if it might bite her. ‘I guess I
could call her.’
Adam gently put
his hand over hers. ‘I’ll do it.’
He thumbed the
keypad and held his phone to his ear. They waited. It rang and
rang.
It’s too long,
it’s too long, thought Jessica. She should have answered by
now.
‘Hi Simone,
Adam here.’
She gasped a
relieved sigh. One problem was averted, at least. But then he
continued.
‘Can you give
me a call when you get this message please? It’s quite urgent.
Thank you.’
‘Shitfuckbuggerypoxdamn?’ she asked.
‘I’m afraid so.
All I got was her voicemail.’ He looked at his watch. ‘Well, there
doesn’t seem to be anything much more I can do here. I might as
well head home. I’ll let you know if I hear from Simone.’
‘If you hear
what?’ asked a booming voice. Simone sailed up behind him looking
very put out. ‘I hear that tonight’s rehearsal has been cancelled,
at extremely short notice I might add. It would be preferable to
have a little more warning if such an event were to happen again.
Some of us do have lives outside the theatre, you know.’
‘Simone! Boy,
are we glad to see you! You’re all right!’
Simone stared
at Jessica as if she’d been speaking in tongues. ‘Yes of course I’m
all right. Why shouldn’t I be?’
Jessica
suddenly needed a break. She gestured to Adam to explain and went
to sit down on the pavement, leaning against the front of the
theatre with her knees pulled up to her chin. Her mind went
mercifully blank for a while as she gazed unseeing at the street in
front of her.
The next thing
she knew, Jack Matherson was standing in front of her, offering a
hand to pull her up. His grasp was firm and warm, and she was
almost reluctant to let go once she was up on her feet. ‘You’re
Jessica and you manage the theatre,’ he began.
‘Ah, thanks for
clearing that up.’ She stopped, surprised at herself. Where had
that come from? ‘I mean, yes. Sorry.’
He tilted his
head slightly. ‘Am I going to have to caution you, Jessica?’
‘No, Detective
Senior Sergeant Matherson. I’ll co-operate fully.’
He grinned.
‘That’s what we like to hear. It saves so much wear and tear on the
rubber hoses. Now, while you’re feeling meek and compliant, can you
show me somewhere in the theatre where I can set up an interview
room, please? Preferably well away from the auditorium.’
‘As long as I
get first go – and you tell me something about what’s happened.
Deal?’
‘Fair enough.
I’ve sent a chap to guard the door so you can stop being watchdog
out here.’ He looked at her companions. ‘I’ve spoken to Adam Bryant
already, but has that guy with him been inside at all?’
‘Gazza? No, he
hasn’t. He turned up just after your first two officers got
here.’
‘Fine. The
interviewing officer will talk to him soon. Come on.’
Jessica
followed Jack inside.
The fire doors
had been firmly closed so there was no chance to sneak a look into
the auditorium as they passed along the corridor. She took Jack out
the back and up into the Rose Room.
‘Is this OK,
Detective Senior Sergeant? There’s a table and plenty of chairs.
Oh, and a power socket just behind the bookcase there, to plug in
your interrogation lamp.’
He grinned.
‘Ah, you haven’t heard about the new user-friendly police force,
have you? We don’t call them interrogation lamps any more. Now
they’re “investigative” lamps, along with “investigative”
thumbscrews and “investigative” bamboo slivers.’
‘Ha, try what
you like, you’ll get nothing from me, copper.’
‘Interesting.
Is this a brave front over your worry, or an attempt to show how
completely unconcerned and therefore not guilty you are?’
The answer that
sprang into her mind was that now he was here, the worry didn’t
seem so bad, but that sounded far too stupid. ‘It’s a brave front,
sir. Now can you please tell me what’s happened in there?’
Jack pulled a
couple of chairs round to the same
could call her.’
Adam gently put
his hand over hers. ‘I’ll do it.’
He thumbed the
keypad and held his phone to his ear. They waited. It rang and
rang.
It’s too long,
it’s too long, thought Jessica. She should have answered by
now.
‘Hi Simone,
Adam here.’
She gasped a
relieved sigh. One problem was averted, at least. But then he
continued.
‘Can you give
me a call when you get this message please? It’s quite urgent.
Thank you.’
‘Shitfuckbuggerypoxdamn?’ she asked.
‘I’m afraid so.
All I got was her voicemail.’ He looked at his watch. ‘Well, there
doesn’t seem to be anything much more I can do here. I might as
well head home. I’ll let you know if I hear from Simone.’
‘If you hear
what?’ asked a booming voice. Simone sailed up behind him looking
very put out. ‘I hear that tonight’s rehearsal has been cancelled,
at extremely short notice I might add. It would be preferable to
have a little more warning if such an event were to happen again.
Some of us do have lives outside the theatre, you know.’
‘Simone! Boy,
are we glad to see you! You’re all right!’
Simone stared
at Jessica as if she’d been speaking in tongues. ‘Yes of course I’m
all right. Why shouldn’t I be?’
Jessica
suddenly needed a break. She gestured to Adam to explain and went
to sit down on the pavement, leaning against the front of the
theatre with her knees pulled up to her chin. Her mind went
mercifully blank for a while as she gazed unseeing at the street in
front of her.
The next thing
she knew, Jack Matherson was standing in front of her, offering a
hand to pull her up. His grasp was firm and warm, and she was
almost reluctant to let go once she was up on her feet. ‘You’re
Jessica and you manage the theatre,’ he began.
‘Ah, thanks for
clearing that up.’ She stopped, surprised at herself. Where had
that come from? ‘I mean, yes. Sorry.’
He tilted his
head slightly. ‘Am I going to have to caution you, Jessica?’
‘No, Detective
Senior Sergeant Matherson. I’ll co-operate fully.’
He grinned.
‘That’s what we like to hear. It saves so much wear and tear on the
rubber hoses. Now, while you’re feeling meek and compliant, can you
show me somewhere in the theatre where I can set up an interview
room, please? Preferably well away from the auditorium.’
‘As long as I
get first go – and you tell me something about what’s happened.
Deal?’
‘Fair enough.
I’ve sent a chap to guard the door so you can stop being watchdog
out here.’ He looked at her companions. ‘I’ve spoken to Adam Bryant
already, but has that guy with him been inside at all?’
‘Gazza? No, he
hasn’t. He turned up just after your first two officers got
here.’
‘Fine. The
interviewing officer will talk to him soon. Come on.’
Jessica
followed Jack inside.
The fire doors
had been firmly closed so there was no chance to sneak a look into
the auditorium as they passed along the corridor. She took Jack out
the back and up into the Rose Room.
‘Is this OK,
Detective Senior Sergeant? There’s a table and plenty of chairs.
Oh, and a power socket just behind the bookcase there, to plug in
your interrogation lamp.’
He grinned.
‘Ah, you haven’t heard about the new user-friendly police force,
have you? We don’t call them interrogation lamps any more. Now
they’re “investigative” lamps, along with “investigative”
thumbscrews and “investigative” bamboo slivers.’
‘Ha, try what
you like, you’ll get nothing from me, copper.’
‘Interesting.
Is this a brave front over your worry, or an attempt to show how
completely unconcerned and therefore not guilty you are?’
The answer that
sprang into her mind was that now he was here, the worry didn’t
seem so bad, but that sounded far too stupid. ‘It’s a brave front,
sir. Now can you please tell me what’s happened in there?’
Jack pulled a
couple of chairs round to the same
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