The Wickedest Showman

by Lotta Smith

  “That’s so sick!” I exclaimed, then relayed her words to Rick.

  “Right. That’s sick, but a certain percentage of the general population is known to be sick in the head.” He shrugged.

  “Hmm, romantic interest can be a huge motive. And Karina is in love with Rob…,” I started. “Still, if she’s the one trying to hurt him, she wouldn’t go to such trouble to hire us by using Natalia as the middle person.”

  “No, she wouldn’t do that.” Rick chuckled.

  “Then again, in mystery novels, the client who hired the PI sometimes turns out to be the culprit,” I pointed out.

  “I know, but don’t you think regarding Karina as the prime suspect is illogical?” Rick raised an eyebrow.

  “Oh, right.” I nodded like a bobblehead. “Yeah, trying to harm her soon-to-be groom wouldn’t be a good idea, especially when she’s in love with him. Besides that, the phantom of the theater actually exists in the form of Russel Sassoon. The most disturbing part about the ghost is that he seems like a nice guy.”

  “You’re right, Mandy,” Jackie agreed. “Russel seemed like a good guy. I’ve been living as a ghost for years, and I know an evil ghost when I see one. Evil ones tend to have this chilly air that makes me want to run away, but he was pleasant to talk to.”

  “I know.” Nodding at her, I relayed her words to Rick.

  “So, assuming from our conversation with Suze the previous night, Karina and Rob seemed to have already announced—or at least suggested—their intention to tie the knot, right?” he said thoughtfully.

  “Yes, I believe so.” I nodded.

  “Okay. Suppose this case is all about jealousy. The guy playing Hamlet could be considered one of the culprits,” he said nonchalantly.

  “Really? I didn’t know he was dating Karina.” I knitted my eyebrows.

  “I think he’s gay,” Jackie chimed in.

  “Hmm, what you’re talking about is a different kind of jealousy.” Rick snorted. “I’m not talking about romance. It’s about his career.”

  “Oh, right. I know what you’re talking about.” Jackie clapped her hands. “So far, Timothy gets to play the protagonist Hamlet, but what happens when Rob gets married to Karina, the head of the theater company? It’s no wonder if Timothy feels like his position with the company is being threatened. He may not get to play the good roles anymore. That sort of thing happens a lot. Suppose there’s an unknown actress with average talent working as one of the villagers or passersby, but then she miraculously lands a truly good role as soon as she starts sleeping with the director or the head of the theater company.”

  “Oh, okay. So Timothy might not like the idea of Karina marrying Rob,” I agreed, and since Jackie was giving me the eye that said, “Why don’t you share my super theory with Rick?” I relayed her words, giving the ghost full credit.

  “Right. Basically everyone’s got a little seed of the green monster.” Putting the cutlery on the table, he clasped my hands. “Hey, let’s not worry about the case. No matter what Karina had in mind when she came to us, we’re getting the nursery done by the most sought-after decorator in town. And honestly, I can’t wait to see the completed nursery for our beautiful daughter.”

  “Oh, you’re right.” I giggled as his hands released mine and reached for my baby bump. “I’m sure she loves Alexa’s work on her room. Whenever I visit there to take a look at the progress, she always moves a lot. Sometimes it seems almost like she’s dancing.”

  “I think she’s turning into a really fussy fashionista who already has her opinions about what she wears and what color she prefers,” Jackie said. “And you guys are gonna totally spoil her.”

  “Wow.” My eyes widened. I was excited, of course, but Jackie’s words were a little scary.

  CHAPTER 9

  The next evening, Rick, Jackie, and I were visiting Theater 69 again.

  Having visited this place on a daily basis in the past three days, the theater almost felt like my workplace. Jackie seemed to be feeling the same way.

  “You know, Mandy, visiting here once is good enough to make me sooo excited. And guess what? Visiting here every day makes me beyond happy!” She was dancing by my side, giggling and talking nonstop.

  “I’m glad for the chance to work on a case that makes you so deliriously happy,” I replied, relaxing in one of the best seats in the audience’s section.

  “What did Jackie say?” Rick touched my arm.

  “She’s happy to visit the theater on a daily basis, and she simply can’t stop giggling.”

  “Wow, good for her.” A corner of his lips quirked up into a smile. “Though, the impromptu visit to the theater yesterday took me by surprise.”

  “I had a sudden craving for Pino’s bacon, which happens to be our favorite. Great, I think I’m having another craving. Oh my God, I’ve got to visit Pino’s again tomorrow and purchase a few more pounds of bacon.”

  “Why don’t you go there late tomorrow morning?” he suggested. “Also, I’d appreciate if you bought their meatloaf sandwich too. We can have lunch together at the office, just like old times.”

  “Wow, sounds fabulous!” I beamed. I had a Reuben sandwich the day before, but honestly I was tempted to eat a meatloaf sandwich too. A part of me regretted not buying additional treats for us, but considering I went an extra mile to visit the theater, not buying the sandwiches was a good decision. It was mid-summer and the sandwiches might have gone bad.

  Smiling and looking forward to the next day’s trip to my favorite butcher, I waited for the curtains to open, recalling my conversation with Suze less than fifteen minutes earlier.

  She was planning to work as a prompter that night, just like the previous time. When we arrived the theater, she led us to our seats in the front row.

  “Are you sure we can sit here?” I asked her, as the assigned seats were in the prime location of the theater. The previous time we watched the show from the audience’s section, our seats were in the back.

  “Sure.” She smiled widely. “Usually we’re fully booked and it’s hard to assign seats at the last minute, but a couple of our patrons called saying they can’t make it tonight. They asked us to pass the seats on to someone else. I think the lady I talked to said something about having an urgent business meeting. And Karina was more than happy for this vacancy. She immediately told me to give you guys these seats.”

  “Lucky us,” Rick said.

  “You could say that.” Suze nodded.

  “So, who’s playing Hamlet tonight?” he asked casually.

  “Do you remember Tim? The guy who played the role the day before yesterday? He’s gonna play Hamlet, just like usual.” Suze chuckled, slightly shaking her head.

  “Really?” I interjected. “He said something like he was totally ready to quit at any moment.”

  “Sure he did,” Suze agreed. “Every time something happens, he wants to quit. But come the next day, he’s ready to roll.”

  “Uh-huh, okay. He’s a real drama queen,” Jackie commented.

  Suze didn’t seem to catch the ghost’s words, so I said, “Wow, he must be great at letting the bad experiences go.”

  “You’re right.” Suze looked thoughtful. “I often admire his skill at being able to leave behind the negative feelings so easily, even though I can’t say he’s a role model for self-control. Besides, in terms of self-discipline, Karina should be number one.”

  “I can imagine that,” I said.

  Rick stood up. “Why don’t we visit her and say hi?”

  “And perhaps see the knife yourself?” Jackie chimed in.

  “Oh, that’ll be fabulous,” I said as he helped me get up.

  “Okay. Let’s go,” Suze agreed, and we started walking.

  On the way, Suze abruptly said, “You know, Mandy, I’m thinking about quitting my acting career.”

  “Pardon me?” Totally taken by surprise, my jaw dropped. After a pause, I said, “Is that because of Rob?”

  “No. He has n
othing to do with my decision, but….” Closing her eyes tightly, she looked up at the ceiling. “When I started, I was so full of hopes, dreams, and ambition, but now I’m not sure if I can be confident about my talent.”

  “Come on, Suze. If you can’t believe in yourself, who else can?” Jackie said, furiously waving her arms in front of the young actress’s face.

  Before I could relay her words, Rick said, “You need to believe in yourself even if the rest of the world doesn’t.”

  “Thank you.” She offered a small smile. “Actually, last night, Karina and Robert announced that they’re tying the knot. And honestly, yes, their marriage had a certain influence on my decision to go home and help at my parents’ doughnuts shop in Jersey City.” She shook her head, as if she was trying to shed the many thoughts crossing her mind.

  “At least you can binge on leftover doughnuts and eat your sorrows away.” Jackie pouted, tapping the floor with the tip of her Jimmy Choo-lookalikes.

  I wanted to say something encouraging, inspiring, and intelligent, but all that came out was “But things will change. You never know what’s going to happen.”

  “What do you mean?” She furrowed her eyebrows.

  “Well—”

  Before I could come up with anything, she looked at me curiously. “Mandy, you’ve got a stray thread on your dress.”

  “Oh, really?” I looked down, but before I could find it, she took it from my shoulder and threw it away. “Um… thanks,” I said.

  “You’re welcome. This is Karina’s dressing room. I think she’s already dressed and ready for the show. You can just knock on the door and say hi to her. I’ve got to go. I hope you both enjoy the show.” She waved at us, turned on her heel, and left.

  I watched her in fear, worried she might collapse on the way, but her gait was smooth, steady, and strong.

  “Well, she’s shocked and disappointed about Rob’s marriage, but at least she’s not a cold-blooded psycho trying to harm him and sabotage the show,” Rick commented.

  “Okay, we can tick her off the suspect list,” I agreed. “Jackie, it wasn’t her.”

  “I can see that,” she said nonchalantly as we watched Suze power-walking her way to the backstage area. “But she was my prime suspect, and I was sure my theory rocked.”

  Rick knocked on the door to Karina’s dressing room.

  “Come in.” Karina’s voice came from inside.

  “Hi, Karina.” Rick greeted her from the doorway. “Congrats on your engagement.”

  “Hi!” Standing by Rick, I waved at her. “I saw Natalia yesterday. Even though I was dying to deliver your news to her, I wasn’t sure if it was okay to leak the info, so I kept my mouth shut.”

  “Ooh, Mandy, you’re such a lovely friend, aren’t you?” She let out a hearty laugh. “We haven’t announced our engagement to the public yet, and I honestly appreciate a little confidentiality.”

  As Suze had predicted, Karina had already changed into her stage costume. Dressed in white from head to toe, she looked like a real bride awaiting her nuptials and not Ophelia, who was going to die by drowning.

  “Ooh, look at you, Karina! You look so fabulous!” Jackie exclaimed. “Mandy, can you pretty please share my words?”

  “Sure.” I nodded and said, “Karina, Jackie says you look simply stunning.”

  “Thank you so much, Jackie.” Karina beamed. “Also, thank you so much for being a wonderful interpreter, Mandy.”

  “You’re very welcome.” Jackie smiled widely, and I relayed those words too.

  “I didn’t know Karina had met Jackie,” Rick commented.

  “I worked with him… I mean, her, when she was still alive,” Karina said. “When Mandy asked me if I remembered Jackson Frederick Orchard and mentioned she’s with her, I was so shocked. Under normal circumstances, I wouldn’t have believed her story, but before that, she was talking to another ghost who could be the reason for all the weird incidents at the theater, so I decided to believe her.”

  “Thank you.” I did a little finger wave at her.

  She looked at herself in the mirror. “Maybe I’d better play Hamlet’s mother the next time.”

  “Are you thinking about handing down your Ophelia role to someone?” Jackie said, apparently surprised. “That’s seriously huge news! Hey, Mandy, you’ve got to ask her.”

  “Okay.” I rolled my eyes. “Jackie is so excited, saying it’ll be super-huge news if you’re really thinking about handing down your Ophelia role.”

  Karina chuckled. “I don’t know if it’s newsworthy, but it’s true that I’m planning to try the part with a certain younger actress. Have you met Suze? Suze Collins, the prompter? I’m sure she’d be a fabulous Ophelia.”

  “Really?” My voice rose an octave.

  “Oh my God, oh my God, ohmygod! Suze sooo shouldn’t quit! We’ve got to persuade her to keep working hard on her endeavor in acting!”

  “Yes, we’ve met her,” Rick interjected. “If you’re seriously considering Suze as your successor in the Ophelia role, I suggest you tell her about your plan. When we met her earlier, she seemed slightly unsure about her career prospects.”

  “Pardon me?” Karina’s eyes widened, looking genuinely surprised. “Oh my… I’ll have to talk to her.”

  Then there was a knock on the door.

  “Karina, it’s showtime,” said a young man’s voice.

  CHAPTER 10

  On the stage, Hamlet played out before our eyes. During the show, a few little incidents happened—though the audience didn’t seem to notice. In the beginning scene of act one, when the ghost of Hamlet’s deceased father appeared, the sword he was carrying suddenly floated away from his hand. The actor looked genuinely surprised, and when he chased it in apparent confusion, the audience buzzed with whispers, wondering, “What the hell’s going on?” and “Perhaps it’s some kind of a special performance for today.”

  As the ending came closer and closer, I started to feel that something was going to happen.

  “Hey,” I whispered to Rick, “I think we need to move backstage.”

  “Now?” Though he sounded slightly skeptical, he stood up. “If you say so. Let’s go.”

  Thanks to having backstage passes, we were welcomed to the backstage area during the middle of the play. When we arrived, Timothy was just coming back from the stage.

  “Phew, tonight’s performance is great!” he exclaimed. “Fight the duels, stab the king, and then I collapse. I’m so exhausted, but in a good way!”

  Unlike the previous night, he seemed to be fully enjoying the show and playing the main role. I was mentally assessing him, trying to figure out how much he was attached to the protagonist’s role.

  Then the actor playing the villain king said lightheartedly, “Tim, do you want to switch roles with me? I don’t mind. It would be nice to be the slasher instead of a slashee for a change.”

  “I know!” Timothy let out a hearty chuckle. “Next time, I’m considering trying out for Claudius. Though I’m guessing Robert will be playing Hamlet next time. And I’m seriously looking forward to seeing his Hamlet. Nothing is as fun as watching others in the roles I’ve played before.”

  I noticed he, the drama queen of the company, didn’t sound sarcastic or bitter at all.

  “Hmm, he sounds like a theater aficionado who simply loves the plays,” Jackie commented, crossing her arms.

  “Hey, Mandy, Rick. What are you doing here?” Rob’s voice grabbed my attention.

  “Hey.” Rick raised his hand. “We’re snooping around to make sure everything’s fine.”

  “Right,” I chimed in. “We thought watching the show from this side of the stage would be helpful.”

  “Oh yeah?” Rob grinned and turned to a young male crewmember. “Hey, Bob, can you bring two chairs for them?”

  “Thanks.” I beamed.

  “Just a chair for her is good enough,” Rick added, but the guy was already bringing over two folding chairs, so we sat down, thanking h
im.

  Rob slapped his own cheeks with both hands. “I’ve gotta try not to cry at Hamlet’s death. I always get teary.”

  “Come on, Rob. Any tears that come out naturally are great for you.” Jackie flashed a thumbs-up.

  “Rob, I have a friend who also happens to be in show biz, and according to her, natural tears coming up in the middle of a scene are always great for you,” I said.

  “Yeah, the audience can feel when the emotions are real,” Rick agreed.

  “Thanks! I’m ready to roll.” Rob flashed a wide grin, and as if on cue, the buzzer indicating the beginning of the final act echoed and the curtains opened.

  In that particular scene, Laertes, the elder brother of Ophelia, was furious about his sister’s death by drowning, and he challenged Hamlet to a fencing match. In the duel, Laertes had no idea that the sword with which he was fighting was tainted by poison.

  Timothy was panting and sweating like he was actually fighting a duel and was exhausted to the bone.

  Hamlet was winning, and the queen attempted to toast for him, picking up a poison-tainted glass of wine specifically set aside for Hamlet—by the king, who was trying to kill off both Hamlet and Laertes.

  In the meantime, the two men resumed the duel, switching their weapons. The sounds of blades banging against each other seemed to last forever.

  When Laertes went for Hamlet with his sword, Horatio, played by Rob, was sitting close to Hamlet. Under normal circumstances, sitting so close to a duel would not only be dangerous but ridiculous, but everything was fake. Besides, in fiction, no one was supposed to get hurt unless it was stated in the script.

  “What the hell?” Rick muttered by my side when the tip of the blade broke off suddenly.