Masques and Murder — Death at the Opera 2-Book Bundle

by Blechta, Rick

  Tony put his sandwich down and took both my hands. “Marta, dear, you’re working today — very hard — and I really don’t think you need to worry about anything other than what you’re doing. Let Shannon and Dan and me handle things. Believe me, you’ll be told if anything comes to light. How about this evening we sit down and I’ll give you the day’s events complete and unabridged? Or I’ll get Shannon to tell you herself. Deal?”

  He was right, of course, so I just shut up, finished my sandwich, and then went in search of our conductor to get his opinion on one or two things. Frick and Frack followed me at a discreet distance and Tony disappeared again.

  The afternoon was a rehearsal for just me, at my request, with the director, working on the blocking for the final scene of the opera. This is where my character, desperate and alone, and having told her story as a flashback for the first two acts, basically just gives up. It’s a lot more complicated and gripping than that, but that’s the plot in a nutshell.

  She’s living alone in a claustrophobic and very messy apartment. Various characters from earlier in the opera appear and disappear, some communicating with her, others just staring. It was all a bit spooky, but I thought it demonstrated beautifully her disintegrating mental state. I sing from a ring circling the back of the set, but I also appear within the set through video screens. It was all very complicated and technical and I needed to find out how it was meant to work. On paper it was indecipherable.

  Anyway, the act was all me, me, me, and I wanted to get really comfortable with the physical actions necessary because I needed to be able to concentrate on the really difficult singing. We had our rehearsal pianist play while we worked so that I could annotate my part with where I needed to be when. It would have been great to work on the main stage, but that wasn’t available, so we made do with a different space, unfortunately smaller. But by the time we called it quits just past four, I had a pretty good idea what was needed, and a hell of a lot of memorizing to do before the first full rehearsal of this act in five day’s time.

  I was in a fantastic mood when we left the opera house. Lo and behold, no media trucks, no microphones, and no cameras.

  “Seems like I’m yesterday’s news,” I said.

  Tony laughed. “Disappointed?”

  “Hell no! But I’ll bet Alex back in New York feels differently. I’ve been a manager’s wet dream the past few days. Poor man.”

  I hooked my arm into Tony’s and we jaywalked across Richmond Street. Frick and Frack were on either side of us, scanning the horizon for signs of trouble. That was us: just a carefree couple out for a stroll with our two bodyguards.

  Putting my foot down that evening, I insisted we eat in the hotel’s restaurant like civilized human beings. Of course that had to be discussed with Shannon, and she grudgingly agreed, but insisted that the overnight security guard — Emilio, a huge, hulking Italian with whom Tony had hit it off — either sit at our table or one very nearby. I wasn’t happy about that but could see the point. And of course we had to pay for his dinner. Having someone at the next table drinking espresso and staring at us while we ate would have been too unnerving.

  Back in our suite with Emilio camped out in the living room, Tony and I sat in our bedroom, talking about the day’s rehearsal. I was about to ask what was up in the investigation of McCutcheon when Tony’s mobile went off. He grabbed for it as if it were a life preserver thrown to him as he floated in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. Clearly, he’d been waiting for something.

  “Yeah…? Okay, I can do that.…” As he listened he mouthed “Shannon” in response to my raised eyebrows. “Yes. Dinner was lovely.… He’s in the next room.… We’re just sitting around chatting. I’ll ask.”

  As he lowered the phone from his ear, I asked, “What’s up?”

  “Shannon wants me to meet with her and Dan and possibly the police.”

  “Now?”

  He nodded. “It will be a quick meeting. I promise. Shannon wants to know if you’ll be okay with just Emilio in the next room.”

  I made a sour expression. My mood was such that a quiet lovemaking session would have been very welcome.

  “Well, if you have to go.”

  “I’ll have news for you when I get back. Okay?”

  “I may be asleep by then,” I answered, which was probably not true. My time would be spent going over my notes from that day’s rehearsal.

  Tony got up and kissed my forehead. “I’ll be back before you know it. If you need anything, just yell for Emilio.”

  “Anything?” I smirked to drive home my tease.

  Tony rolled his eyes. “You sopranos. You’re always so damned horny.”

  “And lucky for you loser tenors that we are!”

  He paused at the door and smiled. “Don’t I know it. I’ll be back soon, Marta dear. Promise.”

  The door clicked shut and I could hear talking in the next room. A minute or two later, I went out to the living room to search the bar fridge. A bit more white wine while I worked would go down a treat. Emilio was on the sofa watching TV (basketball) so I tossed him a beer.

  “You might as well enjoy yourself,” I said.

  “I really shouldn’t.”

  “But you will. Don’t worry. I won’t rat you out to the College of Security and Bodyguards, or whomever it is you guys report to.”

  He smiled. “Thanks.”

  “Don’t mention it,” I said and went back to the bedroom.

  I lasted all of about twenty minutes before I felt too tired to keep my eyes open. Figuring I’d take a shower in the morning, I just took off all my clothes and got under the covers. Maybe Tony could rouse me enough when he returned to the room. Until then, I’d sleep.

  I had no idea what time it was when I woke up. Still pitch black, I fought against intense grogginess. It felt as if I’d been asleep for days.

  Actually, I wasn’t even sure if I was awake. Eyes open or shut, complete and utter darkness surrounded me. I put my hands up in front of my eyes. Nothing. There was a total absence of light.

  I reached over to see if Tony was back yet and found the edge of the bed where I expected to find him. That was strange, too. I must have rolled to the other side while I was sleeping.

  It wasn’t until I reached over to that other side and quickly found another edge that it finally sank in something was horribly wrong. This bed was very narrow. It was not the bed I’d fallen asleep on. Fighting down panic, I thought I was just in the middle of a really weird dream. Considering what I’d been going through, that was not unexpected.

  Okay. I’d go with the flow until I woke up. Where was I? Something felt cold on my ankle. I moved my leg.

  And that’s when I really woke up.

  A thick metal band was around my ankle. Reaching down, I also found a thick chain attached to it. When I lifted my leg, the chain clanked loudly. Then I explored the bed some more. I was on a rather thin mattress over a metal cot.

  “You cannot panic,” I said out loud. The sound died almost as soon as it passed my lips. “Keep it together. This is just a bad dream.”

  I got up and walked gingerly around the cot, afraid to trip over something unseen in the darkness. The chain clanked around in my wake. I quickly discovered that both the chain and the bed were bolted quite securely to the wooden floor. I went out to the limit of the chain and could feel no walls.

  It wasn’t until I stubbed my toe returning to the cot that I realized this was not a bad dream. It was real. The darkness and the silence around me were complete. If I screamed until I lost my voice, no one would hear me.

  It didn’t matter where I was. I was a captive.

  Of him.

  Possession

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  If ever somebody sounded hysterical, it was Tony when he called Shannon O’Brien that night.

  “She’s gone! He’s got her. Oh my God. Oh my God. He’s got her!”

  Having been a cop for fifteen years, Shannon had dealt with highly em
otional situations. A learned response, she slipped back into it easily.

  “Tony, listen to me. You have to calm down.”

  He babbled on until she repeated the same words for the third time. Then he shut up as suddenly as if someone had removed his batteries.

  “Are you at the hotel, Tony?”

  “Yes.”

  “And the bodyguard on duty tonight —”

  “Emilio.”

  “Yes. Where is he?”

  “In the living room. Out like light.”

  “He is breathing, though, right?”

  “Yes. But he’s unconscious, drugged. I can’t rouse him.”

  “Okay. Here’s what we’re going to do. I will call the police and hotel security. I’m nearly at my house in Caledon and it will take me close to an hour to get back downtown. I’ll get Dan over there, if I can reach him. When the cops arrive, cooperate with them fully. Understand?”

  Tony sounded calmer. “Yes. What are we going to do?”

  “We’re going to find Marta, Tony. Have no doubt about that.”

  “I’m really worried, Shannon,” he almost whispered.

  “I’ll be there as soon as I can. Stay strong. I’ve got to make those calls now.”

  Shannon cursed as she disconnected from the call and immediately speed-dialed the detective unit, explaining quickly and succinctly what had happened.

  “Alert Dobbin,” she told them. “He’s handling this at your end and he’ll want to know.”

  Dan was already in bed. The bandage on his head had been traded for a smaller one, but she knew he was still under the weather.

  He quickly told her, “I’m getting dressed now, and I can be down to the Hilton in twenty minutes, max. Do you think I should get in touch with that woman —”

  “Lili. Yes. That would be a good idea. I’m sure the police will want to bring in their own psychologist, but Lili has information and insights they can use. Get her over, if she’ll come.”

  “Will do. Signing off. See you soon. And,” he added, “try not to get pulled over for speeding.”

  “As if!”

  Fifty-five minutes later, Shannon walked into a complete and total disaster. The hotel room was off limits as the crime scene team did their investigation. The hotel had moved everyone to a conference room in the basement. She was expected and let right in.

  Dan was sitting with Lili and Tony, who looked incredibly distressed.

  Shannon pulled up a chair. “What’s the latest?”

  Tony looked up. “Your detective friend said he’ll be talking to me in a few minutes. What the hell should we do?”

  “Did our friend leave anything? A note? One of his damned roses?”

  Tony shook his head. “When I returned, Emilio was snoring in front of the TV. I didn’t think much about it, except that it was pretty sloppy of him. When I got into our bedroom, Marta wasn’t there. I thought she was in the bathroom. It wasn’t until I checked and then tried to rouse Emilio that I realized what had happened. That’s when I called you.”

  “Is anything else missing?”

  Tony looked more unhappy — if that were possible. “I didn’t even think of looking.”

  Lili still had her coat and gloves on, sitting stiffly upright with her handbag clutched on her legs. “He does not care about us. We are of no concern to him.” The group all looked at her. “I am certain there will be no communication from this man. This is about possessing Marta, for whatever ends he has in mind.”

  Tony said sharply, “You don’t think he’s harmed her?”

  “We cannot be sure, of course, but I take comfort in the fact that he could have, possibly many times now, and has not.”

  Les Dobbin wandered over. “And you are…?” he asked towering over Lili.

  She stood up. “I am Madame Hendriks’s vocal coach. But I am also her therapist.”

  Shannon got up and peeled Dobbin away from the group. She explained exactly who Lili was and why she should be listened to.

  “We have our own expert we’ll be using.”

  “I’m telling you, Les, Lili knows her stuff. She also knows Marta — probably better than anyone. She is a good resource to have.”

  Dobbin shrugged. “You have a point. We have nothing to go on other than she’s gone.”

  “What about the bodyguard?”

  “The hotel doctor has brought him around, finally. I was just going to see him. Maybe we’ll get lucky.”

  “May I tag along?”

  He shrugged again. “Suit yourself.”

  “So where are we now?” Tony asked Shannon, Dan, and Lili several hours later.

  It was going on four in the morning and Marta’s friends all felt and looked pretty rough. Tony had just been asked how he wanted the police to release information about the kidnapping.

  “According to what I’ve heard off the record from someone,” Shannon said, “they think our friend got into the room earlier today and replaced everything in the bar fridge with drugged stuff. Both Marta and Emilio had something from it. Emilio says he was watching TV, drank the beer that Marta gave him, and doesn’t remember a thing after that, so I think that’s a workable theory.” She turned to her employee. “Dan, what do you have?”

  “As I told you and Tony last night, I followed McCutcheon all yesterday and I’d be willing to swear in court he came nowhere near this hotel.”

  “Could he have had someone else do his dirty work here?” Tony asked.

  Hudson shrugged. “Sure. That’s always a possibility.”

  Lili shook her head. “No. He would desire to do this himself. It is the cat and mouse game he loves. I am certain of it.”

  Tony stood. “Surely the hotel must have some video?”

  “They do,” Shannon answered, “but it’s been given to the police. They’re going to take their time analyzing it if I know procedures.”

  “But we’re wasting time! Who knows what this creature has done to Marta.”

  Shannon got Tony to sit again. “You’re right, of course.”

  “He will want to play with her,” Lili said. “He has her in his power now and he will not waste that opportunity. I am sorry, dear Tony, but the situation is grave.”

  Tony looked appalled. “You’re saying that he might be assaulting her?”

  “He could be doing anything, but if you were to ask me to put some money down, I would say that Marta is not in immediate danger for her life. If he wanted to hurt her, he could have done it in the hotel room.”

  Now Shannon stood. “We’re getting off the track. Dobbin wants to know if you want the police to hold a press conference about what’s happened, or do we play it close to the vest for a while? Lili?”

  She tilted her head to the side, considering. “I do not believe our man will be intimidated by anything we do. Perhaps making the public aware of Marta’s abduction would garner useful information. Our man is very clever, but not infallible. As he becomes more volatile, he will be more prone to making mistakes.”

  “But he will become more unpredictable, won’t he?”

  “There is always that danger, yes.”

  “Dan?”

  “I spoke to the crime scene team and told them exactly what I found in Marta and Tony’s condo. They’re going to go over the hotel room with a fine-tooth comb looking for bugs. My guess is they’ll find something. This clown had to know what was going on in that hotel suite this evening, and that’s how he knew he could get away with what he did — and respond so quickly once the coast was clear.”

  All eyes turned to Tony. He shut his eyes for nearly a minute, head up, breathing deeply.

  “News conference,” he said. “If we have an opportunity to get information, then we have to go for it. You’re sure about what you said, Lili?”

  “No one can be certain about these things, but I would be surprised if my guess is the wrong one.”

  “Then I’ll give Dobbin the go-ahead.”

  The detective hadn’t been in the makes
hift hotel command centre for the past half-hour, so Tony spoke to a sergeant and was led from the room.

  Shannon looked at Dan and Lili. “I sure hope we just gave him the right advice.”

  At ten o’clock that morning Detective Sergeant Les Dobbin stood in front of the hastily assembled Toronto media at police headquarters. Tony stood behind him.

  “Yesterday evening, sometime after seven thirty, Canadian soprano Marta Hendriks was abducted from her hotel room by a person or persons unknown. We have been on the scene since the abduction was discovered by her husband. We believe it was carried out by the same person who attacked her last weekend in Venice, Italy, and who allegedly also murdered another singer in Rome the week before.

  “As well, we have video from the hotel showing the man we believe was responsible loading a very large suitcase into the back of a van. This van was stolen and has been recovered from a residential area in the west end of the city, along with the suitcase. Our forensic specialists are examining both for further clues.

  “At this time, we have no further comments, except to ask any members of the public who might have information concerning the whereabouts of Ms. Hendriks to contact us. Now, her husband would like to address you. Tony?”

  He stepped to the podium, clearly uncomfortable.

  “Marta, if you see this, know that we are working tirelessly to find you and bring you home. And to her abductor: Marta has done nothing to deserve this. Please let her go. You have made your point. Please release her, I beg of you. Let my wife come home.”

  Dobbin stepped back to the podium. “Now, I will take a limited number of questions.”

  There were nearly forty members of the media present, and of course, they all began shouting at once.

  In his sanctum, the man of the hour watched the pathetic news conference live on the Internet from multiple computer monitors. Leaning back in his chair, completely at his ease, he chuckled throughout the whole thing. The police were really quite pathetic. They would blunder around for weeks and not make any progress. The singer’s husband was equally pathetic. He’d looked as if he was about to burst into tears.