before tonight’s performance at the Opera House.

  It wasn’t quite a date but it was invigorating nonetheless.

  Chapter 26

  After making all the necessary preparations outside with Lex, I went into the lobby. Tolliver stood by the box office, where students were selling tickets at a rapid clip.

  I sidled up and said hello.

  “Lila, guess what?” He pointed toward the window, through which I could see a long line. “We’re almost sold out!”

  “That’s exciting.” I lowered my voice. “Hey, did you call a meeting this morning?”

  He looked confused. “No. I was at the doctor, getting a cast adjustment. My other one was too tight and my leg was swelling up.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that.”

  “Why?”

  “Just curious. Is Zandra here?”

  “Yes.” He craned his neck a bit. “She was a minute ago, anyway. But why are you asking about a meeting? Did I miss something?”

  “No,” I soothed him. “Someone said you’d called for one in a text. I must have misunderstood.”

  “How strange.” He shook his head. “I didn’t text anyone today.” He pulled out his phone and tapped on the screen. “See?” />
  There was nothing in his message list.

  Well, that didn’t really prove anything. He could have deleted them.

  Or Zandra could have. After she used his phone to text Bella.

  “Thanks, Tolliver.” I smiled at him. “Do you need some help getting down the aisle?”

  He waved that away.

  “Let me know if you change your mind, please. I’m going to go check on the cast.”

  “See you soon, Petal.” He turned to watch the box office sales again.

  I observed him, then sighed. It was difficult to talk to anyone, wondering if they were in league with Zandra. Hopefully we’d find out the truth soon enough.

  Lex caught my eye from the opposite end of the lobby, and I went over. We made a few final arrangements and I was off on my mission, waving perkily at Nate, Calista, and Francisco, who had just come into the lobby. I was happy to see them there but would have to wait until later to catch up.

  I wandered through the theater and stage, but didn’t find her, so I went downstairs, where Zandra was fussing around in the prop room. It should have made me nervous that she might be arming herself—the workshop was loaded with numerous dangerous tools—but it only made me angry.

  “I need to talk to you,” I said. “Could you please come to the corner dressing room?”

  She didn’t miss a beat. “Sure. Everything okay?”

  I didn’t know how she could act so blasé. We both knew what she did.

  It was chilling.

  “Everything’s fine,” I said. “I just wanted to talk to you alone, get some advice on something.”

  “Happy to help.” She followed me into the dressing room.

  The actors had agreed via text to have their makeup applied elsewhere. Parker had confided to me privately that the new hole in the wall freaked him out, so he was glad to do it.

  When we were inside, I took the velvet chair in front of the mirror and turned to face the staircase. She dropped her bag on the table and stood in front of me.

  “How can I be of service?” She looked at me expectantly.

  I cut right to it. “What happened this morning?”

  “What do you mean?”