booth. They’re looking good.”
I bit my lip and nodded as the lighting changed. The band started playing, and the choir began its next number. Sequins sparkled under the stage lights. The kids twisted, twirled, and sang their hearts out. There were a few spacing issues that needed fixing, and a harmony or two that I wanted to tweak. I jotted notes and held my breath as the band played the intro to the new number. The soloists were strong. That was good. The background vocals were better than they had been earlier. But the kids’ lack of confidence with the dance steps was obvious. Though not bad, the dancing wasn’t as polished as the other numbers and didn’t have the spark. Eventually, it would. The potential was there. Would the school board agree?
I had the choir practice its costume changes, smoothed some of the trouble spots, and gave a few additional notes to the band. Finally, I said, “No rehearsal in the morning. I want you to be rested and ready for the concert tomorrow night. Mr. O’Shea, Mr. DeWeese, and I have asked a lot of you this week. We’re all incredibly proud of the work you’ve done.”
I meant every word. My chest tightened. My throat ached as I sniffled back the tears.
Pushing aside the swell of emotions, I choked out, “Get changed. Go home and get some rest. I’ll see you tomorrow.” And the kids raced off stage.
“No rehearsal tomorrow?” Larry scrambled up the escape stairs. “But they need rehearsal. What about the school board?”
“The team will perform better if we ease off and give them a break.” Not to mention that a killer couldn’t target them if they weren’t within fifty feet of me. I wouldn’t step foot on school property tomorrow until our call time for the concert. And only then if I could guarantee the students would be safe.
A text from our assistant stage manager, Jenny, told me tonight’s Messiah rehearsal was still on. There was also a text from Aunt Millie. She’d heard about the newest death and wanted to make sure I was okay.
I considered going back to Aunt Millie’s house to grab dinner and reassure her of my safety but decided against it. Millie’s message implied she wasn’t home. Without my aunt in residence, Killer would be guarding the refrigerator, which meant another showdown. I wasn’t up to that battle, so I opted to stop at McDonald’s instead. Supersize fries always made me feel like I could take on the world. On top of that, the closest restaurant happened to be a hop, skip, and a jump from a person I really needed to talk to.
I had just sat down with my salad and monster-size fries as Mike Kaiser appeared in the doorway, looking cold and annoyed. He scanned the room, spotted me in the back, and nodded. A couple minutes later he slid across from me with his own tray.
“Glad you decided to take me up on the date.” He winked as he unwrapped a double-stacked hamburger. “We could have gone somewhere a little nicer. Cops don’t make a fortune, but I know how to treat a girl right.”
I rolled my eyes. “I told you this wasn’t a date. I need help with something.” Mike’s cocky grin said he didn’t believe a word I was saying. “Have you talked to Detective Frewen today?”
The smile disappeared. The eyes narrowed. Mike went into cop mode. “I called him after you called me. You’ve had another busy day.”
“Not intentionally.”
“Which is scary considering how many dead bodies you’ve found. Most people don’t ever stumble across one, let alone three.”
Technically, I’d only stumbled across two—Greg, the murder victim Mike had investigated, and Bill. David Richard died in front of a lot of us. I doubted Mike would be impressed by the distinction. Instead of quibbling over details, I admitted, “I need help. There’s a possibility that whoever killed David and Bill might come after me.”
Mike crossed his arms across his chest and leaned back in his seat. “What did you do?”
“Someone is
I bit my lip and nodded as the lighting changed. The band started playing, and the choir began its next number. Sequins sparkled under the stage lights. The kids twisted, twirled, and sang their hearts out. There were a few spacing issues that needed fixing, and a harmony or two that I wanted to tweak. I jotted notes and held my breath as the band played the intro to the new number. The soloists were strong. That was good. The background vocals were better than they had been earlier. But the kids’ lack of confidence with the dance steps was obvious. Though not bad, the dancing wasn’t as polished as the other numbers and didn’t have the spark. Eventually, it would. The potential was there. Would the school board agree?
I had the choir practice its costume changes, smoothed some of the trouble spots, and gave a few additional notes to the band. Finally, I said, “No rehearsal in the morning. I want you to be rested and ready for the concert tomorrow night. Mr. O’Shea, Mr. DeWeese, and I have asked a lot of you this week. We’re all incredibly proud of the work you’ve done.”
I meant every word. My chest tightened. My throat ached as I sniffled back the tears.
Pushing aside the swell of emotions, I choked out, “Get changed. Go home and get some rest. I’ll see you tomorrow.” And the kids raced off stage.
“No rehearsal tomorrow?” Larry scrambled up the escape stairs. “But they need rehearsal. What about the school board?”
“The team will perform better if we ease off and give them a break.” Not to mention that a killer couldn’t target them if they weren’t within fifty feet of me. I wouldn’t step foot on school property tomorrow until our call time for the concert. And only then if I could guarantee the students would be safe.
A text from our assistant stage manager, Jenny, told me tonight’s Messiah rehearsal was still on. There was also a text from Aunt Millie. She’d heard about the newest death and wanted to make sure I was okay.
I considered going back to Aunt Millie’s house to grab dinner and reassure her of my safety but decided against it. Millie’s message implied she wasn’t home. Without my aunt in residence, Killer would be guarding the refrigerator, which meant another showdown. I wasn’t up to that battle, so I opted to stop at McDonald’s instead. Supersize fries always made me feel like I could take on the world. On top of that, the closest restaurant happened to be a hop, skip, and a jump from a person I really needed to talk to.
I had just sat down with my salad and monster-size fries as Mike Kaiser appeared in the doorway, looking cold and annoyed. He scanned the room, spotted me in the back, and nodded. A couple minutes later he slid across from me with his own tray.
“Glad you decided to take me up on the date.” He winked as he unwrapped a double-stacked hamburger. “We could have gone somewhere a little nicer. Cops don’t make a fortune, but I know how to treat a girl right.”
I rolled my eyes. “I told you this wasn’t a date. I need help with something.” Mike’s cocky grin said he didn’t believe a word I was saying. “Have you talked to Detective Frewen today?”
The smile disappeared. The eyes narrowed. Mike went into cop mode. “I called him after you called me. You’ve had another busy day.”
“Not intentionally.”
“Which is scary considering how many dead bodies you’ve found. Most people don’t ever stumble across one, let alone three.”
Technically, I’d only stumbled across two—Greg, the murder victim Mike had investigated, and Bill. David Richard died in front of a lot of us. I doubted Mike would be impressed by the distinction. Instead of quibbling over details, I admitted, “I need help. There’s a possibility that whoever killed David and Bill might come after me.”
Mike crossed his arms across his chest and leaned back in his seat. “What did you do?”
“Someone is
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