Dead on Cue (24 page)

‘Yes and no. I can imagine him lurking in the shadowy doorway, probably wearing a cloak as disguise, and when he saw Robin Green fall backwards he seized the moment and rushed out and gave him a hearty push.'

‘Whose duty was it to throw the dummy?'

‘Adam Gillow, the man who got stuck on a train. He was to crouch down and heave it over at the same second.'

‘Oh dearie me, what a chain of circumstance. If Adam hadn't have got himself stuck perhaps Gerry Harlington would be alive today.'

‘Who knows?' Tennant answered.

‘I rather think he signed his death warrant when he did that hip-hop dance in the Elizabethan Fair,' said Nick slowly.

‘And I rather think you are right,' said Tennant quietly.

T
aking his seat in the now almost empty space that had housed the audience at the one and only performance of Son et Lumière, Kasper felt a thrill of anticipation creep down the length of his spine. Up in the window high above, the window that looked out from the Tudor banqueting hall, the doctor could vaguely see the outline of a man and woman, sitting close together, and four children of various sizes grouped round them. In the actual audience with him were old Alfred – who had announced loudly that he wouldn't miss it for the world, very much annoying Jack Boggis who had dismissed the reconstruction as piffle – and Madisson the beautician who was going into business with Ricardo. Looking round him Kasper could see that a dozen or so people were gathered to watch the re-enactment; the rest of the seats remained empty.

There were police everywhere. Standing at intervals round the side of the acting arena, in the changing tent, on the battlements, in every area backstage. And overall there hung a strange quiet that had almost a tangible feel to it. Anyone who spoke did so in a whisper and Madisson put it into words when she murmered to Kasper, ‘Creepy, isn't it?'

The sudden blare of a loudhailer made everybody jump. It was almost obscene that such utter silence should have been broken.

‘Ladies and gentlemen,' spoke the voice of Dominic Tennant, ‘we are shortly going to run a reconstruction of the Son et Lumière which took place on the night of the murder of the late Gerry Harlington. I would like those of you in the audience to call out and raise your arm if you should see anything different – however small – that you witness tonight. Similarly backstage. This evening I am hoping that this visual evidence, showing us what actually occurred, will jog a memory that will lead us to unmasking his killer. Backstage, is everybody present?'

‘Yes,' called a powerful hidden voice.

‘Stagehands all there?'

‘All here, sir.'

‘Lighting men?'

‘Here.'

‘Right, let us begin.'

The lights were dimmed and the strange, evocative music that was on the beginning of the tape began to play. Rafael Devine's beautiful voice spoke the second stanza of the prologue into the incredible night.

‘Fulke Castle, called by some the most beautiful castle in the world, stands alone on its small island, withstanding winter storms and summer sun alike. But in the year ten sixty-seven there was nothing where the castle now stands but a natural lake, its only inhabitants wild birds, when William the Conqueror granted a swathe of land in Sussex to his kinsman, Sir Fulke Beau de Grave who had fought at his side at the terrible and bloody Battle of Hastings.'

A spotlight was switched on and into it rode Paul Silas, somehow looking hunched and tired and not as bold and as brave a figure as Kasper remembered. He wondered whether to put his arm up but decided that this point was too minor to be of any interest.

The wonderful voice, playing with the words, caressing them as only a master of his craft could do, continued with the narrative. At this point Paul seemed to remember that he was giving a performance and sat up boldly, taking on the character which he was representing. The lights dimmed once more and the second scene came into view, Nick noticeable as a builder of Fulke Castle and Meg Alexander, looking thunderous, as the first Lady Beau de Grave.

It might have been eerie in the audience but backstage the atmosphere was worse by far. First of all a lot of petty arguments had blown up, mostly people picking on Jonquil Charmwood who tonight was playing the part of Emma Simms. She had been reluctant from the start but the caustic comments from various cast members, particularly Meg, had set her off into a crying fit. Potter had been called to intercede and had reminded the older woman that she was under charge for assault and any further trouble would be taken into consideration. Then Robin Green had come face to face with her and let out a shrill cry of horror.

‘You old cow,' he shrieked in a high-pitched voice and made as if to hit her.

A police constable had put his body between them.

‘Now, now, Mr Green. You must learn a bit of self-control.'

‘Self-control! The bloody woman nearly killed me.'

‘Quiet, please. The second scene is beginning.'

Meg had joined Paul Silas, who had dismounted, and together they had walked into the acting area. She looked round her, then turned and stared off-stage. Kasper's arm shot up and he shouted, ‘No.' The action came to a close and Tennant appeared looking odd in his modern suiting. He shaded his eyes with his hand and peered into the audience.

‘Somebody called?'

Kasper stood up. ‘Yes, it was me, Inspector. I don't remember Lady Beau de Grave staring into the wings like that during the original.'

‘No, he's right, sir,' piped up old Alfred. ‘She just kept looking at the builders.'

Tennant approached Meg. ‘What are you looking at?'

‘It's that beastly bear. She's wandering off towards the battlements.'

‘Acting on instructions. You know damn well she went up there. You must have seen her when you attacked Mr Green. She must have hidden herself on the battlements.'

Meg looked like spite personified but said nothing.

‘Very well. Continue,' said Tennant, and the action started again.

Scene three, the falling out of Sir Greville Beau de Grave with the See of Canterbury went through seamlessly from the audience's point of view, but backstage the actors were in turmoil. Charlie Higgs, whom Tennant both liked and trusted, had been briefed to keep an all-seeing eye on the movements of the stagehands while going through his own moves religiously. Thus he was standing by, ready to help the knights prepare for the big battle scene, the scene in which Gerry Harlington had lost his life.

First to climb up to the battlements went Jonquil Charmwood, feeling quite sick with fear. A second later Adam Gillow, who was taking the part originally planned for him, started to climb the staircase opposite, also leading to the battlements. The dummy was up there waiting for him, put in place by Oswald Souter before the show began. On seeing Adam start the ascent, so did Robin Green, both of them climbing quite slowly in their clanking armour.

Tennant motioned to Meg. ‘Up you go, Mrs Alexander.'

‘I must wait a second more. I mean, you want this show to be authentic.'

There was a shout from Charlie and his arm shot up.

‘What is it?' asked Potter urgently.

‘There's somebody missing.'

‘Who?'

‘I'm not sure – but there was a bloke in a cloak standing approximately where I am now.' He moved forward a few paces.

Tennant came up. ‘What did you say?'

‘Charlie says there was somebody standing where he is now but he doesn't know who it was.'

‘Are you sure it was a man?'

Charlie looked Tennant straight in the eye. ‘All I can say is that it looked exactly like a man to me.'

Up in the Tudor banqueting hall, Ekaterina cuddled closer to Rufus. ‘Why have they stopped?'

‘I'm not sure. Something must be going on backstage.'

They all stared down into the pit of darkness that was the audience arena. Then Perdita said, ‘Look, there's someone moving down there.'

Everyone peered and could see a vague figure behind the police cordon, creeping so cautiously that it was quite possible it would escape detection. Rufus rose to his feet and banged as hard as he could on the Tudor window but this, by the very nature of its fabric, could not do with much ill-treatment and after a second's hesitation, he said, ‘Ekaterina, look after the girls. I'm going down to catch the fellow.'

‘Oh darling, be careful. He may be armed.'

But Rufus had already gone, clattering down the stairs, his feet ringing hollowly on the wooden flooring. Then a door opened and closed, and after that there was silence.

Tennant's eyes lost their sun-warmed fruit look and became as hard as green ice. He stared around him.

‘Who was it?' he asked. ‘Would you please come forward?'

Nobody moved or stirred and the atmosphere became riven with shards of suspense. A horse stamped an impatient hoof and a woman let out a little scream. Other than that there was an intense quiet.

‘Well,' said Tennant – and his voice was full of menace.

‘I don't think anybody is coming,' murmured Charlie, almost apologetically.

‘No,' answered the inspector. ‘It would appear not. Shall we continue.'

Like figures in a dream people released themselves from their trance and slowly made their way into their allotted places. The Son et Lumière started once more.

Rufus plunged into the darkness which lay beyond the brilliance of the arc lamps and suddenly found himself hardly able to see a thing. He stood completely still for a moment listening to all the sounds of the night. Down on the moat, water fowl were moving slowly, the ploshing of their webbed feet quiet but distinct. A fox passed close to him, disturbing the long grasses, making a tunnel of sound as it went about its nocturnal business. A bird in a tree overhead suddenly gave voice, its sweet song sighing on the night wind. And then came another sound, the sound of a human being making its way stealthily towards the bridge.

Rufus rose to his full height and shouted, ‘Hey you, stay exactly where you are.'

His words had the absolute reverse effect as somebody stumbled towards him and gave him a hearty shove in the guts. Rufus doubled over, completely winded, and as he gasped for air he heard the feet retreating over the span and away into the open countryside beyond. The next sound he heard was that of a car starting up.

It took him a few minutes to recover and when he had finally got his breath back he limped towards the castle and straight into the arms of Mark Potter.

‘You all right, sir? You look a bit done in.'

‘I'm OK. But I saw somebody through the window of the Tudor banqueting hall; he was creeping away and though I tried to attract your attention you couldn't hear me. So I came down myself to try and stop him but he hit me in the guts and winded me. Sorry.'

‘Nothing to apologize for, sir. Are you all right to get back to the house?'

‘Yes, I'll manage. And by the way, you can call off the search. I heard him drive away by car.'

Potter let out a few expletives and then spoke into his phone. Almost immediately several police cars that had been parked just beyond the gatehouse took off into the darkness.

‘Trouble is we don't know which direction he was going in,' he said.

‘No,' said Sir Rufus, ‘we can only hope you catch him.'

In the acting area Tennant's phone went and he made an announcement into a loaded atmosphere which had become almost overwhelming.

‘Come on, let's get on with it.'

The horses, which had been growing restive, now charged at full belt at one another and in the audience Madisson said, ‘That's Ricardo on the left. He looks good on a horse, doesn't he?'

‘Very good. I understand you are going into business with him,' the doctor whispered back.

‘Yes. My beauty salon is doing really well so I've decided to open up one of the rooms as a massage salon. He can do all the usual treatments, hot stones, hot oil and all.'

But her voice died away as the acting area was plunged into sudden darkness and a brilliant spotlight came up on two figures fighting on the battlements. Knowing that this was how a murder had been committed everyone in the audience fell totally silent, a feeling that was echoed backstage as well.

Robin had obviously been briefed to fall over at the exact moment when he had been hit by the stick. Consequently, he fell back and came face to face with Meg Alexander.

‘You old bitch,' he said indistinctly, speaking through his helmet.

‘You deserved it you arrogant bastard. You couldn't act your way out of a paper bag.'

‘And who do you think you are?' he retorted. ‘You and your bloody husband tying to lord it over the rest of us. You're a pair of fucking little nobodies.'

‘Oh!' she said, and began to make her way, clumping down the spiral.

Adam Gillow, not quite certain what to do, ducked down and simultaneously threw the dummy over. It came hurtling towards the ground and landed on its head. On the tape came the sound of a body hitting the earth and crunching as it did so. From the back of the audience Fizz let out a long and terrible scream and continued screaming at the top of her voice until Kasper got up from his chair and hurried to her side.

‘My dear young lady,' he said, ‘you really must get a grip on yourself. I know this is terrible for you – but it is for us all.'

She looked at him, her face twisted by the agony she was feeling. ‘But that fall just now. It was so realistic. It reminded me vividly of the recent tragedy,' she lisped.

‘But it was only a dummy,' he said, and his words ran in his ears like an echo, thinking of when he had eye-witnessed a brutal killing and but for those words would have gone to help.

They could hear the yelling backstage and Estelle said, ‘Oh my God, that's Fizz. I must go to her.'