All I Ask

by KT Webb

  I will return to you soon.

  With all my love,

  D’Angelo

  Nothing could have prepared Aria for the contents of that letter. How could he even consider leaving? Despite how much she loved him, Aria couldn’t help but feel anger rise in her chest. There were so many things she didn’t know or understand about the man she’d fallen in love with. She had to talk to someone.

  Aria grabbed her phone to find a text message from an unknown number. With a furrowed brow, she opened the text.

  I’ll be back as soon as I can, be careful. I love you, D.

  She released a sigh of relief. D’Angelo wasn’t just abandoning her as he had before. He was still going to be there. Aria wasn’t pleased, but she felt much better knowing she could text or call him rather than worrying about whether or not she would ever hear from him again. She quickly composed a message in return.

  Don’t be gone long, I want to yell at you for leaving. I love you, too.

  It seemed like the safest message she could send. Of course, he would know how it would make her feel for him to take off after a night of insane passion like they’d shared. Pushing the thought aside, Aria dialed the only person who knew she was communicating with the famed D’Angelo. After a few rings, Madame Rossi answered the phone.

  “Hello?”

  “Lena! How are you?”

  “I’m okay. How are you this morning? Your performance was amazing last night.”

  “Thank you! I’m doing fine, just need a little guidance,” Aria replied as she started a pot of coffee.

  “Do you want to meet somewhere?”

  “No, I’d love it if you came over this morning if you can.”

  “Absolutely, I’m on my way. Do you want me to bring anything?”

  “Donuts would be heavenly,” Aria laughed.

  After she hung up, Aria left the coffee to brew and stripped down to shower. Standing under the hot water felt terrific in the chill of her apartment. As she ran her hands over her skin, she thought about how it felt to have D’Angelo do the same. His touch scintillated her in a way nothing else had. She remembered encountering the difference between the texture of his damaged skin and the areas of his body that were completely untouched by whatever affliction he’d suffered. It put her in mind of the scar on her own forearm. Her injury marked an important event in her past, but it didn’t define who she was beneath the surface.

  She turned off the water and wrapped herself in a towel. If she could spend the rest of her life showing D’Angelo that his scars and pain didn’t have to define him, she would be happy. In her room, the bed was still in disarray from the hours they spent lost in each other. Aria left the bed as it was, it felt right. She dressed quickly, knowing she would be changing into a costume later in the day. She had just poured herself a cup of coffee when the knock at her door alerted her to Madame Rossi’s arrival.

  “Come in!” She called.

  The door opened, “You know, we’re going to need to talk about safety. How do you know I’m not some weirdo who broke into the building?”

  Aria blinked at her a few times, “Why would a weirdo who broke into the building knock on my apartment door?”

  Lena shrugged, “That’s a fair point. Well, I come bearing donuts. I see you made us some coffee.”

  Aria poured a cup for Madame Rossi and grabbed a donut. They settled in on the couch, chewing in silence for a few contemplative moments. Aria knew she could talk to Lena; the woman had basically become her surrogate mother. She’d never been afraid to tell Aria the bitter truth, even when she didn’t want to hear it.

  “So, what’s going on? You left the cast party last night with someone, how did that go?”

  Aria blushed, “It was D’Angelo.”

  Lena nodded. Of course, she knew precisely who Aria left with, she simply wasn’t sure if she should reveal that. The conversation she had with him that morning put her on edge. He was determined to expose the secrets that kept him hidden underground for many years. Now that Andrew Overland was back in town and showing a renewed interest in Aria, things were falling into place. Madame Rossi wanted to believe the young man had changed while living with his uncle, but everything she’d uncovered pointed to the contrary. If she was going to maintain Aria’s trust and help keep her safe, Lena was going to have to tell the young woman she knew at least something about the man who lived in Durant Theater.

  “I know who he is,” she explained.

  “You do? How? Have you seen him?” Aria set her coffee down and leaned forward.

  “Years ago, he came to me in need of some help. He needed to hide from the world to stay safe, and he needed me to promise I wouldn’t let anything happen to you.”

  “Me? We only met six months ago. When did he ask you for this promise?”

  Madame Rossi sighed, “There are going to be things I cannot answer, so please understand that it has never been my intent to hide anything from you. The man known as D’Angelo is the reason you’re alive. He pulled you from the burning wreckage of your home but was too late to save anyone else.”

  Aria was reeling from the information. She tried to think back to the night of the fire, the explosion. Her memory was mostly made up of the glimpses she could recall intermingled with the stories she’d been told. The combination of her young age and the severe concussion she’d suffered as a result of the explosion had left a lot of gaps in her recollections of the night. Aria had often wondered how she’d survived when everyone else died. They’d been having dinner, she remembered that much, but everything after that was like a glitchy recording. Even her memories of dinner could have been from another night altogether. They had gotten together many times throughout her life; her mind may have pieced together those memories along with the suffocating experience of smoke and fire she sometimes encountered in her dreams.

  “I wish I remembered more about that night,” Aria whispered.

  “No, you don’t. The house was completely destroyed. It was a wonder you survived at all,” Lena put a hand on Aria’s arm, “The point of me telling you that is to let you know that I have known this man for many years, he’s a wonderful person. I was worried when you first told me he was helping you sing, but only because he is a very broken man.”

  “He is. I think that will change one day, though,” Aria mused, then she looked Lena in the eyes, “I’m in love with him, Lena.”

  “I know. And he has fallen in love with you, too,” she replied. “We’re trying to keep you safe, Aria.”

  “I don’t know what that means! How am I in danger?”

  Madame Rossi closed her eyes and sighed. She didn’t know how much she could tell Aria without scaring her. While Lena was trying to determine the best way to explain the suspicions both she and D’Angelo had regarding the explosion that nearly claimed her life, a cell phone began to ring. Aria grabbed her phone, answering as soon as she saw the caller.

  “Hello?”

  “Aria! Thank God you answered,” Christine’s voice was clearly distressed.

  “What’s going on, are you okay?”

  “I’m fine, but we need you to come to the theater. I found Karen’s body.”

  Aria was sure her heart had stopped, “Holy shit, Christine. Are you okay? She’s dead? What happened?”

  “I’m okay. I screamed, and Patrick came running. We were down in the basement looking for a replacement prop, but the smell down there was horrible. The coroner took the body, and the police are on their way. They don’t really know what happened yet. It was horrible, I passed out,” Christine admitted.

  “I’ll be there in a little bit, stay with Patrick,” Aria hung up and looked at Madame Rossi.

  “What happened? Who’s dead?”

  Aria was in shock; she’d assumed Karen had taken off just like everyone else suggested. The idea that she’d been rotting in the basement while they continued on with the production made her queasy. A thought came unbidden to her mind; the show must go on. It was so
mething Drew said to her when he found out she was replacing the missing actress. The old adage was meant to remind actors not to let the little hiccups they encountered along the way keep them from performing the show. It seemed appropriate at the time, but Karen’s death was more than just a hiccup in production.

  “Karen Moreau was found dead in the basement of the Majestic Theatre,” Aria whispered.

  “Oh, no! What happened?”

  Aria shook her head, “They don’t know yet. Christine said the police are on the way. She’s been gone for two weeks; do you think she’s been dead that long?”

  “Oh, honey, it’s hard to know. I’m sure you’ll be told everything in time.”

  “Probably. I’m guessing the police are going to have a lot of questions, I’d better get there soon.”

  Lena walked with Aria until she secured the building behind her. Before Aria left for the Majestic, Madame Rossi pulled her in for a hug, “Trust me, D’Angelo is somewhere nearby. He had to disappear to look into some things, but he will be keeping an eye out for you. He always does.”

  “Thank you, Lena. There are just so many unknowns in my life right now. It’s hard to be happy knowing something so terrible happened to Karen in the very theater she was supposed to perform in last night,” she paled, “What if someone in the cast or crew was responsible for this?”

  Lena’s mind had already been running through the possibilities. She would have to reach out to D’Angelo as soon as Aria was gone. The two women embraced.

  “Be careful, Aria,” Madame Rossi whispered in the younger woman’s ear.

  As Aria rushed to the theater where her friends waited for the police, she pulled out her phone and texted the only person she really wanted to talk to. If D’Angelo had been coming and going from the Majestic in the shadows, he may have seen something that could help police. Her text was short and to the point. He would call her if he needed clarification.

  Karen is dead, Christine found the body. Police are investigating.

  Within seconds, a response came through that only made Aria feel uneasy.

  I know. Answer their questions. Try to leave me out of it. I love you.

  D’Angelo was a private person, no one knew who he was; why would the police ask anything about it that would lead her to have to make the conscious decision to avoid talking about him? Aria slid her phone into her purse and continued to sprint in the direction of the Majestic Theatre.

  Christine hadn’t stopped shaking since finding the dead body of Karen Moreau. Patrick held her firmly, whispering calming words to help soothe her worried mind. No one liked the woman, but he couldn’t think of anyone who would want her dead. When they first got to the basement, both of them remarked on the vomit-inducing odor that seemed to permeate the air. The basement storage area was temperature-controlled and kept chilled intentionally. Patrick shuddered to think of how much farther the body may have decomposed if it had been left in the boiler room. Christine’s scream ripped through him and still echoed in his ears.

  He couldn’t handle the sheer terror of thinking she’d been hurt somehow. By the time he reached her side, she had thrown up the contents of her stomach. He’d never seen anything like the partially decomposed body of Karen Moreau. Her eyes were wide open, bulging out of her bloated purple face. The rest of her corpse appeared swollen and was covered in the bodily fluids that tend to leak from a body when it ceases to operate. After Christine finished throwing up, she looked at the body again and collapsed into his arms. Patrick managed to carry her up the stairs and call the police without panicking. The officers told him they were both in shock.

  The paramedics checked Christine over and stayed with her until she regained consciousness. As soon as she felt able, she called Aria. Patrick took the opportunity to contact a few key cast members and have them alert the rest of the cast and crew. About twenty minutes after they called her, Aria burst through the front door. She found them almost immediately and fell to her knees beside Christine.

  “Hey, are you okay?”

  Christine nodded slowly, “I think so. I just can’t believe she’s been here the whole time.”

  Aria glanced at Patrick as he gently rubbed Christine’s back. The idea of finding a dead body was terrifying enough, but finding the body of someone they’d assumed had picked up and left would put anyone on edge. The rest of the cast started to trickle in until they were all gathered in the lobby of the Majestic Theatre. Patrick left Christine with Aria and began herding everyone into the theater seats.

  “In light of the tragedy, tonight’s performance has been canceled. We’ll be adding this one to the end of our performance schedule. After you speak to the detectives, you’ll be free to go home for the weekend,” Patrick announced.

  While Aria sat with Christine in the lobby, Drew stumbled in. He wore dark sunglasses and a leather jacket. It was evident he hadn’t gotten much sleep. Aria reluctantly left Christine sitting on a padded bench; her friend hardly noticed she walked away. Drew saw her coming. If he wanted to win her back, the best thing he could do was be supportive. He took her into his arms, trying to portray sympathy; he just didn’t feel for the woman who’d been found dead.

  “Drew, I’m so glad to see you,” Aria hugged him tightly, “Can you believe this?”

  “It’s insane. Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine, I’m more worried about Christine. She found the body,” Aria explained with a glance at her friend.

  “Did she? Wow, that’s got to be tough,” Drew looked at Christine for a moment before returning his attention to Aria.

  “They canceled our performance tonight.”

  “I figured they would. Hey, you’re shaking, are you sure you’re okay?” Drew pulled her close for another hug, “You’re safe, I’ve got you.”

  Aria allowed herself to melt into his embrace. Despite everything she’d been told about him, the only time she’d felt uncomfortable around Drew was the night before. Aria still wasn’t sure what motivated the kiss he stole on the stage in front of the crowd, but it didn’t seem as important anymore. He gently rubbed her back, calming her with his gentleness. Aria rested her head against his chest. It wasn’t fair to him, but she wanted to feel safe. They may not know anything yet about how Karen died, but the one thing that was certain was she didn’t die of natural causes.

  “What if someone in our cast killed her?” Aria asked.

  “I don’t mean to alarm you, but that’s the most likely scenario considering that the body was found here. I just can’t believe we’re halting performances. If they shut down businesses every time a homeless person was found frozen to the ground, no one would ever be open,” Drew huffed.

  Aria pulled away from him to look into his eyes, “You don’t mean that.”

  “Actually, I do. I’m not saying it’s not a tragedy, I’m just saying there’s no reason to shut us down. It’s not like Karen croaked on stage in the middle of a performance. As the saying goes, the show must go on.”

  The difference between the way they saw the situation was enough to remind her that she didn’t know him as well as she thought. When Patrick told her they would hold off on performances for a week, it seemed perfectly reasonable. Even if the police hadn’t insisted on closing off the theater for the investigation, Aria would have assumed they would cancel performances out of respect. Drew didn’t see it that way, and Aria found that troubling.

  “I should get back to Christine,” Aria told him as she stepped out of his arms.

  Drew followed her back to her friend. Christine was still staring at the floor, but she seemed to be shaking less. Aria placed a gentle hand on her friend’s shoulder. Without looking, she reached up and put her own hand on top of Aria’s hand.

  “I’m sorry, Aria.”

  “What do you have to be sorry for?”

  “I probably interrupted your morning with your guy,” Christine said without looking up at Drew.

  Aria laughed softly, “No, you didn’t. He had to t
ake off early. I was actually having coffee with Lena Rossi when you called. I’m glad you called me, I needed to be here for you.”

  “I think we’re all in for a long day,” Drew told them as police led the forensics team down the hall.

  Aria agreed. If they intended to talk to everyone who had anything to do with All I Ask, they were going to have a lot of people to interview. She wondered if they would try to find D’Angelo. It was his play, it would make sense for them to ask him if he’d had any interactions with the leading lady. Aria thought back to the response she received to her message alerting him to the discovery of Karen’s body. Somehow, he already knew she was dead.

  Detectives arrived and began questioning people one by one. Most were in and out with a few minutes, no one had seen anything, no one knew Karen well enough to have been overly concerned that she was missing. When everyone was gone, but Aria, Drew, Patrick, and Christine, the questioning lasted longer. The four of them worked closely with the now-deceased actress; if anyone in the cast or crew had noticed something awry, it would have been them.